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[Celery&Lager]

Was reading Royal Assasin in my lounge when inspiration struck me!

EOS 450D , F9.0, 1/50sec, ISO100

 

[deadhorse32]

It has been a while

 

[Xun]

This was the topic I would've done if I ever won.

I'm surprised it wasn't done until now.

Good stuff so far! I'll try and take something tomorrow...

 

[cityhunter]

I've always wanted to enter and finally I got approved. Total beginner here so don't laugh =x

Info:
Sony DSC H9
Focal Length: 5mm
F 3.5
Exposure: 1/1000 sec
ISO 100

 

[AlternativeUlster]

Just to clear things up: I was really impressed with Evan's work last week, and stumbled onto his website, which I browsed for a while. When he posted such a gorgeous photo, perfect for the theme, so soon after the assignment was posted, something clicked back in my memory, so I tried to check the EXIF data, but it was missing.

So I asked him.

That's understandable. I did like his photo last week even though it was posted post-deadline.

 

[AlternativeUlster]

p.s. you three deserve awards:
captive
RefigeKru
Nachkebia

 

[hey_monkey]

Obvious entry is obvious.

Spoiler

I shot this really warm, and I liked the idea of the bird and the golden color, but it was too much, I thought, so I cooled it down a little to try to control the colors and that gradient, but I dunno if I'm pleased with the result. But my husband was a good sport and did shadow critters for quite a while.

 

[Tapiozona]

 

[hey_monkey]

Oh, I really like the color in that.

 

[Irish]

I really need to pick up a decent camera because I'd like to participate in these threads. Sure, plain old cameras can catch amazing things sometimes, but it's so hard to create a shot with them.

 

[Papi]

Canon EOS 450D handheld @
f/2.8
1/10 seconds
ISO 1600

17-55mm @ 17mm

420EX II
Flash firing disabled, AF assist beam on

 

[Lucky Forward]

Canon 20D, 10-22 at 18mm, ISO 400, 1.3 sec, f/11

 

[Kawaii]

Canon 450D
EF 50mm 1.8
f/2.2
1/60 sec

Taken at a party with DJ group CLiKK, more photos in the Q3 photography thread and more photos in a couple of days.

 

[xBerserker]

I have not edited this photo in any way other than cropping it

 

[aidan]

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 28 mm
Exposure: -0.45
ISO Speed: 100

 

[Irish]

I need to get a real camera.

For Now:

 

[mrkgoo]

*sigh* I actually picked up my camera for the first time in a long while (maybe a month). Didn't find the inspiration to shoot anything interesting.

For the record, I think it was important to shoot something where the shadow is the subject of the photo. Not just a photo with shadows in it and not 'just' shade or silhouette. At least that was what I was aiming for. But well, it's all moot, 'cause I got nothing.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

Camera model: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Lens: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal length: 18 mm
Exposure time: 1/320 second
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO: 200
Post Processing: Crop, adjust color curves. boost saturation, posterize, and resize in GIMP.
What I was smoking: Inspired by Papi's entry in Assignment #70, I took a series of my kids playing in the yard. The crappy condition of my yard distracted from the shadowplay, so to focus attention on the shapes, I posterized the image.

 

[hey_monkey]

That was what I hoped to do--get pictures of the little one playing--but the weather and light just never cooperated. It wouldn't have been that pretty anyway, though!

 

[B-B-Bomba!]

Thanks, captive, for posting my entry. Apologies about the size, I’ve edited it now and if you (and Nachkebia) would like to edit your posts, the new link is: dis

Further apologies that I couldn’t resize sooner – I’ve been out and about all weekend, mainly in the doghouse, but that’s another story ...

Here are my impressions on our entries. I had intended to write something about all of them, but gave up. Thanks to everyone who posted, there were some really impressive photos, and it was interesting the different ways people had approached the assignment. It was secretly a bitch imo. A common thing seemed to be people being slaves either to the theme, or to the shot, and in either case forsaking the needs of the other. So some great pictures that didn’t have much to do with shadows, and some interesting interpretations of the theme, which didn’t really work as images? Kinda sorta.

Scythian Empire: Really nice, I tried for something similar myself (not my submission) but was surprised how poor the result turned out to be. A wall seems to be a hard thing to put across in a picture, but you’ve succeeded handsomely, and given it an eye-catching subject to boot.

Sarcastor: A high quality image of subtle contrasts, backed up by intelligent composition of shapes, and capped off with intriguing details such as the metalwork at the top, and the woodwork at the bottom. My only criticism is the subject, because I don’t think the shadows themselves carry this picture; therefore the subject seems to be the ‘no parking’ sign. As enjoyable as the image is, this aspect is a bit underwhelming – however once again this links back to how difficult the subject was!

captive: Excellent work here, truly excellent. Quite apart from anything else, what you’ve got there is a picture of a shadow in the process of actually falling. Added to this we have the beauty of the clouds, some feathery and illuminated by the sun, others in a ‘nother-worldly contrast of shade, and almost seeming to be moonlit. The waves contribute everything else the picture needs – subject, activity, contrast – and are beautifully captured. Top marks so far.

Nachkebia: Looooovely horrible pic! Walls of darkness closing in on this dude from all sides. The light itself is a mockery to which his back has turned, now all he can see is his own shadow. Only thing I’m not sure about is the top of the phone booth looks a little indistinct from everything else, but otherwise this is very impressive work.

LRS: Wonderful! The cat’s outline is perfectly mirrored, yet the right-hand edge of his body is bang in the middle of the picture. Therefore no matter where the shadow falls, the balance of the image is perfect. So much blank space could look overly spartan, but with such perfect balance the whole thing exudes confidence, and a welcome dash of humour and vibrance.

Milhouse31: Another one it took me a while to ‘get’. Suburb – check; dude – check; long exposure – if you say so. Then it occurred to me that the passage of time implied by the long exposure could mean a number of things. My feeling is that this guy is lurking in the shadows, because the blue glow of that window seems to be the focus of everything in the frame. But who knows? Maybe he created a cure for cancer in that room, and has stepped outside for a reality check? Good stuff.

Papi: Abstract and bizarre! I wish I had any idea how to shoot that much black! A very cool and mysterious image.

xBerserker: How did you manage that? ) Beautiful, oldskool, and slightly creepy ...

Aidan: Love the way this telescopes in so smoothly onto the two pedestrians, and still leaves them framed.

It’s Monday here, so my noms are:

1) captive, because of everything going on in this shot
2) Milhouse31, because I had fun wondering about it

Honourable mentions to Nachkebia and LRS for striking pictures, and one big last thank you to everyone.

 

[xBerserker]

xBerserker: How did you manage that? ) Beautiful, oldskool, and slightly creepy ...

It was just a long exposure shot.

My votes:

1st - Nachkebia
2nd - captive

 

[Irish]

1) Nachkebia
2)xBerserker- I thought it was a ghosting image at first. ((I love doing those and then solarizing them.))

 

[Mike Works]

1. Nachkebia
2. Bear-tie

 

[aidan]

Taken with - Canon EOS 400D
Aperture - f/5.6
ISO - 100

Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Olympus E30
12-60mm f2.8
ISO 500
Exposure: 1/400
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal Length: 35 mm

Taken with my HTC Touch Diamond.

EOS 450D , F9.0, 1/50sec, ISO100

Info:
Sony DSC H9
Focal Length: 5mm
F 3.5
Exposure: 1/1000 sec
ISO 100

Canon EOS 450D handheld @
f/2.8
1/10 seconds
ISO 1600

17-55mm @ 17mm

420EX II
Flash firing disabled, AF assist beam on

Canon 20D, 10-22 at 18mm, ISO 400, 1.3 sec, f/11

Canon 450D
EF 50mm 1.8
f/2.2
1/60 sec

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 28 mm
Exposure: -0.45
ISO Speed: 100

Camera model: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Lens: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal length: 18 mm
Exposure time: 1/320 second
Aperture: f/3.5
ISO: 200
Post Processing: Crop, adjust color curves. boost saturation, posterize, and resize in GIMP.
What I was smoking: Inspired by Papi's entry in Assignment #70, I took a series of my kids playing in the yard. The crappy condition of my yard distracted from the shadowplay, so to focus attention on the shapes, I posterized the image.

Voting's started, but I thought I'd still compile all the photos so we have 'em here on the second page.

 

[Celery&Lager]

1st: Aidan
2nd: Nachkebia

Will try to post comments later.

 

[sarcastor]

holy crap Nachkebia ftw

 

[BlueTsunami]

Shit, can't believe I missed this assignment! But these two shots I liked a lot...

1) Nachkebia: love the use of shadows with the partial silhouette and outline of the person. The symmetry going on here with the phone booths and the person breaking it is a very nice touch.
2) RefigeKru: Soft and dark. Nice capture of that time just before or after Sunrise/Sunset (or is it straight up darkness and the lights are form the streetlights?). Your shot makes me want to go out and take some moody night captures.

 

[aidan]

Guys, I'm an idiot and left B-B-Bomba's entry off the comiled list. I've gone ahead and added it, so make sure to amend your votes,if you feel so inclined!

 

[hey_monkey]

Some really lovely photos this go round, I think, but I don't always feel that the shadows are the important part of the picture here.

1. aidan (I feel like I'm always voting for aidan. damn you, aidan! :lol )
2. Lucky Forward

I just wanted to say also that I like the idea behind Mike Works' photo, if I understand it... standing in the shadows and looking out into the light. If I had a third vote, that may have been it!

I really like a lot of these shots. I'd love to see winners/placers share a little of what they did in their shots, or see some photos pre-processing. Lucky Forward's picture has such beautiful colors and such a lovely pattern, but I have a feeling it wasn't quite shot that way (with the color, at least!)

 

[deadhorse32]

1st : LRS
2nd : captive

 

[captive]

1) bear-tie
2) lucky forward

really really close between those two and papi, cityhunter and tapiozona. Lots of really really excellent shots.
I'm on vacation so I wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to contribute, if i have time when I get back i'll do C&C.

 

[Bear-tie]

1.Milhouse31
2.Captive

 

[RefigeKru]

1 - Nachkebia
2 - Captive

 

[Scythian Empire]

1. RefigeKru
2. LRS

 

[Xun]

I know it's a bit late now, but here's what I would've submitted if I had realized I took it in the timeframe.

As for who I vote for...

1. hey_monkey

2. RefigeKru

But yeah, awesome photos everyone! Hopefully I'll contribute next month!

 

[Lucky Forward]

First - Nachkebia - I agree with Blue Tsunami, the symmetry and the figure breaking it really work. Was the green lighting natural or enhanced? The shot kind of reminds me of Cosmic Bus' winning shot last time, why is everybody so down lately?

Runner Up - aidan - Back in your "Faces" shot I thought the contrast (particularly the bright whites) was overdone, but here that technique of extreme contrast really works well.


Honorable mention - RefigeKru - Great cell phone shot, very artistic in a minimalist way.

Lucky Forward's picture has such beautiful colors and such a lovely pattern, but I have a feeling it wasn't quite shot that way (with the color, at least!)

Thanks, thats the terra cotta tile (?) of my front porch, soaked by the rain, lit by the floodlights at the corner of the porch. The rain and the warm light of the floods really brought out the orange, but since I shoot in RAW I generally bump the saturation a bit in post...how much is too much?

 

[Azar]

You guys should really compile a list or a flickr page of hi-res versions of all of these pictures. They're really great, and some of them would make excellent wallpapers.

 

[Lucky Forward]

You guys should really compile a list or a flickr page of hi-res versions of all of these pictures. They're really great, and some of them would make excellent wallpapers.

Hi-res would be nice, but as far as archiving the entries, you can find links to all of the previous assignments on the GAF Photography Assignment Threads FAQ.

 

[LRS]

1st- Nachkebia

Runner Up- captive

 

[cityhunter]

1st - Nachkebia
Runner up - Kawaii

I really liked both of the colors and the mood of the pictures. It makes me feel like there's a backstory to the people in each picture.

 

[hey_monkey]

Thanks, thats the terra cotta tile (?) of my front porch, soaked by the rain, lit by the floodlights at the corner of the porch. The rain and the warm light of the floods really brought out the orange, but since I shoot in RAW I generally bump the saturation a bit in post...how much is too much?

Well, apparently that's just enough to please me. If that was your goal, you can now relax and enjoy a tasty beverage.

I love terra cotta tile.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

crap sorry I forgot to vote, I'm on vacation and internet access is limited.

 

[aidan]

First: captive - I love how you can see the shadows being cast. Great atmosphere, and it works great in B&W.

Runner-up: Tapiozona - Great tone.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

First Choice: captive - Great image that captures a fascinating weather pattern.

Runner Up: RefigeKru - Amazing what you did in post. Feels much more of a "Shadows" image than say, Mike Works, which was also taken from within the shadows.


Honorable Mentions:
Tapiozona - The shadow isn't the focus, but does add a lot to the image.

Lucky Forward - There's a lot of elements to this image that work really well with one another. The juxtaposition of straight lines and curves, the drying of the terra cotta, the light reflection off the wet tiles, etc...

hey_monkey - Look at the beak on that bird!

Other Comments:
evanylee - A great shot, but I don't feel like the shadows are the star here.

Scythian Empire - I like how the texture of the wall and the shadow interact and the vignetting-like effect of the light fall off.

Bear-tie - Very attractive. I'm not sure what the lights toward the top of the image add.

Zyzyxxz - Not sure of the connection to the theme.

Mike Works - Not sure of the connection to the theme.

sarcastor - I like how the texture of the wall and the shadow interact.

Memles - Very focused on the shadows, and also presents a tangible effect of them.

SexyNerd - The shadow really isn't the focus here.

Nachkebia - I can certainly see why this is getting so many votes. Very dramatic, great narrative, well executed. The subject's silhouette rather than any shadows seems to be the major focus of the image.

LRS - Interesting, but not wuite as deep as I've come to expect from you.

Celery&Lager - I like the direct approach you've taken here.

Milhouse31 - Not sure of the connection to the theme.

cityhunter - A nice, clean shot, but doesn't impart anything I haven't seen before.

Papi - More of a silhouette than shadow.

Kawaii - Not sure of the connection to the theme.

xBerserker - Neat attempt, perhaps a bit too subtle.

aidan - Very cool effect by the shadows, how they outline a path on the sidewalk, but it's a minor part of great and larger image.

Irish - I like what you're going for, but I think it's not quite there technically (focus and motion blur.)

B-B-Bomba! - I like how the wall is the canvas for the sun to paint the shadow. I wish the highlights that are so much of the subject of the shot weren't so blown out.

Xun - This reminds me so much of someone's entry many, many assignments ago of a woman dancing on a staircase. Very Sufer Rosa-equse. Would've been a contender for HM, especially if the shadows were a bit more distinct.

Sorry for all the "Not sure of the connection to theme" comments. There are a lot of great photos, perhaps I just need to let go of my literal reading of the theme.

 

[Irish]

Quick camera question:

Is the Canon EOS 300D a decent digital camera?

 

[Davidion]

Nach, refige, captive...hell, lots of these are great pictures.

 

[Tapiozona]

1. Nachkebia - Not much I can say that hasn't been already. Fantastic photograph
2. Aidan - I really like this because it has a lot of elements. I just wish the people at the end of the bridge were bit bit closer. Eyes are drawn right down the line of shadows straight onto them.

3. Captive - Another fasntastic shot. God rays at their best though it seems like the light is more of the focus than the shadow.
4. Squirrel Killer & Lucky Forward - I'm a big fan of shots with heavy contrast and rich colors like these. Both hit the nail on the head with "Shadows"

Milhouse, this is one of my favorite photos of the bunch but shadows weren't really the focus here.

RefigeKru - Most amazing part is what you used to take that picture. Nice PP. It almost has a tilt-shift feel to it and it makes it seem like i'm looking at a photograph of a miniature.

Lots of other good photos in this bunch from everyone

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

Not trying to get into the voting, as I know entries were due yesterday, but I had these on my HDD and wanted to share them.

Hope it's ok, if not I'll edit them out. Looking forward to joining in on 74.

 

[Rentahamster]

1) Lucky Forward - nice lines.

2) hey_monkey - made me lol

 

[Xun]

Quick camera question:

Is the Canon EOS 300D a decent digital camera?

It's not bad at all.

Though if I were you I'd get a 350D or 400D instead.

Edit: Nice photos RJNavarrete! I like the last one a lot.