amongst the ruins in MachuPicchu

glass tulips illuminated with various neon lights would certainly make a wonderful piece of contemporary art, but this is actually a closeup photo of a Grecian Windflower. in between the bumpy center cone and the outer petals, is a ring of many stamen with short filaments. zooming in extra tight on the area where the anthers (top part resembling mini-tulips) connect with the filaments (supporting stems), and adding in a micro-spotlight to make everything sparkle, you then get a shot like this. each filament (stems seen at the bottom) measures around 0.0062 inches in diameter which is a tad thinner than a bristle on a toothbrush.

Toward the end of each summer, I try to go out and chase butterflies. Partially just to capture something delicate and enchanting and partly just to stay in shape by constant lugging equipment from spot to spot trying to capture close-ups as they flutter around in the wild. It's not often that one can get camera gear between a bloom and a feeding butterfly. With this unique perspective, the large and colourful insect has a more slimline stealthy appearance while it feeds on this zinnias nectar.

Banyan tree silhouettes and reflections in Horseshoe Lake (southern Illinois) during sunset

evening sun peeking through the sides of a Banyan tree forest immersed in a picturesque swampland

it is rare that i photograph man-made things when i'm traveling around looking for beautiful things in nature, but artistic construction like this will make it into the photo collection.

looks like these two males are chatting about their upcoming fish lunch (Aleutian Islands)