by Whitt Birnie
Islands at sunset.
Even the birds stop for happy hour.
In ten seconds, the green flash. I’ll leave that discovery for you.
Looking for Venus while celebrating the solstice
20 Wednesday Jun 2012
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Fantastic photos. It is all clouds here down under in the shortest day of the year. 🙂
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Thanks so much. In a way, that’s okay, from here on the only direction is up. 🙂
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So beautiful. Really, don’t know what else to say 😉
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Thanks Cécile. …sometimes, ‘silence is golden.’ 🙂
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Fabulous photograph, beautiful 😛
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Thanks Della Anna. Very glad you like them.
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Hi @Whitt88,
Here’s some good news for you. I have nominated you for Versatile Blogger Award. I hope you’re happy with this news, because your blog gives me inspiration and new ideas. This award gives us more creativity.
You can see this at:
https://campanulladellaanna.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/appreciation-versatile-blogger-award-and-kreativ-blogger-award/
Thank you for your efforts, I appreciate it. Warm regards
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Thank you kindly for thinking of my blog. I really do appreciate the gift and trust it will help me to become more versatile as a blogger. That said, I seriously considered declining the award until I read in the rules that said ‘once nominated, awarded.’ Perhaps I’m versatile in everyday life, but I’m certainly a neophyte at blogging and hesitate to join such an esteemed circle of writers.
So thanks to Cécile, who was first to award me and now you, Anna, here’s the list of my characteristics:
1) All the photos and text on this site are produced with solar energy. Photons from the sun falling on solar panels charge the batteries to run the cameras, computers and light in order to bring this to you.
2) Nature photography is the best way I’ve found to raise awareness and help preserve what’s left of our precious environment.
3) Living outdoors exposes me to a stimulating variety of weather conditions and to the natural beauty of the planet. Given the choice, I’ll even sleep outside.
4) I’m attracted to differences in origins, language, location, and culture.
5) Teaching was the most rewarding vocation, occupation, I encountered. I never tired of it.
6) Reading the adventures of authors like Melville, Conrad, Cook, Stevenson and London gave me the inspiration to travel, explore and rediscover.
7) ‘Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ is a motto worth remembering daily.
Here are just two of my long-term favorite writers, hence my short-list of new nominees for “The Versatile Blogger” award. Others have it already, will get it soon, or intentionally avoid it. 🙂
Cécile at:
http://tryingtobeconscious.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/a-little-sugar-in-my-bowl/
and Kate at:
http://365til30.com/
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Isn’t an ocean sunset the best? I live on the east coast of Australia so it’s rare for me to see one – I saw it in West Australia eons ago, and more recently in New Caledonia. It stopped me in the street. Well, on the esplanade. I saw the sun descend into the water and could hardly believe my eyes. One cool thing about a small island is that you can see sunrises AND sunsets over the ocean every day without travelling far.
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Hi Trish. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I’m sure you know, but for those who live on tropical atolls, a short walk of 100 yards will bring an ocean sunrise and an ocean sunset any old day, one more luxury of living a simple, natural life. If you ask me, I’m partial to sunrises — so much happens so quickly (visually) that in the time span of a cup of tea, or coffee, plans and thoughts come to light, get organized and launched, and you’re off and running while most everyone else is still sleepy-headed.
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Stunning 🙂
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Hi Bettina. Didn’t mean to shock you. 🙂
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Beautiful, Whitt! Stunning colours, do you think the camera captured it pretty accurately? I always find it difficult to get the colours I’m seeing in person actually in the photo!
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Yes, but it’s a tricky question to answer. Do you remember how different Agfa, Fuji and Kodak prints looked? Same problem with different makes of camera and gamma settings of computer and digital screens. In short, test the variety of lighting options on the camera (vivid is usually better, bracketing exposure helps, increasing saturation often improves). Try passing the difficult shots thru simple photo-editing software. But don’t be satisfied with the automated output of your camera; a small effort at correction makes a big difference to a discerning eye. Work on the colours like you do on your words and paragraphs. The colours in pictures of you in your travel section look great, almost like you’ve taken us along. You do make us want to share a coffee break. Keep posting the good stuff.
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Haha, thanks Whitt! You sound like a pro! 🙂
Cheers! *clinks coffee cup* =P
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건배 커피 🙂
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This sunset is absolutely breathtaking Whitt!
Impressed by the way you handled that award 🙂
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Thanks Madhu. Funny thing was, I had to learn to use the viewing screen to see any details while the sun is so close to the horizon; the viewfinder just blinds you. On the award, I was born a zodiac ‘vierge’, so I have to be given a nudge before coming to life! And finally, while I was fixing up the hull in a shipyard recently, the scene made me remember the nostalgic pictures and poignant childhood stories you posted – the surprising power of the virtual world. Thanks again for finding time to drop by.
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