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Friday Photography Blog No. 31

by In Wales Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 09:07:06 AM EST

It magically appears, even though In Wales is in Belfast!

Photobucket

Sunday afternoon Blogography - afew


The blog is just in two parts this week - one for "Ask the Expert" about anything you like, composition, technical things and so on.

The second part is for "Photos As Usual", whatever you want to post.

Please try to keep to 600 pixels width and less than 100kb in file size and take a look at Wednesday Photography Blog No.2 for the technical bits on how to post.

Here is the Master list of previous photoblogs.
Please enjoy!


Display:
PHOTOS AS USUAL
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 03:37:09 AM EST
Who says you need a long lens for portraits?

Yuck!

15mm on Voightlander Bessa-L.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 04:59:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I need much better dust management and a new thingy for taking excess water off film that doesn't scratch it. Oh, and better chemicals than I found in my local camera shop ...
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 05:05:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Use a wetting agent (Photo-Flo), then a sponge that is reserved for that use only, then hang the film on the shower curtain rail with a clothespin and don't let anybody in there until tomorrow...
by asdf on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 08:25:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That does not look like you...or maybe its your release from the mental institution photo????

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde
by Sam on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 06:47:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That's what people look like after a month of a new baby!

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 09:12:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Uh oh...then maybe I need a haircut!!!

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde
by Sam on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 09:56:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That makes me wonder what the new baby looks like after a month. :-)
by Fran on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 10:12:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You mean that isn't the new baby?
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 11:35:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
LOL !

sometimes I really wish I could come up with comments like this. :-)

by Fran on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 12:13:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It's a lifetime of practice. You may have made a better choice with Yoga. :-)
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 10:41:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You seem to have got a bit of reticulation going on ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 10:38:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
A typical picture of a gyno at work

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 02:07:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]



Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 05:37:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 08:57:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I see benedict has just left the building.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 09:09:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 09:02:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 09:10:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by spg on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 11:25:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
that effect/manipulation is very nice...looks like a watercplour painting, as do several below...ps, l presume.
by town on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 04:53:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks to me like strong sharpening filter applied on a smaller cut-out of a bigger picture.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 05:03:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hardly any crop, but yes, strong (overdone) PS sharpening and saturation. The outlining effect was made by making a few copies of the background layer, applying Find Edges, copying that once or more times and using a blending mode of Multiply for the top layer(s).

Sometimes I'll do a Move (V) on one of the edge layers over and down a pixel or two.

Move a copy of the original on top, and change its blending mode to Darken.

Apply Levels, Curves, and/or Hue/Sat as desired and sharpen. I'll redo this step to reduce the noise level before I do a printed version.
spg

by spg on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 11:26:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nice work!

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 01:58:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by spg on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 11:38:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by spg on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 11:48:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
by spg on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 12:05:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
fleurs-light-s-60561

Cours Saleya, old town, Nice

boats-sparkle-s-60560

Sailing school, Bai des Anges, Nice

film-palais-de-justice-s-60479

Filming in the land of Liberté, etc., Nice

nice-sea-wind-2-60457

Windy day, "Hat Stealer" point, Nice

nice-jazz-60461

Old town, Nice

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 12:06:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Very nice (no pun intended).
by spg on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 11:38:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Thanks. Actually Nice is a nuisance as far as internet searches about the place are concerned put in "nice" and you get a million irrelevant results.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 01:50:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Tours is almost as bad...
by gk (gk (gk quattro due due sette @gmail.com)) on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 02:12:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Put quotes around it, ie "nice france". That turns it into a phrase search on Google.
by spg on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 02:18:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by spg on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 12:08:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Stitching photos with CS3 is worth the price of the package. A big improvement from CS2.

by spg on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 12:14:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I use the new stitch for putting together sections of large scanned portraits.  So far it has worked flawlessly even with four separate pieces.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 02:01:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
along with 2 or three buildings west on K St. These were here in 1963 when I arrived in Washington.


along with 2 or three others west on K St. These were here in 1963 when I arrived in Washington.



Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 12:26:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Was some famous film made here?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 08:28:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
                           
                         ?

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 09:45:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
This is one of those buildings that you can pass every day for years and never give it a thought. The was nothing special architecturally about it. It was on a major corner of D.C. looking overlooking Farragut Square which was, in my younger days, the best place in Washington to look at young women who were picnicking on the grass at lunch hour.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 10:05:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yet, it has something that made me instantly associate at a scene of a car driving up to a building in a crime or spy movie thriller. Maybe just the photo angle?... Haven't yet found a movie association, but I found this: 1000 Connecticut Avenue, DC on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

1000 Connecticut Avenue NW, DC was the location of Senator Clinton's Campaign Headquarters. Now it is a metaphor for her Campaign. 


*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 10:58:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Boys will be boys....


Funny! In the "King of Spain" pub on the main plaza


Fantastic building near the Museum of Music


Coats of Arms in a Gothic church


At Delirium, the pub with the most beers in the world at 2,002 (or so says Guiness) -- they look like kids because they are; drinking age is 16


The subway in Brussels -- we had to cross the tracks to get to the connecting train!

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 07:10:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
By the way. Have you seen this reply of mine?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 11:35:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No, I hadn't till now. We've been on a trip with intermittent internet access and so I've not been up on everything.

Response to reply....

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 12:42:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Response's response.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 02:50:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 05:38:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]
In a pub with 2002 beers, how do you not get something that was bottled a decade ago???
by asdf on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 08:27:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Good question.... I don't know!

We drank mainly beers on tap, and had a few bottles off their local Belgian brewed recommended beer list, they were all quite fresh....

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 03:28:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Most, but not all, of these were taken on the Riserva Naturale Orientata dello Zingaro in the northwest of the island.


by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 02:37:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Palermo's town hall!

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 02:51:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Segesta, Sicily


by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 02:56:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Corleone

The lookout?

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 03:04:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Sicilian countryside

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 03:05:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Last weekend, I visited a friend in Northeast Hungary in Aggtelek National Park. The highlight of that park is the Baradla cave. We took the regular two-hour walk along its Eastern end.

Upon arriving in the main tunnel of the cave, our guide explains stuff on a bridge:

A couple of stalagmites and columns:

Variety in dropstones -
A: a stalagmite officially called Alabaster (but named Santa Claus by children) next to a stalactite named Squid;
B: a stalagmite still dead from torch soot in pre-electric days, and another that "resurrected" since;
C: this happens when the dripping is too fast and powerful: the "stalagmite" looks like a crater

Reddish long-dead old stalagmite in front of another, at a curve (walkway bottom left):

The walkway:

A colleague at work:

(I have a lot more, including a formation fittingly called Derailed Steam Loco, but I fear you get bored.)

I'm pretty proud of having made these, with exposure times up to two seconds, without a tripod.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 08:49:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Very interesting DoDo. Thanks.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 09:53:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I started very early in the morning; here is a hand-held shot at the railway station in my hometown:

This run-down graffiti-covered train took me until Aszód, where sunrise found me:

After an exhausting bicycle ride and some mountain climbing, setting sights on the cave entrance:

Next morning, a visit to Turňa nad Bodvou (Hungarian: Torna), a long ago county seat, with a castle destroyed more than 230 years ago by a Habsburg general after an uprising. View South from the castle towards the now transparent border (along the crest of the mountain on the right):

View from the castle into the mountains to the Northwest:

Down the original castle road (with the cartwheel depressions below the grass!) while darker clouds begin to pass above:

Using the tele: freight train towards a mine, the road behind it is visible until the white dot of the now abandoned border post:

Blue skies again on station Turňa, where Slovakian State Railways 813 006, a twinned railbus, makes a stop:

736 003 arrives with yet another empty train for the mine:

The border-crossing section still out of service, I had to reach a train on the other side. Just made it, waving to the conductor from the bike while nearing the station at express speed...

This IC train is about to take me from Miskolc to Budapest - series BVmot electric multiple unit (allowed to go 160 km/h, but line speed is rarely above 100 km/h on this route...):


*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 09:15:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Next morning, a visit to Turňa nad Bodvou (Hungarian: Torna), a long ago county seat, with a castle destroyed more than 230 years ago by a Habsburg general after an uprising.

...and today just across the border in Slovakia, I meant to say.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 09:27:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Great photo in the diary body, BTW. It reminds me of a painting.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 09:19:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I got the replacement for my stolen camera this morning.  

In the end, after playing with bodies and lenses until the shop assistant's eyes glazed over, I settled on the Canon 40D.

It would be entirely accurate to say that, at this point, it's rather more camera than I know how to handle.

But I've had some fun this afternoon finding that out.  :)

by Sassafras on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 04:42:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like you made a good choice.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 09:58:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thank you  :)
by Sassafras on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 12:18:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 11:47:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 11:48:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Mine doesn't look as good as yours.

Very first picture with my new Canon A720IS, right out of the box, auto everything.  I was actually more interested in whether the usb download would work or not.

The blurker formerly known as ignorant bystander.

by b--- (budr at hughes net) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 12:47:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sicilian Mosaics -- designed by Arab craftsman in mosque-cum-church


by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 12:57:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Oldest tree (supposedly) in Palermo, a Ficus Benjamina, in Girabaldi Garden

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 01:05:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I spent a few hours transfixed by that species of tree in Honolulu last year. I found two (initially) independent trees that had grown together with a large and twisting horizontal trunk connecting them together. I don't know why I didn't take a photo, come to think of it.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 11:45:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You were probably mesmerized by the intricate beauty!

I know that I was; if I hadn't already had my camera in my hand, I might have forgotten to as well.

Are you sure that they were two different trees to begin with?

This one had tendrils/roots hanging down from branches that had formed trunks of their own, buttresses and all.

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 03:35:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I spent a good chunk of the time trying to decide if one tree was an offshoot of the other, and I think my conclusion that they were not is a good guess.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 03:55:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ask The Expert
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 03:37:44 AM EST
Should I have bought this camera? He wanted €180....

It worked, or it seemed to -- he wound it and pushed the shutter button and I could hear the action.... it sounded great!

I didn't buy it because of the swastika on the top of the body, which I later learned was just part of the patent mark of the day....

And I also read up on Leitz and he was, as far as I can tell, a mensch.

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 07:35:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Sorry, please delete duplicate post.

Server was having problems and I over did it (obviously)....

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 07:50:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Huh. For €150 I'd have risked it, maybe. Odds are good that a service and clean would have it in full working order if it wasn't already. What lens was on it and what shape was it in? The lens could easily be worth more than that. On the other hand, it could be a complete fake!
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 04:40:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]
On second thoughts I'd have scuttled off to the nearest internet connection and looked up information on what to look out for when buying an old Leica.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 04:48:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It was at a street stand and he was making ready to leave for the day. I asked him where he was going to be the next day, but he didn't know yet.

I did look online but couldn't find much in the way of prices for that type and I didn't look too hard as I couldn't buy it at that point anyway.

Beautiful camera, except for the patent mark....

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 03:40:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The lens didn't appear to be removable and appeared to be OE. It was in good condition though.
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Mon Apr 21st, 2008 at 03:41:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

What changes in medication do the panel recommend for my fellow guests at the hotel in Malta?

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 03:55:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Tequila slammers.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 04:35:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

While you're about it, this view from my hotel room window just didn't turn out as picturequely as I wished. I've tried a duotone and playing with the contrast - but it is not what I had in mind.

Does the panel of experts have any suggestions?

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 04:49:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
if you turn your histograms right to the black end of the spectrum it should improve the view.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 05:01:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Or - the solution I found - keep the curtains closed for f8 at a week.

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 05:05:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well the other option is to do something that sends you out of focus.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 05:17:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes, the free bar certainly appealed to the Finns

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Apr 19th, 2008 at 06:18:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I would like this type of picture with the vertical lines straightened, parallel to the sides. If you have Photoshop try the Warp. The human eye does a straighten; the camera doesn't.
by spg on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 12:18:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No, no - that's how they build them.

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 02:12:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Sven Triloqvist:
Does the panel of experts have any suggestions?

Next time, a different travel agent?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 09:51:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No - it was beneficial. It was a very good deal, and much more peaceful in the evenings ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken
by Sven Triloqvist on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 11:22:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like they sent you to a "maison de retraite" in error.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!
by LEP on Sun Apr 20th, 2008 at 01:03:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]


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