Just wishing it will soon come up as an issue.

The theme for the AUGUST contest is Panoramas.

As panoramas are larger by definition, please keep the file size to one megabyte or under and 1600 pixels on the longest side. As I am not going to be available much longer this month, Solly Mack will take over from here. If you have trouble sizing or posting please let Solly Mack know and she will help you with it or if she is not available someone else here should be able to help, just ask in the comment thread

Submissions will run for a week or until 30 entries are received. Preliminary Threads will be posted shortly there after.

Please do not comment in this thread. A separate discussion thread is posted for comments.

The comment thread is located at: http://www.democraticunderground.com/103645404

Any and all post processing is encouraged and allowed.

Have fun!

Please use this thread to comment on any and all August entries. Have fun!

Here is the complete schedule for the August - Panorama Contest Submissions and Voting.

Submissions starting Saturday 8/15 for one week or 30 entries.

Voting to Start Sunday 8/23 to be managed by Solly Mac.

Good luck and have fun.

Puppy Bismark.

Everyone:

Based my post asking for input on the August competition, it appears as if none of the suggestions rose to the top, so I have picked panoramas. I have looked at the topics for the past few years and have not seen any thing of this sort, so since I really like taking panoramas and it is different, I have selected this as the topic for the August competition. This means ANY subject is allowed, the image just has to be a panorama. We will also relax the size requirements to allow for wide or tall images.

I will publish a contest schedule in the next few days. I will be unavailable the end of the month, so Solly Mack has agreed to help on the Competition.

Panoramas are made up of more than one image stitched beside or above each other to make an image that cannot be made with a single picture. For the past ten years a number of digital cameras can do it or most all image processing software such as Photoshop or Lightroom can create them.

In addition, there are free software packages that will do the work for you too. One of them is Hugin available at http://hugin.sourceforge.net/ They have good tutorials and I expect that there are many in uTube.

Also, many digital cameras can produce panoramas right in the camera. I had one about ten years ago that could do that.

Below are a couple of my panoramas all of which were taken hand held, not with a tripod. (Tripod panoramas will come out better)

A couple of my guidelines

1. Take the images in portrait orientation for landscape panoramas, or the opposite for portrait panoramas.
2. If possible, take the images in manual mode to assure the exposure is consistent across the images.
3. Make sure the images overlap.

Here are some example panoramas:

Bow lake in the Canadian Rockies. It was one of those days one could not help but take great images. This one is made up of six individual portrait exposures:

link:

Pretty building in Calgary. This one is made up of three landscape images.

link:

Both of these were generated in Photoshop.

I would like to start the process quickly for the August Photography Group Contest. Below are three topic suggestions. Please let me know which sounds best to you.

1. Panoramas. Panoramas are made up of more than one image stitched beside or above each other to make an image that cannot be made with a single picture. For the past ten years a number of digital cameras can do it or most all image processing software such as Photoshop or Lightroom can create them.

2. Summer Landscapes. Self explanatory.

3. Tall Things. Buildings, trees, people, etc.

Please let me know which one of these appeal to you or if none of them do, what would you like to suggest.

I need to get the contest underway in early August because of my schedule for the end of the month.

Thanks,
Puppy Bismark

The June Results are now posted at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023143454


SollyMack, our winner, it is his turn to run the July Contest.

Thanks to all who entered!
PuppyBismark

And the winners of the HDR Image photo contest are …



First Place
Soar! by SollyMack



Tied for Second Place
Made in the USA by justiceischeap




Tied for Second Place
Modern Restrooms by JohnnyRingo




Tied for Second Place
Out in the barn by MichaelSoEb





Note: there were three entries tied for Second Place!


SollyMack it is your turn to run the July Contest.

Thanks to all who entered!
PuppyBismark

Everyone, please vote in the final June Photography Poll. The Poll in in the General Discussion Group at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023121524


Thank You,

PuppyBismark