February 2007 Photo Competition ......... Discussion thread

sorry LoL i meant almond blossom it looks lovely just like that.

 

Pity it wasn't "natural world related", Roders, then I could have used this that I took yesterday evening - it looked absolutely amazing, this cloud lit from bleow, just hanging there above me........ I know clouds are always hanging above us, but I'm not generally that conscious of it...... :rolleyes: It was just taken on the phone, but I'm quite pleased with it!

 

Looks impressive Dendi.
Are you sure it's lit from below and isn't something that's blown over from Grangemouth? :D

 

Nice one Dendro. Theme is "Free for all - garden/wildlife related" and clouds are free for all, it's over your garden and pretty wild too. Enter it and challenge them to reject it.

Too many rules and regs stifle creativity.

 

We get plenty of odd clouds from Grangemouth, that's for sure, Dave - but that's not one of them! We viewed a house that had an impressive view from the back - Grangemouth in all its glory :rolleyes: Not the most restful scene to have from your bedroom window! As it is, we have the Ochils. Much nicer, even if there is the main railway line between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Forth between us and them......

I think I'll wait a bit, and see if I can get some photos worth using as they'll be better. If I don't by the end of the month, I might take your advice, HB!

 

Would it be practical to have a second thread going, with the same them, where anything goes? So that nobody feels they can't take part? I think it would be an interesting thing to do, and differences between the types of photos that are entered would be interesting to compare.

If it happened, we would have to be careful that people don't feel it is an us and them situation - just a straight photo and an artistic interpretation option. Since there is no prize, surely this would be possible? If the donkey work of totting up the votes would be an issue, I wouldn't mind doing it, even if I'm unlikely to enter anything into the "artistical interpretation" version, since I never do anything but crop my photos myself!

 

Rosa, I LOVE your crocus ... mine don't do well here and I miss them ... such a beautiful flower in the cold English weather. Another of the things I miss ...

 

LoL since i took that photo yesterday all the crocuses have come up, mind i have them on the kitchen window sill and put the rest in my pots on the balcony and they havnt flowered as yet.

 

Think of me when you look at them, Sweetie, because I really do love them ...

 

Personally, I post pictures as taken, except for resizing and a bit of compression to make them load quicker.

I was going to take the "old bird" out for lunch in Southwold this week and grab a photo, you won't get wilder than that, specially when she reads this, :D but those poor turkeys aren't far away from there. So it's plan B, whatever that is.

Nik

 

Dendrobium..thats a good idea a second competition with anything goes !!as you say their is no prize so its not hurting anyone..you could run it in the photography section so its seperate from here..
LOL..love the almond blossom you are lucky to have some flowers i have none !!bet my squirrels would like your almond tree !!

 

Yes I like LOL's almond blossom too. But do my old eyes deceive me or do I see a two colour border, tsk, tsk - smacked wrists. I don't do borders, but good luck to those that do. Just what is the point of being so narrowly prescriptive?

I raised the whole issue of photo enhancement a long time ago and Nathan obliged by introducing it as a basic rule. My aim was to discourage fake photo enhancement like over coloured sunsets, rainbows and such stuff. Not to outlaw basic photo processing.

By basic photo processing, I mean getting the contrast right, straightening horizons, removing red eye in people and green eye in cats and dogs. None of that is rocket science and you don't need photoshop to do it. It is basic photography and rather than banning people who sensibly use it, we would be better advised to help the people that don't know how to do it, learn how and so IMPROVE their photography.

That was why I suggested a photography discussion thread. Personally, I am not going to submit grey photos straight from the camera when I can simply improve contrast in a second or two through basic processing. Until someone sees sense, I'll stay away from GC comps.