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Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Graham @oldmanrambling.bsky.social got a a stunning picture of the little wonders a slight change of weather can do to cheer us up.

Graham Jones @oldmanrambling.bsky.social · 7h

Sunday is #Stunday and I am sharing another of the photos I took in a lane as the sun went down after a rainy day on the borders of Surrey and Kent. Looking across the fields the sky lit up the cloudscape a dazzling shade.
#ColorADay
#OrangeSun
#EastCoastKin #PhotographersOfBluesky

A bank of cloud that has brought rain all day is now lit by the evening setting sun a glorious shade of peachy orange as the light blue sky sweeps in to take over at dusk. Some small white billowy clouds can be seen on the horizon beyond hedgerows and bare trees that are silhouetted in the light. To the left a pair of birds fly towards a roost in larger trees.

November 30, 2025 at 1:42 PM

Reposted by Sabine Shutterbug

Scott Cunningham

@scottbath.bsky.social

As the fog fades
#Stunday
#LandscapePhotography
#Foggy
#Lilypond
#Serenity
#Nature
#EastCoastKin
#Reflection
#StillWater
#Fog

November 30, 2025 at 1:33 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Sunday morning walk in the lovely little Petzow Park in my neighborhood.
#SensoryArt #lines
And three of a kind for Sheena‘s @sheena-mck.bsky.social
#AlphabetChallenge #WeekVForVowels grand finale!
#autumn #adult #animal #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

Soft morning light washes over a quiet park on the lake shore, where a small group of walkers and a lone man with his dog share the gentle stillness of the day’s beginning. The scene feels contemplative and spacious, with muted colors and a calm sky reinforcing the tranquil mood.

Bare trees rise like tall, dark silhouettes, their trunks forming calm vertical lines that hold the scene together. From these trunks, long branches stretch and twist across the sky, drawing gentle diagonals that guide the eye from the figures on the path toward the open water on the horizon. The muted blue-grey clouds and the faint band of warm light near the lake give the image a subdued, reflective mood, while the carpet of fallen leaves underfoot hints at late autumn and the slow approach of winter.
Amid this network of lines and shapes, the people and the dog appear small and unhurried, turning the simple act of a morning walk into a quiet conversation between humans, trees, and lake.

November 30, 2025 at 9:15 AM

Reposted by Sabine Shutterbug

Sharon

@sharonwelby.bsky.social

#warm #ColourADay #sunset
#Photography #clouds #NorthernIreland #reflections #Stunday #Art #Nature #loughNeagh

Beautiful bright orange red and blue cloud reflections on the Lough at sunset

November 29, 2025 at 10:12 PM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Last day of this week’s #WeekVForVowels in Sheena‘s
@sheena-mck.bsky.social
#AlphabetChallenge. Thank you for a really nice theme again. As it’s the first Sunday of Advent, I settled for #Angel.
#photography #ChristmasSpirit
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A small, cheerful wooden angel sits among green foliage, bringing a playful touch of Christmas charm. The figure is hand-crafted and rustic, with bright colors and simple, childlike details.

The angel has a round wooden head with a big, curved smile and two tiny black dots for eyes, giving it a friendly, almost cartoon-like expression. Its “hair” is made from golden metal springs that stick out like a quirky halo, adding movement and personality. White wings with softly curved edges extend from the sides, painted in a slightly textured white that contrasts with the natural wood of the face.

The body is painted a vivid red and shaped like a simple dress, covered in evenly spaced white stars that clearly evoke a Christmas theme. A second, slightly raised red shape in front suggests a stylized folded leg, also decorated with stars, which adds depth to the figure. The small dark brown “feet” at the bottom show that the angel is mounted on a thin rod, making it suitable as a garden or planter ornament.

The angel is surrounded by lush green leaves in the foreground, with a blurred background of wooden planks and paving stones that hints at an outdoor garden. The soft, warm light and shallow depth of field draw attention to the figure’s smiling face and bright costume, creating a cozy, festive atmosphere. Overall, the photo captures a whimsical, homey Christmas decoration that feels both humorous and heartwarming.

November 30, 2025 at 6:29 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

And now to something completely different. A frozen bird bath turned tiny universe: ice bubbles drifting in a deep blue basin like distant stars and newborn planets, a reminder that even the coldest mornings can hold a little wonder for #Stunday.
#photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A frozen bird bath becomes a tiny galaxy, its surface transformed into a deep cobalt cosmos where trapped air bubbles drift like distant stars and newborn planets. Rings and spirals of ice encircle the larger spheres, so they resemble luminous moons with frosted halos, suspended in slow motion. The shallow depth of field turns the sharpest bubbles into bright celestial bodies while the softer ones fade into a milky nebula, giving the impression of looking through a telescope into a radiant, expanding universe made entirely of ice and winter light.

November 30, 2025 at 5:51 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.
- Anne Frank -
Welcoming the Christmas spirit on this Sunday morning, the first of Advent and wishing you all a happy and peaceful day.
#Advent #ChristmasSpirit #photography #ImageAndVerse
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A weathered lantern stands on moss‑covered stones, its peeling paint and rough texture telling of many passing seasons. Behind the glass, a single red candle burns with a steady, golden flame that softly illuminates the interior and spills a warm glow into the surrounding dusk. The contrast between the muted, wintry environment and the vivid candlelight draws the gaze directly to this small flame, which becomes the quiet heart of the scene.
In this setting, the candle evokes the spirit of Advent: a light kindled in the growing darkness of late autumn and early winter, symbolizing hope, anticipation, and the promise of renewal. Each flicker of the flame suggests a moment of stillness and reflection, as if inviting the viewer to pause, wait, and let the gentle warmth of the light soften the cold edges of the season.

November 30, 2025 at 5:29 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

It’s getting Christmassy. Have a cozy evening and a good night everyone.
#Christmas #decoration #light #evening #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

In this photograph, an apartment building rises out of the deep darkness of an evening scene, sharply standing out against a near-black sky and background. The house’s façade is barely visible at the edges and in shadowed areas, while the main visual focus lies on the bands of illuminated windows and balconies across several stories.
Warm, inviting light spills from different apartments, with individual rooms radiating a variety of tones, some soft and yellow, others sharply white, and one window glowing in bold blue. Each window and balcony feels like quietly alive within the tranquil silence of the night. The effect emphasizes the contrast between the cold, empty darkness outdoors and the sheltering warmth inside, much like atmospheric architectural photography often aims to convey.
Christmas decorations enhance this impression of festive intimacy. Several balconies and gardens are adorned with glowing stars and string lights in classic red, yellow, and white hues, hinting at the onset of Advent and the winter holiday season. The Christmas illuminations are thoughtfully positioned, bathing parts of the building in a gentle seasonal glow, while the rest of the landscape recedes into obscurity, drawing every glance toward these lively, carefully lit pockets in an otherwise subdued settin

November 29, 2025 at 4:54 PM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Half a dozen cuties patooties for Rob‘s @robcrank68.bsky.social theme #SixOnSaturday. They are also perfect for the #BlueSkyArtShow because their endearing charm radiates #warmth.
#birds #cynets #swans #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

The photo shows a cluster of cute little cygnets gliding across dark, gently rippled water, where the reflections of green trees create painterly streaks on the surface. Their soft, pale down contrasts with the deep blues and greens of the pond, making them stand out as a luminous focal point. Huddling close together as they swim in the same direction, the cute little cygnets radiate warmth and calm, as if wrapped in their own small world of safety and tenderness.

November 29, 2025 at 12:26 PM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

I can’t but marvel at the endless variations of Laurette‘s @laurette1.bsky.social posies in a little jar. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Laurette @laurette1.bsky.social · 2d

Winter posy in a jar.
(I found one rosebud in the garden which had hidden from the frost. Now it’s milder there may be more next week.)
#FlowersonFriday
#FloralFriday
#Bloomscrolling
#Photography

November 29, 2025 at 11:27 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

With this I’m taking you to a quiet little town where as a child I spent happy times at my beloved grandmother. It’s interesting for something completely different, though. 😉 See ALT text for more.
#AlphabetChallenge #WeekVForVowels #organ #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A richly decorated pipe organ stands beneath the vaulted ceiling of a small church in Rheinsberg, its softly painted cream and light gray case forming the visual centerpiece of the space. The façade is structured with a tall central field of pipes flanked by narrower side towers, the slender metal pipes rising in ordered ranks with the highest in the middle and smaller ones at the sides, giving the instrument a harmonious, architectural symmetry. Elaborate gold Baroque-style carvings frame the pipe fields and corners, while additional golden sun and foliage ornaments accent the surfaces and lend the organ a festive, almost majestic character despite the modest setting. Above the pipes, a dramatic golden sunburst crowns the case, its rays radiating from a dark blue triangle that contains a stylized eye, a traditional symbol of divine presence, and at the base of the organ a blue cartouche with ornate gold framing bears the inscription “Halleluja,” clearly expressing the instrument’s liturgical purpose.

Rheinsberg Palace developed from a medieval moated castle first mentioned in the 14th century, which passed through several noble families before the Prussian king Frederick William I acquired the estate in the early 18th century. In 1734 he gave it to his son, the crown prince Frederick (later Frederick the Great), who from 1736 converted the old complex into an elegant Rococo palace with two wings opening toward the lake, creating one of the earliest examples of this style in Prussia. He spent the happiest years of his life in Rheinsberg
After Frederick’s accession to the throne in 1740, the palace was expanded again for his brother Prince Henry, who lived there for decades and continued to shape the residence and gardens with additional buildings, terraces, and visual axes toward the water. In the 19th and 20th centuries Rheinsberg Palace changed hands several times, suffered war damage and neglect, and was used for various purposes, but from the 1990s onward it was extensively restored and is now a museum and cultural venue, including a renowned center for opera and early music.

November 29, 2025 at 8:33 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

I love your Funny Face
your sunny, Funny Face
Though you're a cutie with more than beauty
you've got a lot of personal-i-ty for me...
Couldn't help but share the adorable video with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. Happy #caturday to you!
#photography #cats
#EastCoastKin

youtu.be/9xo1onGh3us?...

Ginger fills the whole picture with a soft, trusting gaze, her round green‑gold eyes wide and luminous as if she were looking straight into the person behind the camera with quiet curiosity and affection. Her fine white whiskers fan out from her cheeks and muzzle, emphasizing the gentle lines of her small nose and giving her expression something delicate and almost kitten‑like, as though she might lean forward for a cuddle at any moment. The fur on her face shows a striking tortoiseshell pattern: deep black broken by rich orange patches that run up between her eyes and across her forehead like a soft flame, while the mottled mix of orange and black over her nose and around her eyes makes her look uniquely distinctive and unforgettable. A clean white chin and chest frame these darker tones, so that the vivid colors of her face stand out even more, turning this close-up portrait into an intimate, tender view of a cat who looks irresistibly sweet and completely adorable.

November 29, 2025 at 7:53 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Outtake
#AlphabetChallenge #WeekVForVowels #birds #crow #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A lone crow strides through tall summer grass, its body soft and blurred into a dark, elegant silhouette. The focus has slipped from the bird to the bright meadow behind it, turning the crow into a shadowy shape that stands out dramatically against the glowing green. The missed sharpness creates a dreamy, almost cinematic mood, as if the crow were a fleeting figure caught just between light and shade.

November 28, 2025 at 12:05 PM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Two tags rolled into one photo.
#SensoryArt #lines #scape #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A soft green hillside rises gently toward a distant horizon, its surface marked by faint parallel tracks that draw the gaze into the depth of the scene. At the crest of the slope, a loose, rhythmic row of young trees cuts a clean silhouette against a wide, cloud‑strewn blue sky, creating a calm balance between land and air. The subtle lines in the field act as leading lines, guiding the eye from the foreground into the image and up to the trees, so that the whole landscape feels open, orderly, and quietly expansive.

November 28, 2025 at 6:30 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Good morning everyone, let’s take this message to heart and have a great day today.
#motivation #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

Must have been some kind of button somebody lost, spotted it during one of my morning walks. Motivational message saying BE MEGA.

November 28, 2025 at 6:26 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Here we go for #HeadShots, today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme. The gull wouldn’t smile, though.

A close-up portrait of a small gull, likely a black-headed gull in winter plumage, against a clear blue sky.
The photo focuses tightly on the bird’s head and upper body, showing soft white and light grey feathers with a dusky cap pattern on the head and a delicate pinkish bill with a darker tip. The shallow depth of field and centered composition draw attention to the bird’s direct, slightly curious gaze, giving the image an intimate and almost characterful feel.

November 27, 2025 at 11:07 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Busy scene in front of the rebuilt City Palace in Potsdam, Germany (right in the photo, opened in 2014). The building houses the provincial government of Brandenburg.
#PalacesAndGardens #people #UrbanGaze #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

The photo focuses on an urban square dominated by a large domed church with a green copper roof rising behind historical buildings. In the foreground, people with bicycles gather near colorful facades and modern street elements like traffic lights and a curved lamppost, creating a contrast between lively city life and monumental architecture.

The Potsdam City Palace has its roots in a 17th‑century residence that helped make Potsdam a second seat of power alongside Berlin. Elector Frederick William, the “Great Elector”, replaced a medieval castle on this site with a new palace from about 1662, marking the city’s rise as a princely residence.
In the mid‑18th century Frederick II (Frederick the Great) had the palace fundamentally redesigned and enlarged by architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, turning it into his prestigious winter residence on the Alter Markt. The resulting baroque complex with the Fortuna Portal became one of the key buildings of the Prussian royal residence city and later also served as a residence for German emperors after 1871.
During the Second World War the City Palace suffered severe damage in air raids and burned out, though large parts of the outer walls initially survived. In the late 1950s the GDR government decided to demolish the ruins completely, and in 1960 the remains were blown up to clear space for a modern square.

After the German reunification a citizens’ initiative pushed for the reconstruction of Potsdam’s historic center, including the palace façade. From 2010 to 2014 a new building with a historically faithful exterior but modern interior was erected on the original site and today houses the Brandenburg state parliament, with the baroque façades largely financed by a major donation from Hasso Plattner, co‑founder of the software company SAP.

November 27, 2025 at 8:45 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

An enchanting spring scenery with umbrellas in my friend‘s garden for the #AlphabetChallenge #WeekVForVowels taken last June.
#photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

A trio of sleek black umbrellas rises playfully above the greenery, like floating canopies marking a hidden seating nook in the garden. Set against the dense backdrop of shrubs and tall trees, they become sculptural accents that draw the eye through the scene and hint at a cozy place to pause and linger.
In the foreground, tall rose bushes in shades of blush pink and deep magenta fill the frame, their buds and blossoms catching the soft June light. The lawn and foliage glow in vivid spring greens, giving the whole image a fresh, rain-kissed feeling, as if the garden is at its lush seasonal peak. Between the flowers, a glimpse of white garden furniture and ornamental ironwork completes the impression of an intimate, carefully tended sanctuary where the umbrellas serve as whimsical guardians of this blooming retreat.

November 27, 2025 at 6:54 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Palace gardeners at work last spring planting the traditional flowers around Charlottenhof Villa in Sanssouci Park Potsdam. More Information in ALT text.
#PalacesAndGardens #people #spring #photography
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

Spring planting in Sanssouci Park Potsdam is carried out with strong respect to the historical heritage and original landscape architecture plans. The ornamental beds and plantings are cultivated to preserve historical species and varieties, with efforts to maintain the park as a historical total work of art. The gardeners work according to principles that adapt to changing conditions, such as climate change, without altering the original artistic and architectural vision of the park laid out by architects and landscape designers such as Peter Joseph Lenné and influences from Frederick the Great’s time.
The tradition includes planting according to the initial concepts and sketches by Frederick the Great and later enhancements by notable landscape architects including Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ludwig Persius, who finalized many of the architectural and garden plans. The park’s design from the 18th and 19th centuries has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list exactly because of its unique and carefully preserved landscaping and botanical designs, which include terraced vineyards and ornamental beds planned originally for aesthetic and functional purposes like wine production on terraces.
In spring, the planting tradition is maintained by specialist gardeners who propagate historical plant varieties within the park’s nursery, ensuring the flowers and plants used are as close as possible to those initially intended in the royal gardens. These gardening practices contribute to Sanssouci’s role as a living museum, where visitors can experience the historic landscape as it was created, but with modern adjustments to keep the plants resilient under current conditions.
Thus, the spring planting tradition in Sanssouci Park is carefully linked to the original plans and ongoing scholarly and horticultural efforts to sustain the cultural landscape authentically and sustainably.

November 27, 2025 at 6:43 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Good morning dear friends of #PalacesAndGardens, I’m up and about to join you on your walks as one of the #People strolling through the parks and gardens of the world. So keep your eyes open and look out for me.
#photography #ArtYear
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#EastCoastKin

Two figures stroll away along a wide gravel path in front of the garden façade of the Neues Palais in Potsdam, framed by a stately semicircle of white marble statues and glowing autumn foliage. The overcast sky forms a pale, neutral backdrop, so that the rust‑coloured trees, scattered leaves on the ground, and bright figures of the sculptures stand out clearly and create a calm, reflective mood.
On both sides of the path, the statues are arranged in a half‑rondel that Frederick II had conceived as a kind of classical “honor guard” for the New Palace after the Seven Years’ War, underscoring his claim to power and his affinity with antiquity. These figures were originally fourteen genuine Greco‑Roman marbles, mostly mythological deities and idealized heroes, acquired on the Roman art market by his agent Giovanni Ludovico Bianconi and restored in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi before being installed in Sanssouci Park.
Because the ancient marbles were vulnerable to weather, the sculptures that line the path today are 19th‑century replicas, largely created by Eduard Stützel and the brothers Sanguinetti, while the originals were moved indoors or into storage. Among the most prominent figures is the winged Roman victory goddess Victoria, placed nearest to the palace with a laurel wreath in her hand, visually linking the leisurely autumn scene in your photo to Frederick’s self‑presentation as a victorious, enlightened ruler in the wake of war.

November 27, 2025 at 5:59 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Does that pass for convenience food? This bird obviously has its lucky day, and Rosemarie @roabrams.bsky.social spotted it just in time to share it with us.

Rosemarie @roabrams.bsky.social · 4d

A Wood Stork at the edge of the shore eating a snack a fisherman left. For today’s #Birdoftheday #edge #eastCoastKin #photography

A wood Stork eating small fish left at the shore by a fisherman

November 26, 2025 at 1:20 PM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Sweet dreams are made of this… 🎶
Great atmospheric shot by Mick @mickfitzgerald.bsky.social today.

Mick Fitzgerald @mickfitzgerald.bsky.social · 4d

Misty mornings
@stormhour.com #photohour #royaltunbridgewells #misty

November 26, 2025 at 1:16 PM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

Just a little reminder for everyone interested and the friends of #PalacesandGardens.

November 26, 2025 at 9:01 AM

Sabine Shutterbug

@sabineshutterbug.bsky.social

If you want to brighten up your day and need a break, watch this touching video with the cutest little puppy discovering its paws by @huntnfish8.bsky.social.