Photoclubalpha

aster wrote:[...]
Now, please go and enjoy a ‘free’ coffee out of your own kitchen on my behalf ... and enjoy the sometimes-hitting-around-silence. Sometimes silence is golden with promises ahead!

Thanks for the kind words -- hopefully you won't mind if I have a cup of hot chocolate instead of coffee though. I always rather envy people who drink coffee (and beer). For a coffee drinker, the first sip in the morning (and for a beer drinker, the first sip after a long, hot day) is clearly much more than just tasting their drink of choice - it's a much more visceral experience than that. Unfortunately, if I put either one in my mouth, I'm quickly reminded that neither is really for me -- as attractive as they obviously are to some, I just can't stand the taste of either one. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to console myself with chocolate and wine...

P.S. I really did go to the kitchen and make a cup of chocolate though. Thanks for (sort of) suggesting it.

Oh, well...You're welcome...sort of!

Coffee was a good metaphore for 'drinks and flavours' we seek when we wish to feel at home and at peace within our own confinements...You have a very special taste when you hit those moments; chocolate and wine combination is a delicious choice.

I'm one of those people whose first hot drink is a traditional cup of coffee: Turkish coffee with no sugar but with lots of brown foam on top of the cup. What's amazing about first coffee in the morning is that enchanting smell that fills the space, and it never feels or smells the same during the later hours of the day. But fresh black coffee drank while eating black chocolate is a special treat indeed. I don't like beer personally but use some beer types for polishing some valuable metals ... Beer lovers won't like hearing this, I guess!

Maybe we should also start a challenge on our favourite hot and cold drinks and combinations we favour...

Yildiz

aster wrote: Maybe we should also start a challenge on our favourite hot and cold drinks and combinations we favour...

Yildiz

Olaf started off the latest photo challenge just that way, even if not quite on topic!

Dusty

Dusty wrote:

aster wrote: Maybe we should also start a challenge on our favourite hot and cold drinks and combinations we favour...

Yildiz

Olaf started off the latest photo challenge just that way, even if not quite on topic!

Dusty

Yes, I've seen his entry.

And I interpreted it as the cause of his core climate/seasonal changes that will soon prevail in his mental and spiritual person! No doubt, there'll be breezes of high-land lakes, passing of colourful clouds, endlessly- undulating floral fields, storms, hurricanes and scents of secret flowers in his personal changes of seasons then... only, not seen by us.

But we can still start that challenge in an other thread. I'm sure it's one of the easiest subjects...

Yildiz

Go to it, Yildiz! We need more photo challenges!

Dusty

aster wrote: there'll be breezes of high-land lakes, passing of colourful clouds, endlessly- undulating floral fields, storms, hurricanes and scents of secret flowers in his personal changes of seasons then

Yildiz

<SNEEZE> Ugh yor makink my nothe run

Bless you!

Cup of hot green tea works wonders for these situations...



Yildiz

jcoffin wrote:Welcome to the forum Elisha. Your shot of the duck is extremely nice -- Mallards do have such gorgeous colors!

Aster: thanks for the nice words -- just after I posted the goose shots was when everybody seemed to disappear for a while -- I had that feeling like sitting down at a table in a cafeteria, and everybody else immediately gets up and leaves!

Winston, you shot of the owl is really nice. Where you using a long lens, or did it let you really close? From the CA visible at the top of the head in the second shot, I'm guessing it wasn't a really short lens, but nothing to really indicate how long it is either...

Sorry jcoffin, I did like you goose shots, (also some more nice shots from Robbie, Alisha, Winston and Pako) but I said to myself I'll come back to this thread when I can return victorious with a Red Necked Avocet, but after checking a couple of very good spots alas none were to be found. I did see Magpie geese, two species of Egret, Azure Kingfisher, White Ibis, Cormorants, Varied Triller, Yellow Honeyeater (at nest), Brown Honeyeater, Whistling Kite, Spurwing Plover, Cicada bird and numerous LBJ's....but zippo Red Necked Avocets....
Greg

Next...time...Gadget

I'll jump into this thread finally...

Has anyone noticed that water provides almost the greatest variety in and general appearence than just about anything that we photograph and is capable of holding one's interest for far longer than most things? The appearence varies with how clear it is, smooth or wavy, what the bottom is composed of, the angle of the light, what vegitation is nearby and the colour of it...how tall near or far, is there a cliff or a waterfall nearby, is it a lake or a surf shot, tranquil sea is usually quite different too the waters of a lake, and icemelt water gushing down a large stream is very different to a tidal salt water estuary with mangoves.....
Greg
ps.That's a that nice clear water+duck shot Kevin.

Why Thank you, Greg! I mostly shot that one because a picture of the water alone was boring...this way the bird disturbed the water enough to give it that added dimension.

I've got a couple to add to the thread.

First one is one of the swans swimming on Leazes park lake in the centre of Newcastle



Second one shows a crow trying to take a tail feather from one of the swans, this bird had several goes dodging behind the swan when it looked round



For techie types, both taken with A700 and Minolta 28-135 lens

Cheers

Murph

Wonderful shots, Paul.

Ha! I like the shot with the pesky crow Murph.

I went down too the local zoo too see if they had any good water birds (they have a large lake where the birds come and go and are reasonably used too humans) and I got a shot of a Pied Heron, it was in a quite dark location though where the stream runs through the tall trees and it was late afternoon so please excuse the flash, also a couple of swamphens (quite skittish), same deal, darkish and almost too far away for a decent shot.
Greg

KM5D KM24-105 F56


A100 KM100-300APO F56

Latest capture but hardly majestic. This little guy found some leftover bread and was having lunch.