To Everything There is a Season... Photo Snapping!

[Java]

Like, post them if you got them, any PG rated, or historical, or nature related photos. Tourism grade would be nice too, especially those little known out of the way places never found advertised in the tourist guides. These are true gems! :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8c64f464b718b1a537a308dd9bed32ba/e7c1a176.jpg

Antique Hay Press - and judging from the size of that flywheel you really wouldn't want to get your arm caught in that thing... but if you ever did, there's a little bell at the other end that goes off each time a new bale passes through. Yikes, they had some real contraptions there, the first in a series of ever evolving technology as it involved farm equipment. And the old antique thresher behind it, much can be said the same for that thing too. This was just a portion of the old farm machinery present at the 15th annual Flat River Antique Engine and Tractor Show held at the Optimist Park of Roxboro, NC. Proceeds for the event went to benefit Person County Home Health and Hospice.

Oh, and here's a photo of a really old farm tractor :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p877e0141751494a0d855b5a6f0294283/e7c1a1d5.jpg

These photos may last until November 12th or maybe ever to February 1st if I'm really lucky as ImageStation is closing down in less than half a year.

To Everything There is a Season...

[Java]

Today I spontaneously decided to watch and photograph a sunset from top of the cliffs at Occoneechee Mountain, near Hillsborough, NC. It was beautiful :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa2f01f8c6615d53773f4e7d36130d6b4/e7b1ec12.jpg
Sunset from Occoneechee Mountain
September 22, 2007

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Today I spontaneously decided to watch and photograph a sunset from top of the cliffs at Occoneechee Mountain, near Hillsborough, NC. It was beautiful :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa2f01f8c6615d53773f4e7d36130d6b4/e7b1ec12.jpg
Sunset from Occoneechee Mountain
September 22, 2007




Beautiful picture :) You have been getting some great shots from that area.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

I visited an alpaca stud farm this weekend which was having an openday.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120032.jpg

I love these animals. They're intellegent and are easily trained when pets. They are social pack animals and you can't just have one as a pet, at least two, but three to four is better.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Alpacas have sweat glands in their legs, so when they get hot they like to dip them in water to cool off :)

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1110898.jpg

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Lovely shots, Java. Wish I were there right now! Kiwi, amazing looking amimals! Thanks, guys! :)

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Lovely shots, Java. Wish I were there right now! Kiwi, amazing looking amimals! Thanks, guys! :)

Thanks DES :) Good to know there are others looking at the photos.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Another from the weekend by the Waimak River

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120066.jpg

[aguilera_lover]

Alpacas are gross and they freak me out. Otherwise, nice pics!

[Java]

Thanks all! :)

Love the alpaca and the Waimak River photos! You must have been travelling north just a little ways :)

Well, I've been procrastinating for almost a week now without but only one new photo out of all I shot posted mainly because of the drought making the scenery less attractive than those photographed in previous years...

...so I've been busy editing an old photo instead just to keep my shudderbug from chomping on the bit. ;)

Sorry about the delay but I think you'll like the results :)

[Java]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p041d0a0858d5d592c8291046b367d7d9/e7a9a58e.jpg

Opaque glass Warring States or Late Zhou period
(473-256 B.C.) reproduction beads (25-35mm)



Curious gnomes with coffee and dawning their thinking caps and with a pinch of stardust ponder over these modern reproductions of ancient Chinese beads...

After finding a book called 'A Universal Aesthetic - Collectible Beads' by Robert K. Liu, an excellent reference book for anyone into collectible beads, we found photos with descriptions of some of those early Chinese beads (plus a nice lengthy write-up too) and it seems there's no clear cut concensus as to the precise times the original beads were known to have been made (which now they make replicas of) but as for the largest ones, the Stratified Horned Compound Glass Eye Beads, these are claimed to have been originally manufactured during the Warring States or Late Zhou period (473-256 B.C.) while the rounder beads with the less pronounced eyes are claimed to have been originally made during the Warring States or Early Han periods. Additionally, there were also photos in this book depicting Glass Eye Beads with a square cross section with the 'eyes' upon the corner edges from the late Zhou to early Han periods and according to this reference no other culture has made similar eye beads to the square ones.

As for the replicas of those huge Stratified Horned Compound Glass Eye Beads (pictured at the top above) the originals from which these were copied after were amongst the most complex and well-made beads in the world and according to what we've read it is difficult to imagine how all the various elements could have been assembled so precisely especially for such an early bead. The main difference we noticed between the original beads from which the modern reproductions were modeled after is that the originals had cores of the same material as the lowest exposed layer on the outside of the bead while the reproductions are built up upon a core of something different from the lowest exposed surface layer.

This is about the best we can type for a reasonable amount of info on these beads because now our little feet are hurting and you really wouldn't want to have a couple of gnomes with coffee after you now would you, but if you really want to get tons of details such as chemical analysis, other research done, plus see and have information on just about every collectible type of bead in the world, get the book - a must have for those seriously into collectible beads or even just into the history of beads and bead making. We definitely recommend this book as its the best reference book for collectible beads we've seen yet. :)

A Universal Aesthetic 'Collectible Beads' by Robert K. Liu
Copyright © 1995 by Robert K. Liu and Ornament, Inc.
ISBN 0-9641023-0-7

[Java]

Finally I found a jackpot for photo ops with plenty of pictures worth posting, but I'll only start with a several few for now ;)

Photos from Hart's Pumpkin Farm, Home of the Pumpkin Festival - 14th Annual Pumpkin Festival, located at 885 Meronies Church Road, Bear Creek, (Chatham County) North Carolina 27207 - Photos made September 29-30, 2007

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pf3e66da4ae5c499030dbdc7bde14e823/e7a6b425.jpg
A painting upon a barn door


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p679896e0e35958c77d05868ac875e32b/e7a6b3c0.jpg
There's just something photogenic about kids
and pumpkins - this one just jumped out!


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pef703d4930dbe370126006e38ce48465/e7a6b381.jpg
Checking over the pumpkins to find which one feels just right


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8033be62c8f854fe239084fc163bbcf9/e7a6af26.jpg
Foushee Molassis - Making molassis at Hart's Pumpkin Farm


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4f79d155b26437a311b036874b2e0642/e7a6ae67.jpg
Mud Sling put on by Lee County Motor Sports


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p02f4442ae18c793e6b7f6567236f3057/e7a6ae1d.jpg
At the Mud Sling there was fun for everyone!


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p633a5493bebda43c991ae8b5b496c83f/e7a6adda.jpg
Later on... 'The Plummers Friend' - This McCormick Farmall tractor burned about 3 gallons of fuel while quickly pulling a 26,000 pound sled on its way to a full pull during the CATPA Tractor Pull at Hart's Pumpkin Farm.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc81136a035112269d7d36dec2225b2da/e7a6ad97.jpg
During the CATPA Tractor Pull, keeping my camera aimed steadily upon this moving supercharged V-8 class McCormick Farmall tractor while speeding by with a 26,000 pound sled in tow on its way to a full pull was a real challenge in the low lighting conditions present just after sunset but I love the effects it created.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd503b7e6cbf4beb581cf2f46d87ff769/e7a6abf6.jpg
Here is a farm tractor made for lovers! :)
(Actually this McCormick Farmall was cleverly modified by its owners to give it two seating capacity but only the right steering wheel is actually connected)

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Beaut shots :) Love the tractor one that looks like it's about to take off into space!

The two with the children and the pumpkins are great - would look great in the parents family albums :)

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Managed to get away for the weekend but didn't get much in the way of pictures ... spent too much time lazing in the thermal pools!

But here is one of the Waiau River Bridge. It's the lowest Bungy Jump site in the country, but still looks pretty high to me!!!

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/bridge.jpg

[DoubleEdgeSword]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc81136a035112269d7d36dec2225b2da/e7a6ad97.jpg

I'm assuming you used the technique of hand-held panning for this shot, Java, yes? When I was shooting motocross racing, I used this techinique on occasion, with dramatic results such as this. It's a relatively difficult technique, and you've manged it very well. Great shot!

[Java]

Thanks all :) I was really surprised by how that tractor shot turned out. Fortunately I was using an older model digital camera that still had an eyepiece to look through as well as the LCD monitor. If I had to rely solely upon the LCD monitor for panning that shot I think my chances of getting it just right would have been more like one in a million, but with the eyepiece to aim through while panning, it made things so much simpler - still had to keep a steady motion going to match the tractor and keep the front end in the center though but it was certainly much easier with an eyepiece for sure!

I wonder if there's a way to mount a scope onto a newer model digital camera? ...for shooting photos dead-on? ;) Hmmm... maybe a scope could be mounted upside-down onto the bottom of a camera where it would have normally been attached to a tripod. :bulb:

Oh, and about kids and pumpkins, I've always found this combination to be highly photogenic so whenever I see this combination its almost like a reflex to take a picture now :)

Anna, that's a cool shot of the Waiau River Bridge you took!

[Java]

Just a couple more photos from the weekend on Sunday afternoon while visiting Deep River Park in southern Chatham County that I thought were nice :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc2989e5f390a923c1baffaf799ad1058/e7a6a362.jpg
Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge (ca 1908) located at
Deep River Park in southern Chatham County, NC
On the other side of this bridge is Lee County.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p490e7d3f7f48c0d2a70f67531df6335b/e7a6a392.jpg
The Deep River as viewed from below Camelback Bridge


Due to the current drought situation its too shallow to take a canoe out into right now but the thought did cross my mind to go hiking through the river bed as its only about up to my knees in the deepest spots. Everything sure does look a lot greener here along the riverside so maybe someday if I get an early start I might try this if I get a chance. During a non-drought year one could never walk upon the riverbed here but canoe trips are really nice!

[DeepBlueKiwi]

It sure does look a bit on the shallow side after the drought weather you've been having. Still beautiful shots though :)

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Hanmer Springs last Sunday as the bad weather rolled up. There are some great biking tracks in the area, and I race here once a year at the end of Summer.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120097.jpg

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Thanks all :) I was really surprised by how that tractor shot turned out. Fortunately I was using an older model digital camera that still had an eyepiece to look through as well as the LCD monitor. If I had to rely solely upon the LCD monitor for panning that shot I think my chances of getting it just right would have been more like one in a million, but with the eyepiece to aim through while panning, it made things so much simpler - still had to keep a steady motion going to match the tractor and keep the front end in the center though but it was certainly much easier with an eyepiece for sure!


Java, I looked at digital cameras a couple of weeks ago, trying to decide which one to buy for my trip. The lack of eyepeices on many of the smaller models completely turned me off, and for just the reason you've illustrated. And I did not want to carry a larger, more expensive camera for this tour. However, when I do go digital, I'll most certainly buy a SLR with an eyepiece, one that looks and feels more like the traditional 35mm SLRs. I've decided that at least for this trip, I'm going to rely on my trusted Canon SureShot 35mm. In 20+ years, this little camera has never let me down. It has great built-in lenses, 50mm and telephoto, it's lightweight and takes excellent photos. I've purchased film enough for about 200+ frames, and I don't have to learn a new system. All upsides.

[Java]

Hanmer Springs last Sunday as the bad weather rolled up. There are some great biking tracks in the area, and I race here once a year at the end of Summer.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120097.jpgI love those kinds of houses with none of them being the same and all the different colours used even for the rooftops - not too overdone but really nice, and just the right sizes too :) And I see its early springtime with things coming into bloom just like it looks in my area about mid-March or so. Nice shot!

[Java]

Java, I looked at digital cameras a couple of weeks ago, trying to decide which one to buy for my trip. The lack of eyepeices on many of the smaller models completely turned me off, and for just the reason you've illustrated. And I did not want to carry a larger, more expensive camera for this tour. However, when I do go digital, I'll most certainly buy a SLR with an eyepiece, one that looks and feels more like the traditional 35mm SLRs. I've decided that at least for this trip, I'm going to rely on my trusted Canon SureShot 35mm. In 20+ years, this little camera has never let me down. It has great built-in lenses, 50mm and telephoto, it's lightweight and takes excellent photos. I've purchased film enough for about 200+ frames, and I don't have to learn a new system. All upsides.
Yeah, the lack of eyepieces on most of the newer compact digital cameras is about the only thing holding me back from getting an upgrade as I don't want to be tromping around in the forests etc with a big and expensive model. It seems the majority of the smaller models I liked for their quality in the past are doing away with eyepeices lately... I'm hoping they will bring them back again once they discover their mistake!

[DeepBlueKiwi]

I love those kinds of houses with none of them being the same and all the different colours used even for the rooftops - not too overdone but really nice, and just the right sizes too :) And I see its early springtime with things coming into bloom just like it looks in my area about mid-March or so. Nice shot!

The first time I visited the area I was 9 years old, and the place was tiny! It's a popular tourist spot now, but it's still not overly crowded, but much bigger than it was.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Java, I looked at digital cameras a couple of weeks ago, trying to decide which one to buy for my trip. The lack of eyepeices on many of the smaller models completely turned me off, and for just the reason you've illustrated. And I did not want to carry a larger, more expensive camera for this tour. However, when I do go digital, I'll most certainly buy a SLR with an eyepiece, one that looks and feels more like the traditional 35mm SLRs. I've decided that at least for this trip, I'm going to rely on my trusted Canon SureShot 35mm. In 20+ years, this little camera has never let me down. It has great built-in lenses, 50mm and telephoto, it's lightweight and takes excellent photos. I've purchased film enough for about 200+ frames, and I don't have to learn a new system. All upsides.

I've been trying to find a smaller model for when I travel with an eyepiece but have no luck yet. They're so much easier in sunny conditions, and easier on the battery when you're not close to a powerpoint.

[Java]

Well, we had just a little bit of rain yesterday and some drizzle earlier today but not enough to even begin to put a dent in the drought and although it wasn't what I would call a photogenic day today I did manage to get out and snap a few photos of the drought's effects on Falls Lake - sort of an update on the Upper Barton Creek portion of Falls Lake in Wake County, NC.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8c4a5bd05e871b914645ccb8d5000aea/e7a1944f.jpg
Old tree stumps now rise high above the water at the
Upper Barton Creek portion of Falls Lake in Wake County, NC



These old tree stumps have been around but mostly under water since the late 1970's and are now re-emerging like ghosts from the past. If the drought continues to deepen it wont be long before the ground between all these stumps is exposed too!

[Java]

I've been trying to find a smaller model for when I travel with an eyepiece but have no luck yet. They're so much easier in sunny conditions, and easier on the battery when you're not close to a powerpoint.
I sure hope some of these manufacturers who are making these compact digital cameras find our posts and others like them because the first one to bring the eyepieces back wins! :)

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Well, we had just a little bit of rain yesterday and some drizzle earlier today but not enough to even begin to put a dent in the drought and although it wasn't what I would call a photogenic day today I did manage to get out and snap a few photos of the drought's effects on Falls Lake - sort of an update on the Upper Barton Creek portion of Falls Lake in Wake County, NC.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8c4a5bd05e871b914645ccb8d5000aea/e7a1944f.jpg
Old tree stumps now rise high above the water at the
Upper Barton Creek portion of Falls Lake in Wake County, NC



These old tree stumps have been around but mostly under water since the late 1970's and are now re-emerging like ghosts from the past. If the drought continues to deepen it wont be long before the ground between all these stumps is exposed too!

Fantastic photo! Makes you wonder what it was like when the area was full with trees.

[Java]

Fantastic photo! Makes you wonder what it was like when the area was full with trees.
Thanks! I thought the angle I shot it from really brought out the stumps quite well.

[Java]

It way sunny outside today so I went on another road trip, this time down into southern Chatham County, NC. :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p33d70e100ba17c71ea76793161bce88c/e7a05e91.jpg
Rabbits, Rabbits and More Rabbits!

Photographed upon the left column at the Chatham County side of Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge (ca 1908) at Deep River Park, Chatham was known as the "rabbit county" from around 1890 to 1920. The hills in the western part of the county were so infested with rabbits that hunting and selling them became big business. Train shipments carried thousands of rabbits from Siler City to points as far away as New York, where restaurants advertised "Chatham Rabbit" as a specialty.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p1afc2a5808bfa57fb879be40b76357e4/e7a05e57.jpg
Rabbits, Rabbits and More Rabbits!
(This one was on the right column)


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc16e00dd3a51800840850d340f3779ea/e7a05e0f.jpg
Asbury Church Road Truss Bridge

Built by the Atlantic Bridge Company of Charlotte, NC in 1921, the Asbury Church Road Truss Bridge passes over the Rocky River in southern Chatham County. It is one of only two single lane truss bridges in Chatham County with the other bridge being the Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge at Deep River Park.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p30d10a624fea1d7a0ec3bc4e0378c142/e7a05d27.jpg
A view from below on the other side of the bridge


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/ped6084da7b9c19043faa749ebbd18b84/e7a05ce0.jpg
You know you're way out in the sticks when the signs
are spelled phonetically! This one was found along one
of the remote backroads in southern Chatham County.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

:laugh: Love the picture of the sign.

Nice shots. I always like to see the new places you've visited, and of course all the information that comes with it.

I'm hoping for a good day this weekend. Lately it's either been blowing a gale or it's been raining (even had snow last week). I am planning on going to the gardens as all the flowers will be out.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Sunset taken last night

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120144.jpg

[Java]

That's a beautiful sunset photo - I love those colours!! :)

:laugh: Love the picture of the sign.

Nice shots. I always like to see the new places you've visited, and of course all the information that comes with it.

I'm hoping for a good day this weekend. Lately it's either been blowing a gale or it's been raining (even had snow last week). I am planning on going to the gardens as all the flowers will be out.
Thanks :) Finding new places to explore and photograph on the weekends really make my day as its not often I will find things quite so classic and as always I have my camera with me to snap photos along the way too. Plus it's great in many places such as this where here the builders had the forethought put a small name plate with this information on it upon one of the steel beams of this bridge too. When I find a name plate or the likes at an interesting place like this I will snap of photo of it too as it's much easier than trying to remember all these fine details later on at the end of the day :)

Hey, I would be happy to trade weather with you for a while, at least until it gets us out of our extreme drought situation. Yeah, we've gone from severe drought to extreme drought now, the highest catagory they have on the charts short of exceptional which I think is anything beyond this. At least most of the river beds still have some water in them, although there's not much in the way of any movement - it's more like big stagnant puddles with a small stream coming in one end and a slightly smaller stream coming out the other, plus lots of algae blooms in some places. Anyway, here's a couple more shots from this past weekend at the Rocky River off the top of the steel truss bridge at Asbury Church Road in Chatham County, NC. Of the two narrow old steel truss bridges in Chatham County, this one is the only one that people can still drive across, although it does get a bit unnerving to hear the metal make a few noises as it shakes a little bit as one drives across... slowly! It is very well braced below as I did check that out while I was exploring the area and taking photos at the other side. As for getting the photos from the top, I walked out to get those as there really wasn't much at all in the way of any kind of traffic to speak of :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfe0d3929df01779be2cf169d5a5b8c38/e7a05d95.jpg
Looking upstream along the Rocky River


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8da80477881bc4d4e0f2fe1cdb7c5d7b/e7a05d5c.jpg
Looking downstream along the Rocky River


From what I can tell, it seems there are some washed out remnants of an old mill dam downstream from the bridge which would have normally been under water, but in this case the pile of rubble left from it is once again acting as a dam, although a much smaller one than what may have once been there over a century ago. Downstream from this the river looked as though it was completely covered over with algae in some spots where it had spread out between a lot of those boulders and rocks. And yes, those tiny dots are some people out there exploring amongst all those rocks and things. It's not often at all the one can actually cross this river on foot and without getting wet by just hopping from rock to rock to get to the other side.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Although everythings looking green, the water seems to have a drought look to it. Maybe it's the green floating on the water, or the fact that other photos you've posted in the past have had plenty of flow to them! More rain for us this weekend, but hopefully it holds out until at least Sunday so I can get a ride in!

I'm taking my father to a 'swap meet' tomorrow as he wants to eye up the motorbikes, and I plan on taking my camera, if the weather holds that is.

[Java]

Ah yes, the Harley! Do you suppose he may want another one? It would seem logical if he's catching a ride to the swap meet :) I hope the weather holds out for you all and that you can capture some great photos too!

As for the current drought situation here, most of central North Carolina has passed into the 'exceptional' drought catagory now, so yes indeed there is a drought and what you see in that stagnant water left in the river is a sure sign of it :( ...but the good news is that finally the extended heat wave from the summer which has passed well into autumn finally broke and its actually getting a bit chilly now but the skies will remain clear for this weekend here so I should be able to find something to photograph in my journeys, but what? I haven't a clue as I haven't made any plans yet ... I'm just going to wing it and be spontaneous, so one never knows what I might find :)

Maybe I should see about taking some rain dance lessons and if it does rain I will be putting a little extra zip of my own into these moves while dancing in the rain - that's for sure!

[Java]

White Furniture Company 1881 - Revisited

Just an upadate on the place since its been rezoned - nothing much has changed yet as it still looks pretty much the same since the last photos from September 2006 I posted as well as this past June after it was rezoned, but I kinda expected that as it does take a bit of time for the developer to smooth out plans for the site's re-development with the town of Mebane, NC. Anyway, while I was in the area I snapped a few more photos as of today (October 13, 2007).

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe24257abce5cc47907ca17033d8c5125/e7966c0e.jpg
White Furniture Company 1881


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pded546dd08dbab7175a35181a53aab15/e7966be3.jpg
A peek in through a window while putting
my camera's lens up against the glass
(looking to the left)


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p6ff169d26a77382a2c905be71bb034bc/e7966bb3.jpg
A peek in through a window while putting
my camera's lens up against the glass
(looking straight in)


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p63d68047f57a0e8aead4ab5c9d4b777f/e7966b7e.jpg
A peek in through a window while putting
my camera's lens up against the glass
(looking to the right)


One thing I will have to admit is there's a lot of space to be working with in this old building!! ...and just to think its been empty since 1992 and will eventually see some new life again once the redevelopment plans get underway. By the way, these interior views are inside the larger main structure. I just happened to find a clear and relatively clean window that was low enough to snap a few photos through :)

[tiger_rascal]

Great pictures everyone! :)

[tiger_rascal]

Just a few pictures from Marietta, Ohio.

Campus Martius Museum
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7ce35b3127ccebde856a741c800000026100AcMWjZm1ZuGPg

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7ce35b3127ccebde856a4c0fb00000025100AcMWjZm1ZuGPg

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7ce35b3127ccebde856a2c0fd00000026100AcMWjZm1ZuGPg

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7ce35b3127ccebde856a0c0ff00000025100AcMWjZm1ZuGPg

Indian Mound
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7ce35b3127ccebde856af41c000000026100AcMWjZm1ZuGPg

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7ce35b3127ccebde856a8c0f700000026100AcMWjZm1ZuGPg

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Ah yes, the Harley! Do you suppose he may want another one? It would seem logical if he's catching a ride to the swap meet :) I hope the weather holds out for you all and that you can capture some great photos too!

As for the current drought situation here, most of central North Carolina has passed into the 'exceptional' drought catagory now, so yes indeed there is a drought and what you see in that stagnant water left in the river is a sure sign of it :( ...but the good news is that finally the extended heat wave from the summer which has passed well into autumn finally broke and its actually getting a bit chilly now but the skies will remain clear for this weekend here so I should be able to find something to photograph in my journeys, but what? I haven't a clue as I haven't made any plans yet ... I'm just going to wing it and be spontaneous, so one never knows what I might find :)

Maybe I should see about taking some rain dance lessons and if it does rain I will be putting a little extra zip of my own into these moves while dancing in the rain - that's for sure!

I do get that impression by the way he hung around the Harley section for ages!!! I have a few shots from the weekend but have yet to download them. Didn't get a lot though due to all the people around.

Hope you see some rain clouds soon. If it were possible I could have shared with you yesterday as we had plenty!


I'll be interested to see what happens with the building. Good shots, as it can be hard to get anything decent through a window.

[Java]

I do get that impression by the way he hung around the Harley section for ages!!! I have a few shots from the weekend but have yet to download them. Didn't get a lot though due to all the people around.

Hope you see some rain clouds soon. If it were possible I could have shared with you yesterday as we had plenty!


I'll be interested to see what happens with the building. Good shots, as it can be hard to get anything decent through a window.
I've discovered that keeping the camera's lens directly against the glass or as close as possible like for those angled shots works pretty good for getting decent photos of the interior of places like this. As for the angled shots I needed to use my hands to block off as much reflected light as possible, and considering the amount of sunshine at my back they didn't turn out looking too shabby if I don't say so myself :)

Yeah, we could definitely use any rain we can get around my area for sure!

[Java]

Now for a few photos I took this past Sunday afternoon :)

Located at Glencoe (just a short ways north of Burlington) in Alamance County, North Carolina, the Textile Heritage Museum is housed in the former company store building at the Glencoe Mill Village. With a few select photos I will try to give a good idea of what one can expect to find here as this is quite an impressive site with much to photograph and explore. What I haven't posted here are the many old abandoned mill buildings themselves as they aren't too photogenic however they are of historical interest and may someday be renovated as the rest of the site has been and is still in the process of being. Photos made October 14, 2007

For more info please visit www.TextileHeritageMuseum.org

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5db96b4512c49791d511fd9db8dfc069/e795620a.jpg
Old Loom (1700's-1800's)


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5cd56120a30728af67931c661fb4bf71/e7956721.jpg
1960's Draper Loom


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe4b180479837259558de50511a7a33da/e795679d.jpg
Company Store display with a likeness of 'Mr. Waddell'


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p24a42eb1029b99235f7640d4dcbe6065/e795619d.jpg
Various vintage fabrics used for hand woven coverlets


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p579f2292ce2735ea7eac15d77db03071/e795602b.jpg
A view of the mill village from the top of the hill


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p80a7ff05355ba3038f88d6dbf3145546/e7955fc7.jpg
The old mill dam upstream along the Haw River where
water power was used to power the mill during the early
days and to generate electicity for the mill during latter times.


As you might have noticed the Haw River actually has a good amount of flow to it as compared to many of the other rivers farther south of here where the current drought has had much more of an impact, and believe me it was a welcome sight to see this flowing water here! :)

[DeepBlueKiwi]

A couple from the weekend.

Someones baby!!!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120168.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120171.jpg

[DeepBlueKiwi]

I like all the mueseum pictures :)

The textile mill looks very interesting. Good picture of the damm - I like the angle it's been shot from.

I'm hopefully heading inland at the weekend as I have a friend in a rodeo, so going along for a catch up and of course some photos!

[Java]

Thanks :) The link to the museum's website also has a number of links to other people's websites and pictures (some of which are quite old) and lots of great historical information too. I've found this has kept me busy and happily occupied just in itself browsing through all these other sites from the main museum page :)

Oh, and those pics you posted, I especially love the photo of that antique steam tractor!! That one looks to be in mint condition too and those are extremely hard to find!

Hope you find plenty to photograph this weekend too! As for myself, as often is the case, I haven't a clue what I will be up to this next weekend but usually I will find something worthwhile and different to photograph.

[Java]

Chad, you've got some great photos too, but you really should put a little more info in there with them. I noticed you've switched over to Shutterfly. Do they still have their linking policy where linked images only stay linked for about 2 months before the links are disconnected supposedly for 'security' reasons? Back when I was using PhotoPoint (the site I used up until 2002 when it shut down) and had to find another image hosting site, I tried a good number of them of which Shutterfly was one of them, but didn't like the fact my linked images at the time wouldn't stay posted for more than 2 months from the time of posting. Just curious if they still have that policy or not, because sometime before Nov 12th, I will be needing to find a new home for my photos or at least my latest photos as the upload and photo sharing features at ImageStation will be shutting down then, and then the whole site itself on Feb 1st.

It's too bad LD doesn't have an image hosting feature here in each of our accounts for photos we want to post just to keep everything on the same server. Now that would be major cool - no broken links.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Looking at all the mueseum shots has given me the urge to visit the local one here. I love going to mueseums. The mueseum here is right beside the botanic gardens, and the Art Centre markets so always a good area for photographs.

Weather looking good for the weekend so hope it stays that way.



Thanks :) The link to the museum's website also has a number of links to other people's websites and pictures (some of which are quite old) and lots of great historical information too. I've found this has kept me busy and happily occupied just in itself browsing through all these other sites from the main museum page :)

Oh, and those pics you posted, I especially love the photo of that antique steam tractor!! That one looks to be in mint condition too and those are extremely hard to find!

Hope you find plenty to photograph this weekend too! As for myself, as often is the case, I haven't a clue what I will be up to this next weekend but usually I will find something worthwhile and different to photograph.

[Java]

Looking at all the mueseum shots has given me the urge to visit the local one here. I love going to mueseums. The mueseum here is right beside the botanic gardens, and the Art Centre markets so always a good area for photographs.

Weather looking good for the weekend so hope it stays that way.
Ah, so does this mean now there may be two sets of new photos to be looking forward to? ;) I'm glad just before last weekend while looking for something else, and then finally deciding to sort everything out into an orderly fashion that I found an old flyer which somehow got hopelessly buried in the heaps. Finding that Textile Heritage Museum flyer I had forgotten about was like discovering a gold strike for me :)

Oh, and as for macro heaven, I found a great collection of antique bottled and canned goods at the Company Store display at the museum, all of which still had their original paper labels upon them and with many still containing their original contents too. I was like... WOW! :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe96d679f5fe2c5e60eb21d2bc98cbdc0/e7956757.jpg
canned and bottled goods at the company store


Can you imagine how many macros I shot here? :laugh:
Pssssst... I'm glad I had a big card! ;)

[Java]

Well since I had such a great time with photo opportunies last weekend, I decided to come back for more now that I knew the area better :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pee7e7032e98bb7f686ca29888b71ee1d/e78bd6aa.jpg
The Spices of Life
(back in the old days)


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p59e4cdc2225d5fbb01d93478e267e1c8/e78bd5f6.jpg
a refreshing view of the Haw River


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe48a887623dd85467a97fc04dc4726e8/e78bd56a.jpg
while on a walk into the forests lining the Haw River



Somehow I think me and my camera struck a gold mine today! http://talk.livedaily.com/images/icons/santahat.gif

[DeepBlueKiwi]

A couple of shots from the rodeo this weekend


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120308.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120291.jpg

Some of those riders are amazing! Or maybe crazy.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Great shots of the old style grocery items. How packaging has changed! We have a much smaller version of that where I work (NZ items of course), dating back a few decades.

I see the leaves are starting to get a very orange/yellow tinge to them :)

[Java]

Those rodeo photos you made look just like our rodeos over here! The one thing I have noticed which really makes them hard to photograph is all the fast action! ...and if you're trying to photograph one taking place inside a large building with interior lighting as your only light source, it then becomes a major challenge!!

Hey, as for old and new NZ brand grocery items and spices, some photos of those might be quite interesting for those who have never seen them before.

As for autumn arriving, that spot along the Haw River was like an autumn oasis of colours as the rest of the landscapes seem to be about a week or two behind. This upcoming weekend in some areas of NC the colours could be promising though, or at least I am hoping. If not this next weekend then the weekend afterwards :)

[Java]

I didn't find too much interesting stuff on Sunday to photograph although I did get a halfway decent photo of some pumpkins for sale at a corner stop in the countryside of Wake County, plus I managed to return with a few pumkins later too :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pf275bac49f0fa0af4f5ad58d812ea131/e7888fe9.jpg
Pumpkins at the corner of Six Forks Road in Bayleaf, NC


By the way, North Carolina is one of those states that is known for having weird roads that change names or directions for no apparent reason (unless one knows the history of the area and why they did it), and if one isn't paying close attention to the street signs they could find themself suddenly driving along another road without knowing the name had changed or there was a 90 degree turn to make in order to stay on the road which still has the same name as the one they were originally driving upon. :laugh:

[Java]

3-D Photography - Cross your eyes and look in the middle

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p643569b5a543ce64c594ddc77bd758c7/e786ea8e.jpg
Relics from an old mill villlage that had been moved
from the north flank of Occoneechee Mountain and
into scattered locations throughout West Hillsborough
after the land and homes were sold after 1956

[DeepBlueKiwi]

That looks like a very familar pot, Java :) Every photo you get there seems to look different.

Unless it's just the camera angle, those pumpkins look huge! Must be almost time for carving them on your side of the world coming up to Halloween.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

When I was travelling around last weekend I came across the village of Barhill. It originally formed due to the railway line that was meant to go right past the area, but it never happened. A farmer developed it, and hoped that the farm workers would turn the area into a flourishing village, but it was not to be.

The school building
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120374.jpg

The church
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120356.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120373.jpg

An old tractor left to rot in a shed
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120375.jpg

There is some beautiful scenery in the area, and the remaining streets are lined with trees, and a three minute walk takes you to a cliff overlooking a river.

[Java]

That looks like a very familar pot, Java :) Every photo you get there seems to look different.

Unless it's just the camera angle, those pumpkins look huge! Must be almost time for carving them on your side of the world coming up to Halloween.

Those two photos combined were from last winter here and while trying to find the proper angle for a best shot at this, I figured why not put in a sequence for stereo imaging just in case... and then I forgot about it. Sometimes it's nice to be in the habit of saving everything, even my not so choice photos as they can sometimes be put to creative use :)

As for the pumpkins, they're about normal sizes but I set my camera on macro while low to the ground and got it focused on one of the closest pumpkins about a third the way down in the photo.

Basic Photography 101.3333... the rule of thirds ;)

Oh, and those photos from Barhill, isn't it nice to find these kinds of places way off the beaten paths? I love finding these and photographing them as well :)

[Java]

When I went out in search of autumn foliage today at Occoneechee Mountain I discovered most of the best species of trees for this in the valley had already lost half their leaves from this past summer's drought while everything else was still green except but just a few patches here and there that actually showed some autumn colours. To most I guess it would have been considered a failed photography mission but if one looks in the right places and with the proper perspectives, something worthwhile can still be found to photograph.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pf05b5dc923614cac5dc4e074e9b04d2d/e77e7b6a.jpg
a simple leaf

[Kev's NZ Girl]

[center]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8c4a5bd05e871b914645ccb8d5000aea/e7a1944f.jpg
Old tree stumps now rise high above the water at the
Upper Barton Creek portion of Falls Lake in Wake County, NC


I really like this picture! Its awesome! :D

[Kev's NZ Girl]

Some delightful spring lillies. Pity about the ANTS :eek:

http://i22.tinypic.com/k4vw37.jpg

[Java]

Thanks for the compliments on the drought picture - it does look awesome but at the same time its a bit scarey too! The good news is we had a few rainy days last week which helped out quite a bit but its still no drought-buster. They say we would need enough rain to be about knee deep just to break even, and that's a lot of rain still needed.

Tresca, lucky you, ants or no ants! Love that lilly pic! :)
Here we are in the middle of sort of a non-colourful autumn and you're finally getting some springtime flowers.

[Java]

Here's a few more photos from this past weekend; these are from Sunday when I was out and about in Lee and Chatham Counties in North Carolina.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p960a6698e10a869324a4b8071a0195be/e77d993e.jpg
Ole Gilliam Mill
Lee County, NC


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/paab9176c7a7ae2a0a440f43b55d0730c/e77d98f9.jpg
Mill pond at Ole Gilliam Mill Park
Lee County, NC

This mill pond was dreadfully low just last weekend but all the rain we had since then did a great job of filling it up again. As for the past couple days since this photo was taken its been clear skies again. I never thought I would see the days when I would actually love rainy days but lately it sure is beginning to get that way... at least until the drought is over.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa18406c4491f48cb95063c317233da3e/e77d982e.jpg
New Piggly Wiggly grocery store which just opened in
Pittsboro, (Chatham County) NC



I love Piggly Wiggly Grocery Stores not only because of their funny name but also the fact that they carry mostly just the basics plus they have a deli too. The great thing is that when entering you can see almost everything you need in a glance and not have to spend huge amounts of time hunting through seemingly endless rows on non-essentials just to find what you are looking for - makes for easier and much faster grocery shopping, plus I love the hot deli food too! :D

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Here's a few more photos from this past weekend; these are from Sunday when I was out and about in Lee and Chatham Counties in North Carolina.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p960a6698e10a869324a4b8071a0195be/e77d993e.jpg
Ole Gilliam Mill
Lee County, NC


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/paab9176c7a7ae2a0a440f43b55d0730c/e77d98f9.jpg
Mill pond at Ole Gilliam Mill Park
Lee County, NC

This mill pond was dreadfully low just last weekend but all the rain we had since then did a great job of filling it up again. As for the past couple days since this photo was taken its been clear skies again. I never thought I would see the days when I would actually love rainy days but lately it sure is beginning to get that way... at least until the drought is over.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa18406c4491f48cb95063c317233da3e/e77d982e.jpg
New Piggly Wiggly grocery store which just opened in
Pittsboro, (Chatham County) NC



I love Piggly Wiggly Grocery Stores not only because of their funny name but also the fact that they carry mostly just the basics plus they have a deli too. The great thing is that when entering you can see almost everything you need in a glance and not have to spend huge amounts of time hunting through seemingly endless rows on non-essentials just to find what you are looking for - makes for easier and much faster grocery shopping, plus I love the hot deli food too! :D

It was in one of these threads that I learnt that a Piggly Wiggly was real and not just something I had seen in a movie :laugh:

Good to hear you've had a little bit of rain - even if not quite enough to be a drought breaker!

[DeepBlueKiwi]

A shot from inland Canterbury. I didn't notice at the time but there was a bit of hedge in the front - think it needs a bit of a crop when I get the chance.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120330.jpg

[tiger_rascal]

Chad, you've got some great photos too, but you really should put a little more info in there with them. I noticed you've switched over to Shutterfly. Do they still have their linking policy where linked images only stay linked for about 2 months before the links are disconnected supposedly for 'security' reasons? Back when I was using PhotoPoint (the site I used up until 2002 when it shut down) and had to find another image hosting site, I tried a good number of them of which Shutterfly was one of them, but didn't like the fact my linked images at the time wouldn't stay posted for more than 2 months from the time of posting. Just curious if they still have that policy or not, because sometime before Nov 12th, I will be needing to find a new home for my photos or at least my latest photos as the upload and photo sharing features at ImageStation will be shutting down then, and then the whole site itself on Feb 1st.

Im done with ImageStation. I ordered my picture cd, now Im done. I wanted to try Shutterfly out. Those museum pictures are a test. I'll see if I like Shutterfly, so far I dont know much about the site. If you find another site let me know.

After I posted those pictures of the museum in Marietta, Ohio, I realized that I did not post any information. Oops! Here is a website though. http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/se04/index.shtml Its a great museum! I highly recommend it for anyone in the Marietta, Ohio area. There were people from all over in the museum the day I visited. :)

[Java]

Im done with ImageStation. I ordered my picture cd, now Im done. I wanted to try Shutterfly out. Those museum pictures are a test. I'll see if I like Shutterfly, so far I dont know much about the site. If you find another site let me know.

After I posted those pictures of the museum in Marietta, Ohio, I realized that I did not post any information. Oops! Here is a website though. http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/se04/index.shtml Its a great museum! I highly recommend it for anyone in the Marietta, Ohio area. There were people from all over in the museum the day I visited. :)
I still haven't found another site yet that's quite like ImageStation. They built a quality site over the years only to scrap it. Go figure.

Oh, and thanks for the link!

[Java]

A shot from inland Canterbury. I didn't notice at the time but there was a bit of hedge in the front - think it needs a bit of a crop when I get the chance.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120330.jpg
Now this is absolutely gorgeous!!! :love:
You've got some really beautiful spring flowers at the Canterbury plains! :)

[Java]

Today I found an interesting opportunity to take on a tour of the Glen Royall Mill Village at Wake Forest in Wake County, NC. A number of the homes have been restored over the years and the whole site has been recently placed upon the National Register of Historic Places. The great thing about the tour that was scheduled for today (Nov 3, 2007) was that we were able to meet a lot of the folks living here whom took part in this tour of homes, I'm guessing perhaps 25% of the village, which since Royall Mills, Inc. closed in 1976, has become a popular spot for artists and the likes to live nowadays. One thing I would have to admit is that a lot of these folks really did some amazing restoration work on some of these homes plus many have some rather interesting gardens too, but as for getting some good photos I found it difficult because much of the gardens around many kind of obscured the homes in a lot of the photos I took today, however I did find a few home which weren't listed in the tour which were typical of the others in terms of architecture with their hip roof and central chimney which had 4 fireplaces, one in each room. Anyway, here is just a small sampling of photos from today.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p58bbaac20935924ce63745cd319c7c3b/e777a343.jpg
Typical mill village home (not on the tour this day)
Many of the homes on the tour had this architecture
but some had plenty of gardens and many were even
painted with various and sometimes bright colours too.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p66743ea0bdb32c32a1568fc546a1bab2/e777a3ff.jpg
Royall Mill (ca. 1899) now appartments in Wake Forest, NC


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p46370d9e68bfd4c20a0b9efb3dac212c/e777a3b5.jpg
Entrance to Royall Mill Commissary (now appartments)


Anyway, I'm still sorting through about 50 photos and may find a few more to upload and post later on. These above just hapened to jump out a me first :)

[Java]

Busy day again, but I do have one (actually 2 photos put together) that I thought really stood out. Anyway besides checking on the lacking (due to wind blowing the leaves off just as soon as they turn) autumn colours at Ole Gilliam Mill Park west of Sanford in Lee County, we also went on a history hike with a bunch of folks later on at the historic (mid-1800's) Endor Iron Furnace along the Deep River in Lee County, and while sorting once again through a bunch of photos I found two that were taken just slightly apart and enough to create a stereo 3-D photograph of the place :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p85217a6dd6e11e7c035da3870c08e103/e776b569.jpg
Endor Iron Furnace in Stereo Vision
(cross eyes and look in the middle)


Anyway, now I have two days worth of photos to sort through and perhaps find a few more out of these to upload and post later on :)

...hopefully before November 12th (that's when ImageStation will no long accept uploads or sharing) ....and as for links staying up beyond then, I have no idea, so if a bunch of red X's show up on or just after November 12th, you'll know what happened...

*keeps fingers crossed*

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Bird Watching!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120569.jpg

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Busy day again, but I do have one (actually 2 photos put together) that I thought really stood out. Anyway besides checking on the lacking (due to wind blowing the leaves off just as soon as they turn) autumn colours at Ole Gilliam Mill Park west of Sanford in Lee County, we also went on a history hike with a bunch of folks later on at the historic (mid-1800's) Endor Iron Furnace along the Deep River in Lee County, and while sorting once again through a bunch of photos I found two that were taken just slightly apart and enough to create a stereo 3-D photograph of the place :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p85217a6dd6e11e7c035da3870c08e103/e776b569.jpg
Endor Iron Furnace in Stereo Vision
(cross eyes and look in the middle)


Anyway, now I have two days worth of photos to sort through and perhaps find a few more out of these to upload and post later on :)

...hopefully before November 12th (that's when ImageStation will no long accept uploads or sharing) ....and as for links staying up beyond then, I have no idea, so if a bunch of red X's show up on or just after November 12th, you'll know what happened...

*keeps fingers crossed*

I just can't get the 3-d effect going on. But could be down to the fact my eyes are being held open with matchsticks! There are some interesting relics in your area.

It will be a shame to see everyones photos disappear into red Xs. Hopefully there is somewhere else there just as good as it was for hosting photos. Photobucket isn't too bad, just not always reliable.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Some Paradise ducklings I came across when I was out walking at the weekend. Them and mother duck were a bit careful of us at first until they realised we came with duck food! I always keep a bit of lettuce packed in the bag when I'm going to be walking near rivers. Better for them than the traditional bread.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/paradisebabies.jpg

[Java]

Must be nice to have some springtime weather now down your way as I can see :) Our weather here has finally started turning much cooler and getting near freezing at nights but we still need plenty of rain to make up for all the shortages.

As for the 3-D effect it seems to work much better with a somewhat larger picture - might be a good reason to try out photobucket sometime as I see that sizes can be controled over there.

[Java]

As promised here's a couple more photos from the weekend. These are from last Sunday while at Ole Gilliam Mill Park. There wasn't much of any autumn colours on the trees as it all seems to end up on the ground as soon as it forms due to all the winds and leaving mostly just the green leaves still left upon the trees but at least the sights still look peaceful and soothing :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4b7d4ef2b57dea2ffc2d6582ab86c3c4/e776c0e9.jpg
Mill Pond at Ole Gilliam Mill Park located in Lee County, NC
along Hwy 42 about 4 miles west of Sanford, NC


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe0bc5c99438a4b1ddb5c0bf8bea86fcf/e776c0af.jpg
Closer view along the edge of the mill pond


By the way, the mill house itself is behind me and to the left, outside the range of these pictures and that area really had not changed much except for a few more leaves are now upon the ground. I think for the most part the autumn colours aren't going to be too good for landscape shots this year, but for highly localised shots they might be OK.

[Java]

Oh yeah, and one for fun taken while inside the Piggly Wiggly grocery store at Pittsboro in Chatham County, NC while facing towards the corner of the produce area :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p966f291a70f0478b371a18e087e9fcb2/e776bf24.jpg
Fruits and vegetables at Piggly Wiggly in Pittsboro, NC


I love this place! :) Had to do a bit of grocery shopping here on the way home, but it sure is nice to be able to see what I needed from the front entrance practically all in one glance and without having to spend a huge amount of time looking for everything! It actually makes grocery shopping somewhat fun and without feeling like a rat in a huge maze looking for some cheese amongst seemingly endless rows on non-essentials as can often be the case while trying to shop at the much bigger places.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

I can now say I've seen inside a Piggly Wiggly ;) It looks (judging from that photo at least) a similar size to what we have here called 'New World'. The name isn't as good as what you have though!

Nice shot of the river. Looks like there is still a lot of green on the trees in your area. The boat in the shots makes for a good visual anchor.

[Java]

Thanks :)

And now for two last shots just under the wire taken this past weekend while in the mountains of North Carolina near Hendersonville in Buncombe County before the photo uploading/sharing part of ImageStation closes...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p9a9760fcfe199f9bc538d2d6adc51c1f/e76716f7.jpg
Old barn in the woods near Hendersonville, NC


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4dd79f26dc9b284f941dc7b9410e7809/e767170e.jpg
View from a mountainside hilltop near Hendersonville, NC
(the sun was setting behind me as I took this shot)


As for how long these images will stay up and linked here I have no idea, but I do know that I wont be able to upload any more new photos to ImageStation after today.

[tiger_rascal]

Love the photos everyone, as usual.

Just in case the images do not stay after today, Java, I figured I should comment on them. I dont post a lot right now, but I do visit this thread.

This is my down time for photography. But I had a dream last night I was walking around a historic part of town with my camera in my hand. :)

[Java]

Thanks! Wow, they're still up as I type :)

As for photography (other than going to work) whenever I leave home I've always got my camera in tow because I just never know what opportunities may cross my way.

Chad, you mentioned dreaming of having your camera in hand while walking around an historic part of town (and I'm assuming the leaves have already fallen in your area) - I've found that often its times of the year like this that some of the best shots can be made of historic structures due to the lack of foilage blocking out most of the view. As for colours, well... not so much there but if you're into photographing the architecture of historic sites you couldn't pick a better time for this :)

[tiger_rascal]

Chad, you mentioned dreaming of having your camera in hand while walking around an historic part of town (and I'm assuming the leaves have already fallen in your area) - I've found that often its times of the year like this that some of the best shots can be made of historic structures due to the lack of foilage blocking out most of the view. As for colours, well... not so much there but if you're into photographing the architecture of historic sites you couldn't pick a better time for this :)

In my dream I was taking a picture of a bell tower that would have otherwise been blocked by trees!

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Good to see the photos are still showing up. Won't be the same once they are gone and not being able to browse through the archives.

I'm away this weekend for a long weekend of mountain biking. No really dodgy trails (I think) so will be packing my camera in the bag. There's a huge waterfall in the area so hoping to get to that too.

Love the barn shot Java. That's a style you never see here.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Okay. Now that I finally have some London and Paris photos and have managed to figure how to upload the digital images to my computer, there's nowhere to upload them to the net? :(

I wanted to share. *sniff*

[DeepBlueKiwi]

I've found Photobucket has improved a little lately and haven't had any upload problems in a couple of months :) Would love to see your photos.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

A kea I found at the weekend.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/Kea2.jpg

[DoubleEdgeSword]

What an amazing looking bird!

[DoubleEdgeSword]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b379/Suse1234/EuropeTrip003.jpg

My very first photo with my very first digital camera, my little Canon point and shoot. This is across the street from my hotel in London, just down the block from the Holborn Tube station.

[Java]

A kea I found at the weekend.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/Kea2.jpg
Absolutely beautiful shot!

[Java]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b379/Suse1234/EuropeTrip003.jpg

My very first photo with my very first digital camera, my little Canon point and shoot. This is across the street from my hotel in London, just down the block from the Holborn Tube station.
DES, Glad to finallly see some photos here now that you've got your first digital camera :)

[Java]

Once upon a Time

http://share.triangle.com/sites/share-uda.triangle.com/files/images/Java55_Rainbow-Forest_17-Nov-07_081.preview.JPG
Hiking through a rainbow forest in Autumn
Photo made at Occoneechee Mountain November 17, 2007


http://share.triangle.com/sites/share-uda.triangle.com/files/images/21-Nov-07%20012.preview.jpg
Autumn at Fallon Park in Raleigh on November 21, 2007


By the way, I have found a new home locally for my best photos recently although the site still has some bugs to work out but nevertheless it's a start. For those who desire to see my gallery so far here is a link:

Java55 photo gallery (http://share.triangle.com/share/gallery/user/438)

...and to view everyone's recent photos at this site, here is another link:

Recent photos (http://share.triangle.com/share/gallery/new)

As for finding a new site to upload whole photo albums, I'm still looking for that perfect place... Anyway from time to time I may be posting only the very best of my best here from the local site so as to not eat up too much of their bandwidth during the meantime.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b379/Suse1234/EuropeTrip003.jpg

My very first photo with my very first digital camera, my little Canon point and shoot. This is across the street from my hotel in London, just down the block from the Holborn Tube station.

Good to see you found somewhere to host your photos :) Look forward to seeing some more of your trip.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

A shot of a waterfall I walked to last weekend.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120748.jpg

The lighting conditions were bright so I couldn't slow the shutter down as much as I would have liked, but the photos I got still turned out better than I expected.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Once upon a Time

http://share.triangle.com/sites/share-uda.triangle.com/files/images/Java55_Rainbow-Forest_17-Nov-07_081.preview.JPG
Hiking through a rainbow forest in Autumn
Photo made at Occoneechee Mountain November 17, 2007


http://share.triangle.com/sites/share-uda.triangle.com/files/images/21-Nov-07%20012.preview.jpg
Autumn at Fallon Park in Raleigh on November 21, 2007


By the way, I have found a new home locally for my best photos recently although the site still has some bugs to work out but nevertheless it's a start. For those who desire to see my gallery so far here is a link:

Java55 photo gallery (http://share.triangle.com/share/gallery/user/438)

...and to view everyone's recent photos at this site, here is another link:

Recent photos (http://share.triangle.com/share/gallery/new)

As for finding a new site to upload whole photo albums, I'm still looking for that perfect place... Anyway from time to time I may be posting only the very best of my best here from the local site so as to not eat up too much of their bandwidth during the meantime.

Some nice Autumn colors there Java :) I tried to have a nosey at your gallary but I can't load the page, but could have something to do with Sunday evenings here means the internet speed slows right down.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Well guys, I'm already thinking of moving up in the digital camera world. Would you please post what cameras y'all use and whether or not you're happy with it. Maybe even some pros and cons. Your photos are really great, so I'd love to know what equipment you use.

Thanks! :)

[tiger_rascal]

I love FujiFilm digital cameras. I've tried other digital cameras, Kodak and Pentax, but they did not impress me as much as Fuji. Im looking at upgrading to a FujiFilm FinePix S5700 or S5800.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Thank, Chad. :) Are these digital SLR cameras? Does anyone use dSLRs?

[tiger_rascal]

Im not sure if Fuji makes a dslr.

I still use point and shoot for digital.

[Java]

Fuji does make some dSLRs cameras - they're at the higher end. Presently (and for the past few years now) I have been using a FujiFilm FinePix F410 - an ancient (by now) point and shoot digital, still with the original batteries etc. included. They are great for anything easily up to 8x10 prints and can be even used to make prints as large as 16x20 if you don't use any digital zoom (Zoom 3 x optical, 4.4 x digital). I am however looking into an upgrade though but I would love to find one (another Fuji) with an eyepiece view-finder. That's basically the only thing holding me back.

I like the point and shoot models mainly because of the variety of places I like taking my camera into to get photos - some of these places would have me scared to bring in a more expensive dSLR. Now if I could justify affording two cameras, I think both would be FujiFilm cameras, one a point and shoot and the other a dSLR.

As for finding another photo hosting site for whole albums that's of equal or better quality to what Sony ImageStation has had, I'm still looking around...

[DeepBlueKiwi]

I've been looking at digital cameras smaller than my SLR and I've found this one

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_s8000fd/specifications/index.html

It's a little bit more than I wanted to spend but 18x optical zoom! I'd still like to be able to take my Lumix SLR with me but the size is too much of a problem.

[DeepBlueKiwi]

A couple more waterfall shots

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120706.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120754.jpg

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Thanks for the info, guys. :) I'm finding that not having a through-the-lens viewfinder is the hardest adjustment I'm having to make with my new digital. I just can't seem to get used to framing shots using the LED. I get, well, I don't know how to word it other than this, "horizon tilt," way too much.

I'm going up to St. Augustine, Fl for the weekend and taking the camera. All the holiday lights are up in the old city. I'm just going to shoot until the card will hold no more. lol

By the way, which photo editing software do you guys like? I only have PaintShop Photo Album which came with my computer, and it's only the trial version. I don't really want to buy it if there's something better out there. Any suggestions?

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Here's a second photo from my trip. This is the Eiffel Tower and the crowds there for the World Rugby Championship match between England and France. I think this illustrates well what I mean by "horizon tilt." lol

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b379/Suse1234/EuropeTrip029.jpg

[tiger_rascal]

Wow, I love the photo of the Eiffel Tower!

You must feel worlds away when you visit a different country across the ocean.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Thank you, Chad. :) Hmmm... it seems to have lost a lot of detail from photobucket to here. Wonder why?

Yeah, it is a different world. Sometimes it's hard to believe I was really there. lol

[Java]

A couple more waterfall shots

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120706.jpg

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1120754.jpg
Nice shots! :) I can only imagine what it would be like to actually be there!

Update: (Note to all) Still I haven't found an image hosting site quite like what Imagestation has had yet that resizes the images by first converting them to .TIF to do the resizing in and then converting them back to .JPG to display them in full quality. With direct resizing in .JPG without the conversion inbetween there a whole lot that goes missing in the image quality so I'm holding out until/if I can find another image hosting site of equal quality.

[Java]

DES, I see you've been to Paris :) Nice shot there dispite the slight horizontal tilt, and I do know exactly what you mean about having an eyepiece view finder to help keep that tilt in check. LCD monitors are terrible by themselves for trying to keep a photo level, thus I'm holding out for a newer model camera with an eyepiece view finder as a major criteria besides higher MPXs.

[tiger_rascal]

The FujiFilm FinePix S5700 has a digital eyepiece viewfinder! I've tried it out in the store, it actually works great! :D

[Java]

The FujiFilm FinePix S5700 has a digital eyepiece viewfinder! I've tried it out in the store, it actually works great! :D
Thanks!! That's one I'm definitely going to have to check out soon!

[DoubleEdgeSword]

DES, I see you've been to Paris :) Nice shot there dispite the slight horizontal tilt, and I do know exactly what you mean about having an eyepiece view finder to help keep that tilt in check. LCD monitors are terrible by themselves for trying to keep a photo level, thus I'm holding out for a newer model camera with an eyepiece view finder as a major criteria besides higher MPXs.

Paris was amazing! Thanks, Java. :) Yes, I'm so used to having an SLR stuck to my face and me bracing the camera, sometimes with my whole body... Also, it drives me nuts to have blurry shots due to camera shake, another problem I seem to be having without a viewfinder.

I'm off to St. Augustine in a few, and I'll see what happens, but right now, I'm seriously leaning to a dSLR purchase. The Nikon D40 looks good, the D80 looks even better, but yow! the price! :eek:

[brunette5587]

I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to post actual pictures on here, just the links.

So you can check out my pictures here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiff17/)

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Hmm. Since folks have been posting pictures on this forum for the past couple of years or so and this activity has not brought down the wrath of the mods upon them, I think it's safe to say we can post pictures. So, jump in. G'head. :)

[brunette5587]

There are quite a few pictures on my flickr account, and I don't really feel like posting them all.. but here's the most recent one
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/2056124412_117d574dce.jpg?v=0

[tiger_rascal]

Love it! Autumn color pictures always amaze me! :D

[DoubleEdgeSword]

What part of the country was this taken, brunette? Gorgeous!

[brunette5587]

Long Island, New York, USA =]

& thanks!

[DeepBlueKiwi]

Beautiful shot of the Autumn colors :)

A photo of some pollen - one small tap on the branch would send out a big cloud!
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o153/deepbluekiwi/P1130013.jpg