Grab A Coffee Here's What Happened Last Week On Light Stalking

What a lovely week to shoot some photos!

This week we celebrated that Light Stalking turned 10 years old! We couldn't be doing this if it weren't for you, so thanks a lot for all your support and great sharing gestures.

Rob made a special post about it, so today we just keep it regularly spinning; and as usual, we are bringing you the best stuff from last week! Here you'll find some of the most interesting shots from Tersha's last challenge on Wet and Dry as well as some nice discussions from our photography forum. Also, you'll find a great selection of images from the Tank!

Photo Of The Week – March 04, 2019

Inside My Car – by Samet

Here's what Kent DuFault had to say about this fantastic photograph:

What do I love in a photograph? First of all, I began to seriously practice the art of photography in 1974. I was 14 years old.

My first SLR camera was a Ricoh Singlex TLS that I purchased with money saved from my paper route. I had a ramshackle darkroom in the basement of my parents home that measured about 2 feet by 3 feet.

For the first 7 years of my ‘Photography Life', I shot nothing but black and white film. I tell you all of this because I do have a real affinity for black and white photography. What attracts me to a photograph in general?

I'm a maniac for great composition. I can forgive, or see past, a lot of stuff… if the composition is compelling.

I prefer images that effectively tell a story. It's my belief that an image with a story will always carry more interest than simply a beautiful picture. But, that's just my opinion. I adore images that carry a secret message. A meaning that you must find by looking at the shot for more than a glancing view.

Our POTW winner this week hits all of those buttons.

It is titled, “inside my car”, and it was shot by Lightstalker Samet on his mobile phone- a Sony XZ.

This image is living proof that mobile phone photography is rapidly finding its place in our photographic world.

I want to mention that you should visit the thread, “Weekend Photography Challenge #424 Monotone/Duotone”, as there are a number of fantastic images on this one feed.

Thanks to Samet for this fantastic image and congratulations on photo of the week.

Challenge #423 Wet/Dry

These are our favorite shots from our 423rd Challenge – another amazing theme from Tersha – Wet/Dry!!!

Photo by Michael

What a broad range of tones we got here in this subtle waterfall. You can see every little detail in this shot thanks to Michael's post-processing decisions. You can almost feel the splashing sounds from the falling water.

Photo by Pamela Winter

This shot looks almost like a painting! It is always surprising what you can achieve with the proper settings on a camera.

Photo by Tersha

Simply watching, or no. This shot has some really strong storytelling elements involved. It is really easy to imagine that the dog is keeping an eye on its beloved human.

Here's What You May Have Missed From The Forums

Chris had the great opportunity of visiting an exhibition on Don McCullin's work. Thankfully he was able to take pictures during the exhibit and he shared them with us. Some of them are really strong photos, but these are images that everybody should see. Take a look at them here where he shared a link to the collection.

So, as we said before, Light Stalking turned 10 years old this past week, and for a website that is a humongous achievement.

Another great post from Chris, but with a huge twist when compared to his regular shares. Here he decided to share a bit of a distraction he got during the week, and it looks really feisty! He also has a very valid question about how to shoot black polished chrome parts, so if you got any good idea that might help him out, please share it here with us and the man himself!

Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between an expensive lens and this lens Dave got for $40, really the quality is superb and the price is even better. That is just a simple yet huge reminder that we shouldn't fall for that “latest and greatest” mindset some camera brands want us all to preach.

Take a look at this thread started by Erik Fransman about ISO. It really explains a lot about ISO in the digital age, and you'll get your mind blown-away for sure.

And last but not least, a beautiful green kingfisher by Rob Eyers (honestly, I've never seen one in green, only in turquoise).

We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts

Improving in photography is always a huge struggle, and we do know the path to be endured in order to enhance, but is always a hard and steep road. One of the best possible ways to improve in photography is via well-intended criticism, not the negative and poisonous comments, no, the positive feedback that is intended to help people out.

We have a special place dedicated exclusively for this, it is called the Shark Tank, and despite the fierce name, it is a friendly place. Here you can share your images and also you can share your opinions on others, but please, keep them beyond gear related questions. Here are some of the most interesting shots shared during last week on the Tank:

The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, so please read the instructions in order the get a better critique experience. Share your comments, opinions, and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also will be delighted to see some of your own images. Don't be shy, critique is given to photographs and not photographers, so don't be afraid of sharing.

We and many other members will be more than pleased to help you out; after all, we all are in love with photography. Don't forget to participate in the newest challenge published by Tersha on monotone and duotone. Please remember to join our friendly photography community if you haven't done already.

Today We Will Leave You With – Joy!

Once again, thank you to every single Light Stalker for making the last 10 years pure joy! We hope you continue to enjoy the stories, challenges, learnings, and support from this great site.

So today we will leave you with a photo from Rob that sums up how we feel about photography and Light Stalking!