Are you out shooting? A little over a week til submissions.

I tend to reflect more the cold, hard, and mechanized side of life rather than nature, so this was my first consideration:



But I think I have something else that can qualify for last place just as effectively. LOL
I do try nature sometimes with varying results:



Still, I'm headed elsewhere for this month's project, I think.

and looking at things a bit differently is always the fun of working on a contest theme. I look forward to your final entry.

come through...and with it, a new location.

We're moving back to the states. I'm not the least bit happy about it. Oh well...

I'll check in from time to time - until the computers get packed.

Good luck everyone!!

I'll see y'all when I can...

I do not know your situation in the least, but I hear and understand your words.
All I can say to you is the trite sentence of "that it will happen, and possibly did happen, as it should."

That's hard to swallow when you did not get the result you wanted.
I'll miss you til you're back and in the fold without the anxieties all this must be bringing to you and yours.

...especially since we acclimated so well to Germany/Europe.

A new experience and a new place to take photos... if nothing else.

Thanks, Mira.

How much post processing is considered okay wiht this one. A couple of the threads here show some pretty cool negative space images that have been digitally enhanced quite a bit. I'm thinking of the orchid shots with the different backgrounds.

Just checking!

Since all I personally know about post processing is the abilities Picasa affords me, except for using the clone stamp in photo shop, I think I can't properly answer this one.

I do not remember how the question was resolved when recently we re-evaluated some of our parameters for the contests. I determined then that my limited post processing falls within the acceptable realm, and let it go.

About the orchids: It did not occur to me to look at them as digitally enhanced. I see the first one as an overexposure that was taken through the paces of some sliders, and the second one was normal to me. I'm not sure that the photographer considered them as a potential entry, I played with them and took it into the realm of positive/negative with my response and the crops.

I am proving that I can't answer this without help.

The help could come from someone who finds the poll results we ended up with when this issue was discussed maybe 6-8 months ago, or from someone who jumps in and opens this for a more public discussion or explanation.

As the hostess, if I am the one to be left with the decision here and now, I say I'm interested in a photo where the negative space plays a role that is if not predominant at least playing a large part and is interesting. Where the balance of positive and negative is considered, and where shapes are recognizable as a photograph.

I think with this theme we do venture out a bit into the area of spacial "art" more than usual, and I have no problem with this at all.

Please tell me this helps.

I'M EDITING this to add a visual:

I took the photo in my hallway yesterday afternoon, in the evening sun, and I like it just like it came out in the camera



Now I took it into Picasa, and with the tools available there I turned it into photo number two, which to me would be perfectly acceptable as an entry, and which would not get up my caution flags as over processed or overly enhanced. I would look at it as an interesting photo dividing up space in a pleasing way.




Let me know what you think, if you so chose.

versed in photo manipulation and only possess simple tools, I am relying on that old photographers trick.

Took this pic with black poster board taped to my wall. Now how's that for technical advancement! :rofl:

I'm calling this one Party's Over

this one is just awesome. Don't touch it again, it's perfect. I think when it comes to balance of Pos/Neg I have seen few to equal it in perfection.
You are also illustrating the fun part of being out there shooting and learning and improvising.
I'll drink to that!

I do a lot of shooting with black backgrounds. This one came out great!

comment, "I'll drink to that!" I took a couple vacation days to extend last weekend just because worklord was a but light, so finally I could actually take my birthday off of work.

Had a bit of champaign, but kept the cork and paraphernalia and thinking of negative space, well . . . you all have seen the results.

Thanks so much for the comments. They are truly appreciated and kept close to the heart.

The first is the original

You did a great job.
I would chose the pink if I liked it equally to the black, if there are many coming in that have a black background.
Honestly, I hear the music...

fall within the rules because I did fill in the background in post processing. I've been doing some shooting and also going through files and finding quite a few that fit the theme. I have a couple I really like that weren't over processed. I'm making a folder of "Negative Spaces" and I should have quite a few to choose from.

I do not think a filled in background like you did is an obstacle. The shape of the negative space is more important than what it is comprised of, or how it was achieved. Therefore a crop that would make a photo have good balance of pos/neg or a manipulation of the depth of color are fine, so would be what you did.
I would not send the horses back to sender at all with the background noise removed.

I do think this subject presents more challenge to us than others on numerous levels , and I welcome that.

I agree that giving the negative space a bit of a "push" shouldn't be a problem but I wanted to be sure.

I think this contest can really force us to "see" things in a different way.