WPL4 - Team Motley Crew Official Thread

Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ED

01/03/2007 04:32:08 PM · #26

hey! those are the same lamps i got at home depot! so far they are working great... [/quote]

The big ones or the little ones?
The little ones on the top only have 100 watt bulbs.
the big ones on the side have 300 watt. The little ones weren't enough light because of the size of my 'box'. The falloff was to great by the time it reached the objects. I was still getting serious shadows.

baco99

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

01/03/2007 09:08:32 PM · #27

nice shots, TLM. EDIT!:

i just re-read this my previous post, and it sounds wrong. what i mean is...you hear all these stories of artists selling their work to stock photo/art sites and seeing very little profit from it. i have some friends who've tried it with graphic design and the percentage they see from the rights is so small that they can't depend on the income for anything but beer money.

so, if i may rephrase my question/comment: your work is terrific. is photography your first or second profession?

Message edited by author 2007-01-03 22:08:50.

01/03/2007 09:35:34 PM · #28

Teresa - thanks for sharing! You have a lot of great photos - I like most of your fruit and vegetable shots. I don't have the discipline to stick with getting my photos online - lots of work!

Good luck to you - I hope you sell many, many more!

01/04/2007 02:13:33 PM · #29

Originally posted by baco99:

Thank you!
Stock photography is THE hardest career field. Usually people have another photography profession and throw the outtakes on a stock site.
I am the kind of person who HAS to do everything the hard way! lol
Generic stock wont bring in much of a profit. You have to develop something unusual and different to get noticed at all. Its also a numbers game. you have to have a HUGE library of images to get the ball rolling. The fact I made ANY sales below 1000 images is really amazing. Most people have a really hard time understanding that. I have been discouraged many times myself. I am going to beat the odds.

Photography is not my 'trained' profession. I have a degree in architectural/mechanical/civil drafting. I like to draw and I love houses. My dad was a contractor and I (being the oldest) assumed I was to take over the business. I had dreams of making it a real company and expanding it beyond a one man show. My brother inherited the business but had other plans. The jobs I did get, I LOVED but couldn't get ahead or taken seriously because I was a woman! I know people think that archaic mentality doesnt exist anymore but believe me, it does! I wasted 3+ years with a sheet metal company just trying to do the job I was hired for! I never got to see Autocad the whole time. Instead I was to 'file the paperwork' for the guys! When they hired an untrained preacher for MY job... I got pissed! I actually overheard one of the guys say 'women in business is only good for smoozing the clients and filing the paperwork!' The President of the company cornered me and threatened me when noone was around to witness it! Its a shame I didn't have a tape recorder in my pocket.

I know Im getting to windy...
I have had 4 jobs that were the exact same way!

I don't want to be someones errand girl or put profit in someone elses pockets. I want to be my own boss and control my own destiny.
I get so mad everytime I think about it. lol

01/04/2007 02:16:45 PM · #30

Originally posted by colorcarnival:

Thank you very much! It is a lot of work and I have so many more to catch up on!

01/04/2007 02:43:28 PM · #31

Teresa - I found your job comments interesting. I have a BS and MS in Engineering and I used to be the errand girl on some assignments as well. OR they'd stick me on an analysis project that was not solveable just to keep me busy. Very sad. Now I teach part-time, and am pretty much the master of my own schedule. I bring a lot of work home BUT I pretty much am on my own - and I love it!

I have a girlfriend going thru some of the same stuff you mentioned. She is an excellent engineer and they will not promote her. It's amazing how back woods the work place still is in this day and age.

Kudos to you for striking off on your own! I am sure it will be profitable and rewarding for you! Let us know how it progresses so we can keep cheering for you. :o)

01/04/2007 02:58:45 PM · #32

Its so hard! My husband found the 'perfect' drafting job, close to home, experience with Autocad and Solidworks, experience in plastics and sheet metal... I have everything they want. It would be nice to have a steady paycheck (which my husband REALLY wants me to do) but I don't know if I want all the headaches that come with it.
I have been on my own for almost 2 yrs now I love that. Its been hard not having a paycheck but I am happy! This last 2 years has been a learning process and I expect it will make up for the loss of income in the long run. If I go get a job, I feel like I will be giving up everything I have been working for so long on.

Money or happiness???

01/04/2007 03:05:33 PM · #33

My husband would like for me to have a steadier paycheck too. But I have been MUCH HAPPIER not working in Engineering. And although I like teaching, I really LOVE doing photography. Would love to be doing what you are doing, but don't have much time. Especially since school starts next week.

Enjoy being able to follow your passion!

Do you see yourself sticking with the types of photos you are doing now or do you think you will eventually have a studio?

Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ED

01/04/2007 05:37:49 PM · #34

Im already designing it. ;)

baco99

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

01/04/2007 09:55:13 PM · #35

hey all, i've posted some new non-challenge images in my portfolio. i'd love any feedback.

01/05/2007 10:19:21 AM · #36

If you're refferring to the 7 displayed on the main page in the " Recent Portfolio Additions" section, they are incomparable to your "Highest rated photographs" section.

The compositions/angles of the subjects have possibilities.
Some are not focused sharply, which is okay for some challenges.

The blue dog could be scary like Cujo, I'd like to see the other dog with bright-eyes and soft fur in focus.

Message edited by author 2007-01-05 10:20:32.

01/07/2007 12:44:55 PM · #37

a very quiet weekend!

Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ED

01/07/2007 01:58:05 PM · #38

getting ready for school next week :o(

also trying to find time to take my pic for this week :o(

baco99

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

01/08/2007 08:44:43 AM · #39

busy weekend. worked saturday, which is a new thing for me.

i am about 10 days behind on the 30 day christmas, which i started 14 days late.

ooops!

01/08/2007 12:28:17 PM · #40

Sure I shot a train Last-Week on my vacation, Today it's raining at the local train yards, but there are very-realistc, miniature model railroads out there.

I admit I didn't do the Procrastination Challenge either. I thought of 2-3 great ideas, but by the time I thought of it, it was hard to get the props. If this was a REAL WPL4 Competition Challenge I would've done something. I have to keep thinking of alternatives depending on the weather and substutions for some props that may not be obtainable.

1) An old manual typewriter with a sheet of paper in it. On the paper typed the only one word, "The". Add background/Lighting and maybe a hand. Procrastinated in "Writing the novel".

2) I've had paint brushes dry out sitting in a can of paint or paint-thinner. Didn't find one. I had some leftover vynal siding pieces I could partially paint. I even thought of making one, mixing super-glue with paint. "I will paint the house..."

3) Cut out a piece of grass and get a close up of it cover you porch, child, or car. Maybe include the handlebars of you lawnmower. "I will cut the grass..."

I know that's no excuse, I should've done something, escpecially since I would have been competing with only 132 entries (Fences and Centered had 315/411 entries). Seriously, Click on Larus's "5th day of christmas" entry and READ his photo-Detail.

How long would it take to rub some dirt on someone's hands and find 5-gold rings. In a party center store you could get 5-fake rings for 99-cents.

01/08/2007 03:31:59 PM · #41

Lol it almost sounds like you were.... procrastinating... :o)

What is everyone entering this week? I am good and got my B/W entry done.

Back to school stuff... bleah, no fun!

01/08/2007 05:56:18 PM · #42

Came in 139 out of 486 images in the Free Study.
Not to bad. Free Studies are so hard to get because of the number of entries. Score was 5.9946 which dropped some since I last looked.
It yo-yo'd the entire week! Im glad it got closer to a 6.0.
This entry got high ratings on PD so I expected a little better.

I have an entry in procrastination. Its doing average but getting some good comments. Someone even typed in a poem! It had me laughing out loud.
It has a better than average score on PD too. We'll see how it ends up.

I entered a photo of my son in the B&W portrait. I am not expecting it to do well but he is my handsome son! ;)

I know which shot I'm using for best of, I just have to find which Disk its stored on. That one is going to be extremely heavy on competition.
If I can make better than 50% I will be jumping for joy! LOL

Battle of the sexes is going to be real hard to come up with something. I will have to think hard about this one.

Justamistere, I loved your old typewriter idea! I love old stuff!

01/09/2007 10:09:35 AM · #43

I like you flower in glass photo, Tlemetry, simplicity always scores better here.

Well my last Free-Study of 2006, was a first. The first time I didn't get any comments! I thought the bokeh-n-front lights lead up to the subject well. I exposed it as a warm reddish tone instead of greenish. I even sharpened it as a .jpg in the final web-size. They always look good in High-Res 8x10 or higher.

I could've use a tripod with my 50mm lens and exposed longer and gotten a sharper focused statue. I still haven't calibrated my monitor with x-Rite Colorimeter and Monaco EZColor software. Usually photos of Artwork (or maybe Sculpture), don't do very well. only 4.8929 Previous Free-Study was better at 5.8658

I did have at least 2-3 other choices, they may have scored better.
One was a Horses head with a Santa cap on one ear (A Carriage ride horse).

I'm going to try the portrait challenge this evening. Again this is too, close to the deadline, but like in the upcoming WPL4, if we don't submit a photo, the average is ZERO.

In the cold of the evening I took this one on a tripod with reddish Parking lot lights and some moonlinght. Other outakes included a train-boxcar behind the tree. Yes, I could've done more in an "Almost-anything goes-Challenge" 5.1364 96/115

01/09/2007 11:55:09 AM · #44

Your free study pic now has a comment. :o)

01/09/2007 10:04:29 PM · #45

My best of 2006 has been uploaded... *crosses fingers* anyone else entering that one?

01/10/2007 08:30:33 AM · #46

Came in 129th out of 411 entries.
If it was in bloom, might have scored better

01/10/2007 09:13:31 AM · #47

Left you guys some comments! Nice shots ya'll - glad to be on your team.

Could you all do me a favor and look at my centered composition

EDIT: to ask - how can I improve it!

Thanks!

Message edited by author 2007-01-10 11:36:30.

01/10/2007 01:40:32 PM · #48

I think, there were way too, many water droplets in the Centered Challenge, 4th, 5th, and 6th place to name a few. In 2006 there were also a lot many winners involving glasses.

"From the Center" - Tlemetry 5.6816, 129/411
Congratulations, out of 411, that's great, 70%.
Plants do spread open and "Center" on sunlight, great concept. It qualifies well as centered. Great color saturation and soft focus is emotive.
I agree with "the point of focus is too small to be appreciated". Maybe a subdued spotlight in the center and spot-focused in center, may be an improvement.

"In my dream, he held my hand and we waited for the bubble to fall",
- colorcarnival, 5.4638, 185/411
IMHO, Sepia gives it an "Old West" look. The combination of grey-scale, then Sepia doesn't seem to work here. Maybe one or the other would look better. Personally I like colorful bubbles and tanned skin.

PSP is considered an amateaur/consumer product. I consider it great and have used it from versions 3 to â��Photo 11 Photoâ��. It can do almost as much as PS2, many things are done with easier/intuitive/more convenient controls. I have found that PS2 tools offer more precision tools for selecting, etc. I wish they would make simple things like my mouse wheel to zoom in/out.

This may be better, although people don't appreciate artwork or logos.(Grin). I erased the finger a little.

01/10/2007 02:15:33 PM · #49

Thank you, John, for your assessment. Some good ideas there.
putting the color of black cardboard around the base of my violet damaged it and its currently recovering or I would make another attempt at it.

Michele,
I loved the title on your image. I agree that the sepia doesn't work as well for me. I would love to see a b&w here. I added a comment for you on the image, but I do really love this image. Very creative!

Just as I suspected... My b&w portrait is bombing big time! 4.5 bleh!
Im going to have to practice more with people. heh!

Message edited by author 2007-01-10 14:16:22.