Interesting places in Orlando, Florida:

South Eola Neighborhood		Lake Eola Park
The Social, Sky 60		Bar-BQ Bar
South Orange Neighborhood		Tabu Nightclub
Amway Arena		3432 lariat lane
Orlando City Hall		Wall Street Plaza
55 West		Baldwin Park Neighborhood
Orlando Executive Airport		Lake Pinelock
Colonial Plaza		Orlando Science Center
Pearl Steakhouse		Lake Ivanhoe
The Grand Bohemian Hotel		The Club at Firestone
The Vue at Lake Eola		Amtrak Station
City Arts Factory		Wadeview Park
Improv Orlando

Orlando remained a rural backwater during the American Civil War, and suffered greatly during the Federal Blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought a population explosion, which led to the city's incorporation in 1875.

Gardens & Parks

• Arboretum of the University of Central Florida - An arboretum and botanical garden covering 80 acres (32 hectares), it contains more than 600 species of plants, including more than 100 bromeliads, in cultivated gardens. Its cultivated areas currently include a Conservatory Compound, a Bromeliad Sanctuary, Cycad Garden, Fern Garden, Palm Collection, Rose Garden, Swamp Habitat, and Wetland Plants Display.
• Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave, 407-246-2620. Daily 9AM-5PM except Christmas Day. Beautiful landscaped gardens and lakes set in nearly 50 acres of land, featuring flora gathered from around the globe since 1936 including the largest rose garden in Florida and America's largest Camellia collection outside of California. Leu House, Harry P. Leu's former home set within the grounds and dating back to the 1880's, has tours every 30 minutes around its museum illustrating Florida living at the turn of the 20th century (closed during July). You can marry in various places in the gardens and there are special events held throughout the year. $5 (free every Monday 9AM-12noon)
• World of Orchids, featuring thousands of blooms in an enclosed tropical rainforest. World of Orchids is a working greenhouse shipping orchids and other plants nationwide. A greenhouse covers nearly an acre (4,000 m²), and in this controlled climate of warm, humid air some 1,000 orchids are displayed in a natural jungle setting, with streams, waterfalls, and squawking parrots. World of Orchids also has a 1,000 foot (300 m) long boardwalk meandering off into nearby wetlands. Admission is free.

Museums

• Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College. Features items from Cornell's renowned permanent collection. Admission is free.
• International Trolley and Train Museum - Features 14 model railroad trains with sound and lighting traveling through an indoor garden with 12 foot (4 m) high mountains, waterfalls, and more than 30 trestles and tunnels. Also on display are toy trains from the 1920s to the present. Visitors can catch a ride in a California Victorian-style half open/half closed trolley or the 5/8 replica of an 1880 locomotive (a Mason Bogey) with its passenger cars.
• The Holy Land Experience is a biblical themepark and museum complex.
• The Orange County Regional History Center Features exhibits and artifacts from the earliest days of the region to the modern day. Includes information on everything from the time of the Seminole Indians to the founding of the city to the Civil Rights era to the Disney period to today.
• The Orlando Museum of Art, Ongoing exhibitions of American portraits and landscapes, American impressionist works, and art of the ancient Americas.
• The Orlando Science Center, is a 207,000 square foot (19,000 m²) hands-on learning center with hundreds of interactive exhibits for visitors of all ages. Images surround visitors on the giant screen of the Dr. Phillips CineDome. Other attractions include the Body Zone, teaching health and fitness, as well as an observatory. The center has the largest refracting telescope in Florida.
• Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium Located in a building artfully constructed to appear as if it were collapsing to one side. Visitors can explore bizarre artifacts, strange collections, weird art/hobbies and interactive exhibits in sixteen odd galleries.

Sports Teams

• Orlando Magic (NBA)
• Orlando Predators (AFL)

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a thousand words
Made by saikiishiki
sorry, it's been awhile again! since the last post (before the xmas~y one), mukha, me and my boyfriend went on an epic journey half way across the country to see our families. that was in november though and i wanted to post pix afterward, and tell stories about the treacherous trip but i was in a state of shock and it took a long time to recover.. trust me, if you read the tales of our travels it will probably shorten your life a little. so, when i finally post some pix, beware of reading the stories! ;q (none of us got hurt or anything, so don't worry!) anyway.. also, mukha had her 4th birthday on 11~22!!! unfortunately, we celebrated by riding in the car all day :( soo, about this pic.. there is so much to say! first of all, i captured mukha doing her special ninja eye technique, (where one of her eyes is focused on me, and the other is just, well.. not ;)) she is so amazing and talented! she is so creative too! she actually helped make the texture i used on this photo! see, i rarely see grasshoppers here, and there was one sitting on the side of our house for a long time so i decided to take a pic of it. mukha was all minding her own business, but i guess she realized i was trying to take a pic of something besides her (we can not have that!) so she came over and tried to attack the grasshopper right when i was taking the pic. i was totally focusing on the grasshopper and didn't even know she was coming. she really scared me and i got this action shot of the wall's texture. it was in the same batch of pix as this one, so i decided to try it as a texture and it worked! hehe, and the reason i even took this pic of mukha to begin with is because i was setting things that i want to sell on craigslist on our table and taking pics of them, but like i said, we can't have that. the camera is for mukha only! she's so cute, she just starts slowly sneaking into the shots by first sniffing whatever i'm taking a pic of and then standing over it until she's completely in between the camera and the object. or she just lays down and poses like in the photo below. :) she does love to be on the table, though! she does it all the time but she still cracks me up every time! ♥love her!♥ i'm trying to get rid of things because we just found out our landlord hasn't paid taxes on our house for 3 years and the house is going up for auction the 7th. and after 5 years of our landlord regularly collecting rent every month, he just stopped collecting it and stopped taking care of the place. then he sent us a text message eviction threat a few months ago. .. before that we messed up our wall a little and decided to paint it and the rest of the room, but we only got some of it done when we got the text threat and decided to stop painting.. so that's why there's one cool painted wall in the pic.. i guess we'll be moving soon :( it would be so great to find a yard as amazing as the one we have now for mukha!!! and a better house! i guess that's about it, except the kimono and the bell on top of the microwave are things my mom gave me on the trip cause she didn't want them anymore.. aawe, and mukha's left ear is in action in both shots, hehe..


Y2 Day 254 - Uncluttered
Made by Ernie E - INACTIVE
EXPLORE, #16 & Explore Front Page! For Flickr Group Roulette challenge, Uncluttered. This isn't some illusion here. That is a big, red wall I'm leaning on right in the middle of downtown Orlando. It happens to be a great spot for portrait or model photography but the empty lot where this is is up for sale so I don't know how long this will stay like this. The photo might be uncluttered but this description isn't. My friend tagged me so now I have to give Nine Random Goals & Facts About Me. This wasn't easy but here you go.... 1) I am an only child to older parents. I do have a half-brother on my dad's side but I only met him once growing up and don't know anything else about my father's side of the family. 2) I'm a full-blooded Filipino but was born and raised in the U.S. My mom immigrated by normal means, my dad through the U.S. Navy. I don't observe Filipino customs which don't cast me in a good light with my relatives over there due to diametrically different Asian & Western customs. 3) Six years ago I 'lost' my mother to Alzeimer's dementia. It was a traumatic period in my life trying to take care of her with help with my aunt and it being my last semester in college. I was an emotional wreck seeing someone I've known and loved turn into someone I didn't recognize. If it wasn't for the support of some friends from my business fraternity, those times could've have easily destroyed me. It still haunts me but at least I'm comforted that she's being cared for by the family back in the Philippines. 4) I am a Pisces by astrological sign but I don't exhibit anything resembling one. Pisces are suppose to be creative and I'm creatively-challenged. I'm more of an analytical person. 5) I am a native San Franciscan but I've been living in Florida for 15 years now. My mom and I moved here because of lower cost of living and friends & family here. I haven't been back to S.F. in that time but I still call it my hometown. 6) I absolutely despise eggplant and liver. Other than that I can eat almost anything. 7) Laziness and procrastination are my prime weaknesses and they've gotten me in trouble on too many occasions. I don't know if I'll ever learn. 8) After 19 years off and on through college I finally got a Bachelors degree but getting 3 other Associates degrees along the way. That was a big monkey off my back. 9) My biggest goal for this year is to get a job. I really don't wanna be loafing off the government, I want to use my college education to make something of myself and contribute to others. Now I'm supposed to tag friends but I'm really lazy to pick out victims so anyone who'd like to take this up, be my guest!


Pistil Power!
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
View LARGE or ORIGINAL for detail if you have time! Front Page Explore #1: Camera Finder - Thank You All! 7,181 + Views! The pistil , one of the four basic parts of a flower , the central structure around which are arranged the stamens, the petals, and the sepals. The pistil is usually called the female reproductive organ of a flowering plant, although the actual reproductive structures are microscopic. The pistil has a bulbous base (the ovary) containing the ovules, which develop into seeds after fertilization of egg cell(s) in the ovule. A pistil is composed of one or more highly modified leaves (carpels), each containing one or more ovules. A flower may have one or more simple pistils, each a separate organ, or, in higher orders, a compound pistil, formed of several fused carpels. Usually, there is above the ovary a stalk (the style) bearing on its tip the stigma, where the pollen grains land and germinate (see pollination ). The stigma is often sticky or hairy, to retain the pollen. Evolutionary relationships can often be inferred from the location of the ovary in relation to the other parts of the flower. If the stamens, petals, and sepals are attached beneath the ovary, the flower is hypogynous and the ovary is superior; if they are attached above, the ovary is inferior and the flower epigynous; if the ovary is located in a receptacle at the outer edges of which are attached the other flower parts, it is called superior or half-inferior and the flower perigynous. A flower that has one or more pistils but no stamens (or nonfunctional ones) is called pistillate, or female, as distinguished from a staminate, or male, flower, in which the pistil is nonfunctional or absent. Encyclopedia.com PERUVIAN LILY [G] Alstroemeria ligtu (pink with brown streaks) Alstroemeriaceae, Alstroemeria Family (or Amaryllidaceae, Amaryllis Family) Spirit: Assists meditation on celestial realities, connecting with one's own understanding of higher archangelic realms. Opens the veil between illusory 3D experiences and celestial manifestations beyond; useful for scientists, stargazers, astronomers to restimulate spiritual wonder: the Universe is an expression of divine Grace. Enhances opening to the ecstasy of the moment; opens the mind to incorporate higher realities, cosmic grandeur and spaciousness. Flower Essences


incredible girl resting
Made by saikiishiki
mukha is constantly doing incredible things, but there are 4 extraordinary things she has done recently that i never want to forget. i had to write them down, thought i would share them! about a month ago:. we were playing and she hit my lip really hard with her head. it stunned me and i turned away from her to stabilize. when i turned back around, she looked at me gently and curiously and sniffed towards my lip, then she dropped her toy and gave me a kiss on my hurt lip! it hurt when she did it, but she definitely made the pain go away because i started laughing and being so amazed at how awesome she is! thank you for kissing my booboo mukha! about a week after that:. sometimes she likes to sit by the fence and spy on things in the yard next door. one day she was doing this for about 10 minutes while i was leaning against the trampoline talking to my mom on the phone. suddenly, she turned around and lightly trotted straight over to me, jumped up gently and gave me a kiss right on the lips and then left! it was so deliberate! thank you for being such a lovebug! about a week ago:. it was evening and the sky was pale and dull. usually, at this time, the treetops are bright orange from the sun setting, but they weren't. everything was bla. we were playing when she stopped and looked at the sky. i was trying to get her attention back to playing again. she looked at me and looked back at the same area in the sky, as if to say 'look!' so i turned and saw a flock of flaming orange geese flying low in the sky. their color was so intense and the only color in the sky. they looked huge. it was so beautiful. thank you mukha chan for showing that to me! the day after that:. we were playing in the backyard, she was running back to me with her ball and i was jumping up and down clapping and cheering her on. when she got to me, i was still jumping and she ran under me while i was airborne and she took my legs out and i totally landed on the ground on my side! it was hilarious! it didn't hurt at all, which is really amazing. it happened in such slow motion. i jumped up in a vertical line and landed in a horizontal line. i laughed for the rest of the day about it! thank you mukha for making me laugh so much and not hurting me!


Infidel
Made by danny.hammontree
Although it was raining most of the day, the United for Peace and Justice Anti-war rally at Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida, had a really good turnout. There were many speakers at the event, maybe too many, but the testimony given by Iraqi war veteran Clifton Hicks made it all worth it, as his accounts of what happened during his deployment in Iraq moved many to tears. As the march started, the skies opened up and a deluge of rain came down. The marchers moved through the streets undeterred, and at about a mile into the march, came upon a small group of pro-war protesters that call themselves the Gathering of Eagles. These self proclaimed “real Americans” yelled hateful phrases and gave the old middle finger salute to everyone as they walked by. This conflict was pretty much over before it started, because the ratio of anti-war protesters to pro-war protesters was so great. What: United for Peace and Justice Anti-war National Mobilization When: October 27th 2007 Where: Orlando, Florida at Lake Eola Photo also viewable at deviantART Speakers Include: Michael Albert - activist, author of Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism & founder of Z-Magazine Lucas Benitez - Coalition of Immokalee Workers Debra Booth - AFL-CIO & Central Florida Labor Council Congresswoman Corrine Brown Scott Camil - Veteran for Peace Michael Canney - Green Party of Florida, Co-Chair Matt De Vlieger - SDS @ UCF (M.C. of the day) Denise Diaz - Central Florida Jobs with Justice Senator Mike Gravel - Anti-war Candidate for President '08 Clifton Hicks - Iraq veteran against the war (IVAW) Jesse Kern - Veterans for Peace (Korean War Veteran) Omar Masri - Speaker from UFPJ Steering Committee Peg McIntire (97yo) - Grandparents for Peace, St. Augustine David Rucker - Metropolitan Democratic Black Caucus & former President of the Orange County NAACP Bruce Wright - St. Pete for Peace Lydia Vickers - CodePink


my bloody new couch!
Made by saikiishiki
literally.. well, except for the 'new' part.. it's actually a dumpster couch, but it is new to us! see, our friends that live a few blocks away from us were outside doing yard work when their neighbor's just put this couch out on the curb. i guess everyone can agree that our futon is the most uncomfortable thing in the universe to sit on so they called and asked if we wanted them to grab it and bring it over. the only thing that appeared to be wrong with it was it was missing the middle cushion. but then they went over and asked them if they had it and they actually did! after our friends brought the couch over they said that their neighbor's little girl kept the cushion because she loved the couch so much and didn't want to get rid of it, so she kept a piece of it! she even hugged the couch goodbye when they took it! so sad! :( the couch was in great condition, no blemishes of any kind. but naturally, it didn't stay that way after being in our house for only a few hours. earlier in the day i discovered mukha's hand was bleeding! but it stopped, so i thought it was ok. then, randomly that night it started bleeding again and she jumped right up on the couch, of course. then we doctored her paw up a bit and cleaned up the couch (not really, we just made the stains bigger..). but then a few hours later it happened again, only worse, because she walked on every single cushion!! so now we have all these blood stains all over the couch! they're actually not that bad, because i kept cleaning it every few hours the next day. they're not that noticeable, but they still need to be cleaned more. that night we doctored her paw some more and it was totally healed the next morning! and no more incidents so far! ps~ that hand that's pointing towards the camera is the one that did all the damage! one of her fingers looked like it was cut with glass.. i'm so glad it healed so fast, i thought we were going to have to get stitches or super glue or whatever.


Hibiscus La Bokeh!
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
Happy HIBISCUS Bokeh Wednesday... Explored #130 4/14/09 Thanks to you all... View Stamen LARGE or ORIGINAL if you have time.. 7,950 + Views Hibiscus The Genus Hibiscus comprises plants also commonly called hibiscus and less widely known as rosemallow. The large genus of about 200–220 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae (the mallow family, along with members like cacao, cotton, okra, baobab and durian) native to warm, temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. The genus includes both annual and perennial herbaceous plants, and woody shrubs and small trees. Description The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, often with a toothed or lobed margin. The flowers are large, conspicuous, trumpet-shaped, with five or more petals, ranging from white to pink, red, purple or yellow, and from 4-15 cm broad. The fruit is a dry five-lobed capsule, containing several seeds in each lobe, which are released when the capsule splits open at maturity. Uses Many species are grown for their showy flowers or used as landscape shrubs. Hibiscus is also a primary ingredient in many herbal teas. One species of Hibiscus, known as Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), is extensively used in paper making. Another, roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is used as a vegetable and to make herbal teas and jams (especially in the Caribbean). In Mexico, the drink is known as agua de Jamaica and is quite popular for its color, tanginess and mild flavor; once sugar is added, it tastes somewhat like cranberry juice. Dieters or persons with kidney problems often take it without adding sugar for its beneficial properties and as a natural diuretic. It is made by boiling the dehydrated flowers in water; once it is boiled, it is allowed to cool and drunk with ice. And the National Flower of Malaysia!! Wikipedia


morning light
Made by saikiishiki
well, afternoon light actually ;) mukha has been getting in this sunshine spot like clockwork everyday for about a month. if i wake up and see her laying here, i can tell what time it is and know i have slept too long as usual. i'm so glad she's sleeping in our room again and in our bed most of the time again! i really missed her most of the summer. see, she got this new bed a while ago and i had it in various rooms before i decided it should definitely go by the front door because that's where she stays the entire time we're gone and waits for us to come home (loooove her:)). i thought she should be as comfortable as possible while we were gone, even though we're usually at home. but then she started sleeping there every night.. and she started waking us up in the morning by barking at all the new activities happening outside the door. finally i realized i should put the bed in our room, obviously. she started sleeping there but still not in our bed :(. then, because she is just so crazy smart, on the night of the first day of fall she started sleeping in the bed again, yaaay! she usually starts out on top of the covers somewhere cozy, but every single morning when light starts to enter the room she has to get under the covers. it's so funny because she knows just where to stand and wait for me to wake up and lift the covers so she can climb in and plop down. she either stands on the floor with her hands on the side of the bed or just stands on my pillow by my face and stares down at me till i wake up. then later usually, because it's not really cold here she straightens out and lays next to me with her sweet head on the pillow by mine like a little human. this is one of my favorite feelings in the universe! she's so snuggly and mushy :)


MAAAANTAAAA!
Made by kevkev44
Yup, I can't think of any clever/cute titles for my photos. Haha. Have a magical 3 day weekend! LOL. Some quick Manta facts: Capacity: 1500 riders per hour Length: 3359' Height: 140' Drop: 113' Inversions: 4 Speed: 56 mph Duration: 2:35 Vehicle wing span: 12 feet Length of train: 72 feet, 2 inches Weight per train: 33,100 pounds when empty Wiring per train: 2,524 feet The marine life — More than 3,000 animals live in Manta’s state-of-the-art aquatic habitats, creating mesmerizing face-to-fin encounters with hundreds of rays, thousands of exotic fish and even a giant Pacific octopus. Rays — Three hundred rays can be found in Manta’s huge all-around-you aquarium, adding to the sense of total immersion in an underwater world. While there are over 400 species of rays found throughout the world, eight species are showcased at Manta. They include cownose, spotted eagle, roughtail, southern, shark ray, giant guitarfish, white blotched river ray and ocellate river rays. Did you know? - The trains on flying coasters are the most complicated and technically advanced trains of any type of roller coaster. - Manta’s trains are very efficient and built to extremely high standards. In fact, if Manta’s track were flat with no loops, twists, turns or brakes -- a single train would probably coast for nearly two miles after its initial 113-foot drop.


~ Did You Say Motorcycle Insurance ? ~
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
This is the third cousin once removed from the Geico Gecko. He's much younger and trying hard to be the replacement Gecko for next years ad campaign. He is staying with me in Florida while he studies his lines for new commercials... The Geico Insurance Company Lizard which is a gecko, is not an actual duplicate of what the real gecko lizard looks like. They took liberties of changing the looks of this type of lizard to make it more appealing. The real gecko lizards are small to average sized lizards belonging to the Gekkonidae family of lizards. The real gecko is unique in their vocalizations in socializing with one another. They make chirping sounds while communicating with one another. The Geico gecko is in real life a unique species of lizards. They have no eye lids, just membranes that cover their eye. The membrane is transparent and they lick it clean. When they need to defend themselves they expel this foul smelling material along with feces at their enemy. The Geico geckos are the lizards that in real life can actually walk across the ceiling with their unique specialized toe pads. These toe pads let them climb many trees with ease. In other tropical countries they have a species called the House Gecko that becomes a welcome quest in homes and actually make their homes in those of humans.


weimaraner party !!
Made by saikiishiki
mukha had a weimaraner party about a month ago and as you can see by her expression, she loved it! it was so much fun. there were 20 weims total including mukha, plus 1 non~weim! it was a fun day of running around the yard, jumping on the trampoline and swimming in the lake. we have a small fenced in backyard that we call our 'immediate' backyard. beyond that we have our real backyard, which is actaully 2 very large backyards~ ours and our neighbors yard fenced in together. well, we were cooking out in our immediate backyard with the fence closed so all the weimaraners wouldn't eat or knock over the food, and mostly all of the weimaraners were out playing in the big yard~ that is, if their humans were out there with them. if their people were in the immediate backyard, the poor weimaraners could not play anymore and could only stand on the fence waiting for their people to come back out or for someone to let them in so they could be back together again. it was always the case and it was soo sweet (and a little sad)! they are totally mans best friend! in the photos i got of them on the fence, you can tell which people were on this side of the fence by which weims are on the other side :) here are some picts of that and other highlights from the party.. enjoy!


puppy power ♥♥♥
Made by saikiishiki
today is mukha's 5th birthday!! this photo was taken when she was 4 months old, but it reminds me of the very first time i saw her. it was so magical, really. we entered the house, turned the corner and there in the kitchen (unconfined) were 3 little 11 1/2 week old puppies sitting perfectly side by side like one entity (like this picture, x3). they were all facing me, looking up at me.. so calm and quiet, except each puppy was slightly swaying like the flame of a candle in a still room. they had such a powerful, mystical, intelligent aura, but that, of course, was also oozing the puppy sweetness.. twas truly unforgettable! i should add that there was also an adult weimaraner (one who just had babies, but not these babies, which was a bit weird, but anyway..) at the house too, and she didn't bark or come to the door either when we arrived. this weimie behaviour was so unusual to me, because i was used to always coming home to frantic weims. one who loved to shriek and jump and claw at you, and one who mostly did cartwheels :) mukha is still good today, she lays by the front door the entire time we're gone and when we come home, she usually stands up slowly and waits for you to put out your arm where she gently perches and gives kissies ! ♥♥♥


SeaWorld Orlando - Dolphin Cove
Made by anadelmann
Skipping Day 11 of our vacation trip (revisited Animal Kingdom and Epcot) and coming to Day 12 with my favorite picture of the visit to SeaWorld Orlando. It was truly wonderful to see the bottlenose dolphins of Dolphin Cove from the underwater viewing area. Windows into a different world. For this capture I particularly liked how that one girl in the centre stood out so much. Please consider to view it ... and have a wonderful week, Everyone! For those who read this far and have been to Niagara Falls: I'll be off next weekend to visit there. So if you have been there and can give me some advice on what to do (or not to do) I would really appreciate it (including links to your posted pictures). Some additional info on SeaWorld Orlando from wikipedia: SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park near Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by Busch Entertainment Corporation, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch, and is the subsidiary's most visited park. It's devoted to Earth's oceans and the array of life that inhabits them. In 2008, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 5.9 million guests, ranking it the seventh-most visited amusement park in the United States and #12 in the world. Below are two captures related to the Orca Show Believe


~ High Key 9 ~
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
Not long ago I did a series of High Key/Low Key studio lighting portraits featuring two different models. I posted a total of 16 images at that time and decided to quit because I knew everyone was getting tired of them, as was I... However, I had six more images I wanted to post and have decided to do it now..I hope you all will indulge me and hopefully you will enjoy seeing six more images. As a side note.. I did a little study of the comments and faves from the previous 16 images posted and it showed that 96% of the faves came from men.. I found that quite interesting, considering that my normal fave count is about a 50-50 split between men and women. I wonder if one can conclude that woman don't like faving images of other women? I think that would be fair as I'm not likely to fave an image of another man... Any thoughts or comments on the subject are welcome.. =) Click here to visit Steve Page Photography on FaceBook Click on image or hit your L key to View On Black PLEASE NO MULTI-GROUP INVITES... Thanks...


Orlando Skyline Panorama Downtown
Made by planetoftheweb
Downtown Orlando skyline panoramic view at night from Lake Eola. Three really long exposures using my Sigma 10-20mm lens. Merged using Photoshop's excellent Photo Merge options. When shooting a panorama, try to level your tripod, set the exposure, white balance and focus to manual to prevent differences between the shots. Overlap about 30% of your shots. Just don't set the white balance to auto, because as you move your camera to take the multiple shots, it may adjust slightly. If you shoot raw it doesn't matter once you set it to a non-auto mode. Since these were RAW captures, I imported them individually into Photoshop, did all the corrections first (edited out rogue water fowl, bad overlapping pixels, etc), exported each shot as a JPG, then used the Photo merge feature. When you bring in the shots into Photoshop, in the RAW control adjust one of the shots and then use the synchronize button to make the others match. For this night shot, a little bit after sundown works really well, you'll get the lights turned on in the buildings as well as some color in the sky. For photography and graphic design tips & tutorials visit my site planetoftheweb.com


~ High Key ~ 4
Made by iTail ~ Steve Page - Sabbatical
This image is a product of one of two studio sessions I participated in recently. One night we shot High Key and the next night we shot Low Key. I will post them with alternating styles and models. One of my good friends here on Flickr didn't know what High Key and Low Key lighting was. I wrote him a quick description that he found very helpful, so I thought I would share it here for those who might be interested. This is a quick overview... Both High Key images and Low Key images make an intensive use of contrast, but in a very different way. When approaching a shoot of a dramatic portrait, the decision of making it a High Key, Low Key or just a regular image has great impact about the mood that this picture will convey. While High Key images are considered happy and will show your subject as a tooth-paste poster; Low Key portraits are dramatic and convey a lot of atmosphere and tension. Click here to visit Steve Page Photography on FaceBook Click on image or hit your L key to View On Black


Just Look Up ~ {EXPLORED}
Made by MyronLArmour Photography
Every now and then I like to go back and look through all the images I decided not to post as my shot of the day or looked over during my 50 Strangers in 50 Days project. One night while I was out bar hopping with a couple of friends, I came across this light fixture at one of the bars. The bar is called the Peacock Room. It was not really busy that night, so I was able to walk around and admire the art on the walls and the decor of the entire bar. Stationed over the red felt pool table were these umbrellas which made up this light fixture. One of my friends, Mike, had shot a similar image a long time ago, and I thought it had a cool look. When the opportunity appeared, I knew I wanted to attempt to capture this fixture in my own way. I would not have noticed this fixture, if I had not basically just looked up. I am learning to make that a habit when it comes to finding an image to capture for the day. Press L to see Larger and in Black Edit: Thank you to everyone that viewed, commented, and/or fav'd this image. This is my first image to get EXPLORED! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! To think I almost didn't post it.


. : h o o d l u m : .
Made by saikiishiki
this is one of my favorite photos ever. i never developed it because it had chanhi in a hoody and some clutter beside and behind rolyn. a few weeks ago i experimented with it in the darkroom. i was going to try to take chanhi out of the pic. i discovered that this photo isn't in focus except for this one spot on the hoody :(. i wanted to practice with it anyway because i was going to try a texture on it and maybe that would help with the out of focusness. for anyone who wants to know the basic details.. first i made a print. then i made a paper negative (the same size as the print). on the paper negative i used black paint to paint out chanhi and the other distractions. then i made a positive print again from the negative and some tissue paper as the texture. heh, that sounded easy.. it took all day! lots of testing in between all that :) i took a picture of the photo. a little extra ambiance was added from inconsistent lighting and reflections on the photo. oh, and you can still see chanhi back there :) i didn't completely omit her, but i think she matches a little with the texture. she's on the right facing the left. greyghost!


S.A.V. - Swift Armoured-Assault Vehicle
Made by Moctagon Jones
This assault vehicle, SAV for short, was in production until the end of last Physi Incret or Period of Enlightenment, as it was loosely translated from our invaders toungues. These gelatinous, yet lizard-like creatures had come across uncharted galaxies, only to touch down on our small planet. For forty-three years we had kept their total assimilation of our planet at bay, but time was running out. During the first ten years, they were our strange and unsuspected benefactors, who had brought peace between many nations. We were so blind. Now much of Earth had been turned into a desert, mimicking the conditions on their home planet. Forced into underground production facilities, the last of our raw materials were fully invested in weapons production. Communications began to fail between the splintered colonies in the past year, and a new dawn was emerging as yet another species became extint upon the Earth. Two side mounted rocket launchers and a rear mounted, 360 degree capable, dual repulsor rifle mount. Carrying a four man crew with a top speed 250 mph.


Isn't he the cutest thing? (Made it to Explore – #16!)
Made by Mike Wacht Photography
Update (2011 01 10) — Pete was featured in DPShots' 30 Adorable Animal Photography Examples article. (http://dpshots.com/photo-inspiration/animal-photography.html). I'm really quite honored at the recognition. There are some really nice shots among the 30. Check it out! _______________ I entered Pete into the Humane Society's Spay Day 2010 Photo Contest. If you can, would you please stop by his page and vote for him? Votes cost $1 — a donation to the Humane Society and local organizations spaying and neutering pets. photocontest.humanesociety.org/contest.html?page=viewInd&... I was playing with a new remote flash unit. My daughter didn't want to pose, so Pete got stuck with model duty. He did a great job! But half blinded by the flashes and worn out from jumping on and off the bed, Pete laid down his sleepy head and flashed me those big, puppy-dog eyes. Flickr Explore: Feb 5, 2010, #16! Thanks, everyone!