PhotoFlash: Issue #1View archives Hi
there everybody. We have an exciting development for you: our first issue of the
new PhotoFlash!
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Thanks for being so patient. This has been a huge challenge to get this
publication going. But we are in action now. This newsletter will have monthly
articles and showcase a featured photo by a BetterPhoto member. The featured
photo in this issue is the Grand Prize winning image by Paolo Cardone of our
October photo contest.
We have also noticed that over the past several months, the photo discussions
at BetterPhoto have become very popular. Therefore, we will post helpful and
educational photo discussions each month. We will try to select photo
discussions that best teach or illustrate a key principle. There are a whooping
20 New Discussions this issue since we are just starting; next time, there will
be fewer New Discussions as well as a few Continuing Discussions.
Just for fun, we are also officially starting our monthly "Where in the World
is Snappy?" quiz. Each month we will post a photo that shows Snappy the Turtle -
our mascot on the BetterPhoto T-shirt - in a new location. All you have to do is
tell us where he is.
Featured Article: Attending a Bryan Peterson Workshop: Part
One There I was, during the final moments of daylight, standing in
the middle of a lavender field that stretched out to the horizon in every
direction. My ankles were sunburned and swollen with bug bites. My arms and legs
were caked in dust. All around me, the field hummed loudly with the sound of a
million bees... Read
more...
Interesting. I have done a
couple of shots like this one, but in b&w and of cars only (streets,
freeways). I should try a train. Can you provide some "Behind the Photo"?
Train speed and shutter speed would be very insightful.
The train was moving quite fast, because I was only interested in the
red light. Shutter speed was 15 sec. The picture was taken at 11 pm. The
light in the background came from Brussels, capital of Belgium. Sometimes
light polution can be useful.
You just have to consider whether the light of the train will make an
interesting angle with other lines in the scene.
I never did this in B/W, but will try this out very soon. -
Olivier M.
We are
members of the introductory photo class at the University of South
Carolina. We are discussing your pic in class.
David- "The contrast between the deep blue sky and the golden slumbers
of the water make this photo powerful. Darby- "The use of movement is
spectacular. It reflects the fast pace of city life." Kevin (from
Nashville)- "I think it is a surreal shot that reminds me of
home" Bear- "The blurred river boat is distracting in what is otherwise
a great photo." Nick- "Hey Bear, I like the riverboat. I think with its
long streaks of red and yellow fires of fun are strong against the specks
of white lights of the city." Martin- "I like the aura above the city
that fades to beautiful blue and off into our dreams."
If you could reply with the specs on this photo we would love it.
Thanks. - Nick D.
Response 1:Thanks for the input on the
Nashville nights picture. this picture was taken with the desire to bring
out colors and contrast. I chose to blur the river boat to bring some
contrast to the shot. The blur of the boat brought about motion against a
still city shot and brought a lot more color with the glow of the
reflection.
I took this night shot with a Canon A2, with Kodak 400 film at a 5.6 f
stop / 1 sec shutter speed. The sun had just gone down, it was not the
dark of night, or I wouldn't have captured the dark blue/almost purple sky
for a perfect background. I was looking for the blur to make this a fun
"party boat" feel. ~ d. baer - Daniel B.
Kenneth,
nice color contrast. My eyes tended to be drawn toward the lower left of
the picture but they didn't quite find one particular bunch of flowers to
rest on. I may have tried shallower depth of field or different grouping
to help focus on one bunch. - Nick S.
Ray very nice photo. I
especially like what the slow shutter speed did with the water, not to
slow & not to fast. Can tell us alittle about the dynamics of this
shot: Tripod or hand hel what film, etc. - Terry M.
Response 1:Ray,
I like the way you set up the composition to emphasize the mossy rocks
instead of the stream. It makes your primary subject obvious and easy to
look at. Nice shot. - Nick S.
Thank you for your comments regarding my photo. The photo was taken
with a Pentax Z1, Kodak Gold film, using a tripod for some 4 seconds with
max. aperture. It was a dull day in winter hence all the green moss.
Summer is coming on now... days are much brighter and the green moss is
dissapearing so these opportunities are getting less. I have been trying
to get similar results using a new Nikon Coolpix 990, with limited
success, still have a lot to learn with it yet! - Ray M.
This is a lovely photo which could have the potential to be a great
photo.
Next time, I would move slightly to the left so as to avoid having one
of the arches filled only with white. I would also shoot several frames so
as to avoid having someone's legs in the shot.
Thanks for pointing out the pair of legs in my shot, you know I've had
this picture for 6 months and neither me nor anyone else I've shown this
picture to has noticed that. I will have to start looking more closely.
Hi, Shirley. I'm from Toronto,
Canada. I like this shot a lot. - Ronnie S.
Response 1:Hi,
Shirley,
I too like this shot. However, I find the moon to be too bright and too
sharp when compared to the rest of the image. It just doesn't seem to fit
quite right.
I would like to see the image without the moon, or I would like to see
it with the moon fogged or blurred and some of the contrast/brightness
removed.
Response 2:Thank you both. Glenn, this is the way the moon
looked... there has been no digital manipulation, other than resizing for
this venue. Remember, the full moon sets at the same time the sun rises
and the moon is reflecting the light of the sun. - Shirley C.
Response 3:FANTASTIC!! The range of blues, the textures in
the surf, and the wisps of clouds across the moon. What a reward for an
early riser! (With your skill). +Guy - Guy B.
What strikes me about this picture is the continuance of the wave
patern in the clouds that drift in front of the moon. It's almost as if
the big wave in front and some of the smaler ones in the back are
reflected on the moon. About the sharpness af the moon, well nature
presents itself in its own way.
I wonder what you can do whith a late night shot (smile). -
Jaap Z.
Response 5:Thank you Guy and Jaap, for your enthusiastic
comments. - Shirley C.
Why
Sedona Attracts Tourists This is a view of Wilson
Mountain, at mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, AZ; shot w/ Olympus
C2020Z digital camera; stitched with Panorama Factory.
Thanks... yes, you need to see
Sedona before it turns into a big tourist shopping mecca. Truly a
beautiful land... but giving away to commercialism. - Light _.
Response 2:Hi Light - great comparison pics.
I got to get down there to do some shooting. Do you know the best time
of the year to photograph the region?
Hi Jim... the best time to
shoot Sedona is Spring and Fall. The growth of the leaves on the trees,
the buds... spectacular; the changing/dropping of the leaves during
fall... awesome. The best conditions are clouds (not socked in) which
throw shadows on the red rock formations. And a light snow fall on the red
rock is too beautiful to miss. - Light _.
Magnificent shot. I love the
sepia in it. - Amardeep S.
Response 1:I
really like your photo. Just great.
How did you get it in IR?
You did real good. - Jack B.
Response
2:Absolutely awesome. Nothing else can be said. - Sanford D.
Response 3:This image was made with a Hoya IR filter # R-72
in B&W modewith f 4.8 @ 2 seconds on a tripod and then colorized in
Adobe PS Elements software. I hope this answered your question Jack.
JMW - J. Michael W.
I know
this photo would have been better if the other team's player had not been
cut out of the picture, however, the action was close enough to me that I
would have missed this talented runner had I taken the time to "zoom out".
Other than this obvious problem, I would appreciate any suggestions or
comments. - Diana G.
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