Photo of the Day - February 2010

[kallisti]

Took me a second to wrap my eye around this and figure out what was going on. Did you actually drop the cup (doubtful) or just take the shot as you were rapidly overfilling the cup?

Interesting image. Makes me want to play around with something similar. Hope you had some paper towels handy

I love the way you've got all the focus on her face; everything else recedes into the background. In this particular case I don't find the cords at all distracting; I think they add something as 'props' that tell the story of a brief rest from play.

Funny, my wife said the same thing. Sometimes I get too wrapped up in the technical aspect of things (thinking about rules) and lose sight of the forest for the trees. Kate liked the cords in the background for the same reason you did. She also liked the way the head on view from above gives the optical illusion that Zoe is smaller than she really is--making her seem like a much younger kitten. She certainly ACTS like a little baby with all the silly antics and wonder which that implies

 

[xoxooox]

She is my first and only one English friend now, I went to her home to celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve, I love playing with she

 

[kallisti]

She is my first and only one English friend now, I went to her home to celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve, I love playing with she

Beautiful image. Thanks for sharing it. And welcome to the forums

Don't feel bashful about posting. This is a very friendly community and we all love seeing new images. Don't worry if you don't receive a comment on an image you post. It doesn't mean we hated it--sometimes (often? really often??) interesting shots get "passed over" for various reasons. Says nothing about how all of us feel about them. Keep posting. I look forward to seeing more of your images

 

[TheSVD]

Thank you for your kind comment. It's great to know I'm not alone in the subjects I like to look at.

hey thats alright, i thought both your pictures there were amazing
bloody hell though, looking at that exif data on the second one...
f22, iso 50, 1/60? That must have been a bloody bright location! haha
Keep 'em coming buddy, great photos

 

[VirtualRain]

Slovakia's game winning goal (in the shoot-out) vs. Russia...

A testament to the 70-300 IS on a crop body as this is where I was sitting relative to the far net... (and I'm not trying to sneak 2 photos in here!)

 

[dmmcintyre3]

 

[mcavjame]

looking at that exif data on the second one...
f22, iso 50, 1/60? That must have been a bloody bright location! haha

Yeah... pretty uniform white, especially with all the fog.

 

[heron88]

Yup, in the Sequoia foothills.

I knew it, the area looks all to familiar. I live in the central valley of california. This wouldnt happen to be near Bakersfield would it?

 

[rekud300]

Lunch

Happened to be working on my Pictures on my computer at the table overlooking my backyard with my camera right next to me, and got this through a window..

 

[Phrasikleia]

I knew it, the area looks all to familiar. I live in the central valley of california. This wouldnt happen to be near Bakersfield would it?

It's about an hour's drive east of Bakersfield, on the way up toward Lake Isabella. That whole region is really beautiful and very relaxing. You're lucky to live there!

Here's another shot from that area:

 

[compuwar]

It's about an hour's drive east of Bakersfield, on the way up toward Lake Isabella. That whole region is really beautiful and very relaxing. You're lucky to live there!

Here's another shot from that area:

I see what you saw in the light in the foreground, but it frames blur- I think this would have been really nice either focus stacked or with a lot more DoF.

Paul

 

[fulcrum.1995]

seirra nevadas
Boreal ski resort
broke 2 snowboards that day:[ got to try my new team supplied Rossignol S7s too :]

 

[Joe King]

Mount Mapas Obelisk:



This obelisk, built in 1742 by John Mapas to give employment to destitute families who had lost their crops following a harsh winter, sits at the summit of Killiney Hill, Dublin. The mound upon which it is constructed is the remains of a Bronze Age passage tomb.

 

[Doylem]

^^^ Great sky... but your obelisk needs a little straightening, I think...

Here's another folly, called the Hoad: an exact replica of the famous Eddystone lighthouse - but without a light - built on a hill overlooking the sea near Ulverston, in Cumbria. It celebrates Sir John Barrow, a 'local lad' who went on to do great things (including founding the Royal Geographical Society)...

With a heart-shaped cloud it might make a good Valentine's Day card, but, with the shape of the folly, maybe not...

 

[compuwar]

^^^ Great sky... but your obelisk needs a little straightening, I think...

s/obelisk/lighthouse/

Paul

 

[acearchie]

Slight blur on the elbow as my sister couldn't quite stay still enough for the 3" shot!

 

[pdxflint]

Stairway to nowhere...

...for boarding the slightly taller boats. It just caught my eye.

ISO 200
1/400 second
Aperture = ƒ/2.8
80 mm

 

[mcavjame]

 

[grassland]

Atlantic Ocean

surf

 

[Phrasikleia]

I see what you saw in the light in the foreground, but it frames blur- I think this would have been really nice either focus stacked or with a lot more DoF.

Paul

Yeah, I realize this one stretches the rules a bit, but I actually dropped the clarity on the background to make it even more soft and dreamy. To me it's all about what is "framed" in the foreground, namely the big rock and its high place. I saw that rock and thought I could be pretty happy just sitting there listening to the wind against that peaceful backdrop for a looong time. Alas, maybe it doesn't work. Thanks for the comment.

 

[pdxflint]

Yeah, I realize this one stretches the rules a bit, but I actually dropped the clarity on the background to make it even more soft and dreamy. To me it's all about what is "framed" in the foreground, namely the big rock and its high place. I saw that rock and thought I could be pretty happy just sitting there listening to the wind against that peaceful backdrop for a looong time. Alas, maybe it doesn't work. Thanks for the comment.

For what it's worth... it works for me. I actually like the slightly out of focus background - it's clear enough to give the foreground subject context, but focuses my attention up close. The sense of being high, and the sense of space all add to this shot for me. So I do get what you're doing with this, and I like it.

 

[compuwar]

Yeah, I realize this one stretches the rules a bit, but I actually dropped the clarity on the background to make it even more soft and dreamy. To me it's all about what is "framed" in the foreground, namely the big rock and its high place. I saw that rock and thought I could be pretty happy just sitting there listening to the wind against that peaceful backdrop for a looong time. Alas, maybe it doesn't work. Thanks for the comment.

Like I said, I totally get why you shot it- but purely as an image, my eye starts at the left edge, goes up, then across the top, down the trunk to the rock and stops- because there's not anything in focus to spiral into the center of the frame with- if there were- this would be an awesome shot, with a 3D appeal that many shots lack. I mention it because if you hit a similar situation, I hope you'll focus bracket the heck out of it. As it is, I fell like it's a nice frame lacking a picture- just my impression.

Paul

 

[VirtualRain]

Continuing with the olympic theme...

Wish I had been there when the sky wasn't so dark!

 

[maddagascar]

Wish I had been there when the sky wasn't so dark!

very nice olympic photos. i've been seeing a lot of them. are there like different olympic related things all around the city to symbolize it?

 

[Phrasikleia]

For what it's worth... it works for me. I actually like the slightly out of focus background - it's clear enough to give the foreground subject context, but focuses my attention up close. The sense of being high, and the sense of space all add to this shot for me. So I do get what you're doing with this, and I like it.

Thanks, pdxflint. I'm glad that it registers for someone else too.

Like I said, I totally get why you shot it- but purely as an image, my eye starts at the left edge, goes up, then across the top, down the trunk to the rock and stops- because there's not anything in focus to spiral into the center of the frame with...

Well, the rock is the subject, so if the eye didn't stop there, it definitely wouldn't work. I was hoping, however, that the highest, most distant peak just visible through the branches would offer a subtle call-and-response to keep the eye moving without presenting competition to the subject. As I said, I didn't like the way the large background upstaged the rock, so I dropped the clarity on it selectively in post. I understand that you want there to be something to focus on elsewhere; I'm sorry it doesn't work for you. It's definitely not one of my more formulaic shots.