Saturday & Sunday August 26&27

[Don]

Good morning all.  I haven't been out with the camera in a while - it has been very hot here with several days topping 100F.I pulled these from the archives from our trip to Laredo, Texas last Feb.

[Dave]

Thanks for starting the Weekender, Don.

Very nice photos, as always. The sunrise or sunset is wonderfully subdued. And I love the Green Kier. Even though they are not uncommon here at some parts of the year, I've never seen one.

Here's a shot of a large (the entire piece is over a meter long) part that fell off a palm tree. I zoomed in quite close because I liked the abstract quality of what I saw through the viewfinder. And the grayish green in the middle of the brightest red pleased me...


   

[Rich]

Greetings all!
Don, good to "see" you! Nice hazy sunrise. Nice position for the sun!

Bird is interesting, sharp focus! I don't think we have those in SD! He looks mad!

Dave, very interesting abstract, I can see why you were attracted to it. Is the red a natural color on a palm tree or did you do a little embellishment?

Here are a couple of shots from my outing last night of the Corn Palace Festival. The first Palace was built in 1892 and has a long history. https://cornpalace.com/149/Corn-Palace-H...ach%20year.

[Man From Ironbark]

Nice to see someone else posting images.
All very nice images.
I too liked your palm abstract view, Dave.
Nice sunset photos with good detail in the crowds, Rich.
Don, I have now seen my first green kier. Superbly captured.
Misty sunrise is it? I enjoy such shots.

[Dave]

Nice photos, Rich. They indicate how popular the orn Festival is, and you also captured some lovely skies.

About my photo above:

1) I believe what you see is a small portion of a bract (a tough, almost leathery looking structure usually found high up on the trunk) that I believe covers and protects young developing flowers (which are called inflorescences), then drops off when no longer needed.

2) It is usually a dark rusty color; my photo shows it as a bit more vividly red in places, not because I intentionally intensified it but because due to shooting at a faster than ideal shutter speed I had to brighten it somewhat, and this caused the red to intensify. Maybe the red ended up looking 10%-15% more intense than natural but I liked the look so I kept it.

Hi MFI. If I am wrong about the palm's bract, please don't hesitate to correct me.

[Man From Ironbark]

Oh I think your description is correct, Dave.

[Dave]

Good day, all.

Thanks for confirming my supposition about the bract, MFI.

Such a nice flower - interesting structures that look to have been designed by evolution to attract pollinators. I'm guessing a variety of orchid.

Being almost out of new photos I went to my archives (March 17, 2018) to find one to rework. Started with the SOOTC version (of early morning clouds seen from a local golf course), recropped, tweaked values and color intensity in different areas, sharpened some parts to counter the softening when saving for web, then did my usual simulation of a mat & frame...

   

[Rich]

Thanks Peter!
Good composition and exposure on the flowers. I likr the colors. Is this a type of orchid?

Thanks Dave! Thanks for the explination! Beautiful cloud capture. Bird adds interest and keeps the eye from wandering, however if you cover the bird with your finger, the clouds are still the star of the show!

Well, what is a festival without street food?!

[Man From Ironbark]

Yes the orchid species is Caladenia carnea. Pink fingers.


They are quite small. Usually no more than 3<4 inches tall. The flowers are up to an inch in diameter.


The Blue fingers is Caladenia caerula.



I am fascinated by Australia's tiny terrestrial orchids found right across southern Australia. However I don't only photograph the orchids.

The genus Hibbertia is named after one of the worst slave traders, who made all of his money either from selling or using slaves.He also was paid a healthy compensation for lost property when England banned slave trade. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hibbert
There have been motions to try and alter the Genus name in this modern world.

[Rich]

Thanks Peter! They must be a pretty hardy species to grow in the rocky ground!