Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 04:37, Paul Stenquist wrote: On Jan 4, 2004, at 5:21 PM, Bill Sawyer wrote: From Paul Stenquist, the other Michigan PDMLer, I'm learning to shoot dilapidated trailer parks.VBG!! I prefer the trailer parks to the deer because they don't run away g. I do some nature photography as well but it's of a nature that's not allowed on the PUG vbg. Are there restrictions for the PUG? -- Frits Wüthrich [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 20:08, mike wilson wrote: Hi, Frits Wüthrich wrote: On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 04:37, Paul Stenquist wrote: I prefer the trailer parks to the deer because they don't run away g. I do some nature photography as well but it's of a nature that's not allowed on the PUG vbg. Are there restrictions for the PUG? I think the nature of the restriction Paul is talking about is nudity, of Homo sapiens at least. mike Yes, I understand that, but I didn't find anything in the submission guidelines about such a restriction. -- Frits Wüthrich [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
Frits Wüthrich wrote: On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 20:08, mike wilson wrote: I think the nature of the restriction Paul is talking about is nudity, of Homo sapiens at least. Yes, I understand that, but I didn't find anything in the submission guidelines about such a restriction. It's an unwritten one that has been been (very subtly) broken at least once. If the basic presumption is that most art nudes are terminally naff and most glamour nudes are unbearably derogatory to women, I, for one, don't have a problem with the restriction. Especially as that type of photography is difficult to avoid in many other forums on the internet. mike
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 22:52, mike wilson wrote: Frits Wüthrich wrote: On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 20:08, mike wilson wrote: I think the nature of the restriction Paul is talking about is nudity, of Homo sapiens at least. Yes, I understand that, but I didn't find anything in the submission guidelines about such a restriction. It's an unwritten one that has been been (very subtly) broken at least once. If the basic presumption is that most art nudes are terminally naff and most glamour nudes are unbearably derogatory to women, I, for one, don't have a problem with the restriction. Especially as that type of photography is difficult to avoid in many other forums on the internet. mike I have no problem with the restriction, but why don't we have that in the guidelines? -- Frits Wüthrich [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
Hi, Frits Wüthrich wrote: On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 22:52, mike wilson wrote: Frits Wüthrich wrote: On Tue, 2004-01-06 at 20:08, mike wilson wrote: I think the nature of the restriction Paul is talking about is nudity, of Homo sapiens at least. Yes, I understand that, but I didn't find anything in the submission guidelines about such a restriction. It's an unwritten one that has been been (very subtly) broken at least once. If the basic presumption is that most art nudes are terminally naff and most glamour nudes are unbearably derogatory to women, I, for one, don't have a problem with the restriction. Especially as that type of photography is difficult to avoid in many other forums on the internet. mike I have no problem with the restriction, but why don't we have that in the guidelines? -- If I remember correctly, the guidlines refer only to technical matters of file presentation. Subject matter was (has been regularly) discussed on the list but, so far, it has not been deemed neccessary to write guidelines for it. mike
RE: January PUG Comments Part IV
Ken, Great trip - I'm jealous! Bring some great shots back with you, I'd like to see some. -Original Message- From: Kenneth Waller [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: January 04, 2004 11:05 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:January PUG Comments Part IV I'll be spending two weeks in Denali this year hoping to improve/add to my Alaskan images.
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
What, I have to say nice things about you for you to think I'm cool, Boris? vbg cheers, frank The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true. -J. Robert Oppenheimer From: Boris Liberman [EMAIL PROTECTED] snip Anyway, Frank, be thanked. Your coolness has increased in my eyes VBFriendlyG... Boris _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/featurespgmarket=en-caRU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
On Jan 4, 2004, at 5:21 PM, Bill Sawyer wrote: From Paul Stenquist, the other Michigan PDMLer, I'm learning to shoot dilapidated trailer parks.VBG!! I prefer the trailer parks to the deer because they don't run away g. I do some nature photography as well but it's of a nature that's not allowed on the PUG vbg.
January PUG Comments Part IV
Man oh man! I just quickly looked at the main page of PUG, and I've barely made a dent in this month's offerings! Big gallery! Better get cracking: Cormorants, Lake Awassa Ethiopia, 1988 by Bob Walkden: Cropped and composed just about perfectly, this shot would be wonderful if it were only of the three birds on the left. But, the one on the right, looking in the opposite direction, adds just that bit of whimsy to the shot, making it quite memorable! Beautiful bokeh, but the colours seem a bit muted - I guess it was an overcast day, and one must take what nature offers, right? All in all a terrific shot, Bob. Thanks. Whitetail Deer in the Snow by Bill Sawyer: When I initially looked at the gallery, scanning through the thumbs, I opened this as soon as I saw it. It just jumped out at me, even as a thumbnail. When I opened it, I wasn't disappointed. Man, you nailed this one, Bill!! Everything is as close to perfect as can be: focus is Right There, composition is gorgeous (that tree in the upper left background, highlighted by the clumps of bright snow, balancing the deer's head on the right - man, it really came together for you, eh? g), beautiful bokeh (but still enough resolution that you can see what the background is), the snow on the animal, it appears to look right into the lens. I could go on and on, but suffice to say, this is one of the best shots this month, in a gallery that has an awful lot of strong images. Wow. Thanks for sharing it with us, Bill. Denali Caribou by Kenneth Waller: Another winner. Nice sharp focus, just one of the nicest, smoothest bokehs one will ever see, great composition. In addition to all that, there's the added point of interest of the shedding antlers, kind of bumping the image up to another level. Terrific photo, Ken. Thanks. Buck by Bob Sullivan: Well, Bob, you have the misfortune of following two of the best deer shots I've seen in a long time. g I must admit, though, I find too many distractions in your photo to say that it's top notch. The bright green grass is overexposed, the backlit deer is underexposed, the branches and leaves in the foreground distract me. Granted, it's a real tough shot, especially with the exposure difficulties you're presented with. And, like Pat's hawk, earlier, I recognize that shooting in the wild, you grab what you can, when you can, because the deer ain't gonna stand still. I'm not being facetious when I say this would not be a bad illustration of how a deer's natural camoflage works well in the forest. Maybe it's just more that you had the bad luck of being in a great gallery. Sorry, but I gotta be honest. Not a bad shot, just not a great one either. Snow Horse by Steven Desjardins: Just a lovely shot, Steve. The horse couldn't have posed for you any better if you asked it to. I like the few wisps of dry long grass in front of the horse; somehow they just give that bit of atmosphere. Beautiful blanket of white snow, lovely bokeh of the wooded background. Very well done. Donkey by Boris Liberman: Like so many other photos this month, just a very, very strong entry! Beautiful, tight composition. What really jumps out at me is that the eye is very sharp (auto focus? we don't need no steenkin' auto focus!), and other parts of the face are softer - just a great portrait, imho. Also love the way the hay in front is sharp, giving way to nicely out-of-focus hay. Just a lovely shot, Boris. Thanks. Solitary Buffalo by Harald Rust: One criticism: It's a bison, not a buffalo. That's it (and I'm just joking anyway). After that, I can only praise this beautiful, tranquil scene. Just to show how bad I am at nature shots, I would likely have put the BISON g dead centre. You showed that would have been a mistake. I would have likely put in the tops of the trees. By cropping then out (either in the viewfinder or later, I don't know), you ended up putting the horizon in a ~perfect~ place. So many beautiful details, I can't mention all of them, but I love the way the BISON's shadow breaks up the monotony of the yellow grass. Gorgeous shot! The Eyes Have It by Cotty: After this one, I'm going to watch the last quarter of the Packers game, but first, I must relate a humourous anecdote (at least, I think it's humourous). Before I knew the gallery was open, I got an e-mail from Cotty, commenting on my entry this month. I immediately replied, and part of my reply was that I tried to do something other than the expected glut of housecats that were bound to be in this gallery. Then, I go through the thumbs, and what image (er, digital capture) does Cotty send in? vbg Well, it's a cat, but what a great shot it is! Again with the manual focus just being spot on! Hmmm... let's see, a K50 1.2 - could it be wide open? Other than that eye, everything's soft. That dark background with the tinges of red works beautifully. There's something more
RE: January PUG Comments Part IV
Thank you, Frank - I'm flattered!! Being the photographer, I can nit-pick the shot with such things as I wish the falling snow were more obvious, that I were a few steps to the left, etc. I was deliberately looking to demonstrate the winter coat of these animals, and how that changes their appearance markedly - see this: http://pug.komkon.org/01mar/MarchPUG.html These obviously are semi-tame creatures, allowing an approach to about 30 feet or so - it makes things a whole lot easier. I'm fortunate that two other members of the Michigan PDML, Ken Waller and Mark Cassino, are both excellent Nature Photographers, and trying to keep up with the two of them improves my own photography. From Paul Stenquist, the other Michigan PDMLer, I'm learning to shoot dilapidated trailer parks.VBG!! And thanks for taking the time to comment on the whole PUG this month - an accomplishment in itself!! -Original Message- From: frank theriault [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: January 04, 2004 3:09 PM Whitetail Deer in the Snow by Bill Sawyer: When I initially looked at the gallery, scanning through the thumbs, I opened this as soon as I saw it. It just jumped out at me, even as a thumbnail. When I opened it, I wasn't disappointed. Man, you nailed this one, Bill!! Everything is as close to perfect as can be: focus is Right There, composition is gorgeous (that tree in the upper left background, highlighted by the clumps of bright snow, balancing the deer's head on the right - man, it really came together for you, eh? g), beautiful bokeh (but still enough resolution that you can see what the background is), the snow on the animal, it appears to look right into the lens. I could go on and on, but suffice to say, this is one of the best shots this month, in a gallery that has an awful lot of strong images. Wow. Thanks for sharing it with us, Bill.
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
Frank, Thanks for taking the time to review all the photos in the PUG this month! I have enjoyed it very much to read the points you make about each photo. Also am glad you saw some merit in my photo of the Bison on the Yellowstone prairie. I wish I could be there right now, and take photos of bison in the snow. Wonder how the MZ-S would do in -17 deg Fahrenheit? Some photographers I've met didn't enjoy Yellowstone very much, but I think it is an incredibly beautiful place with much to discover. Harald Frank wrote: Solitary Buffalo by Harald Rust: One criticism: It's a bison, not a buffalo. That's it (and I'm just joking anyway). After that, I can only praise this beautiful, tranquil scene. Just to show how bad I am at nature shots, I would likely have put the BISON g dead centre. You showed that would have been a mistake. I would have likely put in the tops of the trees. By cropping then out (either in the viewfinder or later, I don't know), you ended up putting the horizon in a ~perfect~ place. So many beautiful details, I can't mention all of them, but I love the way the BISON's shadow breaks up the monotony of the yellow grass. Gorgeous shot! __ Do you Yahoo!? Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003 http://search.yahoo.com/top2003
Re: January PUG Comments Part IV
Frank, Thanks for the comments, I do appreciate the honest feedback. I agree with you wholeheartedly. The two preceding shots are great! And mine is weak. :-( It was a 10 or 12 point wild buck! I just caught a brief glimpse of it. And I'm happy to have any picture of it at all, but it's not a great one. Philosophically, I looked for a recent photo of animals to submit to the PUG. I got this one back on the 19th and scanned it in the store. I take the PUG topics as assignments and try to submit something on topic. Sometimes my submissions aren't great, or even good, but I try. And in the trying, I learn and grow... Regards, Bob S. [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Buck by Bob Sullivan: Well, Bob, you have the misfortune of following two of the best deer shots I've seen in a long time. g I must admit, though, I find too many distractions in your photo to say that it's top notch. The bright green grass is overexposed, the backlit deer is underexposed, the branches and leaves in the foreground distract me. Granted, it's a real tough shot, especially with the exposure difficulties you're presented with. And, like Pat's hawk, earlier, I recognize that shooting in the wild, you grab what you can, when you can, because the deer ain't gonna stand still. I'm not being facetious when I say this would not be a bad illustration of how a deer's natural camoflage works well in the forest. Maybe it's just more that you had the bad luck of being in a great gallery. Sorry, but I gotta be honest. Not a bad shot, just not a great one either.
January PUG Comments Part IV
Frank, thanks for commenting on this and all the January PUG in General. Glad you enjoyed the Caribou. I'll be spending two weeks in Denali this year hoping to improve/add to my Alaskan images. - Original Message - From: frank theriault [EMAIL PROTECTED] Denali Caribou by Kenneth Waller: Another winner. Nice sharp focus, just one of the nicest, smoothest bokehs one will ever see, great composition. In addition to all that, there's the added point of interest of the shedding antlers, kind of bumping the image up to another level. Terrific photo, Ken. Thanks.
