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First Things

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Featured Work

Ripples by Isa Rodriguez

I am reposting this one.. as it had “disappeared from the RB ”. is it floating somewhere.. ? over two thousand views.. over 293 comments.. and 94 favors.. they are gone.. pooh::) what s a woman to do . )o(..start all over again . he he slivers of silver under a dock in Cape Coral, Florida straight out up from the camera sony DSC H 7 handheld snapshot. hope it brings some joy of sparkles to you
Stoned by Jamie Lee

Please have a look at some of my other photos: / People/Portrait / Animals/Pets / Travel/Scenics / Flowers/Insects/Macros / BlackWhite / StillLife / Photoshop ~Image copyright © 2008 Jamie Lee. All rights reserved. / All photographs, images, and text by Jamie Lee is the exclusive property of Jamie Lee and is protected under United States and international copyright laws. Please note that copying, displaying or redistribution of this image without written permission from Jamie Lee is strictly prohibited. No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is also a violation of copyright. Please also visit my website for more images.. JmeLee.com
O Harpista e o Maestro. by marcarambr

Digital Art / Surrealism www.flickr.com/marcarambr
Sunkissed Sands by Jeff Clark

Sunset at a beach in De Haan, Belgium.
Going Down by BigD

Best View Larger! Featured in First Things group. / Featured in ImageWriting group. / Featured in 300+ Go Long! group. Taken in my backyard at the feeder. There was at least 20 bluejays feeding at the feeder and there was at least 30 mourning doves on the ground feeding as well. Even a gray squirrel was feeding there too. Canon 50D / Canon 400mm lens / Shutter Speed 1/750sec / Aperture-f-5.6 / ISO 400 Cool Facts / Thousands of Blue Jays migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes and Atlantic coasts, but much about their migration remains a mystery. Some are present throughout winter in all parts of their range. Young jays may be more likely to migrate than adults, but many adults also migrate. Some individual jays migrate south one year, stay north the next winter, and then migrate south again the next year. No one has worked out why they migrate when they do. / Blue Jays are known to take and eat eggs and nestlings of other birds, but we don’t know how common this is. In an extensive study of Blue Jay feeding habits, only 1% of jays had evidence of eggs or birds in their stomachs. Most of their diet was composed of insects and nuts. / The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or may be used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present. / Tool use has never been reported for wild Blue Jays, but captive Blue Jays used strips of newspaper to rake in food pellets from outside their cages. / Blue Jays lower their crests when they are feeding peacefully with family and flock members or tending to nestlings. / At feeders in Florida, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Florida Scrub-Jays, Common Grackles, and gray squirrels strongly dominate Blue Jays, often preventing them from obtaining food. / The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs. / The black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another. / The oldest known wild, banded Blue Jay lived to be at least 17 years 6 months old. / Habitat ForestBlue Jays are found in all kinds of forests but especially near oak trees; they’re more abundant near forest edges than in deep forest. They’re common in urban and suburban areas, especially where oaks or bird feeders are found. Back to TopFood OmnivoreBlue Jays glean insects and take nuts and seeds in trees, shrubs, and on the ground; they also eat grains. They also take dead and injured small vertebrates. Blue Jays sometimes raid nests for eggs and nestlings, and sometimes pick up dead or dying adult birds. Stomach contents over the year are about 22 percent insect. Acorns, nuts, fruits, and grains made up almost the entire remainder. Of 530 stomachs examined, traces of bird eggs and nestlings were found in only 6 stomachs, although a search was specially made for every possible trace of bird remains. Blue Jays hold food items in feet while pecking them open. They store food in caches to eat later. Back to TopNesting / Nesting Facts / Clutch Size / 2–7 eggs / Egg Length / 1–1.3 in / 2.5–3.3 cm / Egg Width / 0.7–0.9 in / 1.8–2.2 cm / Incubation Period / 17–18 days / Nestling Period / 17–21 days / Egg Description / Bluish or light brown with brownish spots. / Condition at Hatching / Naked and helpless, eyes closed, mouth lining red.Nest Description / Open cup of twigs, grass, and sometimes mud, lined with rootlets. Nest Placement TreeBlue Jays build their nests in the crotch or thick outer branches of a deciduous or coniferous tree, usually 10-25 feet above the ground. Male and female both gather materials and build the nest, but on average male does more gathering and female more building. Twigs used in outer part of nest are usually taken from live trees, and birds often struggle to break them off. Birds may fly great distances to obtain rootlets from recently dug ditches, fresh graves in cemeteries, and newly fallen trees. Jays may abandon their nest after detecting a nearby predator. © Isidor Jeklin / CLO / Back to TopBehavior Ground ForagerThis common, large songbird is familiar to many people, with its perky crest; blue, white, gray, and black plumage; and noisy calls. Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems, and have tight family bonds. They often mate for life, remaining with their social mate throughout the year. Only the female incubates; her mate provides all her food during incubation. For the first 8–12 days after the nestlings hatch, the female broods them and the male provides food for his mate and the nestlings. Female shares food gathering after this time, but male continues to provide more food than female. Some individual nestlings begin to wander as far as 15 feet from the nest 1-3 days before the brood fledges. Even when these birds beg loudly, parents may not feed them until they return to the nest; this is the stage at which many people find an “abandoned baby jay.” If it can be restored to or near the nest, the parents will resume feeding it. The brood usually leaves the nest together usually when they are 17-21 days old. When young jays leave the nest before then, it may be because of disturbance. The jays are usually farther than 75 feet from the nest by the end of the second day out of the nest. Young remain with and are fed by their parents for at least a month, and sometimes two months. There is apparently a lot of individual variation in how quickly young become independent. Blue Jays communicate with one another both vocally and with “body language,” using their crest. When incubating, feeding nestlings, or associating with mate, family, or flock mates, the crest is held down; the lower the crest, the lower the bird’s aggression level. The higher the crest, the higher the bird’s aggression level; when a Blue Jay squawks, the crest is virtually always held up. Blue Jays have a wide variety of vocalizations, with an immense “vocabulary.” Blue Jays are also excellent mimics. Captive Blue Jays sometimes learn to imitate human speech and meowing cats. In the wild, they often mimic Red-shouldered and Red-tailed hawks, and sometimes other species. Blue Jays are disliked by many people for their aggressive ways, but they are far less aggressive than many other species. In one Florida study, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Florida Scrub-Jays, Common Grackles, and gray squirrels strongly dominates Blue Jays at feeders, often preventing them from obtaining food, and Northern Bobwhites, Mourning Doves, White-winged Doves, Northern Mockingbirds, and Northern Cardinals occasionally dominated them as well. Sometimes Blue Jays mimic hawks when approaching feeders. This may deceive other birds into scattering, allowing the Blue Jay to take over the feeder, but most birds quickly return after the jay starts feeding. Blue Jays carry food in their throat and upper esophagus—an area often called a “gular pouch.” They may store 2-3 acorns in the pouch, another one in their mouth, and one more in the tip of the bill. In this way they can carry off 5 acorns at a time to store for later feeding. Six birds with radio transmitters each cached 3,000-5,000 acorns one autumn. Their fondness for acorns and their accuracy in selecting and burying acorns that have not been infested with weevils are credited with spreading oak trees after the last glacial period. Despite being common, conspicuous birds that have been studied by many researchers, much about Blue Jays remains a mystery. This is the only New World jay that migrates north and south, and large flocks are observed flying over many hawkwatch spots, along shorelines, and at other migration overlooks, but their migration is very poorly understood. Some individuals remain year-round throughout their entire range, and at least some individuals depart during spring throughout their entire range except peninsular Florida. Migrating flocks can include adults and young birds, and recent analyses of movements of banded jays indicate that there is no age difference between jays that migrate and jays that remain resident. The proportion of jays that migrate is probably less than 20 percent. Back to TopConservation / status via IUCN / Least ConcernBlue Jays do well around humans, and their populations are secure. The most frequent cause of death associated with humans comes from attacks by cats and dogs. Credit given to, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Spice of Life by Georgie Hart

Tempting offerings in Istanbul’s Spice Market. Featured in First Things.
Lacy Rust by DebraLee Wiseberg

Abstract or rust on metal. Nikon D200, Nikkor 24-120mm /
Bridge by Mrswillow

This is the third bridge painting I have completed lately. Reason …to raise money in order to save the much loved structure..even though it will be just part of the walking trail. / Seymour ,Victoria . Australia Materials: Oil on canvas. / Size: Approx. 20cm x 50cm
Ghosts of the Lotus by Nadya Emanuel Johnson

Everybody should have his personal sounds to listen for – sounds that will make him exhilarated and alive or quite and calm…. One of the greatest sounds of them all – and to me it is a sound – is utter, complete silence. ~Andre Kostelanetz The first signs of winter fall across the marsh… only memories of the lotuses are left. FEATURED in FIRST THINGS

Recent Work

Allergic To Cat Hair by Trudi's Images

Must be awful when you can’t even escape from yourself ! Canon 450D / 70/300 mm lens / Focal BW with a Sepia filter / Grain effect
Boys Boys Boys by Tracey McKenzie

My three sons :)
Halloween Celebration in Salem, MA by Monica Scanlan

Halloween is a huge celebration in Salem, MA (known for the witch trials). The fair took place in the Salem Commons. Nikon D300 PSE 7 /
Baby blue eyes by Tracey McKenzie

My youngest son has the most amazing blue eyes that look right into your soul… bless him
Entrance door, detail by Vida

Royal Towers at Atlantis, Bahamas
Firery Sunset by Robert Burns

Abstract Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
'The Fork in the Road...' by Scott Bricker

This is a intersection of carriage roads in Acadia National Park, just up from Jordan Pond…the one to the left goes to the amphitheater, and around the mountain…the one to the right continues around the lake…these ‘carriage roads’ were built by the Rockefellers when they owned Mt. Desert Island, used by the ultra-rich purely for their amusement…now great places for easy hiking, horses, and riding bikes (and walks with your dog!)... they wind though the park, placed and built so that they aren’t seen from overlooks, etc… This image brings to mind lyrics from Dan Fogelberg’s “Nether Lands”... ”...Once in a vision / I came on some woods, / And stood at a fork in the road… / My choices were clear, / Yet I froze with the fear / Of not knowing which way to go… / One road was simple, / Acceptance of life… / The other road offered sweet peace… / When I made my decision, / My vision became my release.”........ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I stand at the ‘fork in the road’... ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: / High on this mountain / The clouds down below / I’m feeling so strong and alive / From this rocky perch / I’ll continue to search / For the wind / And the snow / And the sky / I want a lover / I want some friends / And I want to live in the sun / And I want to do all the things that I / never have done. / Sunny bright mornings / And pale moonlit nights / Keep me from feeling alone / Now, I’m learning to fly / And this freedom is like / Nothing that I’ve ever known / I’ve seen the bottom / And I’ve been on top / But mostly I’ve lived in between / And where do you go / When you get to the end of / your dream? / Off in the nether lands / I heard a sound / Like the beating of heavenly wings / And deep in my brain / I can hear a refrain / Of my soul as she rises and sings / Anthems to glory and / Anthems to love and / Hymns filled with early delight / Like the songs that the darkness / Composes to worship the light. / Once in a vision / I came on some woods / And stood at a fork in the road / My choices were clear / Yet I froze with the fear / Of not knowing which way to go / One road was simple / Acceptance of life / The other road offered sweet peace / When I made my decision / My vision became my release. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Canon EOS T1i, 18/55mm, auto / near Jordan pond, Acadia National Park, Mt. Desert island, Maine US / October, 2009 / 4752×3168pixels ~ use large view, please ~ thanks for the look, my friends Serious Fun Studios ~ fractal art images and photography Fractal Art Prints & Products by SBricker @ Zazzle fractal art by SBricker @ devientART Scott Bricker at Fine Art America Scott Bricker’s art at Art Wanted.com
The arches by Vida

Royal Towers at Atlantis, Bahamas
Night Reflections by Detlef Becher

Municipal hall in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. Taken August 2007 with Minolta DiMAGE S414. / / /
The walls of Atlantis by Vida

Paradise Island, Bahamas
Little tree by carlosramos

Enlarge for best view, look closer at the branches it look like a 3d. Tree 3d / Location : Opelika, Alabama / Technique: Manual f/13 iso 200 Exp.time 1/400 / Equipment : Nikon DX / Workflow : raw 1 shot / Edit : Lightroom,Photoshop / Lens : 18.0-55.o mm

This group is to portrait everything that has left a lasting first impression in your life. It could be a journal entry, your first picture, your first picture that made it to the Homepage, your first feature, first kiss, first sports team you like, first lights of the day, your first child, your first creation, your or someone else’s first wedding, the first flower of Spring you photographed, the first time you captured art that moved you, your first love, your first painting, first t-shirt, etc. Be creative…

Note: Art Works and Pictures are accepted also Collabs or photo manipulations as long as they are in tune with the groups motto First Things First of course.
Also if you entered your work in multiple challenges do not be afraid of entering those works into the group at the same time.

If is an abstract concept a brief description will be helpful on why this should be considered a “First”. Remember, this could be your first great picture, no matter when, the very first picture for example that you took in a particular style that you are proud of…

The main objective of this group is to promote and maintain our creative minds constantly finding things that are new to us with a childlike curiosity and an open mind in order to better see people, things and places as if you had just seeing them for the first time. To Challenge ourselves to think outside of the box and create something unique and new for the first time.

How will the audience look at a picture if you could capture that feeling? Will your art transfer the feeling for the first time to someone else? How does your art move others to see it as if they had just seeing it for the first time almost through your eyes?

Remember that...First is a Metaphorical Term as well as an actual term. First also means Superb work that is considered Number One! Also first to break barriers, first to stand out for something…Actually is not boxed into just one meaning, just like Art…

Let us challenge our imagination
Lets put life’s puzzle together

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The Future of our beautiful planet is in our hands We can choose to be either a destructive or constructive force of change; Its called Free Will. Stop dreaming about it and make it a reality. Lets carry the weight and reconstruct.... He has already carried the weight for our souls. WaleskaL

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