SDN Monthly Photo Challenge (not 56K safe, eventually)

[Simplicius]

Challenge round 00: The Grand Experiment. Rules as posted below; themes as posted below (& can be altered for subsequent rounds if necessary); deadline is 31 July 2009, 11:59 PM (your) local time. This thread can be used for any questions and comments about the contest or the photo you are trying to make. All are welcome.

Rules:



Themes:

[Simplicius]

For the record, mine is #40: Extreme perspective.

[Hawkwings]

Wow, for a lark, I rolled and got 96, Flowers, and I have the perfect picture for it. Unfortunately it's an already taken photo (but it was really recent!). Please please please?

How much photo-editing is allowed? Or rather, is this a photo contest or a presentation contest?

[Bounty]

Number 9, Clearing Weather. Just as the weather has cleared. Hrmpf.

What's the deadline for this set of themes, or is it perpetual? Depending on the forecast this picture might take a while.

How much photo-editing is allowed? Or rather, is this a photo contest or a presentation contest?

Considering that it's a photo and not a photoshop challenge, I hope Simplicius limits it to resizing and minor colour balance work... else where's the fun?

[J]

I drew Three mountains in a wood but that's not going to work in southern Ontario since there aren't any mountains within several hours of my location unless I count the mountains of garbage at the landfill site. So I went back for a new number and got 100% abstract. This is going to be fun...

[Simplicius]

What's the deadline for this set of themes, or is it perpetual? Depending on the forecast this picture might take a while.

This rounds ends at the end of July, so hopefully there is time enough for the weather to cooperate. If not, well, that's some mighty boring weather you've got, but you'll be able to roll for a new theme at that point.

How much photo-editing is allowed? Or rather, is this a photo contest or a presentation contest?

Considering that it's a photo and not a photoshop challenge, I hope Simplicius limits it to resizing and minor colour balance work... else where's the fun?

The challenge is specifically to communicate using the medium of photography, so I'm going to leave it up to each of us to decide exactly where 'digital darkroom' ends and 'graphic art' begins. To keep this on-track, here's a rule of thumb: for multiple exposures or composite photos, use photographs that you took for the purposes of this challenge. When applying postprocessing, limit it to darkroom-type effects - the end result should be recognizably produced (or originated) by a camera.

It comes down to your good judgment and personal style - but if you go nuts with Photoshop filters and your theme isn't Be A Hipster, you're going to have to justify how those filters help communicate your theme.

Wow, for a lark, I rolled and got 96, Flowers, and I have the perfect picture for it. Unfortunately it's an already taken photo (but it was really recent!). Please please please?

Flowers are common enough that photographs of them can be readily attempted, so I don't think an exception is necessary. But I'm curious to see this one, if you'd care to put it in the Photo-A-Day thread.

[Phantasee]

Alright, I'll see what I can do. My camera is slightly broken, no lens cover, so I have to constantly clean it, so excuse any dirtiness, but I'm not getting a new camera for a while.

I got Self Portrait, but my paranoia won't allow that, so re-roll gave me 6: A photo lit only by moonlight.

[Ma Deuce]

68: Still life: what's in your pockets?

Well, let's see how interesting I can make my wallet, keys, and wristwatch look.

[Lt. Dan]

42, product photo: garbage. This is going to be interesting... Not like there's a shortage around these parts, thought.

[Akumz Razor]

16, live industry. This category seems to give a lot of options, depending on the definition of "live and "industry."

[Havok]

Hunh. I got 16 too. "Live Industry"...

OK, prostitutes, here I come.

Nah... I used my reroll. Might be tempted.

99 "Stones"
Ok, I can do that.

I have to ask though... I only have a Canon digital camera or my Sony Cybershot cell phone... Is that acceptable equipment?

[Simplicius]

I have to ask though... I only have a Canon digital camera or my Sony Cybershot cell phone... Is that acceptable equipment?

Perfectly acceptable. Cameras are just recording devices; it's the photographer who has to select a meaningful image and guide the camera to record it.

16, live industry. This category seems to give a lot of options, depending on the definition of "live and "industry."

Definitions are up to your own interpretation, so you have ample space not only to decide what to shoot, but how.

[aerius]

#73, Recreate a famous photograph. Oh joy, I get to be a copycat hack.

[Simplicius]

#73, Recreate a famous photograph. Oh joy, I get to be a copycat hack.

If there's no challenge for you to direct a tableau or recreate specific lighting conditions or present a scene known around the world in a fresh and original way, feel free to sit this one out. I mean, the whole point is to go outside your photographic comfort zone, but if you're such a master of the craft that everything is old hat, well, I'd sure hate for you to waste your time on my little project.

[Bounty]

If not, well, that's some mighty boring weather you've got, but you'll be able to roll for a new theme at that point.

Well, there's a week of scattered showers coming up, so I'm good

[Simplicius]

#73, Recreate a famous photograph. Oh joy, I get to be a copycat hack.

If there's no challenge for you to direct a tableau or recreate specific lighting conditions or present a scene known around the world in a fresh and original way, feel free to sit this one out. I mean, the whole point is to go outside your photographic comfort zone, but if you're such a master of the craft that everything is old hat, well, I'd sure hate for you to waste your time on my little project.

To amend this to make it more useful:

Even "recreate" necessarily offers latitude for interpretation. It's not a command to go to New Mexico and re-make Moonrise Over Hernandez, because that's an impossible (and unnecessary) task. There was only one Flag Raising On Iwo Jima; there was only one Afghan Girl, only one Migrant Mother, and so on - and the moments that comprised those photos have passed, and will never pass by again. Not only that, but those iconic images have by now entered the collective consciousness to some degree or another, so even an attempt at pure, literal recreation will in some way refer back to the original photograph rather than merely reproducing the scene.

The guy who staged famous photos in LEGO tableaux counts as a re-creator in this sense, as would any skilled parodist. The art of the recreation is to skillfully read the original image and try to make a reflection that somehow captures or comments on that essence even if it isn't a point-by-point copy. Actual copycat hackery is virtually impossible, since by putting yourself behind a camera and placing a scene in front of it you are automatically producing an original photograph, even if it is referential.

[aerius]

My previous comment is more like "oh crap, I think I'm in over my head" not "man, this is too easy". The problem is most famous photographs are good so it's definitely going to be a challenge to recreate and/or reinterpret them.

[Ziggy Stardust]

52: Architecture typical to your area


I am going to have fun with that one. I think I'll go down to the old 17 Mules mill building.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

#98 . . . Gathering storm. Hey, monsoon season in the desert Southwest. This should be doable.

[The Grim Squeaker]

#96 - Flowers.
I wont have time to visit any flora due to moving to a city and starting math and physics training, but I should have some backup flower pictures from this trip to Japan to throw in (nothing innovative though, my best stuff was taken last year and I uploaded it. That and the chicago super close ups). Ill see about being able to compete more seriously in the next contest..

[Simplicius]

some backup flower pictures

Single examples of new work only, please, as per the rules. There exist (or can be made easily enough) other threads for showcasing photos.

[The Grim Squeaker]

some backup flower pictures

Single examples of new work only, please, as per the rules. There exist (or can be made easily enough) other threads for showcasing photos.

These are new photos . I meant backup in terms of just taking them while I was focusing on other stuff in Japan (where i still am), as opposed to sitting down to make a really good flower photo .

Dont worry chum, youll get to beat my un artsy ass via the honest criteria of mob rule, not mere legal wrangling .


/Jokular tone.

[aerius]

My goal for those who missed it is to recreate a famous picture.


The very well known picture of the Loch Ness Monster



My attempted recreation of the photo using my picture of a loon down by the harbour



This is the original picture of the loon, I did a B&W conversion using the channel mixer tool in Photoshop to control the contrast, then spent way too much time trying to degrade the picture and duplicate the film grain effect. I then rotated & cropped the picture and used the curves tool to do final adjustments on the brightness & contrast.

edit: added clickable pictures.

[J]

I don't think I'll be winning any prizes for abstract photography...




In terms of editing there's some colour adjustment, cropping, and exposure & perspective correction.

[Phantasee]

Was that through a water fall or a piece of glass?