After having had their lunch, one lion and one lioness stand in guard while the rest of the pride rests on the shade, unseen. From the top of the boulder the “guards” are on a privileged position to defend their territory and to identify potential “candidates” for a joyful dinnertime. They certainly seemed to be resting and enjoying life!
Lions (“Panthera leo”) sleep for 16 to 20 hours a day. They most often hunt at dawn or dusk, but can adapt to their prey to change their schedule.
The lion is the most social of all wild felid species and a lion pride consists on average of 15 lions, comprising a few adult males, related females and cubs. Females form the stable social unit in a pride and do not tolerate outside females. Membership changes only with the births and deaths of lionesses.
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Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
© All rights reserved Rui Baptista. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
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The view of two minuscule silhouettes in this dramatic landscape was quite striking.
This shot was taken with a Fuji GFX100S camera and a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens.
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Acantilados de Guadamía, Astúrias, Spain
© All rights reserved Rui Baptista. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
Tags: Acantilados Guadamía Acantilados de Guadamía Astúrias Asturias Llanes Spain Cliff Alien Landscape Seascape
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Speaking of volcanoes…
(This is shot #2 in the series - for the previous one use this link: www.flickr.com/photos/142581467@N05/50509023106/in/datepo...)
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Having spent the day in Faial Island where we visited the Capelinhos volcano site, we had just returned to Pico Island by ferry (a 40 minutes crossing to cover the 7km distance from both Azorean islands) and headed to a seaside restaurant for dinner. By then we were unaware of the spectacle awaiting us.
At sunset, with Faial Island’s silhouette on the background, the sunlight seemed to burst from roughly the direction of the site of the Capelinhos Volcano where we had been and after a few minutes turned into a concentrated golden light that is starting to illuminate the clouds from below and pouring its light on Faial Island and the sea, creating a beautiful effect on the scene.
Needless to say, dinner was severely disturbed by the need to record the beautiful show!
This is the second of a series of three images of this magical sunset. Stay tuned for what’s to come on the last one…
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Pico Island, Azores, Portugal
© All rights reserved Rui Baptista. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
Tags: Pico Island Faial Island Azores Portugal Pico Faial Island Golden hour Sunset Landscape Seascape Capelinhos Ponta dos Capelinhos Volcano Gold Silhouette Golden light Madalena elitegalleryaoi bestcapturesaoi aoi
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#3 on explore (www.flickr.com/explore/2022/09/02)
Everytime I look at the photos I took here, they immediately remind me of scenes from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Taken at sunset on the Dolomites in Italy.
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Cadini di Misurina, Tre Cime Nature Park, Dolomites, Italy
© All rights reserved Rui Baptista. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
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Check the “gate” and its light by enlarging the image. You’ll see that the entrance to Heaven is an event covered by a photographer, all as it should be! 😊😊😊
This golden hour shot was taken at Cape Espichel, Portugal. The cape of Cabo Espichel is a windswept, rocky headland about 40 kilometres south of Lisbon. This is a wild, desolate place, where giant waves crash against sheer, towering cliffs. It is a place to appreciate the raw beauty of nature and is often a great spot for sunsets.
From the 13th century onwards this spot has been a place of pilgrimage. Legend tells that Virgin Mary was seen there, riding a giant mule. The church – “Nossa Senhora do Cabo Church” (Our Lady of the Cape, protectress of fishermen) – was built in 1701 and is worth a visit, to admire the ornately finished interior, beautifully painted ceiling and experience the tranquillity of the place.
Outside of the church are two symmetrical accommodation wings, which housed the sanctuary’s pilgrims and that are now abandoned.
The sunset, with light shining behind the church, created a wonderful effect, as the gate (allowing access to the area adjacent to the sea) was flooded with golden light.
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Cape Espichel, Portugal
© All rights reserved Rui Baptista. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
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