Whitechapel - The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-09-27T15:44:50-07:00

It's officially been fall in the northern hemisphere for about a week now, so I guess it's time to start the photography thread over again.

Have some old buildings:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-09-30T16:00:25-07:00

The following image was shot with the iPhone Hipstamatic app, so you may want to avert your eyes if you're a gear snob.

It rained for five seconds and this inversion of reality resulted.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-09-30T16:07:38-07:00

Rain shadow!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-09-30T22:50:24-07:00

@William Gibson: That is really cool.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-01T16:28:06-07:00

I'd be insufferable if I had written Neruomancer. ;)

Thanks.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-02T09:04:44-07:00

Autumn by Eve .

Suitably Autumnal? Or fallnal / falley / fallesque / fallike (WTF is the Fall equiv of Autumnal?)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-03T09:52:46-07:00

Scratch Ass Pond

Sleepy Cove

Easy Rock

Little Star

All these photos were taken on the Island of Twillingate off the north east coast of Newfoundland

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-03T10:24:32-07:00

@photomagex: Pretty!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-03T11:07:37-07:00

Chard leaves, backlit

The last hollyhock

Hollyhock seedpod

Pretty much the last rose

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-03T19:56:33-07:00

Bam! That last image is perfection, Jon.

My week in the country did my camera good; I have a ton of really good stuff, so let's get the generic fruity crap out of the way:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-04T04:46:05-07:00

Bah, 'tis spring over here!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-04T08:49:40-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-04T11:36:15-07:00

...and now I'm hungry.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-04T23:39:56-07:00

Beautiful fall pics, Allana. Fantastic colour, strong composition and nicely controlled DOF. :)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T01:08:42-07:00

Gorgeous stuff, folks.

Thinking about doing a semi-regular "themed" photography challenge on the board. Get a VIP or whoever to name a subject, give y'all a month to go snap, let Said VIP pick the best...?

Early stages of thunking, but would that fly? Or are you shuttermonkeys happier without a subject/mandate?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T03:22:09-07:00

As long as it doesn't replace the ongoing general photography thread, I'd be happy to see one.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T07:44:29-07:00

second Rob's opinion.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T07:51:09-07:00

I'd like to see a challenge along those lines, yes. I'd also like to keep the current one because I want everything.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T08:33:35-07:00

Allana, I love those shots! Wow!

And Si, I'm fourthing what has been said. Would love a challenge but would also like to keep this thread going.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T08:52:52-07:00

Thinking about doing a semi-regular "themed" photography challenge on the board. Get a VIP or whoever to name a subject, give y'all a month to go snap, let Said VIP pick the best...?

Or the previous winner gets to pick?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T09:09:22-07:00

Though I don't know...one of the things that I like about this thread or, more related to the "challenge" subject, the Remake/Remodel thread is that we just post the results up and we as a group talk of the merits of each. Not too sure I like the thought of someone picking "the best".

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T10:04:27-07:00

We can have it both ways. The regular seasonal themed photography thread can be our critique and comment and the themed competition page can be for those interested in shooting something else. They both serve a purpose. The art & artists thread is not rolled into the remake/remodel thread. The ultimate purpose still being the same in that we probably won't end up really squaring off any more than we do here, it is just a challenge for the sake of creativity and maybe some brief internet fame-juice sipped from a zirconium encrusted pimp cup.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T10:29:02-07:00

I'm down for a challenge. I'm still pissed I didn't get my shit together for the Faust RR. You should allow a couple of entries per person - 3 to 5, maybe? - because setting up a photoshoot is a lot of work for one shot. Also, pick challenges that don't include human models, at first, because that's the biggest time constraint on us.

I'd be down with a no-winner-chosen thread, or an unnumbered top-three, or something. If anything, the amorphous "voting" concept will at least get us all to voice our opinions on which ones we feel deserve the most recognition. I'm always down for negative feedback, although it's not generally given.... William George's "Previous Winner" idea is better than a VIP, unless that VIP comes with guaranteed exposure for the best-ofs, or something carroty like that.

But please let's not make this an elitist thing, with the same ten photographers over and over again. New blood! Cheap cameras! First-timers! Encourage them, please!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T10:30:35-07:00

In other news, we also went to the market last week.

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Not the most exciting subject matter, but it's been good practice.
I'm starting to bemoan my D40's lack of multiple-custom-white-balance-settings. It's the one thing I think would keep me away from post-processing forever.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T10:31:20-07:00

Oh, AND
smileyfish, that tree shot is fantastic.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T10:37:36-07:00

A competition thread? Hmmm, not sure about that myself. I'm with Oldhat here, one of the things i like, that makes Whitechapel the place it is really, is the supportive, non competitive feel of the place - everyone's free to have a go and no one pulls anything to bits. There's some lovely pictures here and not the slightest feel of anyone trying to outdo anyone else. It would be a shame to do anything that might diminish that.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T11:08:02-07:00

Another vote pro-Contest, anti-Competition.

@allana - I wonder if there's some way to bodge WB presets on the d40 using the "White Balance from photo" option and a selection of pre-loaded colour swatches? Will have a think about this.

Subject feedback:
Me: I think it makes you look sort of Russian.
She: But I'm not Russian.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T11:15:38-07:00

@256, that's not a bad idea at all.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-05T20:18:46-07:00

A photo challenge sounds like fun. The only thing would be whether to require that all submissions be new, or if taking something that is old but fits would be ok too. I'm guessing the preference would be for new stuff, but I know that at least in my case, I've got all sorts of photos from over the years, and depending on how specific the challenge is, I might already have something that fits it. Which would make it really easy for me to be lazy and use that instead of going out and photographing something new.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-07T11:23:29-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-08T10:19:45-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-08T22:38:47-07:00

A reminder that it's not Fall everywhere ;)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-09T02:13:02-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-09T10:20:07-07:00

Fall fall fall, fall fall fall. :)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-10T04:49:10-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-10T06:26:55-07:00

Springtime indeed ...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-10T20:53:00-07:00

I see your Spring and raise you Fall.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-11T11:35:52-07:00

one of the last remaining structures from a segregation era amusement park in New Orleans.

my front parlor. the window wouldn't stay open, and it was the only thing within reach.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-11T20:10:24-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-12T06:34:40-07:00

still from my brother's 16mm film he's currently editing...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-12T09:33:48-07:00

From my portrait series of the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City.

More Here

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-12T09:54:43-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-13T07:51:17-07:00

More corn:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-14T14:13:12-07:00

Summer is about light and spring is about textures ...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-14T15:30:59-07:00

holy shit Bankara!:

http://boingboing.net/2011/10/14/portraits-of-occupy-wall-street-occupiednyc.html

congrats on the Boing Boing plug!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-14T22:06:33-07:00

@Kieran: I think I'm starting to develop a crush on your photographs. They're incredibly lovely.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-14T23:09:27-07:00

@William, thanks, yo! I am over the moon right now. Going back tomorrow to keep going!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-15T12:54:01-07:00

Bankara, that series is really great. Keep it up.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-15T12:55:33-07:00

More junk from the market:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-15T13:24:12-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-15T16:44:34-07:00

@Fat Mike That's a fabulous shot.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-16T02:17:40-07:00

Cheers Rob...for once I did not risk getting hit by one of those bolts

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-16T05:36:58-07:00

An excerpt from a photoshoot I did yesterday (click photo for more from this photoshoot)

My photographs of the past 2-3 years look like stills from a theatre production. Stage photography, but without a stage. Or indeed a play.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-16T17:04:43-07:00

Awesome. Now I want to make masks.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-17T08:01:14-07:00

A new camera. The Fuji S645S.

It has a TTL meter and it's easier to carry around than my Mamiya C220. I think I may have a new default MF camera.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-17T08:59:25-07:00

Very Nice! I want one of those medium format rangefinders too! In camera metering? Not an enourmous box? Perfect!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-17T09:34:56-07:00

@ trini_naenae -> Thank you very much trini-naneae. I'm touched. I'm trying to find a way and support does always feel good.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-17T12:07:58-07:00

There is no more fishpaste. The fishpaste is all gone.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-18T01:07:22-07:00

I took this tonight, and am rather surprised:

Does this not look like the promotional still to a lost classic film?

If you feel like playing, click it to go to its page on flickr and leave a comment suggesting what the name of this lost classic might have been...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-18T07:50:13-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-18T19:33:21-07:00

The previous page. Good godDAMN. Oh you beautiful people.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-19T12:26:49-07:00

Some urban exploration, an area with several rotting wooden villas from over a century past.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-19T12:30:59-07:00

@Vornaskotti: That yarn seems a bit bright (saturated?) considering the location. Perhaps it's not as old as everything else?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-19T13:18:48-07:00

trini:

It might be. Then again, that's one of the houses that was inhabited 'till the 80's, may be it's been lurking in some sheltered corner where someone has found it later and dropped there.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-19T14:09:02-07:00

i don't see myself as a photographer but i like a few i got in SF

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-19T22:46:40-07:00

One more from the urbex trip. We also found this guy's diary...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-20T10:23:44-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-21T03:25:18-07:00

More hiking. No snow this time. =o)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-22T12:52:49-07:00

I do really enjoy looking through this thread, it's always full of great pictures, so much so that i feel quite embarrassed posting here myself, mine are mostly rubbish in comparison...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-22T17:42:15-07:00

@roadscum: Since I love puns, I adore your photo/commentary.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-24T04:02:06-07:00

Spring finally got into full swing in these parts...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-24T09:46:53-07:00

@smileyfish: Aww makes me miss the ocean.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-24T13:23:37-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-10-30T00:00:17-07:00

My flickr home page looks all halloweened up - these are the 5 showing right now... this wasn't planned, it just sort of happened:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-02T01:48:38-07:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-04T14:45:13-07:00

@allana OH DEAR GOD.

So I know I haven't posted on here in...jeez, a while. But I'm still doing stuff! I swear!

Here's a cell photo of my the view I have for my current project which is a timelapse thing at the Rogers Centre (finished product hopefully coming soon)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-04T21:49:16-07:00

Went out to Ventura when I was in California over the weekend. I miss sea birds.

The interior of the Bradbury Building. Goddamn beautiful building when it's not filled with rain and replicants.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-06T05:49:39-08:00

Spring seems very inspiring ...

Last friday I started a new photoblog called Mondo Corretto and I'm supposed to post one picture a day ... at least for a while.

The blog already contains my previous photowork in the archives so you can already stroll around.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-06T08:46:28-08:00

Not picked up a camera seriously for a while, but here's this from nearly 7 years ago... my daughter Rosie holding her mother's hand, probably 20 minutes after birth.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-06T17:20:24-08:00

That's fucking brilliant, John/Singularity.

My sister is having a baby in around April (parents' first grandchild, etc.) and, as the only person in the family who has ever wielded a camera in a Sirius Way, I'm wondering what the fuck to do.

Tips appreciated.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-06T19:35:28-08:00

I liked the look of the sunset today.

(and hey, real picture for the first time in ages)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-07T11:46:17-08:00

When in doubt, take pictures of the crap in your apartment.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-07T14:05:38-08:00

I can't pretend to be a photographer by any means but I happened to be in an old album tonight and came across these three from my time driving my friends' band all over europe a few years ago. I'm sure there were more in the series.
comatose punks:

and of course Punk Pyramid:

happy days..

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-08T15:24:31-08:00

Or have a riot (not strictly this autumn, but a lot of protests are kicking off a the moment).

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-08T15:24:39-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-08T22:35:05-08:00

@256: Aww poor birdie.

And these photos are totally in the guilty pleasure camp, since they're of my dear cat Watson. (But I turned them into black and white which makes them more artsy fartsy.)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-09T11:15:47-08:00

Well having lurked here for a good minute I think it high time I offered something:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-09T16:01:30-08:00

@ALE, holy crap if that tag is in New York City then it is about 20 years old! I thought that all the stay high 149's were gone. You have found the Coelacanth of grafitti.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-09T23:06:21-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-10T10:29:45-08:00

@Bankara: Well you learn something new everyday! And yeah all three of those were taken in the Bronx.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-10T18:52:44-08:00

Some of you may remember my asking about getting a camera in the ask thread a little while back. Well, long story short, I got a Nikon D40 and went down to Kensington about a month ago to take some photos for an assignment. And just now I've uploaded them (or rather, the ten of three hundred that formed my photo-essay) for everyone to see what a terrible amateur I am. Here's that.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-10T20:32:44-08:00

@ALE, closer to thirty years now that I do the maths. Figures they're in the Bronx. His bio.

Yo @DJ, I remember contributing to that thread. Welcome to the party here, looking forward to seeing your stuff in these pages.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-11T12:27:52-08:00

@Bankara further enlightenment, thank you.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-12T14:52:53-08:00

Ok - last night I painted a blacklight skeleton on my burlesque friend for an 11-11-11 party performance. It went like this:

The skeleton looked great in motion, though it was sort of crudely painted. A lot of the painting was done without a blacklight to check the shapes, and the brushes were a bit thick. If we do this again, I'll try stenciling the pieces and spraying the paint on.

The crowd loved her, though, and the blacklight reveal got some screams of joy, so it all worked out.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-12T15:08:05-08:00

Yeah, blacklight skeleton, that's what did it for me too.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-12T15:26:51-08:00

@nigredo - admittedly there were other aspects of this performance that were compelling.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-13T16:16:53-08:00

@DJ - I'm in the same boat as you, got a D40 a couple of months back...

And so, these. This lovely little jazz trio ended their recording week with a show at the studio.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-15T20:36:27-08:00

Re-learning how to play with these things.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T11:12:17-08:00

Looking through this rich Photography Thread (FALL 2011) and at dorkmuffin's impressiv picture, I'm starting to wonder if photography is more like a working discipline - which grows through time, experiences and mastering all the technical aspects - or more like a zen discipline - that would grow through making the technical aspects as abstract/inconscious as possible ?

Probably both or depending on something and anything...

Anyway, here some new samples from my - very young and still daily - photo-blog Mondo Corretto ... starting weird.

Wasn't supposed to be introspective at all, but there is this gap between the shooting and the editing (even if there is no photoshop) and it turns out otherwisely.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T11:13:44-08:00

Looking through this rich Photography Thread (FALL 2011) and at dorkmuffin's impressiv picture, I'm starting to wonder if photography is more like a working discipline - which grows through time, experiences and mastering all the technical aspects - or more like a zen discipline - that would grow through making the technical aspects as abstract/inconscious as possible ?

Both.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T12:18:57-08:00

Agreed, once one has mastered or at least gained competency over the controls then your mind is freed to concentrate on other things. That is when it starts getting fun, until then it is a bit of a slog with tons of photos with good ideas in them but executed imperfectly. Cartire-Bresson said the first 10,000 frames are practice. I am closer to 30,000 frames shot in the last five years and I still feel like I have along way to go but I feel that I am getting closer, I can see a progression from my earlier work, and I generally manage to get the shots I want. I have heard it said that the difference between a pro and an amateur is that a pro gets 2 ouf 3 shots right and an amateur gets 1 out of 3. It takes a lot of dedication to make that jump and I am still halfway between. I just don't show anyone my contact sheets and I ruthlessly edit my images so that all that people see are the absolute best.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T12:24:18-08:00

I love this thread, it is wonderful, just wonderful.

I recently spent some time in York, that was pretty damn good too. In a vain attempt to fit in, i bring you Bear Boobies

and beer

I liked York a lot, were there to be a Whitechapel meet up there i would happily chip in towards air fares for Ms Hat and Mr Tyson and i'd personally offer good Mr Flecky a lift up in me van, wonderful place, York. Then again, i am pissed and sleep deprived, probably safest just to ignore me.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T17:47:49-08:00

I have about one million bike-wheel pictures in a folder.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T17:51:10-08:00

Also, regarding "working discpline" vs "zen discipline," I must admit I'm confused. Does anything become a zen discipline without being a working discipline first?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T20:26:55-08:00

allana - nothing wrong with a million bike wheel pictures. But then, I like bikes a lot.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T23:26:16-08:00

A million bike wheel pictures sounds pretty goddam zen to me. However, I, like @roadscum, have entered into zen state via inebriation so my comments may be accepted or discarded accordingly.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-16T23:50:03-08:00

I figured my pro-bike-wheel bias was a good reason not to flood the place with pictures. But, hey, if yer gonna play the "zen" card...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-17T09:04:20-08:00

Still on the discipline story ? I just love Bankara's point of vue, which clearly demonstrates that both are needed. I totally agree about an amount of pictures needed to take a real place in photography.

I would say, that at my low level, I've got something like a 1 of 10 pictures. I start to know if a shot seems to works only when I started meddling around it in editing. An important phase, where one decides to change the shot or to keep it pure. It often feels like taking the picture on one side of the mirror and editing it on the other.

On the other side, I'm remembering a collaborator from an ex-job. That guy was the perfect example of a computer guy: very good programmer, but his webdesigns were nightmares. Not knowing how to involve him in communication related activities I once asked him to make pictures to cover an event and they were ... amazing ! Before that he wasn't really in photography. So in his case, there is obviously a talent that comes from spontaneity (or even something childish or naive). Sadly, as soon as he starts thinking about what is a good picture, then everything goes down...

So, somewhere in my brain, I would add to the debate, that in order to evolve as a photographer, you've got to know as much as possible about the techniques and on the same time to forget everything in order to give the purest picture as possible. So somewhere everything is more or less zen and we didn't even need to talk about concepts like intention, emotion or the impact of a picture.

Sorry, if it is not clear, crazy days are flushing my english to the loos and I'm starting to feel the need to find a wheel...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-17T12:47:55-08:00

I've been wondering what the hell should I do with my photography hobby or skills. I've been starting to notice - especially after many people have told me about it - that I have an eye for what makes a good photo. How I do it is usually with pocket cameras, I just go around in cool places and... well, you'll just see if something makes a good photo or not, then you frame it and snap a few. So, apparently I might have some raw talent, but I have no idea what to do with it. I think the big thing for me is to just have a good quality pocket camera and get it done with, I used to carry a SLR and DSLR but it was too fiddly and cumbersome most of the time. I did read some photography guides and books in the 90's, and did some photomontages with scissors, sand paper and glue, and so on.

Okay, so, if I have an alleged "eye for details" and "an eye for photography" and a Canon S95, which is the best camera I've ever had and which I usually use on automatic (although I know what aperture and exposure and all that means)... what should I do with it? I think the step "Profit" is extremely hard in photography nowadays...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-17T12:54:33-08:00

Still mostly just taking photos of my football team.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T06:35:03-08:00

Enjoying this thread very much! Here's some shots from a recent trip to Vietnam.

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The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T14:08:40-08:00

You have found the Coelacanth of grafitti.

This made me laugh out loud. :D

Hey HEY hey, I finally took some photographs and uploaded them! (I've got over a year of photographs I've not gone through. Ooog.) Here's some shots from a recent company profile thing:

It was SO ORANGE in there.

Oh, and also, I took the photograph for this site: acclivitynyc

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T15:57:14-08:00

Huh. My comment must have gotten eaten.

@Jehrot: Lovely photos, especially the last three. The color landscape is spectacularly beautiful, the one after it is so moody and mysterious, and that dog ... reminds me of the time I visited some people with my family and they had a dog that would hump everyone and everything. Interestingly, it was also a small dog. Silly dog.

@Rachael: My goodness you take great photos. I kind of want one of those dolls, and to sit on that chair, and to visit that very orange place to check out the horse headed statue. I hope you're getting paid well for your photography.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T16:35:48-08:00

Hi All -

Long time lurker - first time contributor to the photography thread. Thanks to all for contributing your wonderful images. I've recently started my own photography site (Four Crows Photography) with the vague aspiration of perhaps making a bit of money on my pics. But mostly, I'm doing it to stretch my creative muscles and to fulfill my own personal sense of meaning...

Here's a couple of my own recent shots for the group:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T16:38:56-08:00

@vornaskotti - I'm with you on the handheld camera thing. A lot of my best stuff was done on a dinky 4 megapixel handheld. I've since upgraded and like my larger camera, but I've never quite developed the gearhead mentality that you can see in some folks.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T17:26:17-08:00

@manglr and vonraskotti - Yes, likewise. I love my DSLR for the shortened depth of field that AUTOMATICALLY brings the eye where I want it to go based on focus, and makes all photographs look instantly "artsy", I miss my pocket camera and the NYC shots I took with it. It is difficult to casually whip out my massive Pentax in a hospital waiting room, or on a crowded bus. People get nervous. It's also fucking heavy, as opposed to the brick sized camera I made sure I ALWAYS had on the ready at any moment.

My favorite shots I actually put together and made myself a book through Blurb. Nothing but shots from my 5mp Sony.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T19:32:29-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-18T20:18:46-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-19T00:10:15-08:00

@trini Thanks! It means a lot to get some positive feedback. I recently bought myself a 60d and a 50mm 1.4, something I'd been meaning to do for a long time. These trips away were my first opportunities to really take it for a walk and play.

Here's what the dog did next..

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And here's a couple from my trip back to the uk last month..

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The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-19T01:09:52-08:00

@joanneleah: Whoa, that's one intensive photo. Good kind of scary.

@Jehrot: Love the composition on the second shot, a very dynamic landscape with a lot going on with the colors, sloping ground and the barely visible deep background.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-19T02:58:53-08:00

@Jehrot Love that last batch of photos. The texture of the bark on number three is grand. And I think 'And here's what the dog did next' is a great title for any book.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-20T02:44:35-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-20T04:51:23-08:00

@kieran - those are lovely

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T01:42:49-08:00

@ Singularity Jones -> Thank you very much. Trying to improve ...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T02:00:44-08:00

Is there an established set of techniques or language for working with very low light photos:

I feel like there is almost something working here, but that I'm missing it a bit due to a lack of something deliberate, if that makes any sense. This photo, as it is, was kind of an accident.

Also, @Kieran - those really are beautiful. Your photos always feel like half memories, or the pictures we make in our heads when someone tells us about someplace that we haven't gone ourselves.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T04:28:52-08:00

@Oddbill -> Thank you very much for your very kind words. Now I'm blushing !

Regarding your picture, I would say that it works ! Photographers are often too obsessed with contrast and textures to working on low lights. Low light pictures are often less esthetic and more in the meaning (or the mood). On this one I especially like the golden line that goes through the girls profile and there is obviously a story behind that look...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T04:51:40-08:00

I swear I meant to get this up awhile ago.

Credit goes to Allana, I believe.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T11:23:20-08:00

The cake started off looking much better than this, but went all wilty in the kitchen.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T15:59:28-08:00

@oddbill: It works, it most definitely works, i'd go so far as to say 'strange and wonderful' but then what do i know? Technique may be important - perhaps useful would be a better choice of word - but it's results that count.

@cake people: Tardis Cake! Tardis Cake! You had Tardis cake! I am both pleased for you and greatly envious. Tardis Cake!

As for me, i have another couple of pictures from my York trip, i'm afraid i haven't got any puns for Trini, the best i can manage is a little innuendo and this is a dangerous place for that sort of thing, i'm sure there's still a few eels left around here somewhere...

A quick shot up the alley:

Another one up the alley:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T18:44:19-08:00

Bill, if you want to screw around in Photoshop, I'd advise bringing up the blue and killing some of the yellow. If you're trying to lighten a dark picture without bringing out grain, it's easier to just return some of the colour in your subject back to "white": even if it's really dark grey, we'll perceive it as "lighter" than the yellow her skin currently is.
(I like the picture a lot, but I do find myself shifting around the laptop screen to get a better angle in order to see it properly.)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T18:50:16-08:00

In light of imminent laptop death, all my personal stuff has been tucked away. I'm not even sure I can open Photoshop without this thing eating shit. So, here's some more old garbage abstracts.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-21T19:02:36-08:00

@oddbill/allana

I find myself thinking the opposite of allana's comments actually. The color on her face is just so odd and interesting that I kind of want it to be brought up even more. Only in select places, like the highlight along her face and the places where the paint are (and wherever else strikes your fancy) but still, MOAR.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-22T13:40:18-08:00

@Oddbill

If I may be so bold, I think the interesting stuff in that photo is all happening in the top left corner or so. Maybe crop to just her face and the building lights could work better?

And so, from the "take pictures around the house" school :

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-22T18:11:56-08:00

I like this ^ one right here, a whole lot. It's a very cool effect.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-23T03:40:17-08:00

Some great stuff here, as always!

Me, I've been exploring beautiful places again...

Freycinet National Park, Tasmania.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-23T17:02:08-08:00

I don't ever want to spend this much time on colour correction again. But, I have to admit, it looks kinda nice.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-24T05:34:11-08:00

@smielyfish, that is so nice stuff...that you for sharing those.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-24T10:57:00-08:00

When I'm done working on a picture, usually they don't interest me anymore and sometimes there comes something new like this "Horse" ...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-24T19:11:22-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-24T19:15:56-08:00

@dork, I likes that last one.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-24T19:22:29-08:00

Thanks!

Less photog-y and more happiness:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-25T02:03:55-08:00

^ d'aww!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-25T15:05:05-08:00

Coming in late on the low light thing - go for it. Always go for it. A large portion of the photos I've made were shot when the "SUBJECT IS TOO DARK" warning was or would have been going off.

Also: Black and white is your friend in low-light. It might be just me but, while film grain / noise looks shoddy in colour, I can really dig it in b&w - which gives you a lot more latitude to push a dark image.

Also: All the most interesting things happen where there isn't very much light.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-25T18:58:36-08:00

All the most interesting things happen where there isn't very much light.

This.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-26T20:16:27-08:00

End of the Line:

On the Embarcadero, contemplating a ship at dock and wondering where it will be going next:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-26T20:44:35-08:00

is that the ship that was at Burning Man in 2009?

edit: I answered my own question. Yes, it is.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-26T21:17:55-08:00

Canine candids:

=o)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T00:42:02-08:00

@smileyfish - lovely how people and their dogs look alike.

So, I've been experimenting with using the automatic HDR composite feature in my camera to take double exposure type shots to capture motion and depth. Here is a shot of a burlesque dancer who soon after brought out an albino snake to dance with.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T07:14:02-08:00

@Vornaskotti, Manglr Thanks! 'And here's what the dog did next' will be entering all good bookstores soon. It's all a bit one track though..blame the lusty hound.
To end the saga, here's it (suitably reprimanded) sauntering off, looking for it's next hump.

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As a foil to Rachael's lovely shot, here's a couple of more "standard" HDR experiments I shot today on a very rare cloudy afternoon. Thanks for the inspiration, Rachael!

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As an aside, I discovered why you should never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, attempt an HDR self portrait.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T07:47:38-08:00

I like how the dog looks like he's turning and laughing as he walks away.

Yes, HDR self portraits can be scary indeed. I'd done a faux HDR portrait of myself with great tweakery and it's not complimentary (though that seems to be what I do well).

oh GOD the pores!!!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T08:47:59-08:00

Eek! I'd say nice work...but I'd probably actually be thinking "remove the head or destroy the brain" if I ran into you on the street looking like that!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T09:25:12-08:00

My first time throwing my hat into the ring here. Hope these are OK. I'm a complete luddite. Have used film for years and just bought a DSLR as it was costing me a fortune to develop shots after covering an event. As a result these are all straight out of the camera no photoshop etc.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T15:51:20-08:00

Some seascapes of Orkney, Scotland. We had an impressive night of gales last night, so went out for a look at the sea today, it wasn't quite as mental as I'd been hoping for, but was extremely bonny. Attempted to go for a walk, but our 3 year old daughter could hardly stand up in the wind! Recorded wind speeds this morning at 6am where 80mph sustainded gusting to 130mph!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T18:21:34-08:00

@Rachael - I love that double exposure effect! I may try something like that soon!

Here is the latest thing from the art truck, which is turning out to be a really useful place to experiment. This was some playing around with garish primary colored lights, the kind you get from Home Depot for outside your house:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-27T21:30:41-08:00

@NeilFord: Gorgeous light there, beautifull exposed.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-28T01:42:16-08:00

@smileyfish - Thanks, must admit to using the 'pointy clicky' setting though, I'm no photographer! :)

ALSO... these where taken about 12noon, that's how low the sun is in the sky during winter, so there is a oddly warm light despite the season.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-28T21:27:18-08:00

Recently dug up a box of negatives I had thought lost forever. Among them was this accidental double exposure which I shamelessly admit I am in love with.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-28T21:30:01-08:00

@Bankara, I'm totally in love with that photo.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-29T08:06:00-08:00

@Bankara, that is a gorgeous accident.

(Also, thank you for your encouragement in the SPIT!)

Here is another from the garish light experiment:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T06:38:12-08:00

Here's one more, slightly more composed, HDR experiment taken from the roof of my apartment block.

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The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T07:13:00-08:00

hey everyone.
i wanted to let you know that i have a little editorial in the latest issue of uncropped magazine, CEREMONY.
i'm not allowed to share the photographs until December 20th, but you can pre-order a printed copy or purchase the digital version.
thanks for your support. <3

~j

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T07:51:31-08:00

Congratulations! Copy has been pre-ordered.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T13:32:12-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T13:48:15-08:00

Time to lower the tone a bit methinks. So, S is for Southend, home of the old Master. It is also for skips (obviously)

(there's a little story going on here if you're interested, Ballardesque someone said, i think it's rubbish meself, but then i would, wouldn't i?)

S is for Spies too, lots of 'em, lurking in the darkness, doing sneaky spy stuff...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T13:53:04-08:00

@shannon - brilliant.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T18:10:11-08:00

Congratulations, Joanne! That is awesome to hear, I have really enjoyed seeing your work here and on tumblr and it is great to see you get some recognition. I saw that you and KW and a bunch of other photographers I like were here in NYC shooting and I was all like "AW! DAMN! They were here?!" It is like finding out that Wu Tang had a reunion tour and played your local pub but you weren't there that night for some stupid reason.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T18:30:27-08:00

Sorry I haven't been here in a while, life was supposed to calm down when I finished Grad school, but it's done anything but.

Here are some photos that I took recently.

Sorry for the lack of variety in subject matter, I found that fence inspiring for some reason that day.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T18:36:11-08:00

@roadscum, I love your skips. Have I mentioned that lately?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T18:37:31-08:00

This photo didn't get a lot of love in the other thread, but it still makes me happy.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T18:55:49-08:00

@allana, YES. LOVE.

@JoanneLeah, WOAH. WOAH WOAH WOAH! Awesome!!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T19:27:21-08:00

Cara, I extracted an amazing color palette from that first shot. Outstanding!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T21:15:32-08:00

Oh incredibly low-light shows. You're a pain in my ass.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T21:22:06-08:00

Agreed, Cara, I hadda go check the EXIF to see what the hell you were shooting that with. I was DEAD certain it was film but instead my opinion of the Sony system and the glass they have to offer is totally changed. That lens has the craziest bokeh/soft-porn-soft-focus-thingy going on! And it's like buttah but cheap! Not to give undue credit to the camera or lens though, the composition and colors are incredible.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T21:22:53-08:00

Also, Dorkmuffin you must have the hands of a surgeon to get usable images out a show with that little lighting.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-11-30T23:21:17-08:00

@Dorkmuffin: Oof, I've taken my share of photos at shows with crap lighting. I went the take a ton of photos and try to pick my favorites route. Regardless of whatever way you attempt them, it takes some effort to get a good photo out of them. Kudos for going for it anyway. My favorites are the first, third and last photos.

Actually, some of my photos are actually kind of good, but they're a couple years old. Would anyone mind if I posted one or two?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-01T02:05:55-08:00

Thanks guys :)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-01T04:55:12-08:00

@Bankara
I live in Brooklyn...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-01T06:59:19-08:00

@joanneleah, oh! See, I didn't know that. I am in Manhattan. Tiny little world of 8 million souls we live in here.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-01T10:35:18-08:00

@thewaltonsare: Who needs variety when you've got a fence like that?

@allana: I shall pass on your comments next time i see them ; ) And if it make you happy, you're doing it right!

@trini_naenae: I'd mind if you don't! Come on Madam! Get posting!

@everyone: I have looked and been amazed, entertained, amused or otherwise impressed. Keep them coming please!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-01T17:33:51-08:00

@All, thanks! Some of those are a much crappier quality JPG, but the rest are here, on mah flickr in a higher resolution. Should have just linked to those in the first place, but whaaaaaaaatever.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-01T21:09:35-08:00

Not a low light photograph, but from the time I got into photographing musicians. And it's hilarious!

And wow. Lots of photos. Will post them when I've got them sorted to only a couple.
Edit: Got down to four photos. Which isn't much out of 166. And those are the ones that made it to flickr! The thought of all those photos is making my brain hurt. I think I had better light then Dorkmuffin did, or I used a higher ISO setting. Or both. Anyway, here they are.

Huh. I had no idea how lucky I was and how many friends I had back then.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T06:15:06-08:00

Due to life, it's been probably a year or more since I've been here... but here I am again. These are some pics that I took at a local lake that's really more of a dried up puddle now due to the drought. My family and I went out looking for the town that they had flooded back in the fifties when they made the lake, but never found it.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T06:16:51-08:00

Should we not start a winter photography thread?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T07:42:24-08:00

Winter is coming.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T09:39:20-08:00

Before winter falls here is my first try at photographing musicians. Please meet Sigrid Perdulas from the "punk-clown-cabaret" band "Lux Interior" ...

Most of the time, I take a lot of pictures during live shows, but rarely the musicians. Soon a few pics from a recent "Einstürzende Neubauten" live show and there should be some Blixa. And, yes I know I should take more pictures with humans in it.

And two randoms from ...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T12:06:28-08:00

I've got a few band pictures from an adventure I had driving Scottish anarcho-punk legends OI Polloi on tour round Europe a few years ago. By no means professional, there are some that I really liked:

On stage in Poland.

Ric Oi

The band played some real toilets!

Old punk, still rocking.

Calum rocking the kilt

Backstage with Cameron Tongs

Somewhere in northern Italy

Vienna, I think.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T15:45:43-08:00

Got, Chicken?

This is a chicken that belongs to one of my friends in Richmond, VA. His name is Fodder

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T16:11:07-08:00

Cara, that macro work is amazing!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T16:13:56-08:00

Thanks, I think this shot had a lot of luck involved because that chicken didn't hold still for very long :)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T17:08:32-08:00

@nelzbub David Connelly who used to be in Oi Polloi is now an archaeologist and runs this site http://bajr.org/ He's a top bloke who really has made a lot of difference in my profession, and helped me out personally

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-02T22:22:00-08:00

For the first time in what feels like months I left the house with my camera for no other reason than to take photos for ME (as opposed to taking them for work).

Still getting back in to the swing of things, but I like some of the shots I took so far. This one in particular.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-03T02:33:47-08:00

Likewise. Expect a bit more photographs from me again. I'm starting to go through my year of images. Here's something from October.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-03T21:10:12-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-04T09:39:00-08:00

@Joanne, that is so so so so lovely. And confusing. And lovely.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-04T09:51:14-08:00

Yes, it is a beautiful confusing photo. It took me a while to figure out what was going on with the leg. For a little while I thought there might actually be two people in this photo, curled around each other.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-04T22:01:53-08:00

Going through more of my photos from the Blade Runner themed NYCC afterparty:

This last shot looks super filtered, but it's actually something about vibrancy of the stage lights and the movement that caused my camera to make most of the shots of her come out strangely smoothed.

I didn't get any good photos of her dancing with the snake. For shame.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-05T02:44:12-08:00

@256: thanks

A bug.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-05T07:43:09-08:00

Went out last week to the nearest cathedral to get some night shots. SHould have used the tripod more, but I think I'll make a habit of this.

And finally what I think is my favourite shot from all the matches I have photographed this year.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-05T11:03:55-08:00

Mmph. More shots from the Blade Runner themed party thing.

More shots using multiple exposure HDR merging to capture movement and depth. Some of the shots look 3D to me, because the way I see I always see overlapping double, so in some ways, these are like, hyper real to me, and look sort of three dimensional, which is neat, because I don't have depth perception.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-05T21:03:30-08:00

Some lazy edits on some lazy Sunday photos:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-06T21:56:20-08:00

A few last ones from the Blade Runner thingee.

(not sure which singing lady photo is better)

and I had happened to go and get my macbook fixed just as Steve Jobs died.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-07T11:35:15-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-07T14:18:41-08:00

Well, i got to Walton on the Naze eventually, there may have been skips, it was a bit too dark to see...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-07T22:47:21-08:00

@joanneleah: Love that photo, partially because it has three elements that I tend to like a lot in visual art: a pose with contortions and a mirror, viewed from an odd angle (usually creating some interesting foreshortening).

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-09T02:10:08-08:00

@joanneleah: fantastic work - love the dynamic pose and complex lighting.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-10T14:39:39-08:00

I don't know what the white stuff is but I am going to say this is a Cool Whip truck.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-10T15:44:27-08:00

I spent the last week going through a box of old photos and scanning a few for flickr. Most of them are interesting for the nostalgia, but this one sort of works out of any context:

It feels a bit like a statue. And I really like the texture of the color, if that makes sense. Something that comes from it being printed on film, rather than wholly digital. I love digital. But I might go get a couple of disposable film cameras and try playing with them again.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-10T16:13:45-08:00

@oddbill - Funny that. I was just thinking the same thing, that I should go and get myself a couple disposable cameras again, like I used to.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-10T23:59:02-08:00

@oddbill: That's a beautiful photograph and a wonderful pose.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-11T22:31:40-08:00

The new demolitions expert in residence:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-12T10:17:09-08:00

Joanelea and roadscum's pictures as amazing !

Here some recent stuff ... Yes, I'm trying new stuff

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-12T14:12:56-08:00

I love the oranges. The TV face int he corner balances everything perfectly. It's lovely.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-12T20:22:44-08:00

I really need to stop being determined to take photographs in REALLY low-light situations.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-12T21:29:00-08:00

@dorkmuffin: get your ISO as high as your camera will allow, and the blue channel is usually the one with the most noise, so you can use Gaussian blur on it just enough to tone down the noise (I'm assuming you use Photoshop, though it might work with Gimp). Then you can get away with more.

@Kieran: I'm liking the clouds photo. Possibly with a hint of nostalgia from the incredible amount of international travel from my childhood.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-14T01:29:06-08:00

@Rachael: I like those multiple exposure pictures, i like them a lot, they glow!

@Beamish: Looks like a bulk custard delivery - horrid messy stuff, a right bugger to unload.

@oddbill: Yes, one of those photographs that just goes 'Ching! - Picture!'

@shannon: and so does that!

@Kieran: Ta! I'm rather impressed with yours, especially that last one - looks positively sordid if you ask me...

@dorkmuffin: No, you need to get out and take some more please!

@trini: and that goes for you too Madam!

and me? I've bin at it again...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-14T10:24:33-08:00

@ Rachæl Tyrell -> Thank you, it was a tricky one. I liked the picture, the moment in the bar was great (huge rain intimacy in Rome) and I had to do something. The light was a nightmare, but on this one the different elements were on the best place possible.

@ trini_naenae -> Thank you Trini. While taking the picture, I already thought that it will not make the cut, but I edited it anyway and it was quite revealing. The word "Nostalghia" seems to be THE keyword in my pictures, maybe because I'm getting old or my bipolar summermood.

@ Roadscum -> Thank you. Yep, this is a very strange one... interesting way to take pictures using mirrors, there is very few photoshop in in. Anyway, it started as a SPIT with this picture, I played around and strangely ... I made my very best erotic pictures. Sadly, the model will never agree to make them public and they will stay in my vault for some years.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-14T11:09:10-08:00

Apparently I missed out on quite the sunrise this morning:

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-15T12:44:49-08:00

So here's a themed set of three from a pinup style session from a couple of weeks ago:

(There were two other photos here - I took them down as the model had second thoughts about having them online. Sorry! But the one that's left is the best one anyway!)

I'm really struggling to make these good photos, with a visual texture, that works beyond the obvious draw of, hey, sexy woman! I don't think I'm there, but I'm getting there.

The pictures seem to be sort of cartoonish, especially when compared to the portraiture or figurative work of @Bankara or @joanneleah. Mine really lack subtlety. But they also feel, a bit, of a piece with some of the artwork I've been doing recently, in they way they are pushing unnatural color around.

The artwork is more subtle in emotional tone. These photos are definitely self-consciously arch, while the drawings tend to be serene or still. That may be a byproduct of the length of time it takes to make each different sort of picture.

I want to keep doing this, but I also want to keep from becoming a cliche of myself. I think I need to branch out in subject matter a bit before circling back to undressed women.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-16T03:02:09-08:00

We have a flat in Munich, three stops down the train line from Dachau. We felt it was something we wanted to do, but had to be at the right time. This summer we were there for three weeks, so went in the middle of our time there (Not at the beginning to set the tone, and not at the end to define the overriding memory of our summer.
I took these photos because I wanted to try and get some on a more human scale, rather than just the "Arbeit Macht Frei' tourist shots.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-16T03:05:03-08:00

Some more from Munich, this time the surfers on the Isar

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-16T07:26:00-08:00

@Steve - Those shots were actually quite good. Very sobering and I think you did a wonderful job processing the enormity of the experience into something useful from a photographic experience. Thanks for sharing!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-17T12:38:48-08:00

A big thank-you to all who post in this thread. I'm not much of a camera guy, but there's always something wonderful to see here.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-17T13:30:29-08:00

@mamgir Thanks for the compliment ;)

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-17T16:09:57-08:00

@oddbill, I really like the color treatments in those. The angle, color, mood, and (dayum!) subject are all really bang on. I am a bit envious because I am contemplating doing some nudes/pinup style stuff and I find it really difficult to approach. The reason why I specialize in self-portraiture is because I don't feel awkward in front of the camera myself. The self-portraits come out of my testing different lighting setups on myself so that when I use them on other people I already have an idea of how it is going to look. I do this so I feel like less of a fraud, or I suppose if I were to sound less self-derogatory, more confident. I am far from a prude but I have a hard enough time directing clothed people so nudes pose a real challenge. I have shot them but been deeply dissatisfied with the results. I am going to try again though because I think the only way you grow as an artist is to deliberately and repeatedly do the things that make you profoundly uncomfortable. Probably this lesson is applicable across many other disciplines besides photography.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-17T16:35:36-08:00

@Bankara - re: making yourself uncomfortable - I could not be in stronger agreement.

"Go where you aren't wanted" has got to be the Zeroth Law of art.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-17T22:44:23-08:00

A birthday celebration:

I like the feel of these photographs, but I'm frustrated with my camera. Though I've every single setting set to NOT filter anything no matter what the ISO or shutter speed, it STILL manages to filter my low light photographs so they look all airbrushed. Argh. I suppose I shouldn't complain, what with the ISO going up to 51,200.

Also, @JoanneLeah, @Bankara, @Oddbill, @Oldhat, and other photographers I may know who are or will be in the NYC area: I'm less sickly these days, and I'm shifting my life priorities about and would like to model for any of you, if you so desire. I'm comfortable with being naked if that's what you are looking for (though I'm not as in shape as I should be from all the bed rest and whatnot, and I am probably an older specimen than you'd prefer). Perhaps I'd make a better muse than an artist.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-17T23:18:49-08:00

You have a Panasonic, right? If you have the long exposure noise reduction turned on, how long does the exposure have to be before it kicks in? I know with Nikons if you want a true unfiltered high ISO or long exposure you actually have to turn the long exposure NR on and then either shut the camera off instead of closing the shutter (when shooting Bulb) or turn the camera off while it's taking the dark frame for the noise reduction (I had to do this all the time when I did astrophotography on the D50 because any amount of noise reduction tended to blur out a lot of the stars. The D7000's resolution is high enough that I don't really notice it). The Panasonic might do the same thing.

Since I haven't posted any pictures in forever (because there's not much to take pictures of in Phoenix):

Some pretty nice god ray action over Phoenix. Taken with my phone.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T02:20:10-08:00

Nope, I've got a Pentax. It seems that with the lesser settings I can choose to turn off the filtering, but with the highest settings, I've no ability to opt out.

So, I saw the latest incarnation of Psychic TV on Thursday night. It was fucking amazing.

(I hate using flash, but there was no light on Genesis whatsoever. For a while there was a strobe light on [him/her/them], and in over 25 shots I managed to miss the light out of all but one blurry shot. Hence, my resorting to flash.)

the guitarist was so amazing. so very amazing. i want to see his every show. beautiful man.

(couldn't decide between these last two)

There's more at my Flickr, too. But do you see how it looks filtered? I've done relatively little tweaking, but the low light shots look significantly processed. Is that just how digital cameras react to bright and saturated colored light?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T04:57:59-08:00

@Rachael - do you have the option to shoot in RAW. This automatically precludes all in camera filters, of course you need a program that can handle RAW files to process them. I shoot exclusively in RAW and use adobe camera raw to process.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T05:10:23-08:00

Yes yes yes, I do shoot in RAW almost exclusively. HOWEVER, I have to switch it to jpg to be able to shoot in HDR, and perhaps I'd forgotten to switch it back again! huzzah! Thank you, you may have solved it. Gosh, I'm angry at myself.

EDITED TO ADD: Upon further consideration, I was trying to NOT be a photographer that night, and instead actually enjoy the experience. I won't be so terribly angry at myself.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T06:57:35-08:00

@Rachael - is that an in-camera HDR option that requires jpg? Could you not just bracket and combine the RAW files into HDR in photoshop?

My dad's just bought a new Pentax - very nice thing it is too...

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T07:24:17-08:00

Glad to be of help. I too use bracketing for HDR.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T13:16:22-08:00

I could combine them in photoshop, but the notion that my camera can do it FOR me inside the camera itself is kind of awesome, and I like being able to see what the end result will be so that I better know what kind of direction to continue in with my shooting. What's most upsetting to me about this is that I had wanted to email the band and offer them my shots, and it kills me to know that they could have looked so much better.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T13:27:22-08:00

(deleted for stupidity, but will just say that I haven't used RAW due to program difficulties but today I just got Lightroom 3 so maybe that will help yes)

And I'd love to do a shoot with you! The next time I'll be in NYC will be January 6th in the evening, but I won't have the time then. Not sure when I'll be there next.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T13:36:48-08:00

but the notion that my camera can do it FOR me inside the camera itself is kind of awesome

Indeed! I didn't know you could get that...

@Oldhat - I shot in jpg when disc space was a consideration and found it fine for most things, but then realised that RAW gave me much more fine control and also better insurance - if you blow out highlights in a jpg it's so much harder to rescue. I know what you mean though - my little Leica has RAW files which I can't open in CS3 because Adobe are just the worst bastards ever, so that stays on jpg.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T13:40:58-08:00

Well, I'd like to edit in RAW, but Photoshop just won't let me and Lightroom 2 somehow lightens all the images, which isn't how they were set up. Until I figure it out, I shoot in JPEG and am fine with that. I'm just a little sensitive sometimes over people's obvious preference because I have actually been told, by several people, that I should not consider myself a photographer if I don't shoot in RAW, REGARDLESS of my skill.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T14:18:19-08:00

GIMP+UFRaw+The D90 Input Profile, oldhat. Export as TIFF or PSD when you finish any adjustments in GIMP/UFRaw, and then your other photo softwares should be able to edit that.

Lightroom also might be doing something weird with the input profiles. I've never used it but there might be a setting somewhere were you can point it at the D90 profile I've linked instead of whatever generic profile it's using. I know when I had the profiles messed up in UFRaw it was making all of my NEFs really dark.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T14:51:19-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T18:49:48-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-18T21:00:13-08:00

@oldhat: I have it set up so it shoots in both RAW and jpg. I don't have the programs to do RAW, but I like having a copy of the photo in RAW for when I do eventually get around to buying a new desktop and new software etc etc. I had to have a photo teacher help figure that one out. That said, while using RAW gives you extra benefits, not using it doesn't make you any less of a photographer as the person who has all the crazy fancy stuff. It's like if the people who used medium format film telling the people who use 52mm film that they aren't real photographers. It's not the gear that makes someone an artist/photographer/etc, it's the work they put out. Anyone who tries to make it about the tools are full of it. And are probably tools themselves.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-19T10:17:41-08:00

One thing you can do if you are unable to import RAW into PS or LR is to convert the file to a DNG, Adobe's proprietary RAW format. (Stands for 'Digital Negative' NOT 'Dolce & Gabbana' like my friend the gay russian cabaret dancer thought) I believe Pentax will let you shoot directly in DNG, which makes it easier to import in to Adobe software. The benefits are worth the extra file size in my opinion, especially because it preserves the master of the file untouched so that if you ever want to revert to the original and rework it then all of the work you have done up to that point has been non-destructive. Also, being able to make adjustments to White Balance and correct exposure within four stops is pretty hard to argue with.
On a related note, looking forward to seeing some of you guys here in NYC for a pint!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-19T10:19:33-08:00

Actually, I just got a hold of Lightroom 3 (yarr!) and have been able to work in RAW without things getting buggered up (the above photo was sort of a test in that regard). Thanks for the tips!

And Bankara, looking forward to it too!

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-19T21:35:51-08:00

new here just wanted to share some photos name is Jesse from NY

/Users/sturm815/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2011/Dec 9, 2011_2/IMG_0297.JPG

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-19T21:39:54-08:00

sorry kind of blanking on how to post a pic from a i-photo library on a mac, any tips?

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-19T22:07:09-08:00

I don't think iPhoto plays nice with the forum software. You'll have to upload it to flickr or photobucket or picasa or something.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-19T23:29:33-08:00

Photobucket's pretty solid, but they delete nudes and anything else they consider inappropriate. You can mostly get around this by giving all your photos innocuous titles.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-20T04:04:19-08:00

Just got back from a trip to Lebanon, well, mainly Beirut. A highlight was a trip to Byblos, where the word 'Bible' comes from. It's also, apparently, thought to be the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world.

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The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-20T06:20:02-08:00

@Jehrot, Those are gorgeous, man! I want to go to that part of the world next.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-20T10:13:10-08:00

@Bankara, Thanks a lot! I'm lucky enough to be living in the middle east for the moment, so I'm trying to make the most of it.
Here's a couple of Beirut;

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And one last one of Byblos..

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The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-20T23:26:14-08:00

@ Jehort -> Those Byblos pictures are amazing ! Now, I definitely got a travel fever again.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-21T00:23:54-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1977815/6547912233/

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-21T00:25:40-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-21T00:26:44-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-21T11:14:39-08:00

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-21T17:39:00-08:00

Rome. Suddenly missing that city something awful.

The Photography Thread (FALL 2011)

2011-12-22T04:50:12-08:00

shiny new winter thread here. bit of a trashy start to it, sorry.