Color Photography Sharing Thread

[turtle]

This thread is meant to compliment The Black and White Photo Thread (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=20583) though not just to be a color version of your B&W posts there. This is a place where you can share some of your best shots and get feedback. This isn't meant to be a debate on best styles of shooting images or best camera to use. Let's keep this thread image-centric.

All shots you post direct images of (using tags for or attaching for you admin/mod types) must be your own shots. If you wish to share a photo that you don't hold the copyright to, please only post a link to that image rather than imbedding the image here in this thread.

Any images posted here are fair game for comments and concerns. Please limit comments and concerns of images to constructive opinions. "It sucks" isn't appropriate, instead say what you dislike about the image and why. Of course, everyone loves getting complimented, but please be descriptive in your comments. "It's cool" doesn't give enough detail of why you like it.

So now on to the photos:

Scorned
[IMG]http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/gunangle.png

[stevegong]

I like that! You should totally put a bullet in the chamber so that it looks like it's about to come out!


http://people.virginia.edu/~rg8s/Picture%201.jpg

[billybobsky]

I am not such a fan of photoshopped pictures.

[stevegong]

I am not such a fan of photoshopped pictures.

Ah, then you must prefer this one:

http://people.virginia.edu/~rg8s/Picture%202.jpg

[Ebby]

[Freaky image]
Uh, and a good morning to you too... :err:
Disturbing in a way.

[turtle]

I am not such a fan of photoshopped pictures.

I agree for the most part, though I have to qualify this with all images should have basic level adjustments made in post processing. Color and White Balance correcting is all I really do, other than an occasional crop or horizon adjustment.

Uh, and a good morning to you too... :err:
Disturbing in a way.

This was a project I had to come up with an unusual angle shot. Rather than laying on the ground to take a picture I took it to be seeing an angle you don't normally see. It was kinda interesting taking that shot too. I wasn't freaked out at all. I kept reaching around and adjusting the gun so it would point better into the camera. :)

Steve, I like the second shot more than the first. The first shot does seem to have too unnatural of color to it and the reflection in the left is hard to get past. It distracts me from the beautiful patterns made by the fish. The second one is far more peaceful and better balanced. While you can't change it, the trees on the far right are a little distracting to me.

[Ryan]

http://static.flickr.com/102/306150506_71cca79d9e.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/102/306150506_71cca79d9e_b.jpg)

(click for bigger)

Not much to say about it, really.

[hiltond]

I love it turtle. I think it is *more* then a bit disturbing but I love it.

I also really like the second one stevegong posted. You have some great shots on your web page. I think the West Virgina series is awesome.

[GSpotter]

From a photographic point of view, I like the "scorned" picture: Nice DoF - the person is just barely visible. I hope I will never have to see this view in real life, though...

I think the colors of the fish picture are maybe a bit too much, but somehow I like it (I have a weakness for strong colors ;) ).


http://static.flickr.com/53/149439508_8a7654f6f5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/149439508/)
(Click to get to the correspondig flickr-page for bigger sizes)

[alcimedes]

I'm no photographer, but here are a few I've taken this year that I liked.

http://web.mac.com/alcimedes/iWeb/Site/Nice%20photographs_files/IMG_1789.jpg

http://web.mac.com/alcimedes/iWeb/Site/Nice%20photographs_files/IMG_1602.jpg

http://web.mac.com/alcimedes/iWeb/Site/Nice%20photographs_files/IMG_3035.jpg

[hiltond]

http://idisk.mac.com/hiltond/Public/ManhaLookingSouth.jpg

Not great but I like it.

[Dorian Gray]

turtle2472, looks like your gun could do with a cleaning. :p

Robert Appleby, an English photographer living in Italy, spent some time in Mumbai, Hebron and Pakistan a few years ago, shooting in colour as is his habit (I think he has made some pretty derogatory comments about clichéd black and white documentary photography in the past, but don't quote me on that). The result, available as PDF downloads here (http://www.robertappleby.com), is reminiscent in aesthetic quality to a story in the National Geographic magazine, but without the NG's colonial overtones and condescending fascination with primitive cultures. His pictures capture the dignity and vivacity of his subjects despite the crushing hardship of their daily lives. The collection is therefore not as heavy going as one might expect. Plenty of humour and hope in there!

Really worth taking a look at.

[Yonzie]

I love the way the colors pop out: (This one's not mine, but I'm hosting it, so I guess it's OK ;))
http://bilkalender.dk/galleri/0001/02_small.jpg

Evil house?:
http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/9656/img2156ku7.jpg

Crap moon (which was what I wanted) but I love the lights (and cassiopeia is visible):
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7830/img0214qz7.jpg

[turtle]

Not much to say about it, really.

I like this image of the leaves personally. While it might not technically perfect, it's a nice image.

From a photographic point of view, I like the "scorned" picture: Nice DoF - the person is just barely visible. I hope I will never have to see this view in real life, though...

I think the colors of the fish picture are maybe a bit too much, but somehow I like it (I have a weakness for strong colors ;) ).

Yeah, it's the wrong end to be on for the gun shot. And for all those wondering, it's my wife :D Thanks for the feedback.

I'm no photographer, but here are a few I've taken this year that I liked.

Dragon

Squares

Flower

These are nice images, I rather like the dragon too, have to you tried to crop out the guy walking away in the background?

Cityscape

Not great but I like it.

Yeah, I do like this one after getting past all the window bars. It must have been a great view in person. Can you get one looking down? :eek:

turtle2472, looks like your gun could do with a cleaning. :p

Robert Appleby, an English photographer living in Italy, spent some time in Mumbai, Hebron and Pakistan a few years ago, shooting in colour as is his habit (I think he has made some pretty derogatory comments about clichéd black and white documentary photography in the past, but don't quote me on that). The result, available as PDF downloads here (http://www.robertappleby.com), is reminiscent in aesthetic quality to a story in the National Geographic magazine, but without the NG's colonial overtones and condescending fascination with primitive cultures. His pictures capture the dignity and vivacity of his subjects despite the crushing hardship of their daily lives. The collection is therefore not as heavy going as one might expect. Plenty of humour and hope in there!

Really worth taking a look at.

Actually the gun is just well used. It isn't dust in the barrel, it's corrosion from thousands of rounds going through it. I generally clean after every shooting, but use is use.

I enjoyed seeing most of his work. Some of it was to dark for me, but then again that was just the message he was portraying to us. I didn't understand some of his images, but then again I don't watch the news or read the paper either. I guess if I were in the loop I would know better. Since I'm actually going to be taking Photojournalism 1 in the spring (starting January 8th) these images serve well to help me get a better feel for what I'm after project wise. Thanks for the input Dorian

I love the way the colors pop out: (This one's not mine, but I'm hosting it, so I guess it's OK ;))
Cars

Evil house?:
Clouds

Crap moon (which was what I wanted) but I love the lights (and cassiopeia is visible):
Streaks of light

Yeah, you really shouldn't put the image of the cars up since the copyright isn't your, but it's an interesting photo.

There certainly are some bright colors in it. I like the clouds over the building too, can you brighten up the lower half a little? A bit more detail there would be awesome.

I do like the image of the streaks. I tried once to get some pictures like that and I just didn't like the way they came out. I found myself to close to the road causing the on-coming headlights to blow out my images. :\ Since I like in a city I don't have the opportunity to see a clear dark night that I cant get the moon, stars and cars in. Nice shot though.

Ok, here's a few more I have taken recently:

http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/blade.png

Alc, I see your bug and raise you one. :)
http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/bugs.png

[Moogs]

Some nice snapshots here.

Ryan, even though you don't have "much to say", to me it's both technically and aesthetically a very good shot. Nature abstracts are an acquired taste -some people don't care for them- but I for one find it one of the most fascinating areas of photography. The only thing that might improve it is a little better light to work with (not in your control here), and I might've gotten a little closer to bring the beads of water more into the frame.

Stever,

I was looking at your web site with the natural perceptions page, and in reference to what bobsky was saying about "Photoshopped" images, I have to agree somewhat. The best images on that page - and there are some very good ones - are the ones where you don't notice the digital enhancements. In particular I think you get a little carried away with the saturation controls.

The "Road Behind My House" is a great shot and the reason is, as you examine it, you have to ask "was it retouched?" You don't immediately know because the colors in the foreground are subtle enough that they could be the result of the vapor lamps overhead and/or moonlight, and so you really look at the whole scene and enjoy the contrasts, etc.

The Moonlit Beach shot is nice too except I might actually crop down to make an almost panoramic format (short and wide) image. Having just a sliver of the moon pulls my eye to the top of the frame instead into the picture as a whole. With moon shots like that, it has to be a wide enough angle, "off in the corner" type of thing IMO, to show the moon and at the same time not have it distract from what the picture is really about.

Your Snow Temple shot above is really cool too, thing about that one is it's a little flat (because of the light). I'm guessing you retouched parts of this image too, though it's not obvious / doesn't detract from the overall image. In particular some of the foreground and middle ground look like they've been smoothed a bit to add that ethereal effect. As far as the flatness, you could tweak in ACR (if you shot RAW) and elsewhere to make it a little more contrasty but not "Photoshopped". :) But otherwise a cool / unexpected scene.

[Yonzie]

There certainly are some bright colors in it. I like the clouds over the building too, can you brighten up the lower half a little? A bit more detail there would be awesome. That would require fiddling with Photoshop and I'm not really sure I'm ready to try that yet. But you're correct, it needs more light in the bottom. That was the best iPhoto could handle ;) And thanks.

[stevegong]

Some nice snapshots here.

Ryan, even though you don't have "much to say", to me it's both technically and aesthetically a very good shot. Nature abstracts are an acquired taste -some people don't care for them- but I for one find it one of the most fascinating areas of photography. The only thing that might improve it is a little better light to work with (not in your control here), and I might've gotten a little closer to bring the beads of water more into the frame.

Stever,

I was looking at your web site with the natural perceptions page, and in reference to what bobsky was saying about "Photoshopped" images, I have to agree somewhat. The best images on that page - and there are some very good ones - are the ones where you don't notice the digital enhancements. In particular I think you get a little carried away with the saturation controls.

The "Road Behind My House" is a great shot and the reason is, as you examine it, you have to ask "was it retouched?" You don't immediately know because the colors in the foreground are subtle enough that they could be the result of the vapor lamps overhead and/or moonlight, and so you really look at the whole scene and enjoy the contrasts, etc.

The Moonlit Beach shot is nice too except I might actually crop down to make an almost panoramic format (short and wide) image. Having just a sliver of the moon pulls my eye to the top of the frame instead into the picture as a whole. With moon shots like that, it has to be a wide enough angle, "off in the corner" type of thing IMO, to show the moon and at the same time not have it distract from what the picture is really about.

Your Snow Temple shot above is really cool too, thing about that one is it's a little flat (because of the light). I'm guessing you retouched parts of this image too, though it's not obvious / doesn't detract from the overall image. In particular some of the foreground and middle ground look like they've been smoothed a bit to add that ethereal effect. As far as the flatness, you could tweak in ACR (if you shot RAW) and elsewhere to make it a little more contrasty but not "Photoshopped". :) But otherwise a cool / unexpected scene.


Well thank you for your thoughts. I think I will pull off the so called "photoshopped" images when I have a chance.

the "Snow Temple" was actually not photoshopped at all, and everything I do I do in Camera Raw. I never do any touching up.

That was shot simply with an infrared filter, and it's not snow.

I really want to focus on photojournalism, so a lot of the other stuff are just stuff I've done in the past. Of course, photojournalism must be true to the scene, and I think you can see it in the ballet story I shot the other day.

[turtle]

I had to go out and within 1 1/2 hour take a documentary photo. I couldn't caption the photo or even give an explanation surrounding the photo. In other words the image had to stand on it's own. So here is the image. I would REALLY like some feedback on this one since I'm moving into the photojournalism route myself. Don't know if I'll make it my "profession" or not, but I would love to improve all my photographic skills. I did after all change my major to Photography. :)

http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/doc1.png
No adjustments were made other than a crop. f/11, 1/250, 55mm

Steve, I like the ballet show images. I watched the slide show and I did enjoy most of them.

[Moogs]

the "Snow Temple" was actually not photoshopped at all, and everything I do I do in Camera Raw. I never do any touching up.

That was shot simply with an infrared filter, and it's not snow.

DOH! I thought it was frost, actually. :lol: That explains it.

I really want to focus on photojournalism [snip]. Of course, photojournalism must be true to the scene, and I think you can see it in the ballet story I shot the other day.

That's a great series, Steve. You're a talented kid....

I would actually say that what you have there is a mix of documentary and fine art photography. Some of those shots of the women rehearsing, in BW especially, would be great for fine art prints. Of course the only difference between photojournalism and documentary, is what the publication will and won't show, and the subject. If the ballet was the story, it's photojournalism. If you're telling the story of the ballet through a series of pictures, it's documentary. Actually I like documentary a fair amount too, I just live in a place that's too boring to qualify. :lol: Great shots though. Sadly I don't think any group of young women would invite me and my camera into their lockeroom, but they should.

Seriously, I always wonder how the guys who photograph these beautiful naked women all day -say for a fine art coffee table book (no prOn)- can stay uh... focused. I'd take like three shots and say "so, you look tense... how about a tasteful massage?". :D

[stevegong]

Seriously, I always wonder how the guys who photograph these beautiful naked women all day -say for a fine art coffee table book (no prOn)- can stay uh... focused. I'd take like three shots and say "so, you look tense... how about a neck rub?". :D

Actually, you'd be surprised. Because I'm trying to get as good and perfect of a shot so I focus on what things don't look good and try to get them look better. So I concentrate a lot on the faults. But I don't care much for fashion photography.

[Ryan]

Some nice snapshots here.

Ryan, even though you don't have "much to say", to me it's both technically and aesthetically a very good shot. Nature abstracts are an acquired taste -some people don't care for them- but I for one find it one of the most fascinating areas of photography. The only thing that might improve it is a little better light to work with (not in your control here), and I might've gotten a little closer to bring the beads of water more into the frame.Thanks. I cropped out the right side in another version that I printed out, and I prefer it that way. The right-most tip of the leaf is cut off and the entire thing is enlarged (the joys of eight megapixels...). Maybe I'll post it later.

[stevegong]

I had to go out and within 1 1/2 hour take a documentary photo. I couldn't caption the photo or even give an explanation surrounding the photo. In other words the image had to stand on it's own. So here is the image. I would REALLY like some feedback on this one since I'm moving into the photojournalism route myself. Don't know if I'll make it my "profession" or not, but I would love to improve all my photographic skills. I did after all change my major to Photography. :)


I'd be interested to seeing a set of pictures to go with this. Can you provide a link maybe? Just going out for such a short time to look for a subject sounds hard. What did your peers come up with?

A lot of the pictures I took while travelling I now find lacking because they don't complete a story. This is why I've been trying to do things like shooting that ballet story.

The other thing I learned about photojournalism is appreciating how close the photographer can get to its subjects without disturbing the scene and being intrusive. Taking a picture point-blank really gives an intimate feeling as if one were there. That too is what I tried to do with the ballet story.

Tomorrow I am going to take pictures at a $20,000 birthday party of this really preppy white girl who's turning 21. I'm pretty sure everyone at the event will be rich, white and preppy, and Greek (of the sorority/fraternity type). As an international student, this sort of thing fascinates me.

[turtle]

I wish you the best with the party, have fun. Though when I shoot events I am never a part of it and so I end up missing the whole thing, unless you count seeing the even with focus points in your way. :)

I don't have any other images to go with that documentary image. My assignment was to take and submit only one shot to tell the whole story. It wasn't easy for me. That was the one I came up with. I was going to see about going to the courthouse and take a picture of a disgruntled family coming out of court.

[stevegong]

I wish you the best with the party, have fun. Though when I shoot events I am never a part of it and so I end up missing the whole thing, unless you count seeing the even with focus points in your way. :)

I don't have any other images to go with that documentary image. My assignment was to take and submit only one shot to tell the whole story. It wasn't easy for me. That was the one I came up with. I was going to see about going to the courthouse and take a picture of a disgruntled family coming out of court.

Haha, that would have been cool.

Oh, I'm not invited to the party, oh of course not, I'm ethnically asian. I am the photographer for the event. I originally planned on getting away with doing the minimum possible but upon hearing the details and nature of the guests, this is becoming a photo story! And, I already know I won't know anyone at the party.

[Bryson]

http://homepage.mac.com/bryson430/.Public/bamburgh.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/bryson430/.Public/red%20arrows.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/bryson430/.Public/smokey%20river.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/bryson430/.Public/cleat.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/bryson430/.Public/shadows.jpg

[Moogs]

.... But I don't care much for fashion photography.

Me neither, but I do approve of any fine art photograph that includes ripe, round breasteses. And other things that shall go unmentioned here (but I bet if Murbot checks the thread he'll mention it). :D

[Moogs]

The castle shot is impressive, Bryson. Wish I'd seen a shot like that in Wales but the weather was mostly overcast and the castles not so beautifully isolated as that one. Which is that?

Also I saw those planes (+2 at least) while driving on the M4 in August. Went right over the motorway. I like it when aerobatic teams practice directly over my planned trip route. :)

[Foj]

A picture I took today while testing out my dad's new digital camera.

http://www.davidlegatt.com/images/albums/userpics/10002/normal_CIMG0003.JPG

[Elysium]

I still love this image.

http://static.flickr.com/61/202079190_b3efcd8a71.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/61/202079190_b3efcd8a71_b.jpg)

:)

[NosferaDrew]

Porsche 911 Targa 4S at the L.A. Auto Show.
http://homepage.mac.com/drew1/.Pictures/Targa4S.jpg

[Bryson]

The castle shot is impressive, Bryson. Wish I'd seen a shot like that in Wales but the weather was mostly overcast and the castles not so beautifully isolated as that one. Which is that?

The thing I like best is the lone bird directly over it. The starburst off the window is nice, too. It's Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland. Long way north. The family still live in it!

Also I saw those planes (+2 at least) while driving on the M4 in August. Went right over the motorway. I like it when aerobatic teams practice directly over my planned trip route. :)

Every other photo I took of them is useless, but that one was beautifully framed and really sharp. No idea how.

[Moogs]

Yah that wouldn't be easy to capture unless you were ready for it with a DSLR in continuous mode, Shutter priority, etc. Still the castle shot is slick. You say way north, I suppose way north of the Wales northern border then (Conwy, et al)?

[Bryson]

Very much so. Bamburgh is just south of the Scottish Border, on the East coast.

[Moogs]

Got it. My Ordance Survey maps don't go that far north... :)

[World Leader Pretend]

Out in the prairie...
http://static.flickr.com/96/269546607_f1264c3dfe.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/96/269546607_f1264c3dfe_b.jpg)

[Moogs]

Cool shot. Where is that statue located? If you blurred the tail a tad and the actual grasses were blowing in the wind, it would be fun to see how many people you could fool.

[turtle]

That is a cool shot. Do you know the subject? Was it staged, not that it matters, I'm just curious.

[World Leader Pretend]

It was early morning. The statue is a cutout that someone put there a long time ago; it's in a public park. If you look closely you can see five different layers of hills behind it. I have a slightly blurrier picture that wasn't quite in focus, and it looks like there actually is a horse standing there, although you loose the detail in the grasses.

That hill and cut-out is at our home cross-country course, marking the "mile hill" Our course has the most hills in the state.

I'm not in any photo classes, although I do know a lot about setting up shots correctly, breathing, etc... (most of it I've learned from this site :) )

[Powerdoc]

Here is one of my daughter : http://www.pbase.com/powerdoc/image/66543463/large.jpg

[Powerdoc]

http://www.pbase.com/powerdoc/image/66545795/original.jpg

a very classical one, but still a good souvenir
Sorry for the large file, but Pbase has terrible downsizing algorithm : it wash out colors !

[turtle]

I like that image. It makes me wonder why there is a shadowy character in the background, but the girl (your daughter) on the horse looks happy yet focused. Even though there are a lot of shadows, I like the lighting for this one too. Nice shot.

[Powerdoc]

Here is one of jazz. I have a very good place (the front seats)
This is Jonnhy Griffins (aka the little giant) playing wiht the Jazz hip trio :
http://www.pbase.com/powerdoc/image/57955497/large.jpg

[Powerdoc]

I like that image. It makes me wonder why there is a shadowy character in the background, but the girl (your daughter) on the horse looks happy yet focused. Even though there are a lot of shadows, I like the lighting for this one too. Nice shot.

Thanks, the shadowy character, is the riding professor. That's why she is in the background : there is always a teacher hidden somewhere behind a student :D

[Noel]

Here are a few of mine:

http://noel.arts-and-literature.com/photo/2004/august/leopard-skin.jpg

http://noel.arts-and-literature.com/photo/2004/august/chalice.jpg

http://noel.arts-and-literature.com/photo/2004/november/radiant.jpg

http://noel.arts-and-literature.com/photo/2006/january/strewn.jpg

[World Leader Pretend]

Starfruit!

Very nice :)

[turtle]

Is the blue one natural color or did you edit it? It looks really good composition and all.

[stevegong]

morning glory...nice.

I'm growing it in my dorm room right now.

You know the seeds can give you LSD like effects?

[Ebby]

Would those last two sentences and a deeper relationship by any chance. ;)

Here I go.
Haven't really been photographing for a while and I forget what images I already posted.
(Don't want to repeat myself.)

http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/Speck.jpg

[Noel]

It the blue one natural color or did you edit it? It looks really good composition and all.

The color's all natural, but I did up the contrast and brightness a little bit.

[turtle]

Would those last two sentences and a deeper relationship by any chance. ;)

Here I go.
Haven't really been photographing for a while and I forget what images I already posted.
(Don't want to repeat myself.)

I love the bookworm! That brought a smile to my face. :)

http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%202_files/Kelly%20Color%201.jpg

http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%202_files/Kelly%20Color%203.jpg

[Ryan]

http://static.flickr.com/125/322658936_57f949eb99.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=322658936&size=l)

I took this one in the same location as the previous photo I posted. I wish I could bring this one more into focus, but I believe I've run into the limitations of a $150 zoom lens. My next major camera purchase will hopefully be a 50mm/1.4, or I might just pick up the 1.8 for now, since it's so inexpensive. I've heard it's a very sharp lens.

[turtle]

I took this one in the same location as the previous photo I posted. I wish I could bring this one more into focus, but I believe I've run into the limitations of a $150 zoom lens. My next major camera purchase will hopefully be a 50mm/1.4, or I might just pick up the 1.8 for now, since it's so inexpensive. I've heard it's a very sharp lens.

What was the focal length for that image? The longer the focal length, the shallower the DoF. I'm sure you didn't mean to link the two, but it looks like you think the f1.8 or f1.4 is going to give you a deeper DoF. The larger f-stop numbers give narrower apertures and thus deeper DoF. Of course, the larger aperture opening, the smaller the number and shallower DoF.

I like the shot anyway. You can see the web on it nicely. :)

[Ryan]

What was the focal length for that image? The longer the focal length, the shallower the DoF. I'm sure you didn't mean to link the two, but it looks like you think the f1.8 or f1.4 is going to give you a deeper DoF. The larger f-stop numbers give narrower apertures and thus deeper DoF. Of course, the lager aperture opening, the smaller the number and shallower DoF.

I like the shot anyway. You can see the web on it nicely. :)Actually, I only mentioned the lens because it's (from what I've read) very sharp, and that photo is somewhat out of focus.

But I'm still very new to SLR photography, so thanks for that, I didn't know before. :)

The focal length was 125mm and the EXIF data can be seen here (http://www.flickr.com/photo_exif.gne?id=322658936).

[Mac+]

It's not so much out of focus ... it is just that you have focussed on the front twigs with a shallow depth of field. Also, as turtle mentions, the telephoto range will lessen the DOF too. I wouldn't necessarily say you have run into the limitations of the zoom just yet. :)

What you should do is go take that shot again. You have a digital camera - take a few shots. Do some bracketing. Stop the lens down to f/16 or more and see if that makes a difference. It won't cost you to develop the shots. :)

Btw, I have the 50mm f/1.4, and whilst I like it for indoor and low light photography the autofocus fishes a bit. When you get it right, though, it's wonderful. But you have to be careful - especially if using it wide open at f/1.4. For example, at that shallow depth of field, if your subject's face is not front on you will only get one eye in focus. ;)

The f/1.4 also has better construction and the 8 blades provides better background blur, which is an effect I like.

[Ryan]

It's not so much out of focus ... it is just that you have focussed on the front twigs with a shallow depth of field. Also, as turtle mentions, the telephoto range will lessen the DOF too. I wouldn't necessarily say you have run into the limitations of the zoom just yet. :)

What you should do is go take that shot again. You have a digital camera - take a few shots. Do some bracketing. Stop the lens down to f/16 or more and see if that makes a difference. It won't cost you to develop the shots. :)

Btw, I have the 50mm f/1.4, and whilst I like it for indoor and low light photography the autofocus fishes a bit. When you get it right, though, it's wonderful. But you have to be careful - especially if using it wide open at f/1.4. For example, at that shallow depth of field, if your subject's face is not front on you will only get one eye in focus. ;)

The f/1.4 also has better construction and the 8 blades provides better background blur, which is an effect I like.Thanks for the tips. I'll try that out next time I do close-up nature shots.

Unfortunately, this specific tree is three hours away. :D

[Mac+]

Some really nice shots in this thread too, btw. I'm enjoying seeing 'em.

turtle - I'm quite envious that you're studying photography. You must be loving it! Scorned is a killer shot. I hate looking at it, but I'm drawn to it too.

stevegong - that ballet girl photo (can't recall where I saw it now) was timeless. I also like the one with the reflection in the water. I usually revel in a break with symmetry, but agree with turtle that the trees on the right are a bit too distracting in this instance, for my tastes.

GSpotter - love shots of the homeland. I haven't been there myself yet. :(

PowerDoc - nice to see you posting here. I really like the jazz shot - something about ambient lighting and capturing an artist in action pleases me. It's funny though, as we don't see many shots of writers at their manuscripts or painters at the canvas. I want to get into concert photography myself. I need to see more gigs and bring the camera along.

Noel - really love the colours and composition of those four shots. Simple and clean.

[Mac+]

Ryan - forget that tree ... any tree my good man. Just get out there! :D

[billybobsky]

see below...

[turtle]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try that out next time I do close-up nature shots.

Unfortunately, this specific tree is three hours away. :D

Like Mac+ says, get out and shoot. :) It's one of the best ways to learn.

In my class we used a textbook that is openly available and really helps you to understand the basics of photography from a technical camera standpoint. While it talks about different "rules" and composition ideas, it's focus is camera usage. "Complete Digital Photography, Third Edition" by Ben Long. ISBN 1-58450-356-4 (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781584503569&itm=1). Well worth the $40 retail. You will learn a lot from going through this book. We didn't use the whole book for our class, but we used it for very technical basic camera skills.

*Sidenote; I use a Rebel XT too. :) Though I have plans for a 5D (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=11933), I dream for a 1Ds Mark II (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10598). :D

[billybobsky]

http://static.flickr.com/124/322730016_67cc55b63d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78988773@N00/322730016/)

[turtle]

Wow, that's a nice picture. Where did you take it?

[billybobsky]

El Jadida, and if you do a google search on it, you will find someone else who took exactly the same shot at evidently the same time at the same time of year 5 years before... his other shots of the cistern are also remarkably identical to my own... Kind of freaky actually...

[Ryan]

Ryan - forget that tree ... any tree my good man. Just get out there! :DOf course I will. :D I have two weeks off starting Saturday, so I plan on experimenting with various settings and angles quite a bit.

[alcimedes]

Hey, you have a larger version of that photo BB?

[billybobsky]

i do... pm me your email address and its yours...

[Ebby]

My next major camera purchase will hopefully be a 50mm/1.4, or I might just pick up the 1.8 for now.
I just bought a 34mm F/1.4 lens. With conversion ratio, it comes out to roughly 50mm. Sweet doggy! is that one hell of a lens! :cool: 4 digit price tag. *Gulp*

[GSpotter]

http://static.flickr.com/26/95726065_93de4030c9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/95726065/)

[Mac+]

bb - Awesome, awesome shot. I reckon you could sell that one. :)

Gspotter - I kept looking at the body of the snake thinking something was not quite right. Then my eyes were drawn to the head. Great DOF and the focus is dead on. Love it - well framed too. Are the colours natural or has it been edited?

[julesstoop]

Just some very different pictures I've taken in the past few months:

@ a party, someone is bored:
http://jules.vslcatena.nl/forai/ditmar.jpg

My hometown around sunset:
http://jules.vslcatena.nl/forai/leiden.jpg

A beach on "Vlieland" (small island of the dutch coast):
http://jules.vslcatena.nl/forai/vlieland1.jpg

[Dorian Gray]

You absolutely nailed the exposure in that photo, billybobsky: no small feat in those lighting conditions, especially with a digital camera. Good shadow and highlight detail and beautiful colours. Isn't it a bit soft though? Perhaps because it was handheld? Still, a lovely shot.

[billybobsky]

It is a little soft... hand held indeed without breakfast... I sort of starved my way through morocco...

[GSpotter]

Are the colours natural or has it been edited?I'd say 95% natural. ;) I just did a small curve adjustment in PS to enhance the color clarity.

[intlplby]

china pics (http://www.andrewdeandrade.com/china/)

here's a bunch of photos i took, mainly from china, but some are from russia. i got thousands more, i just picked a few i like.

go ahead and take a look in the gallery. i'm not going to bog down the thread with lots of images.

if you got a comment or question on one just post it here in the thread

[octavist13]

Blarney Castle in Ireland...

http://home.comcast.net/~octavist13/blarney_castle_sm.jpg

This picture was taken on the west coast of Ireland on the side of the road.

http://home.comcast.net/~octavist13/irish_countryside.jpg

[GSpotter]

Ol' blue eyes:

http://static.flickr.com/58/160795503_2330923156.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/160795503/)

[Windowsrookie]

http://static.flickr.com/136/323102891_05ed6f9906.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/palmattack/323102891/)

[SpecMode]

Alright, time to show off my m4d photography sk1llz...or rather, a glaring lack thereof. You were warned.

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/bigtree.jpg

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/cabin.jpg

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/stump.jpg

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/humelake.jpg

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/puppy.jpg

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/helo_bombs.jpg
Don't drop it!!!

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/nimitz_sd1.jpg

http://www.specmode.net/images/an/photos/nimitz_sd2.jpg

[turtle]

Ok so this image is of me, I have the copyrights to it. :p Ephesus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus) in Turkey back in '96. Man I would love to go back there with a better camera. This was taken with a cheapo 35mm. I found the negative and scanned it in more for my memories and safe keeping. No editing has been done yet to the image. Scanned in with a Nikon Cool Scan V w/o Digital ICE.

http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/DD977_543.jpg

[PKIDelirium]

Step 1. Set camera to 2-second shutter.
Step 2. Aim camera at Christmas tree and click shutter.
Step 3. Twist camera.
Step 4. There is no step 4. (http://donald.extremepki.com/photo/17december2006-treelights.jpg)

[Windowsrookie]

Where's the green? :)

[PKIDelirium]

In other parts of the tree. :p I just held the camera close to a few bulbs and did it, so it didn't get many colors.

[joveblue]

I'm getting a digital camera for christmas, yay!

[Moogs]

Cool... post some pix from new years or something. You close to Sydney harbor? :)

[PKIDelirium]

http://donald.extremepki.com/photo/17december2006-mytree1.jpg

[joveblue]

Cool... post some pix from new years or something. You close to Sydney harbor? :)

About 700 kilometres away... (http://www.mapcrow.info/Distance_between_Sydney_AS_and_Melbourne_AS.html)

[Wyatt]

I'm getting a digital camera for christmas, yay!
I suspect that I might be getting one. I'm really excited about the idea. The camera I have now is a piece of crap.

Maybe with slightly better equipment, I'll be able to contribute to this thread. :D

[World Leader Pretend]

Very somber and bleak, although the wood is full of life:
http://static.flickr.com/100/307336079_9c9e737705.jpg?v=0 (http://static.flickr.com/100/307336079_9c9e737705_o.jpg)

Rearview Mirror
http://static.flickr.com/137/326839209_b41455ed31.jpg?v=0 (http://static.flickr.com/137/326839209_b41455ed31_b.jpg)

[GSpotter]

World Leader Pretend: I like that shadow of a chair.

Here's a picture of the Olgas, Australia:
http://static.flickr.com/139/327372371_c14987c068.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/327372371/)

[FFL]

Just shot this one a couple days ago of my nephew on the beach

(click for larger)

[Majost]

Okay, so I didn't take this one (really?). But damn. Never have I wanted to be an astronaut more...

http://mbauman.net/random/Spacewalk.jpg (http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/165304main_image_feature_719_ys_full.jpg)
Click for teh huge.

(It makes a marvelous desktop picture)

:)

[Majost]

In penance for posting a picture I didn't take, here's one I did:
http://mbauman.net/random/picosm.jpg (http://mbauman.net/random/pico.png)
Again, click for bigger.

Crummy camera, but an amazing view. "Hiking" up Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic. Oops, I still need to fix the skew. It's hard to take a picture straight on the back of a mule that's trying to gallop.

[alcimedes]

http://www.alcimedes.com/Corridor_sm.png (http://www.alcimedes.com/Corridor.png)
(click for the full size image)

Here's one I took today of an old Spanish fort in Puerto Rico.

It's actually two stitched together since it was too large for a single photo.

[Windswept]

What a wonderful shot. I can't imagine living in such an incredibly cool-looking place like this. To find anything remotely resembling this in America, you'd have to break out construction tools and hammer up a movie set. You are *so* lucky. ;) :p


My hometown around sunset:
http://jules.vslcatena.nl/forai/leiden.jpg

I simply *adore* this second shot. I think every single thing about is just absolutely STUNNING!

The light and color contrasts, the composition, the variation in textures, the earthen red, the mottled ceiling, the stark white pillars, the smoothness and reflection of the water, the beam of light. Just... Wow!

I used to do a lot of photography, and hadn't realized till looking at this photo just how very much I miss the pleasure of putting together a stunning shot like this one. To capture such perfect beauty on film means that you can keep it forever and enjoy it anew at any time. How many things in life can you say that about? Not too many, I'd say.


http://static.flickr.com/124/322730016_67cc55b63d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/78988773@N00/322730016/)

[GSpotter]

Merry christmas!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/20/71574990_85e4b86188.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/71574990/)

[julesstoop]

5 (I hope it's not too many) more from my hometown around 4 am last weekend...:

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/01.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/04.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/21.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/14.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/15.jpg

[billybobsky]

I like the train tracks... The rest aren't as good compositionally...

[alcimedes]

http://www.alcimedes.com/fort.jpg

Here's another one of the fort from PR. :)

I know nothing of composition though, so :p to BB.

[Windswept]

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/15.jpg
Nice shot of Orion there, julesstoop. :)

(At least I 'think' that's Orion.)

[julesstoop]

That's Orion indeed. Unfortunately Betelgeuse is missing from the top left corner.

@BB. I sorta agree with you. :) And I do have more pictures with a nicer composition than the other three, but I personally sorta like what's depicted in this selection.

@Alcimedes:
Amazing shot! Nice colors, very violent sea.

[turtle]

Nice shot of Orion there, julesstoop. :)

(At least I 'think' that's Orion.)

It is, and I was thinking the same thing.

[Phoenix]

Heres a couple from one of the places i work at.


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/336078314_3e1e437cdb.jpg?v=0"]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/336078314_3e1e437cdb.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/336074979_e39ca3d434.jpg?v=0"]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/336074979_e39ca3d434.jpg?v=0


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/336078416_c1df2b0812.jpg?v=0"]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/336078416_c1df2b0812.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/336074797_3385ab933a.jpg?v=0"]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/336074797_3385ab933a.jpg?v=0

[julesstoop]

Those last two are amazing. Would you care to offer us hi-rez versions for download, please.. :)

[turtle]

I really do like those last two as well. Great shots.

[Phoenix]

Thanks alot!

Heres the links for the last (http://www.box.net/public/g4nv977kf2) two (http://www.box.net/public/yia4y7qhzn) shots.

I'm glad you guys liked them!

[julesstoop]

Thanks! I've downloaded them. :)

[spikeh]

5 (I hope it's not too many) more from my hometown around 4 am last weekend...:

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/01.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/04.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/21.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/14.jpg

http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/15.jpg

These are really great man. Top marks!

I like the train tracks... The rest aren't as good compositionally...

What Alcimedes said.

[turtle]

What the fuck? Fuck off dude, those were awesome.

Please keep this thread friendly. Everyone has opinions, no flaming here please.

Phoenix, Thanks for the links, I've downloaded them too! :)

[spikeh]

Please keep this thread friendly. Everyone has opinions, no flaming here please.

Ah, that wasn't a flame. Just thought the tone was a little off for what should be, as you point out, an opinion.

[alcimedes]

Perhaps if you're going to say something critical of a photograph, at least offer some suggestions as to what could have been done to improve it. There's nothing wrong with being critical, but it should be constructive. Criticism for the sake of criticism is best kept to oneself, at least in this thread.

[julesstoop]

For the traintrack-picture-lovers, I have a med-res (1600*1200) version for download: click me! (http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/spoorweg1600.jpg)

[billybobsky]

What the fuck? Fuck off dude, those were awesome.

spikeh, what is your problem?

Did I fail to offer a suggestion for improvement?

Does everything have to be positive?

[spikeh]

For the traintrack-picture-lovers, I have a med-res (1600*1200) version for download: click me! (http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/spoorweg1600.jpg)

I'd love high-res versions of the last two. The stars in that last one are ace.

[spikeh]

spikeh, what is your problem?

Did I fail to offer a suggestion for improvement?

Does everything have to be positive?

No, it just came across as a bit glib is all, in the face of what are clearly very good photos :) I'm sure yours are miles better, though. :p

[billybobsky]

It is not a competition. I was making a suggestion for improvement, which I find more helpful than even just bland positive comments.

[julesstoop]

@Spikeh:
At your service :)
Fyi:
They have a small watermark and are protected by a creative commons share alike licence (so I shouldn't actually use the regular copyright symbol...)
The old ships (http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/boats1600.jpg)
Orion (http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/orion1600.jpg)

@BB. You could tell me how I could improve the composition of the other pictures :P
Really just kiddin, I was not offended by your suggestion.

[spikeh]

@Spikeh:
At your service :)
Fyi:
They have a small watermark and are protected by a creative commons share alike licence (so I shouldn't actually use the regular copyright symbol...)
The old ships (http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/boats1600.jpg)
Orion (http://jules.vslcatena.nl/leidennacht/orion1600.jpg)


Awesome, thanks :D Adorning my desktop now :)

[Moogs]

Bobsky's "colorful cavern" shot is pretty amazing I must agree. The only thing I'd do is straighten it out a bit and crop some of the right-hand column out as it draws your eye away from the rest of the composition. Nice shot!

Also the Apple and windmill shots are very cool. Wish I lived in a town like jules; I'd be out shooting non-stop. Suburbia sucks. :( ;)

[Windswept]

I like these two. The first, because sunrise (sunset?) is a stunning time of day; the shot has nice clarity; and I like the contrast of the sky with the darkness of the ground, and the sun's intense brilliance sandwiched in between.



http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/336074979_e39ca3d434.jpg?v=0"]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/336074979_e39ca3d434.jpg?v=0



http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/336074797_3385ab933a.jpg?v=0"]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/336074797_3385ab933a.jpg?v=0

This second shot is just fantastic! Wow. I really think it's fascinating. For one thing, the conveyor looks like a golden bridge to heaven... that just ends in mid-air. Oops!

The steel and the lights are lovely and artistic, with the man-made, almost lacy structure so perfectly dividing the darkness of the sky from the lightness of the earth.

It's ironic that this visually-appealing creation is for the purpose of moving... dirt. :) Juxtaposing the intricate fabrication of man versus the ancient plainness of the earth. Okay, I'll shut up now. ;) :p

You know what, I think you should get a nice print of the last shot, frame it, and present it to your boss (or the company president :D ) as a gift. It wouldn't cost you too much, and would be a nice (suck-up) gesture. :)

If 'scads' of people loved it, you could offer prints for sale, rake in the cash, retire young and go live on an island in the South Pacific. :D

Okay... maybe not. ;)

[ShadowOfGed]

Alright, here are some of my favorite pictures. All of them were taken by me, so I'm gonna post small versions here; click on any given image to get the full-sized version. If 10 images is too many for one post, I can split it into several smaller posts...

Without further ado, here they are:

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/BirdInTree.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/BirdInTree.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/CampFire.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/CampFire.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/DesertHighway.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/DesertHighway.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/FlyingDuck.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/FlyingDuck.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/HillsideRailroad.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/HillsideRailroad.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/Orion.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/Orion.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/SpiderWeb.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/SpiderWeb.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/Photographer.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/Photographer.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/Skyscraper.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/Skyscraper.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/GoldenGate.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/GoldenGate.jpg)

http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/Small/Monterey.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/shadowofged/Public/Pictures/FullSize/Monterey.jpg)

Enjoy! I hope you guys like them. :)

[billybobsky]

I like the vertical shots; I understand that the others are probably meaningful personally, but I don't know you... and they don't elicit enough emotional connection to make me want to see it for myself...

Not meant to be overly critical...

[ShadowOfGed]

I like the vertical shots; I understand that the others are probably meaningful personally, but I don't know you... and they don't elicit enough emotional connection to make me want to see it for myself...

Not meant to be overly critical...
No, it's not a problem; I don't usually go out trying to take great pictures. I've got a lot that aren't here for a reason, heh. ;)

I like scenery and nature, which is why most of the horizontal shots are here. Some of them are just pictures that are "fun to look at" for me. I've never pursued photography as anything more than an idle hobby, so getting feedback about how I compose pictures is always helpful.

:cancer:

[Phoenix]

I like these two. The first, because sunrise (sunset?) is a stunning time of day; the shot has nice clarity; and I like the contrast of the sky with the darkness of the ground, and the sun's intense brilliance sandwiched in between.



This second shot is just fantastic! Wow. I really think it's fascinating. For one thing, the conveyor looks like a golden bridge to heaven... that just ends in mid-air. Oops!

The steel and the lights are lovely and artistic, with the man-made, almost lacy structure so perfectly dividing the darkness of the sky from the lightness of the earth.

It's ironic that this visually-appealing creation is for the purpose of moving... dirt. :) Juxtaposing the intricate fabrication of man versus the ancient plainness of the earth. Okay, I'll shut up now. ;) :p

You know what, I think you should get a nice print of the last shot, frame it, and present it to your boss (or the company president :D ) as a gift. It wouldn't cost you too much, and would be a nice (suck-up) gesture. :)

If 'scads' of people loved it, you could offer prints for sale, rake in the cash, retire young and go live on an island in the South Pacific. :D

Okay... maybe not. ;)

Wow, thanks a lot Windswept. I don't usually get a lot of critique for my shots at work so this is good.

I don't think i will be printing off a copy to give to my boss just yet. I think brown nosing isn't looked at to kindly around here. Maybe when i leave this job i will do a nice montage with some of the better shots.

On the afternoon i went out to take these shots, it was just gorgeous. I only had one afternoon available to shoot as much as i could. It's a great place to shoot though, with massive equipment and the really nice landscape. The mine is surrounded by hills, so it was easy to get in a 4WD and look for a nice place to take the photos.

I'll try and post some more as soon as i get back on my normal computer.

[julesstoop]

Nice shot of Orion!

[turtle]

http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/pollbarn.jpg

I liked the moon in this shot, though I wish it were a little bigger.

[Dorian Gray]

ShadowOfGed, your last photo: those are Peter Werth moccasins! I had a pair of those a few years ago, right down to the colour. 'Course I didn't ruin them by tucking awful blue jeans under the tongue. ;) WHY do people do that?! Number one rule for wearing trousers, any trousers, with shoes, any shoes: let the leg fall over the top of the shoe. Else you look like an ungainly clown. While you're at it, make sure the colour of the socks matches the trousers, not the shoes: the goal is elegance, not big-foot. The guy in the photo has also decided to fold up half the leg... :no: :lol: (No offence if this is your best friend, by the way.)

Phoenix, I like your third shot best; love the back-lit dust streaming off the truck's back. The golden light and golden dust is also very appropriate for a gold mine. Nice shot.

julesstoop, your shooting is good enough to deserve a better camera with lower noise, sort it out man! :)

[World Leader Pretend]

Some I took this summer in the Kansas City area:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/356521946_548ac75a11.jpg?v=0 (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/356521946_548ac75a11_b.jpg)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/356521210_ee947e3c22.jpg?v=0 (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/356521210_ee947e3c22_b.jpg)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/356521205_6019412bae.jpg?v=0 (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/356521205_6019412bae_b.jpg)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/356521201_bd7045a43c.jpg?v=0 (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/356521201_bd7045a43c_b.jpg) (this was taken from a moving car on the highway!)

Click for larger.

If anyone wants any really big (3072x2304) just PM me.

[Windswept]

Wow, WLP, was that giant spider funded by the city? Yikes! :eek:

[ShadowOfGed]

ShadowOfGed, your last photo: those are Peter Werth moccasins! I had a pair of those a few years ago, right down to the colour. 'Course I didn't ruin them by tucking awful blue jeans under the tongue. ;) WHY do people do that?! Number one rule for wearing trousers, any trousers, with shoes, any shoes: let the leg fall over the top of the shoe. Else you look like an ungainly clown. While you're at it, make sure the colour of the socks matches the trousers, not the shoes: the goal is elegance, not big-foot. The guy in the photo has also decided to fold up half the leg... :no: :lol: (No offence if this is your best friend, by the way.)
No offense taken; he was just one of my coworkers this summer. He was also from Sweden. We'd been walking around a lot that day, so the jeans-tucked-behind-tongue problem may have been an accident. I agree that pants always go over the shoes, but sometimes I think this problem happens accidentally.

*shrug*

:)

[World Leader Pretend]

Wow, WLP, was that giant spider funded by the city? Yikes! :eek:

Actually, he is a younger sibling of a more famous one in Spain. They were made by the same guy.

Here is the one in Spain: Link (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Guggenheim-bilbao-jan05.jpg)

[turtle]

Bad Day?
http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/badday.png

[Schnauzer]

pic i took when it snowed in the desert in AZ

http://schnauzer.jkl4life.com/media/blogs/new/Snowdayinaz.jpg

[åsen]

http://www.nikongear.com/alb/albums/userpics/PF_sunset_snowDSC_2371.jpg

A photo taken last week by Bjørn Rørslett (http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html) in the forests north of Oslo.

[GSpotter]

I took this picture last christmas morning and uploaded it yesterday to my flickr stream. It's currently in the flickr explore 500:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/374700238_afa1c53039.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/374700238/)

[torifile]

I have no idea why I like this shot so much but I do. :) The original photo was quite a bit larger so I cropped it down a bunch and the resolution isn't great because of that. But I actually like the graininess in the shot. I'm taking a photography class now and we're working on composition. Any comments?

http://homepage.mac.com/torifile/.Pictures/chopsticks.jpg

Actually, he is a younger sibling of a more famous one in Spain. They were made by the same guy.

Here is the one in Spain: Link (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Guggenheim-bilbao-jan05.jpg)
My wife and I saw that one!

http://homepage.mac.com/torifile/.Pictures/spainspider_sm.jpg (http://homepage.mac.com/torifile/.Pictures/spainspider_lg.jpg)
(click for bigger)

They were taping some sort of bollywood video or something at the time and that guy in the hot pink jacket was HILARIOUS. He was almost a walking caricature. We had a good time. :)

[turbulentfurball]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/375999502_bda0a23256_o.jpg

This my favourite of my NYC pictures so far.

[NosferaDrew]

Mmmm, espresso.
http://homepage.mac.com/drew1/.Pictures/Morning_Shot.jpg

[Artap99]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/376177833_f905684188.jpg

This is one of the first pictures I've ever taken with my new D80. Which is the first camera I've ever owned.

[turtle]

http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%201%20PHT135_files/beforesunset.jpg (http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%201%20PTH135.html)

http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%201%20PHT135.html

So click on the image and see my portfolio I just submitted for my class. It was a bit more of a pain than normal for me to shoot this time. :\ I was "under the weather" for the first week of the portfolio which really limited me going outside in the freezing windy cold weather.

Can you believe the instructor wanted me to get up for a sunrise shot?!? I did, but it was tough.

I have no idea why I like this shot so much but I do. :) The original photo was quite a bit larger so I cropped it down a bunch and the resolution isn't great because of that. But I actually like the graininess in the shot. I'm taking a photography class now and we're working on composition. Any comments?

My only real suggestion is to re-shoot that picture but frame it like you have it cropped now. The tip of the chopstick is a little distracting to me though, kinda sticking in my face. I like the noise (grain look) sort of, but you are far better off to take the image clean and add noise through Photoshop later if you wish. Or bump you ISO way up when you re-shoot it. Then you'll get a more natural type of noise from the start.

Mmmm, espresso.

My friend, my friend. :D

[Dorian Gray]

turtle2472, your tower photos are a bit like colour versions of the 1920s stuff when photographers were just getting used to the new Art Deco skyscrapers (Empire State Building, etc.) that were springing up, and therefore taking lots of photos of them. You've got a funky colour look going on in the one you posted to this thread: is that just the early sunshine or a bit of PS? I like the palette, reminds me a little of early Ektachrome that's starting to fade a bit.

What do you think of this guy's photos (http://www.davtaphoto.com/)? He starts off with a great idea, decently executed (her eye is just starting to close, instinctively :p), and then it sort of peters into a studenty, badly-edited collection of photos, a few of which are excellent and many of which show real talent. Just a young photographer whose stuff I came across a couple of days ago.

[turtle]

turtle2472, your tower photos are a bit like colour versions of the 1920s stuff when photographers were just getting used to the new Art Deco skyscrapers (Empire State Building, etc.) that were springing up, and therefore taking lots of photos of them. You've got a funky colour look going on in the one you posted to this thread: is that just the early sunshine or a bit of PS? I like the palette, reminds me a little of early Ektachrome that's starting to fade a bit.

What do you think of this guy's photos (http://www.davtaphoto.com/)? He starts off with a great idea, decently executed (her eye is just starting to close, instinctively :p), and then it sort of peters into a studenty, badly-edited collection of photos, a few of which are excellent and many of which show real talent. Just a young photographer whose stuff I came across a couple of days ago.

I hadn't seen his works before, thanks for the link though. I'll go through those pages in the near future.

As for my tower, it was taken at sunset. The shadow line just above the concrete and below the yellow stuff is created by the sun being pretty close to the horizon already. It just so happens that that wall faces mostly west. No PS in post production, just a touch of sharpening. Thanks for asking. :)

[turtle]

I took this picture last christmas morning and uploaded it yesterday to my flickr stream. It's currently in the flickr explore 500:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/374700238_afa1c53039.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/374700238/)

I was going back through the thread enjoying at the shared images and noticed I haven't really commented on any of your shots yet. I have enjoyed everyone of them and I really like this one too. I have seen your Flickr shots too and I really do like your work. Keep it up! :)

[turtle]

http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/StillLife1.jpg

A still life I shot last semester that I rather like. The pieces came from Greece and the board from Turkey.

[GSpotter]

I have enjoyed everyone of them and I really like this one too. I have seen your Flickr shots too and I really do like your work. Keep it up! :)Thanks! :) I definitely plan to keep up. ;)
I still have a few, unpublished shots on my hard drive for your viewing pleasure ...
(>37,000 views of my photostream so far) ...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/369637224_507d5bc105.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/369637224/)

[Dorian Gray]

Winner of the 1st prize in the Portraits (singles) category of the 2007 World Press Photo Awards (http://www.worldpressphoto.com/).

http://www.worldpressphoto.com/images/photocache/photos/2007/PO/Singles/PO-1_520x465x90.jpg

Wounded US Marine returns home from Iraq to marry

More shots of the marriage here (http://archive.reduxpictures.com/Production/PhotoGroupView.aspx?pbid=4&msa=1&pgid=6415897&ipp=24&sort=0&page=0&slid=cc1b5897-2a55-47e8-9734-cedcaa97c1a2).

Edit: updated photo link.

[Bryson]

Further to this thread, has anyone started having a go with Panoramio (www.panoramio.com)? It's a twist on the Flickr thing, but with a tie-in to Google Earth. I think it's a very interesting way of showcasing pictures of the world.

Anyway, here's me: http://www.panoramio.com/user/164573

[Ebby]

That is pretty cool. Does your camera capture GPS info or do you have to manually place every marker?

My latest:
http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=17417&g2_serialNumber=4 (http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=17418&g2_serialNumber=3)

[spikeh]

http://www.worldpressphoto.com/images/photocache/photos/2007/PO/Singles/PO-1_520x465x90.jpg


http://www.maniacworld.com/darth-vader-without-the-mask.jpg

I'm just sayin'.

[Bryson]

That is pretty cool. Does your camera capture GPS info or do you have to manually place every marker?

Manually placed. Nice way to remember where, exactly, you have been. I think if your camera supports Geotagging then it'll work with that, but it has a pretty simple interface to place the markers. I'm a little anal about placing the marker exactly where I stood while I took the photo, including zooming right in.

[Powerdoc]

It's quite obvious, than the truth is more terrible than the fiction.
(I was replying to Spikeh post)

[GSpotter]

Further to this thread, has anyone started having a go with Panoramio (www.panoramio.com)? It's a twist on the Flickr thing, but with a tie-in to Google Earth.There existed some googlemaps mashups for flickr for some time (I geotagged many of my shots) and flickr has his own mapping for a while now, too. Maybe I'm missing something, but what is the difference between Panoramio and flickrMap (http://www.flickr.com/map/)?

BTW, I think the next step in the display of location based picture might look like this: http://phototour.cs.washington.edu/

[Mac+]

Finally got down to sorting out some old rolls of film. Here are some shots from China that I took in 2005.

Shanghai skyline
http://homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA/pictures/picture-1.png
Lama Temple Monk
http://homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA/pictures/picture-2.png

[spikeh]

That skyline is stunning dude.

[intlplby]

Same Monk from the Lama Temple

http://www.andrewdeandrade.com/china/pictures/picture-2.jpg


Some old guy from Hebei province.
http://www.andrewdeandrade.com/china/pictures/picture-6.jpg

I should have bought his glasses from him right then and there. they are freakin awesome

[Mancomb Seepgood]

Winner of the 1st prize in the Portraits (singles) category of the 2007 World Press Photo Awards (http://www.worldpressphoto.com/).

http://www.worldpressphoto.com/images/photocache/photos/2007/PO/Singles/PO-1_520x465x90.jpg

Wounded US Marine returns home from Iraq to marry

More shots of the marriage here (http://archive.reduxpictures.com/Production/PhotoGroupView.aspx?pbid=4&msa=1&pgid=6415897&ipp=24&sort=0&page=0&slid=cc1b5897-2a55-47e8-9734-cedcaa97c1a2).

Edit: updated photo link.

My heart cringed when I went through the rest of those photos. I'm sure there are many people (including myself) that would rather die when faced with the realization that they will never be the same ever again. It has to be hard on not only him but his wife as well. I hope all goes well. And if the marriage does work out, then there has to be (contrary to my belief) something that exists such as true love.

[Mac+]

spikeh - thanks. :)
intlplby - I saw that on your website and it reminded me to fish my shot out.

[Mac+]

Here are two from the Shanghai acrobat show - October 2006.

http://homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA/pictures/picture-13.png http://homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA/pictures/picture-15.png

[turtle]

Well my portfolio 3 went in today. It was all about one color. I choose red because it's kinda close to home for me. Here's one of the images from it; click on it to be taken to the photo page with all 8 of them.
http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%203%20PHT135_files/Kelly%20Red%201.jpg (http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Portfolio%203%20PHT135.html)

Please feel free to give me some feedback on my portfolio, it's one of the only way's I'll learn to get better.

[billybobsky]

I really like the fire helmut (I would have had the engine be a little more in focus, but not in focus, if you know what I mean), the wheel, and the biohazard bin. The others don't grab my attention. Red 7 and Red 8 are somewhat boring. It also seems like you over-processed some of the images...

[Majost]

Red 6 would be much more interesting if you had more foreground showing.

Man, I wish I had taken more photo classes in college.

[torifile]

http://www.babybanacheng.com/gallery/d/45-2/IMG_3323.JPG

[billybobsky]

(congrats, papa)

[torifile]

Red 1 I liked a lot. I would have liked it even more if you had an even shallower depth of field. Red 8: I wish that the berries were sharper.

[Dorian Gray]

Mac+: that skyline is insane! Is that smog or lens flare I'm seeing in the distance?

Imaginative photos, turtle2472! I find that you suddenly realise the limitations of your ability when you have to return with good shots, so good job. This is also what seperates the pros from the amateurs: the amateurs have a handful of great shots in their portfolio, while the pros have to make that happen week in and week out.

I think you were right to select Red 1 to post here as it's probably the best. Like billybobsky I'd like a little more depth of field, but torifile leans the other way so on balance your judgement was probably sound. Red 2 would need to be printed very large to draw the viewer's attention to your multiple reflections in the polished wheel nuts. Red 6 was well spotted but I can't help but wonder what it would look like with the "FIRE" letters in the frame (or would that be too trite and literal?).

Is it the crap LG monitor (http://www0.epinions.com/pr-LG_Flatron_L1715S_17_in_Flat_Panel_TFT_Monitor/display_~reviews) I'm using (caution: avoid at all costs!) or are the large versions much less saturated than the thumbnails?

I'd love to see what these would have looked like on Kodachrome 25. That stuff rendered reds like nothing before or since (Kodachrome 64, still available, is the best substitute, but still a poor second). It had a high gamma but that was compensated for by an exceptionally long density range in the red channel, so the result was very high colour contrast as well as reasonable dynamic range (more than six stops). Maximum saturation in the red channel was very high due to spectral sensitivity out to 700 nm and minimal bleeding from the magenta-forming layer. And developer adjaceny effects gave PKM an eye-bleeding acutance that has never been matched. The results were absolutely magic. Ah, I'm waxing nostalgic at twenty-five... :o :lol:

[turtle]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I do appreciate them and they will help me to become better along the way, so again, thank you.

billybobsky, some of the colors had to be tweaked, though I tried to keep them "normal". Would you mind letting me know which ones you feel were saturated a little too far? I shoot in RAW and have yet to get a WB card so I have to do most of my adjustments trying to recreate some colors as I saw them with my eye. They are all fairly flat when seem in RAW on Aperture.

Admittedly, 7 and 8 were thrown in to break up the subject a little. This was only color based, not theme beyond that. I have to say though, I like the pomegranate seeds personally. I should have cropped 8 more to remove the ones on the right. :\

It is possible the thumbnails are off as compared to the originals. It was built through iWeb from my Aperture version exports, if only Aperture could export to iWeb directly or be available in iWeb's Media Browser.

If anyone else has comments please feel free to add to this. Thanks again all who have commented.

tori, I almost forgot; congrats daddy! Feels good doesn't it? :)

[Mac+]

DG - thanks. :)

Re: smog or lens flare. Shanghai is definitely smoggy, but this was taken with a standard 28-80 kit lens from the top of the JinMao tower so it's probably more lens flare than smog. :lol:

Also, to clarify on the lens used, it is two shots: vertical on the right, horizontal on the left. I don't have a scanner or PS, so my "print guy" did the composite for me. He then gave me a tiff file and I performed some tidying up after that in Aperture. It "blew up" quite well too. I have a 1m*.5m framed version above my desk and the school purchased a huge 2m*3.7m version to hang in the stairwell. :eek:

turtle - Aperture shots are available in iWeb. Be sure you have previews set to display in Aperture as this is what iWeb uses ... not that I've tried, but this is what I've read. :)

tori - congrats again. :)

[billybobsky]

billybobsky, some of the colors had to be tweaked, though I tried to keep them "normal". Would you mind letting me know which ones you feel were saturated a little too far? I shoot in RAW and have yet to get a WB card so I have to do most of my adjustments trying to recreate some colors as I saw them with my eye. They are all fairly flat when seem in RAW on Aperture.

It apparently really depends upon screen... On my laptop, the Biohazard bin, the seeds and the berries were all over saturated... on my desktop, only the biohazard bin seemed to have some over saturation on the left hand side, but it is barely noticeable...

Once, again, though the shots are nice...

Levels are a hard thing to get right, especially since our eyes respond differently to front lit reality than back lit lcd surreality...

[turtle]

Yeah, I need to calibrate my monitor with a real calibration eye and software to make sure it's right. Though, I do my editing on a nice CRT and only ever view them on my wife's MB every now and then. Her computer is the one with Aperture on it, I just hook it up to my monitor through a KVM. I have noticed some differences in LCD and CRT. Again, once I calibrate with an eye and software I'll have a better comparison for the LCD and CRT's I use.

Thanks again for the input.

Mac+, I'll have to play with it some and see if it does. I honestly haven't even tried yet. :o

[turtle]

For those who may be interested I have published my images from the lunar eclipse. It is only with my .Mac and iWeb, but if you didn't get to see them now would be your chance.
http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Lunar%20Eclipse_files/IMG_3516.jpg (http://web.mac.com/kellyteam/iWeb/Tony%27s%20Photo/Lunar%20Eclipse.html)

Click the image to see the photo page on my site. If you want to read about the evening then click over to my blog and read about it there.

[turtle]

For those who don't go through the Genius Bar often I thought I would post this here.

I have created an Automator workflow to aid in archiving the images coming out of your camera cards. See my post here (http://forums.applenova.com/showpost.php?p=452015&postcount=14) if interested.

[AWR]

For those who may be interested I have published my images from the lunar eclipse. It is only with my .Mac and iWeb, but if you didn't get to see them now would be your chance.

Click the image to see the photo page on my site. If you want to read about the evening then click over to my blog and read about it there.

Color me impressed. Nice work turtle. I have poked around your pictures before, and liked what I saw. Should have mentioned it earlier. Keep snapping.

[turtle]

Color me impressed. Nice work turtle. I have poked around your pictures before, and liked what I saw. Should have mentioned it earlier. Keep snapping.

Thanks you very much. I really appreciate that. :)

[turtle]

First, most of my images will be changing hosts. Since I am not renewing .Mac and instead going with a real hosting company, the links to my photo albums will be going down about the middle of May. If y'all are interested in seeing them again after that, I can ask an admin to change the links of just post new links.

Next up: Photoshop wizards, can I get some technical feedback from you. (I'm using CS2.) Others, I'd like your input too.

I was given an image to work on in class and submit Monday. I have no idea who the subject is in this image and I didn't take the picture. My instructor just gave all of us a CD to pull the image off of and to correct it. So here are my before and after shots. I'll post the after first and then the before. Our tasking was to make this woman as flattering as possible without crossing too many ethical lines. (Where is that line anyway? :confused: )

After (Click the image for full size PSD)
http://tonysphoto.kellyinternationalinc.com/pics/after.png (http://tonysphoto.kellyinternationalinc.com/pics/after.psd)

Before (Click image for original JPG)
http://tonysphoto.kellyinternationalinc.com/pics/before.png (http://tonysphoto.kellyinternationalinc.com/pics/before.JPG)

Thanks for any comments or tips. If you don't want to clutter the thread, PMs are great. :)

[Perfecting_Zero]

Hi Turtle:

Honestly, I prefer the "before" shot. But I must admit my bias toward naturalistic, available-light photography.

I know that there will be others who can better evaluate how skillfully/competently you applied the various tools in Photoshop. I only offer my impression that the final results of Photoshop, exemplified in your "after" image, feel (to me) glossy, artificial..., even romanticized, if you will. Indeed, if it can be true that the life-worn "edges" of personality can be discerned, traced-out in a close study of our faces and skin, then, for this viewer, you have "rubbed" them away in a digital haze of manipulation.

Regarding photographic portraiture, I suppose that, ultimately, I am an advocate for a more judicious and transparent use of manipulation -- whether digital or analog.




Best,

Z

[turtle]

Thanks for the feedback. I personally agree with your take, however in this case I have no choice but to comply with my assignment. When I get paid to correct images from clients I really have to follow their wishes if I expect to get paid too. :\

The good part is that your impression "...glossy, artificial...., even romanticized..." is really what I was told to produce. Something to minimize her skin issues and allow her "hidden beauty" to be seen.

Thanks again for the feedback. :)

[Schnauzer]

yeah the before shot pwns the photoshopped one

[thegeriatric]

Finally got down to sorting out some old rolls of film. Here are some shots from China that I took in 2005.

Shanghai skyline
http://homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA/pictures/picture-1.png
Lama Temple Monk
http://homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA/pictures/picture-2.png

Love the Shanghai skyline, any chance of a larger version? would love to use it for my background if that's possible/ok. Cheers.

[Ryan]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/449575553_132799f5ab.jpg?v=0 (http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=449575553&size=l)(click for big)

I'm not posting this photo because it's good, but rather because I'm completely lost on how to correct the colors. When I print it, the brush appears somewhat purple (the photo was taken at dusk, with my back to the sun, so I suppose it should) but on screen it looks brown. The sky is also darker on screen.

Is this just a matter of calibrating my monitor (which I'm never able to do successfully) or something else?

BTW, the original file is RAW, so I can make any adjustments I need to that.

[chucker]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/449575553_132799f5ab.jpg?v=0 (http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=449575553&size=l)(click for big)

I'm not posting this photo because it's good, but rather because I'm completely lost on how to correct the colors. When I print it, the brush appears somewhat purple (the photo was taken at dusk, with my back to the sun, so I suppose it should) but on screen it looks brown. The sky is also darker on screen.

Is this just a matter of calibrating my monitor (which I'm never able to do successfully) or something else?

BTW, the original file is RAW, so I can make any adjustments I need to that.

The differences in how your monitor and your printer present the colors are definitely a matter of calibration. However, as far as I'm concerned, the bigger problem with the photo is its white balance. I would try playing around with decreasing the color temperature.

[turtle]

Ryan, I think chucker is right on with this one. I hope you don't mind, but I played a little with your image and made a quick adjustment to the WB to help with the color cast.
http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/brush.jpg

Dusk is one of the hardest times to shoot without custom setting the WB to get the correct levels. I like your image too BTW.

[chucker]

Indeed, that's very close to my idea of what the image should be like. :)

[Ryan]

Okay, I found the Brad's old display calibration thread. I'll work on that tomorrow.

Now, how do I go about adjusting white balance? Is this something I can do in iPhoto, which I believe is the only program I have that can open Canon RAW files? Should I just convert to TIFF or JPG and do white balance adjustments in another program?

[torifile]

Okay, I found the Brad's old display calibration thread. I'll work on that tomorrow.

Now, how do I go about adjusting white balance? Is this something I can do in iPhoto, which I believe is the only program I have that can open Canon RAW files? Should I just convert to TIFF or JPG and do white balance adjustments in another program?
Download the trial of Aperture and see how you like it. It's got the easiest white balance correction I've ever used (but I don't have a lot of experience with workflow apps). It's only $150 for the education version. That's an absolute steal for that program.

[turtle]

You can use iPhoto to a limited degree, but do you have PS?

The Trial on Aperture is a good start too. There are many great features. It's $150 price tag for students isn't that bad either. Well worth the investment IMO.

Also, I'd get a Grey Card to use in the mean time to help set your WB in the field until you can use something like Aperture. I will say though, I feel like Aperture is far better than carrying a Grey Card.

[Ryan]

I'm using an 867Mhz PowerBook, so Aperture is out of the question. I have Photoshop Elements, but it's version 1.0. It sounds like I'll be ordering a grey card.

I plan on getting Aperture in college, since I'll be able to get the student discount and I'll have a MacBook Pro. Until then, this is what I have to work with.

edit: Is the Kodak R-27 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=27715&is=REG&addedTroughType=search) what I'm looking for?

[turtle]

I'm using an 867Mhz PowerBook, so Aperture is out of the question. I have Photoshop Elements, but it's version 1.0. It sounds like I'll be ordering a grey card.

I plan on getting Aperture in college, since I'll be able to get the student discount and I'll have a MacBook Pro. Until then, this is what I have to work with.

edit: Is the Kodak R-27 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=27715&is=REG&addedTroughType=search) what I'm looking for?

Yep, 18% grey is the key you're looking for. There are many makes out there, but those will work for you.

[Elysium]

< Bump >

I was surfing through my pictures folder when I came across some fodder for this thread. Nothing special really, but I thought the contrast was pretty neat.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/462527396_e22b674cdb.jpg (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/462527396_b1e47362a0_o.jpg)




Yes, I have no background in photography. :D

[GSpotter]

cynical_rock: I know that perspective, I have a similar shot in my box of old slides ;)

Back to the thread topic: A colorful, big butterfly (Atlas moth, to be precise):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/242/460076016_f13357ff78.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/460076016/)

[turtle]

Nice shots guys. Thanks for sharing them. :)

[RichieB]

Haven't posted on AN in a loooooooooong while. Here goes!

http://web.mac.com/rbakshi/iWeb/Travels/Arizona_files/HPIM0250.jpg
http://web.mac.com/rbakshi/iWeb/Travels/Arizona_files/HPIM0251.jpg

Took these at the Coronado National Memorial in little ol' Sierra Vista, AZ.

Cheers!

[Mac+]

I love the sunlight streaming through the clouds RichieB.

I just posted some photos of my bike in another thread and it reminded me - I wouldn't mind a critique of some of my China shots. If anybody is interested, I'd certainly value the feedback. I'm shooting film (but have only had one batch from last year scanned and imported so far) and would be happy to have others to talk to about this stuff. link (homepage.mac.com/ajsonego/CHINA)

On the same topic, has anybody here joined a photography forum - I lurk, but don't feel compelled to join them. Any comments on this issue?

[turtle]

I love your images from China Mac+. I wouldn't mind visiting there at some point in my life. Thanks for sharing those pictures. I'll go through and critique the images you linked to after finals week (http://tonysphoto.kellyinternationalinc.com/2007/04/29/holy-finals/).

As for the forums. I have joined a Canon forum and I get some good tips from there. I don't post much, because I do my social postings here and only use that site for more technical issues. I've learned that their critiques suck compared to ones I get from class or even here. They offer good pointers, but you have to impress someone enough over there to get them to stop and give you more than "nice pic", etc...

I'd say it's worth joining, just so you can post and get some feedback. It's not all bad, but know in most cases, you're going to face photo snobbery. Then again, maybe it's just the forum I joined. :\

RichieB, I like your shots too! You captured the sun/clouds wonderfully. If only there could be a little less foliage in the foreground.

Here's my latest Photoshop for for class. This was one of the two images in my portfolio. This portfolio was Montage! I'm not going to post the other one here since it is filled with images of my family. I love y'all here, but not that much. :D (Actually, it's the lurkers that scare me. ;) )

So here's the story behind this image. Friend of mine has picture of daughter but it was taken with a chain link fence and red brick wall in the background. They didn't want the fence or brick so they asked me to doctor it for them since I was in a Photoshop class. So what do you think? Does it look Photoshopped? What could I have done differently? Obviously I couldn't control the harshness of the lighting on the kids face with this image, though that is what sticks out to me. But what about the rest of it?
http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/chaingone.jpg

[GSpotter]

@turtle2472:Nice photoshop work. The only thing that irritates me: The meadow gets unsharp in the distance (probably due to depth of field), but the trees are sharp again...

Back to the thread topic: Seen yesterday while walking the dog:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/476988819_4aee5ad7b0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/476988819)

[Mac+]

Thanks turtle. I'm looking forward to some comments when you have the chance. Good luck for your finals too. :)

One question - can you post a link to the Canon forum you joined? I know of dpreview, but I can't stand their forum layout (we are truly spoilt here :D) and some of the comments are really inane. There's also photo.net but I don't know the community that well.

Btw, if you own Canon gear, one place I can recommend for reviews is http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ The lens comparison charts are particularly helpful.

re: the PhotoShop critique.
For some reason, I can't see your image in this thread - but when I went to your personal site I was able to locate it. Harsh lighting aside, it looks great - the clean white in front of the green background makes for a nice contrast. Also, I had to come back here to read what she was in front of originally, so your care with isolating here from her surroundings certainly paid off.

However, I have a few questions about the background: Are the foreground trees a separate layer from the background mountain? They seem quite distinct, particularly at the left edge. Is there some noise around there? Also, as much I as I like the shot of the girl being in front of the scenery, I wonder about the lack of background "life" artefacts - like a rug, or kid toys nearby. She just seems to have been planted there. Actually, on closer inspection, I think it is because she is in focus as are the trees in the background too. That's a pretty impressive dof - perhaps that's what makes it stand out in my mind. Maybe if the background were to be blurred a bit, that would help lessen the perceived juxtaposition. :\

[EDIT] GSpotter is on the money - the meadow goes out of focus and then the trees are in focus. That's a more accurate description of the problem! That said, I don't think your "average Joe" would pick it up. :)

[dmegatool]

So what do you think? Does it look Photoshopped? What could I have done differently?

As GSpotter said, the depth of field is your only problem here. You should one of theses solutions :

Blur the background (gradient way) to simulate the depth of field.
Replace the grass (maybe the mountain ?) so the picture looks like it was taken with infinite DOF.


Anyway, how many images did you use ? Does the trees and mountain are 2 separate thing ? Seems so with a little difference in t he colors and a minimal selection glitch on the tree to the left. But don't get me wrong on this, you did a nice job to this photo :)

[turtle]

@turtle2472:Nice photoshop work. The only thing that irritates me: The meadow gets unsharp in the distance (probably due to depth of field), but the trees are sharp again...

Back to the thread topic: Seen yesterday while walking the dog:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/476988819_4aee5ad7b0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/476988819)

Good eye, I missed the grass for the trees. :D I like the bug too, good eye.

Thanks turtle. I'm looking forward to some comments when you have the chance. Good luck for your finals too. :)

One question - can you post a link to the Canon forum you joined? I know of dpreview, but I can't stand their forum layout (we are truly spoilt here :D) and some of the comments are really inane. There's also photo.net but I don't know the community that well.

Thanks. I need it. In fact I'm delaying finishing up my research essay that's due today. :( I really should quit putting it off. :no:
Photography On the Net (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php). They are pretty much Canon only, though images are images when it comes to critiques.

[re: the PhotoShop critique.
For some reason, I can't see your image in this thread - but when I went to your personal site I was able to locate it. Harsh lighting aside, it looks great - the clean white in front of the green background makes for a nice contrast. Also, I had to come back here to read what she was in front of originally, so your care with isolating here from her surroundings certainly paid off.

However, I have a few questions about the background: Are the foreground trees a separate layer from the background mountain? They seem quite distinct, particularly at the left edge. Is there some noise around there? Also, as much I as I like the shot of the girl being in front of the scenery, I wonder about the lack of background "life" artefacts - like a rug, or kid toys nearby. She just seems to have been planted there. Actually, on closer inspection, I think it is because she is in focus as are the trees in the background too. That's a pretty impressive dof - perhaps that's what makes it stand out in my mind. Maybe if the background were to be blurred a bit, that would help lessen the perceived juxtaposition. :\

[EDIT] GSpotter is on the money - the meadow goes out of focus and then the trees are in focus. That's a more accurate description of the problem! That said, I don't think your "average Joe" would pick it up. :)

As GSpotter said, the depth of field is your only problem here. You should one of theses solutions :

Blur the background (gradient way) to simulate the depth of field.
Replace the grass (maybe the mountain ?) so the picture looks like it was taken with infinite DOF.


Anyway, how many images did you use ? Does the trees and mountain are 2 separate thing ? Seems so with a little difference in t he colors and a minimal selection glitch on the tree to the left. But don't get me wrong on this, you did a nice job to this photo :)

You all three nailed it. I never noticed the grass dropped off due to the DOF. I was so focused on getting the blending of grassy meadow to the mountains in the background and trying to make it look like foothills leading to the mountains.

It's actually only two images. Grass and kid in one image and the tree line back in another. I took the tree line shot on vacation so I would have some "stock" images for situations like this. It paid off. Gradient blur is a great idea! Now that I can see the difference in DOF I'll have to work on it. Hopefully my instructor didn't notice it when he graded it. :\ I'll let you know tonight after my final class with him.

[dmegatool]

Repost your pic when it's done. I (probably we... isn't it guys ? :)) would like to see the result.

[turtle]

http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/girlblur.png

How's that? More blur maybe? I'm trying to keep from taking it too far.

[dmegatool]

Much better !

If it was me, I would add a little more blur but when I say a little, it is very a little bit.

Anyway... you can't really tell it has been modified now so more or less blur just becomes a simulation of what kind of lens/setting did you use. It's up to you. Good work.

[World Leader Pretend]

It was a foggy day in Hat-town....
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/483228649_ba785c5c8b_b.jpg

[Mac+]

That looks good turtle ... I could probably go for some more blur too, but it's more natural looking than the first effort, that's for sure.

Let us know what your instructor thought.

[RichieB]

Thanks for the kind words, turtle and Mac+! I love seeing all these thread pics and getting inspired to go shoot some more :)

[GSpotter]

A small poison arrow frog:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/483514871_d333df6045.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/483514871/)

[AWR]

Beautiful, Gspotter. Is that in your backyard? :eek:

[GSpotter]

Luckily, no! :) According to this article (http://www.nashvillezoo.org/blfrog.htm), "The frog's poison is secreted through the skin and even a lick can sometimes prove fatal. Poison arrow frogs have about 200 micrograms of poison in their systems. It would take only 2 micrograms to kill a human."

The frog is sitting in a terrarium in the local zoo...

[dmegatool]

A small poison arrow frog:

OMG ! Really nice shot Gspotter. Really nice... I love it !

[turtle]

That looks good turtle ... I could probably go for some more blur too, but it's more natural looking than the first effort, that's for sure.

Let us know what your instructor thought.

I'll touch up the blur a little more and post it when finished. Thanks for the input.

As for my instructor, he was at a disadvantage to notice blur shift in the original I posted. Iwas given a 100% on it because he didn't see that flaw. Our portfolios are submitted at 8" longest side and 72 DPI. Something close to 525 pixels on it's longest side. Hard to see that detail in those conditions. I got a 96% on the portfolio altogether though! :) And an "A" for the class! I'm still 4.0!

Thanks for the kind words, turtle and Mac+! I love seeing all these thread pics and getting inspired to go shoot some more :)

You're welcome, glad we can help inspire you to shoot more! I won't be in class this summer so I'm going to have to creat my own shoots now. :\

A small poison arrow frog:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/483514871_d333df6045.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/483514871/)

Great shot! I love the color you were able to bring out in what was surely poor lighting.

[RichieB]

Nice froggy! Seriously... great pic. I am working on improving my indoor and/or low-light skills. Lets just say I am thankful to my digital camera, since I can experiment wildly with f-stops/aperture settings and shutter speeds without worrying about spending money on rolls/developing.

While we are on animals, here is one I recently took from my balcony :)

http://web.mac.com/rbakshi/iWeb/Travels/Arizona_files/P1000416.jpg

[GSpotter]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/218/490157643_5b85bcf5d0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/490157643/)

I'm currently playing with the bazillion autofocus configuration parameters of my new D200. My dog is a willing subject... ;)

[Mac+]

Very nice GSpotter ... not just the dof - the colour combination is very effective too.

I spent last week watching a ship being launched at an island off Nanjing. It was quite fascinating - about a dozen guys and these inflatable balloons that they insert under the ship to roll it down to the shore. Huge undertaking. I'll be out of town for the next couple of weeks, but I hope to have some of these shots up in the next month or so after I return.

I so want a full-frame DSLR. I'm getting tired of shooting film. The associated costs (financial and time-based) for experimentation, printing and then scanning to digital are beginning to take their toll. Come on Canon: bring on the 5D replacement - just don't call it 5D Mark II. :p

[Ryan]

I took my camera to school today for some end-of-year photographs and I think I actually walked away with a few good portraits.

But what I'm posting is actually an action shot of a percussionist.

http://lh5.google.com/image/ryan.tanner/Rk0C7idpY1I/AAAAAAAAAEk/sp52LoQCUGQ/s800/IMG_3597.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.tanner/LastWeekOfSchool2007/photo#5065708377748366162)

It just seems to me that something is missing, but I can't quite tell what it is. Any ideas?

[RichieB]

Great Pics, Ryan. Nice portraits... I liked your consistency in the indoor shots. I am impressed with the lighting and exposure handling. The one thing I noticed that took away from the shots, and I don't quite know why, but after the first couple of pics, the contrast between the focused subject vs. background seemed to bug me. This is only my gut reaction; I am still learning myself :)

P.S., which camera are you using?

[Ryan]

Thanks for the compliment. Do you think you could elaborate on what you mean by too much contrast? Are you referring to the amount of blur? If so, I agree somewhat. I was shooting using shutter-priority, mostly at 1/100, sometimes at 1/60 or 1/80, and at ISO200 so I often ended up with very low apertures. (Unfortunately, Picasa doesn't seem to report the aperture very well. It claims some to be at f/0.91. Yeah, right) Anyways, because of that the blur is a little on the extreme side.

Oh, and I'm using a Digital Rebel XT and all these shots were taken with a 50mm/1.4.

[RichieB]

Thanks for the compliment. Do you think you could elaborate on what you mean by too much contrast? Are you referring to the amount of blur?

Sorry! I did mean blur :) Nice camera. I use a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ-7 myself.

[julesstoop]

It just seems to me that something is missing, but I can't quite tell what it is. Any ideas?

Great capture, very tangible!

As to your question.
To the viewer the subject is not clear. The reason for this is actually quite simple. Compositionally as well as emotionally the left hand is the subject: here you can see the actual marimba player making his/her music. So this part should have been in focus.
Unfortunately the much less interesting right stick is in focus. Because the right hand is not visible, the stick doesn't convey anything more than it's mechanical function, e.g. it's lacking emotion compared to the left hand.

[Ryan]

Great capture, very tangible!

As to your question.
To the viewer the subject is not clear. The reason for this is actually quite simple. Compositionally as well as emotionally the left hand is the subject: here you can see the actual marimba player making his/her music. So this part should have been in focus.
Unfortunately the much less interesting right stick is in focus. Because the right hand is not visible, the stick doesn't convey anything more than it's mechanical function, e.g. it's lacking emotion compared to the left hand.Ah, that makes sense. So you think I should try with a slightly slower shutter? Say, 1/50 or even 1/30, so I capture some motion but the mallet is still somewhat sharp? I think I should also try for a greater depth of field as well.

[julesstoop]

A greater depth of field would (technically) help, though the effect from a limited dof is of course beautiful :)

The question to any viewer is "What am I looking at?". In your piucture I could be either the mallet, or the instrument itself. Neither are really interesting though (imho) because music is made by people. So the real emotion of this subject lies with the hand(s) of the player. They are (could be) the visible and acting part of the musician. For that reason I would strive for a picture in which the hands of the player are the prime subject, rather than the mallet or the marimba.

[Ryan]

A greater depth of field would (technically) help, though the effect from a limited dof is of course beautiful :)

The question to any viewer is "What am I looking at?". In your piucture I could be either the mallet, or the instrument itself. Neither are really interesting though (imho) because music is made by people. So the real emotion of this subject lies with the hand(s) of the player. They are (could be) the visible and acting part of the musician. For that reason I would strive for a picture in which the hands of the player are the prime subject, rather than the mallet or the marimba.Ah, I hadn't thought about that. Tomorrow I'll try again and see if I can't get a slightly-blurred-yet-in-focus effect with the hands, let the mallets blur, but still try to keep the instrument somewhat in focus.

The difficult part is positioning myself. I only have a 50mm to work with, and the way our percussionists set up their equipment makes it difficult for me to really get the hands to be the subject, since I'm either behind the instrument (so that I'm facing the musician) or next to him/her.

[turtle]

I totally agree with julesstoop on this. Another way to think of it is that people are more interested in people than they are things. I like the concept for the images you have put up. The one thing that really stands out to me though it the temp of the image. Since you were shooting in RAW, your WB settings are irrelevant (at least on the XT) so you'll need to go back and adjust for the correct temp. Shooting inside with those lighting conditions suck at best. You no doubt had three different light sources at all times. (Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten)

Here's a rough, 2 second, adjustment to the hands image:
http://kellyent.dyndns.org:8080/an/IMG_3597.jpg

[Ryan]

I've been trying to adjust white balance on various photos but I'm limited by what iPhoto can do, but I do what I can. I didn't actually attempt any adjustments until after I posted that one, but I'll go back and see if I can get closer to what you posted, turtle.

BTW, on my monitor, the instrument and the mallet heads are a fair bit darker than how they appear in your corrections. I'm aiming for somewhere inbetween the two.

[turtle]

Since you don't have anything other than iPhoto to make your corrections with, I would suggest you limit yourself to shooting with Large-Fine JPG and master your WB settings. Then you will have the room to make small adjustments. iPhoto is good, but can only adjust so far. With PS, I just set the white point to one of the highlights in that image. Obviously this won't be true to the scene when you took the image, but it's surely much closer than the RAW data. If you are still planning to shoot with RAW though, then shoot with RAW + JPG. Then you can modify the RAW data later, when you have the software to do it, and you'll have the JPG to work with in the mean time.

Trust me, this will really help you to learn your cameras WB settings. This is also where the grey card would com in handy by allowing you to set the custom WB when in such horrid lighting conditions.

[GSpotter]

Another idea: If you can/want to use a flash: Select a rather long exposure time and set the flash to rear curtain sync. As a result the flash would fire at the end of the exposure time so you should get a "frozen", sharp stick with a motion blur trail, emphasizing the movement.

If your flash supports a strobe effect (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/356820587/), you might want to try this feature, too...

In order to increase the color photo per posts ratio in this thread ;), here's a scan from a slide which I took about 12 years ago near Ayers Rock:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/502970941_497aa3ed9f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/502970941/)

[RichieB]

Here is a macro shot taken a couple of days ago at the Tucson Desert Museum

http://web.mac.com/rbakshi/iWeb/Travels/Tucson_files/P1020330.jpg

Hummingbird at the same museum's aviary

http://web.mac.com/rbakshi/iWeb/Travels/Tucson_files/P1020267.jpg

[turtle]

I've been trying to get a good hummingbird shot for a while. There aren't many in my area though. :(

[Mac+]

No photo - but I just bought my first ever "second-hand" piece of tech. EOS 1V HS (http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/SLR/EOS_1V_HS/index.asp) - the last of the Canon film bodies to date. It looks like a beast, but I could not pass it up as it was less than 1/10 of the retail price. :D

(Stupid Canon hasn't moved on the rrp at all. :grumble: )

[Ryan]

No photo - but I just bought my first ever "second-hand" piece of tech. EOS 1V HS (http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/SLR/EOS_1V_HS/index.asp) - the last of the Canon film bodies to date. It looks like a beast, but I could not pass it up as it was less than 1/10 of the retail price. :D

(Stupid Canon hasn't moved on the rrp at all. :grumble: )On a similar note, we've just finished unpacking the rest of our moving boxes in the past few days (I know, it took us a year) and I found my mom's old Canon AE-1 Program, along with a 50mm/1.8 and a 28mm/2.8.

I'm trying to get her to let me buy a roll of B&W film (Tri-X perhaps?) and try it out a bit. :D

[razaex]

Had a good time reading this thread and viewing the images. Lots of talented people here. Here's my own two cents to help add to the collection. In order, they are Pittsburgh, West Virginia and West Virginia.


http://homepage.mac.com/mhstein/temp/107.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/mhstein/temp/133.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/mhstein/temp/139.JPG

[Mac+]

The iMac screen on my parents' computer is really losing "it", so I'm not noticing great contrast presently. However, that last shot, with the person standing and looking at the waterfall is a gem. Well composed razaex - nice shot.

The humming bird shot is a great one too RichieB. As I mentioned, it looks dark on this screen, but the dof and focus is spot on.

Ryan - my father has the old AE-1 (sans Program) and I still remember back to when I was a kid how I used to wait until he went to work before I would sneak it out for a look and check out the features with my "Introduction to SLR photography" book in hand. That was ages ago and my interest in SLR photography has only resurfaced in the past year, but, looking back, it makes me realise how I have always been fascinated with the equipment and how the controls integrate to help capture the moment.

That said, enjoy the authentic click of the AE1 and don't forget to wind the film advance lever for your next shot. ;)

RE: B&W film - I'm currently using Kodak T400CN (expired) ... we found a bunch at the school, so the price was right. :D

One good thing about it is that it can be developed using the C-41 process. I don't have a dark room, nor have I ever developed my own film. Actually, I'm not sure I want to at this stage either. Thus, for me, in terms of convenience, the T400CN is pretty handy. It is a bit grainy, but it is rated at 400 so I expected that too.

[joveblue]

I love this photo, taken about 18 months ago by a friend. Older brother is hugging younger brother at the younger brother's 18th. :)

http://www.members.optushome.com.au/rickclarke/brotherlylove.jpg

[RichieB]

The humming bird shot is a great one too RichieB. As I mentioned, it looks dark on this screen, but the dof and focus is spot on.

Thanks! The photo is dark indeed... I need to tweak it. This darn photo-taking thing is becoming my uber-hobby now. Heck it has even placated my WoW withdrawal symptoms! :D

[Ebby]

http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=18404 (http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/gallery2/main.php/Album/Admin/hosted/album/)

Almost stepped on this guy. About 1/2 cm. :cool:

Click image for more...

[julesstoop]

Wow @razaex.

This next picture of mine doesn't have a really good composition I'm afraid. But the light is pretty amazing i.m.h.o.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/514036413_160b2eb877.jpg

(more @ my Flickr page)

[Windowsrookie]

Storm a coming!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/532605254_393236f140.jpg

I don't think I ever posted this one.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/418251298_973a91bacc.jpg

[iBrowse]

These were taken at a huge outdoor sculpture park (http://www.griffispark.org/ahf/?page_id=16) in western New York, very awesome place, takes about 2 hours to hike the entire thing. The color and levels are better on some than others, I was having so much fun there that I kept forgetting to bother thinking about the pictures I was taking.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/riffraffjohnson/DSCN0604.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/riffraffjohnson/DSCN0600.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/riffraffjohnson/DSCN0594.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/riffraffjohnson/DSCN0585.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/riffraffjohnson/DSCN0563.jpg

This is one of my favorite pictures ever, purely for content, it was taken with a disposable camera. This is from my band's first tour, taken somewhere between Baltimore and Virginia Beach. The wardrobe can be partially explained by this being in the middle of a 2 day drinking binge. By binge I mean disaster...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y294/riffraffjohnson/017_14A.jpg

[GSpotter]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1025/545665025_565c6f5f2c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/545665025/)

New censorship rules active in flickr since yesterday

If your Yahoo! ID is based in Singapore, Germany, Hong Kong or Korea you will only be able to view safe content based on your local Terms of Service so won’t be able to turn SafeSearch off.
In other words that means, that german users can not access photos on flickr that are not flaged &quot;safe&quot; ... only flowers and landscapes for the germans ...
We will not let this happen! Copy and upload this picture to your account - show flickr who we are! Also if you are not from Germany - help us.

[evan]

Seeing as this is my first contribution to this thread I'll give a little background of myself... I've always sort of enjoyed photography but have never really put forth the effort (or money) to get serious about it. This christmas I got a cool little digital camera and I've been messing around with it mostly on trips and vacations ever since.

Here are some of my favorite pictures taken all over the place

Crane
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1312/557626401_60dd3ebc0e.jpg?v=0
Flowers
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1134/557626323_4b47666749.jpg?v=0
Branches
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1406/557625921_403215fd59.jpg?v=0
Fireworks
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1038/557625789_b2482855b8.jpg?v=0
Dogs
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1063/557626363_94690b9774.jpg?v=0
Smoke
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1269/557625821_b082cd220e.jpg?v=0

enjoy! (and critique if you want... I'd appreciate it!)

[evan]

Wow... I was just looking through the rest of this thread after posting my pics and what you guys post puts all of my pictures to absolute shame... Everyone who's put up pictures has done an AMAZING job.

[Foj]

I do like the one with the crane.

[propellerhead]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1235/527116769_df4c051b19.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1032/558406683_431fda9136.jpg

[Mac+]

Aaargh! :(

Ebby - jules - WR - GSpotter - Coach - propellerhead - I can't see *any* images.

GSpotter - Looks like that flickr censorship thing that you mentioned is affecting us in the mainland of China too. I don't have a flickr account, so I can't help out, but, for the record, I can't even see the image you posted and asked us to upload to our account. Ironic. :\

[propellerhead]

Aaargh! :(

Ebby - jules - WR - GSpotter - Coach - propellerhead - I can't see *any* images.

GSpotter - Looks like that flickr censorship thing that you mentioned is affecting us in the mainland of China too. I don't have a flickr account, so I can't help out, but, for the record, I can't even see the image you posted and asked us to upload to our account. Ironic. :\

Geeze, I didn't really realize how bad Flickr had gotten. Let me know if you can see these images:

http://lh5.google.com/image/ewalk493/RnS78FlMSBI/AAAAAAAAAA0/rzvg5JkEyEQ/DSCF0811_2.JPG?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.com/image/ewalk493/RnS78llMSCI/AAAAAAAAAA8/a4gVMU5v-nk/DSCF0700_2_2.JPG?imgmax=512

FYI I'm trying Google's Picasa web albums.

[Mac+]

Thanks propellerhead - I can see them. :)

I like the perspective of the architecture in first shot, although shadow detail has been lost. What building is this and where is it?

The second shot looks a classic. I actually love the composition of the sculpture and have a feeling I have seen it before. Is this monument located in many places around the US or can it only be found in one specific place?

[Ebby]

Really? can you access http://sporknet.game-server.cc/
It is the same server that I host most of my stuff from. Never had this problem before.

http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=18404 - Actual image location.

[RichieB]

I just took about 300+ pictures in beautiful Las Vegas (the Strip) :) I shall be posting a couple of choice ones here soon.

[GSpotter]

RichieB: Why not? The world can use a bit more color...

We had three tigers born on April 3 at he local zoo. Yesterday I saw them for the first time:
"http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1154/556418234_5030cd2676.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/556418234/)

[turbulentfurball]

RichieB: Why not? The world can use a bit more color...

We had three tigers born on April 3 at he local zoo. Yesterday I saw them for the first time:
"http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1154/556418234_5030cd2676.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphotograph/556418234/)

Wow. Good zoom or were you very close to them?

[Mac+]

Really? can you access http://sporknet.game-server.cc/
It is the same server that I host most of my stuff from. Never had this problem before.

http://sporknet.game-server.cc/~web/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=18404 - Actual image location.No dice. The pages do not load. It may have been like this for a while (as an isolated incident) and I chose not to say anything about it. On the previous page though, there were about six posts in close proximity where I was unable to see an image, so I commented on it.

GSpotter - I believe you take good shots ... I have seen a few before - but the baby tigers aren't showing presently.

[GWARREN]

Struggling to choose one shot, so here are three favourites;

http://www.pixelmixphotography.com/images/070411.jpg

http://www.pixelmixphotography.com/images/070602.jpg

http://www.pixelmixphotography.com/images/060829.jpg

Not so sure about the Ladybird, but I thought I had better post something fairly recent to compensate for the cyclists being 9 months ago.

[Noel]

http://www.pixelmixphotography.com/images/070602.jpg

Not so sure about the Ladybird, but I thought I had better post something fairly recent to compensate for the cyclists being 9 months ago.

The ladybird shot is phenomenal! Definitely my favorite of the three. Is there any chance you can post or email me a higher-res version to use as a wallpaper? I'm on an iBook, so I only need 1024x768.

[propellerhead]

Thanks propellerhead - I can see them. :)

I like the perspective of the architecture in first shot, although shadow detail has been lost. What building is this and where is it?

It's the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. It's a very ominous building in person.

I'm in DC for the summer and there are so many things to do and see. I've been here for almost two months now and still haven't done everything that I want to do! :)

The second shot looks a classic. I actually love the composition of the sculpture and have a feeling I have seen it before. Is this monument located in many places around the US or can it only be found in one specific place?

The second shot is the Iwo Jima memorial. It's a monument for the Marine Corps and all the battles and wars the Corps have been in. AFAIK the monument is only located in Washington DC, but I do know that the image/statue itself is pretty iconic.

Glad you like them and I'm very glad you can see them.

This whole censorship thing with Flickr is bad enough to make me stop using it.:mad:

[propellerhead]

http://lh4.google.com/image/ewalk493/RnVQNllMSEI/AAAAAAAAABQ/jNGs2jtcWjs/DSCF0520.JPG?imgmax=720

Lights