March Photo Contest FINALS. Theme: TRANQUILITY

[intheflow]

Welcome to the monthly Photography Group contest Final Round.

The theme for March is TRANQUILITY.

The final round will run until 5:00 p.m. CST, Sunday, April 1. (No foolin'!) The winner of this contest will have the prestigious honor of hosting next month's contest.

Please feel free to comment on any photos, the photographers really appreciate comments and feedback. If nothing else, please help keep this kicked.

Note to Mods and other interested parties: Skinner has authorized this contest to run in GD.


Calm at sunset


Tranquility Unbound


On Tranquil Waters


Single shed.


In Golden Light


Consider the Lily


Steillacoom Sunset


misty morning flight


Long, Still Shadows on Snow


Reflections of Concord

[unhappycamper]

1. k&r n/t

[ceile]

2. K&R

[ruiner4u]

3. Just out of curiosity

are there any rules to this contest? i.e. computer enhancement. I have no problem with filter enhancements to a camera, however I see a picture featured here with obvious enhancements done by computer and wonder if there is an artistic vs. technological rule that ferrets out obvious computer enhanced files.. After all, I could make a file with just black, edit it for hours, and enter something beautiful.. Is there any such rule?




FYI I have nothing entered.. I just see an almost obvious enhancement that could have not been done by any manual filter.

[intheflow]

4. There are no rules prohibiting photo enhancement.

This is necessary because many of the photographers shoot in RAW format. Without the use of "computer filters" we'd not be able to see their work.

I think you're talking about a perceived "cheat" factor, but in the world of digital photography, computer enhancement is the equivalent of "pushing" celluloid film development. I know what I used to get back from the developers was often tweaked and enhanced beyond what my camera captured. So we see no issue with enhancing any photo from what downloads on our computers to reconcile it with how we remembered it in real life.

Whatcha think, Photo Groupies? Have I represented us all with this explanation? Any other Photo Groupies want to chime in on this subject?

[ruiner4u]

7. I understand what your saying...

however with traditional film there is only so much that you can do.. I do have a little photog in me and have played with filters and played with developing.. however, there was always a difference between what was art, and what was fake..

I see a group of beautiful pictures that could have enhancement and still be beautiful.. Then I see a pic that has obvious enhancement and wonder if it would have had a chance without all the enhancement...


Again, I have nothing entered.. I dont know anyone who did.. Something just screamed at me...

[intheflow]

16. I don't see any photo here that "screams" enhancement..

So I guess I can't comment. Of course differences in computer monitor settings can also affect how photos are viewed, so maybe that's what happening?
:shrug:

[chknltl]

14. Being digitally challanged....

VERY digitally challanged... I can only look at each of these photos from the perspective of a film photographer... Each of these could have been done AS IS in camera on film imo.
In my case this is the ONLY method I know how to do...I would love to have tweaked any of my submissions, past or present. If I am actually competing in these contests with folks who have DIGITALLY enhanced their submissions, well that makes me all the prouder of what I was able to accomplish in camera!

Now if the voting is being digitally enhanced.....well then we got us some issues indeed! :;):

[regnaD kciN]

42. My two cents...

Any other Photo Groupies want to chime in on this subject?

I think it's really easy for people to forget just how much artifice existed even in film photography. To begin with, there never was such a thing as an "objective" film emulsion. When I was shooting film thirty years ago, I knew that, if I wanted a moody look, I should shoot with Agfachrome, while "shiny happy" scenes with vibrant, bright colors would work best with Kodachrome. (Paul Simon wasn't kidding when he wrote that song.) When I wanted to do mist or fog, Ektachrome was best. And that was before the dominance of Fuji Velvia, which has drastically higher contrast and color saturation than "real life."

This is not to mention the "classic" photos of people like Ansel Adams. If you think about it for a minute, there are few things more artificial that casting a scene in black-and-white...unless you're totally colorblind, has anyone ever seen Yosemite looking just like Adams's photos, with no color whatsoever? And keep in mind that many black-and-white landscapes of old were shot with a yellow filter over the lens, to darken the sky and emphasize any clouds in a way that simply would not be seen by an objective observer standing next to the photographer.

And, so far, I have only spoken of enhancement that can be done "in-camera." Once you get into the darkroom, there are any number of tricks that are often done by pros to modify the image, including the obvious dodging and burning. Although I only worked with black-and-white printing back then, I could change the whole look of an image by going with a different-contrast paper. Color printers could set the chromatic balance through controlling the amount of magenta, cyan, and yellow light -- with some care, you could even change the light for exposing different sections of the same print.

And then there are the photos that are truly created in the darkroom through multiple exposure, negative images, and the like. Would anyone honestly disparage a surrealist photographer like Jerry Uelsmann, who uses these techniques, as being illegitimate for using a degree of enhancement far greater than a modern digital photographer could accomplish with Photoshop?

And, although this is not something the poster wrote, I guess I'm more than a little irritated with those amateur pundits who, on the one hand, pontificate that photography isn't a real art form because photographers don't really create anything, but merely use a machine to record the real world in front of them, and then, on the other hand, condemn those photographers who would use their creative abilities to transform an image into something in their head, rather than merely a snapshot, as somehow reprehensible or dishonest. (Not that anyone here is merely taking snapshots, but you get the idea.)

[druidity33]

43. your reply is perfect...

I shoot a fair amount of multiple exposure images and am often asked if they are Digitally enhanced. I also do some graphic design stuff, so i know what's possible with Photoshop. Photographers should be able to use all tools at their disposal and still be able to call it PHOTOGRAPHY. I only object when 'photojournalists' doctor their images.

Love Uelsmann!

Here's one of mine. Shot on film, rewound and randomly re-exposed...





try my website for more multiple exposure work...
link at bottom.

[Blue_In_AK]

52. That's a lovely shot(s). n/t

[druidity33]

76. thanks! nt

[intheflow]

57. Wow, that's a beautiful piece of art!

I'll be checking out that web site of yours. Thanks for sharing! :hi:

[druidity33]

77. thank you

here's another one for you...

I might've chosen this to submit for tranquility.







edited to fix link

[intheflow]

81. Another beauty.

I assume you'll be getting your arse over to the Photo Group now that you know about us? (I hope, I hope!)

[regnaD kciN]

67. VERY nice...

Here's one I made several decades ago. Shot it on film, made an interpositive, then printed both together at different framings and magnification factors. Absolutely no computers used in the creation of this image. (FWIW, when I first shot the original image, the Apple II hadn't even been introduced.)



Sorry about the small size, but when I scanned the original and only print, scanners were primitive enough that I could only get around 350x250 resolution. And I should probably add that I've tried in the past few years to get a similar effect from Photoshop, but haven't managed to do so, thus proving that, despite the fears of so-called purists, you still can't do everything in the "digital darkroom" that you could in an old-fashioned one.

[druidity33]

78. i still have

boxes of Photograms (ala ManRay), Kodaliths, Liquid Light pieces, Cyanotypes, etc. I haven't done any darkroom work in years (i work in a photolab, all machines are self-contained now)... but i miss those days. I used to do LOTS of stuff that i wouldn't even begin to know how to do in Photoshop. Believe it or not, i miss spot-toning too!


Excellent shot btw...

[intheflow]

58. Ah, good,

that was just the kind of chiming in I was hoping for. Thanks, regnaD kciN! :hi:

[ConsAreLiars]

73. Pre-digital era photography was often highly manipulated.

But the general assumption is that what one sees is somehow a consequence of what was recorded by the camera(s), in contrast to your black rectangle example. The pragmatic answer is that most of us are just barely beginning to learn to use editing tools, so we haven't encountered any cases of excess, other than in a few just-for-fun play threads. The ideological context is that this is a DU Forum, and a friendly one, so "we don't need no stinkin' rules" in order to try to act in accord with the greater good.

[Pathwalker]

5. Oh dear - how do I choose? They're all wonderful.

It will truly be difficult to choose just one - they're all exquisite.

[Eurobabe]

6. Voted, K& R

Nice work peeps! :hi:

[Behind the Aegis]

8. I am sad. "Greece" should have been the word!

::pouting::

The final choices are really beautiful. There are some really talented photographers on DU (I am assuming all the pics are from DU'ers, correct?)!

[intheflow]

39. Yep.

That's all local talent here on DU. It always amazes me what a truly diverse community DU is.

[Spazito]

9. I LOVE the photo contest threads!

They bring me a bit of peaceful reverie in the midst of political turmoil. Thanks to all the wonderful photographers for their work, it is MUCH appreciated by this DUer!

Recommended.

[Whoa_Nelly]

10. Get Thee Back To Page One!

:kick:

[qanda]

11. kick

:kick:

[Call Me Wesley]

12. Kick. (nt)

[Mr. McD]

13. Bump

[chknltl]

15. kick nt

[Blue_In_AK]

17. Time for another kick.

[chknltl]

18. rise. Rise.. RISE!

[Catbird]

19. Nudge.

[alfredo]

20. step step kick

[Evergreen Emerald]

21. They are all so exceptional

It was very hard to choose.

[chknltl]

22. kicked

[GoneOffShore]

23. Brilliant photos all.

Thanks for the images.

:kick:

[spindrifter]

24. I always look forward to seeing the photos--

and thinking what splendid eyes on the world DUers have. Thank you, photographers!

[Nicole]

25. Voted

:kick:

[Tektonik]

26. kick

wow the race is getting pretty tight

[chknltl]

27. hmmm... scads of views yet only 17 votes in 4+hours???? kicked

[intheflow]

33. Weird that you're seeing that.

I have over 160 votes only an hour after you posted saying you only see 17 votes. :shrug:

[chknltl]

36. oops saw the recs...now up to 19 and thought votes

And I do not drink...really sorry about that

[HCE SuiGeneris]

28. Am I too late?! Great pictures by all. Here's my late entry...

[chknltl]

30. Yep, too late...and a good thing too.....

This "On Golden Pond" photo of yours looks to be a show stealer indeed! That shot positively oozes tranquility. Check in with the DU "Photography" section from time to time, the contests are almost monthly. I think the next one will have "Spring" as the subject matter and it will likely be taking in submissions very very soon. (edited because I suggested that you needed a Gold Star to enter and I had failed to see that you have a gold star.... d'oh!)
c

[intheflow]

35. The contests are monthly.

I don't think we've missed a month since they first started in November '04.

[Blue_In_AK]

31. Gorgeous photograph...

Do please visit the Photo Group. The spring contest will start taking entries May 1st, I believe. The winner of this month's contest will host next month's regular contest, topic to be determined.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

32. I will do. Didn't even know the forum existed...

:blush:
Thank you for the nice compliments!

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

29. K & R, for eternal artistry. Each of these pictures is stunning.

:kick: MKJ

[Pierogi_Pincher]

34. All just beautiful! K&R!

Thanx for a lovely ending to an otherwise depressing week.

P_P

[davekriss]

37. Impossible to choose!

These are all so great! Thank you to the artists.

[Longhorn]

38. The toughest competition yet!

They're ALL winners! :yourock:

[Eurobabe]

65. you're preaching to the choir!

we say that every contest. :rofl: great job everyone!

[chknltl]

40. kicked

[Blue_In_AK]

41. Late night kick

[donheld]

44. I'm sorry I really can't pick between

In Golden Light, Consider the Lily, and Steillacoom Sunset

[KiraBS]

45. Golden Light

It is the ducks that make it the most tranquil.

[annabanana]

46. Breathtaking choices. What a nice way to start my day!

[Callalily]

47. We have some very

talented DUer's. It was extremely difficult to choose!

[chknltl]

48. kick

[TahitiNut]

49. TRANQUILITY, dammit!!

:evilgrin:

[soup]

53. NOW!!!

:evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[chknltl]

50. kick

[Blue_In_AK]

51. Back to the top.

[NV Whino]

54. Kick

[Mz Pip]

55. Kick

:kick:

[chknltl]

56. kick

[malaise]

59. Beautiful pix

Really hard to pick just one.

[Call Me Wesley]

60. Kick again. (nt)

[Mz Pip]

61. Kick

:kick:

[chknltl]

62. kick

[JeffR]

63. Great to see this is so close. With 10 pics this good, it should be close!

Now, let's see Reflections of Concord get into double digits. It deserves it.
:kick:

[LWolf]

64. They are all beautiful.

I used the topic to narrow my choice down.

Nothing that includes people, or people created structure/infrastructure: I don't find people to be tranquil.

No ocean scenes; while beautiful, I find the ocean restless, not tranquil.

That left me with some pond scenes and a snow scene; I chose "Misty Morning Flight," because in a cool, early, misty morning, there's likely to be less activity/energy, more quiet, more tranquility.

Still, I really appreciate all of them!

[intheflow]

74. This is exactly why we chose a theme.

To help discern which photos to submit. But it's the various interpretations of any given theme that makes the contest so very interesting.

[alfredo]

66. kick this

[chknltl]

68. Ok, I will kick it!

[NastyRiffraff]

69. I chose "long still shadows"

Because I love black & white photography, and this is an especially beautiful example.

But all of these are outstanding. I only wish I could take photos as well.

[Catchawave]

70. KnR...wishing I could vote more than once !

:toast: to all the beautiful photos :toast:

[chknltl]

71. kicked

[chknltl]

72. kicked

[bonito]

75. Impossible to vote here

Because I like to believe I'm all those things, WOW I feel like I've been had, a good thing.

[alfredo]

79. kick

[JeffR]

80. Time for a kick

so I'm kickin'...
:kick:

[soup]

82. a peaceful, easy nudge

[Mz Pip]

83. Kick

:kick:

[chknltl]

84. The nice thing about kicking this...

...is gettin to look at all these tranquil scenes all over again! ::):

[JeffR]

85. Kick?

Kick!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[intheflow]

86. The contest is now CLOSED.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!

FIRST PLACE:
bvar22
Consider the Lily


SECOND PLACE:
soup
misty morning flight


THIRD PLACE:
Call Me Wesley
Single shed.


Congratulations to all our photographers! :applause: This was a much needed GD tranquility break, and you all served DU admirably. :patriot:

[The empressof all]

87. Locking

On request of the Original poster

Contest has ended