Shumps outdoors thread: summer-fall.

[Obiwanshinobi]

A couple of years old, but semi-relevant...



Now, this evening:

[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[Obiwanshinobi]

Sorry for the bad photo, but "this is what I have to work with". Thought I saw another sundog.



Not so sure anymore since the full sun showed up higher than expected soon after. It was a sight to behold, though.

[EmperorIng]

Those are some pretty inspiring photographs, Rob. There's a certain level of satisfaction that must come from close proximity to all that gorgeous nature.

Apologies in advance for the photo-dump.
A trip to Chicago's Botanical Garden. Lush, large, constructed garden-of-delights that makes for a very nice walk on warm day.





The distant carillon tower rings out the hours. Though with the wind you might not hear it unless you pay close attention.


This pond climaxes as a lovely waterfall.











Something strange to see American trees transformed into a simulation of Japanese horticultural/arboreal practices.

Scenes from the "English Garden":

Spoiler

As my English boss jokes, the easiest way to make something English is to stick a bunch of vaguely antique-looking objects around.

The trip to the Japanese garden. Very serene, and easily my favorite part of the trip.

Spoiler

The zig-zag bridge which is the entrance to the Japanese island. As evil spirits are said to only be able to walk in straight lines, the bridge wards them off.





The island of Horaijima, or eternal paradise. Inaccessible to visitors, and meant to be kept untouched to preserve its tranquility (minus the tire treads!).

The big city offers less an opportunity to get out "into the thick of things," but these places are nice diversions from crowded buses and computer screens!

[Vexorg]

Just got back from my Alaska cruise this morning. I haven't had a chance to look through the photos on my camera yet (I've got nearly 700 photos and videos from the trip), but the views in Glacier Bay from the ship were just stunning. Expect more of this in the next couple of days. In addition to Glacier Bay we also went to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and did a forest zipline excursion in Skagway, both of which provided some excellent views.

[Rob]

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[LordHypnos]

I've been following this thread for a while, but only now am getting a chance to add to it again. Been enjoying everyone's pics!

These were taken near Lake Michigan. Mostly in the sand dunes




^Juniper bush

^Red Squirrel

^Don't know what kind of flower this is

^I think this is Bittersweet Nightshade. found it in a cat tail marsh (It's surrounded by cat tails)

^Gnarly Oak



^Nice Panorama of Lake Michigan

[Obiwanshinobi]

@EmperorIng
You might like to watch The Serpent's Kiss, if only for its photography (Philippe Rousselot is quite a master).

[Vexorg]

It took me a lot longer than I planned on due to work-related issues and Destiny chewing up a bunch of my time, but I finally finished the first part of the write-up of my Alaska cruise a few weeks ago, including the departure from Seattle and a day spent wandering around Juneau. You can find it here:

http://thesledgehammer.wordpress.com/20 ... iers-here/

The next part will cover the rest of the cruise, including Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria.

[Krooze L-Roy]

Aspens are starting to look nice.

[Rob]

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[Obiwanshinobi]

The rocky wasteland feel I will miss for 7+ months.

I listened to God's Own Medicine on my way through the forest pictured below.

The camera's back in working order, but wasn't with me during my latest tour of Upper Lusatia, so these are still cell phone pics:







Finally, some Lower Silesian flavour...

[Rob]

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[EmperorIng]

Alaska seems to luck out this year, since from weather maps the rest of the US gets pummeled by arctic temperatures.

[Rob]

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[Obiwanshinobi]

I need to change my whereabouts asap, yet I'm bound to miss these:

[LordHypnos]

Haven't really left the city since mid november, or so, but I could probably take some moderately interesting city pictures.

What I have now, however, is this, which I just saw by the roadside, a few days ago, and thought it was too appropriate to not photograph:

[Obiwanshinobi]

Need I say more?

[Rob]

Bless you.

Are you a bird eying some scrumptious berries?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Budding magnolia (I think).

[Rob]

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[Ed Oscuro]

I actually heard some peepers outside last night. First time this year.

[LordHypnos]

Looks like spring has finally sprung. These were taken approx. 1 week ago here

Nice river panorama:


Little bit of green starting to appear on the trees


Tender new shoot poking out of a tree trunk (can't recall the species of tree)


I really liked how the composition of this photo turned out. Got kinda lucky.

[Ed Oscuro]

Going crazy trying to make some nice sunset snaps. Hard to do with my 7D and no dynamic range.

p.s., which of you guys did this? Rob79 maybe?
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ ... /?a=119950

[Obiwanshinobi]

A far cry from magnolia after all (I thought so to begin with, but had no other idea so I'd asked someone else and we would come up with magnolia of all early-budding plants). Looks like some of Rosaceae to me now.



Took some riverside pics too, and a sunset:







Though the majority of suset photos I take tend to look rather urban, such as this recent one

, so you can see.

I don't have a history of carrying around any big-arse camera hunting for some pics that would make me proud. From my experience, going anywhere with something more portable is the most enjoyable/productive way, technical limitations notwithstanding.
I suppose professional photographers would recommend it too (was told that Zbigniew Rybczyński, who works with the most sophisticated gear by trade, liked his Minox best).

[Rob]

Looks like spring has finally sprung.

I could say the same. First really noticeable amount of green on the mountainside yesterday, "high" temps, first wave of mosquitoes.

Have gotten a number of warm-up hikes in over the past few months, but about time for real wilderness adventure.

From my experience, going anywhere with something more portable is the most enjoyable/productive way,

I bet. I know I feel entirely uncomfortable shooting in public places with a 5 lb. camera.

I'm getting an Original Pirate Material vibe with a few of those shots.

[LordHypnos]

Looks like spring has finally sprung.

I could say the same. First really noticeable amount of green on the mountainside yesterday, "high" temps, first wave of mosquitoes.

Have gotten a number of warm-up hikes in over the past few months, but about time for real wilderness adventure.

Luckily we haven't gotten too many mosquitos yet in spite of the high temps (part of the reason why Spring is my favorite). This is possibly due to the indian summer we had followed by a few weeks of below freezing in March.

[Ed Oscuro]

No pics, but the crab apple blossoms are in full form. They're the cherry blossoms of the Midwest It's going to start raining soon, though, so the deep purple might be short-lived.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I'm getting an Original Pirate Material vibe with a few of those shots.

That's long exposition for ya.

The other day, riverside:





...and the kind of daylight Lost in Shadow/A Shadow's Tale emulates, pretty bad for making archeological documentation.