Weekly Photo Contest Feb 24th-March 3rd: Faded Glory

[Apple fanboy]

Thank you all for your kind words!
I kind of got my dates mixed up so almost missed it!
So many good images above though.

As for how the plane got there, I'm afraid I have no clue. I can tell you months later it's still sat there! I've looked at the composition in the light, but couldn't find one that really worked.

I'll have the new one up later today.

 

[deep diver]

Fantastic images and outstanding judging and comments. Congrats to the winners.
anotherscotsman - I think I appreciate your comments more than I would have appreciated the win. I wanted to use an image from this particular shoot b/c the 18th century setting and the 18th century lens design. There were other images that might have given you more of what you wanted in terms of the theme, but my coworkers liked this one the best.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Another one to make up the numbers.
I think she's seen better days!
_DSC0505_DxO by apple fanboy1, on Flickr

Congrats to the winners and in particular Apple fanboy! Here this picture perfectly fits the theme !

 

[Laird Knox]

LAIRDKNOX: Trust you to make thing even more difficult - how do I comment on this? This photo works so well but I find it difficult to say why (perhaps that makes it art....). Like KENOH, nicely done vintage toning but with added wet-plate-look distress. The multiple exposure/camera movement makes allows you to get all of the 'old American car' message across without the potential distraction of which particular make/model - if the viewer is interested in that short of thing they can look closer.

Thanks

Actually there is no added distressing, camera movement, nor multiple exposures.

I hastily cut a piece of B&W photo paper in the field and loaded it into my 4x5 technical camera. That's why the top and side edges are uneven. There is a bit of debris in the upper left corner from the poor cut (I was using the scissors on a borrowed Swiss Army knife.) You can see the ragged edge and the shadow it cast. The black bar on the bottom is the guide that holds the film in the bracket but as you can see I miss-loaded the top (no bar on image).

The reason for the multiple images is because I made a pin hole shutter for the camera and drilled three holes in the brass shim. As a result you get the multiple exposures at the same time. After developing the image I scanned it into the computer and inverted the negative image. Then I did some simple adjustments (levels, curves, etc.) and give it a bit of tone in NIK.

The image is even more a slice of the American dream than it shows. This was taken at the Nevada Heritage Museum and the car was parked next to a vintage house with all the trappings of the 50s on the inside. It is a charming little street of suburbia they have setup. The College of Nevada's Alternative Process Club had a day of shooting pinholes around the museum grounds. I brought my cargo trailer with me and we setup a makeshift darkroom right in the parking lot. Hence the Swiss Army knife photo trimming in the dark.

I honestly didn't expect this image to be a contender. I just wanted to take things in a completely different direction to shake it up a bit. Most of my images rely on technology and digital perfection. It was fun to post some old school analog. And old school enough that it was assumed to be a post processing technique.

Thank you for taking the time to provide all of the critiques.
[doublepost=1488653154][/doublepost]

_DSC0505_DxO by apple fanboy1, on Flickr

Something about this image make me feel that it was taken underwater. I think it is a combination of the skim lighting on the side and the quick falloff to darkness. I think the surface detail that the skim lighting provides helps make it look like the beginnings of a reef.

Well done.

 

[anotherscotsman]

Thanks

Actually there is no added distressing, camera movement, nor multiple exposures.

I hastily cut a piece of B&W photo paper in the field and loaded it into my 4x5 technical camera. That's why the top and side edges are uneven. There is a bit of debris in the upper left corner from the poor cut (I was using the scissors on a borrowed Swiss Army knife.) You can see the ragged edge and the shadow it cast. The black bar on the bottom is the guide that holds the film in the bracket but as you can see I miss-loaded the top (no bar on image).

The reason for the multiple images is because I made a pin hole shutter for the camera and drilled three holes in the brass shim. As a result you get the multiple exposures at the same time. After developing the image I scanned it into the computer and inverted the negative image. Then I did some simple adjustments (levels, curves, etc.) and give it a bit of tone in NIK.

The image is even more a slice of the American dream than it shows. This was taken at the Nevada Heritage Museum and the car was parked next to a vintage house with all the trappings of the 50s on the inside. It is a charming little street of suburbia they have setup. The College of Nevada's Alternative Process Club had a day of shooting pinholes around the museum grounds. I brought my cargo trailer with me and we setup a makeshift darkroom right in the parking lot. Hence the Swiss Army knife photo trimming in the dark.

I honestly didn't expect this image to be a contender. I just wanted to take things in a completely different direction to shake it up a bit. Most of my images rely on technology and digital perfection. It was fun to post some old school analog. And old school enough that it was assumed to be a post processing technique.

Thank you for taking the time to provide all of the critiques.
[doublepost=1488653154][/doublepost]

Something about this image make me feel that it was taken underwater. I think it is a combination of the skim lighting on the side and the quick falloff to darkness. I think the surface detail that the skim lighting provides helps make it look like the beginnings of a reef.

Well done.

And some people just press a button.. .I'm always amazed at the the technical effort you put into your work - truly managing the capture of light to great effect. If I could even have imagined doing what you've done, it would surely end up as a mess!

 

[Laird Knox]

And some people just press a button.. .I'm always amazed at the the technical effort you put into your work - truly managing the capture of light to great effect. If I could even have imagined doing what you've done, it would surely end up as a mess!

I don't post the ones that don't work out.

Don't be afraid to try something new. I just go out and try stuff. I often don't have a clue what I'm doing.

Here's today's faded glory:



Several hours in and I'm not even 10% finished. I should leave the jackhammer to the kids under 50!

 

[Apple fanboy]

New contest is up

I'll try to be as generous as @anotherscotsman with my critique and feedback.

 

[Mark0]

My grandfather was a draughtsman on the Mulberry Harbour project.

Cheers

Hugh

That's really interesting. He tangibly helped to shape the outcome of the war and in some way, the world as it is today.

Strange, my feeling on this image is how I feel about most sites of historic significance when visiting. I get a feeling that this is too important a part of our history to be this desolate looking. Does that make sense?

I think the image is very striking and would.like to see it without the selective colour. Just a moody B&W. It is a scarred landscape which is illustrative of the horrific events there.

Soppy moment over... nice image.

Thanks, I have been carrying out a wee project for myself to photograph a lot of the remaining wartime relics around Wigtownshire. This image looks like it could have been Normandy - but it wasn't! However, the point of conducting the sea trials of the Mulberry Harbour Project at Garlieston was because the geography of the beaches / tidal characteristics were very close to that of where the Normandy landings were planned.

The image without selective colour lacks visual impact due to the strong contrasts. The Beetle becomes lost in the textures a bit. The harsh afternoon light caused all sorts of harsh contrast but I also needed the blue skies and summer cloud to provoke the 'feeling' of the image through a high contrast red filter, to match darker portions of the foreground.

MARK0: I can understand your position wrt contests but to be honest the Weekly Photo Contest here is more like a challenge than a contest. I think I probably reflect the views of many here when I say I enter WPC to get commentary and for the challenge of finding/taking a photo that meets the theme rather than to 'win". A beautiful capture of what was a monumental contribution to modern history. Although I'm not a big fan of selective colour, I can see why you have used it here - certainly emphasises the discarded, isolated and decaying fragment of what was a massive project. The sense of isolation and of time moving on is further boosted by the lone tree. If I had to suggest anything, I'd perhaps desaturate the beetle a little but that's personal preference.

Thanks, it was very hard to frame the image, and particular to get that striking tree involved. I really could have done with a set of ladders for more elevation! The Beetle has been desaturated a bit believe it or not. The harsh afternoon sun had it lit up nicely.

Mark0 I too get your feeling about competitions. This is as @another_scotsman said - a chance to earn critique and a means to stretch oneself to meet the brief each week. - we arent all as good as you are. I for one enjoy the encouragement lol...

I don't want to come across as if I'm an expert, I'm far from it! I just don't do photography for 'competition.' Sounds weird coming from a very competitive person in all other aspects - just not photography. I do welcome critique though, because I've got a lot to learn yet!
[doublepost=1488796556][/doublepost]

That's really interesting. He tangibly helped to shape the outcome of the war and in some way, the world as it is today.



Thanks, I have been carrying out a wee project for myself to photograph a lot of the remaining wartime relics around Wigtownshire. This image looks like it could have been Normandy - but it wasn't! However, the point of conducting the sea trials of the Mulberry Harbour Project at Garlieston was because the geography of the beaches / tidal characteristics were very close to that of where the Normandy landings were planned.

The image without selective colour lacks visual impact due to the strong contrasts. The Beetle becomes lost in the textures a bit. The harsh afternoon light caused all sorts of harsh contrast but I also needed the blue skies and summer cloud to provoke the 'feeling' of the image through a high contrast red filter, to match darker portions of the foreground.



Thanks, it was very hard to frame the image, and particular to get that striking tree involved. I really could have done with a set of ladders for more elevation! The Beetle has been desaturated a bit believe it or not. The harsh afternoon sun had it lit up nicely.



I don't want to come across as if I'm an expert, I'm far from it! I just don't do photography for 'competition.' Sounds weird coming from a very competitive person in all other aspects - just not photography. I do welcome critique though, because I've got a lot to learn yet!

For @kenoh here is the total b&w - I just disabled the colour mask. I could probably rework the lightness of the Beetle to make it stand out more...

 

[kenoh]

That's really interesting. He tangibly helped to shape the outcome of the war and in some way, the world as it is today.



Thanks, I have been carrying out a wee project for myself to photograph a lot of the remaining wartime relics around Wigtownshire. This image looks like it could have been Normandy - but it wasn't! However, the point of conducting the sea trials of the Mulberry Harbour Project at Garlieston was because the geography of the beaches / tidal characteristics were very close to that of where the Normandy landings were planned.

The image without selective colour lacks visual impact due to the strong contrasts. The Beetle becomes lost in the textures a bit. The harsh afternoon light caused all sorts of harsh contrast but I also needed the blue skies and summer cloud to provoke the 'feeling' of the image through a high contrast red filter, to match darker portions of the foreground.



Thanks, it was very hard to frame the image, and particular to get that striking tree involved. I really could have done with a set of ladders for more elevation! The Beetle has been desaturated a bit believe it or not. The harsh afternoon sun had it lit up nicely.



I don't want to come across as if I'm an expert, I'm far from it! I just don't do photography for 'competition.' Sounds weird coming from a very competitive person in all other aspects - just not photography. I do welcome critique though, because I've got a lot to learn yet!
[doublepost=1488796556][/doublepost]

For @kenoh here is the total b&w - I just disabled the colour mask. I could probably rework the lightness of the Beetle to make it stand out more...

View attachment 691190

I get what you say about the image but I still think this is lovely.

 

[Hughmac]

That's really interesting. He tangibly helped to shape the outcome of the war and in some way, the world as it is today.



Thanks, I have been carrying out a wee project for myself to photograph a lot of the remaining wartime relics around Wigtownshire. This image looks like it could have been Normandy - but it wasn't! However, the point of conducting the sea trials of the Mulberry Harbour Project at Garlieston was because the geography of the beaches / tidal characteristics were very close to that of where the Normandy landings were planned.

The image without selective colour lacks visual impact due to the strong contrasts. The Beetle becomes lost in the textures a bit. The harsh afternoon light caused all sorts of harsh contrast but I also needed the blue skies and summer cloud to provoke the 'feeling' of the image through a high contrast red filter, to match darker portions of the foreground.



Thanks, it was very hard to frame the image, and particular to get that striking tree involved. I really could have done with a set of ladders for more elevation! The Beetle has been desaturated a bit believe it or not. The harsh afternoon sun had it lit up nicely.



I don't want to come across as if I'm an expert, I'm far from it! I just don't do photography for 'competition.' Sounds weird coming from a very competitive person in all other aspects - just not photography. I do welcome critique though, because I've got a lot to learn yet!
[doublepost=1488796556][/doublepost]

For @kenoh here is the total b&w - I just disabled the colour mask. I could probably rework the lightness of the Beetle to make it stand out more...

View attachment 691190

There's a cartoon somewhere of people working on the Mulberry s, with my grandfather featured directing operations, but I can't find it at the moment.

In my opinion the B&W above has much greater impact, and the metal fragment shows up fine as it is definitely the main subject.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I don't wish to be judged in the weekly competition (I don't like photo comps) but I thought I'd post this as it's related to the theme. The photo features a Concrete 'Beetle' from the Mulberry Harbour Project of WW2. This project proved to be one of the most important things that helped to facilitate the D-Day landings - which was the basis for the eventual turnaround of the WW2 in favour of the Allies.

I get that selective colour B&W isn't to everyone's taste, but I felt it was rather appropriate for this important relic that is now being left to the elements. It gave me shivers walking around it. You can feel the history.

View attachment 690804

My grandfather was a draughtsman on the Mulberry Harbour project.

Cheers

Hugh

Fascinating - great picture with a powerful sense of history, @Mark0 and a great piece of family history to have @Hughmac.

A good friend (a man who had also been a colleague) of my mother's was a comfortably off - and rather older - businessman, who had done very well as a builder. He had mentored her, but - as a young man - his first big job was constructing Mulberry harbours.

He took a shine to me - I was a student at the time - because I studied history and loved hearing stories about history, and I remember a long and fascinating conversation one evening with him - I listened, utterly rapt - as he discussed how he had won (one builder among many private contractors who had been given such commissions) a government contract to build Mulberry harbours and what he had been required to do once he had landed the contract. It was riveting stuff.

Only commenting as comp closed...

Strange, my feeling on this image is how I feel about most sites of historic significance when visiting. I get a feeling that this is too important a part of our history to be this desolate looking. Does that make sense?

I think the image is very striking and would.like to see it without the selective colour. Just a moody B&W. It is a scarred landscape which is illustrative of the horrific events there.

Soppy moment over... nice image.

Great competition @anotherscotsman - and very generous, positive and thoughtful feedback.

Congrats @Apple fanboy - that was a wonderful shot, apt, and haunting all at once. Beautifully taken.

Loved @kenoh's shot - I rather like German cars, too - and @Laird Knox's was wonderfully evocative.

 

[Apple fanboy]

That's really interesting. He tangibly helped to shape the outcome of the war and in some way, the world as it is today.



Thanks, I have been carrying out a wee project for myself to photograph a lot of the remaining wartime relics around Wigtownshire. This image looks like it could have been Normandy - but it wasn't! However, the point of conducting the sea trials of the Mulberry Harbour Project at Garlieston was because the geography of the beaches / tidal characteristics were very close to that of where the Normandy landings were planned.

The image without selective colour lacks visual impact due to the strong contrasts. The Beetle becomes lost in the textures a bit. The harsh afternoon light caused all sorts of harsh contrast but I also needed the blue skies and summer cloud to provoke the 'feeling' of the image through a high contrast red filter, to match darker portions of the foreground.



Thanks, it was very hard to frame the image, and particular to get that striking tree involved. I really could have done with a set of ladders for more elevation! The Beetle has been desaturated a bit believe it or not. The harsh afternoon sun had it lit up nicely.



I don't want to come across as if I'm an expert, I'm far from it! I just don't do photography for 'competition.' Sounds weird coming from a very competitive person in all other aspects - just not photography. I do welcome critique though, because I've got a lot to learn yet!
[doublepost=1488796556][/doublepost]

For @kenoh here is the total b&w - I just disabled the colour mask. I could probably rework the lightness of the Beetle to make it stand out more...

View attachment 691190

I prefer this B&W version.
[doublepost=1488805610][/doublepost]

Fascinating - great picture with a powerful sense of history, @Mark0

A good friend (a man who had also been a colleague) of my mother's was a comfortably off - and rather older - businessman, who had done very well as a builder. He had mentored her, but - as a young man - his first big job was constructing Mulberry harbours.

He took a shine to me - I was a student at the time - because I studied history and loved hearing about history, and I remember a long and fascinating conversation one evening with him - I listened, utterly rapt - as he discussed how he had won (one builder of a great many private contractors) the government contract to build Mulberry harbours and what he had been required to do once he had landed the contract. It was riveting stuff.



Great competition @anotherscotsman - and very generous, positive and thoughtful feedback.

Congrats @Apple fanboy - that was a wonderful shot, apt, and haunting all at once. Beautifully taken.

Loved @kenoh's shot - I rather like German cars, too - and @Laird Knox's was wonderfully evocative.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Mark0]

Ok, you guys win, I've made the changes to make the Beetle more prominent in the B&W. I like it better now.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I prefer this B&W version.
[doublepost=1488805610][/doublepost]
Thank you kindly.

Agreed - personally, I'd prefer the B&W version, too.
[doublepost=1488806024][/doublepost]

Ok, you guys win, I've made the changes to make the Beetle more prominent in the B&W. I like it better now.

View attachment 691193

Yes, - agreed - that is a lot better.