Well, spring is well in swing here in Auckland. It’s a great time of year to be taking photos, especially of nature. Everything’s fresh and hasn’t yet been burnt by New Zealand’s harsh UV-rich sunshine. It seems that while the environment is waking from it’s winter slumber, people are doing the same. It’s amazing what a little sunshine can do for your spirits.

Anyway, I took this photo of a Foxglove flower at my parents house. And yes, there is an ant crawling on it. I tried to get a good shot of him scampering around but he was a bit too nippy. Still, I figured this would still make a good desktop wallpaper for someone. It sure is bright enough.

Enjoy it and let me know if you like it in the comments.

Cheers,
Ed

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Man I love mushrooms – and I love taking photos of them. Check that out. Anyway, I was looking through some of my photos and thought this would make a cracking desktop wallpaper background. There’s some great depth of field going on there and the varying size of the mushrooms just makes it all the more intriguing. It’s a little gloomy as well but I think that should help to make all of your shiny icons pop.

Download this at 2560×1600 and if you have a modern OS it should re-size it for your screen.

Enjoy,
Ed

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Well… It’s been a while since I’ve last uploaded an wallpaper photo here on Beautiful Desktop. And there is a reason for that. It’s all Google’s fault. Long story short: I had an account running some of their ads, it stopped working for no reason whatsoever, they did nothing to help me and for all intensive purposes any credit I had accrued from hosting their ads was (or soon will be) lost. Those were some hard earned credits.

Anyway, not one to hold a grudge, I’ve neglected my duties of posting on this wallpaper site. If you’re upset, blame Google. They will of course not respond to any emails.

So anyway, with spring approaching here in Auckland there will be ample opportunities to take some good photos and I will be sure to upload them here for you all to download for free. I promise not to abandon the site again – soon at least.

Hopefully this wallpaper of some flowers will help tie you over for a bit. Ciao…

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Military fighter display pilots are the best in the world and the Patrouille de France team are not only one of the worlds best, but also one of the oldest. The precision, risk and enormous training that is involved in the preparation of these displays makes them a truly worthwhile experience that should not be missed.

I saw Patrouille de France at the Fairford Air Tattoo in 2010. Flying Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet’s since 1982, they were truly impressive. I struggle to even comprehend the complexity of their routine.

Anyway, I was looking through some old photo’s for a suitable desktop wallpaper photo and this seems to hit all the right marks. I love the lighting of the jets, whilst the background remains almost stormy. It has a sense of foreboding which is contrasted by the precision and clarity of the squadron in the foreground. Anyway, I hope you like it.

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Well, we are into the start of a new year, and if you’re anything like me you have high hopes for 2011. I’ve never been one for making resolutions but it seems there is good reason for many of us to be happy to see the close of 2010 and the arrival of a fresh start this year. My best wishes to you with all of your endeavors.

Anyway, it has been some time since I last uploaded a wallpaper. All my photo’s seem to be of friends and family enjoying their holiday time. It hardly makes for interesting desktop content. Shit, even I find them a little tedious to look through.

It is summer here in Auckland so the natural world is vibrant and active, particularly insects. I found this spider in the garden and can’t say I have seen her like before. She is very small and was a challenge to get a photo even worth sharing but she is lovely none the less. I have a huge love and respect for spiders. For their size they are immensely intelligent and very successful. Tiny predators we share our homes with.

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Another photo of flowers you ask? Well, it is Spring where I am. I can’t turn down the opportunity to capture nature at it’s freshest, and then of course pass that along to others through some form of digital media, namely photos on the internet.

I usually try to select desktop wallpapers which have something thoughtful or intriguing about them. Not in this case. This is a straight up photo of a flower. With some form of flying insect on it. Anyway, it has good contrast or whatever. It’s up to you whether you like it or not. That’s the beauty of subjectivity.

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So I am back in New Zealand. Awesome. The opportunities to take great nature photographs are limitless. Also, unlike the UK, there is sunshine.

This photo was taken on a recent visit to an island called Waiheke which sits somewhere in the Hauraki Gulf, near Auckland. It is truly a special place. The abundance of sun-drenched beaches, green bushland and a distinctive lack of people gives the island an atmosphere that is conducive to lethargy. My visit was no exception.

I took a lot of photos of flowers and what-not but chose this as a desktop wallpaper because when your sitting at your computer it is nice to be reminded that there is more to life than your 9 to 5. Hopefully this will help some of you escape to a different reality, even if just for a moment.

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MUSHROOMS, woooh!!!!

I don’t know about you, but I love mushrooms. And not because of their edibility or potential euphoric side effects. They have a mystical quality which could be a product of my exposure to Alice in Wonderland, or is more likely because they are freaking bizarre.

Seriously though, they don’t photosynthesise, grow within a day or two and seem to swarm damp areas only on rare, seasonal occasions. Some mushrooms are highly toxic and some make you trip balls.

Whatever you think of them, they make for excellent photography and superb desktop wallpaper content. Who doesn’t want to look at fungi when their working at their desk?

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Sometimes it can be difficult choosing appropriate photos to use as wallpapers for this site. I’m well aware that the internet has covered the market for images of kittens and our favourite celebrities. Thanks internet…

Anyway, this photo be it devoid of kittens, still seems to pull some form of emotional response from me. It’s a shot of the support pylons beneath the pier in Brighton (the one which hasn’t burnt down). The pier itself is effectively a small amusement park so I loved that fact that beneath it is this somewhat ominous and worn framework keeping it standing. I think the lighting ads to this gloomy feel.

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There are circumstances throughout life that are inclined to encourage personal growth, independence and inspiration. Hardship is one. We’re all familiar with the age old saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’

Fortunately for us, another way to gain these personal improvements is through international travel. I am a firm believer that travel should be a crucial experience for all. I know not everyone is as lucky as I to have travelled to beautiful cities such as Florence (pictured), but if you get the chance Florence will not fail to impress your mind and warm your soul.

So anyway I have added this wallpaper mostly because I haven’t managed to take any decent pictures locally lately. It is several years old and taken when I was only just learning to take photographs. Please forgive any amateurishness in the picture.

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