Picture of the Day!

[Ambios]

Let me be the latest to say BRAVO, Rani....your words are a fitting match for Xanthenes' photographic artistry!

[Rani Zemirah]

Thank you.    You're all very kind.  Xanthenes photographic talent is the true star in the mix, and without it the poem would never even have occurred to me.  I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with such an incredible image as inspiration, and just wish I had that sort of impetus all the time! 

[Jon Foster]

Jon, your little guy looks so industrious, and I am riddled with envy that everyone here seems to have real cameras, while I have something that... thwarts my every attempt to capture the images that I see with my eye.

Perhaps it's simply a matter of talent, though, eh?  LOL  I'm sure of it, and you all have it in spades!!!  Wonderful work!

Talent definitely helps but there are those of us who just keep trying and hoping we'll get it right someday. And having good equipment doesn't hurt either.  The problem is, you need to be fairly mad to spend the kind of money some people do on equipment.

The shot of the bee was taken with a Canon 70-200 IS USM lens (zoomed in to 200mm and taken from about 5 feet away).

Jon.

[Rani Zemirah]

Jon, your little guy looks so industrious, and I am riddled with envy that everyone here seems to have real cameras, while I have something that... thwarts my every attempt to capture the images that I see with my eye.

Perhaps it's simply a matter of talent, though, eh?  LOL  I'm sure of it, and you all have it in spades!!!  Wonderful work!

Talent definitely helps but there are those of us who just keep trying and hoping we'll get it right someday. And having good equipment doesn't hurt either.  The problem is, you need to be fairly mad to spend the kind of money some people do on equipment.

The shot of the bee was taken with a Canon 70-200 IS USM lens (zoomed in to 200mm and taken from about 5 feet away).

Jon.

Jon, your work is every bit as wonderful as anyone else's here, so all this false modesty is just a bit of hot air...    LOL  I believe I'll have to stick with admiring the skills of others, and be happy with the sorts of things I get to create from scratch in CS...  I control the whole process there, so nothing is left up to chance (or the vagaries of ambient lighting...)! 

You might also have to be fairly hungry all the time while collecting that equipment if you're resources are as limited as mine!  Almost ashamed to admit all I have is an excruciatingly simple little point-n-click to work with... that would cringe in horror to be in the same room with all these real cameras!

(sounds like someone has received a long-drooled-over delivery just recently!) 

[Xanthenes The Unbalanced]

Jon, your little guy looks so industrious, and I am riddled with envy that everyone here seems to have real cameras, while I have something that... thwarts my every attempt to capture the images that I see with my eye.

Perhaps it's simply a matter of talent, though, eh?  LOL  I'm sure of it, and you all have it in spades!!!  Wonderful work!

Talent definitely helps but there are those of us who just keep trying and hoping we'll get it right someday. And having good equipment doesn't hurt either.  The problem is, you need to be fairly mad to spend the kind of money some people do on equipment.

The shot of the bee was taken with a Canon 70-200 IS USM lens (zoomed in to 200mm and taken from about 5 feet away).

Jon.

I knew it!  That lens rocks.  Great for portraits, great for action, and makes for a heck of a macro, to boot.

//and Jon gets it right more often than most, folks.  Don't let him BS ya too much.   

[Jon Foster]

Thanks Rani and Xanthenes.

We were out chasing trains Saturday afternoon. The engine is the Pere Marquette 1225. Aka - The Polar Express. This is the engine used to create the digitized engine in the animated movie. They also used the sounds from the engine in the movie. An awesome machine...



Jon.

[Rani Zemirah]

Oh, Jon!!!  Now that is just soooo full of WIN!!!  Trains always pull out the little kid in me, while simultaneously kicking in the daydreams of trans-European rail trips, sleeper berths ala "Some Like It Hot", and all of the really great train mystery movies I've ever seen!!!  My daughter and I both loved reading "The Polar Express" when she was tiny, and we were both really excited when the movie came out!  She's loved trains since she was a baby, so for her birthday last March we took a day trip on the Heartland Flyer from OKC to Ft. Worth.  We spent a few hours down there at an arts festival, but the big adventure of the day was the train itself!!! 

(I just made the mistake of calling her in here to check out this shot, and now she's gonna be bugging me to take her on the train again for weeks... LOL)

Wonderful work... thanks for sharing!!!   

[Sir William Marcus]

Behold a couple critters from yesterdays Indianapolis Chinese Festival

[Rani Zemirah]

Belle and Sir William, what thoroughly awesome shots!  I love all the Dragons!  The Tree Dragon is adorable, and the Dancing Dragons look fierce yet fuzzy!!!  LOL  Thank you both.  These are wonderful!

Thank you, also, Lord W.  You're very kind.  

[lordwriothsley]

Rani is right, Excellent shots belle and Sir William. Thanks for sharing them both.

[Lady Kett]

This puppy is just perfect for an LOLDogs caption! I wish I could think of one!!!

Sydney:

[Sir Martin]

Nice photos all, and I really enjoyed your beautiful poem Rani.  Lots of talent here in our community!

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Very cool shot of the train. I've always loved trains, diesel and steam. Thanks for sharing.

[Rani Zemirah]

Thank you, Sir Martin. 

[Xanthenes The Unbalanced]

Didn't make RenFest last weekend (will be there this coming Sunday).  Don't feel too bad for me, though.  My weekend wasn't all bad.