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The New Explore
Made by kevin dooley
Many Flickrites have been complaining about how difficult it is to get into Explore since Flickr made changes to Explore (and Interestingness) around August 20. Here’s my best guess as to what changed, and what Interestingness depends on. First, I believe Flickr is updating Explore less frequently during the day. This de facto means less people are getting into Explore. Further, since the ones that do get into Explore stay there longer, they get more visits, comments, and faves, and are able to stay there yet longer. The top 50 photos in Explore have a LOT of views, so I can only presume they're staying there most of the day. There are other changes I can conjecture: 1. There may have been an “acceleration” factor in Interestingness/Explore that has either been reduced or removed. If you got a lot of views/comments/faves in a short amount of time it would really bolster Interestingness. I am not sure I am seeing this effect any more. Since one of the advantages of the so-called “Explore Groups” was this acceleration, this could be the reason they have lost their dominance in Explore. 2. There must be some other reason why the Explore Groups are no longer represented so largely in Explore. If you look at the data, the Groups represented most in Explore (today it was Black and White and NikonD90) have 10 or less photos in Explore. In the heyday of the Explore Groups, the top groups had 30 or 40 or 50 pictures represented in Explore. Are these Explore Groups somehow being BANNED?? Or their members?? Really really really doubt it. A more logical explanation is that Interestingness has somehow been modified with respect to the type of Groups you post to. If you look at the top 50 in Explore on any recent day, you’ll find most have either posted to no Group, or posted to a Group that is not a “popularity” contest. So without being able to pinpoint the exact nature of the change, my advice is this: Post in less popular Groups! (and don't post in too many) 3. Interestingness for any given image probably depends on the image’s relative popularity compared to other images in your stream. Historically this led to some pics with very modest stats (e.g. 30 views, 10 comments, 8 faves) to get into Explore--just because that image was so much more popular than others they had. I am not seeing this anymore, so I think this effect has been reduced—Interestingness is more absolute and less relative to what is in the rest of your stream. 4. I have conjectured before that Explore and Interestingness were related but not one in the same. I am less certain about this now. Maybe I was wrong, or maybe I was right but they’ve become more coupled. 5. Finally, I have no doubt that images that get posted to more Flickr Galleries get a higher Interestingness score. Galleries didn’t exist before these recent changes. In my own case, there was a time when I got into Explore a lot; and then I didn’t because I wasn’t posting to the Explore Groups; and when I started doing what everyone else was doing I got into Explore again… and then Flickr changed and I didn’t and I didn’t get into Explore… and then I quit worrying about Groups and went back to my old behavior and am getting into Explore all the time again. So here’s a reminder of the important things to do IF you care about a post’s Interestingness or Explore: a. Post only Interesting photography. b. Include camera data and locate on map. For longer term Interestingness, include descriptive title, text, and tags. c. Maintain a vibrant Flickr network of contacts and friends that will view your posts. d. Don’t post more than one or two images per day. e. Post to less than ten Groups, at least initially; posting to less popular Group may increase Interestingness. f. It’s not only views, comment, and faves that matter; Galleries and notes increase Interestingness also. (Yes, this got into Explore)


Artist Tyson Crosbie Arrested (detained).
Made by tysoncrosbieedit
Today I started on my usual meanderings through the city creating the art series #phx21, only today I left my ID at home. This proved to be a big problem for a few officers in an urban neighborhood in Phoenix, AZ. Obviously what follows is my remembered account.. if anything I hit the highlights and left out a bunch of the dialog that was just repeated over and over. I was first approached by an officer in a car that asked What is your name and birthday? I said Good afternoon officer, what is the problem? Officer: I saw you were walking down that alley back there. I said in all seriousness, Am I being detained or am I free to go? Officer replied that I was required to give him the information that he requested because I was breaking the law. Did you know that using the alley as a thoroughfare was illegal. No, I didn't. Do you have your ID on you? No, am I being detained or am I free to go? You can go after you give me your name and birthday. I don't have my ID At this point he exits the car: I could've just given you a warning and let you go.. I just stood there. Silent. Thinking was this really happening? Then another patrol car showed up. He started interviewing the neighbors to find out if they recognized me. They didn't. I snapped a couple photos of the officers, they asked me to stop photographing them. I wasn't going to say anything and so they started rolling with a ton of weird statements and questions... Why won't you tell us your name? You could be a drug dealer or burglar or murderer... is that why you won't tell us your name? Silence. You aren't making this easy on yourself... if you don't tell us your name we'll just bring you down to the station and book you and we'll find out your name anyway... Take your hands out of your pockets for our safety. Do you have anything sharp or illegal in your pockets? This just got elevated by their vocabulary, so I said: Am I under arrest? I do not consent to a search. You are not under arrest, but since you broke the law we can search your person for drugs and weapons. They proceeded to take my camera bag (some call it my purse, it is my guatemala bag), put handcuffs on me, turn out all my pockets, and aggressively pat me down, including pinching my balls. Then they put me in the back of the car. Another officer showed up, and came to the car window asking more questions about where I lived and what I was doing in this neighborhood. You obviously don't belong here.. I replied with silence or to ask if I was now under arrest. (there was a bum outside watching this and he kept gesturing to me to keep quiet. lol) Twenty minutes in the back of the car as they put all my things in the trunk, I couldn't see what they were doing... But then they opened the door asked me to get out and took the handcuffs off. Told me, You're lucky cause they don't want to process you downtown today. and the other officer said I am sure you'll be seeing these officers a lot more now. I said good afternoon to them and snapped a few more photos as I walked away from the corner. Personally I think this is a great story. I understand the officers actions, it was a dance that had to happen the way it did. I didn't have anything to hide, I wasn't doing anything illegal so I didn't feel scared at the implications of going to jail. I just stood up for my rights... I also feel is an important part of the story about working as an artist, finding beauty in neighborhoods that I don't belong in I guess. I feel like I belong there as much as anyone else, and after this experience I feel even more tied to Phoenix. I love this place.


Tempe Bridge, Bathed in Sunset
Made by Thad Roan - Bridgepix
The Mill Avenue Bridges consist of two bridges that cross the Salt River in Tempe, Arizona. The first bridge opened in August 1931 but was not dedicated until 1 May 1933. The dedication celebration lasted for two days. Attending the celebration was Benjamin Baker Moeur, a former Tempe doctor and the governor at that time. The creation of this bridge replaced the Ash Avenue Bridge which was a dilapidated, one-lane, wagon bridge just to the west. It was demolished in 1991. In the Phoenix area, it was the sole crossing at the Salt River for some time. The New Mill Avenue Bridge (located directly to the east) opened in 1994 to relieve the original bridge from the increasing traffic. This allowed for two lanes to travel in each direction (North and South), instead of the previous single, two-lane bridge. Water flowed down the Salt River until the 1940s, when dams were constructed upstream. The water flow practically stopped, creating a dry river bed to support the growing Southwest. For years, southbound traffic used both lanes of the bridge, while northbound traffic utilized an unbridged crossing in the riverbed. Despite the Salt's being a dry river, water occasionally flowed. When reservoir levels got too high, the dams were required to release water, causing water to flow once more. Due to monsoon storms heavy rains would fall, and washes and street runoff emptied into the river. At such times the unbridged crossing was closed, and the bridge was opened to north- and southbound traffic, one lane in each direction. The bridge faced many strong floods that raged through the Salt River Valley. In 1980 almost all the bridged crossings on the Salt River were closed for safety reasons due to severe flooding. The Mill Avenue Bridge and one other bridge in Phoenix were the only bridges that remained open. This was because they were structurally sound to stand up to the raging currents. Water hit the bridge at 200,000 cubic feet (5663.37 cubic metres) per second, which far surpassed the expected strength of the bridge. In one 24-hour period during this flood, 92,000 vehicles crossed the bridge. With the opening of the northbound New Mill Avenue Bridge in 1994, the unbridged crossing was permanently closed. with two lanes now running in each direction no matter the weather, monsoon storms and releases from dams no longer lead to traffic obstructions. In 1999 the dry river bed was transformed into a dammed artificial lake. Tempe Town Lake was a key success to the revitalization of Downtown Tempe. Before, just a crossing over the dry river, these bridges became a centerpiece of the new lake. This prompted a lot of development along the lake. Today, mid-rise offices rise above the southeast portion of the bridges. Every Fourth of July the CBS 5 July 4th Tempe Town Lake Festival is held at the lake. The fireworks for the celebration are launched from the bridges. (Wikipedia) Additional Bridge Photos and a Bridge Blog at www.Bridgepix.com.


You can't always get what you give: A study of Flickr award groups
Made by kevin dooley
You probably thought what I did: If I post to an award group that requires 3 awards, then I should expect 3 awards, on average. Obviously, any given photo will get more or less, but you figure on average you should get as much as you give, right? WRONG!! I’ve done a systematic study of how many awards the different award groups give out, and the bottom line is this: The half of Flickrites who do actually give out rewards get nothing in return from the other half of the Flickrites who post and run. If you’re posting and running, shame on you. If you’re posting and being honest, then you should check out the list below to see which award groups are best and worst. Details of the study are below; I welcome any data that the group admins wish to share, or from anyone would like to validate these findings. I realize my sample is small and would like to get more data... ----------- Purpose: Do you get as many rewards as you give in Flickr award groups? Method: Sample 20 Flickr award groups. Go to page 24 and count the number of awards given to the first 12 pictures; this is deep enough in the pool that awards have stopped, but not so deep that many images have been pulled. I validated a sample of 12 was sufficient. Result: From a total sample of 240 images posted to award groups, you get 59% of the awards you give out, or roughly you have to give two awards in order to get one. There is huge variation amongst the groups, as you’ll see in table below. Discussion: At a practical level, it appears that there are two things that contribute to a higher percentage of reciprocity. First, group cohesion makes a difference—for example Shining Star has a relatively higher percentage because many of the members are contacts with each other. Second, a mechanical pool sweeper, if properly used, makes a HUGE difference, e.g. Global Village 2 and Flickr Hearts. The results also show that there are lots of Flickrites who don’t play by the rules. In the case of group awards, without a pool sweeper there is absolutely no penalty for posting and running because there’s no way to get caught. Group averages… For example, A+++ has 70%, meaning that for every A+++ award you give, you get 0.7 back… Some of the averages are above 100% because of sampling error, and because of multiple invites. My Winners, 116% Better Than Good, 116% Global Village 2, 110% Flickr Hearts, 88% A+++, 70% The Other Village, 70% Shining Star, 68% Music to My Eyes, 64% Dragon Fly, 63% Flickr Stars (newer one), 62% Flickr Rose, 60% Flickr Special, 56% Perfect Photographer, 40% Abstract Art Awards, 40% Photographers Gone Wild, 37% Peoples Choice, 37% Colour Art Awards, 30% Eperke, 24% Flickr Stars (older one), 20% I Think This is Art, 7% (Explore)


HDR Railroad Bridge, Tempe, Arizona
Made by Thad Roan - Bridgepix
Bridgepixing the historic Salt River Union Pacific Railroad Bridge (built 1912), Tempe, Arizona. We have more than 13,000 images of other Bridges and a Bridge Blog at www.Bridgepix.com. The Salt River Union Pacific Bridge is significant not only because of its age and size, but also because of is durability in the face of heavy flooding, which destroyed three previous bridges in this location. It is on the site of the earliest railroad crossing of the Salt River. The first railroad bridge, built by the Phoenix and Maricopa Railroad at this crossing in 1887, was washed away in 1891. The second bridge fell victim to a flood in 1905. During 1905, the newly organized Arizona Eastern Railroad built a bridge on a slightly different alignment. It was founded on ten sets of concrete-filled steel cylinder drums anchored in the bedrock of the river. The nine spans were moved to the site from various locations in Texas, creating a workable but temporary structure. The present bridge was built by the Arizona Eastern in 1912-1913 on the old 1905 piers, but with nine through truss spans manufactured by the American Bridge Company. This structure has since dependably served the railroad for seventy years. During the recent floods of 1980-1981, when most crossings of the Salt River were closed, the commuter train Hattie B was able to take workers from the east valley to Phoenix via the Salt River Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge (its name before the recent acquisition of Southern Pacific by the Union Pacific Railroad). The Salt River Union Pacific Railroad Bridge at Tempe is a 1,291-foot long, nine-span. Pratt type through truss bridge. It consists of two 100-foot through riveted trusses, five 150-foot through truss pin connected spans, and two 160-foot through truss pin connected spans. The spans are arranged so that one 100-foot span is at each end of the bridge, while the to 160-foot trusses and the five 150-foot trusses are between the shorter spans. The approaches consist of a 178-foot ballasted deck trestle at the north end and a 223-foot ballasted deck trestle at the south end of the bridge. Roadway extensions at each end add 10 feet, 6 inches, for an overall length of 1,692 feet. The structure rests on ten pairs of concrete filled steel cased pilings that were sunk in 1905 as part of a previous bridge. The approach spans rests on wooden timbers. The flooring material is treated timber covered with ballast. The bridge is structurally sound and sturdy and is in daily use. (Tempe Historical Museum)


Sunrise at the Mill, Tempe, Arizona
Made by Thad Roan - Bridgepix
The Hayden Flour Mill is significant as the oldest continuously used industrial site in the Salt River Valley, for its association with the Charles Trumbull Hayden family, who founded and operated the mill for three generations, and as the most important community industry through the settlement and development periods of Tempe’s history. Charles T. Hayden built the first mill on the site in 1874. The original adobe mill burned about 1890, and the second mill built on the site, also constructed of adobe, burned in 1917. The existing three and four-story mill was built in 1918 by prominent valley concrete contractor, J. C. Steele. Constructed of cast-in-place concrete post, beam and integral slab construction, the structure is the largest known construction effort in Steele’s career. The 1918 mill exists with its original integrity only slightly modified to accommodate the complex. The Hayden Flour Mill was the larger of two such mills that existed in the state in the 1980s, and operated a 4000-100 weight capacity pneumatically operated mill up until 1997, when milling operations ceased. The mill closed for good in March 1998. The Hayden Flour Mill is a three and four-story rectangular brick and reinforced concrete structure measuring 40 ft. by 140ft. The mill is located on the east side of Mill Avenue at the base of Tempe Butte. The exterior walls have discrete awing window locations and large freight door openings. The roofs are flat with minimal parapets. A pre-1927 brick grain warehouse is located west of the mill. Measuring 30 ft. by 110 ft., the rectangular warehouse has a concrete floor and wood truss gable roof. Later additions have been added to the mill on the east and north, and in 1951 a concrete grain elevator with seven silos was added to the site, southeast of the mill. The 1918 corrugated steel rollers, which replaced the original grinding stones, were still in use in the 1980s. Tempe Butte is the official name of an andesite butte of volcanic origin, located partially on Arizona State University's main campus in Tempe, Arizona. It is often referred to by locals as A Mountain, after the sixty-foot tall gold-painted letter 'A' near the top. Another name for the area, used by the City of Tempe, is Hayden Butte. The highest point of Tempe Butte stands at 1496 feet in elevation, while its base is approximately at about 1150 feet in elevation.


Kenny, Male Hamadryas Baboon with Canon 7D
Made by gbrummett
This is an unedited 1000 ISO capture of a Kenny a Male Hamadryas Baboon at the Phoenix zoo. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Digital Camera and Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM lens I borrowed from my friend. Converted to JPEG from RAW using Canon Digital Photo Professional noise reduction reduced to 0. Click on All Sizes in the menu above to see details. Mini Canon 7D Review: People have been asking for my opinion of the new Canon 7D so here goes. In the field the 7D is everything I had hoped it would be: fast, responsive, quiet, fantastic rear LCD, all the best and a fantastic camera maybe the best I had ever tried below the EOS-1 series. All that dimmed a little however once I got back and downloaded the photos to my iMac. You see I'm afraid I had gotten spoiled to the images from my Canon 5D Mark II. And the 7D Raw images seemed to be no better then the ones out of my 40D. Now the 40D is no slouch mind you and I know the 7D and 5D are two different types of cameras one a full frame one cropped but I couldn't help but compare. The 5D Mark II while slower and louder then the 7D is simply a leap above the 7D in image quality! From sharpness to ability to crop to higher ISO and dynamic range the 5D Mark II is a leap above. If you have a 5D Mark II then you know what I'm talking about. So bottom line is if you want a fast responsive feature rich camera for birding get the 7D. However if you want THE best image quality there is in Canon EOS land the 5D Mark II is it. Mini Canon EF 28-300mm L lens review: This lens reminds me a lot of the Canon 100-400 L very similar image quality only wider angle on one end and not as much reach on the far end. A little heavier but more versatile in most environments outside a zoo the 28-300 is THE L lens you want with you if you could carry only one lens especially on a full frame camera. The main draw backs are COST and WEIGHT! But if you can handle those two areas it's awesome! If you are mainly a zoo person and need a more reach I would lean towards the Canon 100-400 with is also much cheaper. Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500) Aperture: f/6.3 Focal Length: 300 mm ISO Speed: 1000


Your five decisions in photography
Made by kevin dooley
When I think about how well I am doing in photography and how to improve, I consider my task as five steps, or decisions that I have to make. I think this is true for any of us. 1. Where and when to go, and why? Location, location, location. If you travel around the world, de facto you have a lot of content possibilities, and if you stay in your house all the time, a lot less. Of course we can find great content in our house and boring content in a distant place, but all else being equal, it helps (but is not necessary) to go to places on purpose in order to find interesting content. And if you are a Flickrite, you know that sometimes photographers go to great dangers to get where they want to go. In my initial post, I forgot an important aspect of the question: why to go? What's your purpose? What do you want to communicate? 2. What equipment to use? Just remember expensive equipment is nice, not necessary, and often not needed or even inappropriate. Don't buy into the megapixel myth. A far greater percentage of pictures taken by my $10 Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim have been in Explore than with my digital cameras. 3. What pictures to take?At locale with equipment in hand, what are you going to click at and how? The clicking or even camera preparation is a small component here; what matters is how good an eye you have. What I have been doing recently is pretending like I always have a camera, looking for an interesting shot. 4. What shots to keep?Some shots get tossed, some get kept but not shown, some get shown. I think this is an often over-looked skill. I think this requires both constraint and judgment, which in part can be developed by looking at other people's works. 5. How to present image? This includes post-processing, framing, as well as a decision as to where to show it. For me right now, I am trying to work on #3, especially by paying attention to light-dark contrasts.


Flickr
Made by kevin dooley
Flickr is a unique way to view the joys, sorrows, and routines of human life. Photography is a discrete technology, but life is continuous. You cannot learn about having a baby, or dancing, or cancer by simply typing in keywords and seeing what photos pop up. Life is experienced through watching real lives over days, weeks, months, and years. It’s about absorbing the process of living, the repetitiveness and the change. I have been on Flickr for three years now, and my contacts and friends have allowed me to see their lives, and I have learned from it and been touched by it. I have seen many Flickr lives come and go. The newcomers who have interesting photography but don’t ever seem to learn the nick of developing relationships. The flash in the pans who develop huge networks and gather front pages, and burn out in months. The people who no matter how hard they try are just not good photographers. And conversely, the people who within a period of a few special months turn from hacks into artists. The Flickr regulars who get burned out by the grind of Flickr, or whose connectivity is interrupted by the demands of their other “real” life. I have seen that once people leave Flickr for any extended time, they never come back; or if they do, it’s not the same. A Flickr life is a treadmill and a marathon, and once you stop running, it never seems very appealing to start again. I have seen babies and marriages and divorces and graduations and new jobs and travels and extended silliness and depression and death. I have seen my contacts use Flickr as a source of escape, exploration, and rejuvenation. I have seen artistic visions emerge, and run out of energy too. Thanks for sharing your lives with me through Flickr.


Blonde Rider, Phoenix Light Rail
Made by gbrummett
I wanted to round out my photo collection of Phoenix Light Rail with an inside shot of one of the cars from inside with my Fisheye lens with the intention of turning it into digital art. And I hoped to have someone willing to pose spur of the moment so to speak. This lone blonde girl came and sat down across from me. I asked permssion to take her photo and she said sure. Out of all the people that came and sat down in the area she was the only one to agree to pose in this way for me letting me reel off several dozen photos of her looking forward and looking out the window through several stops and miles. I ended up liking this shot best thanked her before she got off and forgot to ask her where she was going so guess it will remain something of a mystery. To get the blur out the window I stepped the appeture down to F/22 and set the ISO to 50 which resulted in a long enough shutter speed to blur the outside view during daylight. I used a carbon fiber tripod to minimize vibration during the long exposure. fourdollared pointed out you can see my reflection taking the photo in the window in the original size and you can see my shadow. In the original RAW photo I can just make out that she is smiling back at me in the reflection. Best viewed large, click on All Sizes in the menu above. Photo processed using Digital Photo Professinal (DPP), Photomatix Pro and Photo Shop CS3. In DPP I sharpened and exported as 5 images from -2 through +2 then ran through DPP using Grunge then in Photoshop added contrast and color to suit and took out a couple of spots on the windows using the spot healing brush. Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and Canon EF15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens. Exposure: 0.6 Aperture: f/22.0 Focal Length: 15 mm ISO Speed: 50


Leslie Nielsen with 7 inflatable penguins
Made by Coogan Photo
Environmental portrait of Leslie Nielsen, Actor / Movie Star with 7 inflatable penguins. For Saturday Night Magazine swimsuit issue (March 2003). Learn how to light at Strobist. Strobist info: 7 Dynalite strobes (might be an 8th one in there somewhere): Main light: Medium Chimera, camera right. The rest of the lights had 10 reflectors with black Cinefoil to keep the light from spilling onto parts that I didn't want to light (keep the lights lighting objects separately) (1) 10 reflector behind Leslie Nielsen aimed up at water to backlight the water so it would show up against the sky. (1) 10 reflector to camera left and slightly behind penguin #2 in front of subject, aimed at foreground, acts as an edge light for penguin #2 and lighting penguin #1 in foreground at camera right (I wanted to make sure I did not over light this foreground penguin #1). (1) 10 reflector to camera right, lighting penguin #2 in front of Leslie Nielsen, some spilling on penguin #1 in the foreground acting as an edge light. (1) 10 reflector aimed at penguin #3 to left of the shot (see highlight on his arm and eye area). (1) 10 reflector aimed at the penguin #4 behind and to the right of subject (hidden from view by foreground penguin #2). (1) 10 reflector aimed at the same penguin #4 from right side as his edge light (hidden from view by foreground penguin) The sun is lighting the rest of the scene including the 3 penguins (#5, 6, 7) in the background. RIP Leslie Nielsen: February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010 Phoenix Arizona AZ Editorial Photographer


A catalogue of Flickr comments
Made by kevin dooley
(Image: Arizona State Fair, Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim with XPRO Fujichrome T64, no post-processing) “Comments” are the main way we Flickrites talk to one another. Comments can be long and thoughtful, for sure, but most comments are short because most of us have limited time. Here’s a catalogue of sorts—and all of them are made in complete sincerity! -Superlative comment: “excellent!”, “very nice”, “beautiful”, “w00t w00t” -Superlative+: “excellent composition”, “very nice portrait”, “beautiful colors”, “w00t w00t on the boot” -The “I’m speechless” comment: “wow”, “whoa”, “stunning”, “breathtaking”, or my fave, “wowie” -Superlative superstring: “this is an excellent composition, awesome colors, and incredible lighting” -Analytical: “the left-right symmetry here is cool, balanced with the tones; love how the reflection captures an alternative mood; great pov” -Suggestive: “I might crop it here in order to accentuate the geometry…” -The True Adoration comment: “Your images give me complete joy every day, etc. etc…” -The “Poor attempt at humor” comment: “Nice bark on the tree” in response to a photo with a pretty model leaning against a tree -Personal quickies: “Have a great day!”, “Welcome back, can’t wait to see the 4000 photos you took of the beach!” -Responses comments: Comments which respond directly to the title or text, rather than the image, like “Don’t be blue blue Sue Sue…” -Award comments: Icons, icons, you know them and you love/hate them -Love you hit and run: Fave with no comment -And the most dreaded of them all…. The No Comment!


MMIX (Ten things you can do to improve your photography in 2009)
Made by kevin dooley
Ten things you can do to improve your photography in 2009: 1. Force yourself to use the manual settings on the camera to learn the boundaries of your camera and what works with different light. Experiment with the extremes of the settings. 2. Do some night photography; remember the tripod! 3. Do some candid photos, whether they be everyday shots around the house or street shots. Go with the unplanned! 4. Set aside at least a day a month for an extended photo trip/session. Even better, at least once a week. 5. Forget about your Flickr network once in awhile and explore the vast art in Flickr of so many different styles and genres. Ask yourself-what specifically makes me like this image or not like that image? 6. Go to the library! Rather than spend tons of money of art books, check out the photography books in the library. It will take me YEARS to get through what my library has. If you're looking for a great one, try and find Family of Man. If you have cable TV, look for movies and documentaries with photography themes, for example Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006). 7. Do some film! 8. Challenge yourself to learn some specific new skills in a photo processing program like Photoshop. 9. Become more discriminating in how you judge your own photos. 10. Try to learn what other people are seeing in your photos. Is there a dominant theme in my comments? Why did this one get a lot of faves and not that one? CHEERS! 0101 MMIX (Explore)


Captive Glory
Made by Leviathor
•It is our national bird and the only eagle unique to North America. They have some of the largest nests in the world. •A female will lay her eggs a few days apart. The first chick hatched will be able to dominate the younger chicks for food because they are bigger. If there is a third chick it has little chance for survival. Most likely the older chicks will toss it out of the nest so they will get more food. This is called siblicide. •They will sometimes steal other birds' prey instead of hunting for their own. •They can lift up to 4 lbs. •In 1782 there were 25,000-75,000 birds, but in 1963 there were only 417 pairs. Their first protection was in 1940 under the Bald Eagle Protection Act. Then in 1966 they were listed in the Endangered Species Preservation Act. Finally in 1978 they were listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The biggest help to their population was the banning of DDT in 1972. Since then the populations have increased and are not considered endangered, but threatened. -Phoenix Zoo. Bald eagles are one of my favorite birds in the world, so I waited and waited for this bald eagle to turn its head for this wonderful, ¼-frontal view. I know that they are over-photographed, and many times very well, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Just look at those eyes. paulomernik.com


Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia (now there are 4 - 2 teenagers)
Made by Laveen Photography (aka cyclis451)
This photos supposedly has over 14,000 views. I think it is an anomaly, but, that is what Flickr says. I would believe my next most viewed photo might be closer to being correct. This is a reposting of an older photo. I am doing this instead of harassing this poor guy. Actually the reason I am reposting is because there are two (at least). So maybe, soon, we will see little baby owls. The one problem is that someone keeps placing rocks inside and in front of the hole. Last night after work I removed the rocks and today they are back. So, I will have to patrol the site more frequently. The Burrowing Owl is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the mid-day heat. Most hunting is still done from dusk until dawn, when their owl apomorphies are most advantageous. This particular owl lives in that pipe. When I tried to get a bit closer it popped into the pipe. This is located adjacent to a public path just outside the fenced playground area for an elementary school.


Parsley
Made by kevin dooley
Extreme macro of parsley flakes. (Explore) From Enspicelopedia: Parsley is the dried leaves of the hardy biennial herb Petroselinum crispum (family Umbelliferae). This is probably the most well-known and used herb in the United States, used extensively in garnishing foods as well as for flavoring of sauces, stews and stocks. Curly leaf Parsley is best known for garnishing, while flat leaf or Italian Parsley is used in bouquets garni and other flavoring applications. Parsley adds color, and thus visual appeal, to many foods. It is used in egg dishes, soups, stews, stocks, and with other herbs to bring out their flavor. Parsley is popular in Middle Eastern cuisine and the spice blends of fines herbes, bouquet garni, and pestos. The principal sources of Parsley are the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Spain and France. Parsley was used to flavor and garnish food as early as the third century B.C. The name parsley comes from the Greek word petros, meaning stone, because the plant was often found growing among rocks. In ancient times, wreaths were made with parsley and were worn to prevent intoxication. Parsley was brought to the New World by the colonists.


In God we trust
Made by kevin dooley
What does the coin say? Y? In God we trust. -or- In God we trust. Y? Here are some factoids, all directly from the U.S. Treasury www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-... 1. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. 2. IN GOD WE TRUST first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin. 3, The use of IN GOD WE TRUST has not been uninterrupted. The motto disappeared from the five-cent coin in 1883, and did not reappear until production of the Jefferson nickel began in 1938. Since 1938, all United States coins bear the inscription. 4. The motto has been in continuous use on the one-cent coin since 1909, and on the ten-cent coin since 1916. It also has appeared on all gold coins and silver dollar coins, half-dollar coins, and quarter-dollar coins struck since July 1, 1908. 5. A law passed by the 84th Congress (P.L. 84-140) and approved by the President on July 30, 1956, the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States.


Tempe Center for the Arts at Night
Made by gbrummett
Feel free to use as your iPad or computer wallpaper. I just love reflecting pools and when I saw that the Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) had one I just had to go back at night and take a shot. And when I noticed it was a both a nearly windless night and a cloudy night I was even more stoked since the reflections would show well and I could play with the white balance on the camera getting just the look I wanted. Best viewed large click on All Sizes in the menu above. To see the contrast of what it looks like by day click here Tripod mounted Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and Canon EF 17-40mm F/4L USM zoom lens RAW image converted to JPEG with Canon Digital Photo Professional adjusted and cleaned up in Photoshop CS3 Mac. Some info from Wikipedia: Designed by Barton Myers Associates of Los Angeles and Architekton of Tempe the Center features a roof made of complex geometric folded plates. The roof is highly visible from the surrounding freeways and the man-made Tempe Town Lake, which occupies the natural watercourse of the Salt River, immediately adjacent to the site. It is also visible by many airplanes landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, two miles west of the building.


Will you still lomo me tomorrow?
Made by kevin dooley
Pinholga pinhole camera, exposure time approx. 10s. I have begun to play around with lomography. I have long been intrigued by some of the great lomo on Flickr. I haven't worked with film in 10 years, so it's been a lot of fun the last couple of weeks. Lomography means many things, and so in some ways it means nothing. If interested check out www.lomography.com . To me, lomography is about capturing everyday life using cameras and film and processing and shot selection etc. which provide semi-random results, some of which may be highly visually entertaining. I realize for lomoheads it means a lot more, and for many photographers, lomography=crappy photography. For me, it is the experimental/random side of it that is appealing. This image was the best out of my first role with the Pinholga 35mm pinhole. It's a palo verde tree, and the sun off to the top left has bled into the image and created a fire in the tree. I exposed for about ten seconds. Obvious lessons learned after first roll (doh!): use a tripod and a shutter release cable!


Mill Ave and Phoenix Light Rail Bridges Tempe Town Lake at Twilight
Made by gbrummett
I captured this just as the sun was setting over Tempe Town Lake and almost twilight. The Mill Ave Bridge is on the left and the Phoenix Light Rail Bridge on the right. Feel free to use just please give me credit and let me know where. The falling star across the sky is actually a jet taking off from Sky Harbor Airport. I thought the reflection of it on the lake looked like star dust. The rail bridge actually changes colors as trains roll over. I will be posting a video of this sometime in the future. No Photoshop this is a Raw image right out of the 5D Mark II camera proccessed using Canon Digital Photo Professional to JPEG. My only regret with this shot is the power lines running right through the middle, have no idea why the city of Tempe let these be put in there instead of running around or underground. Perhaps one day I will do a Photoshop version and remove the lines. Best viewed Original size click on All Sizes in the menu above. Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and Canon EF15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens. Exposure: 30 Aperture: f/9.0 Focal Length: 15 mm