It's Early, lets loiter!

Hello From the Pacific Rain Forest

I used to think, up until quite recently, of a camera as a thing I brought to weddings and family gatherings, and also a lense whose target I must avoid/evade. And then I spent several months in Southwest England. My camera became my mode of documenting what I encountered. Slowly, silently, my camera became an extremity, a third eye. And then, without ever setting out to, I discovered the healing, therapeutic nature of fotografi. I have discovered that the fotografik process itself has much wisdom to impart.

I started out with a Sony Powershot, one of the first digital cameras to hit the market. It served me surprisingly well during my time in the UK,after which it promptly died. I then "inherited" a Sony Cybershot camera from my son, when he left home. I started getting more serious about my fotografik work, and so decided to promote myself to a more powerful camera. I am loving my Nikon Coolpix. I fotograf Vancouver flora, fauna, and urbanscapes. I have a penchant for macro fotografi ~ Georgia O'Keefe has inspired me a great  deal. I blog here and you'll find my flickr photostream here. I really believe in spontaneity, the now ~ in the moment, and marvel at the monumental meaning in the most miniscule details in the environment around me. Naturally, my fotografi reflects these.

I love the concept that inspires this blog, and I'm so glad to be a part of something like this. I always feel inspired and challenged by the work of other artists. And educated ~ which I love. Because, I'm self-taught and I'm climbing the learning curve.

Excited to meet you all. I blog as tinkerbell the bipolar faerie but you can call me Roxanne, if you prefer.

No Way!!

While it is commonly said that the 45th Parallel is halfway between the equator and the North pole, this is not precisely true. Since the earth is not a perfect sphere but bulges near the equator, a 45° angle drawn from the center of the earth does not quite match the halfway point of a line drawn along its surface. Instead, the halfway point lies approximately 10 miles north of the 45th Parallel. The 45th Parallel runs through Michigan.

RFDS......

...or more specifically, the Royal Flying Doctor Service.



There are several of these emergency strips along the more that 1000kms of the Eyre Highway between South Australia and Western Australia.
Just to set the record straight, those aren't trees on the great treeless plain it's a heat haze or mirage!!

In Case You Doubt

These are part of an outdoors art exhibit I visited last summer. There were stones in a few more languages too but I didn't take photos of more than these three: English, Swedish, Latin.

Do You Dare

A Sunny day...  out for a stroll... You come to a path you've never taken before...

Although the sign says "Psycho Path" the road doesn't look too scary.....

However, do you dare travel down to see what may lie around the corner?

Um, Shouldn't This Be El Paso?

Cracks me up, everytime we drive past it!

Wildlife on the road.............

Another from the 'treeless plain', camels, wombats and kangaroos wander across the road indiscriminately and can cause huge damage to fast travelling vehicles....

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?

The Nullarbor..................

Signs make good substitute branches for a crow on the Nullarbor plain...

Very Old Signs Indeed

Bronze Age petroglyphs (rock carvings) at Tanumshede on the Swedish west coast. (Photo taken by me in the early 1990s.) In total there are about 3000 petroglyphs in this area, occurring in about 100 panels along a 25 km stretch, which was the coastline of a fjord during the Bronze Age (roughly 1800 to 600 BC). The Scandinavians of the Bronze Age were sophisticated woodworkers and travelers by water. Some of the glyphs depict long boats carrying around a dozen passengers. Wagons or carts are also depicted. Other scenes depict people hunting or performing agrarian tasks. The rock carvings are endangered by erosion due to pollution. They have been painted red to make them more visible for tourists. (Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanumshede.)

It's True.........

Like some others I thought that I wouldn't be able to post in this weeks theme, but then I remembered our trip across the Nullabor Plain in 2008, so that's where this weeks theme will come from for me..............



This is a tiny, one building, stop somewhere in the middle of the trip between Ceduna in South Australia and Norseman in Western Australia.

What?!

I was just complaining in a comment to Heather's post that I couldn't recall any signs at all among my pictures, and if there were any they're likely to be in Swedish anyway. Then I remembered this one, from a walk back in February. At least it's one that might cause a "What?!"; and the language doesn't really matter...

On the outside wall of a car washing facility:

Much prettier up close...

These are funny little fuzzy flowery type plants that grow throughout the grass in bunches, here in Vermont.

Ant

Macro 4

Margarita

The New Header Is Up and Running

Let me know what you think of it. I included photos from all of you who granted me permission, with the exception of my two friends who I know would allow me to use their photos anyway.

There are a few more members that I didn't hear from. Creating the banner took a little time, researching through the archives of photos but it was so much fun for me. To review what you all have contributed over time really filled me with appreciation. It also made me aware of a few glitches that I didn't know of. Some of the links for our photos at the sidebar were not working properly and a few of you haven't been labeling your photos with your screen name (that links from there). The most important label is your screen name :)

Now...for those of you who didn't make it in time for this banner and would like your photos up there too...just leave me a little comment that grants me the permission to use your work in this way. I choose three from the archives that best fit together and will represent your world with us. I can include new members as time goes on as well. Adding in to the banner is no trouble at all.

I think I'll continue to play around with it a little bit, change the timing for transition between photos and what not, so don't be shy if your photos have missed out, okay?

Butterfly

Macro 3

My First Post

Nearly Macro..........

.........not quite macro, but i do love these shots.........



....taken August 2009.....

Anthony Samson

Hello everyone! I'm Anthony Samson and my friends call me Sam. I'm 27 year old, born and brought up in the Royal city of Mysore (AKA city of palace's), now living in Bangalore, India.

My interests are varied, traveling, photography, gaming are just to pick a few. I've had a life long interest for photography but was able to get my hands on a camera only a few months back and now there is no stopping. My camera has changed the way i see the world :). I'm still hiking the learning curve of photography and what I've learnt so far is mainly by reading, trial and error and a lot of inspiration and tips from other photographers. Nature, landscapes and macro photography are my interest.

The only time i get for my hobbies are weekends, if I'm not behind my camera clicking photo's, I'll be either spending time with my adorable dog Sophie, playing a game on my PS2 or just sitting in front of my planted aquarim and enjoying a piece of nature in my living room.

I'm excited and honored to join this group of talented photographers and looking forward to share my work and learn a lot from other members here.

You can visit Sammy's Photoblog to see my work and to read some interesting facts and information about the place's i have visited so far.

Ribbons and Curls

Macro 2

Flower......

Drop...........

Macro

Waiting to Paint

Macro Pansy

My favorite flower in Spring...and favorite color!

In Bud............

Close up...............

If you have a bug phobia, please look away now..............

Seventeen Lemons

Macro

On the Rose Petal

Daffodil

Crocuses

Lichen...........

.....on a piece of firewood.

May I please have your permission?

If you take a quick look at my personal writing blog, Heather T Memoirs, you'll see my new slide banner header at the top of the page.  I would like to create one for our blog here at Soaring, made with my favorite photo from each member that we now have.  If you would like one of your photos to appear in the banner header, please leave a comment here for me with your permission.  If a member hasn't left a comment for me, I will not include one of their photos because I would not want to use their work against their wishes.

I will be working on the new banner header throughout the week.  By early next week, we will have a fun new look on our blog here.

I regret that I haven't been posting as often as I'd like to be but I do enjoy my daily visits to see what you all have found to share :)  If anyone would like to share suggestions for upcoming themes, I'm always ready hear them.



Macro is my favorite setting!! You would not believe how many pictures I have in the archives that share little bitty details of the strangest things....many I've not shared before. This one was taken yesterday afternoon.

Bubbles

Lemon leaves

..:: Sharp Spring ::..

Left Behind