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Photo Assignment: Weekend 10/06/07

Blue Pinnacle



Dome over the capitol rotunda in Sacramento California, Friday night. I was attending a conference there and desperately trying to find something to fit the theme. I was determined to not go with color, but found this theme of my own choosing to be a greater challenge than I had expected.

Note to self: avoid nouns.

EXIF embedded, just click on the image.

Hi Tom, nouns are a challenge, they stretch our creative capacities. OK time for your commentary. The angle you chose to capture the inside of the dome works well, it allows us to see the depth and height of the dome yet delivers a very artful presentation of this interior, theres a golden mean application in use here. Exposure is spot on, the shadows at the bottom of the dome have just enough light to show some of the ceiling structure, then the gradual increase in light levels as we ascend to the top of the dome finally reaching the blue pinnacle (thats the blue theme, right?)

So what would I do differently? To add even more interest having a person stand near the rail in the lower left or lower right would be one option. Another possibility would be to move the camera a bit more to the right, placing the blue pinnacle the in the top right portion of the frame along with the person standing by the rail, reading the constitution, wearing a white wig, dressed in clothing from the 1800s .. Really the photo is very good just the way it is, thanks for playing along
 
[SNIP]Another possibility would be to move the camera a bit more to the right, placing the blue pinnacle the in the top right portion of the frame along with the person standing by the rail, reading the constitution, wearing a white wig, dressed in clothing from the 1800s ..[/SNIP]

:rofl
 
Photo Commentary

Another great group of images this week. People really stepped up to the bar with what turned out to be a somewhat challenging theme, "blue." I've enjoyed reading the comments of others on some of these fine photos. Let me add a bit of my own.

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First up this week is Voni's entry. Bluestune has already made some insightful comments on this wonderful photo. This image is filled with charm and emotion. I especially liked the inclusion of a short poem to explicate its blueness. Perhaps the most important thing to say about this photo is that she had the presence of mind to grab her camera and snap the picture. It's really a neat image.

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Statdawg's image is certainly a compelling one this week. A noose (as we've learned from recent news events) is a powerful symbol, charged with all manner of negative meanings. For that reason alone this image packs a wallop. I like the way it's composed and that it looks down on the chairs. I'm sorry he edited out his narrative. I had put off reading it and now don't know what it said. I believe he did point out that the chairs are not "period." I do wonder how much more powerful the shot may have been if only one noose had been included. Maybe not. What is someone had been sitting in the chairs? It looks like a snapshot taken from a limited position; nevertheless, it certainly draws the eye.

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Again, Bluestune has cogently stated everything that needs to be said about jmetzger's great image. I'm really just putting it up here again because it's worth looking at again. I didn't take it, but I like the idea that it might have been composed horizontally. Josh may have composed it this way for a reason. Either way it works, a beautiful and simple still life. I am particularly struck by how the line of the shelf and the line of the shadow converge rather than run in parallel. Sometimes the simplest images are the most interesting.

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This is the second of JohnF's two entries. As a counterpoint to the critique offered on his other shot, I'd like to make a few suggestions on how this shot might be even more successful. It's a good shot, but not a terribly interesting subject (it is, as he points out, the BLUE highway!). Stepping up on the bank might have made it more interesting, eliminating the shadow on the right. The vanishing point (where the road curves) is almost dead-center in the image. Just recomposing to place that elsewhere in the image may have added interest. Still another possibility would be to hang out for a few minutes to see if a bike wandered by. Having a motorcycle going down or up the road might have added a sense of drama to the shot. Still, it's a nice capture of some beautiful country.

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There's a lot to like about bmwdean's submission this week. It's a mundane subject, but one of great interest to we beemophiles. It's a great perspective--and of course, as Jeff has told us, it's a shot of his odometer. But the composition includes the headlight and its brackets. I also really like how the various lines and cables curve out of the shot. Everything is wonderfully--though not perfectly--symmetrical, which matches nicely the 30,000 readout. Nice shot.

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A newer poster, sonnata brings us this shot of his Bouvier, Lena. This is a pretty pedestrian picture, the kind all of us take around the house or at the family picnic. But I see here a picture that will be cherished in years to come, of the beloved pet in a typical pose. Another thing to like about this is the inclusion of the ON magazine. Whether accidental or on purpose, it provides a potentially humorous counterpoint that's always enjoyable and illustrative. Fun picture. Good girl.

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Boxergrrlie gives us another cool image this week. Her posts strike me as "thoughtful" images, whatever that means. More than anything, this--to me--is a picture of light. The lighting is the most interesting aspect of this striking image. It's a great example of "latitude," or the range of exposure that can be captured on a given image. In the old days, different films were rated as having different latitudes: 3 stops, 5 stops, even 7 stops from the lightest light to the darkest dark. Rebecca's image exceeds the camera's latitude here. The highlight is lost in the lamp and the detail disappears into the shadows. It's an extreme range of exposure. She could have exposed for the light, but lost all the shadow detail. She could have also exposed for the shadow of the porch illumination, but the light would have appeared like a sun-spot. Her, or the camera's, decision on the exposure is the right comprimise. It's a moody, thought-provoking shot.

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Bluestune stopped working long enough this week to grace us with two very worthy images. I love this one. It's also a moody light shot. It's a very interesting image, with the shadow, the highlights, the shadow detail. The composition--the space occupied by the bike--is just right. It leaves plenty of room for the wonderful spoked-shadow. The background color ranging from blue to orange is really effective, too. It's more like a painting than a photo. What fun can be had by simply playing with a garage work lamp. Really, really nice image.

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I don't know if I even want to say anything about Bluestune's other shot. Just look at it.

OK, I'll say that Bradford Benn ought to take a look at this for a foundation card. Don't know if it fits their theme (might be a bit somber for a holiday card) but it really is a neat shot. It's just a fender, but the water, reflecting the light 1,000 times, really tells a wonderful story. Washing the bike? Getting out of the rain? It's a remarkably artistic rendering of the most mundane of subjects: a fender. Wonderful stuff.

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I'm very pleased to see outbackufo join us this week. I enjoy his work very much. What needs to be said about this image has already been said. Very simple subject and composition resulting in a beautiful and artistic image. I particularly like the stark rigidity of the absolutely parallel lines. The reflection of the clouds in the window is brilliant and makes this really good image great.

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I actually had a kind of physical reaction to this image. I could feel myself shivering on the side of a cold, wet road as traffic roared by. What I like best about this shot is that it takes an "error," the reflected motorcycle light resulting in lens flare and turns it into an artistic component of the image. Really striking shot. I don't know if this was purposeful or happenstance (I suspect the former) but it really works. The trailing automobile headlights resulting from a slow exposure provide a nice counterpoint.

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grossjohann provides another great family shot. This is an image that will likely endure in the family album. That the photographer dares to get so close is what makes this memorable. I also like that this is of a child playing with a loose tooth (as they all do) rather than of a gapped-tooth smile. Think of how many of the latter you've seen. Very few of the former. Anyway, fun shot.

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I'd like to offer a few comments about one of grossjohann's other submissions. First, I like how it fits the theme. It's a thoughtful photograph as well. "Why is the chair empty?" one might ask. The exposure range is great. It appears as though the chair is flash-lit and matches well (not perfectly) the sunset exposure. And like the picture of his wife in the kitchen, the subject is slightly out of focus. The autofocusing cameras allow one to lock the focus on the intended subject, especially if that subject is not in the center of the image. This is usually accomplished by pointing the camera at the subject, depressing the shutter release half-way, recomposing the image, then firing. Play around with this. It will change the way you take pictures.

Again I'd like to say what a great group of shots we had this week. Still time to turn some in. What are you waiting for? What, do you have to work or something? Look for next week's photo assignment tomorrow or early Friday.
 
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AboveRight 180 degree sweeper
BelowLeft 180 degree sweeper
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I know I did not follow the rules of one photo per post, but I look at this as one scene. The picture is coming down from Wildcat Mountain State park in Western Wisconsin. I am on my way to breakfast, three hours after sunrise.

I may have to do a re-take on the top photo, as I just noticed a beer can a few feet behind my rear tire. I normally pick up garbage that would be in the photo.
 
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I have taken this road several times and the photo alway turns out different with the position/strength of the sun and the different seasons. I just love the way the Amish have restored the rural environment of the countryside..
 
I really like this one, Santa.

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I'm going to go with Dave on this one. Of the three, this is the standout photo. It's an ordinary picture of an unusual bit of pavement. Gorgeous bike. I love the light filtering through the trees. Low contrast and really nice.

You're going to go back and remove the beer can? It's precisely this attention to deal that leads to these kinds of photos.
 
This week's pic

This was taken at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City MO. The Stsdium is udergoing massivbe restorations and improvements and the Season Ticket Holders were invited out to the Stadium for a last look. The Royals colors are blue and white note the home team dugout in the foreground, the blue skies, the blue trimmed scorebaord, the blue of the water in the fountains and of course the red white and blue blowing in the breeze. This was taken with my point and shoot and you can see the distortion in the corners from the lense. Really taken as a commemorative snapshot, but still fit the idea of blue.
 

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Forget the assignment tell me about that R 80 GS or I will be blue. :scratch


It is a new to me 1988 R100gs. The bike has a White GS flyscreen/windshield that I am will someday put back on. The Front fender I plan on raising to the original high location.The GS looks like and old school R80 GS without the flyscreen. The 1988 is just like the Black Bumble Bee GS.

I had a 1985 R80RT that I sold last spring, with the intent to get a Airhead GS. I was telling that to a friend and I now am a GS Airhead owner. It cost me $1500 to upgrade. I am happy. The GS has a bunch of the needed upgrades. The Airhead with the white paint is a little harder to blend into a photo than my silver 2002 Oilhead GS.

I have been on a few Dual Sport Adventure Ride with the Oilhead GS, but it is just to heavy to do what I want it to do.


Here are a few pics that I took last Saturday of my "new" GS




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Neat shots of a neat bike. The first and fifth shots above might very well have been in the original sales brochure. You sure have some cool places to ride, man, and a cool ride to do it on.
 
You sure have some cool places to ride,

Tom, I think everyone in America has neat places to ride to. I just go out and try to find these places in my backyard.

When I show a person who lives in Wisconsin my Wisconsin photos, they comment great photos. Show the same photos to someone who lives outside of Wisconsin, and they will comment what a beautiful place.

One aspect of living in a area that has distinct season changes you can play the four seasons to your advantage. As you have noticed I headed north till I hit Fall colors three weeks ago. I will follow the Fall Colors south into southern Wisconsin (or maybe I should get some yard work done) in the next few weeks. We have the Lake Michigan effect, also as a factor and I actually took Fall colors into November. After the Fall colors and the leaves are on the ground, bare trees are also cool to photograph.

Many times I am taking picture, and I get "the look", and I know what people are thinking. They are thinking what the heck is he taking a picture of that for or why is he laying on the ground or climbing on something.

That is when you know it going to be a good shot.

 
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