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Maggie’s Motivational Pic Thread v2.0 - - New Rules - See Post #1

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"About brothel candles, which burned for precisely 7 minutes and were heavily used during Victorian times. The individual would pay the fee, light the candle, and when the candle burned out, the session was over."
 

1. Sydney funnel-web​

(Atrax robustus)

Australian spiders 10 most dangerous funnel-web

With highly toxic venom produced in large amounts and large fangs to inject it, the Sydney funnel-web is without a doubt the deadliest spider in Australia, and possibly the world.


Found in New South Wales, in forests as well as populated urban areas, they burrow in humid sheltered places. They can wander in backyards and sometimes fall into swimming pools, and though they’re not often encountered, they can be quite aggressive when threatened.

Though just 1.5-3.5cm big, the Sydney Funnel-web has fangs larger than a brown snake’s and so powerful they can even pierce through nails and toenails. Their venom has a compound that can attack the human nervous system and alter the functioning of all organs and, when coming from a male, can kill. One in six bites causes a severe reaction, but since the antivenom has been made available, in 1981, no fatalities have been recorded.

2. Other funnel-webs​

Australian spiders 10 most dangerous funnel-web 2

There are about 40 species of funnel-web spiders in Australia, but only six have been reported to cause severe envenomation, with victims generally around southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The impressive northern tree funnel-web spider, Hadronyche formidabilis, (4-5 cm long) and the smaller southern tree funnel-web spider, H. cerberea probably count as the most dangerous ones. Half their bites result in severe envenoming.


Every year, up to 30-40 people are bitten by funnel-web spiders. But antivenom is available and proved very effective. They feed on prey ranging from beetles to frogs and appear to be generally more active in the warmer months, between November and March.

3. Redback spider​

(Latrodectus hasselti)

Australian spiders 10 most dangerous redback

Redback spiders are found throughout Australia, in many habitats, including urban areas. They often hide in dry, sheltered places such as garden sheds, mailboxes and under toilet seats.

Numbers of redback spider bites are uncertain, but about 2000 are reported each year and about 250 people receive antivenom. No deaths have been recorded since redback antivenom became available in the 1950s.


Most serious bites are from the female redback spider, which measures about 1cm long (bigger than males) and is recognisable by the well-known red stripe on its back, from which it gains its name. Their venom affects the nervous system, which is potentially dangerous for humans, but their small fangs make many of the bites ineffective. Envenomation can cause various effects, but the main symptom is severe and persistent pain – which can last hours to days depending on the person’s sensitivity to the venom – and may include nausea, malaise and lethargy.
 
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Photography ...imagery (to me) used to be a noble pursuit, now it’s so much a hodge-podge of “something not quite real...or right”....I hate that butchery of an image. Not to say all manipulative rework is bad, just the imbalance going on in so many, what’s real what’s not, does it matter or look ridiculous, is it still worthy of display beyond the moment. Maybe I’m just jaded. ~ 🤙
 
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Photography ...imagery (to me) used to be a noble pursuit, now it’s a so much a hodge-podge of “something not quite real...or right”....I hate that butchery of an image. Not to say all manipulative rework is bad, just the imbalance going on in so many, what’s real what’s not, does it matter or look ridiculous, is it still worthy of display beyond the moment. Maybe I’m just jaded. ~ 🤙
I follow but my main issue is I'm not willing to put the time into it these days. I've had decades where I gave it a big effort and got some great payback - not just money but motivation. I'm prone to over-photoshop the hell out of an image from time to time. Case in point:

033117 Pan 17edcr.jpg


That's a small segment of a panorama, so it doesn't have many pixels, the light was mediocre, etc. But I was in the mood to play with the "Render to HDR" filter and I liked how the cliffs in the background had a purple hue. Just so happened that random play on my PC's MP3 player was playing Purple Haze at the time. Here's another:

_MG_2875edspeff7cCR2.jpg


The hurdlers are hardly touched by Photroshop. IIRC, I touched up brightness a little and used Smart Sharpen. On the far right, I deleted the foot and lower leg that was barely in frame of the guy that finished 5th. But I worked on the background quite a bit to defocus it to make the hurdlers pop more. I also used Posterize on the background. One more:

EldoRGW_RawPan1eltsz.jpg


That's a 5 wide by 3 tall panorama and other than Smart Sharpen and Brightness/Contrast, it's pretty much straight off the camera. To me, it looks pretty messed with and it was the "Automate/Photomerge" that gave distortion to the sky in the banding. The shots were underexposed by about 2/3rds of a stop and that made the brightness/contrast filter add saturation to the rocks of Redgarden wall on the right side.

So I get what you are saying, especially when the human form is distorted. But that can be fun too:

Alex PreState2 8_11.jpg
 
I follow but my main issue is I'm not willing to put the time into it these days. I've had decades where I gave it a big effort and got some great payback - not just money but motivation. I'm prone to over-photoshop the hell out of an image from time to time. Case in point:

View attachment 7548232

That's a small segment of a panorama, so it doesn't have many pixels, the light was mediocre, etc. But I was in the mood to play with the "Render to HDR" filter and I liked how the cliffs in the background had a purple hue. Just so happened that random play on my PC's MP3 player was playing Purple Haze at the time. Here's another:

View attachment 7548236

The hurdlers are hardly touched by Photroshop. IIRC, I touched up brightness a little and used Smart Sharpen. On the far right, I deleted the foot and lower leg that was barely in frame of the guy that finished 5th. But I worked on the background quite a bit to defocus it to make the hurdlers pop more. I also used Posterize on the background. One more:

View attachment 7548242

That's a 5 wide by 3 tall panorama and other than Smart Sharpen and Brightness/Contrast, it's pretty much straight off the camera. To me, it looks pretty messed with and it was the "Automate/Photomerge" that gave distortion to the sky in the banding. The shots were underexposed by about 2/3rds of a stop and that made the brightness/contrast filter add saturation to the rocks of Redgarden wall on the right side.

So I get what you are saying, especially when the human form is distorted. But that can be fun too:

View attachment 7548254
Rodger EVERYTHING you mentioned and described. Personally the old darkroom methods are my forte and composition critical analysis. Purpose, light, line, and form all important. There’s a ton to cover in that. Suffice it to say we all “see” and react and knowing what you can do is one thing…but applying it to render an image that’s “captivating” and continues to “draw” you into it is the desire, the “tools” are nearly endless, but that can be the undoing of it also one goes too far, too much. Discovery and applied efforts and having input from some of the greats and practiced masters of it can help open your understanding of the small subtlety that makes or breaks. Alright enough of, maybe, preaching a bit… 🤙. There’s so many compositional tools and “rules”, so to speak, that work when applied well and also breaking those rules when you know how to pull it off to make that image, ok done, but never finished. 😏
 
Like seein’ the Dildo Pony...🤙🤙. And those safety designations. 😏

I made two of those hand guards for shits and giggles just to see if they could do it and how it would turn out.

One I use the strategic air command logo on… Because I’m old and was in the Air Force during that time.

Another one I use the global straight command logo on and gave it to a buddy of mine for his son who is now a major.

One day I was over gun store in the area and they had a unicorn lower than I thought to myself “Muhahahahahaha”

That’s a 5.7 x 28 upper

The rest is history
 
I made two of those hand guards for shits and giggles just to see if they could do it and how it would turn out.

One I use the strategic air command logo on… Because I’m old and was in the Air Force during that time.

Another one I use the global straight command logo on and gave it to a buddy of mine for his son who is now a major.

One day I was over gun store in the area and they had a unicorn lower than I thought to myself “Muhahahahahaha”

That’s a 5.7 x 28 upper

The rest is history
It’s right on in so many ways and that it’s “personal” is great. 😏😉🤙