Fortnightly Challenge - Nov 20 thru Dec 3 - Topic: Culture/Lighting [Archive]

JohnMC

Nov 20, 2009, 02:12 PM

Fortnightly Challenge - Nov 20 thru Dec 3

Challenge topic: Culture and/or Lighting

The challenge will run from right now until : 11:59PM Dec 3

Rules:
1. Photos should be your own work.
2. Produced within the challenge period if possible.
3. All positive feedback and criticism is encouraged and welcome if you posted or not.
4. There is no real limit to the number of photos you may enter.

Challenge topics:
1. Suggestions for the bi-weekly's challenge are made in a single thread which will be set up the week before.

Lets have fun!!!

Chappers

Nov 20, 2009, 02:41 PM

The Library of Celsus, now a part of a giant jigsaw puzzle piecing together cultures that have existed on this site for thousands of years.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/4119805459_004cc52b5b_b.jpg

deep diver

Nov 20, 2009, 05:18 PM

Guanyin is the bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female.

Chappers

Nov 20, 2009, 09:31 PM

Guanyin is the bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female.
Rich rich colours - love the close-up detail on the hands.

Designer Dale

Nov 20, 2009, 10:41 PM

I am humbled by Chappers. I thought my favorite archeologist had posted for once. Stunning. Please tell us more about this site. Fascinating.

Mine. Museum of Glass from the main entrance. The cone is a cooling tower for a working hot-shop with public seating. A narrator answers questions on the fly. Remarkable visit.
No Cameras Allowed ::::(:::

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1433/mog2.jpg
EXIF Summary: 1/200s f/5.6 ISO100 28mm

Dale

Chappers

Nov 21, 2009, 12:57 AM

I am humbled by Chappers. I thought my favorite archeologist had posted for once. Stunning. Please tell us more about this site. Fascinating.
Dale

I'll post more pictures from there if you want but Wiki explains it all better than me. Most of what I took were snaps - as it was so hot - I didn't have time to do to much http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus

I tell stories about it as I post pics - then hopefully I won't bore everyone to death. This frontage to the old library is literally put together piece by piece. It is the most intense jigsaw puzzle. My photos don't do the place justice and the work that is going on there.

mtbdudex

Nov 21, 2009, 11:02 AM

Bodhidharma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma).....
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FqTNmgNQHz8/SwnwDUOfz6I/AAAAAAAAIMM/JS4KL3rmsuc/_MG_1980.jpg

[edit] Background:
I took this shot using a piece of artwork I hand carried from my May 2005 China/Taiwan business trip.
My co-worker is Shanghai native, and another is Taiwan native. This was bought in Taiwan off beaten trail, I'd never find it as tourist.
I actually wanted a larger piece that had about 12" cool wood base, but that was too large to hand carry on the plane, which is how this got home (tmi, sorry, but it is part of the culture story)

Chappers

Nov 21, 2009, 11:22 AM

Bodhidharma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma)

Was a great face - It's mean its moody - he really looks like he's going to hit me with his big stick.

CK Williams

Nov 21, 2009, 11:32 AM

Nice shots all!! (as usual) It looks like this topic is going to prove quite interesting.

Roman baths, Trier Germany

mtbdudex

Nov 21, 2009, 11:38 AM

Was a great face - It's mean its moody - he really looks like he's going to hit me with his big stick.

Is this better? Took these this morning, this out of focus (my bad), more at peace with the world in his hands......

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FqTNmgNQHz8/Swm-WO4st_I/AAAAAAAAIL0/RFp9rQ_EhYo/s400/_MG_2168.jpg

[edit]
fixed focus, re-shot this early afternoon with overcast sky (good lighting)

Jaiden

Nov 21, 2009, 11:10 PM

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204102&stc=1&d=1258860264
From POTD

deep diver

Nov 21, 2009, 11:46 PM

The Library of Celsus, now a part of a giant jigsaw puzzle piecing together cultures that have existed on this site for thousands of years.

Great image. Amazing clarity and focus.

Is this better? Took these this morning, this out of focus (my bad), more at peace with the world in his hands.....

Is he being recruited by one of the majors? :D

deep diver

Nov 21, 2009, 11:49 PM

This is one of my father's images from Papua New Guinea. Growing up, we always wondered why his face was black and tattooed with "Nikon." He had a great eye.

Chappers

Nov 22, 2009, 12:10 AM

Is this better? Took these this morning, this out of focus (my bad), more at peace with the world in his hands.....

Its interesting how he is often shown as bad tempered and your picture captures that and makes it look like he will bash you one. It's not until you see more that you consider other possibilities - photography is a powerful tool - but I think we al knew that.

Designer Dale

Nov 22, 2009, 12:17 AM

Hamming for Mom at the Day of the Dead celebration. Tacoma Art Museum. I was shooting over the parents head.

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6160/dayofthedeadham.jpg
EXIF Summary: 1/320s f/5.6 ISO100 109mm

Dale

deep diver

Nov 22, 2009, 01:16 AM

deep diver

Nov 22, 2009, 01:27 AM

I've been going back to redo some images since Dale got me to start looking at histograms. Here is the same Guanyin after the adjustments.

ManhattanPrjct

Nov 22, 2009, 02:25 PM

Wat Pho, Bangkok

ManhattanPrjct

Nov 22, 2009, 02:28 PM

Place Saint-Sulpice, Paris

Chappers

Nov 22, 2009, 02:43 PM

No Cameras Allowed ::::(:::
Dale No camera's allowed is just not fair - I would have loved to see some of your photos from there.

Roman baths, Trier Germany

From POTDI'm hope to see more work from people like this - good start.

This is one of my father's images from Papua New Guinea. Growing up, we always wondered why his face was black and tattooed with "Nikon." He had a great eye. Cracking shot - good to see that you continue his good work - when did he take this?

Hamming for Mom at the Day of the Dead celebration. Tacoma Art Museum. I was shooting over the parents head.
Dale I love this - nice and natural and makes me smile.

I've been going back to redo some images since Dale got me to start looking at histograms. Here is the same Guanyin after the adjustments. PP from Bruce - good stuff and has improved the shot.

Chappers

Nov 22, 2009, 02:51 PM

The first Ferris Wheel ever was built in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition (aka Chicago World's Fair). This was Chicago's response to the Eiffel Tower which had dominated the previous World's Fair. It was also used at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis (which also popularized the ice cream cone). It was intentionally demolished in 1906. This Ferris Wheel was built in 1995 at Chicago's Navy Pier. It is modeled after but much smaller that the original.

BTW: The name has noting to do with steel or iron. If it did it would be called a "ferric wheel." It was designed and built by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.

London eye - was the tallest back in 1999, relegated to 3rd today but remains the tallest cantilevered Ferris wheel in the world (says Wiki)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2567/4124983477_94509d0c68_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2749/4125753668_ef644dfb8d_b.jpg

deep diver

Nov 22, 2009, 03:47 PM

Cracking shot - good to see that you continue his good work - when did he take this?

Nov. 29, 2000. It is one of a couple of dozen images from that trip that he had put together as its own portfolio. It showed them to someone he knew at National Geographic. They liked it a lot but have a policy of publishing only commissioned works.

PP from Bruce - good stuff and has improved the shot.

I feel all grown up. :D:D

London eye - was the tallest back in 1999, relegated to 3rd today but remains the tallest cantilevered Ferris wheel in the world (says Wiki)

Maybe not the biggest, but still the coolest. I am a bicyclist and especially appreciate the wire spoke design.

deep diver

Nov 22, 2009, 04:12 PM

Raven

Chappers

Nov 22, 2009, 04:35 PM

Bruce - tweak it a little - you know your want too!! :)

deep diver

Nov 22, 2009, 04:44 PM

I was playing with an idea and used one of Max's images that I like a lot. (On the other hand, I haven't seen one of his images that I don't like). He had submitted this for the "Edge" theme. I took his image as posted, made a B&W copy, and then layered them using XFuse. The result is really interesting -- not sepia (it has too much color) but with that same "aged" look. I think this qualifies as lighting.

deep diver

Nov 22, 2009, 05:11 PM

Bruce - tweak it a little - you know your want too!! :)

Well......... I already had. In this one, I pushed up the blue a little and darkened the highlights.

I'm an experiential learner. This is a really good exercise for me.

Designer Dale

Nov 22, 2009, 11:57 PM

This is a detail of a large sundial in the waterfront park on Ruston Way in Tacoma. I took this with my trusty P&S awhile ago.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3906/lighting1.jpg
EXIF Summary: 1/60s f/5.6 ISO100 14.2mm (35mm eq:80mm)

Dale

Designer Dale

Nov 23, 2009, 12:00 AM

The aforementioned sundial. Yes it was about 2:40.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7084/lighting2.jpg
EXIF Summary: 1/800s f/4.5 ISO80 5.8mm (35mm eq:33mm)

Dale

OOPS, I deleted this one when I cleaned out multiple uploads to ImageShack. The better one is still OK.

Chappers

Nov 23, 2009, 07:09 AM

Chappers

Nov 23, 2009, 08:17 AM

The aforementioned sundial. Yes it was about 2:40.

Dale

It needs a little straightening - but it is a lovely clear shot

Chappers

Nov 23, 2009, 08:20 AM

I'm also sitting here on this beautiful sunny late November day wondering how we can entice a few more people onto this thread? Any thoughts?

oblomow

Nov 23, 2009, 03:29 PM

I'm also sitting here on this beautiful sunny late November day wondering how we can entice a few more people onto this thread? Any thoughts?
I'll bite
http://www.murphy.nl/~marca/lapland0010.jpg

Designer Dale

Nov 23, 2009, 04:19 PM

It needs a little straightening - but it is a lovely clear shot

OOps. How's this?

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7379/lighting3.jpg

Dale

Designer Dale

Nov 23, 2009, 04:53 PM

I'll bite
http://www.murphy.nl/~marca/lapland0010.jpg

Exposure: Shooting into the sun late or early in the day is a challenge, so I'm not going to say much about the exposure. You probably recognize it as blown out in the highlights and soft in the shadows. That gives it a strong highlight but not much of a good black to balance it out. If you get a chance to reshoot this be sure to bracket several exposures.

Composition: This suffers from lack of strong verticals in the same was that my sundial photo does. Look carefully at vertical and horizontal lines in the viewfinder before you squeeze the shutter. Pick what's most dominate and line it up with the edge of the viewfinder. That takes care of the "Tilted Building" feel. Then look at all of the elements in the frame and decide what you really want to have in there. I found the slanted line in the parking lot distracting and felt the tree on the right took something away from the building/sunset that was what you were going for. You can do some of this in the camera, but cropping in Post can be handy. You have a better camera than I do, so I hope I'm not talking down to you...:o

My take on this.

Dale

LumbermanSVO

Nov 23, 2009, 05:10 PM

I'm also sitting here on this beautiful sunny late November day wondering how we can entice a few more people onto this thread? Any thoughts?

This will be my first post in the Digital Photography forum.

This shot is through the windshield of my truck while trying to get a better feel for the controls in my camera. I'm really liking night photography so I'll probably outgrow this camera fairly quickly.

There was a fuel island on the other side of the Wally World truck, I don't remember where the white reflected light was coming from, it was at the end of a very long day. The light on the pipe is from the clearance/parking lights on my truck.

f/2.8, 15s, ISO80, 6mm

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=204306&stc=1&d=1259013511

deep diver

Nov 23, 2009, 10:19 PM

OOps. How's this?

Dale

Okay. Now a little to the left........... :D:D

Seriously.... I like this. It is a simple and well executed composition. I like the juxtaposition between the old technology of the sundial and the modern "culture" of the over-developed beach in the background.

I'm also sitting here on this beautiful sunny late November day wondering how we can entice a few more people onto this thread? Any thoughts?

Perhaps we post a reminder at the close of each POTW.

deep diver

Nov 23, 2009, 10:35 PM

This will be my first post in the Digital Photography forum.

This shot is through the windshield of my truck while trying to get a better feel for the controls in my camera. I'm really liking night photography so I'll probably outgrow this camera fairly quickly.

Welcome to our happy little group.

There is a lot of potential here but no focus. The exposure accurately shows the time of day but a lot is lost in the shadows. I think this needs to be cropped and adjusted for better lighting. I took some liberties. In both examples I cropped, adjusted the lighting, and darkened the highlights. My focus here is on the "culture" part of the theme. I did not play with it, but there is probably stuff you could do with the "lighting" theme, especially with the green cast under the Wal-Mart truck.

deep diver

Nov 23, 2009, 10:41 PM

This huge lump of rock dominates the area and the town that it sits over. I found out I'd be a father after my wife fell down a staircase - cut short the trip and the hospital visit led to the question "Before we X-ray you - is there any chance you are pregnant?". I quick scan later ...... and the rest is history.

Ummm....... Get pregnant by falling down some stairs. There are better ways. :D :rolleyes: I am glad she was okay and I know the baby was fine.

I like this place. My undergrad degree is in anthropology. I'm wondering a lot about the people that used to call this home.

Designer Dale

Nov 24, 2009, 12:57 AM

This is seriously old. I shot this in Sedona, Arizona in 1980 something while visiting my parents. I don't remember if I scanned the negative or did it on the flatbed at school.

These folks used ladders to climb to this place. They would pull them up to keep intruders out. It must have been effective.

http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/3883/arizonacliffdwelling2.jpg

Dale

Chappers

Nov 24, 2009, 01:06 AM

Ummm....... Get pregnant by falling down some stairs. There are better ways. :D :rolleyes: I am glad she was okay and I know the baby was fine.

I like this place. My undergrad degree is in anthropology. I'm wondering a lot about the people that used to call this home.

I've suggested getting her pregnant again but she wasn't impressed with my offer to push her down the stairs. :D

This was in Cappadocia in central Turkey. It's the sort of place you know when you've arrived. They have underground cities there that go down seven floors - it is really incredible. Uçhisar Hill and castle are the highest point in the region. Searching for mis-placed photos as we speak. I remember being inside a church there - which from the inside looked just like any other church I'd seen but without windows - it was carved out inside a lump of rock. I must go out that way again.

Chappers

Nov 24, 2009, 03:51 AM

OOps. How's this?

Dale

Beautiful

georgemann

Nov 24, 2009, 04:31 AM

Chappers

Nov 24, 2009, 08:09 AM

http://nikondp.com/images-hdr/poipet800-DSC_9841.jpg

Poipet, Cambodia on the new road to Siem Reap from the Thai border at Aranyaphrathet. These gas stations are a dying breed and will soon be replaced by modern gas stations from the big oil companies.

George Mann

Nikon Digital Photographer

What an incredible cultural story - these areas are a dying breed - all for the sake of progress.

I'd love to see more of the surrounding garage - the people - the culture. Have you got more?

Chappers

Nov 24, 2009, 10:26 AM

oblomow

Nov 24, 2009, 02:29 PM

Exposure: Shooting into the sun late or early in the day is a challenge, so I'm not going to say much about the exposure. You probably recognize it as blown out in the highlights and soft in the shadows. That gives it a strong highlight but not much of a good black to balance it out. If you get a chance to reshoot this be sure to bracket several exposures.

Composition: This suffers from lack of strong verticals in the same was that my sundial photo does. Look carefully at vertical and horizontal lines in the viewfinder before you squeeze the shutter. Pick what's most dominate and line it up with the edge of the viewfinder. That takes care of the "Tilted Building" feel. Then look at all of the elements in the frame and decide what you really want to have in there. I found the slanted line in the parking lot distracting and felt the tree on the right took something away from the building/sunset that was what you were going for. You can do some of this in the camera, but cropping in Post can be handy. You have a better camera than I do, so I hope I'm not talking down to you...:o

My take on this.

Dale

Thanks Dale for the elaborate comment. Unfortunately I can't reshoot it. It was taken in Helsinki. It was taken on the eve of a hiking trip, a friend showed me around town.
(btw. better camera? Some people would call it outdated... I still like my 30D very much) Anyway, thanks again for the constructive criticism.

LumbermanSVO

Nov 24, 2009, 06:23 PM

Welcome to our happy little group.

There is a lot of potential here but no focus. The exposure accurately shows the time of day but a lot is lost in the shadows. I think this needs to be cropped and adjusted for better lighting. I took some liberties. In both examples I cropped, adjusted the lighting, and darkened the highlights. My focus here is on the "culture" part of the theme. I did not play with it, but there is probably stuff you could do with the "lighting" theme, especially with the green cast under the Wal-Mart truck.

Thanks,

The green light under the truck is a bit puzzling to me because there was no green light that location, it was white/yellow. This isn't the first picture I've taken where this has happened. There was a recessed can ceiling light at another location that was white but showed up green to the camera, yet the other lights at the location appeared normally. I don't know what causes this or how to fix it. :confused:

deep diver

Nov 24, 2009, 09:12 PM

Thanks,

The green light under the truck is a bit puzzling to me because there was no green light that location, it was white/yellow. This isn't the first picture I've taken where this has happened. There was a recessed can ceiling light at another location that was white but showed up green to the camera, yet the other lights at the location appeared normally. I don't know what causes this or how to fix it. :confused:

You are welcome. This is why we do this.

The green is not a mystery. The eye and brain can interpret many things in ways not possible photographically. Light is at the top of the list. Every type of light has its own color temperature and, therefore, its own color cast. Incandescent lights show up yellow/orange, florescent lights have a green cast, tungsten & halogen are very close to natural light. The light behind the truck was florescent. The light to the left was either halogen or tungsten. Correcting for various types of light is possible. Most cameras can do this but you may have to change some camera settings. The corrections can also be handled in post processing. This will be more labor intensive with this image because there are different types of light sources.

deep diver

Nov 24, 2009, 09:19 PM

The Department of Biochemistry - University of Cambridge. Notable from a cultural point of view for a multitude of reasons. Fred Sanger is one of those reasons and one of only 4 people to have won the Noble prize twice (and the only one alive). The Sanger Institute (part of the human genome project) and Biochemistry's second building are named after him.

A very interesting building on the outside and so important on the inside. This is a really good example of how strong an image can be simply because it is composed and executed properly. Having said that......... You shot this with a fairly wide lens. The distortion is minor but enough to be distracting. It's possible that many/most people would not see it, but I've got this visual/spacial thing. It makes my wife nuts.

deep diver

Nov 24, 2009, 09:34 PM

There is a Tibetan legend of Wisdom defeating Yama, the god of death. Chicago's Field Museum has a wooden sculpture commemorating this legend. This is part of the base.

stownsend3

Nov 24, 2009, 10:06 PM

deep diver

Nov 24, 2009, 10:44 PM

Don't have much to contribute on the culture side, but I thought this was a good example of lighting. Like LumbermanSVO, I'm new to this forum and have posted a few pictures around in the last few days.

Here was one of my first pictures I took, and it's from my rooftop in Midtown Manhattan. Overlooking the Lincoln Tunnel.

I grew up in Philadelphia and we often went to NY. When we got to the tunnels we would tell our baby sister to hold her nose. We were, after all, going under water.

This is another image with good potential but no clear focus. Doing this in B&W was good. I think it would not have worked in color. The framing is too wide. There is so much going on that my eye cannot find a place to go. The background certainly reflects the energy of the city (whether you see that energy as exciting or as chaos). The interchange and tunnel entrance make an interesting composition. There is a certain grace and flow to the ramps. I do not particularly like crowed places so the ramps and tunnel are more appealing to me. I cropped the image to get a better focus and flow, and I lightened the shadows to create some sense of depth.

mtbdudex

Nov 24, 2009, 10:59 PM

There is a Tibetan legend of Wisdom defeating Yama, the god of death. Chicago's Field Museum has a wooden sculpture commemorating this legend. This is part of the base.

btw;
what I like about this assignment is the little snippet by the poster.
I'm learning and feel like I'm in humanities course again.

Thx everyone for sharing and enhancing my experience, both visually and mentally.

deep diver, Good cropping on the NYC.

georgemann

Nov 25, 2009, 12:00 AM

What an incredible cultural story - these areas are a dying breed - all for the sake of progress.

I'd love to see more of the surrounding garage - the people - the culture. Have you got more?

---

That is pretty much the entire business in this particular location, but I do of course have more. I will work on putting together a story using this theme.

George

Nikon Digital Photographer - http://nikondp.com

Designer Dale

Nov 25, 2009, 12:01 AM

btw;
what I like about this assignment is the little snippet by the poster.
I'm learning and feel like I'm in humanities course again.
...

You are. To check your progress, click below...:cool:...

Dinah at work (http://www.megethos.com/gallery/ShutterBugBites/DinahGivesZzZzs) With apologies to Phrasikleia...;)

Dale

mtbdudex

Nov 25, 2009, 12:03 AM

This "Cultural moment" happened in China May-2005. I was on a 2 week business trip and in China many drove on the "wrong side" of the street like you see here.
I had my Mini-DV camcorder so took a crappy image via it from backseat. Still, there was no "chaos" per say, just when the traffic coming head onto you at last minute you tried to swerve into the "correct" lane.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FqTNmgNQHz8/Swyv8uqh31I/AAAAAAAAIPs/HQvrMz7ZVSo/IMGA0074.JPG
Form this I learned about "order in chaos". I saw zero accidents in 2 weeks.
Nobody honked horns or cussed people out like here in states. If there was open traffic lanes why not use them?

So, which is the correct side of the road to drive on in China?

Chappers

Nov 25, 2009, 01:26 AM

The distortion is minor but enough to be distracting. It's possible that many/most people would not see it, but I've got this visual/spacial thing. It makes my wife nuts. I knew it was there but- I shot several shots of the department to go on a pictograph of governmental/departmental guidelines - I included an edited version of the photo for the finished product but couldn't find it to include here. So for the sake of some on-going editing - here we go.

Chappers

Nov 25, 2009, 01:32 AM

deep diver

Nov 26, 2009, 02:26 AM

The "Kano Knot" design gets its name from Kano State in northern Nigeria. This design, which symbolizes endless searching, originated in that area during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Chappers

Nov 26, 2009, 05:59 AM

The "Kano Knot" design gets its name from Kano State in northern Nigeria. This design, which symbolizes endless searching, originated in that area during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
What a fascinating design. I could see many a lost soul using this as a tattoo. Where is this - what is it attached too? I wouldn't change it but I'd like to see more of where it is and how its presented.

deep diver

Nov 26, 2009, 01:49 PM

What a fascinating design. I could see many a lost soul using this as a tattoo. Where is this - what is it attached too? I wouldn't change it but I'd like to see more of where it is and how its presented.

This is a museum piece from Chicago's Field Museum (named for its founder and not the fact that it is a natural history museum). I do not think this is an authentic artifact. It is part of a "touch me" exhibit. It is displayed in the museum simply as a large brick.

This other example is a silver plate, not dated, from Kano and attributed as Nupe/Hausa in origin. These are the indigenous people. This plate was made from 5-franc coins and then the knot pattern was embossed on top of that. It did not photograph well but you can make out the more stylized design. The design shows better in B&W. The plate is a rich brass color.

deep diver

Nov 26, 2009, 02:11 PM

I struggled with this one a bit. In every synagogue there will be a light left burning all of the time. It is in commemoration of the lamp that burned in the innermost part of the 1st and 2nd Temples in Jerusalem. This one is in my synagogue. I shot a couple exposing for the light and a couple exposing for the outside light. (There is a small wooded area behind those windows. Sorry Simon. :D)

The image on the left is to set the context. I decided that the final image had to emphasize the light itself.

oblomow

Nov 26, 2009, 03:30 PM

Designer Dale

Nov 26, 2009, 06:46 PM

Road culture - these sheep are being led up a motorway/expressway entrance road. I was going to get out of the car to get a better shot but the sheep dogs they use are not to be argued with and will attack anything they see as a threat. I was advised to stay in the car.
And yes they were herded down what we Brits call the hard shoulder of the motorway right next to 4 lanes of speeding car, lorries etc.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2781528605_cdd45b35a1_b.jpg]

This is an interesting photo. Either the sheep, the herder or his dogs are very will trained. I have always been interested in the differences between US and British terms for the same thing and did some research on "lorry". It seem that it was originally a horse-drawn rail car of sorts that was used to transport heavy loads short distances in the early 1900's. Broken down motor cars, ironically. With the development of the combustion engine and better paved streets, it was modified into a self-propelled vehicle that had tires to accommodate streets. I was unable to find out if it was "lorry" first and "truck" second, but I do know that lorry is British and Irish. Don't know about the Scots. Ask James bond.

Dale

deep diver

Nov 26, 2009, 08:52 PM

Small church in our neighbourhood. Light started to change, thunder & rain building up.
I'm not religious, but churches ( or mosques, blue mosque anyone?) make fascinating subjects.

The nice thing about digital is that we can fix many problems. That includes, at least sometimes, the weather. This shot has a lot of potential. The drab sky brings down everything, plus the picture looks just a touch underexposed. That can be fixed with some lighting adjustments. The steeple is a little lost behind too much foreground. That can be fixed with cropping.

I did this pretty quickly. It can be better but it shows what I'm talking about.

mtbdudex

Nov 27, 2009, 03:15 PM

I snapped this while shooting the camcorder, slight PP what I could to enhance it.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FqTNmgNQHz8/Swy19aawzoI/AAAAAAAAIP8/vQuK4s5nlw0/s400/IMGA0566.JPG

I was in Austria Sep-2005, business trip.
My host took us to this fantastic local restaurant, and this couple were celebrating their wedding rehearsal dinner next to us.

I can still hear the sounds of the instruments, the older gentlemen going with the music at the table end.
I felt like I experienced Austrian culture in unique way because of this.

This photo is culture/lighting, not photo quality/etc.

Here is a short video clip, I can taste the beer now watching this again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQqjCzDDfM

Designer Dale

Nov 27, 2009, 07:26 PM

After my parents memorial in 1995, we sorted out their "photo album"-a box that was in a bedroom nightstand for as long as I remember sneaking in my parent's room looking for Christmas packages-and found this.

I am Irish, French and Pennsylvania Dutch. The Irish is on my dad's side of the family and the French and Pennsylvania Dutch is on my mom's. Pennsylvania Dutch folks are of German descent and compose the Amish religion/culture. My mother's place of birth is listed as "Amish country, Pennsylvania" on family records.

None of us were able to identify any of the people in this photo, but I believe the woman on the far right is my Grandmother. My mom was born is 1912, so she could be my Great-Grandmother. My grandparents on my mother's side were George and Sara LaRue. Don't ask what an Amish girl was doing running around with a Frenchman...

The photo is a print mounted on a worn sheet of cardboard and has quite a bit of surface damage that I did my best to remove in PhotoShop. When working over this at a high level of magnification I noted that the date, which was in the lower left, read backwards. I flipped the canvas to correct it. It reads 2-4. February 4 or February '04? The European dating scheme puts the year first followed by month and day, so it could be April 2nd. or April '02. Could just be 2 of 4. It has to be a contact print and could be from a glass negative. I would love to know, but will have to be satisfied with this print.

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6305/amishfamilyfinal.jpg
Dale

deep diver

Nov 27, 2009, 08:29 PM

After my parents memorial in 1995, we sorted out their "photo album"-a box that was in a bedroom nightstand for as long as I remember sneaking in my parent's room looking for Christmas packages-and found this.
Dale

A great image and beautiful story. I grew up in Philadelphia and spent many, many weekends visiting Lancaster Co. Once you get away from the highways, the area still feels the same as this picture.

Thank you for sharing this.

deep diver

Nov 27, 2009, 09:00 PM

This is the end cap of a Han Dynasty roof tile. This tile would have been part of the lowest course of tiles with the disk protecting the eaves. The four characters read "long life without end."

This is not the real color of the artifact which is really a very drab grey clay. It looks better with this warmer tone.

Chappers

Nov 28, 2009, 04:06 AM

It was hot - very hot (56C - 133 F) so when you climb 2/3 of the way up a big dish in the sun - expect to suffer. We struggled to walk down.

Ephesus in the sun - you need to carry a lot of water. We had to call our driver to come and pick us up as we limped out as if we'd been in the desert for a week, not a couple of hours.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/4140540236_255cebc502_b.jpg

someoldguy

Nov 28, 2009, 10:01 AM

Masai village and Chief , somewhere in Tanzania . Crappy scans from film , took these 4-5 years back right before I got my 5D.

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx317/61mg73/masaichief.jpg
http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx317/61mg73/masaivillage.jpg

SLC Flyfishing

Nov 28, 2009, 10:53 AM

It is telling of the true nature of our American culture when there are homeless left to wander the streets alone while everyone else is safely inside feasting.

I shot this on thanksgiving evening in the Downtown area of my city.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc226/brinton_photos/homeless-2.jpg

SLC

Chappers

Nov 28, 2009, 12:29 PM

Masai village and Chief , somewhere in Tanzania . Crappy scans from film , took these 4-5 years back right before I got my 5D.

A little tweaking and hopefully improved things - nice shots - I just played with one.

It is telling of the true nature of our American culture when there are homeless left to wander the streets alone while everyone else is safely inside feasting.

I shot this on thanksgiving evening in the Downtown area of my city.

SLC

Great Photo.

deep diver

Nov 28, 2009, 12:46 PM

It was hot - very hot (56C - 133 F) so when you climb 2/3 of the way up a big dish in the sun - expect to suffer. We struggled to walk down.

Before I read your caption I thought this was a site in norther Israel. The is an almost identical amphitheater that is also still used.

It is telling of the true nature of our American culture when there are homeless left to wander the streets alone while everyone else is safely inside feasting.

I shot this on thanksgiving evening in the Downtown area of my city.

Outstanding commentary. There is an image from on of the POTW contests that is equally powerful: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=7387472#post7387472

I really like what we are doing with this thread - teaching with our images.

someoldguy

Nov 28, 2009, 05:04 PM

CHAPPERS: thanks for fixing up the old guy ,he looks much better . One of my pending winter jobs is to start doing good scans of 30+ years of negatives and 'chromes using a Nikon Coolscan V . Incidentally , the chief was around 70 when I was there , he has something like 14 wives , ranging in age from what looked like around 15 up to what looked like 132 . Also had 42 kids or thereabouts . Some of his sons are in the background. Here's what inside of one of the houses looks like:http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx317/61mg73/insidemasaihouse.jpg
Always a fire going to keep bugs out . The sleeping areas are cowhides strung over a framework. There's 2 , one on each side of the stick wall on the right.
The building is branches with a covering of cowhide and dried cattle dung . Can't imagine what it's like in the rainy season . Anyway , makes you feel glad for what you've got .

Designer Dale

Nov 28, 2009, 05:19 PM

Hi, Folks. In the middle of this obviously old photo I posted is a rather neat pile of tubing/pipe of uniform sizes that seem out of place. Concrete drain pipe? Any input?

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6305/amishfamilyfinal.jpg
Dale

Dale

deep diver

Nov 29, 2009, 01:30 AM

Marble plate with inlayed colored stones from India. Undated.

Designer Dale

Nov 29, 2009, 03:14 AM

These are the remainder of my photos from the Day of the Dead at the Tacoma Art Museum. You may have seen them in POTD.

The festival to celebrate the dead is more than 3,000 years old. The Spaniards were quite freaked at people being happy for the dead and did what they could to wipe the celebration out.
They are responsible for moving it to All Saint's Day, November 1 in an attempt to make it Christian.

More at the link following the pics.

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2656/dod2w.jpg (http://img32.imageshack.us/i/dod2w.jpg/)

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7577/dod1v.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/i/dod1v.jpg/)

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history.html

Dale

Chappers

Nov 29, 2009, 10:31 AM

An unusual shot of the Senate House at Cambridge University from the roof of Kings College Chapel.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4143300257_9cfdc303f8_b.jpg

LumbermanSVO

Nov 29, 2009, 02:59 PM

If you've ever been through the Navajo Nation then you know it is not a cheery place to be. The place is full of abandoned homes, cars and closed businesses. Every time I go through it is a great reminder to cherish what I have.

Yesterday as I went through I was thinking of this thread and taking pictures. I was on a very tight schedule so I had to settle for shooting while driving.

This is a recently closed business on US-64 between Shiprock and Farmington, just outside of the reservation.

Designer Dale

Nov 29, 2009, 06:03 PM

An unusual shot of the Senate House at Cambridge University from the roof of Kings College Chapel.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4143300257_9cfdc303f8_b.jpg

Lovely angle on a nice bit of photography.

Cambridge University is currently celebrating it's 800th anniversary. Yes, that means it was founded in 1209. That's old... It is home to the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics, of which Sir Isaac Newton was the second holder. The Chair is considered the highest position in academic math and physics. It has a mandatory retirement age and the current holder, Stephen Hawking, will leave the post vacant. There is an ad out for the job, but states "Cambridge University hasn't indicated yet whether it's seeking applicants for the open slot in mathematics". Charles Darwin attended a branch campus of Cambridge.

Dale

deep diver

Nov 29, 2009, 09:52 PM

This is another of my father's images. I think this is in Jerusalem.

Designer Dale

Nov 29, 2009, 10:52 PM

^^^No comment...

deep diver

Nov 29, 2009, 11:59 PM

I've been going through a lot of Dad's images. Just turned up these from a trip to SE Asia.

Chappers

Nov 30, 2009, 12:36 AM

Lovely angle on a nice bit of photography.

Cambridge University is currently celebrating it's 800th anniversary. Yes, that means it was founded in 1209. That's old... It is home to the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics, of which Sir Isaac Newton was the second holder. The Chair is considered the highest position in academic math and physics. It has a mandatory retirement age and the current holder, Stephen Hawking, will leave the post vacant. There is an ad out for the job, but states "Cambridge University hasn't indicated yet whether it's seeking applicants for the open slot in mathematics". Charles Darwin attended a branch campus of Cambridge.

Dale

Stephen Hawking once ran over my big toe as he was popping into Mark & Spencer (clothes and food) to buy a sandwich. Before I'd had a chance to ask him about gravity or turtles - he was gone. He never stopped (even to say sorry for amputating your toes) as answers took a long time.

In the computer section they have a whole room dedicated to just Mac's - there's row after row of them.

Bill Gates basically paid for the new computer labs (well 50%) its called - wait for it...... "The William Gates Building" named after his father.

Chappers

Nov 30, 2009, 12:55 AM

Just a snap - my son was days away from walking for the first time - this was outside the Wren Library (Trinity College Cambridge) that houses many of Newton's papers on Gravity. Sadly gravity was working against my son that day.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2755/4146539806_a5994fe477_o.jpg

Chappers

Nov 30, 2009, 01:06 AM

The quality of this one is a bit rubbish (OK - its really rubbish) but it shows the entrance to the tomb of King Midas - slightly older than my Cambridge shots.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2511/4146563504_b780dee5a2_b.jpg

Designer Dale

Dec 1, 2009, 11:22 PM

mikshayne

Dec 1, 2009, 11:23 PM

Praying at the Duomo in Milan.

deep diver

Dec 1, 2009, 11:59 PM

Praying at the Duomo in Milan.

I loved this image when you posted it for POTW in August and I like it even more now. It captures the moment so beautifully. When that contest closed I struggled for better than 20 minutes trying to choose between you and the other image.

platypus63

Dec 2, 2009, 12:08 AM

Picture of lamps sold at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, one of the oldest and biggest markets in the world. Unfortunately I don't have any contest worthy pictures of the bazaar itself.

Picture shot w/ old point and shoot that has no stabilization and with no flash on to try to get colors, hence the semi blurry image.

mikshayne

Dec 2, 2009, 12:43 AM

I loved this image when you posted it for POTW in August and I like it even more now. It captures the moment so beautifully. When that contest closed I struggled for better than 20 minutes trying to choose between you and the other image.

Thanks! I thought it fit the description well for this challenge....so I thought I would repost. I'm very proud of this one!

Chappers

Dec 2, 2009, 06:09 AM

LumbermanSVO

Dec 2, 2009, 06:48 AM

Along US-89 near the Grand Canyon the natives have built these cobbled together stands where they sell their goods to tourists, at night they serve as a place to park for truck drivers. Tonight the moon was nearly full, the sky was clear and I had time to stop, so I did.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/4152104231_5b41a258b5.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/4152104231_20d4068d10_o.jpg)
Clickable

joepunk

Dec 2, 2009, 12:50 PM

A Mexican Celebration to Remember Our Departed @ Seattle Center

These are the Zoot Suits of the Bailadores de Bronceas or as I like to call them The Swinging Dead

Nikon D50 with either my Nikkor 28mm f/2 ai or 50mm f/1.4 ais
No Metering, Manual Focus

Designer Dale

Dec 2, 2009, 10:02 PM

If anyone missed it, the new idea thread is up.

Look Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=8904747&posted=1#post8904747)

Dale

Chappers

Dec 3, 2009, 01:22 AM

I like this place. My undergrad degree is in anthropology. I'm wondering a lot about the people that used to call this home.
I forgot to answer this before but you don't need to wonder how they used to live - they are still living there - not on the big rock in my photo but in cave houses etc all over Cappadocia. I would recommend a trip there just because of this. An incredible place.

This is the end cap of a Han Dynasty roof tile. This tile would have been part of the lowest course of tiles with the disk protecting the eaves. The four characters read "long life without end."

This is not the real color of the artifact which is really a very drab grey clay. It looks better with this warmer tone.

I know this is not a competition -and there are some great photos on here but this one I really love - its simple (has a little tweaking) but it's cultural and doesn't need any explaining.

Bruce - can I use this as my desktop?

deep diver

Dec 3, 2009, 08:15 PM

I know this is not a competition -and there are some great photos on here but this one I really love - its simple (has a little tweaking) but it's cultural and doesn't need any explaining.

Bruce - can I use this as my desktop?

Simon, thank you very much. We all like to be recognized but there is nothing like an honor from a friend. I sent a copy of the original file to your googlemail address.

Bruce