Best Of
Green New Deal
Rain + Sun = Green! It is still raining here and still hills are green, so more to grab I hope!
1) Midas Touch
2) Cherry on the top
3) Gang Green
4) Salad Days
5) Mr. & Mrs.
6) Upon the Green Pond
7) Greenland
8) 1000 Suns
9) Sun Kissed
10) Mustard & Ketchup
11) Three Amigos
12) Spring Buck
13) Black Birds
14) Spring Sun
15) Here Boy
16) In God We Trust
The Subway, Zion National Park, Utah
Hi all,
I managed to secure a last minute permit (benefits of a winter trip) to hike to 'The Subway' in Zion National Park. I did the hike last Thursday and it was pretty strenuous, especially since I had a heavy camera bag and tripod. The hike is around 8 miles round trip, crossing the stream multiple times and negotiating boulders. It was definitely not a fun hike. The magic though started to happen a half mile before the destination, by Archangel Falls. Because of the heavy snowfall and rain the past few weeks, the creek was flowing with good force. The falls looked amazing, although 'The Subway' itself had too much water to get cool shots of the potholes etc. I will have to head back in the fall for those. Here are some shots from my trip. Thanks for looking.
Cheers,
Nikhil
shniks
Re: What would happen if Sugmug closed!
I come from the IT world but have been doing photographer here for a long time, some opinions:
Smugmug should be a display for you, NOT a storage location.
Smugmug should NEVER be a point of coding or organization; metadata such as captions, titles, keywords; organization such as files and folders should be done on your own computer (or cloud or where-ever you control), and not Smugmug. Smugmug should just parrot what you do elsewhere. The key here is "one version of the truth" or think of it as "one master copy" -- and it isn't Smugmug.
I say all this not because I think Smugmug is untrustworthy or going away, but good data practices is never cede control of your data to someone else. By using Smugmug as a repository -- not just a display mirroring your own data -- you are giving over not just control, but in a real sense ownership. I am not suggesting Smugmug is making a rights grab, but you may be simply unable to retrieve ALL the data you store there if you decide to move (much less if they shut down, or had an accident, or were hacked). Metadata in particular on Smugmug is very difficult to retrieve and re-associate with a local copy of your images.
It's one reason I like Lightroom and Smugmug's plugin together -- everything except order of galleries in folders is preserved on my desktop (which I keep backed up). If Smugmug disappeared, I could quickly push the same structure to some competitive service, or even my own web site, with all the data intact.
It's worth noting I know Smugmug was working on two way sync -- to use that plugin to pull data from smugmug to lightroom. I do not know where that stands (I personally had no interest, even negative interest for reasons above). If you have stored lots of data on Smugmug, it may be work looking into.
Smugmug is a display -- a temporary gallery if you will. Not an attic.
Opinions only, I know a LOT of people think of Smugmug as a backup or even a primary store, and no offense intended to you. Lots of people have lots of ideas I disagree with. 
Ferguson
Iran - a place few people will ponder to venture.
Never in my dream have I thought of setting foot in Iran. A few of my photographic friends attested this is a place on planet earth never to be missed, and urged me to fulfill my bucket list as one of the “Mecca” for photography enthusiasts.
One of Iran’s attraction is her architectural beauty. But the greatest attraction and assets could just be its people. They are friendly and extremely hospitable, and are particularly curious about foreigners. Often they will invite you in for tea.
If street photography is your thing similarly to my affection, Iran can endlessly offer a plethora of unmediated chance encounters and fascinating random incidents in many places.
2,500km by road in 10 days
They were strumming beautiful music. Not long after I took a few shots, right in front of my eyes, these two buskers were roughened up and detained by plain clothed policemen, presumably operating without licence.
Amidst the current privation, these elderlies remain lively and cheerful, preserving a high spirit through a daily regime of morning workouts.
UNESCO registered, it is regarded as one of the biggest public squares in the world. It is full of life and activities by day and night. A prime destination for both domestic and foreign travellers
Shah Mosque in the back ground. Chariots are available for a ride around the square compound.
Art students having a fun time.
Vank Cathedral, Isfahan.It is not easy to get a clean shot without the stream of visitors moving around. Adding to this difficulty, then came this gentlemen stood right in front of my camera. Lo and behold, I found his stark presence inevitably offered me an interesting composition. I quickly clicked away. I'm happy with this shot without wasting more time for a cleaner background.
Kalut desert
Nasir Al Mulk Mosque,Shiraz.It has been dubbed the “Pink Mosque” due to the plethora of pink-colored tiles blanketing the ceiling. The interior of this mosque is not big but nonetheless will be packed with photography enthusiasts by early morning. The attraction of this mosque is the gorgeous rainbow of color in every direction, helped by the sun lights piercing thru’ the stained glass. The pattern changes throughout the time. Its like stepping into a whirling kaleidoscope.
A Few Images from my California Travels
Comments and feedback appreciated!
Cannery Row Marina in Monterey in Midnight Fog
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Pelicans Over Cove at Point Lobos California
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Multi-Colored Sunset near south of Monterey at Point Lobos California
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Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles
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Thanks much, John
Brody
Guilin (China)
The word Guilin inevitably transcend our mind to associate with the overflowing belt of bizarre mountains which are magically rounded at the top. These incredible limestone rock formations are actually found in the outskirt of Guilin. Yangshuo is one of the popular location to soak up the majestic sight, and provides inspiration for many poets and artists.
Some fishermen and cormorants pictures will be accompanied with this set as cormorant fishing is synonymous with Guilin.
Can you imagine the mountains are your backyard
Shops and some sort of bazaar within the mountainous area
A cool sunrise in Yangshou - The magical mountains with Li River at foreground.
Sunrise in Yangshuo - The magical mountains with Li River snaking through.
Sunset at Yangshou
Fishermen with cormorants as co-partners are a common sight along the Li River
A proud cormorant. Kidding. Description will be a misnomer. These birds can dive to great length and submerge for a long period of time to catch their prey with the hope of self consuming. But the ring encircled the bird’s neck will prevent it from swallowing, and the owner will claim the catch. The enslaved cormorant is destined to work for life for his owner. Poor thing.
A fisherman thumping the water to attract fishes for cormorant an easier catch
At rest
Xiapu beautiful seascapes
Comments and feedback appreciated.
These are seascapes as opposed to landscapes. They were shot in Xiapu, Fujian province (China), a hidden gem for photography. It offers different scenes throughout the 4 seasons and during harvesting time will have different scenario. I went there twice and feel like going again. Its never enough.
More pics can be viewed here
https://david-low.smugmug.com/Galleries/Travel/Xiapu-Fujian-Apr-18/
Gels and a Grid
Been a long time since I have posted anything! Did a shoot at a local bridal shop. This shot was taken through a strand of Christmas lights in front of camera with a blue gel on an off-camera flash shot into the ceiling with a second strobe with a grid shot into the face of the model.
shatch