coryc

I haven't posted on here in ages but this shot is exceptional. The emotion in the eyes make it special. They remind me of my first wife that passed away a long time ago and that still stings a bit but I think that is a testament to how well you did.

There is no need to apologize. If you don't like it, you don't like it. Don't feel obligated to see the shot any differently because of other comments and ratings or because of my other work. I said this in the Lightning Fingers comments and it applies to every photo ever made. An image is just an image. It takes a person to look at it and mix in their own emotions, preferences, and prejudices to make it more. To illustrate my point say someone takes you up on your request and helps you 'understand what you are missing' and you see the shot in a whole new way. What has changed? The photograph or you?

 

P.S. to Wes - This shot was actually taken on a hot day in the summer and the mosquitos were swarming. I would set up a shot, press the shutter, and run away from the cloud of blood-thirsty beasts while the shot was being taken.

I don't know why this one just sat there. It was in the morning and a little chilly so maybe that had something to do with it. It was alive because it moved it's wings every now and then. Another good way to get bugs is by the porch light at night. They don't seem to notice a camera in their face as much.

is create a feeling where none exists. Each person has their own subject preferences and prejudices that they bring to any image they view. This is probably no more evident than in nudes where differences in opinions are extreme. An image is just an image. It takes a mind to make it more (or less).

I have had good results with the Kenko TCs (made by Tokina) with my lenses. Good TCs should only lose about 10% with 1.4x and 20% with 2x. Most of this is in edge sharpness. They have some new ones out and claim no loss. If you start with good lenses you won't really see the drop. I think a lot of the softness problems people have is with camera shake. That extra connection in the middle allows a little more play and allows shake to be more of a problem. Throwing a beanbag over the TC and lens or using a long lens tripod attachment can take care of this. The Tokina 300 2.8 is a very sharp lens. It doesn't have the speed or quality quite to the level of the Nikon version but it is half the price.

I think Mark has demonstrated the larger truth that seems to get lost a lot. Photography is a very subjective subject that cannot be converted into an objective scale, contest, or ranking. When we look at an image we will all see and feel something different. What we take from an image and how we respond has more to do with who we are than the photo we are looking at. For example, Rene Asmussen has a great shot called 'What's Coming'. To me I love that shot because the look on the girls face reminds me of how I feel at times thinking back on a tragedy in my life. Nobody else would see that the way I do. Sure there are images that you can say '...out of focus, bad exposure, crooked horizon...' but when the shots get to a level of technical competence, there really is no such thing as 'best'. One person's five is another person's ten. They are both right in their own vision and nobody should really tell them their score is wrong (I am referring to comments I have seen unrelated to this shot). I prefer to think of the POW as a pretty descent shot that the elves have chosen to showcase rather than the BEST shot of all shots for the week.

 

To Tony - It seems we get two kinds of storms around here. One is the 'all hell breaking loose' thunderstorm with lightning going off randomly around the sky and rain so hard you probably couldn't get a descent shot anyhow. I have been out 3 times in the past two weeks and the first two times were this kind. The second kind I recognise right away. The lightning will be cloud to cloud or hit the ground in the same area repeatedly. The cloud to cloud lightning usually flashes several times in an area. These kinds can last a lot longer than a typical thunderstorm. The other night I had a storm like this and was able to set up a couple of shots based on the 'hotspots' in the sky. Just another form of making order out of chaos I guess.

 

Thanks for your comments

I actually have several versions of this shot, including without the tree. I prefer the one with the tree personally. I may put up a version without the tree for comparison.

Thanks for your comments

Note to Elliot - The aperture I would choose depends on the type of lightning. These ones that crawl across the sky aren't as bright so I shoot at f8 or wider. I was out last night shooting with my DSLR so I had the luxury of seeing the shots immediately. I stayed at f8 most of the time. One large bolt hit the ground across the lake and it was so bright it was completely blown out. That shot would have needed f22 to work. For time, I usually do 30 seconds. It is enough time to catch a strike and add add some detail to the sky. While the shutter is open it is still gathering light so really long exposures can end up over-exposed if there are other light sources, like city lights, in the shot. When using bulb to keep the shutter open and then close it after a strike, the shutter time can very, so one shot may have no sky details, another may have an overly bright sky. I use the set time just for consistant results.

Note to Tony - For the most part I don't sell prints so all they could do is crop the one on their screen. I did know that the lightning was going to strike in that direction. I just didn't know it was going to look the way it did. We get this crawling lightning a lot and it will hit in the same general area repeatedly. It isn't always as random as one would think. I could have set up the camera last night and got a couple dozen shots without moving the camera. I wouldn't put the lion shot in the Luck category. Animals are very habitual and it was very probable the lion would be back on his rock at the same time every day. I was pretty confident I could get that shot the way I wanted it. I do count the cards but I would be the first to admit that sometimes nature seems to slip me a few aces under the table.

I was out shooting more lightning shots last night and picked up two interesting ones (here and here for those interested). Not quite the dramatics of this one but you can see I was shooting.

It has been quite a discussion so far. No single photograph could get unanimous accolades from such a large and diverse group. I think I'll leave the debate for others to argue.

PS. I am a He.

I was pretty suprised this morning to see this shot was selected POW. There are so many other shots that could have been selected just as easily. I have been checking in when possible today to read the comments and I must say they have been interesting. I thought I should take some time and answer the few questions that have been asked.

 

Toby - No photo is worth dying for so I try to be as safe as possible when shooting lightning, though there is always some risk. If I can, I shoot from a window mount or else I keep my tripod as low to the ground as possible.

 

Carl - That cloud is just part of the thunderstorm. Around here in the summer, we get these kinds of storms where the lightning crawls through the sky. You can watch them in a split second creep from one end of the sky to another. This shot is just one flash as far as I know or maybe two flashes at the same time. 30 seconds seems to work for me when there isn't a lot of light pollution. I will adjust if the sky is brighter. I have shot Bulb before, leaving it open until a flash and then closing it, but I don't always like the sky that comes from that method.

 

Chris - You are right, it takes a bit more than just pointing the camera to the sky and firing away. People make their own luck to some extent. I go to spots I have already visualized as good lightning spots, set up my shot, and wait for the lightning (hopefully) to make an appearance.

 

Allan - You are right. Lightning goes ground up but that part is invisible. If I remember right the electric current then heats the air and causes the ions to glow. The air collapses back after the bolt ends and slams together to create thunder. Some of the coolest lightning I have seen has been when I couldn't get a picture, of course.

 

Yang - There is some cropping to balance the shot. The bolt going off to the left is actually complete but I think the shot is too uneven, especially in a small size like the web version.

 

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I will post another lightning shot taken one week before this one. Not as dramatic to view but a little close for comfort considering it was at 24mm. I think it was from these earlier shots that I was better able to set up for this one. I will put it in my landscape folder for anyone interested.

 

 

This is a shot I am after but they haven't arrived by the millions yet. Is that W on it's head mean it's a Badger fan?

A little more light in the face and it's perfect. Youy don't really just hold the lens up to the camera do you?

Cropping out the grass so the background is just the adult horse really changes this shot I think. Good exposure on a difficult subject.

This is pretty much how the slide looks. I have tried changing the color shift to a more natural look but it just doesn't look at good and I always come back to the original colors. Thanks.

Thanks for your comments.

Thank you for your comments.

I thought this looked familiar

No, no Photoshop manipulation other than the standard unsharpening and scaling to size.