COMMENTS thread - Photogroup Jan. contest: Close up (macro) photography

[mogster]

OK.

This is the thread for comments on the pictures in the SUBMISSION thread.

Good luck! :bounce:

[intheflow]

1. Aargh! I left my magnifying filter in Denver!

And me down here in Mississippi now! :cry:

Well, usedtobesick has sent it along, I just hope I have time to find something interesting to shoot if the filter arrives before the entry deadline ends. Or if not, maybe I'll just submit one of my earlier shots taken shortly after Christmas. I'd rather shoot something new, though.

[CC]

7. What lens do you

have with you? You might be able to do something with it.

[intheflow]

15. I have both three lenses.

The standard one that came with my digital, the standard one from my old film Rebel, and a telephoto. Believe me, I tried to find something interesting to shoot in my hotel room in Shreveport, but I couldn't find anything that wasn't hotel-room-bland. Nor could I get any where near as closeup as I wanted. I don't think the macro setting on my camera is worth a darn-tootin' penny! :grr:

Hopefully my filter will be in today's mail, and I'll have a minute or two of daylight to play outside tomorrow so I can find something cool from the natural world to shoot. Other than bugs. :)

[CC]

17. Wondered because I took the

pic of Mojo sleeping with my 28-105 mm lens. Had to use flash too so I only had two shots before he woke and ran to a place without flashing light. :rofl: I noticed the hardest part for me was finding something to shoot. Now summer would of been nice, even snow and flakes but all we have is rain. If it gets there today you should be ok. good luck finding something, know that hotel rooms don't offer much.
Can't say much about the camera macro since I am on a Nikon. I have noticed that a tripod is all but mandatory for macro. At least for me it is.

[intheflow]

34. Didn't get my filter today,

so I went with an old favorite, since there's no way I'm going to win this particular contest. The competition's too good!

[bvar22]

2. Arrghh!

The competition is already HOT!
This is going to be a great contest.
The boundaries of my experience and knowlege have been pushed far beyond what I knew just a couple of weeks ago!

A Note:
In previous contests, we held the preliminaries inside the Photography Group. This changed in the last contest.
I support keeping the preliminaries in THIS forum for several reasons.

*We don't OverDose The Lounge with our stuff.

* The Lounge can be arbitrary and capricious. Threads move so fast there that it really is a matter of chance who sees or cares to vote in all three preliminaries.

*I value the criticism and feedback from my peers and supporters in THIS forum much more than The Lounge. Keeping the preliminaries HERE makes access to that feedback easier.

*The FINALS will be much easier to keep kicked since the involvement is just ONE thread for a couple of days.


Just my opinion, but I would MUCH prefer this change.
Thanks!

Bob
St Paul

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Well, now I AM confused

because one contest I ran, I put the preliminary threads in the PhotoGroup, and I got chastised for not posting them all in the Lounge, so I think the next time I did one ("fall," I think) I put them in the Lounge. It doesn't matter to me, one way or the other -- we should just try to be consistent.

[mogster]

26. This is interesting

I agree that we should not overdose the Lounge with the semi-finals - what if I made a thread with the three links to the semi's in the Lounge, then we kick but don't vote it? Then we could post the vote-threads here where they stick easier.

Opinions? :-)

[RagingInMiami]

41. We never kept the preliminaries in the photo group

I think that would lead to unobjective voting with people voting for their own entry. And I think the lounge enjoys our contests. Even if most of them don't comment, most of them vote.

And there is always that discussion on whether or not the lounge can really appreciate the photos, see the true beauty in them, but in all honesty, I think that is just the pretentious artist in us. I'm just as guilty about that as anybody.

It's all subjective and from what I've seen, the photos that receive the most votes are very deserving of the praise.

Yes, I've been surprised at how the voting in the lounge goes, but that is the beauty of it. You really can't predict the outcome. And it's interesting to see the varied tastes in the lounge.

And as far as keeping the threads kicked, we all do a good job of doing that. It's not solely up to the host.

[Blue_In_AK]

47. I think usually there are over 100 votes in the lounge

in the preliminaries -- in each preliminary thread, I mean. I think they enjoy being part of the process. Also if we hold preliminaries here, they'll miss out on appreciating 20 of the photographs. Also, people without stars can't vote on polls in the groups, if my understanding is correct.

[bvar22]

53. Yes we did.

WATER
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=280&topic_id=6544

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=280&topic_id=6545

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=280&topic_id=6546


I seem to recall others, but I could be wrong.
Just my personal (nit picking) opinion.
Its all good.
:patriot:

[alfredo]

3. I just couldn't play nice.

It is detail of the cover of the fine comix "Addicted To War."

Glad my self image isn't tied to my ratings of these contests.







Hi Ho!

[bvar22]

4. Absolutely LOVE your submission!!!!

Just made my day.
Thanks, alfredo!
:patriot:

[alfredo]

6. made me smile.

We need a bit of humor in a category that can be a bit dry.

[CC]

8. LOL no fair

alfredo:spray:now I have to go clean my monitor. Great idea done well though. :rofl:

[alfredo]

14. Glad you like it. Here's the full cover

Can be found here: http://www.veteransforpeace.org/addictedtowarbook.htm

[CC]

9. Great lines and

perspective Boo. Love the hint of orange in there too.

[CC]

10. Masala is a beautiful,

warm still life Blue. It would also look great on my kitchen nook wall. :evilgrin:

[Blue_In_AK]

11. Wanna buy it ???

The write-off of the camera equipment would certainly help our bottom line. hee hee

[CC]

12. Sent you a

PM. I'll check tomorrow. Must get to bed, sigh.

[Boo_Radley]

13. Thanks!

I just got a new pocket camera, a Canon SD450, and was running around taking macro shots of everything I saw. That's the screw end of a dumbbell (not a right-winger, the other kind of dumbbell, the one for lifting weights) on a piece of roof flashing.

[Mutley]

16. The title of my entry is pretty lame,

but what are ya gonna do?

I didn't think I would actually enter this pic, but I pretty much hated every other picture I took. :P

All the entries so far look great!

[CC]

18. This pic works and

is good with great detail. Plus how often does the average person get that close to a dogs paw? Far as names, snoozing isn't fancy. Guess I could of called it Mojo Houdini's magical dreamland but didn't think of until now and well mogster has to retype all the names and it would be long.

[Mutley]

20. "Mojo Houdini's magical dreamland"

That's really cute. :P

Mogster could always cut and paste. :D

[Cobalt Violet]

52. That's a good title.

I like the photo as well. I never quite see that angle of a dog's paw.

For me titling photos, paintings and drawings has always been a pain in the ass chore for me. I almost never like the names, I just feel obligated to name it. Unless something seems obvious to me I use "untitled" a lot.

[ralps]

19. I had to make a decision today because my good computer is going to

get a new hard drive today. I won't be able to post photos until friday or saturday. :cry: :hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: :woohoo:

[Mutley]

21. Your pic is cute!

Guinea Pig, right? I love guinea pigs. :P

[Mutley]

22. Now that I look at it

I think it's a cat.

But my guinea pig comment still stands! :D

[ralps]

23. Norman is my big!! cat. He weighs about 20 pounds. Your photo is

cute too. :hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: :woohoo:

[Mutley]

24. Heehee, I figured that out.

One look at the nose said guinea pig to me, until I looked again. :P

Thanks!

[F.Gordon]

25. Only 8 so far?

:shrug:

[alkaline9]

27. I'm still deciding on a photo to use...

...I'm not sure if I want to post them all and ask for which one others think I should use either ... that way you could all vote for my worst one :P

p.s. where is YOUR photo??

[CC]

30. And yours is

where? :evilgrin: I think people have been playing, practicing, learning and then deciding. Least that is what I did.

Edited to add: Meant the original reply for F.Gordon. oops
Also, love yours so far alkaline9. I wouldn't worry about us voting for your worse. The real worry would be if we got together, picked you a first place winner and made you permanent contest host. :evilgrin:


BTW, you may use any ONE of the above for an excuse should you need too.

[Boo_Radley]

28. Teapot.

Nice! That's excellent, Guy. Good show.

[bvar22]

29. EZ...I didn't even have to "get up" from the computer for this one!

I don't think this will "sell" in The Lounge... not enough colors and shiny objects.
It is probably the best picture I have taken.
I certainly worked harder to get things "right" for this one than any other picture I have taken (31 "retakes").

Interesting Discovery:
The Computer Monitor (I have a 19" Flatscreen) is a great "soft dispersed" light source. It has 16 million different colors, and different levels of brightness.
I set the wallpaper to none (black), and opened a graphics program which I filled with light gray.
I narrowed the window to a 2-3" slit across the screen, and then dragged the "slit window" up & down the screen until the reflection from the keys showed the texture.

I bet you thought I was going to use something from "The Catcher"! :+

[CC]

31. There is something wrong

there. The keyboard is way too clean. Beyond that great thinking for your light source and very creative solution. I like it and sometimes the lounge surprises us.

[bvar22]

32. Ebony & Ivory....good job, RadFemFL.

The focus change made a WORLD of difference.
Great lighting.
Love the shot!

Did you have a problem with dust?

[alfredo]

33. I agree, excellent.

There's a lot of good submissions so far.

[Samurai_Writer]

38. I have awesome lights in that room

I have a string of halogens at the ceiling (about 15 feet up), also some spots at the ceiling as well. Then I have a tiny halogen lamp on the piano I use to read music.

Yes, I had to actually use the vaccuum and remove the dust from the piano and then polish it. My first, fuzzy shots were pre-vacuuming, and you can see the dust clearly.

[bvar22]

39. I had dust problems too,

and our shots are set up along the same lines.
I would get everything exactly right, do a last focus, lighting and framing check , and a Cat Hair or some little piece of fibrous debris would suddenly materialize from the ether. Dusting with a soft cloth or soft paint brush would put a static charge on my plastic keyboard....which attracted more dust.
Sometimes, I didn't see the dust until viewing the picture on the screen.

What kind of keyboard do you have?
I have a Roland FP-3. Roland and Chopin keep me company when I'm feeling anti-social.


It slides In/Out of this little shelf compartment.
(It actually goes further in, but I left the keys showing for the picture)

[Samurai_Writer]

40. Mine is a digital piano

It's a Valdesta GX5. Hammer-weighted keys, lots of cool options. The digital sounds are awesome -- sounds like the real thing!



I have two cats, so I can sympathize about the cat hair. It seems to just get everywhere.

[Blue_In_AK]

35. ITF, I'm likin' the lichen, too...

I am so looking forward to summer and getting up into the tundra so I can take some lichen shots, too. Some places here, it grows like a mini-forest and walking on it feels like you're walking on a sponge. The caribou love it.

[intheflow]

43. The first time I ever heard the word lichen

it was in a book set in Alaska, and this girl who was lost ate lichen bcause the caribou ate it. (Yuck!) I'd forgotten that until you just wrote it. :)

[lakemonster11]

46. Is that Julie of the Wolves?

[intheflow]

48. OMG! Are you my Doppleganger?!?!?!

Because yes! Yes, it was!



Gosh... I must have read that back in... 1974. I won't say how young I was. :hi:

[lakemonster11]

51. I read that book several times.

It's one of the many books from my childhood that have really stuck with me. I also read the sequel (Julie) at some point.

:hi:

[intheflow]

73. Yes, I loved this book.

I actually loved all books about children who have to live by thier wits, such as From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

[Blue_In_AK]

50. I could see eating it, though

if you were hungry enough, because it has kind of a mushroomy-fungusy smell, at least the lichen up here, and it's very moist and succulent, not like that dry kind down in Colorado.

[CC]

36. All the entries so

far are great. Creative, talented bunch we have here.

Guy Fawkes, love the lighting on your teapot and that it looks well used.

dayflower in black & white really brought out the texture okasha.

RadFemFL, great perspective in Ebony & Ivory and the focus is right on this time.

I'm glad you went with #3 BeTheChange. I really like it with all the color, repetition and that you don't know for sure what it is, unless you saw the others.

Lichen is great ITF. Love the colors and texture. BTW its your fault I got stuck on Mardi Gras beads. I hope you can go celebrate Mardi Gras for least a day/night since you are down that way.

[intheflow]

42. Hmm... trying to figure out how

your "personal problem" with Mardi Gras beads is my fault! :shrug:

But, yeah, I head Biloxi is doing something for Mardi Gras, though on a smaller scale than they usually do. Since I've never been to any kind of Mardi Gras celebration, so it should be interesting. Though I really do hate being surrounded by drunk people. x(

[CC]

44. Because you are in

the area? Don't know why really. Just know I had seen one of your post and was still trying to think of what to take pics of and remembered the beads.:shrug: As far as going to a Mardi Gras thing and not liking drunks, see if they are having an alcohol free area or party. They have been doing a lot of those up here for New Years etc.

[intheflow]

49. Alcohol-free Mardi Gras?

That sounds like alcohol-free beer.

1) What's the point?
2) Sacrilege!

I mean, if I'm going to do Mardi Gras, I'm going to partake in alllll of Mardi Gras! :rofl:

[Mutley]

37. Everything looks great so far!

This'll be a close one. I can't wait! :bounce:

[usedtobesick]

45. Great job to every one!

of course i have my favorite!

[bvar22]

54. Hi, PitbullTed

Welcome to the group. :party:
I love your snowflakes.
Those are the exact kind of flakes I want to capture and photograph.
We usually get light fluffy snow (like that) here in Minnesota, but not this year so far.

[PitbullTed]

58. Thanks, bvar22!

I was quite lucky with the light at this shot, I think B-) . There's more snow coming now, but it's too dark to take good pictures...

[bvar22]

61. Did you happen to see this thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x11906

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x11851

[PitbullTed]

67. No, I didn't...

...but thanks for pointing them out for me! Very nice pictures btw B-)

[mogster]

69. Heisann!

En med-nordmann? :D

How goes? Welcome to the DU :toast:

[PitbullTed]

71. Jo takk, bare bra!

Det er vel indirekte din "feil" at jeg kom inn på disse sidene her... Det var linket til tåkebildene dine fra Sognsvann (forøvrig veldig bra!) et eller annet sted på en norsk nettside (muligens Dagbladet..., blogger du der?) Bildene dine fanget min interesse, og jeg "rotet" litt rundt her, og endte opp med registrering og hele pakka. :hi:

(Sorry this post is in Norwegian... B-))

[Blue_In_AK]

74. Do you two know each other? n/t

[PitbullTed]

77. No, we don't.

I guess mogster looked up my location, and found that we are in the same city. :) But I don't know him. Not many Norwegians in here, though...

[mogster]

78. I had a blogpost on the frontpage

.. of the Norw. paper Dagbladet regarding CNN's tendencies towards propaganda, and in an earlier post in the same blog mentioned my Fog-thread.

This means that several links to this board was very visible to the Norwegian readers for two days.

http://www.blogging.no/blog.php/dirdemoc/post/7044
http://www.blogging.no/blog.php/dirdemoc/post/4324

[PitbullTed]

79. And that's where I found my way in here...

:)

[Blue_In_AK]

81. How cool...

You're right, not too many Norwegians here, but I love it that you're both here. I like people from the north country. :)

[RagingInMiami]

85. The power of the Internet

That's great.

[mogster]

84. Åpne PM, PitbullTed

Det er litt uhøflig å snakke norsk sånn midt i glåminga på folk som ikke forstår språket, føler jeg.
Men personlige meldiger er disablet i profilen din, så jeg får ikke sendt deg PM :-)

[PitbullTed]

86. Done, PM is now enabled

[Blue_In_AK]

55. Pitbull Ted, your snowflakes are exceptional.

May I ask what lens you used? And welcome to our little group.

[PitbullTed]

60. Thanks, Blue_In_AK!

:hi:
What lens I used... hmmm.
You may be surprised to know that I have a small (and rather cheap) compact camera, a Sanyo Xacti S4. The lens is a 37-105mm (equivalent) zoom lens, and this picture is taken at 37mm/f3, with the macro function on.

[F.Gordon]

56. Can exceed 400 knots

What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Or, so I've been told.
:dunce:

What a friggin' amazing collection of macro/close up/bug ass/fish butt photographs.
:toast:

I just tried to play... "guess the weener" and I can honestly say I'm clueless. This should be interesting.

[RagingInMiami]

57. The only favor I ask

Is that you place my entry and NV Wino's entry on separate threads during the prelims because they are nearly identical with the exception that her photo is sharper than mine.

[NV Whino]

59. Sorry Raging, not meaning to copycat

It was the only macro I had of any quality. And I did fall in love with this little guy. The color and the wing veins knocked my socks off. And he was so polite to pose so long.

[RagingInMiami]

63. Nothing to be sorry about

It's an awesome picture. When I went back to look through the thread, at first I thought I had posted mine twice by mistake because they were right next to each other.

[Carla in Ca]

62. Good luck, everyone

Your photos are fabulous!

[mogster]

64. OK, we have 27 submissions, can have 3 more

The submission closes in about 40 minutes from now, so be sure to post if you're still counting on your fingers which photo to submit.

Rockin' set of photos, I must say! :toast:

[mogster]

65. 28 now, two to go n/t

[GOPFighter]

66. Pocket Change - shameless pander

Yeah, I rejected cats and kids and glitter and colored lights. I know what people really like: cold, hard cash!

Bwahahahahahaha! :crazy:

[PitbullTed]

68. Cool picture, GOPFighter!

And it's nice to recognize some Scandinavian coins among them! Do you collect coins?

[GOPFighter]

72. I was stationed in Europe (Air Force)

and when I got home I just threw all the coins I had accumulated into a jar. I was really desperate for something different to photograph and I thought of the jar. I had fun looking at them again after I posted the picture.

Speaking of coins, I got a 1956 wheat-back penny in change today. That sucker's worth at least .01 by now!

[mogster]

70. The SUBMISSION is closed

I'll make three threads in the Lounge in a couple of minutes, 10/10/8 photos.
And post a thread here with the links.
You'll have to keep them kicked the first hours, because I'm going to bed when I'm done :P

[CC]

75. Great pictures

everyone. Glad to see some of you made up your minds just in time.

Welcome to DU PitbullTed, and to the photogroup. Always good to see new people and means more great creative photos to see.

[PitbullTed]

80. Thanks, CC!

[FM Arouet666]

76. My vote

alkaline9 and GOPFighter. If I had to pic only one, sorry GOP, I would have to pic alkaline9's pic, great shot. Fits with my current preoccupation with B&W. Anyway, the contest was fun, can't wait for the next.....

[GOPFighter]

82. That's very kind, FM

I was really grasping at straws with my pic. Nothing I tried earlier worked. I think alkaline9's pic is far superior to mine - and the voters agree.

[alkaline9]

83. I am humbled!

I chose 3 photos I liked better than mine in my 8 photo preliminary group (one of them GOP's). You're words are very kind though. :-)

p.s. I have a thing for b/w photos too!