March 2011 Photo & Captions Comment Thread

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Comments about this month's photo and caption contest get posted here, so that we keep the contest threads free of clutter.

Before submitting any pictures, please read the rules.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Thanks everyone who voted for my photo last month. i appreciate it and I am glad that you enjoyed that photo. It is easily in one of my top 10 favorite photos of all time!

I thought of the contest topic over my morning coffee today. I was like... hmmm... topic, think shannon think! Snakes on a plane! No. That's the worst movie in the world... Ahhhhh... snakes on a PLAIN... now THAT's clever :rolleyes:

[zooplan]

Would be a flagstone plain enough,
even if its of granite, greywacke, porphyry...

[guidofatherof5]

Can the background be created as in a Glaussian Blur?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Sure guys, why not! Im not picky :)

[Jeff B]

Can the background be created as in a Glaussian Blur?

Steve I think you mean gaussian blur, derived from the famous german mathmetician/scientist Carl Gauss, most noted for the Gaussian distribution in statistics aka "the bell curve", his equation for that function allows the computer to make the necessary computations to "blur" the image.

[Stefan-A]

These contests are starting to look less like photo contests and more like photoshop contests.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

These contests are starting to look less like photo contests and more like photoshop contests.


If there were any sort of prizes involved, I personally would see a lot more reason to be concerned about whether or not the person used photo editing effects or not. But the monthly photo contest to me is just a way for everyone here to share pictures of our lovely snakes regardless of what was done to it. It's not like we are actually in any sort of judged competition where there are things at stake. Basically all of the photos on this website have been edited to some degree, even if it's just cropping. where does one draw the line? If we get too serious about it, no one will even want to participate... and then it's not even fun. Clicking the shutter at the right moment is often times only half the battle, how you compose the image after the fact, is equally important. The only things I generally use PS for, is cropping, straightening crooked photos, and correcting any off-colored hues that the camera incorrectly picked up. As long as people aren'y photoshopping top hats and glowing eyes onto their snakes... i don't really have a problem with altering photos to get a desired look. For some people who can't afford the really nice cameras that take stock pictures as nice as the one I posted as my example, it may be their only option.

I should probably point out that I am not trying to argue with you, Stefan... and that I respect your point of view. ;)

[Stefan-A]

where does one draw the line?
At Loki's wager.


As long as people aren'y photoshopping top hats and glowing eyes onto their snakes... i don't really have a problem with altering photos to get a desired look.Where does one draw the line?

[zooplan]

These contests are starting to look less like photo contests and more like photoshop contests.

NO, NO, NO Stefan:

... GIMP contest from my point of view:p

But seriously: You can´t turn a blury picture into a brilliant,
and it would be a lot of work to turn a grey snake into a coloured one, without wasting the picture.
Some can use expensive cameras and excellent flashlights, some can spend time and use GIMP.

BTW: My finger was in the mouth of that snake and I´m happy I´ve got those "feed" back for meant usage.

[Stefan-A]

It doesn't take much of a camera to compete in these contests and against people who aren't professional photographers. Besides, people are not necessarily voting for the best picture from a technical standpoint anyway, but the one they like the most. Sometimes getting that winning picture requires luck, sometimes it requires preparation, but never once have I seen a winning contest entry that could only have been taken with a high-end camera.

[zooplan]

It doesn't take much of a camera to compete in these contests and against people who aren't professional photographers. Besides, people are not necessarily voting for the best picture from a technical standpoint anyway, but the one they like the most. Sometimes getting that winning picture requires luck, sometimes it requires preparation, but never once have I seen a winning contest entry that could only have been taken with a high-end camera.

Déjà-vu ???
Haven´t I read this post before?
:D
you´r right about luck and preparation...
and a good camera is a kind of it;)

[ConcinusMan]

Well I don't find it to be a coincidence that I never once posted a halfway decent picture (IMO) of any of my snakes until I upgraded to a better camera. Seems that it doesn't matter what you do, shatty cam = shatty pic. It can make the difference between a pic that is just OK and one that is great.

However, I only one the contest once and you guessed it, it was with my old shatty camera. I didn't bother editing to try to "improve" the picture either.:cool:

Still, it's regrettable I didn't make that shot with the better camera.

I don't see any good reason for needing to edit to get a plain background. Surely anyone has available to them a background that qualifies as "plain"

[Stefan-A]

Déjà-vu ???
Haven´t I read this post before?
:D
you´r right about luck and preparation...
and a good camera is a kind of it;)
I'll keep repeating it as long as it's true. :D

Most cameras are good.

[zooplan]

Ok, you can get this from a Fuji FinePix S5800 without editing (excepting cut and scaled)
http://www.zooplan.net/contestx_11_03.jpg
But it requires a lot of experience, set up, preparation, lighting, a calm snake and


...luck!

[Stefan-A]

Panasonic FZ5. No editing apart from cropping and resizing. No preparation beyond using a tripod for stability, and it was not a calm snake.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/chrono/female-fav1.jpg

Taken with a Panasonic FX3. No editing apart from cropping and resizing. No preparation apart from feeding.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakes10/theone-april29-2010.jpg


And this is a thumbnail created automatically by the FX3 for a video clip. Not edited, cropped or resized. That's what the camera saved when I pushed the record button. Obviously no preparation involved, pure luck.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakesies08/shed-tetra-thumb.jpg



The Thamnophis poster features one photo of mine taken with a 2.0 Mp Fuji Finepix 2600 and another taken with the 5 Mp Panasonic FZ5.

[guidofatherof5]

Very nice photos, guys.;)

[ConcinusMan]

Ok then guys. You can't seriously tell me those shots would be that nice taken with a cell phone or similar quality camera.

[Stefan-A]

A cell phone's a cell phone, not a camera, no matter how much it pretends to be one.

[ConcinusMan]

I've had a few cameras in my time that weren't much better. After I joined the forum and got so dang frustrated with trying to get good photos (just couldn't capture their true colors) I finally got fed up and got a new one. That's when I started getting some awesome shots.

[Stefan-A]

I have a 3.6 Mp camera in my cell phone and it takes far worse pictures than my 2 Mp camera from 2001. It's simple physics, you can't make a camera that small without it severely reducing its capabilities. They're pretty much optimized for taking pictures of human-sized objects at distances in the range of 1-10 meters and they work about as well as cameras, as they do as hammers.

[ConcinusMan]

oh I hear you, megapixel rating doesn't mean jack if the optics and image processing are crap. (sensitivity to light, color depth, etc.)

[mustang]

ill try my best to get a pic uploaded by this weekend....but naturally being a teenager EVERYTHING I DO GETS ME IN TROUBLE!!!!!! (and my new camera is STILL busted!)

[ConcinusMan]

You did great. Love the photo.

[mustang]

gracias...tis was an old one i dusted off the photobucket shelvs...one of the most recent ones before camera met fine fine sand ad busted.

[Jeff B]

http://crazyreptiles.eu/Crazy%20Reptiles/atratus-boos-website.jpg

Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?

From Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman

[Stefan-A]

Panasonic FZ5. No editing apart from cropping and resizing. No preparation beyond using a tripod for stability, and it was not a calm snake.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/chrono/female-fav1.jpg

Taken with a Panasonic FX3. No editing apart from cropping and resizing. No preparation apart from feeding.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakes10/theone-april29-2010.jpg


And this is a thumbnail created automatically by the FX3 for a video clip. Not edited, cropped or resized. That's what the camera saved when I pushed the record button. Obviously no preparation involved, pure luck.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakesies08/shed-tetra-thumb.jpg



The Thamnophis poster features one photo of mine taken with a 2.0 Mp Fuji Finepix 2600 and another taken with the 5 Mp Panasonic FZ5.
I completely forgot, my winning picture in the July 2009 contest was actually a screencap from a video shot with the FX3.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/snakes09/motherdaughter1.jpg

[RedSidedSPR]

Dang. I can't trust my wild-caught snake yet to sit on any plain surfaces without freaking out. How plain does it have to be?

[guidofatherof5]

Great birthing photo, Stefan.

[infernalis]

I amuse you? I make you laugh? I'm here to ***ing amuse you? How the *** am I funny?! What the *** is so funny about me?!"
http://www.thamnophis.us/showpost.php_files/face.jpg


Why am I not surprised at all? ;)

[ConcinusMan]

Dang. I can't trust my wild-caught snake yet to sit on any plain surfaces without freaking out. How plain does it have to be?

I had the same problem Stefan. I'm pretty sure that a solid colored terrycloth towel will work. That's what I used. They don't seem to like smooth flat surfaces. Still, even with the towel the only way I could get them to sit still long enough was to place them under a plastic screw-on lid and wait for them to calm down and adjust to the darkness. When you remove the lid, they just "freeze" long enough to get the pictures.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I had the same problem Stefan. I'm pretty sure that a solid colored terrycloth towel will work. That's what I used. They don't seem to like smooth flat surfaces. Still, even with the towel the only way I could get them to sit still long enough was to place them under a plastic screw-on lid and wait for them to calm down and adjust to the darkness. When you remove the lid, they just "freeze" long enough to get the pictures.



and that is how you do it! That's how I take 90% of my photos. it takes a lot of patience, especially when you are photographing multiple snakes together.

[ConcinusMan]

As always, it also helps if they are cool and/or sleepy too. In other words, if you aren't having any luck during their day when they're all warmed up, try it at "night" and/or while they are cooler. After they are fully warmed up and active isn't exactly the best time to make them sit still.

[zooplan]

You can now see all former contestwinner photos and themes in one thread:
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/thamnophis-contests/8230-photo-contest-hall-fame.html#post154833
hope that will support to get new unique themes for the next months and helps to remember those winners who are inactive for a while.

[infernalis]

So Richard, leave your reading glasses on the table? had a few too many? what's up?

http://www.thamnophis.us/thams/oops.jpg

[mustang]

So Richard, leave your reading glasses on the table? had a few too many? what's up?

http://www.thamnophis.us/thams/oops.jpg
hold crud i nearly fell over laughing so hard hahahaha:D

[Stefan-A]

One tiny request: Would you please stop trying to circumvent the swear word filter?

[mustang]

One tiny request: Would you please stop trying to circumvent the swear word filter?
okay :p
ill stop im just amazed the system didnt adapt:p
guess AI is just that much farther away

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, Robert quit doing that ship. (sorry, I just had to)


So Richard, leave your reading glasses on the table? had a few too many? what's up?

http://www.thamnophis.us/thams/oops.jpg


Not a drop your honor. I have no idea what happened there. I was tired, I know that much.

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, Robert quit doing that ship. (sorry, I just had to)
Yeah, I've seen you doing it, too.

[mustang]

Yeah, I've seen you doing it, too.

watch out richard the eyes of texas/moderator land are upon you :p

[infernalis]

Not a drop your honor. I have no idea what happened there. I was tired, I know that much.

That constitutes "Posting while abilities impared" :D:cool: PWAI

[Stefan-A]

Those of you who haven't voted yet, do so. I don't want to have to break a tie.

[ConcinusMan]

Much less a 3 way tie.:rolleyes:

[Stefan-A]

Congratulations to the winners!

[zooplan]

Oh, what a surprise :D
Saw Wayne on top when I had to leave for two days working in the Eifel:o
Now I need to find a theme :confused:

[guidofatherof5]

Congrats, Udo and Robert.

[infernalis]

Oh, what a surprise :D
Saw Wayne on top when I had to leave for two days working in the Eifel:o
Now I need to find a theme :confused:

I voted for you.. congrats.

[zooplan]

I voted for you.. congrats.

... so the blame is on you? :rolleyes:
http://www.zooplan.net/ranking_11_03.jpg

I´m still dithering between a seasonal and an anatomic theme.

[Stefan-A]

... so the blame is on you? :rolleyes:
No, me. I flipped a coin one minute before the contest closed.

Had I voted for the one I actually liked the most, we would have ended up with a 3-way tie. :p

[infernalis]

... so the blame is on you? :rolleyes:.

Not sure about that, it was difficult, and I don't usually vote for myself.

There were a lot of nice picture this month.

[ConcinusMan]

Same here. I don't vote for myself unless of course I really do think mine's the best.:p 0 votes. Thanks for all the support guys.:rolleyes:

[drache]

congrats to the winners
really tough decision this time

[ConcinusMan]

The numbers seem to reflect that. I had a hard time too. There were actually 3 of them that I liked equally. Those weren't necessarily the 3 with the most votes either.