Welcome to another round of Picture of the Week. This is edition #276 covering 11 August through 28 August 2013.

POTW is a great spot to show off any shots you take in the upcoming week, or last week that you haven't processed until now. In other words, you can post your shots from this week AND last week.

Same rules:

1) No theme, just post your favorite pix.
2) 5 or less images per post just so the thread doesn't get too big.
3) Any Pentax or Samsung camera, film or digital.

The current host will invite a new host 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 bluestringer, Moderator via PM.

Here are the records of previous POTW threads:

1 Peter Zack, 2 Eaglerapids, 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 xjjohonno, 138 KarenH , 139 Rense, 140 daacon, 141 Tamia, 142 JeffJS, 143 bbluesman, 144 fotaki, 145 fotaki, 146 Woof, 147 Bramela, 148 Bramela, 149 Tamia, 150 Nomad, 151 Clou, 152 drugal, 153 rparmar, 154 Nomad, 155 jmschrei, 156 noelcmn, 157 noelcmn, 158 rwfarnell, 159 ramseybuckeye, 160 christophleipzig, 161 JeremytheIndian, 162 SpecialK, 163 emetcalf, 164 emetcalf, 165 stevebrot, 166 rparmar, 167 Mattt, 168 JeffJS, 169 jmschrei, 170 fotaki, 171 xs400, 172 TOUGEFC, 173 TOUGEFC, 174 Warped, 175 MaryAD, 176 Davidw0815, 177 baro-nite, 178 baro-nite, 179 pentaximus, 180 lukulele, 181 lukulele, 182 rob 1234, 183 lukulele, 184 lukulele, 185 pentaximus, 186 ramseybuckeye, 187 ramseybuckeye, 188 StDevious, 189 Free Soul, 190 Clou, 191 brvnara, 192 pentaximus, 193 Noelcmn, 194 Noelcmn 195 GmcarsMAN, 196 jmschreii,197 wolfiegirl, 198 xjjohnno, 199 Arn , 200 Peter Zack, 201 bluestringer, 202 cif, 203 Rollsup, 204 noelcm, 205 Davidw0815, 206 Davidw0815, 207 cif, 208 ramseybuckeye, 209 paulh, 210 Oldschool, 211 SpecialK, 212 mecrox, 213 pentaximus, 215 bramela, 216 jmschrei, 217 Exandr, 218 Noelcmn, 219 Noelcmn, 220 sergiu, 221 sergiu, 222 sergiu, 223 sergiu, 224 sergiu, 225 sergiu, 226 sergiu, 227 sergiu, 228 Davidw08, 229 reeftool, 230 reeftool, 231 cif, 232 mecrox, 233 mecrox, 234 glennbp, 235 glennbp, 236 pentaximus, 237 pentaximus, 238 pentaximus,239 Paul, 240 Nick Nero, 241 Arnold, 242 Arnold, 243 Arnold, 244 Arnold, 245 Nick Nero, 246 ramseybuckeye, 247 ramseybuckeye, 248 Douge, 249 Douge 250 Douge, 251 Dr Orloff, 252 lukulele, 253 lukulele, 254 nosliwmit, 255 nosliwmit, 256 nosliwmit, 257 casil403, 258 casil403, 259 Davidw0815, 260 Davidw0815, 261 ruggiex, 262 ruggiex, 263 mecrox, 264 pentaximus, 265 pentaximus, 266 SpecialK, 267 SpecialK, 268 filoxophy, 269 mecrox, 270 mecrox, 271 mecrox, 272 Paleo Pete, 273 Paleo Pete, 274 geomez, 275 geomez, 276 geomez

Here I am, hosting once again. This time everybody I asked to take the reigns were unable to do so. Hopefully I'll have more luck next week. Like last week I'm here in the Yosemite Valley sans computer, transmitting off of stolen wifi. Also like last week all of my pics are processed in camera. This one, of a Sequoia, one of my bracketed shots that I unfortunately was unable to HDR because the lack of PP software availability.

Attachment 183663

[Douge]

Some photos from a street festival the other day.

[Dr Orloff]

Back again after a computer factory reset. Cheers for hosting Geomez. Always interesting this thread, to see the world at large. I really like the shot of bus 222, the 3 swallowtails lineup is something, I struggle to find just one. Lovely light over the Olympic stadium, a great venue and it still looks good and fresh after all these years. The street festival looks heartwarming. I've never visited Canada but I think I would like it very much.

I have been revisiting butterfly macros lately. It's a genre which I really enjoy but I became rather disillusioned with my paltry efforts and we have had a serious decline in populations these last couple of years due to odd weather patterns. They are only just recovering now and I have a good rethink about how to photograph them. Still a way to go but they will be gone soon so I have spent some time rolling around in the fields:







These fritillaries are the most obliging:



Blurry but I quite liked the result nonetheless:







This I found nicely perched on a flower in the late evening so I camped out hoping to get an early morning shot with heavy dew. In the morning the butterfly had moved down into the grass and there was a little dew but not much. Not sure it was worth the uncomfortable night:

[dtmateojr]

[dtmateojr]

[Davidw0815]

Very beautiful, dtmateojr!

[lukulele]

Not a Swallowtail for a change. K-7 50-200WR

[SpecialK]

Watermelon festival.




Love the glasses.


Free watermelon all day.


Seed-spitting contest.

[smf]

The image was captured from a point a considerable distance from the cage, using a Pentax 100-300 mm on a Pentax K-x. Processing was in iPhoto and some of the software from the Nik Collection.

[Neville]

Yesterday evening I took a drive to the well-known "Hole in the Wall" at Ballito, north of Durban.

[ramseybuckeye]

Some photos from a street festival the other day.

Great set Douge, I really like to "chalk on the street" photos, looks like fun.

I have been revisiting butterfly macros lately. It's a genre which I really enjoy but I became rather disillusioned with my paltry efforts and we have had a serious decline in populations these last couple of years due to odd weather patterns. They are only just recovering now and I have a good rethink about how to photograph them. Still a way to go but they will be gone soon so I have spent some time rolling around in the fields:

Well done Doc, nice collection of colorful insects, but the best part is that you composed them so well, nice use of the thistle!
Nice job at the pier! Fabulous shots!

Not a Swallowtail for a change. K-7 50-200WR

And it's a beauty Luke!

Watermelon festival.

This had to be a blast, and looks like some fine watermelon!

The image was captured from a point a considerable distance from the cage, using a Pentax 100-300 mm on a Pentax K-x. Processing was in iPhoto and some of the software from the Nik Collection.

Stu that's a fine job of finding a view where the cage isn't visible. They have tigers at our county fair this year, I would assume the same troupe, I didn't get a chance to see them though, there are a few mnore days though and I have a pass.

Yesterday evening I took a drive to the well-known "Hole in the Wall" at Ballito, north of Durban.

Well known or not that's a nice photo.

A few from the County Fair last night:
There was a full moon:



There's a huge lot of antique tractors:



I remeber doing this when I was a kid at the fair



The Zipper

[geomez]

I've always hated The Zipper until now.

[geomez]

How many of those shots were handheld Ramseybuckeye?

[noelcmn]

Very beautiful, dtmateojr!

+1 on that comment. WOW.

Congratulations David, on your new job. Now ...maybe.... you can throw that Da15mm down south of the equator As usual, some super shots from you. My, the old stadium still looks fine. I like that 4th one.

Once again the POTW produces some very fine images, my favourite thread. Great shots everyone.
Here a contribution.
Some flowers from a garden that I found myslef in with the Camera








Attended an India Festival on Saturday, celebrating India's 67 years of Independence.

This granny was superb with her dance routine.


This little girl too.


The green Lollipop


A leftover from last weeks weekly challenge

[ramseybuckeye]

How many of those shots were handheld Ramseybuckeye?

None of them. I went out that night with the full moon in mind so I had decided tripod for everything. There was not enough room to get the kind of shots I really wanted, I never realized how close thing are packed there, so I was glad I took the 10-24, that's what I used on the Zipper. I was hoping to get far enough away to go out past 100mm and get a "big" moon. but everything was too obstructed. I did get to 88mm on this ferris wheel below, but had to include the midway games. Which was better than other places that had trucks or the rear of tents etc in the way. And then here's a nothe take on the Zipper as well, from the same spot but a faster shutter speed.

[mecrox]

Wow, some amazing shots since last week in the thread to rule them all. A lot of fun and a lot of colour and summer times. Here are a few from this week from me. They were taken over last weekend in central France (the Corrèze region) - I was only there for four days, alas. These are all with my trusty MX-1 compact as I had to travel light.


Evening light on the vilage




A garden reworked using Dynamic Auto-Painter




A misty morning




The bells of St Martin, a French village church




Early morning, the sun just risen over the hilltops




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