A New Year means a new Soul Source photography thread! Starting in 2013, "Show us your great photos" has proved to be a long-lived favourite - all because of the continued contributions and involvement of its enthusiastic participants. Here's looking forward to yet another year of fab photos - and don't forget that you don't need to be a photographer to post up pics. Whether taken with top-of-the-line gear or the camera on your smart phone, if you've got interesting pics, please feel free to share.

To kick off, here's a batch of pics I took today while out on a cold and misty walk in a place called the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. I'd not heard of it until just very recently. Apparently it's a natural water table from which Amsterdam gets most of its fresh water. At the same time, it's a nature reserve, so now that I know of its existence, I'll have to make a point of visiting regularly.

It wasn't a good day to be out with a camera, especially with a zoom lens. The light was poor, it was misty (heavy fog overhead - we could hear geese flying over but could barely see them, even though they were quite low), and it was cold. Hopefully conditions will be better on my next visit.

Here's wishing you all a happy New Year and lots of happy shooting across the next 12 months.

On 04/06/2020 at 23:17, Rob1159 said:

Now that would be fun to have a soul do in Hawaii. Glad you like the trees they are incredible aren't they. It is just a shame it is so far for folks from the UK to get there, we had our niece come over from N Wales a couple of years ago and we took her over to the Big Island for a treat after her marriage break up, she loved it, well we all did. 

Something a bit different hope you don't mind, some fish pictures from Roatan, which is a small island off the coast of Honduras it has the 2 or 3rd largest barrier reef, you can actually just walk out from the beach into the ocean and snorkel and see the reef and fish it is pretty incredible, the parrot fish was massive the largest one I have ever seen speaking to a local he recons he could have been 50 years old which is just amazing. Cheers Rob

 

Amazing.  

Back garden birds, Bullfinch portrait. Taken through the window

 

Edited June 5, 20204 yr by Winsford Soul

4 hours ago, Rob1159 said:

Ron, 

Funny how things work out job wise as I went out to California as a project engineering working in the development Laser lab on the ring laser gyro for the cruise missile in 1980, then I left after a couple of years and went to work on the engines of the space shuttle and other small satellite programs, I was a manufacturing engineer on the shuttle program, got to meet quite a few astronauts who visited the company, worked on that for a few years before moving to the B1 bomber program then to Northrop on the B2 program and then I got into various missile projects in various engineering jobs for many years. All a lot of fun very interesting. One of the last main projects I worked on was on the new replacement telescope for the Hubble, it is called the James Web Telescope it is an incredible feat of engineering and is one of the most expensive projects ever, check it out on You Tube. It is still being developed and the launch is planned for 2021 but weather that will happen I don't know as there are still lots of technical problems with various systems. 

If you remember one of the Columbia shuttle had to land at White Sands New Mexico as the cape and Edwards were closed both to weather in 1982, anyway when it landed the salt dust was ingested so bad in the engines they all had to be replaced and refurbished, it was an incredibly costly mistake for the program but I was lucky to snag a small thruster cone off one of the small adjusting engines, something that had been into space and came back pretty neat. Cheers Rob 

Hi Rob,

 

Wow !!!!!...... Just fantastic mate,some pretty impressive projects there,a very interesting

career if i may say so.

The B1 is one of my favourite aircraft,an incredible machine.

Love the stories about the thruster cone and the James Web Telescope,i will

have a look on Youtube.

Cheers,Ron.

Edited June 5, 20204 yr by Mustang

Great Crested Grebe.  Reflection 

 

59 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Great Crested Grebe.  Reflection 

 

Fantastic image Steve,you caught that just right mate.

12 minutes ago, Mustang said:

Fantastic image Steve,you caught that just right mate.

Thanks Ron.  Really appreciate your kind comment mate

Fitting tribute Rob to everyone who died for our freedom.  Never forgotten 

A few from tonights river walk with Bury Soul Source request hour (and a few midges) accompanying me 👍

Edited June 6, 20204 yr by Soulandy

On 06/06/2020 at 17:44, Rob1159 said:

Here's a few aircraft pictures for todays D Day anniversary. I went up on a flight on the B 17, I just couldn't imagine it on a real combat flight, brave guys for sure. Cheers Rob

 

 

Hi Rob,

 

Very Interesting,both the Air Force and Navy photo's,enjoyed them all thanks.

Hope you enjoyed your B17 flight,wonderful stuff.

 

Keep them coming mate,Ron.

It's a rainy kind of Sunday morning...

Less than and hour later and from the other side of our apartment the view is all together different!

 

On 07/06/2020 at 18:15, Rob1159 said:

Here are some fish pictures from the Cayman Islands, one of the best experiences ever was the visits to the stingray sand bank where you could get out among the sting rays and they would just swim up to you and you could hold them, quite something. One of the few places I have ever seen lots of squid all together. Cheers Rob

 

Brilliant pictures again Rob.  From a technical perspective what gear do you use  ? 

Ste

Cheers Rob. Fuji has built itself a good reputation here in the UK, some of my friends use there mirrorless systems.  I,m more than happy with my gear, investing in a new full frame  body this year plus i cant afford to switch from Canon with the lenses i have

Steve

Fledgling Great Tit.    Fledgling Blue Tit.   Adult Male Greenfinch

 

 

1 hour ago, Rob1159 said:

Hi Steve, I really like Canon, in fact I started out with the AE1 and then upgraded to the A1 back in 1979, I have got into Sony now I have a mirrorless NEX6 with some of the Sony lens, but to be honest I have been using some of the Sony point and shoots and had good results, currently I have a Sony HX90 and a couple of other earlier ones, but I also got a Canon SX 730 and like that it seems more rugged than the Sony ones. I have looked at something like the Canon EOS 5D system but it is quite costly to started all again with the lens etc. but I think that might be the way to go in the future. Cheers Rob  

I actually can't decide about what camera body to buy. Got choice of 1dx mk3, bit over the top video wise as I'm just a camera user not video.  £6500.

5d mk4 seems to be the one most suited for me £2300. 

Rf5 mirrorless out next month approximately £4000. . Spec looks good but I would need a adapter for my lenses. 

17mm -40mm f4 L .  70mm -200mm f2.8 L mk2 . 500mm f4 L mk2 which would be a crazy amount price wise to change to RF mount.  

Steve 

Warning. These next two pictures contain cuteness on a large scale

Fledgling Long Tailed Tits

 

The sun setting over Leek,

Nature is wonderful 🌿🌈🌻🕊🦉

First proper walk out yesterday, I thought the Horseshoe thank you was rather special, photo doesn't do it justice , the fallen tree and tree roots are in a local beauty spot as is the picture of the picnic bench and stream. Whether it is the effect of global warming I not I'm not informed enough to say but for as long as I can remember the stream was always to the right of the trees until a few years ago when from seemingly nowhere the stream was in regular flood until it as you see it now, there are land slips and an ever widening stream when you get to the fallen tree point. The picnic bench itself is also a sign of the times, when they first put it there it was a wooden one, it lasted about three weeks before vandals built fires underneath it and burnt it to the ground. They then put in this stone and flag one obviously thinking you cant break this one, it lasted about a month before the flag seat was smashed never to be replaced and who can blame them. I'm hoping that something good will come of the Covid lockdown in respect of the number of families I see passing my door out walking, hopefully the parents are instilling in their children a love and respect of the countryside. 

 

29 minutes ago, Twoshoes said:

First proper walk out yesterday, I thought the Horseshoe thank you was rather special, photo doesn't do it justice , the fallen tree and tree roots are in a local beauty spot as is the picture of the picnic bench and stream. Whether it is the effect of global warming I not I'm not informed enough to say but for as long as I can remember the stream was always to the right of the trees until a few years ago when from seemingly nowhere the stream was in regular flood until it as you see it now, there are land slips and an ever widening stream when you get to the fallen tree point. The picnic bench itself is also a sign of the times, when they first put it there it was a wooden one, it lasted about three weeks before vandals built fires underneath it and burnt it to the ground. They then put in this stone and flag one obviously thinking you cant break this one, it lasted about a month before the flag seat was smashed never to be replaced and who can blame them. I'm hoping that something good will come of the Covid lockdown in respect of the number of families I see passing my door out walking, hopefully the parents are instilling in their children a love and respect of the countryside. 

 

How come there are no leaves on the trees? It looks like a very cold February afternoon?    Spooky! 👻

10 minutes ago, Flamingemeralds said:

How come there are no leaves on the trees? It looks like a very cold February afternoon?    Spooky! 👻

Well spotted Mrs.  10 out of 10 for the observation.  You passed the test. 

1 hour ago, Flamingemeralds said:

How come there are no leaves on the trees? It looks like a very cold February afternoon?    Spooky! 👻

Sorry I should have said, the photos in the Plunge were taken in the early stages of lockdown in late March, quite a few of the trees are actually dead, the horseshoe one was the only one from yesterdays walk.

Hi Folks,

 

A visit to Bosley Reservoir near Macclesfield today,calm and peaceful,

plenty of wildlife around,marvellous.

Fledgling Robin

 

On yesterday's walk 

In our humble garden 

Anyone have any ideas about what kind of Moth this is ? Thanks 

 

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Anyone have any ideas about what kind of Moth this is ? Thanks 

 

Looking at my moth and butterfly book it looks like a Silver Y moth. Note the "silver y" on the wing 😉

https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/silver-y

Edited June 10, 20204 yr by Soulandy

9 hours ago, Soulandy said:

Looking at my moth and butterfly book it looks like a Silver Y moth. Note the "silver y" on the wing 😉

https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/silver-y

Thanks Andy.  👍😁

feeling a bit "stuck in" this morning, what with lockdown and non stop rain. Dreaming of being here in North Cornwall, where I am usually to be found in the  summer.

Decided to listen to all of the Impressions A and B sides today, in order, seems appropriate given the current times

 

Dave Banks

Excuse my self indulgence, my daughters first child (also her photo as no visitors allowed) one day old, welcome to the world Burnaford Elliott, another grandson for me and Carol. 

42 minutes ago, Martyn Pitt said:

Excuse my self indulgence, my daughters first child (also her photo as no visitors allowed) one day old, welcome to the world Burnaford Elliott, another grandson for me and Carol. 

Massive congratulations to you and the lovely Carol.  Loads of love from us up here. . XX 

PS. He's nearly as tall as you already Martyn 

Looking a bit greener now and less spooky, 

 

 

site note

there has been a tidy up of posts in this topic

this was due to a member deleting their recent posts and photos

 just so aware

mike

12 minutes ago, Mike said:

site note

there has been a tidy up of posts in this topic

this was due to a member deleting their recent posts and photos

 just so aware

mike

Thanks, Mike.

35 minutes ago, Mike said:

site note

there has been a tidy up of posts in this topic

this was due to a member deleting their recent posts and photos

 just so aware

mike

Thanks Mike.  👍

8 hours ago, Davebanks said:

feeling a bit "stuck in" this morning, what with lockdown and non stop rain. Dreaming of being here in North Cornwall, where I am usually to be found in the  summer.

Decided to listen to all of the Impressions A and B sides today, in order, seems appropriate given the current times

 

Dave Banks

Oooooh.. That looks SO inviting !! How big did you say your suitcase was ?? 😁

The next bay along, showing my daughter in laws "family" seat and the fields opposite part of her farm. I just fish off the rocks.

North Cornwall no where better when the sun is shining.

8 hours ago, Davebanks said:

feeling a bit "stuck in" this morning, what with lockdown and non stop rain. Dreaming of being here in North Cornwall, where I am usually to be found in the  summer.

Decided to listen to all of the Impressions A and B sides today, in order, seems appropriate given the current times

 

Dave Banks

We are booked to go late August, fingers crossed things better by then.

There's a fine selection of photos taken this week by readers in Scotland on the BBC News website, including this one. 

Pic credit: Lorraine Pratt

Link to pics: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-52955408

 

Male House Sparrow

 

My Son Thomas has just sent me this picture of a Buzzard sat on his back garden fence . Not bad considering it was taken with his phone 

 

A few from yesterdays dog walk, young Great Tit, Linnet, Young Nuthatch, Young Robin and Wood Pigeons.

33 minutes ago, Johnny Jones said:

A few from yesterdays dog walk, young Great Tit, Linnet, Young Nuthatch, Young Robin and Wood Pigeons.

Johnny. Great pictures as always mate. Sorry I,ve no likes left

While i was at the Virtual Bury nighter last night / this morning i went into the back garden for a few minutes chillin because it was so warm and as i turned around walking back to the house i noticed the moon just above the trees and i noticed the rising sun starting to cast shadows on some of the craters ( through binoculars ) so the camera came out and this is the resulting picture. About a fifth of the way down and just to the right of the dark side you can clearly see the Sun shining on the crater wall. I,m so pleased with this picture because it was hand held

 

15 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Johnny. Great pictures as always mate. Sorry I,ve no likes left

Cheers pal, very much appreciated coming from you 👍

This just flew in the house a small magpie moth, put back outside 👍

Edited June 14, 20204 yr by Soulandy

Having some success with the bird feeders attracting different species but did not expect this though 🙂 .

Monk Parakeet ?

Edited June 15, 20204 yr by Shinehead

A few from the garden today

Male Bullfinch and a Juvenile Goldfinch

 

A few from the last couple of days. Red Admiral, Hover Fly, Song Thrush and Male Blackbird feeding it's young 'un.

Thinking of presenting this to the Tate modern.

Entitled...

Lazy painter forgot where he left his tools.

Ed