# 6th PAD Post for the Week of January 22 - February 4, 2007



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Post your best/favorite image from the previous week. See Rich99's original post for more info. http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=101580). No explanation of your image should be used. Just post the image. Let it speak for itself. Try to get it posted before the middle of the following week. No more photo posts after Wednesday from the past week.

CC is welcomed. Remember to ONLY use constructive criticism. Don't simply say you like it or hate it. Explain what you like/dislike about it, then add what might help it to be better image in a positive way. If you like an image and want to know how it was done, just ask. That's another great way to learn.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Here's mine.


----------



## Gator_Nutz (Sep 27, 2006)




----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

*Preparations are Underway*



[Click image to enlarge.]

Comments/criticism/critique welcome.

N.B. I felt conspicuous last week with all of my comments until Koru chimed in. Please provide your thoughts to the posters.


----------



## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

*C&C always welcome*


----------



## rangerjohn (May 15, 2006)

i know i posted this earlier in the week but here is mine. 
just playing with a couple new lenses and this was one of the results.
(man it is hard to type in my truck, and no i am not driving now)


----------



## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Here's mine for the week.


----------



## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

*My best, I think, this week*

.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Gator_Nutz - Like that concept but it needs a little WOW factor added. Here are a few suggestions. Try to blend original image with this one using different blend modes and opacities. Sometimes painting the eyes in while make it pop. Experiment with textures and blends of paper textures (like canvas, sandstone, mat and etc). Try not to over use the built in filters in PS. I made a couple of quick changes as an example of little additions.


----------



## chicapesca (Jun 7, 2004)

Might not be my best, but it's my favorite. My dad culling oysters on Sheepshead Reef.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Karen - If I order my Valentine flowers from you today, do you think they will make it across the "Big Pond" before the 14th?  

I like that image. Nice work. Only thing I see, and it might be my monitor, is that the yellows are not very yellow looking. Maybe a slight adjustment boost on the yellow levels only.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Charles - Not sure what you're wanting to convey with this one. It doesn't quite work for me because of the lack of detail. I think I'd prefer this one much better as a real photograph showing as much detail of the old weapon and accessories. Maybe in a fine detailed B&W or if you are wanting an antique-ish look, mid-night sepia would be a killer. If you want it to have a painterly look, I'd try to incorporate as much detail as possible.


----------



## chicapesca (Jun 7, 2004)

Ray, I like the way you composed the picture. You also captured the colors beautifully, so rich looking. I am a sucker for reflections, and I love the way the water has little indented waves but retained the glassiness. It really shows off the colors of the clouds and sky as well as the structure.

Gator, that looks cool. I like the textured look, as well as the black lines.

Pocketfisherman, that could be a sort of self portrait. I can see you in the gas tank! 

Rich, beautiful colors and detail.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Pocketfisherman - The only thing that might help your image is to clone out or replace the car in the upper left corner with something else that doesn't draw your attention to it.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Rich - Like the rich colors, deep shadows and detail but there's something about the composition I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe with a vertical frame or just a tad closer crop, just not sure exactly what it is.


----------



## Dorado-Mahi (May 23, 2004)

Chicapesca - Really like the tranquillity this image emits as well as the subtle transition between the sky and water. Nice work.


----------



## Gator_Nutz (Sep 27, 2006)

Thanks Ray for the suggestions. I like your edit a lot. It's amazing how just a little change here and there can so dramatically change an entire photo. I will try some of your ideas. Also, I've often wondered what I would look like with blue eyes. Now I know.


----------



## WishICouldFISH (Oct 14, 2004)

*My First Picture Post*

Judy


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Dorado-Mahi said:


> Charles - Not sure what you're wanting to convey with this one. It doesn't quite work for me because of the lack of detail. I think I'd prefer this one much better as a real photograph showing as much detail of the old weapon and accessories. Maybe in a fine detailed B&W or if you are wanting an antique-ish look, mid-night sepia would be a killer. If you want it to have a painterly look, I'd try to incorporate as much detail as possible.


Thanks for the comments. This was one of those situations caused by lack of sufficient indirect lighting to get the shot I wanted. Flash gave too much harsh light and the windows did not give enough. The rough pastel effect caught the feeling I wanted of getting the rifle and knife in shape for a trip without the harshness of the flash shot.

After you rpost I did go back and look at a B&W or high-detail conversion but it did not work for me.

The real lessons here I think are:

(i) I need a remote trigger for the shutter to help out at times like this. I have done long exposures off the tripod before that worked better so I am not sure why I got the blurring this time, but a remote would help.

(ii) If I have a specific shot in mind, I need to set aside more time to accomplish it. Superbowl Sunday may not be the right day...

(iii) When I have passing opportunities, I should take them. As I mentioned in my "Harsh Light" thread I was on the road before daylight Saturday in a heavy frost and saw a great sunrise, but did not find a good place to stop and was not prepared to pull over on the shoulder of the interstate. If I had pushed myuself a bit more I would have had a better image for the week!

Thanks again -- I was making the best of a lackluster week but need to work harder at it on the front end!


----------



## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

wishIcouldfish...great shot and great presence of mind to include the artist/picture/scene. Later this year I'll be heading off to a place where a lot of coastal painting should be going on..I'll remember your viewing angle idea. thanks Rich


----------



## chicapesca (Jun 7, 2004)

Charles, I like the way you composed the picture, and I like the rustic look you gave it, it adds character to the shot.

Karen, what a beautiful arrangement! The colors are vibrant, and I like the perspective of the picture.

Ranger, very pretty flowers and colors, but the focus seems to be on the one in the back, it is a little distracting.


----------



## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

Wow, this is getting harder each week! *grin*

Ray - I'm so glad you took a without-the-lensbaby shot of this scene too. I find it simply stunning. Did you see the bird in the scene before or after the photo was taken? (Usually I see things like that _afterwards_. lol )
The ONLY thing I can find to 'pick' on this photo is that it needs a tiny amount of straightening. The only way I know that is the right end post looks slightly tilted towards the left at the top. I ended up getting my ruler out to check because I thought it might be an optical illusion. Probably noone would notice it - who the heck knows why I did. Perfect photo in every other way, and I'd definately hang this one on my wall.  Beautiful!

Gator - I hope you are feeling better by now. I think this is a quirky take on your original, and I do like quirky. I'm going to have to leave this critique one to someone who knows something about the arty tools (I haven't had enough of a chance to learn them yet). Suffice it to say, I like the depths within the photo and I like the contrasts of lines (straight and squiggly). Great work. 

Charles - Firstly, I'm sorry I take so long to add my comments. I want to wait until everyone has posted so I don't add more costs to Mont for separate posts for each photo. And, I keep having blank spots when I try to work out when time limit runs out for the last photo. Time zones were never my forte.

- Now for your photo. I'm not sure what you did to the photo in processing or during the taking of the shot but I like the overall effect. The only thing I'm not sure about is the loss of detail in the gun. I like the smooth shape of the wood around a gun and I think there are likely hmm bevelled (is that the word I want?) areas along the length but I can't see them in this photo. I like the composition and colours. I am wondering what is at the lower left of the photo. What a great skill you've shown. I hope you tell us how you did it. 

rangerjohn - I love this photo as it's got that 'quirky' aspect. The only thing I would change would be to remove the wall corner from the photo, or if you like it for interest, then try straightening your photo. (Picasa has the ability to straighten.) Thanks for sharing your photos, I look forward to seeing more. 

pocketfisherman - Well, sorry but I still haven't finished drooling from when I first saw this photo. lol I like it. I like parts of solid objects. I like lines and curves to contrast. I think you've managed to get the important stuff in the photo. What would I improve... hmmm Maybe the background. I'd blurr it more or alter where the photo was taken. Apart from that, I wouldn't change anything. Oh... I wonder what this photo would look like in black and white? Thanks for sharing! 

Rich - this is a beautiful flower photo. I love the flower itself, love the colour and the contrast of the greens behind. I _really_ love the water drops. Improvements? hmm I might nip off the leaf in the front right (if I were looking for perfection. Sometimes though, au-naturel is best!). I might see if I could lighten the left side of the photo, but I don't know if that's possible to do without messing the light on the right side. I very much like those shiny spots on the right hand petal and they might well 'blow out' (is that the phrase?) if lightened. I also like the shadows at the bottom of the photo, again, added interest for me. Is it a cyclamen flower? It's beautiful. 

chicapesca - I love the blues and greys in this photo. The photo as a whole has appeal for me oh yes and interest. Is that one of the jetties I see on the horizon? I think the horizon line is slightly off, but I'm not sure on this one. I like the frame you chose for it. Lovely photo! 

WishICouldFish-Judy - Hi. What a lovely perspective this photo has! I always wanted to be able to paint landscapes and I envy this painters ability. I see she is being artistic and altering things slightly.  I like the interest of the car boot lid over the top! lol Improvements? Hmm I think the photo needs straightening but I am frustrated by not knowing which lines to measure. She could be standing on an incline which explains the fence being on a slope. I think the painting is almost straight but the sea looks like it has a heck of a tilt and the tide should be coming in. So, I can't quite figure what you would use as a point to straighten from. Maybe someone else will mention this - or perhaps put ME straight. *smile* Thanks for sharing this great photo. I look forward to seeing more. 

Thanks everyone for the comments on mine. Much appreciated, as always.

_(Please remember - these are just my thoughts and opinions, mostly based on whether I think something feels right or not. If you can find something useful in what I say, then wonderful. If not, then that's cool bananas with me. I'm still learning myself. Thanks for helping me learn by allowing me to C&C your photos. rosesm )_


----------



## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

Good job, Steve. I like your shot with the painting and the scene in the same pic. Very good, indeed.
Mike


----------



## Captain Mike (Nov 20, 2006)

WishICouldFISH said:


> Judy


Very nice Judy....you really captured a quiet relaxed mood...in a beautiful :goldfish: place...Thanks...


----------



## WishICouldFISH (Oct 14, 2004)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the comments about "Judy". As I have been learning from all of you some of the best shots you have to create. I have been taking pictures recently of the simpliest things that I would never have noticed before.
I will pay attention to the lines and angles. It was a light rain (hence why she was under the trunk of her van). I remember the place was on an incline (railing angle) and I played with several settings to account for the gloomy day. 
We talked for 20 minutes and I learned all about the area from her. After alot of "Texas charm" she agreed I could take the picture if I didn't show her face.
This is a shot of what she was painting - Which I liked as well but the day doesn't look that gloomy in this picture. Maybe I talked to her longer than I realized. LOL
(Please foregive my rookie mistake of posting two pictures).


----------



## Koru (Sep 25, 2006)

WishICouldFISH said:


> ...I have been taking pictures recently of the simpliest things that I would never have noticed before.
> ...


It's a wonderful gift to have one's eyes opened. Enjoy the experience, I know I love it. 

rosesm


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Dorado-Mahi said:


> Here's mine.


Another great reflection shot, with excellent colors in the sky and interesting geometry in the reflected stairs. It is probably just my tired eyes, but the brightest parts seem a bit blown out to me. Of course my new contact lenses are ready and I have not picked them up yet, so I am probably not seeing all that well!


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Gator_Nutz said:


> ...


I like the way simplifying this picture focuses us on your expression. Nice self portrait!


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Koru said:


> *C&C always welcome*


I like the way the colors are arranged in this shot. I am not sure if it is the lighting, white balance, or color saturation, but I get a nagging feeling that these colors could pop out a bit more under other circumstances. However I can't tell you what those are!


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

rangerjohn said:


> i know i posted this earlier in the week but here is mine.
> just playing with a couple new lenses and this was one of the results.
> (man it is hard to type in my truck, and no i am not driving now)


Interesting use of focus and depth of field to get us to look around the picture. I would probably have shot it with a standard focus/DOF and am not sure that it would have looked as interesting that way.


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Pocketfisherman said:


> Here's mine for the week.


Nice composition and great use of the reflections off the chrome! I agree that the car could be distracting, and it is a toss-up to me if your reflection is a neat way to get a self-portait or a minor distraction. I could convince myself either way.


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

richg99 said:


> .
> *My best, I think, this week*


I really like the way that the water drops accentuate the texture of the petals. I tend to play a bit too much with Photoshop and would have to see if I could get more detail in the shadows without ruining the balance.

Very nice shot.


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

chicapesca said:


> Might not be my best, but it's my favorite. My dad culling oysters on Sheepshead Reef.


There is a wonderful relaxing simplicity about this shot that is very appealing to me. Great use of the water and light.

I agree that the horizon is perhaps just a little off.

Very nice shot!


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

WishICouldFISH said:


> Judy


What can I say -- the picture within a picture makes a great shot. The location itself is perfect for a photo and the added element of seeing it through the artists eyes is a very nice change of pace.

This is another shot where I would be tempted to play with the light and contrast and see if I could tease slightly more detail out. It looks like the lighting was very challenging.


----------



## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Koru said:


> I am wondering what is at the lower left of the photo.


There is a contrasting border around the table that shows up differently in the light.



Koru said:


> I hope you tell us how you did it.


This is just a Photoshop filter to apply a rough chalk/pastel look to the picture. You have certain parameters to modify to get the look you want.

I wish I had a better version of this shot but as noted above I was just out of time and light to get what I really wanted.


----------

