A new year and a new beginning for the fabulous Soul Source photography thread. We've had so many fantastic contributions from so many members over two very long-running and very lengthy threads now, so it makes sense to start afresh.

For people who perhaps haven't contributed before, the idea is very simple: although the emphasis has been on nature/wildlife/flowers and scenic views, just post up and share pics you've taken of, well, just about anything.

Here's three from me, which were taken today in a small nature reserve behind Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Although it started out as a very clear and sunny afternoon, conditions changed very quickly and it became very overcast - and, I have to say, there was very little in the way of birdlife to see. Perhaps they'd all cleared off elsewhere as the place was pretty busy with people out burning off the Christmas calories.

 

Happy New Year!

3 hours ago, tsu tomatoes said:

I often look through this part of the forum, but for the first time I thought I'd put some pics up too: Here's a few from a recent trip to Marrakesh

Nice atmospheric pictures.  The more posters in this section the better. Thanks for sharing

Steve

Edited November 4, 20168 yr by Winsford Soul

My new gardener, started today, trimmed a few bushes, cut the grass, won't be having her back she left a fair few holes in the lawn

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Nice atmospheric pictures.  The more posters in this section the better. Thanks for sharing

Steve

Yep, nice pictures mate.

 

Dusted off my NIkon for the first time in ages last night. Have to say I'm rather pleased with the results!

 

A couple more...

 

3 minutes ago, Russell Gilbert said:

Dusted off my NIkon for the first time in ages last night. Have to say I'm rather pleased with the results!

 

About time to Russell. Thought you had given up . Nice pictures of I assume raindrops hitting the canal

Steve

12 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

About time to Russell. Thought you had given up . Nice pictures of I assume raindrops hitting the canal

Steve

Really has been ages since I've been out with my camera, Steve. Don't know why either. Just haven't felt the inspiration, I guess. Have to say you're exactly spot on. It is indeed raindrops hitting the small waterway running next to our apartment. The light source is a streetlight on the other side. I'd seen the effect of rain hitting that patch of water before when standing on our back balcony and have become quite fascinated by it. Finally thought I'd have a go at capturing the effect - and about time too! 

Russell. Here's my similar sort of thing Rain on wet concrete, lighting by street lamp, taken 5 years ago when I first got a camera

Steve

13 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Russell. Here's my similar sort of thing Rain on wet concrete, lighting by street lamp, taken 5 years ago when I first got a camera

Steve

Oddly (or not), the first thing that came to my mind was that it was a macro photo of grooves on an lp?

Managed to Catch (and release) this grass snake as it swam past my boat mid water.

Edited November 7, 20168 yr by NCFC

Two tone pike from last week.

Edited November 7, 20168 yr by NCFC

4 minutes ago, NCFC said:

Managed to Catch (and release) this grass snake as it swam past my boat mid water.

Wow! Nice one Chris. I didnt think grass snakes were that big or that they could swim!

Pete

4 minutes ago, Peter99 said:

Wow! Nice one Chris. I didnt think grass snakes were that big or that they could swim!

Pete

Peter i was 100 yards from land they are known as the water snake also,was prob about 2ft 6 long so a female i presume.Fantastic swimmers and good at playing dead when you handle them.

Edited November 7, 20168 yr by NCFC

1 minute ago, NCFC said:

Peter i was 100 yards from land they are known as the water snake also,was prob about 2ft 6 long so a female i presume.Fantastic swimmer and good at playing dead when you handle them.

I went on a boating holiday on the Broads years ago and I'm pretty certain that I remember seeing a few signs saying "Beware Water Snakes". I know enough to know that the only poisonous snake we have in Britain is the Adder/Viper. So, I guess the sign must have meant for us to be aware of and not harm them - rather than the other way round? 

After seeing Russell's great water photo it reminded me of one I took of water going over a weir in the Lake District.
I love the monochrome effect.

Kev

Edited November 7, 20168 yr by stateside

3 minutes ago, stateside said:

After seeing Russell's great water photo it reminded me of one I took of water going over a weir in the Lake District.
I love the monochrome effect.

Kev

That's a thing of beauty Kev. Well done mate.

pete

 

Sadly nothing to rival the close ups of water as it doesn't make up a lot of the landscape here, but I thought I'd add a couple from previous holidays, one not taken by me for obvious reasons.

Took a visit to our local garden centre as they always put on a huge festive display. It's all very well done, although in places it can have something of a surreal quality about it. Judge for yourself... 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, Russell Gilbert said:

 

Very surreal. Are those reindeer skulls?

1 hour ago, stateside said:

Very surreal. Are those reindeer skulls?

Not reindeer, but cow skulls - except for the one in the middle of the table, which looks like it came from a water buffalo. Thing is, just to add to the surreal effect, they're actually man-made. So somewhere there's a factory making these for sale to everyday consumers. I find that weird!

Went out yesterday into the mountains, bloody windy and not that warm, but found Crocus serotinus Subsp. salzmannii flowering where it wasn't already battered to death by the wind.

Edited November 10, 20168 yr by TattooDave

On 08/11/2016 at 21:26, Russell Gilbert said:

Took a visit to our local garden centre as they always put on a huge festive display. It's all very well done, although in places it can have something of a surreal quality about it. Judge for yourself... 

 

 

More of a Nightmare Before Christmas than a Winter Wonderland.

 

Wild goat at El Torcal, and low cloud coating one of the mountains on the way back

43 minutes ago, Steve S 60 said:

On 8November, 2016 at 22:26, Russell Gilbert said:

More of a Nightmare Before Christmas than a Winter Wonderland.

 

Haha - something along those lines. Certainly that's what my pics portray. I didn't post up all the others I took of the cosier traditional aspects. They do a great job putting this together every year, and it is a huge display. At the end of the Christmas day though, its a retail garden centre (80,000 m2 - the largest in the Netherlands) and the only purpose is to pull in customers and get them to buy stuff, which they seem to do well.

1 hour ago, TattooDave said:

Went out yesterday into the mountains, bloody cold and not that warm, but found Crocus serotinus Subsp. salzmannii flowering where it wasn't already battered to death by the wind.

Bloody cold Dave. Bet you wouldn't swap it for the UK and you will still have been wearing shorts. We had a barmy 5 degrees Celsius here in Manchester yesterday

Steve

57 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Bloody cold Dave. Bet you wouldn't swap it for the UK and you will still have been wearing shorts. We had a barmy 5 degrees Celsius here in Manchester yesterday

Steve

5 degrees, that's a heatwave!  Trudging through snow yesterday.

12 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Bloody cold Dave. Bet you wouldn't swap it for the UK and you will still have been wearing shorts. We had a barmy 5 degrees Celsius here in Manchester yesterday

Steve

It was only 8C at the top of El Torcal, 24C by the coast, so quite a shock to the system, I'm in shorts until I see brass monkeys. 

Here,s a couple from today. Male Goosander in winter plumage and a male Woodpecker

Steve

Edited November 11, 20168 yr by Winsford Soul

Grandson Thomas latest pictures. First time he,s ever tried scrambled egg on toast

Steve

Had to stop the car and rest the camera on a low stone wall when I saw this down in the Cotswolds in August this year. These have been on the camera since then and the first time I've looked at them on the laptop.

I've also farted around with them on Lightroom. No idea what I'm doing though!

 

Kev

Just found this with a few more.....2012 in Morocco. Whilst in one of the souks they tried to sell us a dwarf chameleon & a box of pasties!

A few from a walk round Rufford park a couple of weeks ago.

12 minutes ago, Johnny Jones said:

A few from a walk round Rufford park a couple of weeks ago.

Hi Johnny

Nor seen you on the thread before. Welcome, and a great intro.

 

Peter

Cheers Peter, i did post some a few months ago, love to get out more with the camera but its a time thing, hoping to get some nice Winter snaps. John.

2 hours ago, Johnny Jones said:

Cheers Peter, i did post some a few months ago, love to get out more with the camera but its a time thing, hoping to get some nice Winter snaps. John.

The picture of the Robin is super special John

A couple more of the same Robin 

2 minutes ago, Johnny Jones said:

A couple more of the same Robin 

Wow ! They're great mate. Would grace any festive publication.

 

P 

Nice pics mate didn't no you were handy we a camera 

A few snaps while strolling about with my daughter today

At last someone else who takes photos of graffiti, whilst I don't condone it, it fascinates me, I don't mean the talentless tagging relentlessly of public or private property, but the constructive art that makes a "social comment" or is just very funny.  I almost feel sorry for those that insist on tagging, poor mites could never have had pens and paper at school to need to keep practising their writing so much now they are big enough to steal a can of spray paint or purloin their great grandma's bingo marker.

Here's one for you then TattooDave. It was taken on my phone a couple of years ago under the arch by the skateboard park near my house. 

Obviously a fan of the late MJ

This is a mate of mine, he's a bit of a fruit

A walk around Bolton Abbey a few weeks ago

Couple of pictures of the Shieldhall the last coal burning ship afloat which docks on Poole Quay every September for a few days.

 She's kept in Southampton Docks most of the time as a floating restaurant. 

I spend  a lot of my time taking pics of my daughter horse riding and this is the beast that saps most of my vinyl budget!

17 minutes ago, stateside said:

I spend  a lot of my time taking pics of my daughter horse riding and this is the beast that saps most of my vinyl budget!

That's a stunning photo of a fine looking beast.

Steve

2 hours ago, Twoshoes said:

A walk around Bolton Abbey a few weeks ago

Never been to Bolton Abbey. But it is on my list.

Steve

6 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Never been to Bolton Abbey. But it is on my list.

Don't know if you like walking but there is a circular walk that starts as you enter the Abbey grounds ,it's about seven kilometres and follows the river on one side going out ,over  the bridge to the other side coming back, some great photo opportunities, like a prat I forgot my camera on the day and had to make do with the one on my phone.

7 minutes ago, Twoshoes said:

Don't know if you like walking but there is a circular walk that starts as you enter the Abbey grounds ,it's about seven kilometres and follows the river on one side going out ,over  the bridge to the other side coming back, some great photo opportunities, like a prat I forgot my camera on the day and had to make do with the one on my phone.

Love walking. Treated my self to a pair of Meindl vakuum gtx boots a couple of years ago.  Best described as 4x4 slippers. Awesome, totally recommended. Back on track pardon the pun. I've been to fountains Abbey, loved it. Used to go on my way to piercebridge soul night's and would spend hours walking around the place in all sorts of weather.

Steve