Space Cats by Zippora Lux
Boya Latumahina, alter ego, Zippora Lux is a design student studying at Central St Martins in London. She has created these space age cats by combining two of her favourite things, cats and telescopic photographs. Continue reading »
2013 National Geographic Photo Contest, Part 1: “Nature”, Weeks 1-3
National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2014.
“Fox Glance”. During a regular trip through the forest, of which my actual intent was landscapes, I encountered this stunning little Red Fox. The moment came as the light broke through the clouds and trees, he turned with a glance of curiosity and gave me the unusual composition I was after. A scene I’ll never be lucky enough to see again in my life, so was over the moon i’d managed to capture the moment. Photo location: Thetford Forest, England. (Photo and caption by Sam Morris/National Geographic Photo Contest) Continue reading »
Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in China
The Danxia landform refers to various landscapes found in southeast and southwest China that “consist of a red bed characterized by steep cliffs”. It is a unique type of petrographic geomorphology found in China. Danxia landform is formed from red-coloured sandstones and conglomerates of largely Cretaceous age. The landforms look very much like karst topography that forms in areas underlain by limestones, but since the rocks that form danxia are sandstones and conglomerates, they have been called “pseudo-karst” landforms.
View of colourful rock formations at the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in Gansu Province, China. The Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park is 40km from Zhangye city. The park spans more than 400 square kilometers in Gansu. The unusual terrain is the result of red sandstone and mineral deposits carved over the years by natural forces. A number of boardwalks have been built to encourage visitors to explore the rock formations. (Photo by ImagineChina/The Grosby Group) Continue reading »
2013 National Geographic Photo Contest, Part 1: “Places”, Weeks 1-3
National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2014.
“Hikers, Skogar to Thorsmork trail, Iceland”. Every summer solstice, locals in Iceland hike the Skogar to Thorsmork trail. Taking nearly 8 hours to complete, you can approach Thorsmork right as the sun starts to “rise” again. A few fellow hikers up ahead navigate the steep terrain. Photo location: Thorsmork, Iceland. (Photo and caption by Amanda Rust/National Geographic Photo Contest) Continue reading »
Mortsafe: Protection from the Living Dead
Mortsafes were contraptions designed to protect graves from disturbance. Resurrectionists had supplied the schools of anatomy in Scotland since the early 18th century. This was due to the necessity for medical students to learn anatomy by attending dissections of human subjects, which was frustrated by the very limited allowance of dead bodies – for example the corpses of executed criminals – granted by the government, which controlled the supply. Continue reading »
Thousands of Starlings Descend on Rigg, Scotland
Thousands of the birds have arrived to roost in the village near Gretna, Scotland, with the sheer weight of numbers causing disruption. Power supplies in the village have been affected by the number of birds perching on electricity cables. Starlings are among the most common of garden birds, and can be spotted in the Borders in “murmurations” throughout the Autumn period.
A murmuration of starlings above the the small village of Rigg, near Gretna, in the Scottish Borders, on November 25, 2013. The weight of the resting birds on power lines caused some power localised power outages in the village. Still one of the commonest of garden birds, its decline elsewhere puts it on the Red List of endangered species. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Wire) Continue reading »
Female Bodyguards Accept Brutal Training in China
Security Academy offers rigorous training course which includes aquatic training, martial arts, vehicle safety training and other necessary skills. With the rise of Chinese multi-millionaires, there are a sharp demand for the service of bodyguards. Whether the need is for safety purpose or as a status symbol, no one really cares. Many are lured into becoming bodyguards because of the high income. Even women are attracted to join the trainings since there are also demand for female bodyguards. The whole rigorous training covers a period of 13 days.
Photos: Female and male trainees run during a bodyguard training program at the boot camp of Genghis Security Academy in Beijing, China. (Photo by ImagineChina/The Grosby Group) Continue reading »
Drawings by Marcin Schleifer
Superb minimalistic drawings by Marcin Schleifer, an art craftsman from Poland. Continue reading »
A Design Award Winner DIY Calendar
A calendar with no rules and a playful usage for users to personalize. Continue reading »
ShotShell Limited Edition by Made by Ammo
Certain to be the last shot glass you will ever need, the ShotShell Limited is turned from brass. Loosely based on a shotgun shell, this perfect 1.5 fluid ounce vessel will not rust or break. While brass is a much softer material than stainless steel, it will develop character through slight dis-coloration and wear over time.
100% USA made. Ever. Period. End of Story. Continue reading »
Pocket Cats by Hiroko Kubota
How stunning and adorable are these embroidered pocket cats by Japanese artist Hiroko Kubota! Continue reading »
Hellfest Festival 2013
Photo by Cesar Hernandez.
Hellfest is an annual music festival which takes place in Clisson, France in mid-June. It is held within the Val de Moine sport complex in Clisson, approximately 35 km south-east of the city of Nantes, and approximately 400 km south-west of the nation’s capital Paris. Billed as an “extreme music festival”, the programme features a variety of heavy metal, hard rock, punk and hardcore act. Continue reading »
The Wood Art Of Mark Doolittle
Decorative Vessel “The Beauty Within”
This sculptural vessel was carved from a gourd. The relief carving contains a centrally inset orchid carved from wood (Basswood). The non-carved surfaces were covered by handmade paper and then wood-burned to create a stained-glass appearance.
Wood sculptures by Mark Doolittle Studio. Continue reading »
Russian Diamond Mines
City buildings stand beyond the giant excavated hole left by the Mir mine, a former open pit diamond mine, in Mirny, Russia, on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. OAO Alrosa, the world’s largest diamond producer, raised about $1.3 billion in an oversubscribed share sale from investors including Oppenheimer Funds Inc. and Lazard Ltd.’s asset-management unit, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said. (Photo by Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg) Continue reading »
Memory Suitcase By Yuval Yairi
Memory Suitcases is a thought-provoking series by Israeli artist Yuval Yairi that uses old, worn suitcases as canvases for nostalgic landscapes. Like scenes out of one’s memory, the propped up traveling cases feature a range of sepia-toned settings. The series presents the objects as though they are relics of a civilization from yesteryear, each with their own story to tell.
There’s something both heartbreaking and sentimental about the images. It appears to tell a number of stories of leaving one lifestyle for another. The suitcases hold within them a picture show of memories from a life-altering journey. Like a number of his other works, Memory Suitcases “mimics the natural process of memory.” Continue reading »
“Into The Mirror” By Luca Meneghel
Luca Meneghel is an italian photographer specialized in fashion and food photography with a background in design. He was born in Belluno the 19th. february 1989 and now he’s based in Bolzano. “Into the Mirro”r is a series of images that intersect reality and artistry through the fusion of lens captures and hand drawing. Continue reading »
Couple’s Creative Outfits for Wedding: World of Warcraft Costumes
A couple who got married in Taiwan made their wedding an all-out World of Warcraft extravaganza by forgoing the standard suit and white wedding dress for cosplay outfits. According to an article in Kotaku, the man, Craig, dressed up as King Varien Wrynn, while his wife, Zoe, cosplayed as Tyrande Whisperwind.
They reportedly tied the knot in these costumes and had some post-wedding shots taken in these outfits as well. Continue reading »
Batkid saves Gotham City
Five-year-old Miles Scott, who is in remission from leukemia, has the day of his young life as he becomes Batkid, saving Gotham City (really San Francisco) from crime on Friday. The day, which brought out thousands to watch and help, was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the City of San Francisco. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group) Continue reading »
International Balloon Festival in Mexico
Balloons take off over the Palote dam during the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Leon, Mexico, Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. More than 200 balloons from different countries participated in this year’s festival. (AP Photo/Mario Armas) Continue reading »
World Toilet Day 2013
While a vast majority of the world’s population has access to mobile phones, one third of humanity (2.5 billion people) do not have access to proper sanitation, including toilets or latrines, with dramatic consequences on human health, dignity and security, the environment, and social and economic development. To address these issues, the “Sanitation for All” Resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2013, designating 19 November as World Toilet Day
Indian social reform activist and founder of Sulabh Sanitation Bindeshwar Pathak (C) presents a 250-kilogram cake in the form of a squat toilet during a function to mark World Toilet Day In New Delhi on November 19, 2013. According to a 2011 census, some 131 million households in India have no latrine in their premises, with eight million using public facilities and 123 million defecating in the open. (Photo by Sajjad Hussain/AFP Photo) Continue reading »
The Kelpies: Mythological Horses Power Again through Scotland
An extraordinary work of art has just been completed in Scotland. The Kelpies by figurative sculptor Andy Scott surge upwards in steel, whinnying and snorting alongside the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal near the town of Falkirk. These fantastic beasts from Gaelic mythology have risen again as monuments to the horse-powered industrial heritage of Scotland. Continue reading »
Icelandic Dinosaur – Hvítserkur
Hvítserkur is 15 meters high cliff and protrudes out of the sea. The sea erosion has carved holes through its foundations and sculptured it in the unique shape it is today. Some say it is in the shape of a petrified monster. Continue reading »
Lady Gaga Unveils ‘Flying Dress’
Lady Gaga demonstrates the Volantis transport prototype “flying dress” designed by TechHaus – Studio XO during the ARTPOP album release and artRave event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Sunday, November 10, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/AP Photo/Invision) Continue reading »
Pencil Artist Marco Mazzoni
Italian pencil artist Marco Mazzoni‘s work goes far beyond technical perfection. His representation of historical healing women is enigmatic and sublime. Often leaving the eyes blank or covered with an abundance of birds, butterflies and flowers, he gives the impression of a deeper inward focused sight, as well as obscuring the identity of the individual.
Many female healers in the past – both medicine woman and midwives – were brutally persecuted by religion, some even burnt as witches… Mazzoni’s work captures their deep connection with nature and their innate power and femininity with delicacy and beautiful detail. Continue reading »
National Geographic Photography Contest 2013 Call for Entry
National Geographic invites photographers from around the world to enter the 2013 National Geographic Photography Contest. The grand-prize winner will receive $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2014.
Eligible contestants can visit www.ngphotocontest.com to submit photographs in one or all of three categories: People, Places and Nature. Entry fee is $15 (USD) per photo, and there is no limit to the number of submissions per entrant. Entries must be in digital format and submitted electronically. The contest, which is now open, ends Saturday, November 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET (U.S.).
“Eastern Screech Owls like to take over woodpecker nests that have been dug out over the years in pine trees, which are the main species of tree at this swamp. Fish and wildlife also paint a white ring around the base of a tree that has active nests in order to avoid when conducting controlled burns. Screech owls can range in height anywhere from 8-10 inches, so you have to have a sharp eye to find these little birds of prey. I spent the first few weeks of April this year photographing the grey morph screech owl that was living in the nest, and had no idea there were three owlets inside”. (Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge/National Geographic Photography Contest) Continue reading »
