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[Rentahamster]

Aww, Squirrel Killer, you edited the OP.

I was gonna blame you and your "February 29th" due date for the PS3 apocalypse

 

[brerwolfe]

i have no idea who to vote for... there are some good ones in here for sure.

 

[captive]

Aww, Squirrel Killer, you edited the OP.

I was gonna blame you and your "February 29th" due date for the PS3 apocalypse

the who what now?
nevermind.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

I've politely bowed out of the last few assignments. Trying to figure my way through Aperture and RAW workflow.

Anyway, I discovered Aperture 3 has a "Wispy Scoundrel Filter"


EF-S 60mm Macro, f/2.8, 1/2500s, iso800

bigger size http://www.flickr.com/photos/35765710@N02/4377266047/sizes/l/
E-30
ISO 200
(1/160)
f/4.0
46 mm

A wilting flower I found in front of the music building at my university.

ZERO post processing. Shot with 50mm 1.8 lens w/ Canon XS.

Organic stuff was all wet and rotten after the snow ... so I went for some urban decay.

Camera: Nikon D90
Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/18.0
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

5DII w/24-105 f4

24mm, 1/25 sec., f4.0, ISO 1600

edit: decided to change my submission to another image from the same day and site.

Ehhhh...I think this is too literal, but it's the best thing I could think of. Click the pic for full size.

My first time in one of these so be kind.

Camera: Nikon D90 @ 190mm
ISO: 250

Took a few urban decay images, but for some reason, I like this one.

Canon G7 Powershot, ISO 80, 8 sec, f/8.0

Beta decay produces the eerie blue glow of Cherenkov radiation around these nuclear fuel rod samples awaiting laboratory analysis.

Spoiler

Not really...it's the set of little weights that came with my Logitech gaming mouse in the strainer basket from my teapot.

Camera model: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.8 MkII
Focal length: 50 mm
Exposure time: 1/1600 second
Aperture: f/5.8
ISO: 100
Post Processing: Crop, gimped out a couple extra power lines, adjust color balance (Whispy-style,) increase saturation, resize, unshark mask in GIMP.
What I was smoking: The heck with urban decay, rural decay.

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 149 mm
ISO Speed: 1600

Camera: Nokia N85
Shutter Speed: 1/20 second
Aperture: F/2.8
Focal Length: 5 mm
ISO Speed: 214
Post Proc: Cropped and resized.
(I know these dont matter much with a camera phone)

this isn't at all what i wanted to use for the assignment. i had an idea that i thought would be fun but was completely dependent on the weather, which suddenly turned rainy (in orlando). at any rate, here goes my first assignment thread submission:

an example of urban decay, as opposed to just "decay."

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Exposure: 1/400
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 40 mm
ISO Speed: 250

desaturated the bright lipstick reds in photoshop.

Cameras down, ballots up!

 

[BlueTsunami]

1) VNZ: Beautiful, dark and deep overall color in that place. Everything about it, from the dim lighting, decaying walls and color has this strong personality about it. I think the place was captured well and gives me a strong sense of "Decay".

2) Chaostrophy: Love the way you framed and composed this. Interesting multilayered lighting going on and lots of texture and objects to take in. The lines going on in the image, flows very nice from top to bottom. I really like the contrast in light and the areas unseen, especially the sense that it goes deeper down.

 

[MTE]

1) Chaostrohpy
As said by BlueTsunami, the sense that this picture gives of it continuing out of frame, I love, and the abandoned sense of the place, along with the destruction really fit the theme well.

2) Aidan
The randomness of the couch, the faded, twice spray painted stop sign and the slightly mangled fence all give a great idea of decay. The overall brown hue also amplifies that well.

 

[Rentahamster]

I don't know how I screwed up the date, I was born in February.!

Happy (belated) Birthday!

 

[Rolio]

1 ErnieMcCracken
2 ChryZ

 

[AnkitT]

1 - Catastrophy
Really love the framing and the lighting in the background!

2 - aidan
Your first submission was better imo, but both convey the same urban decay, love the subdued lighting.

 

[hEist]

1. mrkgoo
2. aidan

 

[Not a Jellyfish]

1 - aidan
2 - Catastrophy

 

[Schmattakopf]

1. captive

The hue, metal, and heap of organic crap are great, but I like how there's that one visible spot in the fence that's broken, making the whole rest of the fence seem rotted to me.

2. ChryZ

Good contrast with the background.

 

[ChryZ]

1. chaostrophy

Nicely framed subject and such a rich picture: so many layers of detail.

2. The_Inquisitor

Very minimalistic, but spot on. Extra points for no post processing.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

1st VNZ - I like the graininess of it, makes it feel like a dirty old 70's movie.

2nd Mrkgoo - the colors works well with the subject, overall nice shot I like the post processing

 

[VNZ]

1. aidan;
2. mrkgoo

Both are sort of clichéd (which is the theme to fault!) but beautifully captured and developed nonetheless.

Timbuktu's picture would be my favourite if I disregarded the theme, but unfortunately I don't think it communicates "decay".

(Btw, my photo was shot with a Lumix LX-3 in a space I couldn't see, only reach with my hand.)

 

[Chorazin]

1) Chaostrohpy - Excellent, very fitting picture for the theme.

2) Aidan - Love the combo of the sign, the chair, and the fence.

And yeah, my pic kinda sucks. I don't live in an area with a lot of decay, urban or otherwise, and the weather and work conspired to give me pretty much one day to shoot. Now that the days are getting longer (finally!) hopefully I can do better next challenge.

 

[Max@GC]

1. aidan
2. VNZ

 

[captive]

1. captive

The hue, metal, and heap of organic crap are great, but I like how there's that one visible spot in the fence that's broken, making the whole rest of the fence seem rotted to me.

thanks. Exactly what i was going for from the rusted metal on the saw mill to the broken fence and the overall processing of the image that gives the trees and odd hue and the edges darker than the rest.

 

[pringles]

such a good batch of photos.. excellent, excellent work all around.

these two had the best take on the theme imo, very inventive shots:

1) VNZ
2) ErnieMcCracken

 

[SickBoy]

1) chaostrophy
2) aidan

Didn't have a chance to get out this time around. My intent was to get a shot something like Squirrel Killer's... on the highways here you see similar scenes... small farmhouses that have just been left to die, roofs caving in/sagging. Didn't have time to take the drive and find one.

 

[mrkgoo]

First choice: Chapstrophy
Runner up: VNZ

Honourable mention: Aidan.

Sorry, no comments this week.

 

[RefigeKru]

1. VNZ
2. aidan

Both excellent shots.

 

[the_log_ride]

1. chaostrophy - nicely spotted; perfectly framed

2. mrkgoo - lovely detail; i wonder how this could have come out if i were able to see the leaf completely

 

[Timbuktu]

First choice: Chapstrophy
Runner up: VNZ

Honourable mention: Aidan.

same for me

 

[chaostrophy]

1st: ChryZ
2nd: The_Inquisitor

Both are very pretty, sort of poetic compositions.

 

[mrkgoo]

1. chaostrophy - nicely spotted; perfectly framed

2. mrkgoo - lovely detail; i wonder how this could have come out if i were able to see the leaf completely

For a bit of history, what I really wanted to show was the what happens to a leaf when it decays and all that is left are the veins. I think it looks beautiful, like a veil.

I was hunting around in my garden, and got a few shots. but it was windy and hard to get lighting right, so I ended up propping them up on a chopped log. The shot I have there wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was kind of a curious composition and looks strange to me. It doesn't speak to me about decay, but I liked the oddness of a leaf just poking up and causing a long shadow. Thanks for the comments!

 

[Rentahamster]

...what the crap?? Firefox 3.6 removed the "properties" option from the right click context menu...

That was a dumb idea.

 

[Schmattakopf]

...what the crap?? Firefox 3.6 removed the "properties" option from the right click context menu...

That was a dumb idea.

I think it's View Image Info now.

 

[Rentahamster]

I think it's View Image Info now.

It doesn't let me see EXIF info, though. That's why I was concerned.

 

[Buckethead]

So, if you remember at all.... my camera broke on Christmas. After cleaning and troubleshooting it was still giving me that ERROR 99 bullshit.

So today I finally get off my ass to Best Buy to send it in to be fixed and when I get to the counter to show the Geek Squad dude the message..

My camera works again. So weird.
I'm hardly complaining but if it does break, my warranty is still good for a couple more months.

Yay team!

 

[The_Inquisitor]

So, if you remember at all.... my camera broke on Christmas. After cleaning and troubleshooting it was still giving me that ERROR 99 bullshit.

So today I finally get off my ass to Best Buy to send it in to be fixed and when I get to the counter to show the Geek Squad dude the message..

My camera works again. So weird.
I'm hardly complaining but if it does break, my warranty is still good for a couple more months.

Yay team!

I'm surprised they didn't try to repair it anyways, then charge you 99 dollars to remove the malware you got on your camera as a result of using a third party memory card.

Sorry I have some beef with Geek Squad. :lol

Glad to hear.

 

[Rentahamster]

So, if you remember at all.... my camera broke on Christmas. After cleaning and troubleshooting it was still giving me that ERROR 99 bullshit.

So today I finally get off my ass to Best Buy to send it in to be fixed and when I get to the counter to show the Geek Squad dude the message..

My camera works again. So weird.
I'm hardly complaining but if it does break, my warranty is still good for a couple more months.

Yay team!

Yeah, I hate hate hate those error 99s. They would always pop up in the most inopportune times.

Anecdotally speaking, a quick cleaning of the lens and lens mount contacts and/or a battery change out usually fixes it.

 

[Zombie James]

It doesn't let me see EXIF info, though. That's why I was concerned.

Two extensions for you:

Element Properties
FxIF

 

[olbareun]

1) VNZ
2) aidan

 

[Buckethead]

Yeah, I hate hate hate those error 99s. They would always pop up in the most inopportune times.

Anecdotally speaking, a quick cleaning of the lens and lens mount contacts and/or a battery change out usually fixes it.

Yeah but what's weird is I cleaned everything, removed the batteries, etc. And still got the error.

Then it sat on my desk in it's case for ~2 months. A friend turned it on last week and still got el error 99.

 

[Rentahamster]

1. chaostrophy

2. ChryZ

Two extensions for you:

Element Properties
FxIF

Thanks.

 

[ronitoswife]

1) mrkgoo

2)The_Inquisitor

 

[ErnieMcCracken]

1. VNZ
2. chaostrophy

 

[Lucky Forward]

First - VNZ - Great angle and the consistent color and texture throughout the scene give it an artistic look..

Runner-Up - ChryZ - Good eye finding this shot! I like the precise composition and the balanced feel to it.

 

[Zombie James]

1. ChryZ
2. VNZ

Honorable mentions: aidan, brerwolfe.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

First Choice: VNZ - The strong converging lines make this a visually arresting shot. Interesting to hear that you had to take it blind.

Runner Up: ErnieMcCracken - I don't think the background's horizon helps the image, but it's a nice, clean set up shot.


Honorable Mentions:
chaostrophy - Initially, this was a first or second choice for me, I love the framing. The more I contrasted it against VNZ's entry, however, the flatter, less dynamic, and more conventional this entry became. I still love it though.

aidan - The slight angle is accentuated by the reference verticals on the sides of the image, but the subject is interesting. I like how the edges of the graphitti are so sharp in contrast the griminess of everything else.

Other Comments:
mrkgoo - You and The_Inquisitor kind of stole each other's thunder a bit. Feels a bit staged.

captive - Great tone. With the building on the left cut off as it is, the image feels incomplete or as if it's missing something.

The_Inquisitor - You and mrkgoo kind of stole each other's thunder a bit. Nice tone and composition, but perhaps stopping down a bit would've given a little more DOF to keep the subject more in focus.

ChryZ - I like this shuject and composition. If the atmospheric conditions had been a bit kinder to you, this could've been a standout image.

Timbuktu - I'm a sucker for square formatted images, but the connection to theme feels tenuous.

Chorazin - Literal is ok, but the composition feels a bit blah, somewhat snapshotty.

MTE - Interesting subject, but I think the lighting variance distracts.

Lucky Forward - Heh, I had a similar idea, though you may want to heal out the polypropylene recycling marks. Sharp as ever.

ronitoswife - Neat and sharp capture.

AnkitT - I love the tone, DOF, and composition, but I'm not on the same page as you on theme.

brerwolfe - I don't think the subject was strong enough to make this a compelling image.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

30 chaostrophy
28 VNZ
16 aidan
10 ChryZ
9 mrkgoo
5 ErnieMcCracken
3 captive
3 The_Inquisitor
0 AnkitT
0 brerwolfe
0 Chorazin
0 Lucky Forward
0 MTE
0 ronitoswife
0 Squirrel Killer
0 Timbuktu


The Top Three:
chaostrophy

VNZ

aidan

Qwik stats:
Winning Margin: 2
Entries: 16
Votes: 26
Vote Distribution: 50% (8 of 16)


Random trivia:
Contrary to common perception, radioactive material with long half-life periods is less dangerous to an individual than the same amount of radioactive material with a short half-life because less radiation is being emitted from the material. (Keeping in mind that large amounts of long half-life material, such as a disposal site, can still be dangerous.)


Congrats to chaostrophy for his first win!

 

[the_log_ride]

grats to the winners

much respect to all the entries

 

[aidan]

Ack! Thought we had until 12 PST!

Oh well, my vote wouldn't have changed anything! Cheers to the winners and thanks for all the votes from others.

aidan - The slight angle is accentuated by the reference verticals on the sides of the image, but the subject is interesting. I like how the edges of the graphitti are so sharp in contrast the griminess of everything else.

The slight angle was intentional, an attempt to make the photo a smidge uncomfortable to look at.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Interesting how the top 3 are all urban decay. Very interesting.... Congrats chaos!

 

[Rentahamster]

The slight angle was intentional, an attempt to make the photo a smidge uncomfortable to look at.

Yeah, at first I thought I didn't like it, but that made the pic stronger so I ended up liking it, haha.

 

[ronitoswife]

Congrats on the win! I look forward to the new theme!

 

[Flunkie]

Damnit I just shot a perfect one for this subject, unconscious to the fact that there was a competition open. I always forget about these.

Your pictures were amazing, though, guys. Particularly The_Inquisitor's image. It's got a certain touch to it that elevates it above all the other great pictures. Good job this time around!

 

[hEist]

congrats to chaostrophy

looking forward for a nice theme

 

[ChryZ]

Congrats chaostrophy, well deserved. Props to all entries, good stuff.

Thanks you for votes and comments, guys. Much appreciated. I kind of regret not being bolder, but I wasn't quite up for trespassing to reach better motives :lol

Looking forward to the next assignment.