Fortnightly Challenge - Feb 18 thru March 4 - Topic: Beauty in the Ugly

[JohnMC]

Fortnightly Challenge - Feb 18 thru March 4

Challenge topic(s):Beauty in the Ugly

The challenge will run from right now until : 11:59PM March 4

Be sure to visit and post your images in our Flickr group.

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!!!

 

[Designer Dale]

Nisqually Delta Wildlife Refuge near Olympia, Washington. Taken today.

EXIF Summary: 1/8s f/8.0 ISO100 30mm

Dale

 

[Chappers]

Dale - very clever - highlighting a beautiful blue sky and trees in the ugliness of the stream. Yep, just very clever.

 

[compuwar]

An older pic, but I haven't had the chance to shoot much lately...

 

[Chappers]

 

[pdxflint]

Homeless...

Dog in parking lot behind gas station somewhere in Sonora, Mexico.

 

[deep diver]

Nisqually Delta Wildlife Refuge near Olympia, Washington. Taken today.
Dale

It has always seemed to me that the first post sets the bar for everyone else. You set the bar very high with this one. Great image.


Chappers -- I still really like this one. Every time you post it you crop it closer. Before too long we will be looking at individual spores.

 

[deep diver]

Also a repeat. I'm working on taxes today (talk about ugly without beauty) so I do not have time to work on anything new for the next few days.

 

[deep diver]

Dog in parking lot behind gas station somewhere in Sonora, Mexico.

Phil -- I am disappointed by this one. I do not think it is up to your usual standards. I get the beauty in ugly thing but the composition is lacking. The colors are too flat and the wall cuts right through the middle. The dog is static and looking away so I'm not really able to connect to it. What is it that you see that I'm missing?

 

[JDDavis]

Phil -- I am disappointed by this one. I do not think it is up to your usual standards. I get the beauty in ugly thing but the composition is lacking. The colors are too flat and the wall cuts right through the middle. The dog is static and looking away so I'm not really able to connect to it. What is it that you see that I'm missing?

I'd have to agree. The wall cutting across the middle makes it impossible for me to focus in on the picture. Any chance of a shot with the dog facing the camera?

 

[JDDavis]

Also a repeat. I'm working on taxes today (talk about ugly without beauty) so I do not have time to work on anything new for the next few days.

Nice. He doesn't look too happy to have his picture taken. The crop is a bit close to me on the left, it kind of distracts me a bit.

 

[JDDavis]

Nisqually Delta Wildlife Refuge near Olympia, Washington. Taken today.

EXIF Summary: 1/8s f/8.0 ISO100 30mm

Dale

Great idea and well done. I think it would've been even better if we were in the spring time already and there were leaves on the trees.

 

[JDDavis]

This is from a few months ago at Great Falls, VA. Nothing super special but the canal was really ugly and the algae was incredibly bright green. The algae was growing where the logs had created a dam and slowed down the water. I haven't been able to think of anything to shoot new yet.

 

[deep diver]

Nice. He doesn't look to happy to have his picture taken. The crop is a bit close to me on the left, it kind of distracts me a bit.

Thanks. I agree about the crop. It was actually closer in the camera. I'm not quite sure why I shot it that close. I built out the left side with PSE. Perhaps I'll add a little more.

 

[Maxxamillian]

Not sure about the beauty part...

 

[pdxflint]

Phil -- I am disappointed by this one. I do not think it is up to your usual standards. I get the beauty in ugly thing but the composition is lacking. The colors are too flat and the wall cuts right through the middle. The dog is static and looking away so I'm not really able to connect to it. What is it that you see that I'm missing?

I'd have to agree. The wall cutting across the middle makes it impossible for me to focus in on the picture. Any chance of a shot with the dog facing the camera?

Thanks guys... I guess it didn't work.

I guess what I was thinking was the "ugly" part is all over the picture; the composition, the starkness, the setting, the overall scenario of the dog's plight (but that part doesn't work if you don't know the specifics, I'll concede.) The beauty (from my perspective, I'll grant that) is seeing the life there that represents so much potential companionship and love contrasted with the detachment and loneliness that won't even allow a human to get close enough to offer friendship. This dog struck me because she, like so many others there, wouldn't even accept water or a dog treat, but chose instead to seek the "safety" of distance when we approached her. She wouldn't even look at us... which was sad. I guess you had to be there.

I'll try a few others also.

I really do appreciate the feedback deep diver and jd.

 

[deep diver]

Thanks guys... I guess it didn't work.

I guess what I was thinking was the "ugly" part is all over the picture; the composition, the starkness, the setting, the overall scenario of the dog's plight (but that part doesn't work if you don't know the specifics, I'll concede.) The beauty (from my perspective, I'll grant that) is seeing the life there that represents so much potential companionship and love contrasted with the detachment and loneliness that won't even allow a human to get close enough to offer friendship. This dog struck me because she, like so many others there, wouldn't even accept water or a dog treat, but chose instead to seek the "safety" of distance when we approached her. She wouldn't even look at us... which was sad. I guess you had to be there.

I'll try a few others also.

I really do appreciate the feedback deep diver and jd.

Interesting approach. Knowing what you want to accomplish, it all makes sense. I do like the composition in the second one better. The whole idea of potential beauty is both encouraging and sad.

 

[deep diver]

Berlin Wall

 

[Designer Dale]

It has always seemed to me that the first post sets the bar for everyone else. You set the bar very high with this one. Great image.

^^^ Sorry But then it is a Challenge, right?

Great idea and well done. I think it would've been even better if we were in the spring time already and there were leaves on the trees.

^^^ Thanks. This location is 20 miles from my front door. You will see more as time goes on. This was the first day of sun in more days than I can remember. The Nisqually Delta is a haven for birders and there were all these people walking around with 400 mm L lenses on tripods just slung over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes...

This is from a few months ago at Great Falls, VA. Nothing super special but the canal was really ugly and the algae was incredibly bright green. The algae was growing where the logs had created a dam and slowed down the water. I haven't been able to think of anything to shoot new yet.

^^^ Wonderful colors. Love the brightness of the green.

Not sure about the beauty part...

^^^ Interesting. I like the colors and use of shallow DOF. I do wonder what the heck that is, though. Gum??

Dog in parking lot behind gas station somewhere in Sonora, Mexico.

^^^ I've followed your shelter dogs and Mexico rescue dog stories so I got the pic from the emotional angle you were working from.

Dale

 

[JDDavis]

Not sure about the beauty part...

That's disgusting....but a nicely executed photo. Where is this memorial to chewing gum?

BTW (Designer Dale)...when you quote a post how do you get the photos to show up as thumbnails instead of large shots like my post here?

 

[compuwar]

Old Rail Car

Ugly paint, beautiful car, ugly car beautiful paint?

Shot yesterday, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Stitched with AutoPanoPro.

 

[Maxxamillian]

Designer Dale: Yes, this is gum.

JDDavis: This is the Pike Place Gum Wall in Seattle, WA. You can make the image a thumbnail by changing

to [TIMG]link to picture[/TIMG]. Just type in the "T" in both places and be on your merry way...

 

[JDDavis]

Designer Dale: Yes, this is gum.

JDDavis: This is the Pike Place Gum Wall in Seattle, WA. You can make the image a thumbnail by changing

to [TIMG]link to picture[/TIMG]. Just type in the "T" in both places and be on your merry way...

Thanks for the "T"ip. I should've known where that was. I've actually been by it once and I knew a lot or your shots are from Washington. I can't wait to get out west again. We spent a week in Seattle once and the Pacific NW is high on our list of places to settle down....so far.

 

[MattSepeta]

Forgive

Taken under the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, MN.

 

[Designer Dale]

Life amongst death. Life is short. All that stuff...

EXIF Summary: 1/160s f/8.0 ISO100 84mm

Dale