Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement

I found out this week that this photo won an honorable mention in a photo contest that I entered it in:

ISO 800 4mm 0ev f/2.7 1/50

I titled this one, Siblings, it was taken last spring as part of a series of images I took of a the nest that was just outside our kitchen window.  This particular image was taken with my point and shoot camera.  I then cropped it and sharpened it in Photoshop.  To be honest, I did minimal post editing with this photo because I thought that the picture told the story without anything added to it.

I was pleased to have won with this photo, it seems like quite an achievement to me considering the quality of competition that my camera club offers.  Let me know what you think in the comments.

Cheers!

I settle the camera debate

Right, that post title is worth a laugh!

I guess the first question would be which camera debate I am even talking about.  In this case, I would be referring to the point and shoot vs. DSLR debate.  In this case the point and shoot wins, literally:

ISO 800 14mm 0ev f/5 1/60

This photo, which I took with my Canon Powershot ELPH, won an honorable mention at my camera club nature competition last week.  I had considered attempting to get the shot with my Canon 50D, but it actually would not fit in this space to get a photo, so I switched to my point and shoot and got this photo.

This photo has been cropped.  The idea behind the nature category at my photo club is to leave the editing to a minimum and tell a nature story.  This photo is part of a story that unfolded in this nest this past spring. Other images from the story are here.

So, there you have it, the camera debate settled, point and shoot is better.  Well, in this case anyway!  Thoughts, comments? feel free to leave them below.

Cheers!

My Photo Club Season Starts with a Win

I was extremely pleased to have this image win an honorable mention at my photography club meeting this week:

ISO 400 300mm 0ev f/5.6 1/60

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you have seen this photo before.  My blog post about how I took this picture and edited it is here.

This Long-crested Eagle is part of a Birds of Prey series that I created and is available for viewing and purchasing on my website.  Stop by if you have a moment.

Cheers!

Award winning photography (mine)

This short video won an honorable mention in my photography club the other weekend. I was super excited.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have seen this video before. I put it together this fall for a digital photography class I was taking. The photos were taken last spring. This nest was right outside my kitchen window and the photos were taken over a few week period. It was amazing how quickly the birds grew.

In order to get the pictures I set my tripod up on the kitchen chairs which I drug outside. I used a remote camera trigger. That way I could be inside the house and not bothering the robins. I am really hoping we get another nest this spring.

The program runs about four minutes.

Cheers!

A Winning Image

I was excited to have this picture win an honorable mention in my camera club last week:

ISO 800 50mm -0.33 f/16 1/400

I gave the original photo information in the caption above but this is an HDR image that I created in Photomatix.  The day of the Forest Park Balloon Festival the sky was pretty bland all day.  It was a bit nicer right as the sun was setting.  Using Photomatix really helped make the sky more interesting.

Cheers!

Award Winning Frog

This photo got an honorable mention in competition in at my camera club. Yippee!:

ISO 500 135mm f/10 1/50

The grumpy old men (as I call them) who often sit behind me at club meetings, grumbled that this photo was just good because I had a really big lens.  Actually, I do wish I had a really big lens, and I may own one in the future, but this was taken with a 28-135mm kit lens.  I was just lucky enough to sneak up on this frog without it hopping off.

This is a handheld shot.  In Aperture I boosted the greens a bit, cropped and sharpened the image.

This image is also available for purchase on my website.

Cheers!

A Competitive Turtle?

ISO 640 f/4 1/15 50mm

I have entered this turtle into a competition at my camera club.  I shot it handheld with a 50mm lens.  I cropped it and sharpened it in post editing.  The lighting was a bit difficult.

What do you think?

Cheers!

I love/hate my photography club

I belong to a large camera club that is awesome, except for when it isn’t 🙂  Like when my photo gets a good review from the judge but then passed in the first round.  This was the fate of my entry last night:

A bit frustrating.  I like to go though, because there is always something new to be learned and I find that exciting.

Next week’s theme is architecture.  I am entering the photo below, but I know the competition will be tough.  I have seen some of the past winning images, and they are really something else.

ISO 200 f/7.1 1/450

This image was taken with my point and shoot in jpeg.  So, I didn’t have a heck of a lot to work with in post editing.  It is the Steam Clock in Vancouver.  Can you believe that my Canon 50D broke on a train ride across the Rockies to Vancouver?  I was too stunned to be heartbroken.

Anyway, about the post editing.  I use GIMP.  I really don’t have the whole dodge/burn thing down.  I have been trolling youtube for GIMP tutorials, but haven’t come across one yet on this particular topic that speaks to me.  If anyone else has a GIMP tutorial that they love, I would love the link.

Cheers!

 

Photos for Rejection, I mean Submission

Because what fun is taking pictures if you can’t have someone reject them?

Ha, ha, sort of.  Anyway, I have two photos that I submitted today.  The first is a robin egg photo.  If you caught my earlier post, you know I was taking them this morning.  I went out again this afternoon, to get what I hope is a better shot.  This will go for judging to my camera club, and it has been edited.  I use GIMP for post-editing.

ISO 200 125mm f/25 1/5 tripod

This next one is for National Geographic “My Shot”. I can submit one photo per month. Post-editing is not allowed.

ISO 200 135mm f/6.3 1/25 handheld

Cheers!