***COMMENT THREAD for the December Photo Contest***

[soup]

Please use this thread for comments on photos being submitted here.

[Mira]

1. Just like bursting on the scene and winning, soup,

this is a laudable perfect start.
You must be Santa, you fixed this while we were sleeping.

[soup]

2. I am SO looking forward to the entries

after seeing the possibilities posted in the group. Anticipation led to almost posting the threads a bit after midnight last night, but I waited until it was Friday for our west-coasters.

Figured if I was going to mess it up late night/very early morning would have fewer people noticing. Your view is greatly appreciated though, and gave me a smile.

As 'Santa', I anxiously wait for the 'elves' to build the gifts, so they can be shared.


on edit: here's a shot of me putting the threads together. :rofl:

[Mira]

4. You make me laugh. That's hysterical.

How did you make the gray box - I've long wondered how that goes, and can't find it?

I'm still freezing from going on a close to unsuccessful night shot hunt, and am now going through my files.
:)

[soup]

6. Hope you can warm up soon.

We have a cold snap here and it's in the 50's and windy. My
old bones are rattling and shaking.

about the grey box:

When you click on Post, you'll see a link above the message
box titled HTML Lookup table. Click on it, and a popup window
will appear.

It's something called Blockquotes. Looks like this:
[div class="excerpt"]Text[/div] 

[Mira]

10. Thanks - trying now

that's not easy with my computer LOL

Tested it and it works.
I love learning things that have baffled me.

:fistbump:

[Blue_In_AK]

15. 50? COLD?????

I would be most pleased if it were 50 here.

[soup]

3. and the first gift has arrived.

Thank you, Dyedinthewoolliberal

[Cassandra]

5. Good. I hate going first.

I was thinking of something more festive but went with this one.

[Mira]

7. I like !!!!!!

[Cassandra]

11. Thanks!!

SOOOO much easier to do a night shot with the DSLR than with the point & shoot.

[charlie and algernon]

24. I agree, I NEVER would've gotten my shot with my point and shoot

it'd either be all black or look like it was shot in broad daylight.

[JCMach1]

59. Mine is from my point and shoot Mobile Phone

Granted it is 8MP...

[soup]

8. I've always thought the first

was the bravest of the brave.

It takes a lot to push that 'Post message' button and send a bit of yourself out into the world, with the hope it can fly.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

16. I was going to be first

but i could not get photoshop to work right then and the only version I had was too big

guess I am going with arriving by train

[soup]

20. Whether by Polar Express or

Chattanooga Choo-Choo, I look forward to the arrival.

[soup]

25. Good to see you got the problem fixed.

Y'all are building quite a gallery here.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

26. yeah, the scratch disk died

had to put a new one on

[HappyCynic]

17. I'm never first

I'm never really in a position to be first for numerous reasons (mostly being on the west coast and typically lurching off to work without logging in). I try to post as soon as able. This is actually from lack of bravery. The longer I wait, the more submissions I see. The more submissions I see, the more doubtful I get about my own submission. So, by entering earlier, I avoid some of the "The rest are all so good. Mine just isn't good enough to submit." thoughts. It's essentially my way of not chickening out.
So, I personally think that being close to last is at least as brave as being first.

[soup]

21. Good point.

I waited 2 days before hitting the 'post message' button last month after seeing all of the extraordinary entries.

[Celebration]

9. wise choice

to me anyway. I'm not much of a minimalist in daylight pictures, but honestly I think night pictures can get too busy. And I love the way the water towers in yours barely stand out from the background, the moon is out of view, etc. All this adds to the mystery.

For these reasons I regrouped, and am now deciding between two non Japan shots I found.

We have a really good start to the contest, from everyone.

[Cassandra]

12. That's not the moon but a street lamp.

It wasn't that dark a street. Only the contrast in the camera makes it seem that way. I liked the water towers as well; I think the snowflake echoes the struts. I thought the background might be too dark (as it would have been on my old monitor) so I tweaked the RAW file to lighten things up but it got really grainy, so I stuck to the original.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

22. My pleasure..........

this kind of thing is fun!

[tekisui]

13. Eclipse is gorgeous Raven!

[blueraven95]

28. thank you!

:hi:

[JeffR]

49. It really is spectacular.

! ! ! ! !

[blueraven95]

53. awww, thanks

I LOVE yours!


:hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

14. Soup, may I reserve the right to substitute

if I come up with something I like better? We've been enshrouded in fog for days now, and very cold temps. HullBoss said he'd go downtown with me tonight to see if we could come up with something from street level -- shots from any distance are impossible.

[soup]

18. Bah humbug.

no freaking way. (j.k., of course)

Whatever it takes to get whatever you want. If you're willing to go out in such weather, I'm willing to learn how to count to 30 by 1, 2, skip a few, etc.

Guess I don't need to remind you to bundle up?

[Blue_In_AK]

19. Yeah, it's pretty freakin' miserable here.

Which probably explains my lack of posts lately.

The trees are beautiful though, with all the frost.

[HarveyDarkey]

27. I really like your submission

But that's just me, a newbie.

[Blue_In_AK]

30. Thanks, Harvey.

I kind of like it, too, but I want to at least try to get something to compare it to. Our cable's out tonight for some reason, so it's a good time to go for a walk downtown among the shoppers and drunks. :)

[Sacred Fire]

23. another fun contest!

Wonderful photos so far and I'm excited to see the others as they arrive.

:hide:

[HappyCynic]

32. Hope to see an entry from you

You had a good entry in the last contest. Can we expect an entry from you for this one?

[Sacred Fire]

51. I might enter..

if I could get my camera to cooperate with me. ;)

I've tried taking some shots the past few nights, but nothing yet. Maybe tonight is the night.

Thank you for the compliment. I have to say that your entry is quite stunning. I love the contrast of the still vs. rippled waters.

[Callalily]

29. Yes, this contest is awesome, but

I have discovered (well I knew this already) that I totally suck at night shots. I have been out the last several nights - yes, in that awful snowstorm, and last night in extreme cold (my camera was telling me it does not like it that cold). I did manage to get a few adequate shots, but absolutely nothing that I care to submit. But please don't fret. I am going to persevere and one day I am going to produce a (ahem) GREAT night shot.

[HappyCynic]

31. Great first post, jethro_tull

Great first post to DU, jethro_tull! Love the motion blur on all the circular rides.

Welcome to DU and the photography forum!

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. Hey, HC! :^) He's gone to bed but I'll pass on what you said. (No pic from

the little guy this time. It's hubby's turn.)

[Tindalos]

38. A team effort!

We don't stand a chance


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[GreenPartyVoter]

39. LOL :^D

[HappyCynic]

41. We might...

We might stand a chance... They're not coming at us full force... Damn, shouldn't have said that. The submissions aren't full yet. There's still time for little guy to jump in. :P

[GreenPartyVoter]

73. No chance. Waaaay too cold for him to go night shooting. :^)

[tekisui]

33. Wannajump. Good job!

I love the shot. The look on the woman's face in her practical clothes, and the gaudy advertisement above her. Great shot!

[Cassandra]

63. If you were coming off the G train at midnight...

you might look like that, too. That line gets complaints and may be shut down.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

68. probably that is her bus with which

she was supposed to connect, blowing past the station in the background

[alfredo]

35. These are the closest I have to night shots right now.

They are "shots in the dusk", not "shots in the dark." I'll sit this dance out.

[GreenPartyVoter]

36. Those are both striking :^)

[alfredo]

37. Thanks, but I decided they are not in the spirit or the word of the contest.

[Mira]

40. They are both beautiful, Alfredo, but they may be problematic.

I searched high and low, and also went out and did a little shooting. First time ever I took my tripod around the neighborhood.
I kept the camera on it, and laid the whole thing flat on pillows in my truck bed as I went cruising around slowly looking for something worth trying to photograph.

In all my photos there are very very few night shots. And some I remember taking, I can't find. Might not have been worth keeping.
It did though get me interested in doing night photography, and studying on how to do it.
Next time may be better.

[alfredo]

42. I had ideas of what I wanted in a night shot, but it's too damn cold out.

[alfredo]

50. I found one. It's inside Henry Clay's cold damp crypt.

His spirit still wanders the night.

[Cassandra]

45. Those are beautiful.

Are they really so much lighter than a NYC street?

[alfredo]

46. But natural light is what determines a shot in the dark in my opinion.

[JeffR]

43. Good grief, Mira.

For an old expat Southerner, that shot really resonates with me, or as W used to say, resignates. I never miss the South more than at this time of year, when snow begins to pile up and the west wind stings with worse to come.

[Cassandra]

44. I don't see signs like that in New York...

but you know people are muttering that under their breath every day.

[alfredo]

47. Out of all the great entries, "Midnight Train" is the one I remember.

[Blue_In_AK]

48. NashVegas, I LOVE your shot.

[NashVegas]

66. Thanks .. There Are So Many Fantastics

Including Frosted .. that's so ethereal.

[Blue_In_AK]

75. I'm just not understanding at all

why you're not getting more votes. Your shot is professional-level. Whoever that guitarist is should use it for his next album cover -- er, CD, I mean. (Showing my age.)

[NashVegas]

76. You Humble Me

My stuff never gets votes. I'm used to it :)

[Blue_In_AK]

77. I'm serious, though.

That was one of my favorite shots of all of them, and I think it's a grave injustice that's being done to you here.

[NashVegas]

79. Oh, Blue

I just saw you campaigning in there. Tsk, tsk!

[Blue_In_AK]

80. I am a seeker of justice.

ed. And it looks like my campaigning has worked -- you just picked up two more votes. :)

[NashVegas]

81. LOL!

You're a peach. Happy holidays!

[Blue_In_AK]

83. Can I tell you why I love that shot,

besides the color, which is great? I love the diagonal line of it. It just lines up so perfectly. It's just a perfect shot, whether you got lucky or planned it that way. :)

[NashVegas]

84. Ah

Well, I was going to crop the shot more but chose not to. I think that makes it a combination of both.

[soup]

52. ***4 Spots Remaining***

[HappyCynic]

54. Quickly filling up

I'm surprised at how quickly the submissions thread is filling up. I initially thought that this might be a tough one but from the rapid submission pace and the quality of all the submissions, I was definitely wrong.

[GreenPartyVoter]

55. Does it seem faster than the song title one was? It seems that way to me.

[HappyCynic]

56. I'm sure it is faster

For the last half dozen contests, I've observed that the first day quickly gets up to about half way, the second day usually pushes it to the low 20s, then it's another one or two days before it fills up completely. We're not quite at two full days and we're already at 4 slots left - about a day ahead of the typical, unless I'm remembering wrong.

[soup]

57. ***and Sacred Fire's entry takes it to 3 spots left***

[soup]

58. ***A late night on Bourbon Street leaves just 2 more spots

[soup]

60. ***Aegina Harbor By Night is the 29th entry. Only 1 spot left.***

[hippywife]

61. Nash!

I love that shot and the title. As soon as I saw it, it hit me. :hi:


everyone!

[NashVegas]

67. Heehee

Thanks! What were you thinking it might be?

[hippywife]

69. I'm more wondering

WHO it might be. :o

[Celebration]

62. Tindalos

Love the picture from Japan.

:thumbsup:

[Tindalos]

65. Thanks

I don't get out much at night, so this was a tough one. Did you visit Asakusa? It's one of my favourite places.


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[Celebration]

71. no, we packed a lot into a week

But mostly Kyoto......one day in Nara, and one in Tokyo.

[soup]

64. Safe Harbor makes it 30.

What an apt title for our last entry.

Thank you, Island Blue, and each and every one of you for sharing your photos.

"Ya done good"

[Tindalos]

70. Thanks Soup

You're doing a good job too :hi:


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[soup]

72. aww,

thank you Tindalos.

You might want to qualify that with a 'so far' - getting the multi-thread prelims up without too many fumbles is still an uncertainty.

[hippywife]

74. Just take your time.

I screwed up a couple of times but everyone here was really gracious with their help.

Something I would recommend is to use the Copy Link Location function on the right click of each photo, if you haven't thought about that as you copy and paste. :hi:

I would also encourage Island Blue to increase the size of that beautiful photo.

[Tindalos]

78. Looks like it's going smoothly

Of course, no one else can see the chaos behind the scenes. Nothing to see here. Move along now.

Hang in there! You're doing great.

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[Cassandra]

82. That is the part that's the most fraught.

After that, the finals are a breeze. You're doing great!