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• Real Photography Competition
  by RedBubble

  This is really big! We’ve tracked down some of the coolest photography prizes we could find, passed the hat round the office for some b…

  This is really big! We’ve tracked down some of the coolest photography prizes we could find, passed the hat round the office for some bubblecash, stuck the megaphone out the window, and now we’re ready to launch the RedBubble Real Photography Competition. Prizes include: / – Leica M4-P plus 50mm F2 Summicron (or a Canon 400D + 17-85mm IS USM) / – Elinchrom D-Lite 4 – Studio Lighting Kit / – Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-40LR Head / – 15 x great photography books / – $2500 bubblecash There are five categories, and you can only enter once per category. Simply upload your entry and tag it as follows: 1) Landscape, Travel and Nature Tag your entry with landscapephotocomp 2) Portrait, Fashion and Commercial Tag your entry with fashionphotocomp 3) Black and White, Street, and Reportage Tag your entry with bwphotocomp 4) America Tag your entry with usaphotocomp 5) Europe Tag your entry with europephotocomp See www.redbubble.com/promo/photocomp for full details

• "REDBUBBLE Exposure"
  by Aphoto4You IPA

  Due to REDBUBBLE excistance and my PORTOFOLIO exposure on Redbubble BUYER contacted me from a known MAGAZINE and i have sold Ph…

  Due to REDBUBBLE excistance and my PORTOFOLIO exposure on Redbubble BUYER contacted me from a known MAGAZINE and i have sold Photo for Magazine COVER…for a awsome fee…Thank you Buyer and thank you Redbubble for having me here…Thank you all for supporting my work graciously… This is a Photo for magazine “OREGON SPECTACULAR“ / I am on CLOUD NINE and Oregon I BE THERE in 2008

• Volcanolotographer - Steve Axford
  by kathleen

  ...

  On occasion Mr. Axford has stirred the bubble cauldron with what some have coined ‘elitism’ due to the high standards that he expects of himself, but also from those around him, or at least a spark from the ‘photographer’ to understand commercial quality and what it means to the professional. Steve’s pursuit of the photographic eye has turned his attentions to some incredible scenes from below the equator. Jungles, volcanoes, poverty, sulfur mines. Scenes that are varied but most have some tinge of sadness, people studies from Indonesia show exactly how lucky we are… that makes me sad… tall growth forests that are being demolished… that makes me sad… hard working men emerging from massive green/yellow clouds of sulfur… that’s confronting! It’s the fungi and the volcanoes that Steve photographs which show a natural contrast in the delicacy and ferocity of our natural world. He’s even been known to do some conceptual portraiture, which he is better at than he would admit. As a big fan of the ‘volcanolotographer’ and the very competent (yet tough) co-moderator of the Wild Nature Group I interviewed Steve about what got him going, a sad story, what keeps him going and what he likes to see. Thanks to Steve for pouring his heart out… tripper! 1. Why do you do what you do…? / Do you mean why I take photos and why I take them of volcanoes, travel, people and fungi and things? A long story really, but here goes. / / Way back at the end of the last century – that would be about 10 years ago – my then wife, Pat, had just died of breast cancer and I was at a bit of a loss as to how to cope, when a travel brochure appeared in my letterbox. It was for adventure holidays, and among other destinations was one entitled “Volcanoes and Dragons”. I thought, that sounds different, so I booked myself on a 3 week adventure holiday traveling by fishing boat, bicycle and bimo from Flores to Bali. I didn’t even have a decent camera, so that bit comes a bit later. / / At that time I had been feeling a bit sick with stomach problems, so, just before I left for the holiday, I got a referral to see a specialist about it. I thought it was probably just a stress thing after Pat’s death; but apparently not. It seemed I had Hepatitis C. Now this was not good news as Hep C in 1998 was not a curable disease. / It seemed there was little I could do about it so I determined to carry on regardless and off I went to the volcanoes and dragons (the dragons being Komodo dragons). Since it was a malarial area, I thought that I’d best take some prophylactics and my doctor gave me some pills called Lariam. Lariam is out of favour now because it can cause some nasty psychiatric side effects, but the drug companies downplayed this at the time. It was a once a week pill and I had to take one a week before I left, which I did. A couple of days later I had an intense panic attack, which I thought was due to my general state of depression at the time and nervousness about traveling while sick. I recovered after a couple of days and flew to Jakarta. There were riots there at the time due to the monetary crisis which was expected to put 20 million people out of work in Java alone (can you believe that – the population of Australia!!), so I stayed in an airport hotel. I’d had my second lariam tablet the day I left, so it was working nicely when I arrived in Jakarta. That was some night. I started to “freak out” (I think this is the correct technical term) in my room and I felt I just had to get with some people or I would go mad. The journey from my room to the bar was terrifying as I felt totally lost and panicked the whole way. Eventually I found the bar and managed to relax by talking to the barman. He was a student who had had to quit studying when the monetary crisis hit. He traveled 5 hours, each way, to get to work every day. I was stunned and fascinated at the same time. I wanted to learn more about how people really lived in places like Java so maybe there where the people thing began, though I suspect the seeds were deeper than that. / / Anyway, I survived the night with the help of a couple of beers and a friendly barman, but then I had a long day’s travel the next day, first to Bali, and then on to Maumere in Flores. I was having panic attacks again, but managed to hold myself together for the flight to Bali. After waiting for 8 hours in Denpasar airport, they finally located a plane to take us to Maumere. I was starting to feel panicky again as I walked out to the plane. It was a Merpati airlines flight, though the plane was almost unidentifiable as all the paint seemed to be worn off and it was mostly down to bare metal. On board the seat I was in wouldn’t stop tilting as it was broken and the window had holes, both through the inner AND outer panes. Not surprisingly, we couldn’t fly above 3,500m as the pressurisation didn’t work; nor did the air conditioning so the plane was still very hot. / / Why am I talking about this flight? Well, perhaps it was because it was so intense and I was resigned to my life coming to an untimely and abrupt end on the side of an Indonesian mountain, ........ but then there was the volcano. We were flying through clouds when suddenly there was a clear patch. We were flying at about 3,500m, which put us 500m above a 3,000m volcano with the biggest crater I have ever seen. It was Tambora. The crater is 1km deep and 5km across and we were flying right along the edge of a 1000m cliff. I was suddenly no longer depressed or having a panic attack, I was just mesmerised. Check it out on Google Maps – it’s on Sumbawa in Indonesia and do a search on the eruption in 1816 that created that crater; it makes the Pinatubo eruption look like a fire cracker. The rest of flight was blissfully uneventful and I arrived safely on Flores to meet up with the tour group. On the first night the tour leader asked if anyone was taking lariam, because it was known to make people really paranoid. That was a huge relief to be told that, as I had thought I was genuinely going mad and this was “as good as it gets”. I stopped the lariam and the holiday was great and I had been reinfected with the travel bug and caught a new one, the volcano bug. / / The next 18 months was probably the worst part of my life. I was sick with Hepatitis and then sick with the newly developed treatment. I really did think that life as I knew may have ended and all I could do was just keep going and remember a line from Maxim Gorky’s writings – “Nothing lasts forever”. If it’s bad it will end, and if it’s good, appreciate it while it lasts. At the end of 6 months of chemotherapy (my last day was 31/12/1999) and a couple of months of recovery …..... I was cured!!!!! Now this was something to celebrate and to contemplate what really makes me tick. Travel was the first thing I planned. I went to Thailand, India and Burma that year and haven’t looked back since. I also bought my first digital camera and discovered that I could take the occasional good photograph – mainly because I found interesting things to photograph rather than having any wonderful artistic talent to be able to create something beautiful out of the very ordinary. I’ve never been able to do that. / / So that covers the travel, people and volcanoes, what about the fungi? Well, that’s just something that has been a passion of mine since I was a boy. I always loved searching for field mushrooms which were a popular meal in my family. Then, when I was a little older, I discovered magic mushrooms. I can’t say I liked eating them as they gave me a hell-of-a gut ache, but I loved searching for them and some of my friends were only to willing to take them off my hands. After I got my digital camera, and would go on bushwalks by myself I found that fungi actually made quite good subjects and there were many more varieties than just the grey or the golden ones. This became an excuse to go roaming around wet forests in Autumn and winter. / / Actually the photography is one big excuse to do what I love doing – travel, meeting people that seem so different but are really the same as us, climbing volcanoes and probably most of all, exploring the old growth forests of Australia and elsewhere. / / 2. What is your favourite subject? / Fungi – and volcanoes, and people, and – really anything that captures my imagination. I love macro photography because there are so many surprises and I love travel because it always stretches my imagination. 3. Volcanoes… which ones… why and how… how close have you been? / Not nearly as many as I would like. Krakatoa, Papandayan, Welirang, Bromo, Semeru, Keli Mutu all in Indonesia. Nyiragongo in Africa and Yasur in Vanuatu. Why? I happened to meet up with a couple of volcanologists who run volcano tours. First I traveled with them, and now I work with them – check it out http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/ Come along with me to climb 3 volcanoes (not too big) in Java in April or July. It’s a lot of fun and you get photo opportunities that even make me look good. Hope you don’t mind the plug. 4. What does quality mean to you? / An interesting question and I presume you are talking about photography. To me it means some real care and skill has gone into the production of the photograph rather than most of the effort into the marketing. It’s like seeing the difference between a David Attenborough documentary and the Funniest Home Videos. Both probably get similar ratings, but the Attenborough stuff is quality. Now some home movies are quality too, because the people who took them put in the effort to learn how to do it properly and have the talent to do it, even if they didn’t have the odd million or two to spend on the gear. I haven’t seen one of those on Funniest Home Videos. Quality isn’t anything to do with marketing. 5. Describe your love of nature… / Shit, describe it?. Nature is everything really. I think some people see man and nature as two separate things, but we are as much a part of it as the lions in Africa, or the fungi in a Tassie rainforest. I can’t understand how people can just stand by and allow so much to be destroyed, to gain so little. If we could bring back the Tasmanian Tiger I’m sure almost everyone would be overjoyed, but try to tell them that when the killed the last of them, We do know better now, but still we only seem to worry when the endangered species have big brown eyes like baby seals. It makes no sense to me. It’s like letting you fingers drop off because for just a moment you don’t need them.

• *THE TRUTH*
  by Mundy Hackett

  If anyone out there is wondering what in the hell has been going on with me and Redbubble over the past few weeks you can get a bit of an…

  If anyone out there is wondering what in the hell has been going on with me and Redbubble over the past few weeks you can get a bit of an idea by reading Peter’s Comments in regards to this matter HERE While Peter is obviously not in the habit of naming names, saying someone is right and someone is wrong, I think anyone with a good head on their shoulders and a bit of an objective mind can put two and two together. I think you all can figure out who these key players are, and what works have suddenly disappeared. I took alot of crap from alot of people in the community because you all did not know the facts of the case and I could not tell them to you. I still can not, but it should become blatantly clear now to everyone why I was so vehement in defending myself when I was called a liar, a jealous artist, an idiot, a person who is just mean and nasty for no good reason, someone who had no valid motive, etc. I am sure many of you who said such things still feel this way even after the truth in a somewhat vague and cryptic way has been spilled out by Peter and Redbubble. I had hoped that there would be a bit more forthcoming on the part of Redbubble and alot more accountability by the guilty party, but I will have to settle for what it is. I will still not be bringing my work back online because there were some assurances made to me by Peter as conditions of me keeping my work here that are clearly not going to be honored, and that is his perogitive. Nonetheless I felt I had a right to direct everyone to his thread in order to offer some clarity to all those who are confused or have been on the sidelines just wondering what in the hell has been going on. From my perspective it was never personal, it was all business. I went about it in the wrong manner, and now Redbubble is forcing me to take my medicine by way of taking away my group Natural Developments without consulting me or my membership. I think it is wrong as I was only responding to the attacks on me. I did not name any names nor did I ever instigate anything directly. the guilty always reveal themselves through vehement denials while offering no hard proof. This is exactly what happened here in this case. Redbubble was slow to act, but that is water under the bridge. I wish you all well, and at least you can know some of THE TRUTH

• Canadian Geographic
  by Bluetiger

  I came home today to find a nice surprise in my e-mail. / I entered this image in a contest put on by Canadian Geographic, and it won. It …

  I came home today to find a nice surprise in my e-mail. / I entered this image in a contest put on by Canadian Geographic, and it won. It will be published in the Jan-Feb. issue, and i won a Nikon Coolpix camera. : ) http://www.redbubble.com/people/bluetiger/art/164764-5-flyin-high Pam

• A Day With Puffins
  by Julie Langford

  Ok, so whats it all about? Skomer Island is what it’s all about. A small uninhabited island of the West coast of Wales in Pembrokeshir…

  Ok, so whats it all about? Skomer Island is what it’s all about. A small uninhabited island of the West coast of Wales in Pembrokeshire, which is a SSSI and haven for puffins, sheerwaters, razorbills, gray seals, voles and other sea birds and marine life. I have been itching to see a puffin for many years, and planned this trip earlier in the year, but had to cancel due to some back problems. The back trouble is still here, but when the Wales Rich in Beauty group set this island as a venue for a Redbubble meet – I decided what the heck – I’m going! So, we set off at 7.00 am in the morning, Marty and I, to take the 2 hour drive to Martin’s Haven. It was a foggy, muggy morning, so I dressed up warm in combats, jumper and hiking boots, to make sure that I wouldn’t be too exposed to the elements. We arrived at the bay and met up with Sue Davies, her husband Wayne, her two sons Shaun and Kyle and Brian Beckett, and we proceeded down to the jetty. It was a great start, with a nice little climb of bumpy steps to negotiate to get up onto the jutting rock to board the boat. We had a half an hour wait for the next boat, so we sat and chatted about Redbubble and about what we were expecting out of the island adventure – We all pretty much wanted to see the puffins! I started to get a little bored [waiting isn’t my strong point], and decided to take a look over the rock edge at the bay below. The day had changed dramatically, and the sun was high in the sky. It was casting a beautiful dancing light over the sea below – it was time to get the camera out! Light play on the waters edge at Martin’s Haven / Before we knew it we were boarding the boat. Each boat takes 50 people, and there are three boats travelling to the island each day. It was a bit of a squash, but lovely when we started off. The breeze was a great relief on what had by now become rather a hot day, so I just laid my head back on Marty’s shoulder and looked up to the sky. It was awesome. Within a few minutes, we were joined by this little fellow, who flew almost right above my head for most of the trip. Seagull Overhead / After about five minutes, we got our first view of Skomer Island – it looks pretty spectucular off in the distance, and I had a feeling of urgency come over me – I just couldn’t wait to get there! Skomer in the Distance / As we came into the landing bay of Skomer, I was totally blown away. There were puffins all over the place. The water was full of them, and so was the sky – it was pretty breathtaking. We all got off the boat and completed what was supposed to be the hardest climb of the day [more about that later] up the 100 steps and up the further walking climb to the welcome area. We were met by the island warden who eagerly took or landing fees before giving us a brief talk about the island wildlife and how to behave around it. So with the formalities over, it was time to go off and explore. Wayne was equipped with the island map, Sue and the boys were rearing to go, Marty was looking ok at this point and Brian and I hung back a little to take some photos – then, we were off to look for puffins. I took a shot of the bay below for you all to get some scope of the sheer numbers of puffins that were in the bay. They were all too far off to get a tidy closeup, but you can see their staggering numbers here. Puffins in the Bay / So we climbed even further, and we saw lots of puffins and sheerwaters on the opposite cliffs. All too far away to get a decent shot, but still wonderful to see. Sheerwaters on the Cliffs / We rounded a corner and saw a small group of puffins on the cliff edge below us. I got the large lens out and aimed, but they were still a little far off to get a close up. Puffins tending a burrow on the cliff edge / Was this as close as I was going to get to the puffins I thought? I hoped not, as the 300mm lens was just not going to do it! I felt a little disappointment come over me, as we had been here almost an hour now, and I had not got a decent view of a puffin. Nevertheless, onwards and upwards we went, and we reached a high point and WOW! I decided at this point, that this wasn’t a disappointment at all. Yes, it would be cool to see a puffin close up, but My Word, how could anyone be disappointed with views like these!!!! View over Skomer 1 / View over Skomer 2 / The views were simply breathtaking, and worth every minute of planning and travelling. I looked at the cloud overhead and thought, Jeez, I,m hot in this jumper – so off it came and I was then clad out in a little vest top – much cooler. Brian and I decided to take a little sit down to enjoy the views at this point. The others went on ahead towards The Wick, and we decided to catch them up a few moments later. After ten minutes, we were off again, and I kept looking for those puffins, hoping, praying, to find one close enough to get a good look. Around a corner, I looked down and saw a seagull sitting quite close by. Beautiful he was, but still – not a puffin! Seagull on the Cliff Edge / Brian and I went on, and started this almightly climb. We stopped half way up to look back, and we saw the others down below over in the distance – Opps, we had gone the wrong way :) We figured that we were already half way up this steep climb, so what the heck – we may as well keep going. As we reached the top and rounded a bend, We saw High Cliff in the distance. High Cliff / Ok, so the climb had pretty much taken it out of us, but we kept going, wondering – would there be puffins up on this cliff? As we got closer, and dropped over the top of the main rock – WOW – another feast for the eyes – Mew Rock, down below us! Mew Rock / Brian managed to get a lovely candid of me here – going as close as I dare. I was after a shot of some birds I could see over on the far right of this gigantic rock below me. Me on the cliff edge Copyright Brian Beckett / Birds in the distance on Mews Rock / Well Brian and I were knackered by this point – being the only heavyweights to try and get to the Wick, via the hard route [just kidding guys :)]. We decided to take another five minutes after our climb – which was far more tough than the 100 steps of earlier in the day. What was this I saw in front of me – Was this my first close up glimpse of Wildlife on Skomer – it sure was. Was it a Puffin? Nope, it was a Ladybird, but still beautiful / Ok, we thought we should probably try and catch up with the others now – they were probably wondering where we were, so we made off, and for once – we were going downhill – Phew!! We rounded a small clearing of rocks and both thought instantly – Ok, something good is happening down there! Photographers at the Wick / The landscape had changed dramatically. The ground was no longer covered in grasses and lichen covered rocks, but was a carpet of daisies. Daisy Carpets / We approached the line of photographers, but before we reached them, something caught my eye over to my left. I looked, and almost fell over – there it was, what I had been waiting for all day long – my first close encounter with a puffin. I stared aimlessly for the longest time, I couldn’t get a grip at all, I must have looked a right sight with my jaw dropped like that, just staring into the daisies. Composure came at last and I turned to Brian – he was already shooting like a madman, so I got myself comfortable on the floor, and aimed. This little guy was peeping out of his burrow, he was immensely cute, but still a good 15 feet away from us. Puffin Peeping / I sat there and watched as he bobbed his head a little, then went back in. I wondered, will he come out? Then, he made a little waddle over to the left, and WOW! a little mate popped her head out to meet him. It was a very tender moment to watch – mesmerising and so intense – I am very suprised that I managed to get the shot, I was shaking with excitement. Puffin Kisses / The little guy then decided to brave it, and come out a little further. Puffin Coming Out for a Look / Oh, a tad more / Oooooooo, then a little further still / then he was out / I was completely in awe! Almost in tears at what I was seeing – I had waited so long for this. I remember thinking at the time – how long it was going to take to prepare a Redbubble journal to document this event – it simply had to be shared! I was very suprised at how small the puffins were. I had only ever seen photographs of them and they had always seemed so big. They were not much bigger than a crow in real life, but they flew like little rockets. The little puffin that had braved it and come out, had a lovely stretch, and then he was off – darting up in the air and over the cliff edge before you could say jack. Puffin having a Stretch / At this point, we thought – Ok, so whats so hot down there where all those photographers are – and we made our way down towards them. There I was at this point thinking, I have had the highlight of my day, when a little puffin is standing right next to me, a few few feet away – growling at me LOL [more later about that]. The Wick, is a famous part of of the island, where the puffins are used to human presence. The rules of the island are quite simple – Stay to the paths, with no deviation. The ground at the wick is a carpet of daisies which is literally full of burrows. Stepping on this ground can collapse these burrows, so the need to stay to the paths is crucial. The wick is a sharp sheer drop into the sea, and the puffins were there in their thousands. The Wick / There is another strict rule on Skomer – it’s simple, and you have no choice to abide by it. The puffins know about it, and if you break the rule – They don’t hesitate in telling you about it. It is – Give way to Puffins! They drop off the cliff after leaving their burrows – diving for sand eels. They can get one, or a real mouthful :) Puffin with a packetful / They come into land on the cliff edge on one side of the path Puffin landing / Then they check if the coast is clear before running across to their burrow with the fish. Puffin Checking if its Clear to go / Once they have fed their chicks, they peer out of the burrow to check the path again. It is at this point that you must move over for them. They are used to the photographers in this spot, and the heavy gear, tripods and camera bags, they are ok with, but if the human doesn’t get out of the way – they growl at you, quite ferrociously and very loudly:) Puffin Peeping again / If, after the warning, you don’t move over and out of the way, they will sometimes come out and confront you – like this chappie – who was full of attitude. Confrontational Puffin / And if that doesnt work, they will even turn their back on you and squirt poop in your direction LOL – which travels very fast and quite a long distance – as Sue’s boys discovered at one point. Martyn at this point, was shattered after working late, and also had to leave for work in the early hours the next morning. He decided to go over to the picnic area in the middle of the island, and we would catch him up. Sue, Wayne, the boys and Brian decided to move off the wick a little to sit on a small bank to eat some lunch – I realised that Martyn had taken my lunch with him, but I didn’t care. As hungry as I was at this point, I could not pull myself away from these magnificent creatures. I went back onto the wick to get some more shots. Some more Puffins for you / After the others had finished their lunch, and we had spent about another hour with the puffins, we decided to catch up with Marty and have a sit down for a while. We were all tired and it was getting very hot. As we walked over, we stopped of at one of the small ponds and went in the hide, but there was nothing really to be seen other than seagulls at that point in the day. There are Short Eared Owls on the island and some falcons, but we didn’t see them on this visit. Along the way I came across a lovely little butterfly, and get a shot if it. None of us knew what species this butterfly was, and I said to Brian – Oh why the heck couldn’t it be a Red Admiral, nice and easy to identify. He suggested, due to it being a lot smaller, and less elaborate than the Red Admiral, that we should call it a Red Captain for now – and we laughed and decided, that is what it would be. The Red Captain / We found the farm on the island centre, but just before we got there I managed to get a great shot of Sue’s boys exploring. You can see by the clear sky how hot it was by this point – no cloud cover at all, and my shoulders and back were starting to feel like they were on fire. Shaun & Kyle / There was no sign of Marty at the farm picnic area. We saw a few benches, but he was nowhere to be found. Then I realised after about ten minutes of looking, that the ruins were actually open and you could go inside, where they were beautifully laid out with wooden tables and chairs, and a rain canopy – and of course, a Marty too. Was there anything about this island that was not beautiful? The Riuned Farmhouse picnic area / So after a bit of a sit down here – it was time to go back to catch the boat home. The walk was all downhill, which was great, and we arrived at the jetty half an hour early. There was a little rocky beach inlet that I had seen on the way in, where all the puffins were in the water, and I was glad that we had enough time to go down to see it. I took my boots off as my feet were barking and sat on a rock and paddled in the cool water. It was really refreshing. Then, out of the blue, and quite unexpected, I got another shot of some Skomer Wildlife – A Jellyfish. Jellyfish / I got my boots back on and turned to take one last look at the bay full of puffins, to find Sue’s son, in the perfect Photo Op. Admiring the View / So, it was one last climb and then we were on the jetty awaiting the boat. I had been trying all day to get a shot of a puffin in flight, and had failed miserably with the speed they were flying, but now the sky was alive with them. They were so fast, it was almost impossible to get them in the viewfinder, let alone focus, but I did manage one – its a little blurry, but I thought you may like to see it. Puffin Flying / Then, we were on the boat and on our way back. I had just one sinlge shot left in my camera, after using two CF cards. What would I use it on I asked myself, then I decided – I would take a nice shot of my partner in crime for most of the day. We had walked, sat, wondered, climbed and collapsed together through the whole day. We had shared the same experiences and been blown away by the same awe. So I used my last shot on Brian Beckett. Brian on the Boat / So there it is folks – that is Skomer Island for you. Brian and I have already talked about going back next year, for an overnight stay on the island – that way we should get to see the nocturnal land mammals and also the seals and dolphins in the evening – maybe even a couple of whales if we are lucky – I cant wait. Please visit the images that Brian took on the day Here Susan Davies hows her images Here and Wayne Davies shows his images Here I hope you have enjoyed reading this journal. I hope to have shared the experience with you all, as it was just too good to keep to myself. Jul

• Why put an image that offends animal lovers.
  by Cynthia Adams

  I am obviousl…

  I am obviously intrigued by he goings on at RB of late…but why does the image of a deer having it’s neck ripped out by a wolf have to prove that this was taken naturally in the wild?It has upset me immensely. / Lets’s face it..we all know nature and animals kill to survive,but to blatently make this accesable by a link is beyond me. / I have only one word for this and I find it totally distasteful. / Any programmes on TV are instantly switched off if there is any sign or warning about the killing of animals of any kind..I love animals far too much to see the predator capture and kill anything. / I am not naive by any stretch of the imagination..but to give this as an example is in my mind sickening. / I want to see animals alive and well,wether it be in captivity or in the wild…to actually photograph this leaves me speechless.

• Thank You to the 'Stillness Speaks' Group!!!
  by Jan Landers

  Many thanks to the Stillness Speaks Group’ for featuring ‘My Vision’!!!...

  Many thanks to the Stillness Speaks Group’ for featuring ‘My Vision’!!! This one is very dear to me, so I am truly honored that you chose it as a featured piece….. In gratitude, / Jan

• Dear Dad...
  by Kristy Lee

  My dad is very ill. He has been on and off for quite awhile but things are worse than ever now. This is a scary time. I’m having trouble …

  My dad is very ill. He has been on and off for quite awhile but things are worse than ever now. This is a scary time. I’m having trouble expressing what I’m feeling..but I need to post something here, for my Dad, to shout out to the world that I love you so very much Dad…. Last night / I was reminiscing with the stars / telling them how wonderful you are. / They said they would always look after you / and keep you in their hearts. I left the stars / and spoke with the moon / I told her how I loved you so / she said she would guide you / and protect you wherever you go. Today I spoke with the sun, / I told him about your warm and caring smile. / He said he would always shine on you / And follow you, no matter how far the miles. I left the sun / and talked with the clouds / telling them how you love your daughter / and that you make her very proud. They said they would always carry you / and lead you in the right direction. My Dear Daddy…you are in good hands. Please please please keep the faith. I love you.

• Petition for a posthumous Knighthood to be awarded to Charles Darwin
  by Nausinora

  http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/posthumous-knighthood-for-charles-robert-darwin.html

  http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/posthumous-knighthood-for-charles-robert-darwin.html

• "WOLVES are BACK and HUMANS are HOWLING"
  by Aphoto4You IPA

  WOLVES are back – HUMANS are HOWLING !http://images-3.redbubble.com/img/art/border:whitewithdetail/product:lamina…

  WOLVES are back – HUMANS are HOWLING Why i dont like humans? / U dont wanna know…but friend of mine send me this morning article that might make you stop and think …why do we have GLOBAL WARMING?, why the LARGE ICE CHUNK on Artica broke off? and why just why we wanna kill WOLFS?????? / Why do i go in wilderness away from civilization, why do i love animals…. / Because they dont DESTROY EARTH and we DO We need to stop this madness and writte to congressman and fight for wildlife / READ ON Gray Wolf Hunts Planned After De-Listing Off Endangered List: The federal government announced Feb. 21 that gray wolves will no longer be protected under the Endangered Species Act after their numbers increased sharply in the Northern Rockies following a 13-year restoration effort. Federal Endangered Species Act protection of the wolves was lifted Friday in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, giving those states management of the estimated 1,500 gray wolves in the region. Even though environmentalists plan to sue the federal government next month to restore wolf protections, hunts are already being scheduled by state wildlife agencies to reduce the wolf population to between 900 and 1,250. Idaho hunters will be allowed to kill between 100-300 of the animals this fall under a plan approved by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. The hunts are partly in response to increasing numbers of livestock being killed as the predators’ population has grown. “We manage big game for a living, we’re good at it,” said Steve Nadeau, who oversees large carnivores for the Idaho Fish and Game Department. “The world is watching and we know it.” Fish and Game estimates Idaho now has 800 gray wolves. Should the number of breeding pairs in Idaho fall below a target number, the animals could be brought back under federal protection. After a series of public shouting matches between wolf advocates and opponents, comments from Idaho Department Fish and Game officials on Friday seemed largely designed to reassure both ends of the debate. Cal Groen, director of the department, told reporters that his agency has already proven its ability to recover and maintain Idaho wolf populations. “We’ve exceeded all the goals the federal government set,” Groen said. But Doug Honnold, a managing attorney for the nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, disagrees. Honnold said the wolf populations won’t be fully recovered in Idaho and the northern Rockies until the animals number between 2,000 and 3,000. Earthjustice, which represents 12 local and national environmental groups, plans to sue the federal government next month to continue wolf protections. All three state plans to manage the wolves call for a reduction in their numbers, which will eventually lead to weaker breeding, Honnold said in a telephone interview from Bozeman, Mont. “We think that would be a disaster,” he said. “We’ve spent a lot of time, money and effort to promote wolf recovery.” Gray wolves were listed as endangered in 1973 after being hunted into near extinction, but the population has rebounded dramatically after restoration efforts began in 1995. The wolves were recently de-listed in the western Great Lakes, while the wolf population in the Southwest remains endangered. Wildlife biologists estimate there are now 41 breeding pairs in Idaho, in 72 packs. If that number falls below 10 breeding pairs, or 15 during a three-year period, the wolves could be brought back under federal protection. On Friday, Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed a bill to allow ranchers, outfitters and pet owners to kill wolves harassing livestock. The law gives owners up to 72 hours to report wolves they’ve killed after catching them annoying, disturbing or stalking animals or livestock. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press

• **Can everyone be creative?
  by RedBubble

  Where do creative talents come from? Can creativity be taught? This question has inspired philosophers, artists and academics. That …

  Where do creative talents come from? Can creativity be taught? This question has inspired philosophers, artists and academics. That ever-rolling nature vs nurture debate. Is it talent or is it training? Neurobiologists became intrigued by the subject after brain trauma patients reported previously undiscovered, and highly developed, creative talents. Which corners of the brain influence creativity? What holds it back or sets it free? Creativity popped onto the radar of corporates after research suggested employee productivity increases in a creative environment – that people will contribute more to their company if they’re given the chance to let their imaginations wander. But we are much more curious about your views on creativity… What do you think – can everyone be creative?

• So Cool !!!
  by micmac

  A bran new bubbler…Amanda Witt …bought me a card of «Soft White» …thank you so much Amanda for that beautiful surprise…Gigi…x / ...

  A bran new bubbler…Amanda Witt …bought me a card of «Soft White» …thank you so much Amanda for that beautiful surprise…Gigi…x

• Thanks !!!!!!!!!!
  by micmac

  Thanks to wonderful person who bought «Early Morning»…big kiss to you ….Gigi …alias…Micmac !http://images-1.redbubble.co…

  Thanks to wonderful person who bought «Early Morning»…big kiss to you ….Gigi …alias…Micmac

• What a surprise...
  by Eyal Nahmias

  What a pleasant surprise awaited me today. I just realized that my Wind Art !http://images-3.redbubble.com/img/art/size:small/view:main/4…

  What a pleasant surprise awaited me today. I just realized that my Wind Art image was chosen to be the avatar for the Collective Collage group. I am so excited. / Also my Arlington West image is the avatar for the Current Issues group, / and my Old Barn is the avatar for the Human & Nature group / What a wonderful way to start my day :-)

• Another surprise...
  by Eyal Nahmias

  Well, Was just informed a few hours ago that I was chosen as the featured artist for the Tropical Art...

  Well, Was just informed a few hours ago that I was chosen as the featured artist for the Tropical Art group, with my “hug” image as avatar. For the tropical art group members, a big thank you! and for all the RB community with their support a big thanks and appreciation. Here are the other group featured avatars: / / my Wind Art image was chosen to be the avatar for the Collective Collage group. / Arlington West image is the avatar for the Current Issues group, / Old Barn is the avatar for the Human & Nature group

• Cloth Serie - Spirit Guide
  by japu

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• 15 000 views!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  by Frank Legault

  Well, I started on Red Bubble sometim in August 2007, by Mach 2008, I finally reached 10000 veiws…Great achievement for me!!! But no…

  Well, I started on Red Bubble sometim in August 2007, by Mach 2008, I finally reached 10000 veiws…Great achievement for me!!! But now, 5000 more view within less than 3 months…That’s even better!!! It shows me that people on RB appreciate my work, and also, that I must’ve made some improvment… Anyway, Thanks to everyonw who commented, favorited, viewed and purchased my work…It is truly appreciated!!! Frank

• All UK Nature & Wildlife Photographers.
  by Richard Veal

  Hi all. Is it me, or this year, there is a lack of Starlings and Sparrows ?? In the Terrace where I live, (9 Cottages) not one of u…

  Hi all. Is it me, or this year, there is a lack of Starlings and Sparrows ?? In the Terrace where I live, (9 Cottages) not one of us has had any Sparrows nesting this year, and walking through the parks, Sparrows and Starlings are conspicuous by their absence. Have any more of you noticed this decline ?? Thanks. Richard.

• She Ate Stars For Breakfast
  by Imogene Munday

  She was beautiful. / An elegant and sophisticated creature of poise and corruption. / Starry chandelier skies were her backdrop and at curt…

  She was beautiful. / An elegant and sophisticated creature of poise and corruption. / Starry chandelier skies were her backdrop and at curtain call / Nobody knew what went on in her world. / Especially not me. I really can’t be blamed for wanting her and oh I / Wanted. Her. SO. Badly. / You’re asking me why then? Why did I do it? / You, sitting in your pristine office with white washed walls. / You, who have probably never experienced an emotion stronger / Than mild annoyance. / How could you ever possibly understand me? Now you’re staring at me like I’m mad. / I’m not. / These feelings are simply beyond your knowledge, / Even with all your fancy degrees strung up like a hunter’s prized kills, / You will never understand THIS case. / Maybe you’ll feel something more than mild annoyance then, / Maybe you’ll even get FRUSTRATED. You know, she wasn’t scared of me. Not really. I know that / deep down, she had always wanted something… which was simply MORE. / More than her old life consisting of nothing more meaningful than glamour, / More than simply teasing to please countless nameless, faceless people. / I did her a favour. / I gave her the something she was looking for. / I gave her more. She ate stars for breakfast when she was with me. Maybe I was dreaming, but one night she even whispered / I love you into my sleeping ear. / No – I was definitely awake. / And she undeniably loved me. Is ‘why’ the only word you can extract from your extensive vocabulary? / Surely you could pose the same question in a myriad of more interesting ways / Well, no matter. We will be together soon in a place where nobody can touch us. / Me and her. / An eternity at hand. And with that I bid you farewell doctor. —-—-—-—-—-—- yeah… i write occasionally :) this is a dramatic monologue XD do you get whats happening/happenned?

• Featured!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  by Marcus Grant IPA

  Wow another featture, Inner Space is featured in “Underwater and Seali…

  Wow another featture, Inner Space is featured in Underwater and Sealife So cool Thank you….

• Crows Series
  by Laurie McClave

  I thought I would put up some stuff together that I did as a series! / !http://images-3.redbubble.com/img/art/border:noborder/product:moun…

  I thought I would put up some stuff together that I did as a series! / /

• Woodland Adventures...
  by Adam Stone

  Hello :-) smiles happily Pretty much all of my time of late has been spent drawing… So much so I started to forget what sunligh…

  Hello :-) smiles happily Pretty much all of my time of late has been spent drawing… So much so I started to forget what sunlight looked like and dark shadows started to form under my eyes. Not a nice look… But! The weather here has been so beautiful, so warm and so alluring that I had to put my pencils down, put my trainers on and venture out into the woods. When i was a child i spent countless hours by myself playing around in the woods and streams… Amongst the trees i felt safe and strangely at home. I still love all things green and muddy so – i thought – why shouldn’t i play around in them now? I’m still a child at heart. And so… Amongst my drawings and writings and all things arty i’ve been enjoying tree climbing, stream jumping, shoe losing, t-shirt wetting, water splashing, muddy smelling madness. I know there is a lot of love for all things green and natural within our lovable redbubble community so i thought i would share some of my recent woodland adventures… Hurray for silliness! Oh… and this one below was me just after falling into the stream! I have seen some amazing trees, some were so incredible i will be using them as inspiration for a few new drawings. You know what would be wonderful? If this journal can inspire yourself to put on your wellys and go playing in a near by stream or randomly climb a tree. Maybe take your camera with you… You may just see something that inspires you to create your next masterpiece. Believe me… Its well worth it and it may just make you feel like a child again… Life’s far too short not to!

• Love of Nature Featured ...
  by eXposure

  Love of Nature / is featured in Stillness Speaks...

  Love of Nature / is featured in Stillness Speaks Such a lovely surprise thank you / Wendy