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Mark R. Courtney

@mrcourtney.bsky.social

430 followers 210 following 120 posts

Software developer, photographer, sometimes writer. Best when wandering in nature. Photos by me unless otherwise noted. Some prints available through https://photo.mrcourtney.com or by contacting me. Based in Southern New England

photo.mrcourtney.com

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · Mar 2

A moment of awkward self-promotion to mention that I sell prints of my photography. You can buy from www.markrcourtney.com or contact me there if something catches your eye.

You can also visit photo.mrcourtney.com to see my in-person events and find the places to follow my #photography.

A promotional image with the text "Mark R. Courtney Photography" and website address "markrcourtney.com" surrounded by five sample photographs: (1) a bank of fog and moored sailboats on the water, (2) an orange California poppy covered in water drops, (3) coastal water gently washing around small colorful rocks, (4) the flowering stem of a purple wild lupine, and (5) a brown bird splashing in golden-lit water.

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 1d

Some fun visual effects under-the-hood stuff here, and great to hear @tvaziri.com talk about work he clearly enjoys and how it can be part of a collaborative creative process.

Todd Vaziri @tvaziri.com · 1d

Vanity Fair asked me to talk about visual effects, and it was my great honor to show off some of ILM’s terrific work over the years.

Todd Vaziri on Vanity Fair VFX
youtu.be/ERKEsIzTFas?...

ILM's VFX Secrets Behind Star Wars, Transformers & More | Vanity Fair

YouTube video by Vanity Fair

youtu.be

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Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Maroochie @maroochie.bsky.social · 2d

Clouds on lily pads
📷🌿 #naturephotography
#MonochromeMonday

This is a photo of cloud reflections surrounding the lily pads.
iPhone 16 Pro

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 3d

Fish touching the surface
#Nature #Photography

Minimalist photograph of concentric circles rippling out over smooth water caused by a fish just below the surface.

Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 3d

Crow sat and watched the first leaf fall. Autumn had arrived.
He thought how wonderful it was of the trees to give up their fading leaves, and even their golden ones.
The trees knew when it was time to let go.
So did he, he thought.
How beautiful it was to let things go.

#autumn #WhenBeastsSpoke

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 4d

Time for autumn colors

#Autumn #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography

Photograph of a hanging, yellow redbud leaf with some mottled brown spots. The leaf is backlit so the shadow of a twig behind it shows through and the whole leave appears to glow against the dark background.

Photograph of wet leaves on a vine growing along a stone wall. The leaves have turned a rich, deep red.

Photograph of ginkgo leaves hanging from a tree partway through their shift from green to yellow.

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 4d

Another from earlier this week, the beach with the hurricane-induced waves and wind cutting along the shore

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 4d

From earlier this week, the hurricane-induced waves on the Rhode Island coast

Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

JulieW67 @juliew67.bsky.social · 6d

#10minutesfromhome
#Eastcoastkin #UrbanGaze
Light and Shadows at Bolton Train Station

A photo from the platform at Bolton train station looking across to a wall opposite.
The brick wall has old white peeling paint and rust patches where metal is corroding.
Above are two old bridges/walkways that are creating interesting angles.
Sunlight from above is shining through from above creating a thin angular shaft of light to fall onto the wall

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 7d

Rhode Island surfers taking advantage of the Hurricane Humberto waves

#MeerMittwoch #SeaWednesday #Photography

Photograph of a surfer with arms raised riding up the ridge of an angular wave breaking behind.

Photograph of a surfer riding down the face of a breaking wave with another choppy wave rolling in behind.

Photograph of a silhouetted surfer riding along the face of a long wave breaking behind.

Photograph of multiple silhouetted surfers with only upper bodies visible as they wait in the water for a good wave. A large wave breaks behind them, a bit too far for them to catch and ride.

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 7d

Spent some time just hanging out with this rock and watching the waves break on it

#MeerMittwoch #SeaWednesday #Seascape #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography

Photograph of a large, angled rock with a big wave breaking on it and fanning out around all sides.

Photograph of a large, angled rock with a big wave breaking on it from the side and mostly surrounding the rock in a curtain of water mirroring the rock's shape.

Photograph of a large, angled rock with a big wave breaking on it with a splash angling up along the rock's slope.

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 7d

More details of the waves hitting the Rhode Island coast from Hurricane Humberto today

#MeerMittwoch #SeaWednesday #Seascape #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography

Photograph of a long, green-tinted wave with the top starting to curl and fall with a windswept spray.

Closeup photograph of a green-tinted wave beginning to break.

Photograph of a rolling wave collapsed into foaming layers.

Photograph of a wave rolling as it breaks, part already a foaming mass and part a smooth curl.

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 7d

Ventured to the coast today to check out the waves hitting the Rhode Island shore from Hurricane Humberto

#MeerMittwoch #SeaWednesday #Seascape #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography

Photograph of large waves crashing as they approach shore with the wind causing spray to spread from the tops.

Photograph of large waves foaming and crashing as they near shore.

Photograph of a seagull on the beach backed by a large, foamy crashing wave.

Photograph of the surf rolling in with a few larger waves further out and framed on the bottom by out-of-focus round beach rocks.

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Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Matt @jmh53.bsky.social · 8d

#AlphabetChallenge
#WeekNforNights #Photography
#BlackAndWhite

Two street lights illuminate an empty, foggy street at night. Rays of light filter through some trees.

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Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Sophie Carr @sophiecarr.bsky.social · 9d

A few more photos from yesterday's woodland wander.

#Hockeridge #ChilternHills #LocalPhotography #CanonR6II #Berkhamsted #AwesomeFoursome

Light shafts coming through the trees. Three dark trunks and lots of backlit green leaves, with red leaves on the forest floor.

A backlit cobweb with the sun blurred through leaves in the background, and an autumnal leaf on the cobweb, which is attached to the side of a tree.

A path covered in brown pine needles surrounded by green ferns and small trees, with the brown trunks of redwoods above.

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 10d

Ran across a plethora of mushrooms this morning after some recent rain

#Mushroom #Fungi #FungiFriends #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography

Photograph of two mushrooms in the dark soil under a pine tree, one larger with a domed, faded-yellow cap with spots and the other barely above ground with just hints of yellow in the cracks of the mostly unopened cap.

Photograph of a small mushroom with a rounded cap speckled with spots, the stem appearing thick compared to the cap but the whole thing dwarfed by thin blades of grass reaching over it.

Photograph of a short mushroom with a creamy-yellow cap and spots rising up through gravel and small, brown spruce needles.

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 10d

Tired leaf
#Nature #Photography

Photograph of a leaf on a redbud tree turned yellow and mottled brown and with a dark, ragged edge all lit brightly in spots by dappled sunlight. A few accompanying yellowed leaves hang nearby. The leaf looks decidedly worn and ready for the end of the season.

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 11d

This critter has taken to hanging out in a cozy spot under a bush near my office window and only gets slightly annoying when I dare to venture out into its yard. (I thought it was my yard, but that glance informs me that I was clearly mistaken.)

Photograph of a rabbit, young but nearing adult size, lounging under a bush with spots of sun breaking through to light its fur. Its head is flopped on the ground and it seems comfortable though it watches the nearby photographer warily.

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 11d

Some kind of symmetry
#Photography

Photograph looking straight at a shiny, silver double hook mounted on a white wall. The top of the hook, long shadow of the lower hook, and a glinting reflection opposite the shadow form the points of an imagined triangle centered in the frame. The slanted light through the nearby window -- the cause of the hook's shadow and glinting reflection -- creates an additional triangle of brightness on the wall, offset and angled against the imagined centered triangle.

Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Tim Osborne Photography 🍁 @timosborne.ca · 16d

Made a quick trip to the mountains on the weekend. Spent some quality time with this Hoary Marmot who was quite happy to pose for photos. #wildlife #marmot

A Marmot sits on top of a rock. Green and yellow colours can be seen behind him.

A Marmot sits on top of a pointy rock, looking out into the distance.

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Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Art SilverGlass ~ Sophie Grunnet @silverglass.bsky.social · 16d

Happy Hobbit Day 🥓🍅🎆

Photo of a stack of little wooden Hobbit doors I made a few years ago.

Photo of a postcard with a Hobbit door on (also made by me)

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 17d

Great blue heron surveying the landscape
#Birds #BirdPhotography #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography #Photography

Photograph of a great blue heron perched on an old stone wall looking out over an expanse of golden wetland grass with low trees and shrubs beyond.

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 18d

So many tree swallows

(Didn't seem to mind me walking by but probably figured they had me well outnumbered)

#Birds #Wildlife

Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 18d

Fancy snail I happened upon near the shore

#Wildlife #WildlifePhotography #Photography

Photograph of a snail on a rock with a striped shell of various shades of brown and hints of yellow and rust-red.

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Mark R. Courtney @mrcourtney.bsky.social · 18d

Lots of sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, and some barnacles during a coastal prowl this week

#Birds #BirdPhotography #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography #Photography

Photograph of two sanderlings (small shorebirds) on a beach as flat waves roll up over the sand and push against large dark rocks behind the birds.

Photograph of a sanderling (a small shorebird with a white underside and black patterned wings) poking its beak into wet sand between scattered, multi-colored rocks.

Photograph of a ruddy turnstone (a small shorebird with mottled rust-red and brown wings and a white underside) standing on a dark, wet rock with coastal waves rippling behind.

Close up photograph of a cluster of white barnacles on a red rock exposed at low tide.

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Reposted by Mark R. Courtney

Emma @emmasartworks.bsky.social · 24d

A couple of young Oystercatchers on Redcar beach, practicing that weird walk they do whilst making loud peeps. It’s clearly a very serious and important business, but I always find it funny to watch. (Watercolour painting.)
🪶🐡
#birdingNorthEast

Watercolour painting of two young Oystercatchers, heads down and bills open, striding stiff-legged across rock pools and washed-up kelp.

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