The ceiling of the Hosios Loukas (Saint Loukas) monastery, Greece.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hosios Loukas is an architectural gem, dating to the 10th century.
EXIF:
Olympus E-M1III, M.Zuiko 8-25mm f/4 Pro lens
8mm, f/9.0, 1/50 sec, ISO 6400
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird, seen at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield Arboretum.
EXIF:
OM System OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 lens
f/6.3, 328 mm, 1/1000 sec, ISO 8000
Tulips in bloom in Denver’s Civic Center Park:
Nothing of profound significance here, I just liked the pattern these were planted in.
A fisheye view of Echo Canyon in Zion National Park, seen from under “Weeping Rock:”
This scene, BTW, is just a taste of the attractions in Zion. The place can get a bit crowded during the summer, but a shuttle bus service runs up and down the canyon, and many impressive sights are just a short hike away from a shuttle stop.
EXIF:
Olympus E-M1
Olympus M.Zuiko 8mm Fisheye lens
f/22, 1/100 sec, ISO 200
A long exposure of the Eiffel Tower’s sweeping light beams at night:
It’s likely not obvious, but I took this shot using Olympus’ “Live Composite” function — I love how it lets me make images like this without having to use a neutral density filter, or (diffraction-blurring) small apertures. The full settings with an Olympus OM-D E-M5II and M.Zuiko 40-150mm lens were f/3.5, 60mm, ISO 200, exposures of 0.8 seconds each.
I almost titled this one “Self-portrait of Tripod,” given that I made this shot on self-timer so I wouldn’t be in it. As a result, though, you can see over a dozen reflections of my camera on its tripod.
The reflector in this case is, of course, the “Cloud Gate” sculpture (a.k.a. “The Bean”) in Chicago’s Millennium Park. This is taken from under the middle of it (officially called the omphalos, Greek for “navel”). You can also get distorted shots of the weather and local architecture by using Cloud Gate’s exterior reflections.
Loads of fun, but you need to get there early unless you want to make photographs with lots of people in them. Remind me to do a full writeup on photography of / with The Bean some day…
A good demonstration of the color of light, courtesy of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico:
This is one of the “marquis” attractions at Carlsbad Caverns, but really doesn’t look this colorful in person (Journey to the Center of the Earth not withstanding). Â But it’s lit by spotlights of slightly different color temperature — so if you grab a picture on your visit, and attempt to pick some feature for your white balance, you’ll wind up with this slightly gaudy view in your photo.
An aerial shot of waterfalls above Waimea:
Some payoff for the usual rainy day trade-off — hazy air for active waterfalls. Â Shot from a helicopter over Kauai, Hawaii.
A bit of color for your week, courtesy of a planting on the stairs up to the Coit tower in San Francisco:
If you’re passing through San Francisco and looking for a workout, there are few to beat the stairs up the east side of Telegraph Hill from the Embarcadero to the base of the Coit Tower. Â You’ll climb some amazing, steep steps from either Greenwich or FIlbert St. Â Along with the exercise, and the beautiful views over the Bay, the local residents take fantastic care of their flowers along the way. Â So keep your camera handy for a little flower photography when you’re pausing to catch your breath!
Captured from the trail to / around Maroon Lake — near Aspen, Colorado:
On our “fall colors” road trip through the mountains, we only made it to Aspen in the late afternoon — so the lighting was much better for shots on this side of the lake (vs. the more traditional / popular shot of the Maroon Bells themselves). I just love all the color in this frame!