Bird Thursday

Today, I give you...birds.  Swans and herons to be specific.  Grey herons to be even more specific.  The swan on the other hand is your standard swan.  If they have a more specific name, I am unaware of it.
Both of these birds were found on the Lagan River in Belfast.  The swan got very close and very vocal.  The heron stayed far away, barely moving...

Near Infrared

I have a near infrared filter.  This allows me to take some interesting pictures in that I can use it as a neutral density filter or just by using it to get those other-worldly images due to the color.  Today I used it as a neutral density filter, getting nice soft water effects with slow aperture speeds.
I'm not going to get into the way it works or all that you can do with a near infrared filter, but look for an upcoming  post that does indeed get into all that.

Stream of Brick

This stream is missing much of what makes a stream a stream...water.  If I really wanted to show how a near infrared filter could be used like a neutral density filter, I would have waited for the water to rise.  The addition of bricks to a stream make up for the lack of water.