Photo of the Day - February 2009

[svndmvn]

nice, a few minutes of patience and it would have been even better, IMO

 

[pdxflint]

More point 'n shoot...

Just south of the Nelscott area or Lincoln City, Oregon. Still playing around with the cheap point 'n shoot (Lumix LZ8) and Picasa...

I know... the horizon is dead center... but from where I was standing it just turned out that way if I wanted to keep the dead tree in the frame...

Camera: Panasonic
Model: DMC-LZ8
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/125 sec
Aperture: 4.3
Focal Length: 7mm

 

[Doylem]

More trees...

 

[GotMyOrangeCrus]

Just south of the Nelscott area or Lincoln City, Oregon. Still playing around with the cheap point 'n shoot (Lumix LZ8) and Picasa...

I know... the horizon is dead center... but from where I was standing it just turned out that way if I wanted to keep the dead tree in the frame...

Camera: Panasonic
Model: DMC-LZ8
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/125 sec
Aperture: 4.3
Focal Length: 7mm

There is nothing wrong with shooting the horizon in the middle if you have reason to do so, which in this case you absolutely did. Its a nice picture. The only thing that I would suggest is trying to add a little bit more to those highlights. It feels a bit flat on the high end. Maybe make those cresting waves tips a bit brighter. Really nice on the dark tones. Nice job.

 

[GotMyOrangeCrus]

Posted this up in the picture forum yesterday so I figured I would throw it up in here as well.

Northwest Airlines construction. Another shot from my alien landscape series.

 

[Phrasikleia]

The triangular-shaped sign(?) at the end reminds me of an akroterion on the roof of a Greek temple. It dissipates the energy of the strong directional thrust by directing it out into space. The bird soaring in a perpendicular direction adds a nice counterpoint and nicely breaks up the symmetry. It's tough to pull off a composition like this, but you've managed.

Taken at a strobist meet.

Was she in a tank or were you underwater? Either way, it's a superb photo. The fabric seems to have cooperated beautifully, and I just love how the model is both ethereal and unprepossessing at the same time. A model with overt sexiness would have spoiled the tenor of the shot.

I really like how the sheep seems to be guarding the threshold between two different realms.

Posted this up in the picture forum yesterday so I figured I would throw it up in here as well.

Northwest Airlines construction. Another shot from my alien landscape series.

There is indeed something very alienesque about this one. The low vantage point is just right here. I have to ask: however did you get access to the construction site when no one else was around?

 

[GotMyOrangeCrus]

There is indeed something very alienesque about this one. The low vantage point is just right here. I have to ask: however did you get access to the construction site when no one else was around?

I was actually hired by Smith Group and the City of Detroit to shoot the airport. I had full access to the entire site for like 3 months. I ended up taking full advantage and shot a ton of pictures there for myself. I got some really great stuff from it. This Alien Landscape series is one of my favorite subjects and I have been shooting it for over 7 years. There are just a few more shots I would like to get and it will be finished. Those shots are at Kennedy Space Center and I am scheduled to shoot there in June. Once its finished ill post up the entire series and see what ya think.

 

[ipodtoucher]

This is really cool!! I think it would look cool w/o the air tower too.

Here's my submission for today There was a great sunset and I had to try and capture it lol

 

[nidserz]

 

[Tsunami69]

My photo

Taken in North West Montana, near Glacier National Park in early May 2008

 

[md2427]

Just a few keys.....

Mine for today - not very inspiring I'm afraid !

 

[zebbz]

 

[pdxflint]

There is nothing wrong with shooting the horizon in the middle if you have reason to do so, which in this case you absolutely did. Its a nice picture. The only thing that I would suggest is trying to add a little bit more to those highlights. It feels a bit flat on the high end. Maybe make those cresting waves tips a bit brighter. Really nice on the dark tones. Nice job.

Thanks... and I agree about the horizon... I just had to preempt any wisecracks from funny people... I see what you mean about the highlights, particularly on the waves. It was actually fairly tricky, since the sun was nearly set and had emerged slightly from the overcast ceiling, and was hitting up on the ridge more, while the ocean was in this overcast, gray mode... I'll play around with lifting the highlights a bit and see how it turns out.

BTW, I bet you're having fun doing all these commissioned assignments. I'd be in heaven with the kind of access you have, and look forward to more pics, including Cape Canaveral. Cheers -phil

 

[sonor]

The triangular-shaped sign(?) at the end reminds me of an akroterion on the roof of a Greek temple. It dissipates the energy of the strong directional thrust by directing it out into space. The bird soaring in a perpendicular direction adds a nice counterpoint and nicely breaks up the symmetry. It's tough to pull off a composition like this, but you've managed.

Thanks Phrasikleia - interesting analysis. I think you're right that it's the triangle and bird that make it work, even though they're very small elements in the image.

Another from the same place, but zoomed in on the birds...

​

 

[Nicholie]

 

[fett]

Was she in a tank or were you underwater? Either way, it's a superb photo. The fabric seems to have cooperated beautifully, and I just love how the model is both ethereal and unprepossessing at the same time. A model with overt sexiness would have spoiled the tenor of the shot.

Thanks, she was in a university pool that had underwater viewing windows. So the models got wet and all the photogs stayed dry. The funny thing is she was the only non-model of the models but did by far the best job underwater. Its not an easy thing to hold your breath, pose and not end up looking stupid.

Part of our deal with the university to get the pool was that we would take some photos of their swim team. So we had multiple shoots going on over about a 4 hour period.

 

[GotMyOrangeCrus]

Thanks... and I agree about the horizon... I just had to preempt any wisecracks from funny people... I see what you mean about the highlights, particularly on the waves. It was actually fairly tricky, since the sun was nearly set and had emerged slightly from the overcast ceiling, and was hitting up on the ridge more, while the ocean was in this overcast, gray mode... I'll play around with lifting the highlights a bit and see how it turns out.

BTW, I bet you're having fun doing all these commissioned assignments. I'd be in heaven with the kind of access you have, and look forward to more pics, including Cape Canaveral. Cheers -phil

If I may make one other suggestion, I am a stickler for seeing a defined border around pictures. I would burn that little patch of sky on the left just a tad bit, just until it had a distinctive border. It actually never bothered me until I took a John Sexton workshop and he really taught me alot about the edges of the picture. Having a border was the very first thing he taught us and ever since then its really become something that I look for in good prints. Some photographers dont mind it and its certainly not a rule that you have to have one. Again its has just become something that I really like. It just gives the print a much better quality imo. Definitely post it back up if you make some changes as it is a really nice shot.

As for my assignments, yeah its certainly nice having permission. I actually used to shoot stuff all the time without having permission and while it added a sense of excitement to the shoot, it wasn't very helpful in regards to getting great pictures, especially when your shooting 4x5 and lugging a 50 pound backpack around. I used to shoot abandoned buildings in Detroit pretty much everyday and I got caught on many occasions. They actually sent in dogs after us on one occasion. They always let me go with a warning, that is until the dog incident. After the dogs they sat me down and told me that that was the last free ride. If they caught me again that they would press charges for breaking and entering and trespassing. Suffice to say that was the end of my abandoned building shooting. By that time I had pretty much shot everything in the city anyways so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Anyways once I started my business and started getting big clients it actually opened up a lot of doors in regards to getting proper permission, even for places that I wasn't hired to shoot. For example I was able to get permission to shoot Danvers State Mental Hospital, The one from the Movie Session 9, through my connection at Albert Kahn and my permission to shoot Kennedy Space Center was made through my connection with Smith Group. So yes it is really nice having legitimate access to some of these places. It makes everything much easier and its legal which is always a nice thing, lol.

You can still get permission to some of these types of places even if you dont have the luxury of connections. Just put a nice portfolio together, contact the people and explain you just want to shoot some pictures and tell them your willing to sign a liability form. While some places will still shoot you down you will come across a few here and there that will let you have al least some limited access. You never know until you try so I recommend at least trying to get permission. The worst thing that can happen is them saying no.

 

[GotMyOrangeCrus]

Thanks, she was in a university pool that had underwater viewing windows. So the models got wet and all the photogs stayed dry. The funny thing is she was the only non-model of the models but did by far the best job underwater. Its not an easy thing to hold your breath, pose and not end up looking stupid.

Part of our deal with the university to get the pool was that we would take some photos of their swim team. So we had multiple shoots going on over about a 4 hour period.

Nice work. I however am not a big fan of the posting of your name in the picture. It simply distracts people from looking at your image. If you want to do it with your portfolio then that is one thing, although I wouldn't recommend doing it with that either, but why include it in pictures you post on forums like this? Again it just really distracts me from being able to enjoy the picture. At the very least you should put a one inch border around your pictures and move your name down onto that simulated matt board. That way it isnt actually in the image.

 

[seattle]

 

[GotMyOrangeCrus]

Very nice shot. I would dial back on the contrast a bit but besides that its a very nice image.

 

[Doylem]

^^^

When quoting images, you can make them into thumbnails by changing the IMG tags to TIMG (you keep the mods happy that way )...

 

[gullaa]

A couple Shots of mine

 

[Fuzzy14]

Nothing special, but thought I'd share it anyway. Went to the park at the weekend, loch was frozen so we have all the birds standing on the ice surrounded by bricks thrown by the youngsters trying to smash the ice. Taken with Samsung P&S

 

[Renderz]

Day 3 of 5 of my Valentine's Day photoshoot. I had the pleasure of photographing a geniunely beautiful and engaging woman, Jade Parsons who was a finalist for Miss United Kingdom 2008

 

[koobcamuk]

York Minster: Composite of 9 RAW shots - photomerge in Photoshop CS4