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The Big Photography Thread


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I just want to note in case I had not already that the reason I haven't commented on many of the photos posted here is that I'm tired of repeating myself. You guys are posting some great photos, and I'm impressed and inspired by all of you. Keep up the great work!

 

:2thu::thu::2thu::thu:

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I would love to be able to produce a few of these types of images, but the equipment costs squillions > http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/08/article-1318795-0B87A9A2000005DC-554_634x402.jpg

 

I was looking at our "money" under the microscope the other day , and it's just clear plastic bullshit, painted on both sides.

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One of the things I love about this thread is the variety! Today......Carmageddon .....WOW Ken. Absolutely love that! Beautiful flowers, hugely magnified insects, stunning nighttime city pics, a gorgeous snow scene & New Zealand in all its splendour. Cheers everyone!
"Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" ;) Bluzeyone
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Two more from yesterday during our snow storm.

 

16234832280_f7f2fd0098_b.jpgKnoch Knolls park by Mike M Martin, on Flickr

 

16421301672_053473cb6d_b.jpgKnoch Knolls park by Mike M Martin, on Flickr

-Mike Martin

 

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The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network

 

The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for.

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Here are 2 animal portraits. They gave me their good side.

 

 

16415376656_f67925a7a0_c.jpg

 

16255105639_f1750586c2_c.jpg

 

I dig the macro shots Mike, would you care to tell us what gear you used to get them? Winter shots are cool too (see what I did there? :) )

Custom handmade clocks: www.etsy.com/shop/ClockLight
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I'll do something a little different. Most of the time, I just post one or two photos. And they're often night sky long exposure photos, which I love to do. But these will be a Feb 2013 trip we took out to Cary's Castle, a relatively unknown part of Joshua Tree National Park.

 

This particular passage really kicks up the hyperbole:

"In what is now the Joshua Tree National Park, the exploits of characters such as the Keys, Ryans, McHaneys and Johnny Lang are established history, but the stories of many others are lost in the desert sands, with only a few rusting artifacts left to recall their existence. One such legend surrounds Carey's Castle, a Joshua Tree mystery, sought by many but found and visited by few.

 

I first learned of The Castle in a campfire story over twenty years ago, but the teller did not know of its whereabouts. Or he was not saying. Its location was a long-held secret, probably because The Castle was, at the time, still full of the possessions and furnishings of the former inhabitant, about whom little is known, including where he came from or what became of him."

 

from http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/jun/stories/castle.html

 

Many blogs I've run across have mentioned how they've heard of this for many years, but never knew where it was. Patricia Furbush's hiking book on Joshua Tree mentioned it, stoking the curiosity of intrepid desert explorers.

 

At any rate, most of the photos I took of this can be found here, including a "bonus page" that shows more of the hike to Cary's Castle:

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_14castlehike.jpg

Hiking up the wash, we soon came across many Ocotillos and Cholla (Teddy Bear Cactus, or Cylindropuntia bigelovii).

 

This fuzzy-looking cactus is also known as Jumping Cholla. Seemingly, if you walk even remotely close, it seems to "jump" onto you rather easily. Spiny segments easily separate from the cactus and was often found laying in the wash. And yes, I got nabbed by one of these, yes I did. One of the pleasant volunteers from the Desert Institute helped pick 'em out of my pants. And my leg.

 

As for the Ocotillo, this is a Dr. Seuss plant if I ever saw one. Or maybe a plant from "Fantastic Planet".

 

~~~~~~

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_48careyscastle.jpg

Cary's Castle in all its glory. The "castle" is a shelter underneath a large, balanced boulder, filled in with stone masonry - complete with windows and a door - by Mr. Cary. Long before Mr. Cary built this "castle", the boulders provided shelter for Native Americans, as evidenced by some writing on the "ceiling" inside.

 

~~~~~

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_51careyscastle.jpg

If you look hard, you can see some Native American petroglyphs in the interior of Cary's Castle.

 

~~~~~

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_58careyscastle.jpg

At this point, you might be wondering, "Just who was Cary? And why did he build this shelter?"

 

Good questions.

 

Most sites simply say he was a prospector. Or a mysterious figure.

 

But one fellow claims to have discovered who Cary - or Carey, as it's more commonly spelled - was, utilizing a variety of sources, including Federal census records, Riverside County records, a brief visit to Ancestry.com, and the Mormon website.

 

His name was Arthur Loyd Cary, born in Bogue, Kansas on July 18, 191. He was married and had one son, Harold, and worked as a vegetable truck driver making $1,820 annually, and also worked as a mechanic and a tractor operator. And he voted Democrat, yes he did.

 

He lived out here around 1938. And this website, Other Hand, mentions: "Also note that Cary wasn't the old grizzled desert prospector we normally would think of, he was only about 24 or 25 years old." But I submit to you that perhaps he was in his mid-20s AND grizzled, we don't know. :D

 

~~~~~~

Some other scenes from Joshua Tree National Park taken later on:

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_84chollacactus.jpg

The amazing cholla cactus of Joshua Tree National Park.

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_88belle.jpg

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_95splitrockloop.jpg

 

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/joshuatree0213_147splitrockloop700px.jpg

 

....and later that evening.....

http://elevenshadows.com/travels/joshuatree2013february-caryscastle/images/STARTRAILS-rocktower04-f28iso50025s35shots-12-5min.jpg

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Wow Ken! Thanks for posting those. Interesting stuff, and some wonderful pictures. What was the temperature like when you took these pictures?

 

You're welcome! So glad you found that interesting.

 

I don't remember specifically, but it was somewhat cool for the desert since it was in February, but it got kinda warm during the hike, then rather cold again when night came.

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