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Favorite Pictures

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:49 pm
by face dancer
Photography is somewhat of a hobby of mine. I usually just take pictures of random things that I see that I think look cool. Personally, I think that what a person sees in a picture and what they find to be a good photo is a strong indication of who they are, but that might just be the crazier side of me talking. Here is one of my current favorite pics, which also happens to be my background (imagine that). What are your favorite pictures?

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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:54 pm
by mr_thebrain
all my favorite pictures have naked women in them. so i won't post them.

(someone had to be the first to say it!)

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:03 pm
by Mich
Assuming we're sticking with pictures we've actually taken, and not ones from the bowels of the internet:

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This is a rather odd creation that started at a going away party for a friend. I supplied the roll. The rest just... came about. Piece by piece. From different people. One of the most interesting collaborative projects I've seen, especially since there was no communication from contributing members (I was watching).

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:59 am
by Dr. Mobius
all my favorite pictures have naked women in them. so i won't post them.

(someone had to be the first to say it!)
Ditto and damn you for beating me to it.

Here's my favorite PG picture. And I actually took it myself! Or I think my brother did, but close enough.

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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:28 am
by Mahatma
I took this outside St. Paul's Cathedral in London... actually came out good!

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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:19 am
by Luet
Two that I have taken this spring. The yellow is forsythia and the white is from a serviceberry tree (my favorite tree!).


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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:30 pm
by human.
Favorite photos by human.

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Some nature.

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 3:25 pm
by Petra456
First one from the docks in downtown Olympia.

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Second of my cat Jake, don't really know why I like this one so much.

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And last one, just because I like it for some reason.

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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:49 pm
by Mich
Since people posting in this thread are most likely interested in photography, I just saw this link on Slashdot to a demo of this new Microsoft program, PhotoSynth. Basically, (in the finished program) you should be able to type in any location, and it will find photographs of that location and build some architecture of it. If you don't have any clue what I'm saying, you can check out the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0 or check out the actual demo at http://labs.live.com/photosynth/default.html.

And, no, I'm not a plant by Microsoft. :D

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:28 pm
by Jayelle
A couple of cool pictures:
If you look close, you can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge in my Sunglasses. Where I'm sitting is at the famous Sydney Opera House.
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Also, a bowl of cherries.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:06 pm
by ender1
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I printed this one at its full size of 8x30in


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I edited this one after I put it on the web, I need to upload the revision.

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:09 pm
by ender1
By request..
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and...

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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:34 am
by VelvetElvis
Choo-Choo trains!

Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 1:18 pm
by Yebra
[blank]

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:51 am
by eriador
Mini-rant: Why the hell can't people take pictures that are properly focused? Sure, I get the idea of depth of field and selective focus and all that and understand how it can be used, but too many people get into the "OOOOOH! I can be ARTY! and take photos WITH SOFT f****** FOCUS! ZOMG!" mode and it's just stupid. For example: Yebra's second photo. THERE IS NOT ONE f****** THING IN FOCUS IN THAT PHOTO. That DOESN'T make it artistic, it makes it BAD. What's even worse is that the subject matter and composition are ALSO poorly inspired (to say the least). People need to recognize that even though it has SOFT FOCUS (!) it isn't good.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 2:32 am
by Mich
I got some new ones.
I like the second one, where those two blades are in focus, right in the center, but nothing else? Don't know if you were trying for the effect or not, but I like it.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:55 am
by eriador
Mich, are you trying to drive me crazy?

P.S. One of those two blades ISN'T at all in focus (look at the top and bottom where you can see that it's fuzzy). The second one isn't even all that sharp, it's just barely out of focus. And don't even get me started on the composition.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:35 am
by Yebra
Oh don't be an ass, he liked something you didn't - No need to jump on him.

And on your technical criticism, you're absolutely right, soft focus most of the time just looks s***** and I rarely do it on purpose. I screwed up the shot, but on reflection found I liked it anyway. It’s not one of my strongest but I’m not that serious a photographer anymore.

I've been taught, I know the 'rules', I just don’t really care that much - There’s more than one way to a good picture. If we could use a set of rules to decide what was and wasn’t a good photo, that just wouldn’t be art. Half of the fun is experimenting and getting it utterly, utterly wrong.

So scream hell on everything I did wrong and I really do appreciate constructive feedback, but don’t feel so put out that someone else found something to like in it.

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And another one for the page:

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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:38 am
by Petra456
Those are cool, Yebra!

Eri, this is a thread showing off pictures you think are cool. Not a thread about criticizing other people's work. Just shut up for once.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:52 am
by Oliver Dale
Actually, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a wannabe-writer the otherday (In this analogy, eriador is the wannabe, Yebra would be the writer). We were critiquing a story that, quite blatantly, ignored many of the 'rules' of writing. Didn't start with a definitive main character and it changed point of view and even tense midway through.

The three non-writers who read it simply said: "I was blown away. Loved it." While everyone else had just finished ripping it apart for non-conformity.

Now I'm not judging any of these photos. I'm certainly not capable of a critical assessment. But I can say that, when I saw them, my first thought was, "Oh wow, those are really pretty."

And really, isn't that what matters? Don't you just want your story to be appreciated by readers? Isn't it enough that the photograph, while imperfect, is beautiful to look at?

Now, nothing wrong with making things technically better. But then that's a whole different conversation about honey and vinegar and etiquette and constructivism versus being an a******. But my suspicion is that eriador has already had that conversation with many, many people to no effect and that it's just a matter of time before he figures out how to be a proper human being.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:30 am
by Jebus
Mini-rant: Why the hell can't people take pictures that are properly focused? Sure, I get the idea of depth of field and selective focus and all that and understand how it can be used, but too many people get into the "OOOOOH! I can be ARTY! and take photos WITH SOFT f****** FOCUS! ZOMG!" mode and it's just stupid. For example: Yebra's second photo. THERE IS NOT ONE f****** THING IN FOCUS IN THAT PHOTO. That DOESN'T make it artistic, it makes it BAD. What's even worse is that the subject matter and composition are ALSO poorly inspired (to say the least). People need to recognize that even though it has SOFT FOCUS (!) it isn't good.
Not enough caps. How are people suppose to understand and register what you're saying with such a modest use of caps?

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 3:20 pm
by eriador
To tell the truth, I don't mind that specific picture that much. Sure, it's not my favorite, but it's by no means the worst offender. It just set me off on my rant. My comment to Mich was poorly thought through and I take it back.

I'll let you know that I totally understand how and why people break the "rules" of art. My rant was just directed towards people who break them because they have seen people who know what they're doing do it (unlike Yebra here). It's those amateur art-tards who my rant was about.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 4:03 pm
by ender1
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Taken at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 4:10 pm
by Wil
I have more than one...

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All taken by me, of course. :P

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:03 pm
by Mich
Eriador, you know that I was trying to drive you crazy, right? :p

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:39 pm
by Syphon the Sun
Here's one I took a few months ago...

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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:54 pm
by Petra456
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Seal fight!

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:15 am
by Eaquae Legit
Taken just this morning: The Opal Tree

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The sunrise was catching the fall leaves just perfectly. The pictures almost do it justice.

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:24 am
by Luet
why do you call it the opal tree?

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:30 am
by Eaquae Legit
That's what it looks like to me. White background, with glints of darkness and colour, reds and greens and golds. The way it seems like it shines from within. It is, mind, entirely possible that my memories of the actual event are colouring my perceptions.

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 3:46 pm
by Amka
I don't think they are coloring your preceptions. When you called it that, I saw exactly what you meant.

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:12 pm
by Eaquae Legit
Oh good. :) Thanks, Ami.

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:19 pm
by Luet
My imagination has never been one of my strong points. Lately I've been into plant and tree identification and that kind of thing, so my brain went in that direction, thinking it was some local name for a tree or something. Sorry I didn't get it. :?

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:22 pm
by Eaquae Legit
Heehee, no worries. If you're curious, it's some sort of maple. Has smallish pointy leaves and turns bright red in the fall.

Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:58 pm
by LilBee91
Wow, that is a gorgeous tree. It's a shame the ones in our backyard don't turn red. Not that it matters now; all the leaves are long gone.