My Competition Entries This Month

Varmit · 09-12-2005, 09:28 AM

This months local photo competition I usually enter is themed "Places of Worship or Images Of Reverance". The following are my two color division entries and a b/w division entry.

Holy Reflections - Taken in Downtown Atlanta. I don't have the name of the church. I saw a photo similar to this and thought I could do it better. You can also see the golden dome of the Georgia State Capital Building. Taken Sept 9th 2005

"Ebenezer" - A cool neon sign at the historic Ebenezer Church in Downtown Atlanta off Auburn Avenue. This church was where Martin Luther King Jr. preached. Taken Sept 9th 2005

Prayer For The Fallen - Taken at the Tunnel Hill Civil War (or if you are in the South..the War of Northern Aggression) Re-enactment September 10th, 2005. If you have never seen a re-enactment..GO!..it was awesome how large the scale of this thing was..probably 300 or 400...if not more soldiers plus they brought their families along and lived in true period fashion for the weekend. The cannon fire was amazing..they had probably 8 or so on each side. I took 430 photos that day.. I have much processing to do

Speaking of processing...I did this one to look a little older..

Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

{OF}RKT · 09-12-2005, 09:33 AM

The first picture is very cool, but it's not the refletion that makes it, it's the people walking around. It gives it a sort of completeness to it. I wonder how the picture would look in black and white.

Capt. Insane · 09-12-2005, 10:08 AM

wow, that first one is a really crisp reflection. looks awesome

Soul · 09-12-2005, 12:39 PM

The 1st one is cool, but the B&W has got to be my favorite, good capture.

The middle one doesn't do much for me.

mesk · 09-12-2005, 12:58 PM

the first one looks like a pink floyd album cover, first thing i thaught of lol

ilikemittens · 09-12-2005, 02:42 PM

I agree with everyone else - the first one is just gorgeous. I saw the top of it peeking up when I was reading the introduction and thought for sure it was going to be Photoshopped mosaic-type thing. You definitely knew how to make this picture interesting. Many people would have taken this picture facing the other direction.

While I LOVE the colors on the second one (mmm, love that rusty red) the subject just isn't as amazing. Although it is interesting to know that it's where MLK Jr. preached.

The third one is great! Really nice contrasts. Reinactments are so fun to see... it's been a while since I've been to one. There was one this past summer but I wasn't able to go. I love the circular focus... but I'm wondering how this was done. Was it done with a special camera setting or in-camera editing? Or is it some handy blur and layer masking Photoshop work?

Really nice work Varm!

Varmit · 09-12-2005, 04:17 PM

RKT - First one in B/W just doesn't do it...very bland looking..the catch of that photo seems to be the blue sky and gold dome.

Capt Insane - Thanks..that was a new Sigma 24-70 f2.8 lens I have..stopped down to like f8 I think.

Soul..thx

Mesk...HAHA... What you been smoking?

Laura - I was inspired to do the reflection from seeing a similar shot online a while back. I thought it was neat and wanted to do my own version. The sun was hitting the church just right to give a nice bright reflection....about 5:30 in the afternoon. The 2nd one.. I just thought it was a nifty shot....especially the blue of the sign..and it being neon..just how many neon church signs do you see? The third one is probably my fav of the group. The circular focus was done via a photoshop plugin from Flaming Pear called Melancholytron. It did the shading and blur..very neat if you ask me

I just used the 30day demo..may have to buy that one.

Thx all for viewing and your comments! I'm leaving for the contest in about an hour so you all cross your fingers for me!

dudio · 09-12-2005, 04:24 PM

Cool pics.

The first one is amazing in its own right,
and I believe you could have done it more justice.
.. not sure how, I'm just saying..

The second one needed to somehow bring the age out more.

The third is cool, but too crisp.
Would look nicer filtered somehow to make it look authentically older.

Keep 'em coming Varm.

mesk · 09-12-2005, 05:11 PM

made me think of this

ilikemittens · 09-12-2005, 05:17 PM

I wasn't trying to bash the neon sign or anything. To me it's just not a lot of meat when you mash them between those other two pwnage pics yanno. And of course it's my personal taste... I'm sure there are people who would (not to sound harsh) shred the other two and frame the sign