Snow on the countryside: Bumpy snow to the horizon - Snow like human cells

Here is another field covered with snow.
I absolutely love the bumpy looks of the snow.
The lower part of the image is in BW with increased contrast, to make the bumpy looks stand out.

The snow, when it's like that, remember me the image of human cells that come out from electron microscope:

Scanning electron micrograph of surface of alveolar epithelium of human lung with two type II epithelial cells (EP2). Arrows, boundary (terminal bar) of type I cell. Asterisk, nucleus of type I cell. Bar, 5 m.
(Source: From Weibel 200.)
Image from Lung Cell Biology

Snow on the countryside: Natural christmas tree balls

I really don't know what these things are, I found them on some trees near a field.
I like to think of them like some kind of natural/organic Christmas tree balls :-)

If someone know their name feel free to post it in the comments :-)

Snow on the countryside: Golden frozen bubble

Here is some frozen bubble in an icy puddle.
The day I took this photo I spent no less than 30 minutes crouched down taking photos of frozen things... I was near a field, in the countryside, and many joggers and bicyclers passed by looking at me curiously :-)

Snow on the countryside: Canal haze, and snowy stone pillars - The road toward the light

A nice morning with some snow in the Italian countryside :-)
In this shot I really like the haze comping up from the canal, and the tiny bump of the fresh snow over plowed fields.

Snow on the countryside: frozen branch and distant trees

A frozen branch, snowy fields, and distant trees. Italian countryside.

Snow on the countryside: Water reflection in the fields - Snow over trees

Tree reflection in the canal

Some weeks ago snow came down during the night... the day after the sky was clear and blue.
I didn't resist the temptation: I picked up my reflex and made a trip in the countryside to take some photos.
I spent about 90 minute walking in the fields and photographing nice things, I depleted 3 batteries, and took about 800 photos... In the next days I'll post some of the best images I've been able to develop.

In this specific photo, you can see some fields covered by snow, and the tree's reflection in the canal.
In this image I pushed the exposure/contrast of the canal, to made the refection more interesting.
There was a light haze coming up from the canal, you can barely notice it in the lower right corner.

Here is how it look  from the Google Car :-)

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I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Côte d'Azur, French Riviera: La beach et les waves at Saint Aygulf

Vagues à la plage de Saint Aygulf

I've been some day in France recently.
Here is a photo of the Saint Aygulf beach.
There was a strong wind that day, the waves were high, and they made for an interesting subject :-)

The "real life" color of the sand and the sea in the unedited photo were pretty pale... but I've worked hard to give this image some punch, I believe that the nice subject deserve it.
I like the final result, it does have an HDR-ish appearance, but that's intended :-)

For comparison, here is the unedited image.

 Unedited RAW image, original from camera

Salsomaggiore's hills: The sun in the sky 2

Here is another view of the landscape on the hills near Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy

I've posted here another photo of the same place.

Burning cast-iron stove - Ember on fire

A cast-iron stove, with some ember and wood burning

Time flies guys: I've shot this image in 2004, during a graduation party of a friend of mine.

I bought my first compact digital camera in 2004 (it was an Olympus C-4000 4Mp).

I always thought that fire is an interesting subject to photograph, but I don't have many occasion to take photo of it.

White frost at dawn - Sarp bushes

 White frost at dawn

It was one of those Sunday morning: clear sky, very cold temperature, DSLR camera at hand, and a garden full of hoarfrosted things...
Direct consequence: one hour spent in the cold, shooting at everything :-)
In these photos you can see some "bushes" of white frost... on the roof of a blue car (this is why the shadowed zone are so blue-ish).
In these photos I like the sharpness of the frost, and the contrast between the blue-ish shadows and the warmth of the sun-lighted zone.

White frost at dawn, Black & White version

Parma, Parco Ducale: The light and the tree - Leaves on gravel at dusk

A streetlight near a tree at dusk, Parco Ducale, Parma

In this photo I really love the tone of the sky at dusk. I also like the warmth of the streetlight, and the pattern of leaves on the ground. The contrast between the warmth of the streetlight and the coldness of the sky do the rest, I really like this image! :-)

Parma, Parco Ducale: Snow and streetlights surrounding the lake, in colors

The walk around the little lake in the Ducal Park, in Parma.

Here is the sepia version of this image, I've already posted this photo about one year ago.

Which one is your favorite?

Under the fountain 'Reloaded' - Frozen ice stalactites

Some ice stalactites under a fountain in Castell'Arquato (a small medioeval town located in north Italy).

I've already posted this image back in 2009, but I've re-edited it recently. I like the new result, it's more... "icy", so I think it's worth another look :-)

A cup of white wine - Sparkling gold

A cup of sparkling white wine

Sometimes I like to take macro shots of bubbles: they are all similar, but you can't find two that are the same :-)

Eureka, I'm on Street View! And Google Street View Car is on my blog! :-) - Google took a shot of me on Elba Island beach!

I was waiting for it, I knew it was going to happen...
I kept checking for update on street view on Elba Island's roads: finally Google updated its databases.

And now I can say it: I'm on Street View!
And Google Street View Car is on my blog!
This is so meta... :-)

That morning we had just arrived at the Enfola beach, on the Island of Elba, Italy.
I was walking to my car to get something that I had forgotten ... and then I saw a Google Street View Car maneuvering to turn back.
Of course I always have my compact camera with me, especially during the holidays (my DSLR camera was a bit 'too far... it was on the beach in the bag :-)), so I pulled out my compact with a feline gesture and I managed to snap some photos at the Google car before seeing it vanish away between the curves of the Elba Island :-)

Here is me on Google Street View, taking some photos of the Google Stret View Car, on the Enfola Beach, Elba Island, Italy.

 Here is the Google Street View Car

the Google Street View Car maneuvering

Me on the beach, walking back to my car to take something...

Here is a live version of Google StreetView :-)

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