RE: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Second Honeymoon by Amita Guha, USA What the heck's this all about? She'll be doing video diaries next. Take Amita's face out of the lower left and the pic takes on a different meaning: the camera is the second person in the room. Put Amita back in, and we become the third. A sort of benevolent relative, or a child. Or maybe room service. Voyeuristic or just fun? You decide. Nice work Amita. Thanks, Cotty! My face actually got in there by accident. I took a few of those and I decided the one with me in it was the most interesting. That little flip-out screen certainly comes in handy sometimes. :)
Re Cotty's November PUG comments Part 2
Hi, Cotty Thanks for your comments, and specially for the web site promotion! Thanks again Disapaired Albano (too much work, luckiky) Cotty wrote: Weird Portrait of Juan Pablo by Albano Garcia, Argentina Top class result from Albano. Vist his home page - he ahs some cracking stuff on there. Avant-garde and cutting edge. Another superb shot from a fine photographer. = Albano Garcia El Pibe Asahi __ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
I don't think my friend Mic would appreciate that very much, but thanks for the comment. It was a bit sharper but somehow uploading has a softening effect.. Cheers, Ryan - Original Message - From: Cotty [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Thinker by Ryan Lee, Australia I like it. Fishing is a smelly business - rename it 'The Stinker' :-) Good capture in harsh light.
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
On 2/11/03, [EMAIL PROTECTED] disgorged: cotty wrote: Scrabble Champ by Ann Sanfedele , USA Nice profile by Annsan of a Scrabble player, well executed by an observant lady. I think I'd go in on the face - you know he's playing Scrabble, but there's no way of knowing it by looking at the pic. Go close, or pull out and show us the board. Difficult to do as the face and board are so far apart. Are you allowed to walk about during these competitions? The lighting is superb. Well done Ann. __ Thanks, Cotty! Just for information . The only reason I was allowed to be _this_ close to the game at the Nationals in 1992 was that I was working the tournament at the time as a word judge, I was shooting _without_ a flash and both Joe and his opponent are used to me hanging around the table in this kind of situation. I actually did do word judging on this particular game. For this tournament, I was not the official photog but I had been in 1983 when the person you cant see opposite Edley was the winner (Joel Wapnick). This was the final game of the tournament and Joel and Joe were playing for pretty big bucks. The lighting was what it was because the local TV guys were set up with powerful strobes. The reflections from the board and the white table cloth were intense so it is intentionally eliminated. I was able to shoot only a few frames very quickly. That being said, my full frame shot is actualy a bit more interesting - and a bit more of the board shows. This cropping was one I was working on for the WINNERS calendar I've just completed - and on the cover of that he is cropped even more (as you suggest.) I was shooting with a 50 mm and standing just to the right of the TV camera tripod setup, and using manual rewind. As the ALL STARS tournament is going to be on ESPN (they say) next Sunday, I though it would be nice to have one of them in the PUG. Frankly, I was careless with this PUG entry - just racing to get it in at the last moment.. it needs fiddling with. As to are you allowed to just walk around - that varies - but in this situration the other players were kept back. There were two people sitting at the table annotating the game, the tourney director was close by, there were a number of news people, and me. Thanks or the info Ann. Very interesting. In those situations, I have learned over the years that I tend not to give away too much when it comes to covering events or contests. I find organisers (quite rightly) are over protective of their charges and faff accordingly. Hence, if I'm working (tv news) then I will enter the room and chat amiably to the press relations person or organiser - usually prodding for a cup of tea as that always gets me off on a goof foot ;-) and puts them at ease giving them a line of command to follow up with an underling. Then I pick a nice quiet spot far away from the action and set up my sticks, dropping bags and gear their. This effectively becomes my base camp. The organiser usually asks something like 'ok are you happy here?' and dashes off to greet others. My position is selected on appropriateness for a nice big wide shot, and subsequent steady shots on the end of the bottle for big close-ups like concentrating sweaty faces etc. Once under way, I pick off a few of these, and then quite happily unlock the camera from the baseplate, hoik it onto my shoulder, and wander at will. The looks on some of the organisers' faces - shock! He's not staying put! Horrors! I then roam at will, as quietly and decisively as possible, no hesitation, getting different angles, lots of close wides, different heights, some from the floor, some from standing on top of a chair. In a large quiet room full of people, it is almost pysically impossible for an organiser or press bod to move about and restrain us (I won't be the only one sometimes) because people are afraid of drawing attention to themselves. It took me fully 6 months to get past this phase and now it's not a problem. I just think of the paycheck. If I'm shooting stills for pleasure, same deal. The roaming goes on for a max of 5 minutes, then I'm done. I go on the assumption that it's better for a quick 5 minutes of quiet activity than half an hour of constant shuffling about from the back trying to improve an unimprovable view. The most important thing with people like actors, models, artists, athletes, competitors, is not to get in their eye-line. Actors especially. Puts them right off. Otherwise, they're fair game IMO. We once turned up to shoot a choir practising in a lovely old barn. The organiser (a charity) was keen to oblige us but the musical director was being ultra precious and kept throwing wobblies. First he wouldn't let us put up a couple of 2Ks (lights) then he was saying we could only film one number, and once only (usually like to get at least two runs of a number, one for a master wide and another for close-ups etc) - - and it was then limiting our ability to do our job effectively. We
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
There is a story about a Russian mathematician (whose name I forget) who was once chided by a British friend about the way he spoke English. His reply was there are 70 million English that speak English like you and 240 million Russians that speak it like me Steven Desjardins Department of Chemistry Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450 (540) 458-8873 FAX: (540) 458-8878 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] 11/03/03 02:22PM Hi! ===8==Original message text=== KW I won't speak for any Brit, but in the U.S. only those who have not yet KW developed a vocabulary of more than 100 or so words still use that teen-talk. KW Plain truth, it brands one as immature. evil friendly grin KW No, no! Not you, Boris! g KW keith whaley ===8===End of original message text=== That's the main problem of my English. Since most of my English is obtained passively through observation and copying, I often misuse words. Well, naturally, most of my English lessons back in Moscow were mostly either irrelevant or plain forgotten... It would be fascinating to compute size of my Russian and English vocabularies and compare the figures... serious grin But thanks anyway grin... Boris
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Hi! SD There is a story about a Russian mathematician (whose name I forget) who SD was once chided by a British friend about the way he spoke English. His SD reply was there are 70 million English that speak English like you and SD 240 million Russians that speak it like me Steve, mathematicians tend to overgeneralize things... I really doubt that among 240 (let say, there are that many) million people whose mother's tongue is Russian, there would be 70 million (I've no idea about population of England) who speak any English... But thanks, you made me chuckle... Boris
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
In fact, you're doing very well! Your accent is barely noticeable... I wouldn't worry about a thing! g keith Boris Liberman wrote: Hi! ===8==Original message text=== KW I won't speak for any Brit, but in the U.S. only those who have not yet KW developed a vocabulary of more than 100 or so words still use that teen-talk. KW Plain truth, it brands one as immature. evil friendly grin KW No, no! Not you, Boris! g KW keith whaley ===8===End of original message text=== That's the main problem of my English. Since most of my English is obtained passively through observation and copying, I often misuse words. Well, naturally, most of my English lessons back in Moscow were mostly either irrelevant or plain forgotten... It would be fascinating to compute size of my Russian and English vocabularies and compare the figures... serious grin But thanks anyway grin... Boris
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Dude! Chillax, man... vbg -knarf The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true. -J. Robert Oppenheimer From: Keith Whaley [EMAIL PROTECTED] I won't speak for any Brit, but in the U.S. only those who have not yet developed a vocabulary of more than 100 or so words still use that teen-talk. Plain truth, it brands one as immature. evil friendly grin No, no! Not you, Boris! g keith whaley _ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/bcommpgmarket=en-caRU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca
RE: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Hi Cotty, Thanks for your comments on my submission, and for taking the time and effort to review on all the images. I always go back and look at the whole gallery side by side with your comments. Invariably I either see something new in them or am drawn to the areas you comment on. It always makes for a rewarding second viewing. Cheers, Simon -Original Message- From: Cotty [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, 3 November 2003 2:22 AM To: pentax list Subject: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2 PART 2... Nupsstadur by Thrainn Vigfusson, Iceland This is Thainn's first PUG entry, and as was the habit, I used to try and comment on first entries, so I'll wade in. I can't make my mind up whether or not I like this pic - I'm not sure what it's trying to be. In my mind, I blotted out the [assumed] Jeep [Willys?] and imagined it like that - and decided I did like it. Then I put the Jeep back in and tried again. And couldn't decide. It certainly adds colour to an otherwise pedestrian view - although I do like the light. Either way it has got me writing so it must have something to it - technically it is excellent. Great contrast, nice colour, a very good scan. Can't fault it, just can't decide what it means, but then again that doesn't matter. You must only make pictures for yourself, and if anyone else likes them, smile! Stonewall Jackson Cemetery by Steven Desjardins, USA Interesting approach to a well-trodden subject - the cemetery. Harsh lighting but it doesn't detract at all. Lovely composition, muted colours. Works well for me. Let's leave it buried for now ;-) Stone Canon by Andrew Wong, Hong Kong Andrew, crop off the top of the pic and lose that bit of tree. Nice sky. Parallel Spiral by BigButt, China With a name like that, I have to comment. What a nerve! Anyway, nice shot, well observed study of a pair of spiral staircases. A bit burnt out on the right, slap on wrist. Or should that be slap on big butt? Refresher by Michael Gil Menz Where do these people come from? You never hear a peep on the list, and suddenly a shot drops into the PUG and turns out to be a masterpiece. Gil's sepia-toned view of children playing amongst water jets in what looks like a playground but in fact could be anything from an abattoir to an airport, is fascinating. The photographer is not letting on, but he doesn't have to - the photograph speaks for itself. There's some heavy contrast, but also some very subtle toning in there, look at the top left and right, above the blurry figure. Fully backlit, there's no flare, and no tell-tale water drops on the lens in what looks like a difficult shooting situation. I am truly in awe of this pic - it has all the elements that I need to see, and I can look at it for a long time. My Star Pic of the Month. Congrats! My Chevy by Paul Stenquist, USA Paul is well known for his beautiful classic car shots - and this is no exception. All those amazing hard edges and colours that jump out at you, slap you in the face, then knee you in the groin. It's a feast for the eyes. Stunning. When's the next book out Paul? Water And Air by Wessel Sijl, The Netherlands There's a joker in every pack - oddball shot of the month! Giant seagull sinks ferry - just caught it in time Wessel ;-) Perspective by Boris Liberman, Israel Nice idea Boris, competently executed. What about trying it as a vertical orientation and getting the first tall plant as big in the shot as physically possible? Take some step ladders (and an assistant) to get you some height otherwise the plants disappear in the background. Well done, I like it. Scale by Simon King, Australia Superb architectural study with plenty of parallels and angles. The silhouettes on the left are fine but I'd lose the party going on bottom right, personally. Impressive observation. Thanks. Retine Opressée by Hamiche Samir, France Can't tell what the Dickens is going on in there hamiche, but it works for me. Scrabble Champ by Ann Sanfedele , USA Nice profile by Annsan of a Scrabble player, well executed by an observant lady. I think I'd go in on the face - you know he's playing Scrabble, but there's no way of knowing it by looking at the pic. Go close, or pull out and show us the board. Difficult to do as the face and board are so far apart. Are you allowed to walk about during these competitions? The lighting is superb. Well done Ann. Ewelina and Pawel by Maciej Marchlewski, Poland Interesting config of a pair of newlyweds, Maciej. The groom has a very interesting face - do a session with just him some time. Ask him not to wear that tie though. Is he reaching in hos pocket for your fee? ;-) Nice one. Concerned by Cotty, UK Looks like the contast pixies have been busy here. Bag of shite, move on. Nicole in blue by Roman Sonnleitner, Austria Unusual crop for a portrait, and a blue hue won't do you any favours with prospective sitters. Roman's first PUG shot with his
Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
PART 2... Nupsstadur by Thrainn Vigfusson, Iceland This is Thainn's first PUG entry, and as was the habit, I used to try and comment on first entries, so I'll wade in. I can't make my mind up whether or not I like this pic - I'm not sure what it's trying to be. In my mind, I blotted out the [assumed] Jeep [Willys?] and imagined it like that - and decided I did like it. Then I put the Jeep back in and tried again. And couldn't decide. It certainly adds colour to an otherwise pedestrian view - although I do like the light. Either way it has got me writing so it must have something to it - technically it is excellent. Great contrast, nice colour, a very good scan. Can't fault it, just can't decide what it means, but then again that doesn't matter. You must only make pictures for yourself, and if anyone else likes them, smile! Stonewall Jackson Cemetery by Steven Desjardins, USA Interesting approach to a well-trodden subject - the cemetery. Harsh lighting but it doesn't detract at all. Lovely composition, muted colours. Works well for me. Let's leave it buried for now ;-) Stone Canon by Andrew Wong, Hong Kong Andrew, crop off the top of the pic and lose that bit of tree. Nice sky. Parallel Spiral by BigButt, China With a name like that, I have to comment. What a nerve! Anyway, nice shot, well observed study of a pair of spiral staircases. A bit burnt out on the right, slap on wrist. Or should that be slap on big butt? Refresher by Michael Gil Menz Where do these people come from? You never hear a peep on the list, and suddenly a shot drops into the PUG and turns out to be a masterpiece. Gil's sepia-toned view of children playing amongst water jets in what looks like a playground but in fact could be anything from an abattoir to an airport, is fascinating. The photographer is not letting on, but he doesn't have to - the photograph speaks for itself. There's some heavy contrast, but also some very subtle toning in there, look at the top left and right, above the blurry figure. Fully backlit, there's no flare, and no tell-tale water drops on the lens in what looks like a difficult shooting situation. I am truly in awe of this pic - it has all the elements that I need to see, and I can look at it for a long time. My Star Pic of the Month. Congrats! My Chevy by Paul Stenquist, USA Paul is well known for his beautiful classic car shots - and this is no exception. All those amazing hard edges and colours that jump out at you, slap you in the face, then knee you in the groin. It's a feast for the eyes. Stunning. When's the next book out Paul? Water And Air by Wessel Sijl, The Netherlands There's a joker in every pack - oddball shot of the month! Giant seagull sinks ferry - just caught it in time Wessel ;-) Perspective by Boris Liberman, Israel Nice idea Boris, competently executed. What about trying it as a vertical orientation and getting the first tall plant as big in the shot as physically possible? Take some step ladders (and an assistant) to get you some height otherwise the plants disappear in the background. Well done, I like it. Scale by Simon King, Australia Superb architectural study with plenty of parallels and angles. The silhouettes on the left are fine but I'd lose the party going on bottom right, personally. Impressive observation. Thanks. Retine Opressée by Hamiche Samir, France Can't tell what the Dickens is going on in there hamiche, but it works for me. Scrabble Champ by Ann Sanfedele , USA Nice profile by Annsan of a Scrabble player, well executed by an observant lady. I think I'd go in on the face - you know he's playing Scrabble, but there's no way of knowing it by looking at the pic. Go close, or pull out and show us the board. Difficult to do as the face and board are so far apart. Are you allowed to walk about during these competitions? The lighting is superb. Well done Ann. Ewelina and Pawel by Maciej Marchlewski, Poland Interesting config of a pair of newlyweds, Maciej. The groom has a very interesting face - do a session with just him some time. Ask him not to wear that tie though. Is he reaching in hos pocket for your fee? ;-) Nice one. Concerned by Cotty, UK Looks like the contast pixies have been busy here. Bag of shite, move on. Nicole in blue by Roman Sonnleitner, Austria Unusual crop for a portrait, and a blue hue won't do you any favours with prospective sitters. Roman's first PUG shot with his first Pentax SLR. Tip: shoot a full face and then crop later if you want. Cropping a face at shooting means you have no choice. I bet she has just as nice a chin as the rest of her face. Harsh side lighting can play havoc with contrast - you've only got to look at my disaster (previous) to see that. You've gone for high key, and lost everything in the highlights. Gives it a surreal ghost-like quality, which let's face it, some people pay for these days ;-) Kim's Mercury by Dave Madsen, USA Yep, works
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Cotty wrote: My Chevy by Paul Stenquist, USA Paul is well known for his beautiful classic car shots - and this is no exception. All those amazing hard edges and colours that jump out at you, slap you in the face, then knee you in the groin. It's a feast for the eyes. Stunning. When's the next book out Paul? Gosh, I'm blushing. Thank you, Cotty.
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
You know, Cotty, When I first noticed the ears (aka: necklaces) above Claire's head, I too thought they were unintentional. Then, I recalled the old saying there are no accidents (was that Freud? no matter...). Those ears are in that photo for a reason. God was speaking there, Cotty. And, BTW, I know it would have been a better shot with the LX. It will make me a better photographer. That's why we buy new cameras isn't it? g cheers, the Man With the Ears. ps: Thanks for the comments. It was kind of a cute shot, eh? But then, consider the subject. The kid won't take a bad shot - really. vbg The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true. -J. Robert Oppenheimer From: Cotty [EMAIL PROTECTED] Through the Looking Glass? by Frank Theriault, Canada Cute grab, Frank. I like the unintentional ears placed above the mirror by the necklaces in the background. Crank up that LX ma boy! _ Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/bcommpgmarket=en-caRU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Cotty [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Punchinello Cups by Gianfranco Irlanda, Italy Competent pack shot of some fancy china (hey - I'm an ignorant git when pots come into it). Lovely colour, and I like the haze effect. Bella! Cioaoaiaoaiaou. Ciao Cotty! Thanks a lot for the kind words. I have to admit that I've been quite lazy wrt my recent PUG sumbissions, too much archive pictures without even a deep search... I'll have to put more effort, in the future, trying to match the high standard of the gallery shots. Well, that's it for this month. Truly awesome gallery, as the Yanks say. It took me several sittings to go through it all, and I looked at every pic. They were all good, as has been said many times already. Thanks for contributing, and until next time. Thank you for taking the time and for all the interesting comments. It's been a nice reading, the gallery shots in a window and your comments in another. With a glass of Lagavulin it would have been a perfect way to spend 1/2 hour. Well, almost... :-) Ciao, Gianfranco = To read is to travel without all the hassles of luggage. ---Emilio Salgari (1863-1911) __ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/
Re: Cotty's November PUG Comments PART 2
Hi! C Perspective C by Boris Liberman, C Israel C Nice idea Boris, competently executed. What about trying it as a vertical C orientation and getting the first tall plant as big in the shot as C physically possible? Take some step ladders (and an assistant) to get you C some height otherwise the plants disappear in the background. Well done, C I like it. Oh, thanks, man! (Is it something only Americans say, or Brits do too? evil friendly grin... Actually, Cotty, I tried what you say with 50 mm lens (did not have 35 and 24 at that time) from relatively close distance. It did not came out any good. But I will keep trying, unless coming winter (the winter is still only coming, and hasn't come yet by a long shot) will destroy the scene. There is no chance I could get an assistant and a ladder to that point. Though, the shot was taken from some kind of a vantage point so that camera is actually roughly two human heights about the ground... Darn, just as I wrote, I am not done with this location. I am going there again... Thank you for your kind words... Boris
