Shrew’s Daily Shutters

January 31, 2008

Stuck between here and there…

Filed under: odds and Ends — shrewspeaks @ 1:14 pm

These days I find myself traveling a tremendous bit. And although this could be a reference to my seemingly weekly trips to Chicago, what I really mean is when I travel…the majority of my time is spent IN the airport waiting for a plane or waiting on a tarmack to get airborn or waiting in the air for somebody to land us. What should be a 4 hour affair door to door is now encrouching a 12 hour process. I have to say this past trip was such a folly…that I kept thing of Jack Lemmon in the Out of Towners.

ETA: I am not sure why the embedded if failing…but the vid plays when you go to Youtube….so here is the link

So armed only with my lousy camera phone…I took these on the way home last night.

I call this so close yet so far…at least the lights on the tarmack are sparkly

My view…business travel is oh so glam!

Sexy too!

I promise our shutter challenge results will be posted soon…

and just for giggles…

from Ihasahotdog.com 

January 29, 2008

The Bruce

Filed under: Scotland — shrewspeaks @ 3:25 am

Magical, larger than life the Bruce stands watch with William Wallace at the entrance to Edinburgh Castle. the-bruce.jpg 

January 28, 2008

Glass Images

Filed under: Uncategorized — shrewspeaks @ 3:38 am

This Monday, as I keep good thoughts for many people, I found great comfort in these stained glass images.

Madonna Rose Window – Notre Dame, Paris

Chapel behind Sacré-Cœur

Saint Louis Cathedral, New Orleans

January 26, 2008

Once again, no need to say more…

Filed under: Uncategorized — shrewspeaks @ 4:18 am

A real treat…

Filed under: Guest Shutter — shrewspeaks @ 1:21 am

Check out Brc’s great post on the Shutter Gourmet Dive Tour Site.

There was food and lots of talk about photography.

January 24, 2008

Blame Ghettorific ES

Filed under: Uncategorized — shrewspeaks @ 2:38 pm

Urgh…the internet is not working in my room…so no pictures today…sorry

BUT…

the discussion we are having is fabu!

So I am picking up an answer I wrote in the comments to IvoryHut…keep the discussion going…I think we are onto some real discoveries here…and all because of you KD!

I think the term “realistic” is where we might all struggle. Color for the most part is a consistent experience for person to person…however…the way we internalize it is very different.

Take 2a…to some the blue in the sky is too blue…to me it looks real…however the yellow in the water and of the wood railing closest to the viewer seems over saturated…is my opinion based on the fact that I gravitate towards blues? It is biased because I think of wood turning silver with exposure to salt air (which may not be true for this variety of wood).

The one thing I will say is…If you had not shown the SOOC shots…would anyone have questioned the color at all?

Additionally, in 1a…I believe and I could be wrong here…you may have taken dramatic liberties with the image for impact…however that could have been the way the light and sky was. I know for my plane shot above…the sky was not THAT dark, but the window (as cleva MM spied) has a coating on it that made the clouds look all icky yellow…so black and white it was and I punched up the contrast to convy a feeling I was having when I took the shot. (Yes, there was doom and gloom because once again I am seeing the United Flight Crew more than my Beau.)

So the question becomes in my mind…is it okay to push a communication objective (emotion, color impact etc) into the processing of a photo or must you come as close to WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)?

January 23, 2008

I am traveling again ( urgh, never post when tired)…SDJ gripe #8943

Filed under: NJ — shrewspeaks @ 5:35 am

But I will be meeting Brc so that makes it all worth it!

Let’s keep the photoshop discussion going…I think it is a valid exploration of when to process or not…or should you always process.

Oh and Dad…check out the comments in the previous post with your picture…seems some of the NE readers are getting outta hand there.

ETA: IvoryHut sent the following email this morning…and it really does provide anoth backbone for our discussion…

when processing really, really works (and is direly needed) … is when you have a camera that won’t cooperate and refuses to capture what your eye sees.

Exhibit 1: this shot that Tim took while we were in Trinidad. It had all the elements of a great shot, but somehow it just wouldn’t register on his camera.

Exhibit 1A: the same shot, kinda K7′d but without the book near me, I’m pretty sure it’s a hack job
Exhibit 2: this shot of a Trinidad fishing port. Again, decent enough straight from the camera, but the photo had a haze that hid the brilliant colors of the day.
Exhibit 2A: the same shot, again with my hack attempt at K7-ing it
I am now ready to receive rebuttals. :)

January 22, 2008

Camera Phone

Filed under: NJ — shrewspeaks @ 5:04 am

dad.jpgSays it all, doesn’t it?

January 21, 2008

Game On!

Filed under: Uncategorized — shrewspeaks @ 3:25 am

ETA: Jenfera, you mean like these?

I am telling you…destiny!

I want us all to continue to discuss BRC’s photos…but I have to say…

New England…

Eli’s Coming…

GAME ON!

January 20, 2008

Guest Shutter – The Brc of Sevilla

Filed under: Guest Shutter — shrewspeaks @ 5:03 am

ETA: Okay BRC see my comments in BLUE

First, I must admit I am increadibly jealous.  These shots are killer; every single one. I had to wait to comment on them until the pea green envy disapated.  You could submit these AS IS to National Geographic.

The only changes I would would be oh so very minor…infact I make these comment only to spur you on to purchase the required software.  Because, we need you submitting photos to iStock.com and being the PhotoJournalist for LoneyPlanet books on Spain.

Our Brc a few weeks ago took an extended vacation to Sevilla. There are few words I have to describe the images she captured…I am in awe; therefore I will just let the images speak for themselves.

Rectangulos de Color

I believe this shot just needs a little color boost and sharpening to show not only color changes but texture…I took the liberty. 

brc-sevilla-1-1-of-1.jpg

Ventana Negra

Umm this is so perfect…one of my all time favorites from you. 

Bodega II

This seems to capture the mood of Sevilla…am I right? 

Amor

I LOVE this shot…however, I do believe this shot is not part of the overall flavor of your trip. The subject is universal and without seeing the mother and child and some contextual information I would never have known it was shot in a foreign country…BUT PLEASE PLEASE hear me when I say this shot does not need to be part of a photo essay…it is a piece of art on it’s own merit! 

Banco Verde

Again…goose the color and add sharpening brings new texture to this image

brc-sevilla-2-1-of-1.jpg

Mercado VI

I will not comment on each Mercado shot they are all fantastic…but put them together and you have the supporting images for a National Geographic article on Spanich Market living.  Seriously…these are THAT good!  I think these are the ones that are really making me so very jealous…You have done these without the aid of photoshop…new to DSLR world.  This is when I know if anything, you my friend need to pursue this as a living.  YOU ARE THAT GOOD.  I wish I had your eye. 

Mercado V

(Secretly my favorite of the market shots cause the animals and the man are all looking down…love the irony in it…but I am not commenting on these individually) 

Mercado IV

Callecita II

Callecita I

Both of these “Callecita” shots are wonderful…I would have liked a person in one of them to give the human perspective on the size of this alley. 

Andalucian Rincon

Another that color punch benefits…(not so subliminal…Brc must buy Photoshop) 

brc-sevilla-3-1-of-1.jpg

Flamenco Frills I

Fun!

Mercado III

Hello…calling National Geographic! 

Mercado II

Fachadas Antiguas

Lovely context provider…but of all the shots my least favorite…yet I think I need this shot to give me the back story or anchor for the rest of the images…albeit the same shot at an off time of day dawn, sunset, evening…would be cool. 

Colorful Shapes

I didn’t play with this…but just a bit of color play and sharpening could be used here…HINT buy photoshop, Brc…and don’t play wth element…go strait to CS3…you have students in the house. 

Muralla

I love the red flowers…without them this photo would be less interesting 

Top Hat Crossing

Okay…the biggest thing here is the cropping…I know Kelby says you need to crop within camera, yet I feel it is just as okay to recrop as it is to clone out a truck. The edge beyond the yellow wall detracts from the photo for me…so I cropped it a tad…and then while I was at it…punch color and sharpen.

brc-sevilla-4-1-of-1.jpg

Ceramic Pilars

I love these.  Pea green again.

Hot Chestnut Vendor (I ave to ask are the chestnuts hot or the vendor Brc?)

I like this shot…I would have liked it better from another more complex angle…you crouching looking up…or three quarters around the cart…or the cart off center in the photo. I feel you documented him…I do wonder what you felt about him.

Abstract Greenery

Perfect…print on a large plotter and frame. 

Palm Tree

Fun perspective 

Resting in Park

This shot spoke to me. He is so old world…it is perfect as is…but I couldn’t help but play…forgive me.

brc-sevilla-5a-1-of-1.jpg Color punched

brc-sevilla-5c-1-of-1.jpg Antique style

Fruteria This could live with the Mercado shoot you are doing for NG

Bicho

One of my favs…just a tiny cropping. and I straightened the imagebrc-sevilla-6-1-of-1.jpg..okay, okay…Punch color and sharpen

Bodega I Send this to NG too…

Oferta de Zapatos – Least favorite shot…you needed a filter to decrease the glare on the window.

Olé anothe NG shot…man I am soooo envious

Door Knocker – This is the same as Amore….I LOVE it…but without context it could have been taken in Paris or Denmark as well as Spain

Colorful Door Love this…would love to see what you could do with it in Photoshop…oh yeah you still have to buy it

No Hotels To The Left great on humor!

AJC Sightseeing – Perfect…print, frame and put it in you gallery show!

Tapas Time II

Tapas Time I – Tapas I and II are lovely…but I do find them a tad bit cold…no sign of the human element…this is why I like the bodega photos better…and why your Marcado photos hit the bullseye…people are in them! but we all know I like people in pictures.

Watering Hole – Same here, I just want one glass emptied with the residue of cervasa half way down…to imply one person was there…orjust one of the stools askew to imply someone just left.

Restaurante del Laurel – Did you eat here? If yes…how was it?

Flamenco Patterns – Ummm yet another NG shot!

Lost In Paradise – I could sooooo see this shot on the back cover of a tour guide book.

Community Bikes

What a great shot…not to sound like a broken record…say it with me now…punch color and sharpen.

brc-sevilla-7-1-of-1.jpg

 With allof my tweaks to your shots…take it with a grain of salt…and if they look a tad bit fuzzyit is only because I want you to go get Photoshop and do these fixes! ;)

REALLY, SPECTACULAR WORK. 

Simply Magnificent!

When you think of it…Brc JUST bought her DSLR…does not own Photoshop…so these all are SOOC…goes to show you…it is the shooter not the equipment that makes the shot!

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