<<>> Please Vote!

[Celebration]

Poll question: <<<May Contest Theme>>> Please Vote!

Many thanks to Mira for hosting the last two contests, all while being treated for a broken arm! Amazing job!

I will leave this poll up for approximately 48 hours, and then follow immediately with a Finals, if no one subject gets a majority. So, think about it, and vote for your favorite, rather than holding back to wait and see how the poll goes. I'd like to have the theme picked by Saturday night.

I may not ever have the privilege of hosting another contest, so I thought I might as well make sure that I have a theme that I love. The only way to ensure that without being too dictatorial is to select all the subjects for the poll. I am thus asserting my rights to be Czar. Not only have I not previously come in first in the photo contest, but also none of my suggestions for contest themes have ever won in the polls. So you might recognize a few of these losers from previous contest polls.

There were tons of people who wanted “Portrait of a Musician.” Hmmm, those could be included in my first suggestion-- "Festivals and Performances" . So you could submit a photo of a festival, or a portrait of a musician or other performing artist, or a shot of someone in the crowd, or the crowd in general. Performers are there to entertain, and by doing that are actually inviting photographers to take their picture (at least that is the way I look at it). I am going to stipulate ahead of time that no fireworks photos may be submitted in this theme. I love fireworks, and photos of fireworks, but this proposed theme is meant for performers or the people who attend performances or festivals. I actually like my glassblower photo, but I am not sure exactly why.



Okay, I suggested this loser last month. “Let’s Get Physical” —people or animals engaged in exercise or sports. I don’t like taking closeups of strangers, but keep in mind that good photos can be taken from a distance away, when the subjects are not recognizable. Also if you see a dog doing something athletic like catching a Frisbee, that would count. I would rather have people, but I will not reject athletic animals.



My third suggestion is another loser from another month “Critters.” Actually I think it won, but the calendar that year was of animals so we indefinitely postponed it. Critters are animals that are not pets, not in the zoo, and not on the farm or domesticated. Yes it includes birds, although probably strange ones would be best. But I would not reject a bird entry for not being weird enough. The bird or other animal must have been found in the wild. Oh, yeah the critter must be alive and well.



The fourth suggestion is Backlit . Oh, I love backlit photos. Everything looks different when backlit. I actually love light shining through things like flowers. I would hate missing out entering a backlit contest, but it would be totally worth it just to see thirty backlit photos.



The fifth suggestion is Cell Phone Camera photos—no editing allowed . Straight from the camera low resolution photos only are allowed here. I am not going to specifically define low resolution, though. Try to keep to the spirit of the contest. This would be a huge challenge to me as cropping is one of my favorite pastimes. LOL my cell phone photos aren’t all that great, but here goes. I actually think this contest theme could inspire some budding photographers in GD.

[Mira]

1. OMG - what a start. I am now double glad you won this, because I can see this will be fun.

The fun is the first reason - the photo of yours on this laptop as my wallpaper is the second. I walked away last night, the icons on the corners dropped away as the computer shut down, and your luminous photo glowed in the dark.
"Oh how gorgeous".
And you indicated you thought there was suspicion of color manipulation. Not in my mind. Too many clues for me to see this was quite real.

When I won for the first time I said to JeffR that this will surely never happen to me again.
He assured me it would, and he was right. You sneaked up on the win, last month you were second.

You will look back on this and say: WOW: that first contest was hard, and the next ones got easier.
You'll also win again if you stick with it and hosting will be (a little closer to) a breeze.
I can tell you are starting with a full deck of suggestions, photos, and self disclosure about your thoughts.

I'm smiling big.
But don't know which to pick.

[Stevenmarc]

2. Well as a person with 100+ iPhone photography based Apps

You can guess what my choice was.

Now here comes the question, quite a few camera apps apply filtering at the time the shot is taken so technically you really aren't editing the picture even though your shot looks like it had a ton of editing, For example:




Not a bit of editing was done after the the shutter button was pressed.

[Celebration]

3. Well you are really raising the bar!!

Tell us exactly how you did it and I will allow it!! This is after all, more than anything, a learning experience, and if cell phone photography wins, that would give everyone here two weeks or so to try to duplicate your technique on different photos, should they so choose.

I like the idea of cell phone photography because it is a very cheap way for people to get interested in photography. And if they see that photos like this are possible, without spending several hundred dollars, I think DU members would find it personally inspirational.

I have an iPhone and not a single photography app. In fact, I only have one app! I think I am showing my age. But let us know your secrets!

How expensive are the filtering apps?

[Stevenmarc]

4. That shot was taken

With the Hipstamatic App currently on sale for $1.99 they sell optional "Hipsta Pak's" that include different "lenses" and "films" that create different effects, in this case I used the Lens from the Salvador Dali pak and the film from the Soho pak each of the Pak's run about .99 cents Unfortunately the Salvador Dali pak was a limited edition fund raiser for the Dali museum but I do hope they make it available again.

So basically I selected a film and a lens and took the shot, that was the final result.

http://hipstamaticapp.com/

[Celebration]

5. Thanks!!

If "cell phone" wins as the theme, you are allowed to enter any "unedited" cell phone photo that you have taken, as long as it uses the Hipstamatic App or the optional Hipsta Pak lenses and films, even if it is a limited edition pak. However, if "cell phone" wins, and you decide to enter another photo, using a different app, I would like everyone here to have at least one week's notice on the app that you used for the photo that you are entering.

I am, however, limiting this to apps that cost less than ten dollars.

Nobody is allowed to use an app that costs more than ten bucks.

There, I am a good Czar, and I didn't even need a poll.

[alfredo]

9. iPhone/Leica concept

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/04/26/the-leica-i9-concept-very-interesting-indeed/

[Stevenmarc]

10. It's an interesting design exercise

It's like having an X1 that has the ability to edit and upload photos on the spot.

[alfredo]

13. Yeah. I'd love to get hold of an X1, but will wait until they

come to their senses and price it closer to the Fuji X100. That won't happen. Maybe they will have a Lumix branded edition for less.

[Stevenmarc]

14. Since the X1 is manufactured in Germany like the M9

I would highly doubt that it will ever have a Lumix badge

Honestly the pricing on the X1 is pretty much in line with what it is, a fixed lens, scaled down version of the M8.2

[alfredo]

15. But I'm a cheapskate with a good alibi: retired.

I am looking at some of the Sony NEX offerings. I like the image quality, and the LCD.

BTW, I think that Apple is contracting Kodak for upcoming sensors for their iPhones.

[Blue_In_AK]

6. I have no cell phone

but I probably won't be entering this time anyway, so have at it.

[HappyCynic]

17. I only got one less than a year ago

But I have to admit I haven't tried the camera on it yet. I got a very basic phone that I use as an emergency phone (pay-as-you go plan with a $10 per month top-off to keep the account active). I actually have a couple cameras I never use: one on my cell phone and the other, oddly enough, on my mp3 player. :shrug:

[Mira]

7. If this cell phone thing flies

then I have to learn to take off the one photo I ever made with it (by complete accident) and learn how that photo happened so I can make some more.

I use the phone to make and receive calls.
If I want to take a picture I use my CAMERA.

:smilingsarcasm:

[Celebration]

8. cell phone cameras are fun

Hubby takes pictures of the fish he catches and sends them to friends. It's so easy just to stick them into an email or message, all at the same time you take them. When I babysat over the weekend, I knew my daughter would want to see what we were doing, so I emailed her a picture every few hours.

I was once at a playground taking care of the grandkid. I had my camera with me but, alas, no camera card. I used my cell phone camera instead. Still, my cell phone camera gets very little use.

I have to admit that cell phone camera theme would be a huge challenge to me. But, if it wins, I plan to look for apps and try to figure out how to use them...........

[Cassandra]

11. I don't own a cell phone

I would say I'm often the technological wet blanket here but I'm typing this on my iPad while horizontal, so maybe not so much.

[Mz Pip]

12. My cell phone is ancient.

The screen is cracked and help together with clear packing tape. It still works but I doubt I could take a picture with it. :shrug: Maybe I could borrow Mr Pip's iPhone.

[Mira]

16. It looks like the danger of us becoming pre-occupied with the cell phone's

camera is passing... It is an intriguing idea, and I'm sure its time will come.

I was on a little business jaunt in the country and stopped and took some back lit photos, and I swear I think I damaged my retina and I know came away with nothing because once downloaded my eyes were good enough to confirm this evaluation.

I had a wonderful time though, and will continue with a session INSIDE the house soon.

As always, once a theme starts I think I have no idea what to do and then the opportunities show up all around me.

I might post a few photos of a wonderfully wacky barn I found later on.

[Celebration]

18. OMG, I have done the same thing

I have thought I have permanently damaged my eyes while taking photos against the sun...........

I'm fine but BE CAREFUL EVERYONE..........

Mine were sunset photos I think, like this



I have a good place at the Tennessee River to get backlit photos without retina damage (I am actually in the shade)



Please post the wacky barn photos!