The 5 Stages of Beni

I have shown my dog Beni lots of times on this blog before, but in this post I wanted to touch upon his many moods, that are sometimes overlooked in the images I post. Enjoy these and I wish you a great weekend! 

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1. Cute Beni

A typical stage when he wants something. Is there food on the table? Are you preparing to open the cabinet with his treats? He will be there, behind you, looking up...try to resist if you can.

 

2. Cool Beni

The next image is only symbolic of this stage, but I think you will manage to get what I'm talking about. You are doing something unrelated to him? God forbid, you have friends over and the attention is not on him? He will play it cool and ignore you. If he's tired and doesn't want to play, don't count on him coming to you!

 

3. Playful Beni

The most common stage. Open the doors and he'll be out and about. Playing with him is cool as well. But since he's usually faster then all of us, catching up with him is the real challange.

 

4. Crazy Beni

A dirt field + a clean dog = hours of clean up time for me. Yes once, his paws touched the moist and fluffy dirt field, the craziness started to pour out of him. Let me just say he wasn't white after 10 minutes.

You want some video footage of what happened next? Click the video below:

5. Dirty Beni

Now, don't confuse crazy with dirty. He can go crazy on dry ground as well, but when he's really in the mood for it, he will get dirty no matter the weather outside. Like in the image below. My sister took him out side for a walk. 30 minutes later he returned like this. The reason: a couple of his buddies were outside, and "playtime" was unavoidable.

Now I only wonder what stage this weekend holds for him...or for that matter, for me. :)

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Tamara Karsavina by E.O. Hoppé 1911

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15 Moody Landscapes from Bosnia and Herzegovina

I have always said that watching moody landscapes is very therapeutic. For me, seeing these tumultuous times in nature, in a weird way evokes calm. Maybe it's because you see that there are bigger things then you out there or simply the fact that those sights tend to be very interesting to look at, if not downright beautiful.

I never shy away from going out to shoot during stormy or bad weather. Most of my landscapes have an element of melancholy to them anyway, which is certainly underlined by the heavy clouds in the sky, winds rolling in or isolated places I get to photograph.

So anyway, here are 15 Moody Landscapes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which I hope you will enjoy. For better reference I added numbers and titles to the images.

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1. A Lonely Road

2. Look Up the Hills

3. Solitude

4. Abandoned

5. Peak out of the Forest

6. In The Distance lies the Truth

7. Moody Orchard

8. Winter in the Mountains

9. A Storm is rolling in

10. Last Days of Autumn

11. The Fortress on top of the Hill

12. Ruins in the Fog

13. At the End of the Day

14. Remains

15. Overlooking the Valley

What sight draws you in the most?

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Rodeo - New York by Robert Frank 1954

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Lady Clementina Hawarden 1860s

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The Krka National Park [Part 2/2]: Waterfalls

We conclude our stay at the Krka National Park with these images of the Waterfalls themselves. You'll see some of our journey on the marked (and unmarked) path, and also our final destination. The waterfalls are filled with people, and since it's fresh river water it's also colder then sea water. So a lot of them were enjoying the cold refreshment that it brought with it. 

This is a two part series, for more click the links below:

Part One: Travel through Nature

Part Two: Visiting the Waterfalls

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At the End of the Journey

Skradinski buk is one of the most attractive parts of the park. It is a massive, clear, natural pool with high waterfalls at one end and cascades at the other.It is the lowest of the three sets of waterfalls formed along the Krka river.Due to the wealth and variety of geomorphological forms, vegetation, and the various effects caused by the play of light on the whirlpools, Skradinski buk is considered to be one of the most beautiful calcium carbonate waterfalls in Europe.

The End

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The Krka National Park [Part 1/2]: The Travel

In this first part of the Krka National Park images you'll see our travel to the actual highlight of the trip: the waterfall(s) called Skradin Buk. The journey to it, leads you through awesome nature on walking paths. Of course the best parts are when you step away from the marked path, and that's where most of these images were taken actually. In the upcoming part you'll see the surprise that awaits you at the end of the trip to the waterfalls.

This is a two part series, for more click the links below:
Part One: Travel through Nature
Part Two: Visiting the Waterfalls

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About the Park

The Krka National Park encompasses an area of 109 square kilometers along the Krka River. The Park is a spacious, largely unchanged region of exceptional and multifaceted natural value, and includes one or more preserved or insignificantly altered ecosystems. You arrive on top of the hill, where you can park your car (this is also the place where the regularly scheduled bus from the city Sibenik drops you off). There you pay the entrance fee, and can take a bus into the valley, or, as we did, take a hike through the nature.

Along the Way

Nature lovers will enjoy this park a lot. There is something incredible to see at every corner. This amazing place houses swamps, pathways, lakes, rivers, wide spaces and thick, jungle like, corners. The attractions and facilities available are various footpaths, sightseeing tours and presentations, boat trips, souvenir shops, a museum, and restaurants. There are also several archeological remains of unpreserved fortresses in the park's vicinity dating back to as far as the Roman times.

Waterfalls

There are many small waterfalls located along the way, and also lookout spots from which you can take shots like the one that follows. Bring lots of water and also food with you. The prices they charge at the entrance are absurd. You will also discover many resting spots where you can take a break. Traveling to the waterfalls takes an hour to an hour and a half.

End of Part One

To be continued...

In the next part you'll see the waterfalls and some amazing wildlife shots. Here is a small preview:

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Hope

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The Dryad by John Cimon Warborg c.1919

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A Sunny Afternoon in Blagaj

These images were taken during late summer last year, but I never got around to post them. They show our visit to the old town of Blagaj, that is located just a couple of miles south from Mostar. We spent a whole afternoon there, and really enjoyed the sights. We chose a time of day, when the place is not crowded. In fact, there were almost no people there at all when we visited, which made the stay even more enjoyable. I hope you will enjoy these warm and colorful images from our visit.

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A look up at the upper deck of the restaurant in which we visited, with the cliffs of behind it.

Beni was of course there with us as well.

A look at the spring of the river Buna, which emerges out of the caves.

If you come here in the afternoon, you will have the whole place pretty much to yourself. Of course this was late summer. During the middle of the summer season, Blagaj is filled with tourists and visitors.

My view west, as the river Buna travels its last part of her journey to the river Neretva, only 2 miles from here.

A look up at the cliffs.

You can enjoy your lunch or dinner right beside the water, which during the hot summer months is a life saver.

Our afternoon visit, comes to an end, as we depart back for Mostar.

Blagaj is on my list of 5 Best Places to visit in Herzegovina. I hope these images, that detail the place a bit more, prove that it's worthy to be included there.

Thanks for visiting!

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