Welcome to the 145th edition of the Pentax Forum's Picture of the Week!

fotaki will again be hosting this week.

This edition covers photos taken between 26 December 2010 to 2 January 2011, or shots from last week you haven't processed until now.

A special welcome to all new members: Join us old hands and post your shots from this week and last week!

Most important note to everyone: Remember, you can post your shots from this week AND last week!

POTW is a great place to show what you're shooting day-to-day with your cameras. It gives us all a chance to see what other members are up to with their Pentax cameras in their parts of the world in which they live or have visited. We can share ideas and hopefully learn from one another which is great too!

So show us what you've seen in your little corner of the planet! Looking forward to seeing all of what's out there this week.

Again same rules as before:

1) No theme, just post your favorite pix.

2) Lets keep it to fewer than 6 images per post just so the thread doesn't get too big each week.

3) Any Pentax camera or Samsung SLR is fine, whether it's film, P&S, or DSLR.

4) Date: Sunday 26 December (2010) to 2 January, 2011. Enter anything you shot last week or during this current week until the thread closes.

5) The current host will appoint the new host as an invitation via Private Message (PM). If possible, the new thread will be linked to the previous one and the new thread will start between Noon EDT and 5PM EDT on Sunday. If the thread doesn't start, please contact Peter Zack, Moderator via PM.

Previous hosts: Each one is a hotlink to that POTW thread to look back at the previous POTW's.

1 Peter Zack, 2Eaglerapids 3 rmtagg, 4 Peter Zack, 5 daacon, 6 Bramela, 7 mtnbearhug, 8 dantuyhoa, 9 gawan,10 roentarre, 11 daacon, 12 Kris, 13 mtnbearhug, 14 SCGushue, 15 daacon, 16 maxwell1295, 17 dantuyhoa, 18 daacon, 19 maxwell1295 19(2) daacon, 20 Bramela, 21 Syb, 22 maxwell1295, 23 maxwell1295, 24 dantuyhoa, 25 Gawan, 26 Peter Zack, 27 borno, 28 daacon, 29 gawan, 30 Damn Brit, 31 maxwell1295 32 maxwell1295 , 33 dantuyhoa, 34 daacon, 35 Peter Zack, 36 Damn Brit, 37 Borno, 38 Kevint, 39 Peter Zack, 40 Timbo13, 41 daacon, 42 daacon, 43 gawan, 44 dantuyhoa, 45 daacon, 46 Rense, 47 daacon, 48 Rense, 49 borno, 50 Rense, 51 daacon, 52 Peter Zack, 53 Peter Zack, 54 dadipentax, 55 David Whiteley, 56 planedriver, 57 daacon,58 Bramela, 59 daacon, 60 gawan, 61 virgilr, 62 daacon, 63 RickL, 64 Peter Zack, 65 Peter Zack, 66 Causey 67 daacon, 68 Bramela, 69 georgeweb, 70 daacon, 71 seacapt, 72 daacon, 73 AOski, 74 Rense 75 eccs19, 76 daacon, 77 xs400, 78 daacon, 79 Bramela, 80 borno, 81 legacyb4, 82 daacon, 83 gawan, 84 Rense, 85 Peter Zack, 86 davef, 87 davef, 88 xjjohnno 89 Bramela , 90 Peter Zack, 91 daacon, 92 stevebrot ,93 reeftool, 94 jezza323, 95 oldschool, 96 Iris, 97 Rense, 98 planedriver, 99 xs400, 100 Peter Zack, 101 Netuser 102 Photolady, 103 Tamia, 104 Irishwhite, 105 Ramseybuckeye, 106 xjjohnno, 107 Bumbibop, 108 JeffJS, 109 Tpeace, 110 Nomad, 111 Photolady, 112 rparmar, 113 Peter Zack, 114 casil403, 115 Tamia 116 JeffJS, 117 bbluesman, 118 Clou, 119 ruggiex, 120 Jimbow007, 121 jmschrie, 122 VaughnA 123 pop4, 124 casil403, 125 woof, 126 twitch, 127 stevebrot, 128 ohce, 129 jmschrei, 130 photolady, 131 photolady, 132 bbluesman, 133 rparmar, 134 reeftool, 135 reeftool, 136 Oldschool, 137 xjjohonnol, 138 KarenH, 139 Rense, 140 daacon 141 Tamia, 142 JeffJS 143 bbluesman, 144 fotaki, 145 fotaki

Thanks and enjoy
*************

[jmschrei]

Thanks for sticking around for a second week John.

I took a walk today in a large natural grassland park in town. There was a heavy chinook arch (a weather pattern that brings a warm respite during winter months here).





-Joe

[tpeace]

I spent yesterday crusing aroung phang nga bay off Phuket Island in Thailand. The only bad thing was I couldn't hook up with the tour guide here who caters to photographers so I had to join the hoards of common tourists on the speed boats - limits the quality of the shots you can get due to time and crowds. But as my first trip to the area I'll call it scouting trip and plan to return...





About 60 seconds after I took this shot

my foot slipped off the rocky path as I was scrambling up a rock to get a better angle. As soon as I realized I couldn't regain my balance I leaned into the rock - I learned a long time ago that sliding is far better than tumbling. I tried to tuck the K20 into my chest to try to protect it.

I probably fell about 2.5 meters all told. My fall ended in a clump of mangrove roots. I stayed still for a few seconds to take inventory that I wasn't too badly hurt (thankfully just some scrapes and light cuts).

The whole episode was witnessed by about a dozen tourists, one of whom was a woman who called out "My God, is the camera OK?" A girl after my own heart!

And the camera survived without a scratch which was good news because we headed off to kayak into some of the sea caves..



There are some amazing light effects going on in these caves but I couldn't really take advantage while on the general tour - they are just too time pressed.






Happy holidays all!
-tom

[Stan]

Some hoar frost on one of the trees in the yard today.

[casil403]

Wow Tom...amazing shots! I would love to kayak in a place like this!
Joe...that looks like Nose Hill you were up on...love the Arch shots...explains why it is quite windy here in Banff.

[Clou]

Taken yesterday evening while meeting friends in town


Steel Flowers


Bright Light


Resident Firefighter

[Paleo Pete]

Cold and windy yesterday, so I didn't satay out for long, but this Great White Egret flew by several times very close. They were circling the area, along with some Ring Billed Gulls, and the Egrets were diving for fish just like Gulls do. Circle and dive...circle and dive...so this one flew by within 25 feet or so several times, this is a 3072x2308 crop. Rather large, most are usually 1280x960 or 1600x 1200...but like I said, this guy got real close.

Both are resized to 1024x768, I used the Lentar 90-230 lens at f8.



Click image to view larger size.

Here's a 1280x960 crop of the same shot, just the head and wing. I probably should have used this shot for my entry in the Backlit project, but didn't think it was good enough for that...



click image to view larger size

[rparmar]

The whole episode was witnessed by about a dozen tourists, one of whom was a woman who called out "My God, is the camera OK?" A girl after my own heart!

Worth it for the shots though.

[jmschrei]

Joe...that looks like Nose Hill you were up on...love the Arch shots...explains why it is quite windy here in Banff.

It was a massive arch but I chose an access point too far north in the park to capture it fully. Even then I probably would have needed to stitch together multiple 15mm images and I haven't explored that technique yet! Fabulous images from Banff, I hope to get out there for the day this weekend for some photography with my son.

-Joe

[noelcmn]

Some from today, and before I go off on my trip tomorrow to the Kruger National Park, my favorite place for taking hundreds of photos. Promise I'll restrain myself- from posing too many on this POTW.
Thanks John (Fotaki) for hosting again. Be careful, you are so good at this, it may become a permanent job

1. Reed Pot
2. What a nice business card holder.
3. Just don't ask how I ended up in someone's stationery box.
4. Children fun-energy sapping exercise for kids.
5. Christmas left-overs?

Have a great week everyone.

Cheerio

Noel

[Nomad]

Here are a couple from last week while traveling in Jordan and one from the Nor'Ester storm today up here in Maine

[IMG] [/IMG]

[IMG] [/IMG]

[IMG] [/IMG]

[IMG] [/IMG]

[jmschrei]

Here are a couple from last week while traveling in Jordan and one from the Nor'Ester storm today up here in Maine

[/url] [/IMG]

[/url] [/IMG]

[/url] [/IMG]

[/url] [/IMG]

Wonderful shots from Jordan but I am especially fond of the image from Maine. That would make a great photo for a calendar!

-Joe

[casil403]

A few more shots from Banff:

Red berries...used the Lensbaby here:


Sundance Canyon in Banff National Park:


Rail Line Snowplows:

[xjjohnno]

You're a brave man Joh for hosting a second POTW in a row, thanks. I start fielding potential hosts around Thurdays. Some pics from Melbourne town, all seasons in a day or 2.
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://www.xjgarage.org/photos/december2010/slides/KFYV5010.JPG[/IMGWIDELEFT]
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://www.xjgarage.org/photos/december2010/slides/KFYV5059.JPG[/IMGWIDELEFT]
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://www.xjgarage.org/photos/december2010/slides/PICT4523.JPG[/IMGWIDELEFT]
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://www.xjgarage.org/photos/december2010/slides/KFYV5159.JPG[/IMGWIDELEFT]
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://www.xjgarage.org/photos/december2010/slides/KFYV5235.JPG[/IMGWIDELEFT]
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://www.xjgarage.org/photos/december2010/slides/KFYV5333.JPG[/IMGWIDELEFT]

[Paleo Pete]

Still cold and yukky, but not near as windy yesterday. Got a few shots and a couple of small birds too that I've never gotten pictures of.

The Great White Egrets here have been diving for fish, same as the Gulls do. I've never seen that, but have been trying to get a few shots just as they hit the water and just after. Finally got a couple of decent - but not great - shots...

Again it's the Lentar 90-230 at f8.

Diving for munchies.



Click image to view larger size.

And the next shot, up and away with lunch. I've shot at least a hundred of these, both Egrets and Gulls, only a couple have been clear enough to tell what's happening - stopping motion and getting decent focus while trying to follow a fast moving, diving bird is not easy...



Click image to view larger size.

An Eagle got some lunch too. Not a very good shot, too far away and moving pretty fast, but how many shots do you get like this at all??? This Eagle's nest is about 50 or 60 yards behind me over my right shoulder (as I shot the picture), I think that was where it was headed until I moved a few feet to get some shots, (I was behind some tree limbs) and I had been watching the nest a few minutes earlier. Turned to look out over the lake and see what was out there and caught it soaring away from the nest to my right, just as it disappeared into the trees, no chance for a close shot at all, no time. 2 or 3 minutes later it was headed back my way with lunch...but turned and went somewhere else when it saw me move to shoot pictures. I know it watched me walk by the nest, and waited till I wasn't looking...



Click image to view larger size.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher. Very small, same size as a Kinglet, about 3 to 4 inches, fast moving, but fortunately not very shy. Not my first time to see one, but my first time to get any pictures. Followed this one along the levee for 5 minutes or so until it crossed a fence and kept going.



Click image to view larger size.

A Wren, I'm not sure which one though. Usually it's either the House Wren or Carolina Wren we see here, I don't think this is either but not sure what...Winter Wren maybe? No idea...it lacks the white eye stripe most Wrens usually have, but this may be a young one and it hasn't developed yet, I don't know...the eye stripe is there, but very faint.



Click image to view larger size.

All shot with Lentar 90-230, I think all at f8, ISO 200. The Eagle may have been f11, I changed it by accident and don't remember if I went back to f8 before the Eagle or after.

[jmschrei]

We had a beautiful, warm, sunny day yesterday and I spent a few hours at another of our city parks, one I have never visited in the winter. Lisa will know where I am.






-Joe