Vote for April Photo Contest - Organic

[jak]

Thank you to everyone who participated in the monthly assignment.

Some images were larger than the nominated size (1024 on longest side), so I took the liberty to resize them - hope no one minds. Please be sure to submit your images at 1024 pixels on the longest size.

And we have our winners:

1st - muga - 300 points
2nd - DOGG - 200 points
3rd - Urban3300/asdfjkl (equal) - 50 points each

Next months theme is silhouette (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?t=34262).


You have the opportunity to choose the winner for the April photo contest. The theme is organic.

Entry 1 - carbon based beauty - DOGG
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_01.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_01.jpg)

Entry 2 - Organ Donor - druid
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_02.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_02.jpg)

Entry 3 - Showing Age - muga
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_03.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_03.jpg)

Entry 4 - Tree Supporting Tree - Moses
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_04.JPG (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_04.JPG)

[jak]

Entry 5 - strange world - galdab
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_05.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_05.jpg)

Entry 6 - neuron - Lord_Phat
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_06.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_06.jpg)

Entry 7 - Don’t Go There - AlfA
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_07.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_07.jpg)

Entry 8 - spring has sprung - ttpuk
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_08.JPG (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_08.JPG)

[jak]

Entry 9 - Morning - Urban3300
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_09.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_09.jpg)

Entry 10 - double red - dozer
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_10.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_10.jpg)

Entry 11 - frangapanni - asdfjkl
http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/thumbnails/22/entry_11.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/data/media/22/entry_11.jpg)

[jak]

Just quietly, showing age is a great photo. Well done.

[AsterisK]

Showing Age would have gotten my vote, but that black border around it put me off...

[StygiaN]

Great entries. Wish I could vote for all of them :)

[lowededwookie]

I liked the two flower ones but selected Double Red because I can only choose one. :(

I selected Double Red of the two only because it is a little more defined but I love both because they're simplistic, they're organic, and they are really quite stunning.

I like Double Red the best though because not only is it organic but it shows the reproductive organs (at the risk of sounding like flower porn ;) ) which is the start of organic life.

Of course that's just me looking too much at something. :D

Kudos to they who tooky the piccy. :D (there needs to be a Thumbs Up smilie).

[a|A]

haha I think showing age wins
fantastic shot.
fantastic.

[asdfjkl]

I agree, showing age is a great photo, i personally wouldn't have thought of something like that being organic, well done.

[tomsyman]

mmmm bacon!

[Scumbag]

Theyre pretty crap this month.


Just wait till I get home & upload my shotz!

[muga]

Some good photos there.. personally, I didn't like the theme to much.
Water was the best one we have had so far :)

[ShinymetalASS]

Showing Age is awesome....

also like the first tree one and the organ....

:D

[berserk]

With opaque themes like this, its probably best that entrants attach an explanation of the relationship between their photo & the theme.

[jak]

it was suggested last month that everyone (who submitted) give a brief explanation of their photo including settings etc. Its a good idea and I will be encouraging us all to do so again this month.

Got a shorter vote period this time also.

:)

[gooey]

i like spring has sprung

[DOGG]

it was suggested last month that everyone (who submitted) give a brief explanation of their photo including settings etc.

if you save the jpeg to your computer, right click -> properties -> summary -> advanced, all the settings are in there.

[Hairyman]

What a cracking set of entries!

[Fenaughty]

Had to go with showing age, it's just a great shot that appeals to my subject matter.

but i have to agree that double red runs a close second.

Damn I have to get my camera out a bit more.

[ezer]

holy crap, so many are sooo good! i thought about 5 of them were win worthy but it seems the one i voted for is also going to win fairly conclusivly

[Kez]

I made the right choice. :)

I believe showing age should have all porn on the internet, and alot of beer.

Kebab ++

[LauraleeBug]

I be neuron; a true geek :)

[Lord_Phat]

i couldn't even vote for my own pic cos showing age was so good :fag:

[StudMuffin]

man, showing age is awesome!

[Space Cowboy]

I voted

[jak]

Yeap, good call. Can also extract the exif data (from your viewer etc).

It would also be good to hear about why they chose that subject, how many attempts at the shot, why it was framed that way etc. ie not just the tech aspects but the artistic side also.

Someone mentioned this already last month (sorry, I forget who it was).

:)

[muga]

Thanks to everyone who voted for Showing Age - very much appreciated.
I'll share some information about the photo etc;

EXIF & Tech:
* Make: NIKON
* Model: 8700
* Shutter Speed: 10/2300 second
* F Number: F/6.5
* Focal Length: 11 mm
* ISO Speed: 50
* Date Picture Taken: Apr 11, 2005, 2:19:36 PM

No filters were used in the shot.
Contrast & Levels edited using photoshop (to enhanced the colour of the rust slightly)

Location:
Merimbula, New South Wales.

Other:
Originaly I was walking around on the sandbar just being a tourist with my camera, on my way back to the car I noticed this metal thing sticking out of the ground in the distance, was not sure what it was but I have since learned it is part of a boiler from an old ship, it's been there for years.

When I was looking at what angle would be best to take the photo I thought that it would make a good entry to the photo comp as it fits the theme of organic as it was the organic life that have caused the metal to rust away and to 'Show Age'. That was how it was decided that it would be the shot I entered.


Well, thats about it.
Thanks for voting everyone!
http://muga85.deviantart.com <-- some spam of my deviantART link :P :D

[dozer]

my spill on each photo

carbon based beauty:
great colours, the steps detract somewhat.

organ donor
nice subject and attempt at composition, looks a little out of focus and the pipes arent straight for me.

showing age
excellent colour and compostion, the horizon matchs the jutting out bit. the subject leaves you wondering wtf is that? well done, deserved winner.

tree supporting tree
hard to get good exposure in those conditions, i would have gone closer to get more detail of the tree to give the shot some direction.

strange world
nice macro shot, good use of depth of field but doesnt fix on the subject like showing age.

neuron
a great sky shot, suprised it didnt finish higher. i would have cropped it at the bottom to remove the trees and aerial as they detract from the sky.

dont go there
out of focus, may also want to see rule of thirds when composing a shot.

spring has sprung
depth of field is good but what is the focus of the shot? the moss(?) and the plant seem to be competing, little overexposed.

morning
just what i feel like, i think the oj would work better behind, nice dof but get in closer to the food, background is a bit busy.

double red
was mine, thanks for everyones comments.
my attempt at some macro flower photography with a narror dof, probably should have got the whole stamen in the shot.

frangipanny
i like the soft tone and colour but looks out of focus to me.

[Urban3300]

Camera:
* Make: Sony
* Model: DSC-S70 2.5 megapixel.
* Date Picture Taken: April NFI, 2005, morning.

Edited contrast and levels

Location:
Finland, my kitchen.

Other:
I was hungry in the morning and decided to cook eggs and bacon. Before eating I remembered the photo competition and thought I'd take a picture of my food just for the hell of it. I did not put much effort in the picture because I did not want to eat cold eggs and bacon.

[ttpuk]

camera:
kodak DX4330 3.1 megapixel

location: aysgarth falls in yorkshire, england. (near where robinhood prince of thieves was filmed)

other: im still learning. any suggestions? (mine was spring has sprung)

[asdfjkl]

Mine was Frangapannie.

Taken on FujiChrome Velvia 50 35mm Slide Film.

Lense: fixed 125mm with +6 Diopter Close Up Filters

Apature: 3.5

Shutter Speed: Would have been approx 1/125

I was after a soft look for a delicacate looking flower, so i chose a purple pillow for the background. I wanted a soft effect, again since it is a delicate looking flower I thought it would suit so dozer you are correct, it is out of focus. Even if this wasn't the look I was going for, it would have been impossible to focus the entire flower as the gear I used only allowed for a around 1mm depth of field. If you look closely at the middle of the right hand edge of the photo, you can see that the pillow there is in focus (that is the point I chose to focus on when I took the photo) so progressivly as the flower comes out towards the lense it grows more out of focus.

[dozer]

yeah asdfjkl i can see the pattern on the pillow, also at the bottom of the shot in between the petals.

ive been thinking of getting a reverse mount on my camera to do some close ups, how do you find the filters?

[asdfjkl]

I find the close up filters quite good. They allow you to get so much closer to the object. They aren't quite as good as a dedicated macro lens but they can be expensive. They will decrease your depth of field as well which can be a problem sometimes but for most photo's i think they are a pretty good cheap alternative to a dedicated lense.

That said i bought quite a good macro lense on ebay for a pretty good price which has worked well for me to. Putting the close up filters on this lense is insane and allows you to get even closer for some extreme close ups.


These are the close ups that i use

http://www.thkphoto.com/products/hoya/oef-13.html
http://www.thkphoto.com/products/hoya/oef-12.html

[dozer]

mine was shot with a d70 using a 28-200 tamron macro lens.

i used to have a problem buying records, now its new glass and my dreams are filled with gold boxes arriving from hong kong marked VR.

[Lord_Phat]

my spill on each photo

neuron
a great sky shot, suprised it didnt finish higher. i would have cropped it at the bottom to remove the trees and aerial as they detract from the sky.


thx :)

photo was framed that way for a bit of contrast... for other purposes i have removed the aerial via the photoshop masheen :D

camera: canon 20d
lens: 17-85mm is usm
shutter: 1/100
f: 8
focal length: 17mm
photoshopping: zero :fag:

[muga]

mine was shot with a d70
Still deciding if I should get a Nikon D70 or a Canon 350D - not sure yet.
Other than that, if your ordering any filters from Hong Kong let me know, looking at buying some Hoya filters (77mm)

[dozer]

just depends what you like the feel of or if you already have nikon or canon glass. the 350d looks like a great camera, but its a little over the d70. with the new d50 and 70s the normal 70 is only going to come down.

im in london so probably cant help with filters.

[DOGG]

Mine was 'carbon based beauty'. You can get all the camera settings by downloading the jpg and checking out the EXIF data (instructions in a previous post).

I had been in that spot recently while walking home from a friend's house on a longer route. I'd noticed that they had built a lookout platform since the last time (years) i passed through that area. Usually i walk down below by the river. The reason i was there was to collect some white chalk and clay for an experiment. I thought i might snap a few photos of the city. Then i realised that the tree would make a great subject too. It was large and the setting sun was illuminating the branches. I snapped a few photos from different angles and that was that. Only when i got home and had a look on the computer did i realise that it was a good photo.