me & my shadow
...in Noumea morning has broken...
First among equals
Esperance - Western Australia Beach stroll anyone?
african violet and a mealy bug beauty & the beast
Some of you have asked about the light on these images. There are no lighting tricks at all. It's mostly just blending my gradient(s) and playing with the contrast/ highlight and saturation to get the desired result. frangipani abstract I.
a very overcast day in KL Urban living
Gum trees at the Deep Space Communication Complex - located at Tidbinbilla just outside of Canberra, Australia. Black or White
When the rain recedes
Recreation
The street made famous by ACDC in 1976. The music video for "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was filmed for the Australian music television program Countdown. It featured the band's then-current lineup, along with members of the Rats of Tobruk Pipe Band, on the back of a flat-bed truck traveling on Swanston Street in Melbourne. Here is the video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxP9fOMLE_8&feature=related Swanston Street (Melbourne)
Giant African land snail in Singapore negotiates with his/her own shadow Stop following me!
Journey
...with rain drops Succulent bud
Have you ever captured something what you weren't aware at the time of the exposure and only revealed itself when it was processed? Top of that I almost deleted the whole image because I forgot to take off the ND8 filter and the light conditions were already far too dim to do without a tripod... Luckily I did it in RAW and I thought before I get rid off it I'll give another chance to retrieve it from the bin.....and there it was THE FACE inside the trunk! The Hidden Face
delphinium flowers Octopuses in disguise...?
at Lake Jindabyne (NSW) Old Snow Gum tree
KL monorail station Man-made snake
Mini Cactus Flower
A composite image from four photos + texture. The exif data for the cottage image ONLY! Australia's population changed dramatically as a result of the rushes. In 1851 the Australian population was 437,655, of which 77,345, or just under 18%, were Victorians. A decade later the Australian population had grown to 1,151,947 and the Victorian population had increased to 538,628; just under 47% of the Australian total and a seven-fold increase. In some small country towns where gold was found abundantly, the population could grow of over 1000% in a decade (e.g. Rutherglen had a population of ~2,000. Ten years later, it had ~60,000 which is a 3000% increase). The rapid growth was predominantly a result of the gold rushes Gold rush in Ballarat
fossil
The Outcast
Leaf cactus
Moon pearl
Daisy
nose dive
Singapore Cavenagh Bridge
Still life with brass fruits
Banksia ericifolia
hypnotic eyes
flower propeller
abandoned shopping trolley..... :( human presence
flower power
At Cadman's Cottage
mini cactus flower center of attention
Sharing is Caring
Agapanthus
Lake Gillawarna - Georges Hall (NSW) Ibis Rookery
panning speed
Kermit
Another Brick in the Wall...
magpie Getting ready for a day
fades away
at the side of St Mary's Cathedral (Sydney) The stem of the flower can reach up to 5 meters in length. Gymea 'flame' lilies
by American artist Jimmie Durham, at the roundabout in Walsh Bay (Sydney) which consists of a three-tonne boulder from a local quarry on top of a 1999 Ford Festiva hatchback. Still life with stone and car
'Black Totem II' is a sculpture created by Brett Whiteley and posthumously completed by his wife Wendy Whiteley, Matthew Dillon and Franco Belgiorno-Nettis in 1993. It was installed at the top of Windmill Steps in 2004 in the inner city suburb of Millers Point (Sydney). The Egg
Are you serious?!
Barangaroo is a vacant 22 hectare former container wharf on the western harbour foreshore of the Sydney CBD. Over the next decade it is being transformed into a thriving public, residential and commercial precinct with a waterfront promenade running the length of the site. Incorporating a major new Headland Park, it is one of the most ambitious and significant waterfront redevelopments anywhere in the world. Over time, 23,000 people will live and work in the precinct, with 33,000 people expected to visit Barangaroo each day. The estimated cost about 6-8 billion dollar. Barangaroo
Gimme my carrot!
the title is from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG7wbAfcKUI/">Nick Cave's iconic song</a> "The Ship Song Project" "Come sail your ships around me..."
Protea
placidity
monitor lizard in Cape Le Grand National Park - Esperance (WA) You're boring me, I'm leaving now!
The Majestic Figtree
Centennial Parklands (Sydney) paperbark swamp
Singapore newest attraction the $8 billion Marina Bay Sands Resort. ( In the foreground the building workers makeshift accommodations) builder's perspective
The Petronas Twin Towers (photographed from KL tower) Giant Twins
section of Georges River (Sydney) sandy riverbank
The town of Hyden is located 339 km east of Perth, Western Australia in the Shire of Kondinin. Hyden is home to Wave Rock and Mulka's Cave, both popular tourist attractions and of course these fab sculptures made by the locals. Outback Street Art
End of the Day
The"Afghan Girl" chalk art on the street of Melbourne (National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry's famous portrait from a 12 years old girl) those fiery eyes...
In 1770 an expedition from England led by Captain James Cook sailed to the South Pacific. They were supposed to make astronomical observations, but Captain Cook also had secret orders from the British Admiralty to find the southern continent. <br><br><br>He called this new land New Wales and then changed it to New South Wales. He claimed the land for England (even though the land already belonged to the Aborigines). cumulus clouds over Botany Bay
Gap
Orton effect (my very first one, so be gentle... :) garden of delights
natural curtain
perching Ibises
...unless you are planning to go that way" "Never look back...
the water wall at the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne) I'll come to you!
suburban sunset
Lake Jindabyne (NSW) among the gum trees
Pls take the time and listen to this music. It's well worth it, I promise! :)<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdZ-H9eYdHA&feature=related/html_links.htm#tips"> Maksim - Exodus</a> Exodus
fallen from grace
Hide-and-seek
AC/DC wines in still life :) Back in Black
Some of you have asked about the light on these images. There are no lighting tricks at all. It's mostly just blending my gradient(s) and playing with the contrast/ highlight and saturation to get the desired result. frangipani abstract II.
The purple mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), colloquially known simply as mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. <br />There is a legend about Queen Victoria offering a reward of 100 pounds sterling to anyone who could deliver to her the fresh fruit. Although this legend can be traced to a 1930 publication by the fruit explorer, David Fairchild, it is not substantiated by any known historical document, yet is probably responsible for the uncommon designation of mangosteen as the "Queen of Fruit" mangosteen
talking flowers
Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour - Sydney Layers
Summer fusion
flower bud
Purple Swamphen
snotty
seagull
Hibiscus
tenderness
boundary
Commonly known as Jade plant, Friendship Tree, Lucky Plant or Money Plant - Crassula Ovata is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers. wound
The incey wincey spider
twilight years
Kuala Lumpur has good quality roads, but driving in the city can be a nightmare with massive traffic jams. KL traffic
the forbidden gate
Stanwell Top - NSW sunset at full moon
contemplation
Calla lily
Jacarandas, (Jacaranda mimosifolia), are spectacular late spring flowering trees, which create washes of purple through many Australian towns and suburbs each spring. Jacarandas come from Brazil but they grow well in Australia. In particular mass plantings of Jacarandas along the street create a river of purple as well as a carpet underneath the trees when the flowers begin to fall. underneath the Jacaranda
Nickel mining in New Caledonia - also a little piece of France in the Pacific Ocean. Noumea
Wild Poinsettia
shadowy figure
bonfire on the beach
Isle of Pines (New Caledonia) embracing trees
sunbeams over high sea
New Caledonia rainy day in paradise
serves as holy water basin at St Joseph Cathedral (Noumea) sea shell
Telephone & Mailbox
1. The Sydney Tower has been an integral feature of the Sydney skyline for over 30 years. Measuring 309 metres at its highest point, it is one of the tallest structures in the southern hemisphere and by far the tallest building in Sydney. 2. After almost 40 years standing over the water, the Sydney Harbour control tower may be demolished. The 82m tower at the northern end of Barangaroo has been gathering dust since Sydney Ports relocated its harbour control operations to Port Botany in May. The Barangaroo Development Authority wants to buy the Sydney Ports tower, which is on land earmarked as a headland park as part of the Barangaroo redevelopment. towers
Sydney Opera House - when it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Jørn Oberg Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his work during his lifetime. Utzon's vision
The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centered around axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory. birds eye view of Canberra
blessed life form
pyracantha
Hellebore x hybridus I'll back you up!
coral fragments
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slqTJ7gVtlo&feature=related/">Randy Crawford's song</a> really goes with this image :) One day I'll fly away...
it's really important work ahead of the bushfire season, just to reduce as many hazards as possible. This particular backburning is near to Canberra. backburning operation
section of St Mary's Cathedral (Sydney) behind the scene
hazardous road
Jasmine in full bloom
Sydney (Cockle Bay) combining new with old
Japanese weeping cherry tree awakening
National Monument to the Great Irish Famine of 1845-49 at the Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney. A large section of the Barracks' sandstone wall has been dismantled and rotated on its axis, a symbolic rendering of the disruption and dislocation of the famine years. A bronze table intersects the stone wall as both a symbol of domesticity and sparseness and a link between the lives of those who stayed and those who left. Replacing the demolished wall are two glass panels inscribed with names, all female: Mary Rattigan, Bridget McMahon, Jane Dunford, Anastasia Brophy... The names fade towards the edges, lost to memory. A terrible stillness surrounds the sculpture, in spite of the city traffic. This work, by Iranian-born Hossein Valamanesh and his Welsh-Australian wife, Angela, is Australia's National Monument to the Great Irish Famine. Barracks Wall
sign of spring
The Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides) is the largest Australian member of the genus Corvus and one of five Australian species commonly known as crows. Raven
hard worker
punk style Ibis
wild ones
The Old Government House is a former "country" residence of 10 early governors of New South Wales, located in Parramatta (Sydney). It is considered a property of national and international significance as an archaeological resource, and a demonstration of how the British Empire expanded, and Australian society has evolved since 1788. In July 2010 Old Government House and Domain was inscribed on the World Heritage List as one of 11 Australian sites with a significant association with convict transportation (i.e. the Australian Convict Sites) which together represent "the best surviving examples of large-scale convict transportation and the colonial expansion of European powers through the presence and labour of convicts" The land the property is situated on is named Darug land, home to the Burramatta tribe. There is evidence of Aboriginal occupation on the site, such as middens. Old Government House
Some of Sydney skyscrapers from the Royal Botanic Gardens 1. RBS Tower, more commonly known as Aurora Place - 188 meters to roof. 2. Chifley Tower, the 3-metre lightning rod was added in 2000, but is not counted by CTBUH as it does not constitute an architectural feature leaving the buildings official height down to 241. The Roof height is 206. It is one of the most expensive buildings in the world at A$1.2 billion. 3. Deutsche Bank Place, this building is the second-tallest building in the world with fewer than 40 floors. Al Faisaliyah Center (Riyadh) is taller with the roof height being 160. distinctive towers
The Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is an Australian species of frogmouth, a type of bird found throughout the Australian mainland, Tasmania and southern New Guinea. The Tawny Frogmouth is often mistaken to be an owl. Many Australians refer to the Tawny Frogmouth by the colloquial names of "Mopoke" or "Morepork", which usually are common alternative names for the Southern Boobook. Frogmouths are not raptorial birds. Tawny Frogmouth
skillful skeleton :)
Dawn Greeters
floral pathway
Romantics are declaring their feelings by attaching padlocks to landmarks all over the world - this particular one is on the 665 meter long Sea Cliff Bridge along Grand Pacific Drive just south of Sydney. ♥ Forever
roses only
rise and shine
roadside flower
searching for light
lanterns
The Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) is a medium-sized songbird native to Australia. It grows about 35 cm (14 in) long and has black and white plumage. The colour of juvenile birds, which are accompanied by their parents, is brown and white as seen in the picture. As they mature their brown feathers are replaced by black feathers. It is common in woodlands and in urban environments. Its diet consists mostly of small vertebrates and insects. They have been known to accept food from humans. You wanna piece of me?
The Mareeba rock-wallaby varies, from almost black to grey-brown to light brown. It has lighter underparts, and side of face. The tail is usually dark brown or black at tip. The darker ones tend to live where the natural rock is darker rock wallabies
The Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia. The Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest, and arid areas. Keep talking, I'm listening!
female peacock
monitor lizard (goanna)
Stanwell Top (NSW) coastal view
Isle of Pines storm aftermath
Look, a ladybug!...Where??
Loyalty Islands sunrise
the gatherer
homemaker
gumnuts
glowing
retaining wall
frangipani cluster
hibiscus
new shoots
fern shoot
in dark waters
cloud nine in B&W
flower string
when the rain stops
The Tawny Frogmouth is almost exclusively insectivorous, feeding rarely on frogs and other small prey.They catch their prey with their beaks rather than with their talons, another way in which they are different from owls. Owls fly around at night hunting food, but Tawny Frogmouths generally remain sitting very still on a low perch, and wait for food to come to them. They catch prey with their beaks, and sometimes drop from their perch onto the prey on the ground. The bird's large eyes and excellent hearing aid nocturnal hunting.When feeling threatened, the Tawny Frogmouth stays perfectly still, with eyes almost shut and with bill pointed straight, relying on camouflage for protection. "I'm not talking to you!" - "Do I look like I care?"
beaded petals
tenderness (RGB version)
city folk
dawnguard
above the safe zone
wild violets
In eastern Australia feral mynas have become a major urban nuisance, pose potential health risks to humans and livestock and have serious, negative impacts on biodiversity. Mynas are listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the World’s 100 Worst Invasive Species. pesky myna
at the bottom of the garden
...NOT too lazy to crow for day :) little red rooster...
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds, in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and North-Eastern Australia. sentenced to life
always greener on the other side
hydrangea
taking a break
some bored kids call this 'fun' during school holiday....:( alongside a nature reserve
morning stretch
wall decor
singled out
If you say so!.... :) Walk this way!