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2013-05-16 08:04:45 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

The new layout: I think I like it... 

It looks and feels much sleeker, like a social network from the future. 

And below is a song most of the people in my circles will not really appreciate, but it describes my sentiments precisely.

2013-05-08 06:32:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Hi all, apologies for the super-long absence. My main computer is dead and I haven't had the time to fix it. That means I'm not exactly able to download and edit photos from my SLR, which therefore makes my morning photos impossible.

I've been dipping my toes in the mobile photography pool lately and try posting a photo a day on instagram while I wait for my computer to be fixed (or until I find a way to get photos off my camera and onto my laptop).

In the meantime, here are a few notes about the mobile photography experience.

Wishing you all a lovely day!

2013-04-09 06:15:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Rows

Good morning all!

In terms of weather, springtime is in and out of Malta at the moment. The crops, however, keep on growing well enough from what I can see.

My morning route takes me through quite a bit of fields and it is really nice to see the different crops in various stages of growth.

These are rows of onions, all perfectly lined up and probably close to being uprooted.

Wishing you a lovely Tuesday :D

2013-04-08 06:23:58 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

Chick Magnets

Good day all!

Puns are wonderful. I really love it when someone takes it far enough to actually create a product out of one. I love it even more when someone can buy you a gift like this without feeling awkward about it :)

The box came with 6 magnets and a little book with "Things chicks like". Each page of the mini book includes a cute illustration of a chick doing something they like: "Terri likes going to Museums." or "Brian likes playing jazz."

Wishing you all a lovely week :)

2013-04-05 06:00:54 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Blossom (Oh Jupiter, I missed you (5/5))

Good morning and happy Friday all!

The last photo in this mini-series is probably one of the areas the Jupiter-6 excels in most (and is the hardest to use at).

Closeups of small objects are incredibly hard because the depth of field afforded at this proximity and aperture is minimal, probably just around a centimeter (half an inch).

The payoff, however, makes the effort worth it. The subject is isolated and the resulting bokeh is delicious.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

#floralfriday  +FloralFriday +Tamara Pruessner 

2013-04-04 06:39:18 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

A man needs a bench (Oh Jupiter, I missed you (4/5))

Good morning all!

No matter where I walk, I always try to find a quiet spot with a bench. This particular one is at the very edge of Dingli Cliffs, in one of the highest spots on the Maltese islands.

It is about half way through my morning route and, when I'm up early enough, I like to sit there and just absorb the lovely view and fresh air for a few minutes.

Wishing you all a lovely day :D

P.S. Just in case you missed it, the photo's title is an hommage to Neil Young's song: Neil Young - A Man Needs A Maid

2013-04-03 05:50:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

(Oh Jupiter, I missed you (3/5))

#wordlessonwednesday  

2013-04-02 06:24:10 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Charlie! (Oh Jupiter, I missed you (2/5))

Good morning all!

My brother's cat, Charlie, is a great hunter. We usually appreciate it because he makes sure the yard (and therefore the rest of the house) is free of creepy-crawlies. In spring, however, it becomes an issue because he also makes it a point to maul any butterfly that dares venture into the courtyard.

This butterfly, to be fair, was not one of his victims. I saw it while out walking, but usually the ones he does get to are not in a very good state to photograph when he's done with them!

We try saving the ones we find him attacking when he does it in front of us, but then again we don't want to discourage him from his hunting habits :)

Wishing you all a nice day :D

2013-04-01 06:11:27 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Oh Jupiter, I missed you (1/5)

Good morning all!

For some strange reason I had not taken out my Jupiter-6 (180mm/f2.8 Russian lens) for months.

Took it out on a short walk last week and I remembered what a really special lens it is. It might be very old, incredibly heavy and awkward to use because of manual focus, but once you get past the barriers it puts up, the rewards are great.

I guess it's the same in life. The harder you have to work for something, the more you appreciate the rewards...

Wishing you all a lovely week!

2013-03-07 06:54:32 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

Cross

Good morning all!

I'm not the most religious person out there; on the contrary you'd usually find me passing snide remarks about people who have blind faith in any religion (in anything really), however I must admit that this cross did something to me. 

I just stopped by it for a few seconds whenever I walked past it along the frozen main road in Livigno. On this particular morning the sun was rising just behind it so I had to capture it while I was there.

Wishing you all a good day :)

2013-03-06 07:21:48 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)

Livigno

Good morning all!

Just the view I had from my hotel window...

2013-03-05 07:15:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

The White Desert

Good morning all!

2013-03-04 07:11:06 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 10 +1s)

Taking the leap

Good morning all!

This girl was taking some time off before tackling the steep slope ahead. She was probably enjoying the beautiful view, gathering her thoughts and mentally preparing herself for the gruelling ten minutes ahead of her. Her decision had already been taken, she was going down, no matter what, but she still took the time to absorb it all.

We all need to take some time to think before leaping into the next stage in our lives, and that is what I did over the past week while on a skiing holiday.

Given all the changes going on in my life at the moment, I had quite a few things to think about, some of which of which were pretty major.

The time away from all that is familiar helped me detach myself from most external influences and allowed me to work on as clean a slate as is currently possible.

The maind... more »

2013-02-20 06:55:24 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Just shining through

Good morning all!

Another photo that I was not sure I should have shared, but I've come back to it so many times that I just had to put it out there - come what may. There are elements I love in it and others I'm unsure of, however I always stop to have a good look whenever I'm flipping through the album it's in.

On the one hand I love the dreamy feeling, but on the other, it makes me feel a bit lost since there is no obvious resting point for your eyes.

Opinions?

#critiquepls   #btlphotocritique  +Behind the Lens: Photo Critique Group 

2013-02-19 06:38:01 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Open up

Good morning all!

2013-02-18 06:58:16 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Pushing up, or notes on hope

Good morning all!

Resumed my morning walks after a couple of weeks of a prolonged cough and rainy days.

As you can imagine, spring comes pretty early down here. This is (probably) wheat starting to push out of the wet soil. There are other fields where the wheat is already waist-height - so this is a relative late-starter. 

Living so close to nature fills you with hope though. You get to see how everything starts, everything finishes, but everything is back again with steely determination when the time is right.

Even though the concept of new life might seem so remote in the depths of winter, spring always comes around and everything lives again.

I wish you all a lovely week full of hope and belief that everything will be OK!

2013-02-14 07:37:08 (9 comments, 9 reshares, 40 +1s)

❤❤❤

Happy Valentine's Day to all my G+ friends :)

No matter whether you are in or out of it, I'm still as convinced as ever that love will always prevail as long as you keep your heart open, always find it in you to forgive and understand others.

Never bear grudges, never feel aggrieved, never feel entitled. Always appreciate whatever you get from anyone around you.

Love is not only defined by holding hands and feeling butterflies around that one person that can make you feel special.

Love is having friends around you when you're down. Having a family to call upon whenever you need something. Smiling at a stranger on the tube. Having a great book to read. Love is giving a +1 to a beautiful photograph or post. Love is sharing that beautiful photo.

If all else fails, and if you really can't believe in love, thenlove th... more »

2013-02-01 07:13:44 (2 comments, 4 reshares, 22 +1s)

Blossom

Good morning all!

My morning route is littered with almond trees. They all happen to be in blossom at the moment, so it was really a question of when I'd capture one, not if I'd capture one.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

2013-01-30 07:10:56 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday  

2013-01-29 07:36:23 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Dingli

Good morning all!

Slowly, but surely, I'm falling in love with Dingli, the place I've moved to recently. It's a relatively remote village which is mainly rural, but is absolutely fantastic for photography.

I'm 20 minutes away (on foot) from Malta's most impressive landscapes (the Dingli Cliffs) and even less to some fantastic countryside walks. The trade-off is that I have an extra ten minutes to drive to anywhere, but even now, in the midst of a relatively cold winter, I just drop my roof and enjoy the beautiful drive.

I find that this photo really captures the feeling of the village. Green fields, low houses and a church bang in the centre. As days go by I would like to document other parts of this wonderful village, so be prepared for a barrage of photos shot around here.

Have a lovely day!

2013-01-28 07:18:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

Red in the morning

Good morning all!

I leave the house for my walk when it's still dark, but today the sky had this slightly pinkish tinge already appearing so I backtracked and took my camera along with me on my morning walk.

I get less exercise, however I find it just as relaxing.

I usually feel that I'm looking for shots whenever I'm out and about, however I'm always amazed at how much more intense this becomes when I'm out shooting. I see things that I would have walked past a few times and simply ignored.

This sky, however, was pretty hard to ignore this morning, camera or no camera. 

Let's just hope this isn't a shepherd's warning!

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead! 

And for +Jules Falk Hunter and the rest of the music lovers around, the image's title is a directref... more »

2013-01-25 07:23:15 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

The storm

Good morning all!

Had a lovely and super-invigorating walk this morning, but did not dare take my camera with me because it was (still is) raining intermittently and terribly windy.

My new walking route passes by the sea on the other side of Malta, and this side is all a long row of high cliffs. Even from this height, and with a crappy phone camera, you can see the size of the waves and how rough the sea is.

Despite all this, there are good things coming along: rain or no rain, wind or no wind, the weekend is here. 

Here's to a great and relaxing weekend for all, we sure as hell deserve it!

2013-01-24 06:37:57 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

A late entry for #wordlessonwednesday  

2013-01-22 07:21:07 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Well greased

Good morning all!

An extreme close up of a cog in a machine. Makes me think about how life is so similar.

A cog is absolutely useless on its own (unless you need a greasy paperweight), however, slot it into the right place and it becomes vital.

Conversely, you could have the most advanced and well-researched machine in the universe, but if it is missing a single cog at the core of its mechanism, then it is absolutely useless.

Kind of makes you think about our position in society. We depend on society to survive (both mentally and physically), but then again we also have to keep in mind that society depends on each one of us, and believing otherwise would be cheating ourselves.

Well, there goes hehe, and this is the end of #Semi-PhilosophicalTuesdays :)

Wishing you all a lovely day :)

2013-01-21 07:34:37 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

Learning the ropes

Good morning all!

Another weekend flew past in the bat of an eyelid - a pretty amazingly random and jam-packed weekend actually.

Now onto this week, let's see what it brings!

Wishing you all a great week, and don't let Monday bring you down, it's only four days away from Friday after all.

2013-01-18 14:45:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Been listening to this on repeat today...

+Jules Falk Hunter, you might like it. They remind me so much of The Airborne Toxic Event mixed with the Libertines. Can't wait for the EP.

2013-01-18 07:41:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Another lonely tree

Good morning all!

Following yesterday's three lonely threes, I found a palm tree which is even more lonely and sorry-looking. Having said that, it has a room with a view, so life ain't that bad after all.

For some strange reason this photo reminds me of people who take photos of their loved ones standing in front of a beach. Well, the loved one needs a haircut, but you get what I mean...

And on this insane note, I wish you all a lovely weekend!

2013-01-17 07:46:58 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

T(h)ree

Good morning all!

This would have been a good entry for #wordlessonwednesday , but alas, it's Thursday here.

Not quite sure why I shot this, but every time I look at it I can't decide whether it is a good photo or an absolutely crap one, so I'm going to let you decide.

Over to you to #critiquepls  +Behind the Lens: Photo Critique Group 

2013-01-16 18:43:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

#wordlessonwednesday  

I thought up a #jujuhaiku  to help explain this new theme going on: 

Share a photograph
No words, only the hash tag
Resist responding

( until tomorrow : ) 

check out all the details on the original post here : https://plus.google.com/u/0/111397628815301589258/posts/Htv1AU9Weka

2013-01-16 18:32:41 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

#WordlessOnWednesday

cc/ +Jason Jakober 

2013-01-15 07:31:01 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Call me: part 2

Good morning all!

So I went back to the phone box and looked in this time. The phone seems to have been abandoned years ago...

2013-01-14 07:36:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Shadows

Good morning all!

Another interpretation of my favourite chilling out spot. A rather abstract result this time round.

Wishing you a lovely week ahead.

2013-01-11 07:45:31 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Finding Beauty

Good morning all!

If there is one thing I love in photography, it is the opportunity to find beauty in objects and situations that most people would either deem to be eye sores or just walk past.

There is so much beauty around us, yet we seem to spend most of our lives nit-picking to find problems.

Change angle, walk back or look closer and you will always find something beautiful. If you can't at first, then just try harder.

Here's to looking for the good in those around us,
and here's to a great weekend.

2013-01-10 08:00:38 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Peeling

Good morning all!

Just a quick share of this close-up/abstract I shot earlier this week... I'm fascinated by peeling paint on wood.

Have a lovely day!

2013-01-09 07:46:56 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

Malta, quo vadis?

Good morning all!

A traditional wooden fishing boat, limestone buildings, a church (well, a chapel, but you get my drift), and blue skies... Seems pretty idyllic, especially since this photo was taken in January.

But look again and you can see that the fishing boat is abandoned and that concrete buildings are towering in the background.

Which is the real Malta nowadays?

Cracks are showing but this ever-changing country is still an amazing place to be in. There is so much packed into these 27 km (17 miles) that you can spend years here and still keep on discovering people, sub-cultures and things.

Sometimes I just sit back and take a look around me and realise that once you look beyond the obvious you can find a whole new world you've been shutting yourself off from.

So here's to more... more »

2013-01-08 07:31:09 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Call me

Good morning all!

An abstract close-up from a phone booth which is along my morning-walk route.

Wishing you all a lovely day :)

2013-01-07 07:08:46 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

St George's Bay

Good morning all!

The beginning of a week and we're ready to have a go at it again. Quite unexpectedly, I had an incredibly full and fulfilling weekend, and even though there were parts I was dreading, they all turned out to be just fine - so here's to starting the new week on a positive note.

This is St George's Bay, which is usually packed at all times of the day and night in the warmer months, but when I walk past it in my morning walk at the moment it is always completely vacant.

Even though it might appear quiet in this photo, this beach is only 100 metres from Malta's entertainment and nightclub hub (Paceville), so on the warm summer nights it is full of people who overflow onto it to chill out after (or half way through) a night of partying.

Wishing you all a lovely week!

2013-01-04 06:45:02 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

Roll on

Good morning all...

Finally Friday, and even though this week included a holiday, I'm looking forward to the weekend.

It is going to be pretty busy, however I'm hoping to slot in some time for photography - the weather's looking kind too, so that's an another bonus.

I wish you all another fantastic weekend!

2013-01-03 22:06:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Only a dream...

You pushed me away,
told me I should stop,
stop behaving this way,
I was pulling you back
to the place you tried to leave,
you made me get up,
said you needed sleep,
then showed me the door,
tears welling in your eyes.

I went to my room,
sat at my favourite chair,
and waited for your knock,
I was sure it would be there,
but come the light of day,
I learnt in the hardest way,
that my cockiness was misplaced,
your nerves were made of steel.

2013-01-03 07:43:27 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

cheaper by the dozen 

Twelve images  giving a little bit of an over view of this past year and the things I enjoy . Foggy mornings, canyon walks, abstractions, shadows and silhouettes, my family and other animals,  playing games with Steve and Dave : )  being lyrically inspired, and continuing my journey with my self portraits .  Thank you so much for a wonderful year , it's great to be inspired and find out I've managed to inspire a few of you . . . Wishing you all a wonderful , peaceful, creative 2013!!  

Low Roar - Friends Make Garbage (Good Friends Take It Out)


pssst  +Nathan Wirth  I did it , thanks again for posting yours or I might have let it slide : ) 


#bestof2012   #topphotos2012  


2013-01-03 07:39:07 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

Gone fishin'

Good morning all!

A shot in the quiet fishing village of Marsaxlokk, on the south-eastern tip of the Island.

2013-01-02 06:56:13 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

And... we're back (again)

Good morning all!

New year, new start, but also a time to get back to the good habits I had up to about a month ago. It's been a very tough month, one in which I was shaken to the core, but one from which I have thankfully come out stronger.

So here I am, back to posting a daily morning photo, back to going out just for photography. 

This was shot at a place in which I find a lot of peace. Just outside one of the busiest areas in Malta (Paceville) there is this little slice of paradise by the sea which I visit to sit on those benches from time to time, however on this day it was raining so I had to take cover.

Wishing you all a lovely day, what's left of the week, and year ahead.

And totally out of synch but... #benchsaturday  here we come 

2012-12-27 07:00:14 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

#breakuppoem  

Hurricane

What’s left
when the hurricane is gone,
who is left
to pick up the pieces,
who should be the one
to make sense of it all?

How do I,
get blown away
without being blown
into a thousand pieces
what should I hold onto,
where should I take shelter?

I will not look on,
to see the path of destruction,
I shall move on
and search,
not quite sure what for,
but I will leave
no stone unturned,
no corner of the world unexplored,
no face unexamined,
no verse unwritten,
no beauty unphotographed,
no note unheard.

I will live.

I will live,
somewhere safer,
far away from the
hurricane’s eye,
a place where
the feeling stays.

N.B. Metaphor slightly borrowed from Neil Young's&quo... more »

2012-12-12 06:35:00 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

The sun still shines...

Good morning all!

A friend (and mentor) once told me that she loves the sun because it symbolises eternal hope. 

No matter how many clouds are covering it, the sun still shines. It never stops radiating radiating heat, and I know it even if I'm freezing as I type this.

So here goes - a toast to the sun, the only constant in this oh-so-confusing life :)

2012-12-10 07:34:04 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Opinions? How could I improve on this photo - and what could I do better next time round please?

Thanks to all in advance :)

2012-12-10 07:27:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

I walk the line

Good morning all!

Some images from a very stormy week coming up these few days.

Life's not too terrible though, Thursday is a public holiday and I've booked the day off on Friday - so I have a 4-day weekend coming up. The weather is looking lovely too, so hopefully I can get a break with lots of photography thrown in.

Wishing you all a nice week :)

 

2012-12-07 07:23:05 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Colours

Good morning all!

An abstract Friday photo - wishing you all a lovely weekend!

2012-12-06 07:09:32 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

We'll get there...

...eventually

Good morning all. This is a Parisian staircase from the 18th (or 17th) century. We always made it to the top, even after a day of walking around the sprawling city. The hardest part was always the first step. Get past that and you're sorted :)

Just like the week seems sooooo long on Monday but it's Thursday already!

2012-12-05 06:51:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Christmas lights, by day.

Good morning all!

Everyone shoots the pretty Christmas lights by night because they shine so brightly and remind us of when we were young and believed in Father Christmas.

This effort might make an impression by night (I have no idea, did not hang around long enough to know), but pales in comparison to the natural beauty that it stands before by day.

I guess that, try as hard as we may, we can never compare to the greatness of nature.

2012-12-04 16:32:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Cloud Leaders report released

In a report which went straight to the pulse of business cloud computing, I interviewed the cloud service leaders to find out what they think about the current state of the cloud market, why this is the right time for cloud computing and what lies in the future of software and infrastructure as a service.

Leaders in the cloud industry agree that four main factors are contributing to the current explosion of cloud-based services. 

Cloud is enabling business innovation - something which is crucial for the market to flourish. Mike McKlurg, VP of IBM Global Midmarket Sales summarized this succinctly: “Cloud enables companies to reinvent and transform the way they do business”.

The business case for hosted solutions is undeniable, not only can the savings can be significant, but in such a volatileenvi... more »