This Wasn't Supposed to Happen!
by DiamondPete

Comment by timmi:
This would have been superb surprise shot it the background wasn't blurred. The man is falling and the blurr on him suggests that, but the background needs to be still for this to be effective. Also it might have looked better vertically cropped, as it would add to the feeling of height.

This Wasn't Supposed to Happen!
by DiamondPete

Comment by Firstrich1:
oops! looks like it might hurt:( action like this is hard to do. what would have made this more effective would have been less camera shake. having both the climber and the background moving is a bit distracting. but no question, he looks surprised .

This Wasn't Supposed to Happen!
by DiamondPete

Comment by Neuferland:
Oh ouch! Poor person! My bum is sore just looking at this! It fits the challenge perfectly now if only the camera had been able to get a slightly shaper shot. I know the person is falling but the blur on the whole shot is just a bit too much, probably because I'm guessing you were shocked by what was happening as well. A 5

This Wasn't Supposed to Happen!
by DiamondPete

Comment by adine:
Ouch. Hard to get a sense of what is up and down, although I'm sure that is how this climber feels. Everything is shaken. If the rock were sharp, and the climber swingin all over at least we'd have a point of reference.

This Wasn't Supposed to Happen!
by DiamondPete

Comment by Natator:
Would have been more effective I think if the rocks had been in sharp focus and then the guy blurrered. Great action shot though, and hard to get focus perfect when you need to take a photo in a hurry.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
by DiamondPete

Comment by vonautsch:
Very nice idea. I like the contrasts. It looks a little overly sharpened though.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
by DiamondPete

Comment by blindjustice:
This shot is so interesting. The white lardy parts of the cookie look like fire. the lighting looks like a shot from a surveillance helicopter into someones back yard. I love it.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
by DiamondPete

Comment by Beagleboy:
A good idea, but the execution could use some more work. Image seems out of focus and the cookie cream in the lower right-hand corner is blown out (too bright). This might have been avoided by repositioning your light source to a different angle.

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
by DiamondPete

Comment by indigo997:
not a bad idea but the quality is lacking.. nice lighting. a little overexposed maybe.. but the biggest problem is that it isn't clear.. low res or lower end cam maybe??

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles
by DiamondPete

Comment by Neil:
Very imaginative, and a good literalistic interpretation of the phrase. Photographically, this isn't clear for some reason. Also, the white part of the cookie is overexposed. If your camera or software support's histograms, that's a good way to watch for these things. Look for an exposure where the histogram approaches but does not quite reach the right exposure limit.

Supplementary information exchanged via email in response to the authors query (put here with the picture for the benefit of others):

----------------------------------------------------------

It' s hard for me to tell why your photo doesnt look clear from the small
photo, but here's some theories:

1) It may be noise. Long exposures on most digital cameras result in a
noisy image, much like using high ISO values. Or if you were set to a high
ISO value, or used automatic exposure where the camera can vary the ISO
value for greater sensitivity, that would introduce noise.

2) It may be oversharpened. That cause contrast halos to appear, which can
actually make a photo less clear. Especially one with a lot of detail or
some noise to begin with.

3) It could be the result of JPEG artifacts, from using too high a
compression ratio (or as the setting often goes, too low a quality setting).
I can't tell because its small; I see something that looks like a block
effect on the table, but it also could be a texture or pattern.

No, I don't think the overexposed regions is why it's unclear, but the long
exposure could have something to do with it if the floor, room, or tripod
vibrated at all, even ever so slightly. For example, if its on a tripod, on
a wood or plywood based floor, and someone trodded by, there could by a
slight vibration which could cause lack of clarity.

As far as the histogram article, my G2 makes it really easy to spot
overexposed areas when using the histogram function. You see there are
overexposed areas in the thumbnail, and it goes a step further and flashes
the overexposed regions in the thumbnail. I don't know if your S20 supports
that. My son has an A60, and it doesn't have this function.

Here's an article online that might be some help.

//www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

I also recommend Scott Kelby's series, The Photoshop Book for Digital
Photographers, and the equivalent one for Elements (which is what I have.)