Ivan's Entries for the 2008 Annual Digital Competition

Below are my 5 entries for the Cambridge Camera Club Annual Digital Competition. The categories are the same each year;

PEOPLE
This category includes formal and informal portraits, figure studies, groups and people in action.

CREATIVE
The use of any technique to create an image that transcends the bounds of reality and so stimulates the mind of a receptive viewer.

PICTORIAL
Here there is complete freedom of imagination and technique to produce an image of any subject in such a way as to achieve an individual interpretation of reality. Landscapes would normally fall within this category.

RECORD
A category for photographs that are a factual representation of any subject excluding Plants & Animals, giving detail and
maximum information on the subject specified in the title. High technical excellence is required in this category.

PLANTS & ANIMALS
Photographs must be accurate record shots of the living plant and animal, world giving detail and maximum information on the subject specified in the title. Photographs of mounted specimens, obviously set arrangements, or derivatives are ineligible. Factual, not cute, titles are required. The image must convey the truth of what the author saw at the time of taking. Whether produced in a conventional darkroom or via a computer, any manipulation of the image must be confined to the removal of minor blemishes or distractions. The final image must have been produced from a single negative, transparency or digital recording and must not be a combination of images. No section of a single image is to be duplicated and incorporated into the final image.

I have entered 2 for the Pictorial category. These are below.

Sunset Beach Walkers



Abandoned Bike



I have also entered 2 for the People category. These are below.

Eskimo Girl



Untitled



Finally, just to be different, I entered this image for the Record category.

Rusty Door Bolt



Please let me know what you think.

Cheers
Ivan

Annual Digital Competition

I only put two in this year, both in the portrait category. I very much doubt they're in the Camera Club mould, but I don't really give a damn.

Lidgard Photography has been updated

By the way, I have recently updated my website. I still need to do some work on it, and I need to set up PayPal and a shopping cart of some sort.

I recently went to a workshop called 'Email Is So Dead' which discussed the use of blogs and YouTube for artists. I can tell you more about that when I get back.

Do let me know what you think

www.lidgardphotography.com

Damian

Surf at dusk

This is an image I shot on Sable Island. It was taken at dusk, I had the camera on a tripod with my 100-300mm zoom lens and the camera set at: 10 seconds at f4.0, 250mm, ISO100, RAW.

In CameraRAW I optimised the image by adjusting the levels and curves and so on. This is a technique that I haven't used much before.

Not sure about the quality of the JPEG however.

Damian

Eskimo - Part 1

A picture of our little one, Abby, taken just last week. She was in her car seat, me in the front passenger seat. I've not optimised the black and white treatment - will do so and re-post, but just wanted some initial feedback, primarily on the image and composition. Advance input to help me get the b+w right would be good also.

Ivan

How to reduce noise using Photoshop

Something which no doubt plagues us all from time to time (unless we have more money than sense...). An article from The Luminous Landscape which may help out.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/techniques/chrom-noise.shtml

Ivan

Project Suggestion

Dear All

We are clearly all really busy and not posting much to the blog. No worries there, but how about a little project to get our juices going? I'll keep it simple. Three shots that tell something of "My Neighbourhood". Colour or black and white (not mixed, though).
Timeline. One month.

Thoughts?

Ivan

Snow, sand, surf and sky

This is a shot while on Sable Island in 2007shortly after a snow fall. What struck me was the nice patterning of the snow on the beach, and then there seemed to be layers: the snow, beach, surf and the sky. There wasn't much colour here so I tried black and white.

Damian

Finally... a DSLR.... any tips guys?

At last, I got one of these:



Sony A700P

Added UV and C-PL filters... feeling like a kid on Xmas day! The functionality is great. Already getting obsessed about prime lens action...

Will be posting a lot more on Critical Light soon...

Any tips?

Here is one of the very first shots.

Let me in, dammit!

Hi guys!

Here's one I took while playing with my new wide-angle toy, a Sigma 10-20mm. I want your opinions on a couple of things:

1. What do you think of the angle? I've noticed that this crooked-framing wide-angle style is popular with the photographers working for a local rag, the Chronically Horrid. Although in their work the subject is frequently far more prominent. I rather like it, although I can see it getting old very quickly.
   
2. Colour balance? I have also been playing around with post-processing raw images. In this case it was mostly white balance, but there was some saturation tweaking as well. The goal was to make the outside look cold, and the inside warm (i.e., reflecting reality. Brr! Poor dog...) Does it work?

I'm very interesting in opinions here, so don't hold back.
--Colin

Sunset and dune, Sable Island

Sunset and dune

This shot was taken just before the sunset exploded. It was one of the best sunsets I have seen on Sable. I will post more of it later. Here, I am looking east. There was a nice warmth coming from the dune.

Damian

Here I am

Hi there,

I have returned from Sable and am slowly re-adapting to life on the mainland. It was a good season in terms of the work and the weather: we had every weather imaginable which make s photography a lot of fun.

I took far fewer photos this year compared with other years. Just a handful each day. I hope to post some of these in the coming weeks.

Hope you all had a good xmas and new year....

Grey seal pup.

Damian

Lights out!

Hi everyone!

I felt I was overdue for a post so I decided to throw a couple up. For these pictures we have Nova Scotia Power to thank. If it wasn't for their rickety distribution grid, I would not have had the opportunity to take a few long-exposure shots under unusual lighting conditions.

The first is Sherri, sitting cooperatively still near the candles and LED flashlights. I rather like the resulting colours in this one; the walls are normally white. The second is Alpha (one of our cats), doing what cats do best: nothing at all.

(This preview picture is annoyingly blurry.)

Two Up

Happy New Year, folks. I had a panic last night when Ivan reminded me that the deadline for the last projected image competition was at midnight. So I've jumped in and plucked out two images from a recent conference I photographed at work. I really don't think the judge is going to like them, but I don't really care!

This first is called "The Conference Begins". The context (which the judge won't have, of course) is that this is Dr Paul Shellard, just preparing to open the plenary session of a conference featuring the biggest names in world Cosmology. I love the fact that the delegates will be discussing the most intricate details of their models of the Very Early Universe at a level of understanding which is unavailable to the overwhelming majority of the population (myself included) and yet, like the rest of us, he's mainly preoccupied by getting the OHP in focus.



They're going to hate this one. Obvious camera shake. This one's called The Philanthropist. It's an image of Dennis Avery, who has provided a large amount of money to set up a new Centre for Theoretical Cosmology. I shot it during the speeches launching the centre, at the point where he was being thanked for his generosity. I think it shows a warmth, a humour and an excitement in the guy's face. Like I say, it'll probably get tossed aside because of the camera shake...

oops

sorry, this should make it easier

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800557508-USE/Canon__Super_Telephoto_1200mm_f_5_6L.html&BI=212

The ultimate telephoto?

Check this piece of glass out. go to the link then click the specifications tab.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800557508-USE/Canon__Super_Telephoto_1200mm_f_5_6L.html&BI=212

Now where did I put that spare $99k?

Goals for 2007 - the final appraisal = met most expectations, development required on others!

Before I think about goals for 2008, here's a review of my 2007 goals and progress...

1. To be a regular attendee at CCC - Have been to all bar two sessions in 2007 CCC season.

2. To complete the population of my website and to build in the purchase prints facility - Decided not to progress this, since not in a position to launch any print sales just yet...

3. To have one or more of my prints available for sale in a local outlet in/around Cambridge - Failed! (Didn't try, though).

4. To sell some of my prints to paying punters (this could be linked in to number 2). Again, no sales. Have not really tried, though.

5. To have some more "success" in CCC competitions and perhaps inter-club competitions too - this has definitely been achieved. Came third overall in the serial projected image competition, and won the Creative section of the Annual Digital Championship (as well as the 2nd in the same category). Also got a commended in the Creative section. In 2007/8 season, got a First in the first print competition, and a HC in the first projected image competition.

6. To enter one image in this year's CCC Annual Exhibition - Yes, achieved this.

7. To enter, and hopefully be placed in at least one round, a national photo competition (e.g. a magazine "Photographer of the 8. Year" type competition - I did enter one competition, but was not placed. Did not enter again!

8. To obtain Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) status in Photoshop - This didn't happen, but didn't try/have time, and also don't have CS3!

9. To begin the process of obtaining another photographic "qualification", through CCC - I am going to attend the Aperture group in 2008.

10. To stop buying as many books and magazines, and start doing more photography!! - alas, failed on this so far; have done very little photography, although no new books have been purchased. Magazine purchases down greatly too - only really buy 2 a month.

So, achieved some of the goals and some were - in retrospect - not achievable without more time and effort!

Must think of achievable goals - but still stretching - for 2008.

Ivan

Off to Sable Island

Hi there,

I am off to Sable Island tomorrow until the end of January, so you will hear nothing of me until then. Not that you hear much of me anyway. Hopefully, I will return with some vigour for posting. I have a photo project in mind (sand dunes) but usually that changes when I get out there...

See you in the New Year.

Damian

The Luminous Landscape 10 year Retrospective

As some of you may know, I really love the Luminous Landscape website. It has great news, views and stunning images.

Michael Reichmann, the dude who runs this, has a limited edition 10 year retrospective book available at an eye-watering $850 dollars! No chance of me buying it, but there is a
wonderful slideshow of the images in the book available.

Enjoy. It certainly inspires me to take better images.

Ivan

The perfect PC for photography?

I was wondering while driving in this morning...what is the perfect/ideal set up and specs for a PC for photography and high-end digital imaging? What software is essential, and what peripherals would be required? As you may be aware, I am thinking of updating my 7 year old creaking PC (which has been upgraded twice, including maxxing out on RAM, ROM and a new motherboard, as well as being on it's second CD-R drive).

My old machine works, but can be slow sometimes with CS1. It's specs are an embarrasment:

- 2.8 GHz processor; not too bad, works well most of the time. This is an upgrade from the original 1.8 GHz
- 60 GB hard drive. Was originally 30, then I bolted another on.
- USB 1.1 x 2. I also added 2 USB 2.0 slots to speed things up on memory card transfer
- RAM: just over 1GB, upgraded from a paultry (though spec-leading in 2001) 250Mb.
- Optical drives; 1 DVD ROM drive; 1 CD-R drive.

I am currently looking at a Dell; specs below:



Any thoughts you have on this would be much appreciated...

Hope you have a great Christmas and New Year, and we can all see lots of new shots come January!! We need to beat last years posting total. If we all posted once per week, that would be 6 a week, and over 300 for the year!

Cheers
Ivan

CRITICAL LIGHT IS TWO!!

Well, actually, we're a bit older than 2, but we all missed that one (in November sometime). Still, we've reached that milestone, and we've had more discussion and posting this year than last. I, and I assume Gareth, have gained benefit from posting our potential and actual entries for competitions here first, and I know I've had some excellent critiques on images, definitely leading to improvements. So, I've learned stuff from you guys.

Here are some of the metrics for 2007:

Number of posts - (so far) 153, compared to 115 in 2006 (33% increase).
Number of contributors - 6, compared to 4 in 2006.
Top three months with most posts - June (35), Feb (22) then March (21). For 2006: October (27), then March and April (20).
Month with least posts - May (3); For 2006: January and December (1)

If I have time, and can be @rsed, I'll have a look at breakdown of contributor postings too. I suspect the order may be Ivan/Gareth 1 and 2 (not sure of the order), Damien 3, Stasher/Bluey 4/5 and Colin 6.

Cheers
Ivan

2007 so far; Runners and Riders (and dismounts...)

As a summary (if anyone's interested), my results and "considered" opinions for the CCC competitions I have entered so far.

I've managed to enter every competition so far this year, something I set out to do in my objectives for season 2007/8, so I'm chuffed at that. This has included print portfolio (5 images), and serial print x 2 (4 images in total, 2bw, 2 colour), two projected image competitions (4 images total) and a projected image portfolio (5 images total). All images are new in the sense that I did not use any last year (more than can be said for some members - more on that later). No new images taken for the competitions, but extensive reworking of back-catalogue images, so the next best thing. In 2008, I aim to submit some new images to competitions, and hope to enter all competitions to season end.

My two portfolios (projected and print) each got good comments, particularly the last print portfolio, even though no distinctions were awarded. This is fine, as it's a new skill and I was trying to craft a set from images that were not taken with that originally in mind. I was happy with both sets, but can see where there were weaknesses, so it's been a learning exercise.

In the serial (projected and print) competitions, I got off to good starts (see below), but then chose to submit less conventional images in the next two competitions, and they did not fare well, grading wise. I loved the images, and they got good feedback on the blog, so I've learned there too, but I think it's down to judges' preferences, and there have been some crap judges (as evidenced by the comments they make) this year so far. Last night's was OK, and he was ruthless with awards, as the general standard was quite high.

Highlights - definitely getting a First grading for "Window and Chair" in the first print competition of 2007. Also, getting a Highly Commended grading for "Peak Heather and Barn" in the first projected competition.

Lowlights - bombing out in everything else.

Last year, my Rookie year, I did really well. I only entered the 3 Projected Image competitions and the Annual Digital Championship, and came 3rd overall in the serial projected and got a Category First and 2nd (Creative) in the Annual Digital.

So, last year, I splurged my best images, and did well. I was more "traditional" in approach, and did well. This year, I did well with the traditional stuff, and not well with the alternative stuff. So, we can draw conclusions about what works in competitions, but I am personally happy with the amount and general quality of the stuff I've submitted. I've learned about porfolios and I think have a better insight into serial competitions too. I think the larger prints do better in the print competitions, so perhaps I'll enter some larger (A3) prints in 08. I'll also enter some new pics next year, and see how they get on.

So, that's me for 2007 so far. No chance of replicating 06/07's success, unless I have a Kimi Raikonnen-style comeback in 08...

Watch this space...

Ivan

Beachwalkers; The Ann Miles/Gareth Marlow crop

This is the result of the Ann Miles crop (lose the sea) and Gareth's crop (lose the LHS to off-centre the figures).

I do think it's better all round, and a great way (as D says) to use the blog.

Regarding D's comments, this scene didn't exist, so it's an artistic interpretation of what I WANTED it to be. Myself - or anyone else - can enjoy it just the same, for it's appeal is purely visual and emotional. Artist's change stuff all the time when they paint, and it's not as if the scene is so fantastical that it COULDN'T exist; it could have, had the weather conditions been more conducive. The sky is from the same place, a little later in the day, so I've combined two elements from the same place to improve the image.

As for D's other point, some consideration before you take the picture is good, but sometimes time and the light mean you have to be quick; but then it's down to planning, knowing the area, anticipating the light, getting into position and being there, ready, when you need to click, so I see what he's getting at. Great landscape photographers put in the preparation to make sure they can have the time to plan and think, and be ready when the light gets great. Sometimes, snapshots work too, if you're lucky...

Comments welcomed as ever.

Ivan

Beachwalkers; the Ann Miles Crop

Hi

As Gareth will attest, Ann Miles is a member of CCC, and a distinguished and accomplished (FRPS) photographer she is.

I sent her my Beachwalkers pic, and she liked it. She said she didn't know if the foreground added strongly; would cropping it out and making the beach the base for the sky work better?

The result - as I interpret it - is above. What do you think? I like the original, but there IS something simpler about this, and may address G's comment about the distraction of the sea (in a dramatic way!)

Ivan

Hi there,

Sorry for being absent for so long but work became quite heavy. I feel like I can breathe again and hence post an image or two.

Sable Island, sometime in the past















I forget when I took this shot but it was on film. I do however remember the moment. The light was intense for just a split second; and it was very stormy.











Another black and white treatment. I like this image because of the large snow covered dune and the gulls in the foreground.

Hope you are all well...

Damian

Print Porfolio choices

Next week is the Print Portfolio competition; 5 prints on a recognisable theme is the only limitation.

So, my portfolio is a collection of live performance images, taken at a session at Cambridge Junction venue about two and a half years ago. In fact, I had just got the 350D, and had also just come back from a week with Damian and Sue in Halifax, so that dates it to about April 05. So, no new pictures here, but I have worked on them pretty extensively.

The print portfolio also requires that you define both an order and a layout plan. For the digital portfolio, clearly it's only the order that can be varied, so this adds another complicating dimension (literally) to the task. So, below I present my selections in the correct order (1 through 5). The layout is:



This gives a rather pleasing arrangement of 4 landscape orientation images on the corners of the "X", with a fairly strong dominating portrait image in the centre. In addition, I think I have a bluey and a reddy image on opposite corners too, as I thought that would balance it better, again with a more greeney one in the middle.

The files I've used here are quite small, low res, but you get the idea. Comments welcomed as usual.

Images 1-5, in order:

Norfolk Coast; Beach Walkers revisited

After some mixed comments on the Beach Walkers series of pictures, I tried to beef up one of the images, but using a sky from the same photoshoot, to add drama. The result is below. I think it works very well, esp in black and white.



The sky is very dramatic, so I wanted it to dominate 2/3 of the image. I feel that this creates greater sense of scale with the small people against the sky and the sea is also in there too. The shapes and textures of the water, beach and sky all have ones interest, but the sky is the main focus after resting on the figures.

I listened to critique, and removed the distant people over the right shoulder of the main pair (per Gareth).

Comments welcomed as ever.

Ivan

Happy St Andrew's Day!

St. Andrew's Day is the feast of Saint Andrew, celebrated on 30 November each year. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and St. Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day, although Burns' Night is more widely observed. In 2006, the Scottish Parliament designated the Day as an official bank holiday.

What a miserable looking f--ker, though...



I know who should be our Patron Saint...



Have a great St. Andrew's Day!!

A nice pic to end the week on...

Chaps

A happy wee face from the time of life before real worry sets in!! Joking apart, shame she's oblivious to that fact, but I guess that's the magic of childhood!



Have a great weekend. I'll start posting some images again next week. Had some recent images I worked on be 'corrupted'; when I went to open them up in PS, the .psd files were corrupt! Argh.

Anyway, see you online next week.

Ivan

Projected Portfolio entries

Dear All

Below, by five entries for next week's projected portfolio competition. No idea how these will do, but wanted to get in a set of related images. Have dumped the Deal Pier idea, since feedback was mixed and I trust you guys.

Comments welcomed, but it's a done deal - have emailed them off, as today is the deadline, and I'll likely not be there in person tonight (Abby was coughing half the night and we are both pooped...).

Ivan

Just Blue

Guys, sorry these are so big - blogger won't let me upload them as images for some reason, so they're coming straight from my web hosting and therefore full size already. Hope this doesn't screw up the page but if it does I'll try to delete the post. edited I've created them as clickable thumbnails now.

This is my portfolio selection for the projected image competition at the Camera Club, deadline Monday. Title "Just Blue" - they're all images from Santorini. I chose a square crop which is a bit different. Thoughts?

Norfolk Coast - a couple more images...

Another image of the walkers on the beach. Different composition, and the figures a bit larger in the scene than the other one.



Also, I have cropped the other image to be even more letterbox - improvement or not?



Comments welcomed as usual.

Ivan

Reviews!

Chaps

Please feel free to post reviews (brief, if need be) on any of the following items/topics;

- new equipment i.e. camera, lenses, accessories
- new software i.e CS3
- software that the group may not have used
- digital imaging techniques you have tried

I am thinking of upgrading the PC sometime, and may also be interested in an A3+ printer, as well as upgrading to CS3! Could be an expensive time for me (but then, my 40th is in February 08)....

Ivan

2nd Print Competition Entries

Below are my entries for Monday's print competition at the Cambridge Camera Club. I can't make it that evening due to a work trip Mon-Wed, but Gareth will let me know what happened...

I held over the first image "Bath Crescent" from the last competition, submitting "Window and Chair" instead (which got a First), so fingers crossed for this one.


The next image is one from the potential Deal Pier portfolio. I have abandoned this portfolio, but this image was quite positively received on the blog, so I'm going to submit it.



You may have commented on these images before, but would welcome any thoughts, esp from Adam and Colin...

Cheers
Ivan

North Norfolk Coast - a recent photo trip...

For the first time in ages, I went on a photographic trip at the weekend. Location, the North Norfolk coast. No previous experience of the area, but I did get the inside track from someone at the Camera Club, so we headed for the beach and dunes near the coastal village of Wells-next-the-Sea.

Below are a couple of images from that trip. I took about 300, and the light was rubbish for about 2/3 of the time we were out there. Then, the sun broke through and we had 30 mins of glorious light, followed by a fantastic sunset.



Let me know what you think. More to follow when I get through the RAWs…

Cheers

Ivan

First post! Well sort of...

Well the previous message shows what can happen when the electricity goes out while posting to the blog. Anyway, inspired by Adam's pretty flower I decided to upload a macro shot of my own. Pentax K100D, Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.8 1:1 macro (shot at f/19... Damien liked this lens!) helped by a AF540FGZ flash. This little spider kept bounding up and down in front of my monitor the other day, like some sort of arachnid yo-yo. In the background is the O'Reilly book "sed&awk"; perhaps the spider was undecided whether to make the jump to linux?

Macro 1st attempt

Hi Cahps,

I've recently bought a 100mmm Macro lens. Here's one of my first attempts at macro photography. 1/60 f4 and used my speedlight bouncing onto a reflector. It's Ok but i feel there could be more - what do you reckon? Adam