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Lucky Forward · Sep 17, 2008

Theme: Under Construction

Submissions are due by Sunday, September 28th at 11:59pm EST.

Voting begins Monday, September 29th and ends on Tuesday, September 30th at 11:59pm EST.

1) The theme can be interpreted as you see fit, but keep in mind others will be judging based on whatever criteria they see fit.

2) Only one photo per person, per assignment.
-- Photos must be taken during the assignment period.
-- Only photos to be posted in this thread are to be submissions.
-- You can change your submission by editing your post.
-- To avoid cluttering up the thread, please avoid quoting images.
-- Photos should be no larger than 800 pixels on the long edge.

3) One vote for your first choice (3 points) and one vote for your runner-up (1 point), which can be based on any criteria you see fit. You cannot vote for your own submission. Non-participants are also welcome to vote. Criticism/comments encouraged.

4) The "winner" should come up with a new theme/time period. Ties are broken first by the number of first choice votes, then by longest time since last win/thread start, then by a fight to the death with claw hammers.

5) Have fun!

FAQ's

dark_chris · Sep 17, 2008

Well, this should be easy for me. =)

Warm Machine · Sep 17, 2008

Great theme! Should be both easy to find materal and a challenge to do it in a clever interesting way.

AlteredBeast · Sep 18, 2008

Presents a few ideas, but this could be tough to be creative. My wife already shot down one of my ideas.

ScientificNinja · Sep 19, 2008

YES! (I'm in the middle of renovating my house)

Always-honest · Sep 21, 2008

okay, first time contender here...

spider working on his web (sorry for folks with arachnophobia).

Canon 20D
Shutter Speed: 1/ 250 sec
Aperture: f/2.8
lens: Canon 100mm Macro

mrkgoo · Sep 23, 2008

Always-honest said:
okay, first time contender here...

spider working on his web (sorry for folks with arachnophobia).

Canon 20D
Shutter Speed: 1/ 250 sec
Aperture: f/2.8
lens: Canon 100mm Macro

Well, that's a wrap.

I actually had an eye open for shots for this assignment while I was away.

I wanted to post something really spectacular since I've not really been participating for ages (theme was "disturbing"), but well, sometimes it feels like how great my photos are isn't up to me and just need a bit of good luck

But here's something that will fill in for now - I actually had another idea, but I'm not sure if I'm going to pull it off in time.

AirBrian · Sep 24, 2008

Congrats, Lucky! That was an awesome picture!

The last two weeks have been absolutey crazy for me, but I'm back and will be participating again! No more ironman though. :-(

xBerserker · Sep 24, 2008

I have a couple ideas but not sure if I'll have time, here is a place holder pic I took a couple days ago. I'll change it if I have time. Getting married next Thursday.

Me & Clara made 1,000 Origami Cranes (Japanese tradition, I thought it would be cool)

Always-honest · Sep 24, 2008

-xBerserker- said:
I have a couple ideas but not sure if I'll have time, here is a place holder pic I took a couple days ago. I'll change it if I have time. Getting married next Thursday.

Me & Clara made 1,000 Origami Cranes (Japanese tradition, I thought it would be cool)

http://i33.tinypic.com/2yvtq3r.jpg

you made a thousand of those?...wow... does it have to be that much??..

Have a great wedding!

xBerserker · Sep 24, 2008

Thanks. Ya, we did, I regretted it about the half way point. But at least I had plenty of TV Shows downloaded to catch up on. And FYI that picture doesn't even show all 1,000 cranes, but this photo does.

Wedding Tradition of 1,000 Origami Cranes

Folding a crane takes time, patience and understanding. These same
qualities are vital for a marriage to last. This is why the symbology of
1,000 hand-folded cranes decorating a wedding is so powerful.

The ancient practice of a man and woman folding 1,000 cranes
for their wedding is called sembazuru. The tradition itself is called
Tsuru wa sennen. The time and energy put into the hand-folded
cranes symbolized the patience and trust necessary to sustain a
happy marriage.

Always-honest said:
you made a thousand of those?...wow... does it have to be that much??..

Have a great wedding!

Always-honest · Sep 24, 2008

-xBerserker- said:
Thanks. Ya, we did, I regretted it about the half way point. But at least I had plenty of TV Shows downloaded to catch up on.

Wedding Tradition of 1,000 Origami Cranes

Folding a crane takes time, patience and understanding. These same
qualities are vital for a marriage to last. This is why the symbology of
1,000 hand-folded cranes decorating a wedding is so powerful.

The ancient practice of a man and woman folding 1,000 cranes
for their wedding is called sembazuru. The tradition itself is called
Tsuru wa sennen. The time and energy put into the hand-folded
cranes symbolized the patience and trust necessary to sustain a
happy marriage.

cool. never knew that. i did know making the cranes was pretty hard / time-consuming though... and patience is required in a long relationship.

Papi · Sep 25, 2008

They're building columns that will support the new highway. I had to sneak in at night time. It was my first time trying out the custom white balance feature which was pretty fun.

Canon EOS 450D, 6 seconds, f/9, ISO 800

Papi · Sep 25, 2008

Cyan said:
Weird, that totally looks computer generated. What does that look come from?

I have no idea how it works.
I had it set to tungsten light. I took a photo. Then set the custom white balance setting to the previous image with the tungsten light setting. Then I took another photo and it turned out like that.
The streets lights are naturally orange-coloured so the custom white balance made it look white. Oh and I loved how the sky turned out, cause it naturally looks black.

Lucky Forward · Sep 25, 2008

Papi, that is a really cool shot. Like Cyan said, it looks like CGI , or kinda has a sci-fi vibe to it.

I'm still hoping to get out and shoot a construction project. When I was driving home earlier this week there was the most beautiful golden evening light shining, but I was sitting in traffic without a camera. Yesterday I threw my Powershot in the car so I could get some shots after work, but the sky was overcast and the light was drab. Now they're calling for rain for today, Friday, and Saturday. Maybe Sunday...

Always-honest · Sep 26, 2008

Papi said:
They're building columns that will support the new highway. I had to sneak in at night time. It was my first time trying out the custom white balance feature which was pretty fun.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Papi/GAFPhotoThread50.jpg

Canon EOS 450D, 6 seconds, f/9, ISO 800

how is the noise in the high res version? looks very clean at this size.

Tf53 · Sep 26, 2008

Here's mine for now, might change it later on:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.4
Exposure: 1/8000 sec
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Flash: Flash fired

AirBrian · Sep 27, 2008

Lucky Forward · Sep 28, 2008

Canon 20D, 17-85 IS at 17mm, ISO 400, 1/50 sec, f/4.0

I took this shot this morning at a highway interchange where new ramps are being built. Looking back, I wish I had gone up closer, but I was probably trespassing and the further up the ramp I went the more visible I was from the highway, so I got my shots and got out of there.

Papi · Sep 28, 2008

Lucky Forward said:
I wish I had gone up closer, but I was probably trespassing and the further up the ramp I went the more visible I was from the highway, so I got my shots and got out of there.

Hahahaha. I know exactly what you mean.
I kept going back to the same site, each time doing more and more dangerous shit. I've been discovered twice, but nothing bad came of it cause they realised I was just there to take photos.

guess · Sep 28, 2008

Xun · Sep 28, 2008

Things evolve.

Lucky Forward · Sep 29, 2008

A reminder bump, get your entry in tonight!

Squirrel Killer · Sep 29, 2008

Camera model: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Lens: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal length: 18 mm
Exposure time: 1/50 second
Aperture: f/4
ISO: 800
Post Processing: Crop, adjust levels, adjust curves, bump up saturation, resize in GIMP.
What I was smoking: The centerpiece of a large and somewhat controversial church expansion, a new pipe organ getting assembled in the new sanctuary. This photo is doesn't even show half the scaffolding. That black bar at the top of the photo is a steel I-beam. I would've love to have gotten in closer to get some of the duct work that was still visible, but there was crew person down on the floor with me, and I thought it'd be rude to get in her way. Taken from a low angle with a wide angle to convey the enormity of the instrument.

Lucky Forward · Sep 29, 2008

10 entries? Could this be our most exclusive assignment ever???

Anyway, I'd collate the entries for voting but the firewall here at work isn't allowing most pictures on GAF to come through anymore, and even the pic links are just links to the red-x jpg. So if anyone else could get the entries together I'd appreciate it!

Always-honest · Sep 29, 2008

Lucky Forward said:
10 entries? Could this be our most exclusive assignment ever???

Anyway, I'd collate the entries for voting but the firewall here at work isn't allowing most pictures on GAF to come through anymore, and even the pic links are just links to the red-x jpg. So if anyone else could get the entries together I'd appreciate it!

i'll give it a shot

Always-honest · Sep 29, 2008

Okay, time to vote for your favourite photo.
entries:

Always-honest

mrkgoo

-xBerserker-

Papi

Tf53

AirBrian

Lucky Forward

guess

Xun

Squirrel Killer

Mau ® · Sep 29, 2008

1.- Always-honest
2.- squirrel killer

Cauliflower of Love · Sep 29, 2008

Well, I'm pissed, I came to post and missed the deadline. =(

AlteredBeast · Sep 29, 2008

1.Xun
2.Papi

I just wasn't impressed by this topic. Nothing screamed out to me "TAKE A PICTURE", but you guys did a fantastic job with the assignment.

Runner-up to TF53

daw840 · Sep 29, 2008

1.Papi
2. TF53

Nice photos, I always seem to notice this assignment thread on the day that submissions are due. Maybe one of these days I will actually be able to enter a submission.

Always-honest · Sep 29, 2008

1 papi
2 Tf53

Papi · Sep 29, 2008

1. Always-honest
2. AirBrian

aidan · Sep 29, 2008

1st - tf53
2nd - SK

Lucky Forward · Sep 30, 2008

First: Papi - I really love the look, the lighting, the sky, the composition... I like the star effect you're getting on the lights from stopping down to f/9. Well done!

Runner Up: guess - Wonderful composition, I love the foreground/background thing, the soft focus against crisp geometric lines. Great color and lighting.

Comments:

always-honest - At first I sort of wanted to see more of the spider's web for context, but the more I look at it t's great the way you caught him so busy at work. Nice macro shot!

mrkgoo - I like the idea, but I don't think shallow focus works here. They look like well-worn tools, I'd like to see detail throughout.

-xBerserker- - Great idea, great story, good luck to you and your new wife! I like the geometric composition but my nitpick is showing the table edge and wall in the top left corner...I'd rather see the cranes fill up the frame.

Tf53 - Almost my runner-up. Cool idea, beautiful use of shallow focus. I like the idea of just keeping the card fronts visible to get that white-red-black color scheme, but to nitpick, the odd colors in the bottom left (the back of a card?) seem out of place.

AirBrian - This composition really grew on me. At first I wanted it to be tighter on the building-in-progress, but then I looked at it as the city skyline under construction and it really worked for me. Nice how the street foreground provides scale to the scene.

Lucky Forward - You got up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning for that?

Xun - Very clever take on the theme! Nice use of available light, I like how the frame falls into darkness, but the whole is implied.

Squirrel Killer - Really interesting subject, I didn't know those were still being made. Looks like a tough subject to shoot with the construction still going on, but I really like the composition you got there and the contrast between wood/pipes against the bright color of the ladder/scaffold.

always-honest, thanks for getting the entries together!

AlteredBeast · Sep 30, 2008

Whoever wins, make a really open-ended topic that will refuel these assignments for the next 50 threads.

We need a bang!!

Always-honest · Sep 30, 2008

AlteredBeast said:
Whoever wins, make a really open-ended topic that will refuel these assignments for the next 50 threads. We need a bang!!

hmmn...there is little interest in this thread as it seems.. do people know they can vote?...
as for the topic, "under construction" is pretty open ended as far as i'm concerned.. but i'm interested to see what the new topic will be. hopefully it will tickle more people in to sending in a photo.

mrklaw · Sep 30, 2008

1 - Xun. Lovely shot, nice and evocative, and nicely addressing the theme enough to make you think a little, then give you a wry smile.

2 - guess.

honorable mention to airbrian

mrkgoo · Sep 30, 2008

First choice: always-honest. Just such a great idea and an awesome execution.

Runnerup: AirBrian: i just think it conveys the theme well.

xbeserker - I like the idea, but it seems to lack a bit of life to me. I think it may have been better a tad more vibrant/saturated/brighter.

Papi:A very surreal shot. I've done shots like this, but have never been that happy with them. Just a very eery look.

tf53: A runner up for me. A very dynamic shot.

Lucky forward: I like this one. I like how you've framed it.

Guess: A nice angle, but it makes me think more 'window cleaners'.

The shot I wanted to get was either a kid building a sand castle, or a toy tractor in the sand. I didn't manage either

thatbox · Sep 30, 2008

First: guess - Really great contrast and composition, although the CAUTION tape in the foreground looks a little weird - did you use a lot of noise reduction or I am just imagining things? It might also be the lens, I don't know; my Vivitar can make things look like that sometimes.
Runner-up: AirBrian - City lines are always very interesting to me, and I love all the stuff going on in here.

Squirrel Killer - For some reason I feel that the central wooden beam is throwing off your compostion - it's extremely prominent in the middle, but I don't see what purpose it's serving. If that weren't there I think I probably would have voted for yours - just every now and then there's something that makes me not understand a photo. Great work, though.

Tf53 - Absolutely gorgeous bokeh with the cards that I'm still not entirely sure how you got - you should do more shoots like this!

Always-honest - Really great catch, here, I'm just not sure about the DoF.

Lucky Forward · Sep 30, 2008

AlteredBeast said:
Whoever wins, make a really open-ended topic that will refuel these assignments for the next 50 threads. We need a bang!!

What I was smoking (to borrow a phrase): I'd hoped that beyond the straightforward construction project shots, photographers would capture a process of something being built/made/repaired...things like restoring an old car, baking a cake, building a PC, assembling a model kit, people working with tools. Figurative takes like a pregnant woman, a child stacking blocks, a skinny kid lifting weights. Nature shots like always-honest took. A puppy or kitten eating a big bowl of food...

Any topic is as open-ended as your imagination and creativity. If you win you can name your own theme, but you have to enter something.

AlteredBeast · Sep 30, 2008

I think the problem wasn't necessarily the topic, but this topic must've had the least amount of entries ever.
Something like "Fall" would attract many more entries with jut as much variance on the theme, I believe. Regardless, these threads are to challenge ourselves and others to break out of our photographic comfort zones, and in this case, nothing I took this past week fit the theme without a big stretch of the imagination. So kudos to those guys that did get really great submissions in. Hopefully next week we get that same quality of shots with much more quantity

Tf53 · Sep 30, 2008

AlteredBeast said:
I think the problem wasn't necessarily the topic, but this topic must've had the least amount of entries ever.
Something like "Fall" would attract many more entries with jut as much variance on the theme, I believe. Regardless, these threads are to challenge ourselves and others to break out of our photographic comfort zones.

Such a theme might also alienate people living on the other side of the planet, where fall is six months away.

AlteredBeast · Sep 30, 2008

"Fall" is just one variation on a theme that could fit so many different pictures. Seasons, something or someone falling, death, ending, etc.

Cyan said:
Man, you guys had ten entries! Over in the writing challenges, that's a good week.

I'm sorry.

Lucky Forward · Sep 30, 2008

AlteredBeast said:
Regardless, these threads are to challenge ourselves and others to break out of our photographic comfort zones...

Agreed. Personally, I think I do too many of my shots around the house and using table-top setups, so I made myself go out "on location" this time.

thatbox · Sep 30, 2008

When I got out of class this morning there was a bulldozer in front of a 14th century Gothic cathedral and a guy with a hard hat and a jackhammer sitting on the steps leading up to the huge entry arch. Would have been perfect, but it was too late to enter and I didn't have my camera on me

Always-honest · Sep 30, 2008

thatbox said:
When I got out of class this morning there was a bulldozer in front of a 14th century Gothic cathedral and a guy with a hard hat and a jackhammer sitting on the steps leading up to the huge entry arch. Would have been perfect, but it was too late to enter and I didn't have my camera on me

that could have been a nice shot! always bring a camera...(not that i always do..)

Tf53 · Oct 1, 2008

Gah, hectic deadline again. It's 3.43 am and I'm still working. Here's my vote, comments tomorrow if I have the energy.

Winner: guess
Runner-up: AirBrian

guess · Oct 1, 2008

one - Always-honest
two - Xun

AirBrian · Oct 1, 2008

First Choice: Papi
Runner-Up: Squirrel Killer

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