POTN G-Series Speed Challenge #202-Angels

[Michael Wells]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif POTN G-series Speed Challenge Information

Challenge #202 - ANGELS

They seem to be everywhere, statues, figurines, art work of all kinds. This week, they are the subject of our challenge. Large or small, indoors or out, night or day...the choice is yours! Be creative, and have fun!

Comments:
1. drpino-An Angels Declaration-It would be interesting to know more about this...age, location, etc. I really like the angle at which the photo is taken, and the overall composition. Very well done!

2. Kevan G9-Archangel Michael-I really liked this from the moment I saw it, and was a little surprised when you converted it to B&W. However, it seems to translate well either way. It's well framed, and the lighting is subtle, but very effective. Great photo! Where was it taken?

3. PicBug-Angel Landing-I'm guessing this might be atop a Christmas tree? It's beautiful! The lighting, both from the inside, and from the stars in her hands make this image work. Your exposure is spot on, and the angle, and dark background really set her off. Very nice!

4. Marie-offering fonts of love-You have the gift of being able to take great photos in places where I, and I suspect others as well, just simply wouldn't take photos at all. This beautiful statue, back lit, and set off against the art work on the far wall is outstanding on it's own...adding the man making his offering just adds another dimension to it. Great photo!

5. NJdez-Argentine Angels-While the angels in this image seem to be just a part of a much larger whole, the image as a whole rocks! The color, contrast, composition, all the detail that is brought out so well just made me stop and soak it in every time I scrolled past it! Great shot!

6. Car-In the arms of the Angels-A beautiful setting...Where is it? As I looked at this photo, two things kept distracting me...there appears to be some reflection in the glass of the frame that the angels are surrounding, and the picture as a whole seems to have what I'm guessing may be just the smallest bit of motion blur. exif shows an exposure of 1/8 second and no flash. If you shot that without a tripod, and kept it as clean as you did, you did remarkably well! I love the way it is composed, and the lighting highlights the angels perfectly.

7. rpolitsr-little angel in a manger-Yes She Is! A difficult exposure, with just one of the cast having a light on her, but executed beautifully! I was hoping someone would catch a live one, and you didn't disappoint!

8. Maureen Souza-Atop the Nativity-This is another one that made me stop and admire it at every view. The framing and exposure are absolutely spot on! Beautiful!

9. Randall n LV-"Don't Be Shy"-Beautifully done! The chosen piece and the low key lighting are a perfect match!

10. Lemurhouse-Christmas Angel from Bremen DE-I like the way you set this up...The angel slightly offset, and the background lights are far enough back to be nicely out of focus. The lighting on the angel is also just right. Very nicely done!

11. Gloubiboulga-Escaping from the tree to light...-I had to look at this one for a moment before I "got it", but what a great shot! The little angel, perfectly in focus, with the blur of speed behind, make for a captivating photo! I'm guessing this is probably a composite shot, but one that was well thought out and executed! Great job!



This weeks winners...


First-Randall n LV-"Don't Be Shy"

Second-Maureen Souza- Atop the Nativity

Third-drpino-An Angel's Declaration


To submit, click Post Reply and put your Photo Name in the Subject Line. Don't forget your Camera Model.

Post until Monday noon GMT, 22-12-2008.


Photo Submissions
Camera -- Canon G-Series Camera (G1, G2, G3, G5, G6, G7, G9, G10) or Pro 1 only.
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Time -- any on-topic photo taken at any time is eligible, although photos that have won other competitions should NOT be entered.
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Post-Processing -- do whatever you like and the host will decide if it works.
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Posting --
One photo per photographer in each challenge.
Photo Title in the message subject line.
Camera model.
EXIF data, if you like.
Commenting -- No commenting on photos by anyone, including the photographer. Once the winners are declared, photographers can add comments to their images and everyone is invited to discuss.
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Photo Display -- Photos must appear in this thread to be eligible.
-Time

One challenge every week, on the following schedule:
New Topic ... As soon as possible after winning.
Posting Starts ... Right after topic is announced.
Posting Stops ... Monday noon GMT
Winners Announcement ... Tuesday noon GMT.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Click this sentence for Hosting Rules and Winners List. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=113480)

Click this sentence for Discussion of Rules thread. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=59640)

[drpino]

G9, 2.5s f/2.8 ISO80

http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w353/drpino/51706fe0.jpg

[Kevan_G9]

G9:

[PicBug]

G9

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hFFU9IxiEtI/SUmKmQq7CsI/AAAAAAAAISA/4gI_4DPy-f8/s800/IMG_1832.jpg

[marie]

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/n/angelswe.htm

Pro1
1/30 f/2.8

http://www.pbase.com/image/107192078/original.jpg

[NJdez]

Canon G5

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j308/ndhernan/Angels.jpg

[Car]

G7

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc306/biya_photos/Angels.jpg

[rpolitsr]

http://sites.google.com/site/rpolitsr/r_polit_7/pictures/potnentries/202_angels_CRW_3086.jpg

powershot Pro1

[Maureen Souza]

Pro 1

[Randall n LV]

canon g 9

[Lemurhouse]

G9
3/10s f/4.8 ISO 400

[Gloubiboulga]

G9.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/3128047782_0699abfb0b_o.jpg

[Michael Wells]

POTN G-series Speed Challenge #202 Angels is now closed. Great entries from everyone! I will try to get the results up tonight.

Mike

[Michael Wells]

Thanks, everyone, for some incredible entries!! There was not one that wasn't a winner in its own right, but the results as I called them are now posted at the top.

Mike

[Randall n LV]

Michael,
Thank you for a fantastic challenge, perfect topic for the season. Thank you for the 1st place it is always a pleasant supprise. Congratulations to Maureen second place, and drpino 3rd. Applause to everybody, all the photos are fantastic.
Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

[Kevan_G9]

2. Kevan G9-Archangel Michael-I really liked this from the moment I saw it, and was a little surprised when you converted it to B&W. However, it seems to translate well either way. It's well framed, and the lighting is subtle, but very effective. Great photo! Where was it taken?


Well Mike, I'm glad you asked. This horrid little shot was like making a late night's dinner using leftovers. I took from here, stole from there and layered, pasted, tilted and burned until I came up with...well, this. Poor Michael wasn't very easily photographed being that he was stuck on the top of a lamp post with that snarling dragon. I had to overexpose the original shot (see below) when I took it just so I could get the detail and not until I chose him for this subject did I realize there was going have to be some wing reconstruction to add to the fun. Michael lives in Gent Belgium and is covered in cobwebs. Okay, so let's jump to the background. That photo with the hole in in the wall is actually a very peaceful and beautiful garden located about an hour's drive north of me in the Hudson valley, not too far from all the apple orchards of this NY region. The garden is called Innisfree. Now I liked the association of the hole possibly being the lair of the dragon's, but honestly...the scene was simply too peaceful looking and needed some evil doings. Time to add some devil faces. You want devil faces? Really good looking devil faces? Look no further than the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral. I wanted to add an additional one as a subliminal suggestion of total evil, tucked in the shades. Here in the final version it is more noticeable, but did any of you happen to see it in the earlier color version? Just curious.

The reason for the B&W conversion, the fact the Michael remained putty grey when the background was in color bothered me and I couldn't help but think that the scene in b&w took on more of a RKO movie production, such as the old version of King Kong maybe. So the change was made.

I learned a lot putting this photo together and my neighbors were pleased to see less of me. While I think my photo is plain awful, it was fun to build.

Congrats goes out to the winners.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Rko.JPG

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/King%20Kong%201933%20pic%201.jpg

[Kevan_G9]

Here the devils then:

[Michael Wells]

Just Plain Awful? No Way!! The Story is great, I still love the picture, ( though I did miss the devil faces), and the whole truly is greater than the sum of it's parts!

Mike

[drpino]

congrats to the other winners and all those who entered...some great shots.

Kevan_G9, i live about 15 minutes away from Innisfree. I was going to ask where that beautiful setting is but now I know it's right next door. i think you did a nice job on the combination.

some of the other photos that i particularly enjoyed were...

PicBug, I love how the light reflects off the angel's wing.

marie, the glow of your photo makes it seem like a scene from a dream. the motion of the man's hand as he goes to drop something in or dip his hands in what might I assume is holy water adds to the story.

Lemurhouse, the bokeh with the lights in the background are perfect for setting the mood of the holiday season.

as for my photo, i have no idea how old the wooden statue is but the location is right in my parents' house. honestly, i find it a bit creepy to have those statues and paintings around but my mom is pretty religious (personally, i'm agnostic). i took a few shots from various angles but thought the statue's hand pointing right at the image of mary and jesus imparted the story of christ's birth...appropriate given christmas and all.

anyway, congrats again to everyone who participated. a safe and happy holiday to all!

[Maureen Souza]

Thanks, Michael for 2nd place. You had a tough challenge this week as all the entries were wonderful!! I really loved Marie's entry...it was almost realistic looking and Randall's was also my favorite.
Raphael, what a sweet photo. I hope you gave each of their parents a copy :)

[PicBug]

Great job everyone, congratulations to the winners! I loved the variety of angels (and gargoyles - LOL!) out there that were captured. For those that celebrate at this time of year, they all captured the essence and was truly an enjoyable week. The one that particularly "captured" my heart was Rafael's children. Have a great holiday season everyone!

[rpolitsr]

That was a clever theme for these days, Michael! although at the beginning I read the title as ‘Angles’ and neither your description nor the first picture made any sense to me :( :) The title of drpino was of course An Angle’s Declaration ? ? ? adding to my confusion.
Finally Kevan’s title (Archangel Michael) made my mistake evident and I got the Challenge Information thread corrected and start thinking on mi picture.
Those were not my best days!

Congratulations to the winners!

I liked the most the pictures with black background and, as always, enjoyed marie’s astonishing ability to show the light, the power of expression and the beauty unseen by others in almost every picture she takes.

On my picture, a flat fluorescent lamp dominated the scene from the top enhancing the light on the white clothes of my angel that was close to the scene ceiling. I set my flash on with enough power to get rid of the fluorescent green cast.

http://sites.google.com/site/rpolitsr/r_polit_7/pictures/potnresized/202_angels_CRW_3086_320.jpg click to enlarge (http://sites.google.com/site/politrafael/Home/horasalegres08/horasalegres18dic/horasalegres1grandefoto03)

That was the origin of the idea of darkening the picture (with the exception of the little angel) adding a fake ray of light and a bright white, semi transparent layer over the angel leaving her face in natural color. Some cloning here and there completed the picture.

. . . Raphael, what a sweet photo. I hope you gave each of their parents a copy :)
:) The most difficult part of shooting on my grandson’s nursery was that every young family had at least a camcorder, a P&S AND a cell phone camera and all were moving close to the scenery blocking my lens. Most of my shots were from above my head using the swivel screen of the Pro1. I already uploaded some of the photos to my web gallery (http://sites.google.com/site/politrafael/Home/horasalegres08/horasalegres18dic) for them.

Thank you, PicBug. It would be great to have the digitals when my sons were that young!

[Lemurhouse]

New guy here. Thanks to all for the fun challenge and the opportunity to see your great photos. I look forward to playing once in a while and learning a lot from the people here.

Drpino, lovely image -- I had imagined that it was shot in a museum, not your parents house!

Cheers.

[Michael Wells]

That was a clever theme for these days, Michael! although at the beginning I read the title as ‘Angles’ and neither your description nor the first picture made any sense to me :( :) The title of drpino was of course An Angle’s Declaration ? ? ? adding to my confusion.
Finally Kevan’s title (Archangel Michael) made my mistake evident and I got the Challenge Information thread corrected and start thinking on mi picture.
Those were not my best days!

OK, now you have me confused...Did I actually write angles, or did you just read it that way? As I wrote the challenge description, I kept thinking that I had to be really careful not to write angles instead of angels, as it would be easy to do. If I actually did it I may have to shoot myself! Also, I have to give credit where it's due...The angels theme was actually my wife's idea. While I was kicking around some ideas, she suggested that, and it just seemed right, so I used it. Your work on the image was very good...I thought the set was actually lit that way,(evident by my comments),but your work did result in a first rate image!!

Mike

[Kevan_G9]

Kevan_G9, i live about 15 minutes away from Innisfree. I was going to ask where that beautiful setting is but now I know it's right next door. i think you did a nice job on the combination.


drpino,

Hello neighbor! You're lucky to live so close to a park that is so beautiful. I've taken hundreds of photos there and I still feel like I need to return for more. I think the next time I'll go on my own so I can take my time without feeling at all rushed.

Your entry was a real winner to me.

Kevan

[rpolitsr]

OK, now you have me confused...Did I actually write angles, or did you just read it that way?. . .
Mike
All the confusion was mine. I read ‘Angles’ where you wrote ‘Angels’, and due to my mistake, the title was wrong at least one day in the Challenge Information thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1242509&postcount=2) that I update every week.

[Car]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif
6. Car-In the arms of the Angels-A beautiful setting...Where is it? As I looked at this photo, two things kept distracting me...there appears to be some reflection in the glass of the frame that the angels are surrounding, and the picture as a whole seems to have what I'm guessing may be just the smallest bit of motion blur. exif shows an exposure of 1/8 second and no flash. If you shot that without a tripod, and kept it as clean as you did, you did remarkably well! I love the way it is composed, and the lighting highlights the angels perfectly.


Hi Michael,
Firstly, thanks for hosting and judging and congratulations to the winners.
My shot was taken in a church in Genoa in September of this year. It was shot handheld, so yes, you are right about the motion blur - I filtered it with a slight watercolour effect to try and counteract it! :lol: I think I have some other shots taken at the same time it will add in. The reflections in the glass are of windows at the other end of the church I think, I probably should have tried to edit them out but time was against me!

[Michael Wells]

Hi Michael,
Firstly, thanks for hosting and judging and congratulations to the winners.
My shot was taken in a church in Genoa in September of this year. It was shot handheld, so yes, you are right about the motion blur - I filtered it with a slight watercolour effect to try and counteract it! :lol: I think I have some other shots taken at the same time it will add in. The reflections in the glass are of windows at the other end of the church I think, I probably should have tried to edit them out but time was against me!

Thanks, Carolyn, for sharing that info. It must be a beautiful place! I thought the reflections were probably windows, and just guessed about the rest, based on the exif info. I have a rather extensive collection of blurred photos of my own, so I can relate, but the blurred images don't blur the memories, do they? That's why I keep most of mine! If you have some others to share, I for one would love to see them. All my best to you and your family in this Christmas season!

Mike

[Michael Wells]

All the confusion was mine. I read ‘Angles’ where you wrote ‘Angels’, and due to my mistake, the title was wrong at least one day in the Challenge Information thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1242509&postcount=2) that I update every week.

Thanks, Rafael...I really tried to be careful with that one, as it would be a really easy error to make, and if I had it wrong after proofing it at least twice, I was really going to feel bad! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Mike

[drpino]

New guy here. Thanks to all for the fun challenge and the opportunity to see your great photos. I look forward to playing once in a while and learning a lot from the people here.

Drpino, lovely image -- I had imagined that it was shot in a museum, not your parents house!

Cheers.I mainly lurk and admire all the wonderful photos/photographers here and have also learned a great deal.

while not a museum, some parts of the house sure feel like it sometimes ;)

drpino,

Hello neighbor! You're lucky to live so close to a park that is so beautiful. I've taken hundreds of photos there and I still feel like I need to return for more. I think the next time I'll go on my own so I can take my time without feeling at all rushed.

Your entry was a real winner to me.

KevanHonestly, I don't take enough advantage of my proximity to Innisfree as I probably should but once Spring rolls around I'll work on changing that....heck, maybe there are some good winter scenes right now.

Thanks for the compliment. I'm a big fan of your contributions around here so it means a lot.

[marie]

:D http://www.pbase.com/image/71419846/original.jpg

Congratulations to the winner Randall

: )
# 2 Maureen

: )

and # 3 drpino

all very beautiful pictures

Thank you for hosting and judging Michael and for your summing up of all of the beautiful entries. what a task you had in deciding.
thank you for the lovely remarks and thoughts about mine and each photo
:cool:

the pictures show such a variation of a theme
and still so may different kinds of angels out there
the good the bad and the ugly < :mad:
lol

(you know who I mean)

lol


(would you believe I put down 'angles' just now)
lol

many thanks Michael Maureen and Rafael for the lovely words re photo entered. the picture was taken in the Black Madonna Sanctuary Tindari , Sicily. I was taking quick shots of the wonderful pictures depicting the different stages of the crucifixion (behind) when the man appeared at that moment:)


all the photographs are great to see
Rafael, yours was a perfect Christmas scene which is so special everywhere for the children. gorgeous
around the same age as the beautiful children in your lovely photo my own son was St. Joseph in a nativity play one year
(shock)
lol
now he and his wife are here for Christmas ( they drove from London and ferry to ireland and onwards to here) with their own baby



http://www.pbase.com/image/102963803/large.jpg
lol


sons lovely wife is from near the beautiful place where I took the photo entered for this week's challenge


my brother Paul is also here


:cool:

have to mention
you know you have the privilege of being named after an angel Rafael ......not many can say that

lol



Heres wishing everyone a very wonderful Christmas and a specially good New Year

Welcome to the challenge Drpino

http://www.pbase.com/image/71419846/original.jpg

[Maureen Souza]

Awwwwwww, Marie...your little guy is soooo cute :)