July Monthly Challenge

[mtngal]

A beautiful sunset. Are you getting smoke from the fire by Yosemite? Or is it from a different one? Not that it matters all that much - just wondering if there's another one closer to home.

[Lyrics51]

Well, I just looked over all the entries again and exactly as expected, this is going tobe tough to choose! It seems that people are getting better! Duh! Thanksto everyone who took part, it really adds some spice to the forum.

Glenn

[PinonMesaJon]

mtngal wrote:

A beautiful sunset. Are you getting smoke from the fire by Yosemite? Or is it from a different one? Not that it matters all that much - just wondering if there's another one closer to home.

No smoke down here from Yosemite. I took this shot about 2 weeks ago. The smoke is from the fire around Big Sur. The upper air currents were blowing the smoke down toward SoCal.

[Goldwinger]

Tihs is my backyard.
well... ok it's a mile from my house but, I go there alot!:-)

[Wingman]

This was a difficult topic for me and it came down to the last day of the contest. I searched through all my pictures from the past 90 days and found this one. While I live in KY, we are across the Ohio River from Cincinnati....so this is the view from my home State.

Jay

[robar]

cool pic of the riverboat. when i was a kid in new orleans we use to moon them.. the whole boat would list as everyone took pictures and movies.. i grew up a block and a half from old muddy.. best place in the world. thanks

[NonEntity1]

OK, some explanation is probably in order here. When I read Harriet's challenge, which included "where you work" I snorted and said, "No one wants to see pictures of where I work." That led to thinking about ways in which I could show where I work and this photo idea has been percolating in the back of my mind all month long.

This is actually a double self portrait, both the detective and the arm are me. The lens flare was unplanned but I kind of liked it once I reviewed the shots. I don't know if I have finally risen above snapshots to make something artistic or if I have now sunk to a new low, but it was different than anything else I have tried to do with my Pentax. Titling a photograph is probably pretentious but I am doing it anyhow: Dead Man's Eyes.

Tim

[nhmom]

Okay, Tim. I know it's late. But, you are going to have give me more explanation than that. How did you do that photo if you are the arm and detective?

Patty

[mtngal]

I've got to know how you did it, too. In any case, I really like it and it sure seems appropriate for you!

It's not yet midnight whereI am, or in Hawaii. Submittals will be closed and voting will start when I get into the office at "Oh-dark-thirty" in the morning. This one is going to be much harder to vote on than I had anticipated when I chose the topic.

And because I didn't manage to take anything interesting this month (wasn't home long enough to take much), I'll post this picture for my entry. It's not the greatest, but it is at home. It was originally bought by my grandfather when he worked all over the world before WWII. I can't let this topic go by without submitting something, even if it's not exactly the greatest picture in the world.

[NonEntity1]

Patty and Harriet,
It is a detective photo, shouldn't there be some mystery involved? :-) Actually, the answer is fairly simple: I set the camera on the ground set to wireless remote/3 second delay. My son was behind the camera holding a reflector. I took one shot kneeling in front of the camera shining the flashlight on the reflector and then one shot lying with my arm in front of the camera while he shone the flashlight on the reflector. I then merged the two shots in PSP. I had originally intended to put on a uniform and be hanging crime scene tape even further in the background (for a third shot) but the mosquitoes were eating us alive and I don't think the light would have reached far enough back anyhow.

Tim