Friday, January 31, 2025

Day 4541: Winning Close-up Photography & Ethan, My Boyfriend.


"Terrorized": ballpoint & graphite





  

Want music?


    

Click:  Black Pumas, Colors


 

2GN2S
Winners of Close-Up Competition

1st place in Young category: Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco, “Spring” (2023). A European bee-eater in mid-flight with an insect in its beak, Southern Spain. 

A striking silhouette of two fighting stag beetles takes the top prize in the 6th annual Close-Up Photographer of the Year contest, capping a group of category winners and finalists that showcase an array of natural phenomena in astonishing detail.

1st place in Insects category and overall winner of CUPOTY 6: Svetlana Ivanenko, “Clash of the Titans.” Two stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) battle for dominance in the Voronezh region of Russia

Among many favorites, Yong Miao’s beautiful shot of a damselfly perched on a stone near a waterfall won the Insects category, Barry Webb’s capture of an ear-pick fungus topped the Fungi & Slime Moulds category, and Gabriel Jensen’s portrait of a fish in the toothy mouth of a predator took the top spot in the Underwater category.

1st place in the Butterflies & Dragonflies category: Yong Miao, “Damselfly by the Waterfall.” A damselfly (Archineura incarnata) rests on a rock amidst a flowing waterfall in Tianmushan Nature Reserve, Zhejiang Province, China

1st place in Fungi & Slime Moulds category: Barry Webb, “Ear-Pick Fungus” (2023).
 A 15mm tall ear-pick fungus growing on a pine cone, New Forest, U.K.

Winner of Underwater category: Gabriel Jensen, “Everything’s A-OK.”
A doctorfish struggles in the jaws of a lizardfish, Kona, Hawaii

A jury of 25 experts, comprising scientists, editors, naturalists, journalists, and photographers, narrowed down 100 images from more than 11,000 entries. Photographers in 61 countries submitted photos of a wide range of animals and environments, capturing dramatic behaviors and fascinating habitats. See all the top photos in the competition’s online gallery.


2nd place in Underwater category: Jenny Stock, “Search for the Dragon” (2020). A leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) swims with a school of rough bullseye fish (Pempheris klunzingeri), Rapid Bay, South Australia

2nd place in Young category: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, “Afternoon Snack” (2024). A robber fly (Asilidae sp.) feeds on a flesh fly (Sarcophagidae sp.), Brandenburg, Germany

3rd place in Fungi & Slime Moulds category: Jamie Spensley, “Sandy Mushroom” (2024). A mushroom covered in sand on Holywell Bay Beach, Cornwall

2nd place in Invertebrate Portrait category: José Manuel Lois Rial, “Stauropus Fagi” (2023). A lobster moth caterpillar (Stauropus fagi) on a tree branch in the photographer’s garden, Spain


I got mail from my boyfriend today. 




How thoughtful is he?
 
I guess Ethan must have heard me saying that I often have trouble opening jars. The arthritis in my hands has overtaken the strength. And so, a jar opener, how kind. Ethan really is wonderful. He has had some health problems but is well now and gets along fine with only three legs. Sometimes I think he doesn't realize, as he is able to do everything. He is lucky to have the best, caring family. We don't get together very often, but that spark is still there. I would love to have him live with me, but his family can't live without him. And so we e-mail through his secretary. This is my first gift, I feel so blessed. 

Ethan








 

  
 
A 2  minute video, The Wall, here
 
 
 

  
 
Just because ...

Common Grackle


 

Friday's Smiles ... 




   














  
  

   

2 comments:

elenor said...

Today's blog is again a feast for the eye, Jacki! Just wonderful.
Happy weekend!

jacki long said...

Thanks so much Elenor, have a great weekend.