National Geographic's "Found" on tumblr

Check out National Geographic's very own tumblr page, "Found" here! It features amazing photography content, updated often.

 

Adrift by Simon Christen & A Tribute to San Francisco

Adrift is a wonderful time-lapse photography project that Simon Christen, completed over the course of 2 years. One of the most interesting, peaceful, and beautiful cities in the world, San Francisco is done proper justice in this awe-inspiring short film. Enjoy!












And now, a Mayer Hawthorne tribute to the classic Tony Bennett song about the greatest city on Earth.

Animals of Earth

Aloha ahiahi! How is everyone's week going so far? Hopefully we're all getting things checked off our to-do lists so we can enjoy the weekend at its finest. Today I bring you some breathtaking images submitted to National Geographic and chosen as the "Photo of the Day: Animals" category. Below are a few of my favorites from the recent batch of photographs, perhaps you'll find a few that suit you.

When I look at wild animals I cannot help but feel a strange sense of calming centeredness. The very idea that these living beings can live free and pure, not bound by moral or social constraints like we humans, is really quite enviable to an extent. Would you not agree? They simply, Live. Have we forgotten how to do the same? And is this the fundamental basis for our divergence as a species from the natural course of human harmony with the living planet? Perhaps the "modernizing" human race (and a continuously evolving, if not already highly evolved, one -- in our own boastful minds of corrupted social priorities and incessant hubris) has almost fully transitioned from a symbiotic relationship with the Earth into a parasitic one?

Our human capacity to actualize our thoughts and seize our environment for our consumption has overshadowed our classic endeavor to master the art of simply being. What gives your life purpose? And how do you contribute to Life in this world? Deep thoughts, my friends. But as humans, this is our higher calling. Is it not?

30 Abandoned Places That Look Truly Beautiful

More specifically, an eerie tone of beauty which lies in the mystery of human desolation. Because we are mortal beings, we are an amnesic species from generation to generation; and our past is nearly as mysterious as our future. What we can remember, marks the capacity of human knowledge. What we have yet to learn, marks the capacity of human potential.

Incredible. Isn't it?


Craco, Italy.

15 Surreal Satellite Images of Earth

The impact and devastation that human beings are capable of incising upon the Earth is astounding. Here are some incredible satellite images of specific events caused by human activity that have left lasting scars on the planet. In terms of a macroscopic analogy, it appears that the Earth is suffering from a virus or cancer of the human variety.

Below is a before-and-after comparison of the exponential growth of Las Vegas -- an artificial human playground in the middle of a non-sustainable desert.

Santo & Johnny - Sleepwalk

Happy Easter from Yoks out here on the westside. Have a wonderful week. Stay cool, and keep them vibes alive ~

20 Amazing Cloud Formations

How incredible are the natural phenomena of the Earth!
We find absolute beauty in its purest form
when we realize the fact that the Earth never tries to be,
but simply is.

We find utmost tragedy in its purest form
when we realize that humankind prevents
itself as a whole
from reuniting with this true and steadfast peace.

We too should strive to learn,
to live in a way that emulates the beautiful balance
of simply being.
Perhaps, at the root of things, this is enlightenment.

Oneness.

Here are 20 amazing cloud formations captured on camera.

National Geographic -- Extreme Photo of the Week

Here's a little something the adrenaline junkies and photogs will surely enjoy. The National Geographic website selects an extreme photo of the week and posts them here for all to enjoy. There truly are no limits to what the human body/mind/soul can accomplish. If only our species could invest the same amount of energy into our interpersonal relationships...

Imagine what a world that would be.

Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions

Here is a brilliant piece of work from Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti produced from the convergence of art and journalism. Although these portraits are obviously staged, the juxtaposition of the photos taken of children around the world do succeed in telling a story and evoking quite the emotional response. Actually, what makes these images so profound and philosophically powerful, are the questions they elicit:

Why are we as individuals the way we are?
Is who we are predominantly defined by where we are from?
Are we predestined to become a product of our environment?  

At the same time, the photos portray a stunning depiction of the very raw, and life-affirming tragedy of global inequality. As a friend said, "Simple, yet cogent."  

Tilt-Shift Crazy

I finally got around to leaning how to create these awesome miniaturized style photographs on photoshop. I've included the how-to below so you can learn how to create your own tilt-shifted photos too. Have fun!












1. Enter Quick Mask Mode in Photoshop by pressing Q on your keyboard.

2. Make sure that your foreground color is set to black and the background color is set to white. If they are not, you can reset them to this setting by pressing D on your keyboard.

3. Select the Gradient tool by pressing G on your keyboard. If the Paint Bucket tool is set as the default, simply click and hold down the mouse button over the Paint Bucket icon, then select the Gradient tool icon.

4. Set the gradient to “Reflected Gradient” and the gradient type to “Foreground to Background”

5. Move the mouse cursor to a focal point of the image. This is the part of the image that you want to make appear to be the most clearly miniaturized. Hold Shift, click and hold the mouse, then drag the cursor vertically to about halfway up the picture and release. For scenery pictures a good guideline is to drag the cursor from your focal point to about where the skyline meets the horizon. 6. A red gradient will appear. This is why it is necessary to be in Quick Mask Mode.

7. Exit Quick Mask Mode by pressing Q on your keyboard. The red gradient will disappear, and in its place, the image will now appear with a selection around the area of the focal point.

8. Now apply a lens blur to the image. Select “Filter” then “Blur” and click on “Lens Blur”

9. The Lens Blur dialogue box will open. Apply the following settings to the blur--set the “Shape” to “Hexagon”, set the “Radius” to “15", set the “Threshold” to “245” and set the “Distribution” to “Uniform”. If you’d like, you can play with these settings until you achieve the desired effect. Click OK to apply the blur.

10. The image should now look blurred with a clear area where you selected your focus point. Now, deselect the selection around the focal point by clicking “Select” then “Deselect” or by pressing “Ctrl + D” (on a PC) or “Cmd + D” (on a Mac).

11. Open the Hue and Saturation settings for the image by selecting “Image” then “Adjustments” and clicking “Hue/Saturation” or by pressing “Ctrl + U” (on a PC) or “Cmd + U” (on a Mac)

12. Set the Saturation to roughly 25 to 35. You can also play with this setting until you get the desired effect.

13. Click OK to apply the Saturation change. Objects in the image should now appear miniaturized or toy like in their appearance.

And here is a different, supplementary site for learning how to create the tilt-shift effect.

More Amazing Photography Shots Of Our Beautiful World

Here are some more incredible places around the world that would fit nicely into anyone's bucket list. If the opportunity never arises for you to travel, try and find a way my friends! Life is meant to be lived! And the world is your playground. Happy adventuring, and Safe travels~

The Beautiful Earth

Isn't the Earth amazing!  There are many planets in our corner of the universe, but this one is ours.  She is our planet, our lifesource, our home.  We belong to her, we are a part of her.  Our physical and spiritual mother, she provides everything we could ever possibly need.  Our souls breathe the lifeforce that embody her living spirit.  We are alive because she is alive.

25 PLACES THAT LOOK NOT NORMAL, BUT ARE ACTUALLY REAL

ʻO ka ʻāina ke kumu. 

A Toast!

Here's to those like you and me:
Constant scholars and connoisseurs of the fine arts. Critics of premiere human expression delivered in many a medium, ranging from the purely refined to the utterly distasteful. Our undying curiosity for the human condition and psychological motive wanders from day to day continuously searching for the answer to the inevitable question: "Why?"