We've got a number of messages last week stating how much Light Stalking has influenced people's photography, and that they feel quite welcomed in this warm community. YAY!
There is nothing better than knowing that all the effort has been well received. Thanks to everybody for encouraging us!
We are really into sharing every single bit of photography knowledge we have with all of you, so thank you again for your kind words and support, we really appreciate them.
This is the time to catch up with all the threads that you may have missed from last week!
So let's browse the amazing images from our latest photography challenge; Pin Sharp! After that, we'll take you through a quick spin on the forum and we'll end our journey in the one and only, Shark Tank!
Photo Of The Week – May 21, 2019
What a lovely photograph for Photo Of The Week. This week our Guest Judge was Dorothy, who really did a fantastic job in choosing from a difficult field.
Here's what Dorothy had to say about Andre's photo:
This week the POTW award goes to Andre P @andre-p for his thought-provoking image of Another Kind of Vestige. (vestige: a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists. “the last vestiges of colonialism”)
The arrow loop is lit with just enough sunlight to show it's inside textured walls and the view out shows the Barbican in total sunlight as it faces outward towards the wall and fields. This photo does an excellent job of giving us a clear and sharp view while working with lighting that was both deeply shadowed and brightly sunlit. A great job of Framing that allows us to feel like we are the ones standing there looking out.
Great job Andre! Well done, you even got me grabbing the dictionary and doing a little research!
Andre's photograph was posted into the Weekend Challenge #435.
As the field is always incredibly rich, Dorothy also gave us some fantastic honourable mentions:
From Federico:
That huge leading line makes Seth's image quite suggestive, and that dark sky is a very wise development decision. That bridge looks extremely sharp from this underneath point of view. All over this is great composition.
Another beautiful example of leading lines – all these lines draw you into and through the image. This is a great capture and hard to believe it is taken on a mobile phone!
A very big thank you to Dorothy for her wonderful choices and congratulations to Andre, Seth and Pamela!
Weekend Photography Challenge #435 – Pin Sharp
These are some fantastic shots from our 435th Challenge – Pin Sharp!!! There are more amazing photographs in this challenge, so please make sure you peruse the challenge at your leisure.
With proper lighting and great composition, jewellery can not only look beautiful but also omnipotent. This tight shot illustrates the importance of lighting and sharpness when dealing with objects as tiny as these ones.
Even rust and iron can look appealing when shot with the proper exposure settings, composition and perspective. Industrial parks like this one offer a lot of great photographic opportunities and are always pleasing to visit. The great thing about photography is that it gives us the opportunity of looking at the world surrounding us in a different way every time.
What You Shouldn't be Missing from the Light Stalking Community
Oh my, Graham shared with us a photograph that looks AMAZING. It is one of those shots that I've always dreamed of and is quite hard to achieve due to the absence of scenes like this. I would have loved to make it with at least one person crossing through it, at 1/15 of a second, and of course, in black and white. Thanks a lot, Graham for sharing such a simple yet splendid photograph.
Craig shared with us a beautiful still-life. Pears have been quite a theme in still life, especially when personified, and these ones do look like that! Lighting, composition and post-production are all very good. Oh, and not to mention the obvious word joke.
I feel really honoured to get access to this kind of material. Chris Pook always shares some really compelling images about the stories he covers in the Middle-east. Here he shared with us Mosul in 36 frames.
Paul got really creative with this one, lol. And to answer his question, yeah, it kinda does. I hate the Minions, but I really like Gru.
P71 has been making some interesting contributions to our forums, and he shared his first attempt of a moon shot. I'm sure that any advice will be very much welcomed from his behalf. Personally speaking, I think that he nailed it.
So, are you still shooting in JPEG? Then you need to read this post created by Luis M. He really gave out an eye opener for those using JPEG alone.
Kent DuFault shared a nice tribute photograph after Memorial Day in the United States. The image is a compelling statement about the great meaning behind a country's flag.
Some people are totally against UV filters and some others are totally on board with them. Personally speaking, I use them, I always try to get the best quality available, and not because of protective purposes since I know lenses are even stronger than UV filters, but to avoid smudges and dust. Share your thoughts on this thread.
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts
Our beloved Shark Tank is getting better and better as we build a solid community that really appreciates the valuable and positive feedback.
This is one of the best ways anyone can hack photography's learning curve, by getting your work critiqued and also by critiquing your peers.
We know it is hard for you to believe something like this, but it is actually true. We are able to help you become a better photographer. We truly believe in the power of positive feedback, and we promote it via The Tank.
Here many of our members have nurtured their own photographic knowledge by giving out great critique that goes way beyond a simple emoji based reactions or “nice shot” comments. Not to mention the “what camera are you using?” ones.
By receiving critique we can find out flaws that weren't easy to spot for us before hearing an objective opinion upon our work. Here are some of the most interesting shot 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, critiques are 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 skip participating in the newest challenge published by Tersha on Selective Focus. Please remember to join our friendly photography community if you haven't done already!
Take a spin at our Members Picks from this Last Week a well, here you'll find the best of the best from Light Stalking, curated by our very own members.
Today We Leave You With…A Surprised Owl
Tobie, our resident bird photography expert, shared with us a photograph that I think I'll print and hang near my desktop. This way I can feel guilty whenever drawn by laziness. This is quite a judgmental owl.
4 Comments
Thanks for another excellent community write up Frederico
Light Stalking .. best FIND in 2019 , keep up the great work *everyone it’s very much appreciated.
Spotted Eagle-Owl by Tobie Schalkwyk .. Gorgeous work
Thanks a lot Patrick.
Federico, your generation was perhaps more fortunate than mine. We were either given a camera, or went and bought one – and then went off taking photographs. Some of us had makeshift darkrooms and did our own processing and printing – others relied on the local drugstore or some other place where you could leave a roll of film and come back a week or so later, to collect your prints. There were art schools – but nobody taught anything about photography.
And books were scarce – it was years before I stumbled across a book on composition (which I still have – LOL) – and there were hardly any others.
So we grew our knowledge in the school of hard knocks, and by sharing with friends.
Groups like this are a more advanced and formalised version – but there is still a sharing of knowledge. And this has been one of the real joys of photography. We aren’t a bunch of miserable people, withholding knowledge that would help others. We aren’t a bunch of trolls, sledging other photographers’ work. For some strange reason, photographers in general are a decent bunch of people who are only too happy to share, and to help others.
And Light Stalking epitomises this.
Mmmm perhaps, but by ignoring film photography most of my generation folks aren’t aware of the mindset of shooting for quality and not for quantity. Thanks a lot for your warm words Jean Pierre.