mikemorrell

Great to hear! FWIW, my 2 daughters were both enthusiastic 'dance and drama' students/participants in their teens, They both had a wonderful experience through their rehearsals and performances. One of my daughters has since become a professional dancer/actress. QUOTE="dr._karl_hoppe, post: 5953796, member: 1469423"]Sam, My great niece is in the production and you’re 100% right, the enthusiasm of the students is infectious. They pour their heart and soul into it, constant practice sessions, rehearsals. I was really blown away at how good these kids were.

I stand corrected - thanks! A 'senior moment' ;).

Apologies in advance for this very whimsical 'play on words' post. The thread title immediately reminded of the excellent book on punctuation by Liz Truss entitled "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" with a panda on the cover:). CCO attributions underneath. Panda sourced from https://www.piqsels.com/en/public-domain-photo-zmbsx Buds source from File:Bud-bier1441.JPG - Wikimedia Commons Attributed CCO authors are mentioned at source.

Yes, I read the same kind of things about photographing modern-day concerts: in the pen for the first couple of numbers and then herded out. Even at my local (free) multiple-stage 'concert in the park' events, D)SLRs have become prohibited in recent years unless you have an accredited 'press pass'. So mobile phone photos are fine but ones taken with a 'real' camera/lens aren't. Bags are checked for 'camera's'. I don't know for sure but I suspect that there were fewer 'good' concert photographers in the 1960's-70's and it was perhaps easier to earn a reputation. As you say, people were probably more approachable and relaxed about having photos taken. These days, hordes of (digital) photographers turn up in the hope of getting a 'selling shot'. Bands are also much more protective of their 'brand'. Good to reflect back on 'easier' times!

Hi Sandy, I just want to (again) express my thanks to you and the other mods for keeping PN up and running under what the British (with appropriate understatement) would call 'challenging circumstances'. So kudos to you and the other mods for doing your best instead of just running away screaming!

Hi, I'm sure it's a great book, especially for your 'brief' (retro look). I tried to look up some references and reviews. The book is still for sale (2nd hand) but I could only find 1 review by a Zach Cleland on Goodreads.com: "It was a gift from one of my theatre professors when I graduated and went into theatre photography. It’s mostly outdated info because of how photography has advanced, but as a look into the history and context of the field it was delightful." I shoot exclusively digital and for stage/theatre/sport usually in 'burst mode' to precisely capture movement and expressions. But I often borrow 'film photography' library books and I also buy them 2nd hand. Though the film/digital capture and development technologies are different, the same 'general photography principles' apply. I've learned a lot from good photography books written in the pre-digital era! I've been tempted to buy a film camera for years but I've never gotten around to it. I'm sure I will in the coming months/years! Great to read that your stage 'photoshoot' was a success! I'm looking forward to seeing a few of your pics. Best wishes, Mike

Play on words

My very 1st reaction was "Nah, B/W abstracts aren't my thing". But as forms began to emerge the image became more and more intriguing! It's a fascinating image that works on its own. And it's also fascinating to wonder about What and How! Finally, I began to appreciate just how subtle the distribution of gray tones is. This is probably the most unusual and fascinating image I've seen in the 'Photo of the week' threads. My compliments to the photographer! For some reason, I would love to see this image as part of a series of similar ones.

Good point, Sam. The main reason I claimed the URL + Webhosting many years ago was just to get a personalized e-mail address that looked a bit more 'professional' than mikemorrellxxxx @ hotmail/@gmail when applying for jobs. The website came with an e-mail address;). At the time, (10-15 years ago) I did include my website URL in the CV's I sent out. I want to keep my e-mail address (since it's now my main one) so I need to think about some website content that's a bit more interesting than "Hello World". I've never really wanted to promote myself via my website but just include some content for anyone googling my e-mail address 'domain'. In the sense of 'who is this guy?' 'Who I am' has changed a lot over the past 10-15 years so I need to update my website. Not to promote myself, just to provide some content on who I now am. I'm thinking of a 'personal website' that reflects my main hobbies (photography and sax playing) and contains links (with comments) to the various voluntary organizations to which I contribute. On 'hobbies' I could also include links to organisations (including PN)

Hi, I'm usually someone who comments on - and makes suggestions for - websites and website platforms. I 'claimed' my personal URL and website many years ago (when I was still interested in finding a job) with the primary aim of getting a 'professional-sounding' e-mail address. At the time, my website 'content' was focused on my professional skills. Times have changed a lot since then. Especially since I've long been retired and I have no interest in (non-voluntary) jobs I've scrubbed my outdated WordPress website. I'd like to focus my 'new' website on my 2 main hobbies: photography and sax playing, with links to informative sites. The chance that anyone might find my personal website is extremely low! I can Google but any tips or suggestions you might have are appreciated. Mike

Not exactly 'coats' but 'coverings'

There are no rules as to how you apply your post-processing to this image; but, please let us know what you have done so we can all learn. If you would like to post a candidate image next week, please ensure it is of sufficiently high resolution for manipulation by the participants (3000px on the long side, 300dpi for example). Most of all, let's have fun while we are learning or demonstrating how we use our post-processing software, imaginations and interpretations. Mike

Fascinating, @JDMvW! I would love to see any other examples you have or links to similar 'postacardy 'images. On a personal note, I think that you are truly blessed with a family of artists of one sort or another (painters, photographers, singers, theatrical directors, producers, etc.). FWIW, I have two daughters, one of which attended a school with integrated dance and drama classes from grades 6 to 17 and is now a nurse My other daughter attended a school with integrated dance classes between grades 5 and 17 and went on to get a bachelor's degree in dance, drama and vocals. She's now a freelance dancer, actress and presenter. I'm delighted (and proud) of what they've both achieved. But I'm truly grateful for the 'artistic' school environments in which they were able to develop as individuals. No competition, no put-downs, no bullying, just cooperation and encouragement and support for each other.

I see this 'artwork' every time I walk to my local bus stop. I should find out more about it,

I agree with your point. But I also see that 'iconic images' often have to do with being at the right place at the right time. Sometimes by design and at other times by coincidence. In both cases, the ability to take the 'íconic shot' is paramount. I missed the original discussion in the link that you posted but I found the thread very interesting. Not only through the OP's photo but through the political opinions that were expressed. I'm a non-US citizen and I deliberately refrain from commenting on US politics. I have my own opinions but US politics are for US citizens to discuss and decide.

I completely agree. IMHO, photographers whose primary goal is to 'tell a story' will find ways to do this. They have a (story) goal - which may change - and I agree that their photography and PP are often non-linear processes. I also agree that photographers need to find their 'red thread' in capturing, selecting, and presenting their 'story'. I also agree that equipment is sometimes important (wildlife, sport, ...) but not always. In all cases, I agree that it's the photographer that makes the photo and not the equipment, On point 3, see my original comment. Most people who take pictures are not 'photographers'

Crossing in dress code.

One Welsh landscape.

Great topic for discussion! My 3 cts. - almost everyone these days takes pictures, most often on smartphones; sometimes as just a memory of being somewhere or with someone, often to share with family and friends on social media. I do too and I love seeing photos taken by my family (most of whom live in a different country) on Facebook. Yes, the photos are 'ephemeral' and soon forgotten but no less valuable for this - there are many professional photographers for whom 'photography' is their day job; some have 'personal projects' too - there are also photographers whose primary goal is to 'tell a story' in a documentary, artistic or other styles. It's often difficult to 'tell a story' through a single image. An example that immediately springs to my mind is Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother' photo in 1936. It's become iconic in telling the story of the 'Great Depression' in the US 1930's. There are undoubtedly many more 'single photos' that tell a powerful story. More usual is that a series of photos tell a story. And there I agree that sharing 'smartphone' photos (over a period of time) only tell some kind of story to family and friends. So my guess is that you should be looking at my 3rd category of photographers who intentionally want to tell 'stories'. Bottom line: 'photographers have a very wide range of skills, budgets (and equipment) to tell stories. I'm a volunteer at a local photo festival and I'm always impressed by the 'stories' that selected photographers tell in very different ways.

I like this clean composition too. Especially the repeating 'blocks' of decreasing size. (including the pickup) and the flowing line of the horizon. I like the subtle shades of green in the landscape too.

I've no idea what the best (and cheapest) online backup deals are these days, I suspect that Google is your friend in deciding:). I tried out Backblaze some years ago. It's a very reputable company but it (then) seemed to take forever to make a complete backup of my files. Times have changed since then. Maybe Backblaze is much faster these days, but it's worth checking. Since I first considered 'Backblaze', many other players have entered the same market (Amazon, Google to name just 2). It seems to me that if you want an online backup, there are 2 main things to consider: - ease of use (preferably automatic backup of specific folders at regular intervals, without having to colllect 'backups' into app-specific folders) - price My take is that whatever App (for example Backblaze) just chugs away in the background keeping you're PC/Laptop synchronized with an online backup is worth the investment.

Interesting. Via Google, I came across this article on phone sensors. The article also contains a 'deep dive link' to the history of the 1/x" notation. It seems that it started as marketing ploy to express the sensor size in a way that customers wouldn't understand. Or at least in a way that made the sensor size size seem larger than they actually were:).