Atlas Coal Mine Panorama
Photo of the Day
Scattered near the site of the Atlas Coal Mine near Drumheller, Alberta are all kinds of fun bits and bobs including these giant wheels. The entrance to the coal mine is visible on the right of this photo.
I’ve been on the grounds of the coal mine before (see my previous images here), but never done an underground visit. Next time I’m going that way, I should plan time for a stop.
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Kenrokuen Garden’s Kotoji Lantern
Photo of the Day
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a photo from Japan, so it’s time to rectify that situation.
Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen gardens make it onto one of Japan’s weird lists: “the three most beautiful landscape gardens.” I don’t know many other cultures that would feel the need to make that kind of ranking, but I consider that one of the endearing things about the Japanese.
In any case, yes, it’s a truly gorgeous place. I saw it while on a trip with my co-workers and I got a taste of the Japanese’s penchant for whirlwind visits. I had to be quick to get away from the pack and set up the tripod for a few moments.
This image is of The Kotoji Lantern which is said to look like the bridge on the Japanese traditional instrument, the koto. It’s an iconic view of the garden and a symbol of the city. I was fortunate to have some of Japan’s spectacularly-coloured autumn leaves in the background.
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Ruin above Dovestones
Photo of the Day
This shot is another from a little walk I recently did on the edges above Dovestones reservoir in Lancashire. As I crested the rise, this tiny, ruined house and the accompanying lovely view greeted me at the top.
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Moroccan Camel
Photo of the Day
Camel riding isn’t for everyone and I think I might be one of those people. The ships of the desert don’t exactly have the smoothest ride in the world and I wouldn’t have minded a few bumps had my back not been acting up.
Besides, I was more interested in pulling out the camera and taking some photos of the belching beasts and I’m sure my four-legged friend was happy to free of this burden.
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Padley Gorge in Longshaw Estates
Photo of the Day
On the way back from our most recent trip to Lincoln, we stopped at Longshaw Estates, a beautiful National Trust property that provides extensive opportunities for walkers to have a good stroll.
I immediately headed for the confines of Padley Gorge and peaty water cascading over mossy stones while emerald branches swayed overhead. There I found a few photo ops including the scene below.
I’ll definitely have to go back and spend a longer time there and I’m guessing it’s a pretty fine place to be when autumn arrives.
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Lincoln Cathedral Panorama
Photo of the Day
In the past few months, I’ve been through Lincoln twice now and this is one of the many shots I’ve taken of its towering cathedral. I kept gravitating towards this particular view of the great building from a spot between the cathedral and the castle.
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The Hoodoos near Drumheller
Photo of the Day
One of my favourite day trips from Calgary when I was growing up was a visit to the Alberta Badlands. It’s dinosaur country after all – what kid isn’t going to get excited at the idea of hunting for T-Rex bones?
And of course, one of my favourite spots there is the hoodoos. This area shaped by eons of erosion always resembled an alien landscape and captured my imagination.
When I visited a couple months ago, I was a bit disappointed to find that construction had begun on a stairway and path leading around the hoodoos. I understand the need for protecting the fragile formations from the erosion that tourists can cause, it’s just sad to see that it’s necessary.
So, a shot like today’s photo of the day is a bit special in that it captures the hoodoos before the view changes.
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Above Dovestones Reservoir
Photo of the Day
Last Saturday evening, I took a walk along the edges high above the Dovestones Reservoir and got this shot as the sun nestled up against the horizon.
This is one of those shots that I probably made more complicated than it needed to be by composing it of multiple stitched images (to get a wider field of view) and multiple bracketed exposures (to get more tonal range out of the scene). After some post process tinkering, I’m pleased with the result, so here it is!
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Bruges from Above
Photo of the Day
Today’s photo of the day is the last one from Bruges for now. This time we’re high above the canals and looking down on the medieval-style city from the belfry of the town hall. The Church of Our Lady is on the left and St. Salvator’s Cathedral is on the right.
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The Canals of Bruges #12
Photo of the Day
Number 12 in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #11
Photo of the Day
Number 11 in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #10
Photo of the Day
Number ten in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #9
Photo of the Day
Number nine in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #8
Photo of the Day
Number eight in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #7
Photo of the Day
Number seven in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #6
Photo of the Day
Number six in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #5
Photo of the Day
Number five in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #4
Photo of the Day
Number four in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #3
Photo of the Day
Number three in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium. This one features the town hall rising in the background.
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The Canals of Bruges #2
Photo of the Day
Number two in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.
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The Canals of Bruges #1
Photo of the Day
Starting today and going on for a dozen or so posts, I’ll be showing off some of my photos from a recent trip to Bruges, Belgium. Frequently dubbed the ‘Venice of the North,’ I couldn’t help but capture a few shots of the canals that criss cross the city. This series focuses on those waterways. Enjoy.
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Beneath Meknes’ Koubbat as-Sufara
Photo of the Day
Koubbat as-Sufara is a hall that was once used for the reception of foreign ambassadors, but the creepy crypt below is an even better sight. Through it was only used for food storage, it has the atmosphere of somewhere more likely to be haunted than a simple granary.
There were very few visitors present during my time there, so it was relatively easy for me to run around popping off flash bursts to light this lengthy hall.
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Bodmin Moor’s Cheesewring
Photo of the Day
The Cheesewring is a rock formation sitting atop the barren hill of Stowes Hill in Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. According to good-old Wikipedia, it’s named after a cheesewring, “a press-like device that was used to make cheese.”
Almost unbelievably, this is a natural formation. No ancient astronauts came down to pile these giant stones onto one another – this is all the result of weathering. The hill has a few other strange formations like this one and there’s a stone circle not too far away as well.
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Chesterton Windmill
Photo of the Day
Here’s another one of my experiments in using a single flash to light a scene in dozens of separate photos later combined. This one is of the Chesterton Windmill which stands by itself in a field not too far from Stratford-upon-Avon.
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