CP Photo Challenge #2 : Landscapes (WINNER: JAYEMS)

[kobafett]

For our second round of the photo challenge I went with the pretty easy and open theme of landscapes. I know it's not the most exciting theme but I'm hoping that it will get everyone posting their photos to really keep this going.

THEME: Landscapes, any photo that the main subject is the scenery is accepted. It pretty wide open so bring your best.

RULES:
1) One photo per post, it helps with voting.
2) Try and keep the image size to 800x600 or lower
3) It doesn't matter if you are a pro or just beginning we want to see it but it has to be your photo.

[kobafett]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2662528127_ac5e74005c_o.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2662528127/)

[Flash]

That's an incredible picture.

[Pagal4321]

Wow, that is one amazing picture. Mine pales in comparision...but...a picture taken from the top of an elephant in some forest north-west of Chaing Mai, Thailand.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/Pagal4321/IMG_3213.jpg

[photon]

Is there some HDR type manipulation with that pic kobafett? If not that's truely impressive (still impressive if so, but to get that kind of colour with one shot, wow).

[Flamesguy_SJ]

the mountains around a bed & breakfast I stayed at in Eugendorf, Austria just outside of Salzburg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r10/masson223/P6270179.png

[kobafett]

Is there some HDR type manipulation with that pic kobafett? If not that's truely impressive (still impressive if so, but to get that kind of colour with one shot, wow).

Thanks and yes it's an HDR image and then worked on in photoshop to make it look less like an HDR image.

[JohnnyB]

3) It doesn't matter if you are a pro or just beginning we want to see it but it has to be your photo.

Post#2 Pic

ha ha...

Somehow I think these two posts send conflicting messages to the lesser photographers on the board. Awe inspiring....:eek:


I'll gladly contribute as one of those lesser photographers though.


Rogers Pass
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z91/agmakosz/RogersPassPeak1copycopy.jpg

edit:changed to a better quality small copy of the same pic

[redforever]

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh30/flameforever/DENALIPARK1.jpg

Denali Wilderness Park, Alaska, August 2008

[Dion]

Top of the Gondola at Lake Louise this past summer.

http://i35.tinypic.com/2bbfvt.jpg

[Dion]

Love the colour in the picture Red!

[redforever]

Love the colour in the picture Red!

This was around the third week in August, there was a frost around a week prior to that, so the colors were just turning.

[JohnnyB]

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z91/agmakosz/P-TownStitch-2.jpg
Penticton

[Dion]

This was around the third week in August, there was a frost around a week prior to that, so the colors were just turning.

One of my favourite times of the year is when everything turns to colour. Great pic btw :)

[chid]

Taken in Panama City in January

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2627214517_17c9835336.jpg

[photon]

Well dang I can't find some of my pictures!! My whole trip to Palm Springs seems to be AWOL :(

http://cp.darkmatter.ca/gallery/albums/misc/vineyard.jpg

Quick shot at a vineyard near Kelowna somewhere. I didn't like the tools and stuff but the lighting was cool. I really need to buy a UV filter.

[photon]

Seriously, the pics are on my facebook page, where are the files!!! :(:whaa:

http://cp.darkmatter.ca/gallery/misc/park_800x600http://cp.darkmatter.ca/gallery/albums/misc/park_800x600.jpg

One other one, this one is old, a scan of a print from a trip. Not sure if this counts as a landscape since its in a city, but one of my favorites.

[Dion]

Seriously, the pics are on my facebook page, where are the files!!! :(:whaa:

http://cp.darkmatter.ca/gallery/misc/park_800x600http://cp.darkmatter.ca/gallery/albums/misc/park_800x600.jpg

One other one, this one is old, a scan of a print from a trip. Not sure if this counts as a landscape since its in a city, but one of my favorites.

Download Picasa 2 and store your pictures there. It's where i keep mine :)

[JohnnyB]

Last one from me, city landscape of Shanghai

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z91/agmakosz/ShanghaiDowntowncopy.jpg

edit: also changed for better quality small pic

[4X4]

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z178/mydogmoxie/100_2297.jpg

[chid]

Stanley Park, Vancouver, panoramic shot
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2417/2281532342_b880146419_b.jpg

[kobafett]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2099/2497521501_be32b1b9e4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2497521501/)

[Muta]

Two from New Zealand that I took:

From the Waikato region:
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq342/MJChomik/nz1.jpg

Awipara Lookout, just west of Lake Taupo:
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq342/MJChomik/nz2.jpg

One from Byron Bay in Australia:
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq342/MJChomik/ByronBay.jpg

[Jayems]

My apologies for not getting back to theme 1, got really busy. Glad you guys did it.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Jayems/bridge1.png

[Jayems]

Same spot (lunbreck falls) but different angle... not sure which one i like, so I'll put both.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Jayems/newFALLS.png

[FlamesKickAss]

I will post a couple when I get home.

[Arsenal14]

Huacachina Oasis in Peru
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TtqftUynDC8/RmXsYXEb5fI/AAAAAAAAA_c/DNJoek4jWwk/s800/IMG_0414.JPG

[STeeLy]

Parry Sound, ON
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/superfly1031/Parry%20Sound%20Trip/ParrySoundTrip145.jpg

Blue Mountain, New South Wales, Australia
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/superfly1031/Australia/Sydney/Blue%20Mountain/Sydney011.jpg

Vancouver Island (Malahat point), BC
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/superfly1031/Vancouver%20Island/Malahat/Malahat001.jpg

[COGENT]

Same spot (lunbreck falls) but different angle... not sure which one i like, so I'll put both.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Jayems/newFALLS.png

crazy... I used to fish in the exact spot when I was a kid.

[BlackEleven]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/2822306357_6a6ace9dc7_o.jpg
Champagne fields near Champagne-en-Challons, France

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1322/1271662039_3616211bb0_o.jpg
Puno, Peru

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/410456869_80cc5b2a83_o.jpg
St. Lawrence River, Quebec City, Quebec

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/372440536_0c2c370f3c.jpg
Sola beach, Norway

[photon]

I'm new to these threads, is it ok to ask questions about the photos? Or should I use PMs?

[BlackEleven]

I vote the question should be asked in the thread, so everyone can benefit from the answer.

[Boblobla]

I vote the question should be asked in the thread, so everyone can benefit from the answer.

I agree

[chid]

Also from Vancouver
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/2280659895_d82230965a.jpg

[kobafett]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2873404144_38307eff82.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2873404144/)

[kobafett]

I agree that questions should be asked in the thread. For me anyway it's less about a contest and more about sharing the photos anyway.

Now that I've said that let me just remind everyone that there should only be one photo per post to help with the voting later.

[Dion]

13th hole Nanton Golf Course

http://i37.tinypic.com/2qnwf1c.jpg

[Dion]

East side of Oahu

http://i35.tinypic.com/2ylsi2v.jpg

[flip]

Few questions, as I'm certainly not a photography expert:

What kind of cameras are you guys using?

Would you consider your shots more professional than not?

What is the deal with this HDR? I read the wiki article and I get it but at the same time I don't.

Are HDR pics more real or not? They seem to all have that too good to be true look. But maybe that is because I'm used to mediocre photography.

Is it all about the camera? Or lenses? Or settings? Seriously I know very little about taking nice pics.

I have this camera (or one like it, I'm not willing to go get it right now):

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1004965&navigationPath=32090n100454n100450 (http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1004965&navigationPath=32090n100454n100450Good?)

Good? Crap? What kind of setting would be best to take fancy pics like yours? Is it even good enough to take nice pics like yours?

Keep in mind I'll be judging the credibility of your answers based on how nice your pics are.:D

[BlackEleven]

I'll chime in here

Camera: Canon Rebel XTi mostly, some are with Panasonic Lumix FZ50

Lenses: 24-70 F/2.8L, 50 F/1.4

Professional: No, just a hobby

HDR: essentially a combination of many different shots at different exposures to get a wider range. Personally, I find the majority of people go overboard with this. I find it looks too much like a computer drawing and not enough like a photograph. In some cases, if uses subtly, I find it can look good.

To get good looking pictures, I recommend first reading up on the basics -- composition, lighting, flash, etc. Then move on to becoming familiar with your camera's settings -- how to set f-stop, shutter speed -- and more importantly how to use them to get the effect you want (bokeh, time lapse and so forth). Lastly, familiarize yourself with photoshop or other photo editing software.

The link to the camera you provided me with isn't working, but you don't need super expensive equipment to take great pictures. It can certainly help, but buying expensive gear won't get you great pictures 'right out of the box'.

[photon]

My question was about Jayems' waterfall pictures that it didn't look blurred, but then it dawned on me that a good camera could take 3 pictures at different exposures pretty darn quickly. I was thinking the water looked so clear and if I had to manually change exposures between shots that would be difficult to do.

[Jayems]

^^ yep. It's called auto-bracketing. You tell it before hand how many shots at what exposure, you get ready, hold down the shutter and it'll shoot (for me) 3 shots one after another.

Tripod very necessary.

[photon]

Cool, nice feature to have, and explains why there was little or no blurring in the water.

I think I read somewhere that if you shoot in RAW that you can accomplish some of the same effect?

[BlackEleven]

RAW gives you the ability to change the exposure after the fact, so you can generate three different images (at different exposures) from a single RAW. Then combine them into an HDR. However, I find that having three "real" images produces a nicer result.

[photon]

Which makes sense, with RAW you're changing the exposure but you can't create new information, and actually taking a picture at a different exposure gets you different information.

[Jayems]

Canmore HDR on Remembrance Day. I actually tried shooting with a high aperture for most of my pics and it screwed me up. Back to the original way, I guess.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Jayems/canmore2.png

[Bigtime]

Taken on top of Danco Island, Antarctica on February 26, 2008:

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg247/Staynera/Antarctica0292.jpg

[Regulator75]

Taken a few years back in Jasper.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2219/2416775627_8b27ba6973_o.jpg

[ricosuave]

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3060/img0852gc9.jpg

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC02362.jpg

[IgnitedSoul]

Taken in Hawai'i in the summer of '06. Contrast and a bit of things were played with in Corel Paint Shop Pro X2, but no huge changes. I think it would have worked better in the water competition, but I was too busy, hope you all enjoy, I know I love the ones posted so far!
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d57/jottluver/Digital%20Camera%20Pics/edited.jpg

[HOOT]

Why don't you just use the "Thanks" button as the votes?

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/boats.jpg

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC03198.jpg

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC03196.jpg

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC03201.jpg
]

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC03206.jpg

[photon]

Why don't you just use the "Thanks" button as the votes?

Give this man a banana.

[FlamesKickAss]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC03224.jpg

[kobafett]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2640520167_55567d5734_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2640520167/)

[FlamesKickAss]

sorry about all those, they are all from the banff/canmore region minus the boat and snowy creek one

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/bkamper/DSC03246.jpg

[jar_e]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/129949160_7383ed2e49.jpg?v=0

Sorry its so small.

[FurnaceFace]

Morning spotlight on Uluru
http://www.stadevene.com/contest/landscape1.JPG

This was our first morning in Australia. Jetlag had us up at dawn so we headed off to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) to to hike the Valley of the Winds before it got hot. We stopped at the viewing platform to take pics of The Olgas and after a few pics I turned around I saw what you see above. Quickly repositioning the tripod to get a few shots of this natural spotlight. The picture does not do the scene justice but it was the sheer luck of it which makes it special.

[FurnaceFace]

Here's the more traditional view of this magical rock.

http://www.stadevene.com/contest/landscape2.JPG

[Regulator75]

So, how many photos are we allowed to upload?

1?

[kobafett]

So, how many photos are we allowed to upload?

1?

I think it should be as many as you want as long as they go with the theme.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Lac La Hache, B.C.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a328/keiary32/AGloriousSunrise.jpg

[kobafett]

Why don't you just use the "Thanks" button as the votes?

I think this is a great idea. We could have the voting open from the start of the challenge.

If we get tired of counting votes and having the winner pick the theme I've been playing around with another idea of doing a theme photo thread. It's the same type of thing where a theme is chosen but the difference is that a new theme is chosen whenever a certain amount of time passes from the last post. Example - It's been a day since the last post about landscapes so the next person who posts changes the theme.

We could still use the thank you button and maybe if a photo gets a certain amount of thanks it goes into a HOF thread.

Again it's just an idea I thought I would put out there. I have no problems with how we are doing the challenge now.

[Tiger]

I'm going to give this a shot... or shots

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/Dented13/3trip2007390.jpg

[Tiger]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/Dented13/DSCF0748.jpg

[Tiger]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/Dented13/DSCF0972bw2.jpg


I know someone else posted a very similar picture, but what the hell

[Tiger]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/Dented13/DSCF1077.jpg

Mammoth springs in yellowstone

[Tiger]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/Dented13/russiatrip1142.jpg

The beautiful Siberian sunrise in the middle of nowhere

[notoepik]

I'm going to give this a shot... or shots

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/Dented13/3trip2007390.jpg




Where is this??

[kobafett]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/2767648910_c606307ccf_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2767648910/)

[Bagor]

Where is this??

I'm going to guess The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland.

[Dion]

http://i34.tinypic.com/zb95z.jpg

[JohnnyB]

another Chiang Mai area shot
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z91/agmakosz/P1050209copy-1.jpg

[JohnnyB]

OT: how is everybody hosting their images. I'm using photobucket, but I feel like every time I upload a pic it suddenly becomes much blander, and also that any resizing in photobucket really damages the image. Anyone else with similar experiences? advice?

[FlamesKickAss]

yea i noticed that with a couple of mine

[Tiger]

I'm going to guess The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland.


Great guess. It is in ireland on the island of inishmore (part of the aran islands) outside a stone age fort (Dún Aonghasa).

The island of inishmore is probably one of the best places I've ever been to.

[REDVAN]

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo184/redvan_2332/IMG_3617.jpg?t=1226617224

[REDVAN]

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo184/redvan_2332/IMG_7175.jpg?t=1226617299

[REDVAN]

Sorry of those are a little big! I don't know how wide your guys screens are.

[4X4]

Lol. REDVAN, your pic looks like where I woke up on my camping trip from hell... Except the river was alot angrier.

[REDVAN]

Lol. REDVAN, your pic looks like where I woke up on my camping trip from hell... Except the river was alot angrier.

That is not just any river, it's Fish Creek. The only time you camp in Fish CReek is when you are so wasted you can't walk up the hill. That was not the case here, I wish I had a good story to go with that picture other than I liked it.

You should post your pics from the incident in here for review!

[Dion]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v141/Happy1958/060313212331.jpg

[JohnnyB]

So when do we officially start the voting? Do we have a timeline for this thing?

[WhiteTom]

Awesome pictures everyone! I especially like the Chiang Mai, Antarctica and Ireland shots.

[V]

This was obviously taken by a lower end point and click camera with no special settings. It was taken towards the summit of Mt. Baldy.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i10/Dominic111111111/n602915699_1292427_4034.jpghttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1292428&id=602915699

[FurnaceFace]

OT: how is everybody hosting their images. I'm using photobucket, but I feel like every time I upload a pic it suddenly becomes much blander, and also that any resizing in photobucket really damages the image. Anyone else with similar experiences? advice?

An answer to bump the thread. I have my own site which I just toss the pictures up to. I do notice the images can sometimes appear darker in the browser than in photoshop.

[kobafett]

So when do we officially start the voting? Do we have a timeline for this thing?

I'm not sure what the official time frame was but because I started this weeks thread I'll make a discussion.

START VOTING NOW!!!

I think we will try the idea of using the Thanks button for the voting. Voting will end Sunday at 6:00 pm.

You can only vote once.

[Berger_4_]

Jayems, you totally would've had my vote if you'd have put up your picture of the old grain elevator. Love it. In fact, I stole it and am now using it as my background...thanks man!

[kobafett]

Don't forget to vote.

[JohnnyB]

bump for voting purposes

[BlackEleven]

Can we vote more than once? Lots of nice pics in this thread.

If I had to pick just one though, it'd be the rice field on the hill (or whatever that is) by JohnnyB.

[FurnaceFace]

Can we vote more than once? Lots of nice pics in this thread.

If I had to pick just one though, it'd be the rice field on the hill (or whatever that is) by JohnnyB.

One vote only, just use the Thanks button. I agree though, I could pick a top 5 or 10 easy.

On a personal note, Thanks Dion and Steely for the votes.

[JohnnyB]

It would seem we have no decisive result from this round so far. We've got two pics with 4 votes & one with 3, but voting's a little bit messed up due to multiple votes.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2662528127_ac5e74005c_o.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2662528127/)
3 votes: Berger_4_, burn_baby_burn, V

Morning spotlight on Uluru
http://www.stadevene.com/contest/landscape1.JPG

4 votes: Dion, Jayems, Phanuthier, STeeLy

another Chiang Mai area shot
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z91/agmakosz/P1050209copy-1.jpg
4 votes: BlackEleven, Eastern Girl, Phanuthier, WhiteTom

I have bolded the voters who voted doubly. For shame... expressing appreciation for more than one person....
Perhaps we could have a mini vote-off between the three, or else just share the title and whoever makes the next thread first can choose the theme... ideas?


Either way, I'm really flattered by so many people liking my photography. I'm totally amateur and just do this for fun, so it's really cool that people like the shots I take.
Thanks! :D

Lots of great pics!!

[Dion]

A mini vote probably would be best.

[kobafett]

Ok we will do a quick mini vote to decide the winner. I will quote each of the 3 vote photos into their own post and we can use the thanks again to pick the winner.

ONLY VOTE ON ONE PHOTO

[kobafett]

Photo 1
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2662528127_ac5e74005c_o.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinloganphoto/2662528127/)

[kobafett]

Photo 2
Morning spotlight on Uluru
http://www.stadevene.com/contest/landscape1.JPG

[kobafett]

Photo 3
another Chiang Mai area shot
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z91/agmakosz/P1050209copy-1.jpg

[kobafett]

Photo 4
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c120/Jayems/bridge1.png

EDIT - I can't use the thanks because I quoted all the photos but I'm voting for this photo.

[kobafett]

Keep voting!!!

Photo 1 - Berger_4, jar_e, photon, The Fonz, BlackArcher101
Photo 2 - Dion, SteeLy
Photo 3 - BlackEleven, RatherDashing
Photo 4 - 4X4, kobafett, getbak, HOOT, FlamesKickAss, JohhnyB, Flip

[JohnnyB]

Voting Bump!!

also, my bad on thinking the voting period had already expired earlier, I'm still a little on Shanghai time I guess...

[kobafett]

No problem JohnnyB, I wasn't sure how to handle the multiple votes and this provided a nice way to wrap it up.

[kobafett]

I gave the voting an extra 1/2 hour because of the mini vote we added. If you haven't voted now is your chance.

[kobafett]

Looks like Jayems is our winner this week. Congratulations, I look forward to the next theme.

I was really impressed with all of the photos. Great job everyone.

[photon]

It was a tough call, but in the end I liked the composition of yours a bit better, and Jayems' bridge with the hdr lighting has kind of an Escher effect on the right side, the lighting doesn't seem consistent across the bridge so it messes with the mind (otherwise all crazy good pictures, just saying why I had to choose one over the other).

[kermitology]

http://members.shaw.ca/dralemmo/IMG_0207_edited-2_small.JPG

[JohnnyB]

^nice pic^

[4X4]

JAYEMS.... Hurry up and pick a new topic. I love this game.

[JohnnyB]

I kind of think this method worked out well too. Maybe we should run the voting like this again in future. Preliminary voting where everybody gets two votes or something, and then selecting the finalists for a second day of voting with only one vote each. Thoughts?

[Jayems]

Wow.. that was a surprise. How about Animals.

[Madman]

How about a topic suggestion of: Macros

I really enjoy a great macro shot. And a true shot as well, nothing modified after the fact.

[Jayems]

Ah, sorry madman, that's a good suggestion. I picked animals before I saw this post.

[Madman]

Ah, sorry madman, that's a good suggestion. I picked animals before I saw this post.
Not a problem at all - next time.