March 20th, 2012
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Buddhist monks sit next to candles and chant en masse during a lantern lighting ceremony to mark Makha Bucha Day at Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani province, Thailand, on February 25, 2013. Makha Bhucha Day is observed during the full moon of the third lunar month and commemorates the day when Buddha personally ordained 1,250 Arahant disciples.
Photograph by Patrick Giraud
The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures.
The building, which was never completed, was constructed from 1519-1547 by King François I in part to be near to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, wife of Julien de Clermont, a member of a very important family of France, whose domaine, the château de Muides, was adjacent. Her arms figure in the carved decor of the château.
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and Château d’Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona. Some authors claim that the French Renaissance architect Philibert Delorme had a considerable role in the château’s design, and others have suggested that Leonardo da Vinci may have designed it.
During the Second World War, artworks from the collections of the Louvre and Compiègne were moved to Château de Chambord. The château is now open to the public for visitation. [Source: Wikipedia]
Photo credit: Gary Hershorn / Reuters
The full moon outshines the sparkling Manhattan skyline as seens from Hoboken, New Jersey, on February 25, 2013.
Born and living in Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland, Stephen Emerson is a Photographer who has passion to capture landscape, wildlife and nature.
Photograph by Simo Räsänen
In this fantastic capture we see Vøringfossen, one of the most famous waterfalls in Norway, and Måbødalen, a wild and narrow valley located in Eidfjor, Hordaland. The waterfall drops a total of 182 meters (597 ft) with a major drop of 145 meters (475 ft).
Although there are numerous ways to experience the waterfall and the vertical-walled valley, most people will view the falls from the upper and lower lookouts. A path from the scenic national tourist route through Hardanger (Rv 7) leads to the foot of the waterfall. The old road, constructed between 1887 and 1924, winds up the mountain side in 125 hairpin bends. [Source: visitnorway.com]
Photograph by PCloadletter26 on Reddit
In this beautiful sunrise we see the shadow of Mt. Rainier being cast upward to the sky and clouds above. The photograph was taken by Redditor PCloadletter26 who says it was the last sunrise of 2012.
The view is from Tacoma, Washington USA. During Autumn and Winter, the sun rises farther to the south around winter solstice and Mt Rainier can block the first rays of the morning, casting the brilliant shadow you see above.
Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States with a summit elevation of 14,411 ft (4,392 m).Tacoma is on Washington’s Puget Sound, 32 miles (51 km) southwest of Seattle. The population was 198,397, according to the 2010 census. Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier, originally called Mount Tahoma. It is known as the “City of Destiny” because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century. [Source: Wikipedia]
Picture of the Day: Casting an Upward Shadow «TwistedSifter.
Photographer Mark Laita was shooting snakes for his book, Serpentine. And marvelous photographs indeed. They are shot against black background and really bring out the shape, color and texture of those awe inspiring royal creatures.
via Those Snake Photographs Are Amazing, Price Was A Black Mamba Bite | DIYPhotography.net.
