Champlain Monument
by Quigley

Comment by Quigley:
As it is shaping up it is true I am crazy my other one that I entered is tanking. To Artzy Fartzy I guess. DAMN I knew this would happen.

Champlain Monument
by Quigley

Comment by BeckyT:
Are you crazy. This would have been great in the silhouette challenge. Very nice.

Bee Bokeh
by Quigley

Comment by KaDi:
(Stupid cable company problems caused a double post...grr!)

Message edited by author 2007-09-19 10:20:28.

Bee Bokeh
by Quigley

Comment by KaDi:
Whoops! There it is. Lens information! Sorry for the oversight.

This is a difficult subject to work to throw the background into a soft blur. You couldn't have opened the aperture on this lens more than f/8--even if you could you'd be fighting to keep important elements in the blossom sharp because of the depth of the flower. So, with the equipment at hand it seems the background needed adjusting. More separation between flower and background--a different bloom, a different angle toward a portion of the foliage farther away? Or, as mentioned before, a more dimly lit background--perhaps having your "beautiful assistant" shade it.

Of course, if this challenge weren't under "basic" rules you could just dodge and blur the background in Photo Shop... ;-)

Champlain Monument
by Quigley

Comment by EstimatedEyes:
Great silhouette ... the sun is perfectly positioned behind the statue, and adds a nice flare. Surprised you didn't enter this in silhouettes, which must mean you have something even better over there. Nice pic

Bee Bokeh
by Quigley

Comment by KaDi:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

The flower and lighting are lovely! The bee was caught at a nice moment though I wish the wings were better defined. With a shutter speed of 1/800 it's surprising that the wing action isn't better stopped.

There are two main issues I see with this image. First, the center of interest is in the center. This leads the viewer to the bull's eye and there the exploration mostly stops. Second, The detail of the background competes for attention with the texture of the petals and the main interest. It becomes a subject in itself.

For this challenge, "Bokeh," the out of focus background was important. I feel it just has too much going on. With so many interesting lines, light and distinguishable shapes the bokeh does not enhance the subject. You don't say what lens you used, but I find a long lens (around 200 mm) taken from further away with similar settings to yours can help throw the background out a bit more. Another way is to choose a background that is not as well lit as the subject.

Overall, a pleasing subject with great color and lighting that suffers a bit because of composition and background distractions.

One Mans' Junk...
by Quigley

Comment by Ken:
I find your story quite amusing - somehow it just feels good to a person fight city hall and win. That junkyard would make a great place to shoot, owner permitting of course.

MC Dumper " Can't Dump This "
by Quigley

Comment by SteveJ:
Vehicles, especially rusting one, always work so well. Focus is spot on, colours rich and vibrant. Good one.

Weigh in Time
by Quigley

Comment by SteveJ:
Money isn't a problem for that lot! I remember using a rowing boat to do fishing, which is a misnomer for me. I never fished, I hung a line out the boat and bobbed about, never caught a thing. Good shot.

Get Juiced For 25 cents
by Quigley

Comment by SteveJ:
Judgung by the size of the chair, he/she must be too young for Genuine Draft, perhaps the kid had one juice too many and slipped off the chair. Good shot with that hint of humour!