This week’s challenge calls for something abstract, and I remembered something I saw at recently at the Macy’s Flower show. This isn’t just some random flow of colors; it’s a rather cleverly-designed makeup display for Dior. A larger version is viewable here.
This week’s challenge is all about landscapes, which are some of my favorite things to photograph during my travels. This was especially true for the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, which is a serious contender for the most peaceful, serene place I’ve ever visited. Geographically speaking, this was the furthest I’d ever been from home. It’s still unspoiled by heavy tourism, but that’s not going to last once word gets out of how beautiful it is. Just look at that water! A larger version is viewable here.
I spent last Saturday volunteering at a coastal cleanup in Capitola, California. It was my first time back there in over 20 years. That beach is always gorgeous, but looked especially awesome in the early, quiet morning. Larger version is viewable here.
One of the cooler features at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is a lily pond inside the building. If it’s not to crowded, you can walk right up to it and enjoy the view. Considering how many tourists see it every day, it’s amazing how clean and serene it is. Larger version viewable here.
Here’s a nice, close shot of one of the more interesting inhabitants of the aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The patterns on Chambered Nautilus’ shells are some of the most famous in the animal kingdom. Larger version is viewable here.
Here’s a little glimpse of something I came across during my recent visit to the California Academy of Sciences. A Foucault pendulum is used to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation. Basically, the pendulum swings evenly, but the trajectory changes as the planet rotates. It may take a while, but eventually all those little blocks in the circle will be knocked down.
This week’s challenge calls for something close up, and I remembered taking this photo of a glass pistol during the tequila factory tour in Mexico. All the little imperfections in the cork and the light reflected in the barrel look pretty neat at this angle. Since today is apparently National Tequila Day, I thought it’d be worth posting. Talk about putting the shot in shot glass!
This week’s challenge calls for symbols, and here are two of the most prominent ones in San Francisco: Ghirardelli Chocolate and cable cars. Both have a rich and storied history in the city, and are two of the many things people associate with it. I’ll admit that the desserts are delicious, if overpriced due to brand recognition. As for cable cars, well…they’re over-hyped. They’re limited to very specific areas of the city, the tickets are expensive, and the lines are ridiculous. I’ve rode one only once from Aquatic Park to Powell Street, after which I realized it’d be faster for me to walk/hike the route instead of waiting. Once of my great uncles was an architect for Ghirardelli Square, so I find it somewhat interesting. This photo, however, was taken at the mini-store within the depths of the Westfield downtown. Large versions also available here and here.
This week’s challenge calls for a muse. You might have noticed I have a thing for the ocean and sunsets. Granted, I’m a nature lover in general, but there’s something alluring about the ocean; it gives you a sense of scale and your location on the Earth. You can watch the sun vanish before your eyes, giving you a greater insight of the astronomy and physics involved. The horizon practically begs you to venture forth and find out what’s out there. The ocean is one Earth’s great remaining mysteries; you can just stand there and wonder what lurks beneath the surface. You can breathe in the salty air, feel the wind your skin, and hear the waves endlessly crashing onto the shore…Yeah, I love it. This is one of many photos I took during my most recent trip. I’ll be posting more throughout the week; though they won’t all be sunsets, they’ll definitely involve oceans.
Polymathically 