19th "The Days Ahead" - SCRAP

[CrazyJay]

I'm very new to this. I'm new to the site, I'm new to even entering The Days Ahead....SO I'm totally inexperienced at setting a challenge!- Therefore please forgive me if I get it wrong - (I'm happy for some of the rules I set to be changed, if I have made a mistake and am contacted by one of the site admin to advise.)

OK - With that out of the way. Here is my challenge. The word is:


SCRAP

You can interpret it however you like. (examples - scrap of food, scrap metal, scrap merchant, scrap in the pub, scrap paper etc.etc.)

Usual rules apply:
All enrties must be new photos, taken within the time frame of the comp.
Maximum of 3 entries per person.
Limited PP, cropping, exposure control, sharpening etc is okay, multi layered cut and pasting is not.
For this challenge, I would like to alter the above to You MAY use any photograhic tehnique at your disposal - whether it be Digital Post Processing, Darkroom techniques or in camera special effects. Anything goes.I will judge the images based on their artistic merit, and the interpretation of the theme.
The winner chooses the theme for the following challenge.



Entries can be posted from 8pm on Sunday 7th until 8pm on Sunday 14th, with the winner announced later that evening.

Please Note - The Original concept for the DAYS AHEAD stand - with minimal use of PP

OK - have fun.

 

[CrazyJay]

I'm worried now. No response, no comments.

is that a good thing or a bad thing with these challenges? - I'd hate to be the one to bring the whole Days Ahead challenge to a grinding halt.

If folks here approve or dis-approve of the wording of my challenge, or of course with the proposed change regarding use of Post Processing, I'd like to know so that it can be changed before Sunday.

Cheers

 

[who?]

Don't worry.

Everyone is busy emptying dustbins over the kitchen floor.


For my part, I prefer the no processing rules. I think people should try to get the shot right from a concept and composition point of view. Opening up to processing has a tendency for people to throw the computer at mediocre stuff.

I know that that is probably not a popular view though.
(I'm too frightened to work out my popularity viz the thread in off-topic)

 

[TheBigYin]

For my part, I quite like the original idea of limited PP etc. I've just had a quick look at the first of the challenges and it went as follows...

Right.

I'm bored. Bored out of my skull. For whatever reason, getting a few weeks off work has had the opposite effect of what I had imagined. Instead of being full of beans, and running everywhere with my camera, I have felt trainwrecked. I think my body has said "Thank god, a rest" and my mind has followed suit.

Well no more. I have decided to create a wee challenge for whomever wants to enter. Before Sunday Evening, thats almost a week, present up to 3 of photos of a chair (or chairs). Yup, a chair (or chairs ). Any chair (or chairs ) you want, one rule - it must be an interesting photo. No snaps, no half arsed attempts. I want you to think outside the box, and think about how you can take the chair (or chairs!), and really nail it as a photograph. Also PP should be reasonabley low key. No copying a chair (or chairs ) and sticking it in outer space etc. Just keep the PP in the realms of photography, and less in the realms of clipart cut and paste

Now, seeing as how things kicked off when I proposed the challenge, and the loose interpretation of what i'd set, i've a sneaking suspicion that you may be setting yourself up for a load of flak... not from me - I'm still keeping my head down and wearing a tinfoil hat after Challenge17... quite put me off entering again, tbh.

 

[Nick T]

BigYin - I never got involved in your challenge but I've just looked through that thread and I'm a bit surprised how it all kicked off. It's just a little bit of fun for everyone to enter and it does seem that that thread blew out of all proportion (and not really from your doing) - but what would I know, I'm just a newbie to the site, to the challenges and to photography in general!

I take part in these challenges because I want to challenge myself, I want to learn new tricks and new techniques and get better at the art of taking a good photograph. These challenges help because they force you to think of something you would not necessarily have done before (example - a picture of mine that I did for a challenge on another forum was later featured on the BBC News website - there's no way in hell that would have happened without these forums!)

I know it's easy to take things to heart but don't let it put you off entering the challenges in the future. I hope you do, I hope you win and I hope you get another go at setting a topic

As for this challenge, I have an idea. It doesn't involve any special Photoshop multi layered stuff and I have no intention of fabricating anything in my entry that wasn't originally there when I took/take the photograph. I will tweak the raw settings and do some levels etc but that's where it will end. My opinion is that it's a photography competition, not a digital art competition. But, I respect the OP's intention and if other people want to enter something that is somewhat 'fabricated' then it's their choice under the terms that the challenge setter has laid out. At the end of the day, the challenge setter will decide which image is most pleasing to him as they are ultimately the judge. If it's my 'almost out of the camera' shot then fantastic. If it's a composite of the Death Star falling to earth, crash landing on the Houses of Parliament then so be it!

I'll crawl back off into my newbie cave now

EDIT: I do believe though that you should respect the original intentions of the topic - stick to the same rules and regulations etc - just follow the spirit of each particular competition. That's not a dig at CrazyJay for his interpretation - after all he's made it perfectly clear from the start that if the mods deem otherwise he'll revert back to standard rules - it's just my way of thinking.
This place seems fairly liberal - if you want a digital art competition then I don't think there would be any complaints if someone started a new style competition thread

 

[jennyb]

Challenge17... quite put me off entering again, tbh.

CrazyJay, the lack of enthusiasm is nothing to do with you. TBY hit the nail on the head about challenge 17. The unjustified tirade against all the entries really put me off.

It's a pity because I was enjoying the challenges. I really appreciate constructive criticism because I am a relative beginner and need all the practise and advice I can get. However, my confidence needs boosting not hammering, so I'm afraid I'm out.

Jenny

 

[Nick T]

CrazyJay, the lack of enthusiasm is nothing to do with you. TBY hit the nail on the head about challenge 17. The unjustified tirade against all the entries really put me off.

It's a pity because I was enjoying the challenges. I really appreciate constructive criticism because I am a relative beginner and need all the practise and advice I can get. However, my confidence needs boosting not hammering, so I'm afraid I'm out.

Jenny

Jenny - as one total newbie to another could I ask you to reconsider? I picked you as the winner of my challenge a few weeks back because you had a fantastic piccie and it's a shame to see people drop out because of one bad experience...

This week, on another forum there was a challenge. I thought I'd done a fantastic piccie (see last week's challenge for the days ahead - the Sambuca glass). I didn't get a single vote for it. Annoying? Very. Has it put me off entering again? Yes. Will I enter again? Definitely - with a new, superb picture that will knock their socks off!

 

[CrazyJay]

For my part, I quite like the original idea of limited PP etc.

Now, i've a sneaking suspicion that you may be setting yourself up for a load of flak... not from me - I'm still keeping my head down and wearing a tinfoil hat after Challenge17... quite put me off entering again, tbh.

ahhhh - Yes..... Erm - Well sorry about that!.... It would appear that that turmoil was my fault as well - (Can't find a suitably embarrased smiley for that!) So I would just like to put here my sincere apology - No excuses, no other comments. I did keep out of that thread, and don't want to stir up bad feeling again. Thanks for the heads up.

If the general feeling is that it should remain true to the initial concept, then I am more than happy to revert to minimal PP. (I will ammend that part in a moment.)

Maybe a secondary challenge along similar lines could be set up, which encourages more out of camera artistry? - I'll have a think.

In the meantime - I have donned my old leather airmans jacket, my P-pot skid lid (which is as close to an army helmet as i have left), and am waiting for the bullets to fly. - I'm fairly thick skinned....reasonably thick in general if I'm honest :nuts:, so you can speak your mind freely without me getting heated or upset.

By the way BigYin - Please don't give up on entering these things. You're pictures (the ones I've seen) have been really good, and inspired me to improve my own photography.

 

[CrazyJay]

while I was writing, a couple more have come in- which totally confirms that this MUST be minimal PP - OK?

 

[Yv]

:bonk: Guys, hang on a minute, please. Despite the small contretemps of 17, this remains a FUN challenge to improve your image producing skill! The very first one, quoted above, was won by a HDR shot! Mine! The 'extreme' processing thing, this did indeed come from not wanting multi layered shots for one of them where 'making' a none existent or impossible shot would have been an option and that possibly isn't the point.

However, my take on it is this - pushing your processing skills can be as important as taking the original shot to begin with. In some cases, you may be asked, particularly on a commercial shoot, to produce something out of the ordinary processing wise, something your camera is incapable of doing on its own, so I dont think allowing ott processing is such a problem. Bear in mind that good processing regardless of how ott, usually requires a good, well shot, well exposed image to begin with.

As I say, this is for fun, and thinking outside the box on the theme shouldn't be a problem as long as you can justify your thinking.

I really would like you to forget the arguments of just one challenge and go back to enjoying the challenge of pushing your imagination and skill, possibly to shoot something you wouldnt normally think of doing, and have some fun doing it. Dont be put off by a few disagreeable words between a couple of members, because otherwise, this forum loses something, and its too good for that! YOU lot are too good for that. Each challenge is set by the previous winner and I see no reason why it shouldnt be a fluid or changing criteria dependent on what the theme setter would like to see. This doesn't mean that you HAVE to go for exreme processing, merely that it is allowed on this occasion. Why get all so serious about it?

So, anyone got a wreckage of a car hanging around I could borrow please?

 

[Nick T]

That's kind of what I was trying to say, but you said it much, much better than me!

 

[Yv]

only problem is, I am now thinking that first one wasnt an hdr, it was several layers [of the same shot I hasten to add] each with a different effect and flattened, I can't bloody remember, I tried so many different 'looks' and processes with it to get what I wanted, I have lost track which one got the final entry without going and checking my other HD, but the point is, it quite obviously didnt come out of the camera like that, yet remains 'photographic', which for me is what was important. Does that make sense?

 

[TheBigYin]

My entries haven't exactly been "out of the camera" either - the one that won C16 was taken on a Point-and-Shoot and extensively fiddled with in CS4 in order to make i end up as it did. All I was worried about was te possibility of someone turning it into a graphic arts competition (whch I've nothing against, incidentally - if run in parallel with a more photographic orientated challenge) that a number of people (especially newcomers to the forum) may find a little intimidating.

The great thing for me about challenges and competitions on the forum is the fact that it makes the place more of a community - not just somewhere to come when you need a question answered, but somewhere you can contribute, even if you're a newcomer. For example, i'd only been here a month or so when I offered to handle making a leaderboard for the POTY competition. This was something I was doing anyway, for my own information, and it seemed a good way to share something with the rest of the forum. I may not have been ablto answer technical stuff on cameras, but I sure as hell knew my way around Excel

What i'd say, tbh, is to let things ride for this chalenge, and maybe when it closes, take a quick poll to see if there's a demand for a second ongoing challenge.

Anyway - you've talked me into having another go, so i'll be out in the garage, going through the 3 tea chests full of old pushbike bits i've accumulated over the years...

 

[Yv]

Anyway - you've talked me into having another go, so i'll be out in the garage, going through the 3 tea chests full of old pushbike bits i've accumulated over the years...

I have of course got a parts department dark corner full of old car parts, so lord only knows why I want a complete one

 

[Shorty]

Oh noooooooooo, I missed the last challenege, completely forgot!!! Will try and enter this week if I have the time!

 

[TheBigYin]

CrazyJay, the lack of enthusiasm is nothing to do with you. TBY hit the nail on the head about challenge 17. The unjustified tirade against all the entries really put me off.

It's a pity because I was enjoying the challenges. I really appreciate constructive criticism because I am a relative beginner and need all the practise and advice I can get. However, my confidence needs boosting not hammering, so I'm afraid I'm out.

Jenny

Jenny - as one total newbie to another could I ask you to reconsider? I picked you as the winner of my challenge a few weeks back because you had a fantastic piccie and it's a shame to see people drop out because of one bad experience...

This week, on another forum there was a challenge. I thought I'd done a fantastic piccie (see last week's challenge for the days ahead - the Sambuca glass). I didn't get a single vote for it. Annoying? Very. Has it put me off entering again? Yes. Will I enter again? Definitely - with a new, superb picture that will knock their socks off!

jennyb - may I also ask you to reconsider. I've seen a few examples of your work, and its a shame that you feel you won't post it on here because a couple of people overreacted and hit the roof. I've definitely wavered between "sod it, I don't need this hassle" and "why the hell should I suffer because of a silly internet toy-throwing episode". I'm a relative noob to digital work myself (and a good 15 years out of practice with film for that matter) and these challenges are the best way i've found of stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something different.

 

[TheThistle]

If you don't mind I'M IN, I just want to improve my photography so any C & C helps me; (as long as its constructive).

graham.

 

[jennyb]

jennyb - may I also ask you to reconsider. I've seen a few examples of your work, and its a shame that you feel you won't post it on here because a couple of people overreacted and hit the roof. I've definitely wavered between "sod it, I don't need this hassle" and "why the hell should I suffer because of a silly internet toy-throwing episode". I'm a relative noob to digital work myself (and a good 15 years out of practice with film for that matter) and these challenges are the best way i've found of stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something different.

Thanks, TBY and NickT for your kind words. I will give it some thought.

I really do need the practise and also to understand how to take photos of things other than wildlife.

Jenny

 

[shoshone]

For my part, I quite like the original idea of limited PP etc. I've just had a quick look at the first of the challenges and it went as follows...



Now, seeing as how things kicked off when I proposed the challenge, and the loose interpretation of what i'd set, i've a sneaking suspicion that you may be setting yourself up for a load of flak... not from me - I'm still keeping my head down and wearing a tinfoil hat after Challenge17... quite put me off entering again, tbh.

To TheBigYin et al....

Please accept my unreserved apology for having the last words that closed #17 it was infantile of me at the ripe 'ol age of 60 to even consider saying anything and it leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth (and mine) having contributed to the spoiling of a fun, sharing and learning experience for all concerned..

Marcel was right....if you haven't got anything constructive to say then don't say it (or words to that effect).

This was the second and last ever post I will make either in support of a fellow member I felt was being beaten up (the first time) or for pontification (as it seemed to me) the second time i.e. #17.

I intend to enter submissions to this excellent fun competition whenever I can because it forces us to go find that picture rather than trawling through our stock photos. I do hope others feel they want to continue too and apologise once again at my part in causing others to consider leaving.

Jamie

 

[Just Dave]

Lets hope everyone can move on and let bygones be bygones and have fun and push our boundaries, take the challenge as its meant, fun and learning curves, imagination and your interpretations, after all thats what its all about and what we want Take it in the spirit its meant " TP Friendly Challenges For The Days Ahead " This weeks challenge Scrap ( Dont Take That Literally, ) come on lets see your interpretations

 

[TheThistle]

So here goes...1 for now

 

[CrazyJay]

Well the weekend is almost upon us, and I hope I will have more of you 'scrapping' over the coveted honour of choosing the next challenge

If you are still strugglin gfor ideas.

How about Scrap Book and Scrap Booking?

Can't think of any more at the moment.

 

[Dark Star]

I've just seen challenge 17s outcome and I'm somewhat gobsmacked

That one should have been entitled 'scrap'

So I think I'll have a go at this one I've entered a couple before and I simple thinks its a fun challenge without the normal comp pressure!

I'll be looking for scrap tonight

 

[Comfy]

Hello First post and first competition entry, jumping in feet first ... weeeeeee

Oooh, btw, I've only been playing with cameras for about a month now, so any constructive criticism is really really appreciated (message me if you don't wanna post here).

 

[Dark Star]

3 from me as promised

1) Pipes of Piece

2) In the Ching

3) Grill Past Its Prime

 

[Maxathos]

Here is mine :3, an old gage I found in what used to be a working factory.

 

[hepburn]

Not many entries but some good ones none the less. I've been pushed for time this week but did manage to grab a shot of part of Colchester Institute, which is undergoing major demolition/reconstruction. The scale of this shot is perhaps not apparent at first, but taken from a 2nd floor window with a 35mm lens... well it should put the scale into context!

And so here i present a "scrapped building", for this is all that remains of its walls.

 

[Defiance]

Only one again from me this week...scrap wood:

 

[Gvozdi]

Hope it is not too late?-) Took a while to find some scrap ...

 

[hepburn]

Entries can be posted from 8pm on Sunday 7th until 8pm on Sunday 14th, with the winner announced later that evening.

Hope it is not too late?-) Took a while to find some scrap ...

Not sure i'd count that as scrap, or if CJ will let your entry creep in 36 minutes late. Personally I think that's a restoration project in waiting

 

[Defiance]

Scrap can also be defined as 'taken out of service' in relation to a vehicle, so it's ok.

I don't object to it being counted, even if it is 36 mins late - it's a fun contest only

 

[CrazyJay]

Some very nice images there.
Comfy - #2 I like this shot, the composition is good, as are the textures. I think it could be improved by upping the contrast a little - I wanted to mention this picture before I saw any other entries.

Talking of texture - my favorite of Dark Stars is the pipes covered in red plastic. Lovely contrast in different materials and texture there.

Really strong contrast and form with Defiances wood there too.

I want that old car - even though I promised myself ages ago I would not fall into trap of buying and collecting old cars anymore. Nice find, and nice record shot.

And I like the treatment you have given that old dial Maxathos.

tough job!

OK - I'm giving third place to the dial - Really like the composition and the fact that you have given it a slightly warm black and white with just the right anount of sepia. the colouring is perfect.

For 1st and 2nd place I was really, really torn, so it's a knats whisker between them,

2nd place to Dark Star for the Pipes

1st place to Defiance for the wood pattern. I keep looking at it and enjoy each seperate panel, then taking in the whole. There's something about the construction whichbrings the art of Mondrian to mind. Nice work.

:1st:

Finally, thanks to all who entered, and I look forward to having a go at whatever Defiance comes up with for us.

 

[TheBigYin]

Hope it is not too late?-) Took a while to find some scrap ...

I've taxed worse...

Sorry - nothing from me this time - real life got in the way over last week or so!

 

[Defiance]

Thanks CrazyJay - a very unexpected and pleasant suprise

Some great entries from the others too, well done Maxathos and Dark Star on 3rd and 2nd place

Thinking cap on now for this week...

 

[Dark Star]

Oh cool 2nd place Nice way to end the weekend thanks CJ

Well done Rob on a well deserved 1st place and to Maxathos for 3rd place!

(In fact well done to all entries )

Pick a good 'un Rob !

 

[Gvozdi]

Not sure i'd count that as scrap, or if CJ will let your entry creep in 36 minutes late. Personally I think that's a restoration project in waiting

These days it has more chances to be considered as scrap ... less investments needed "Darling will offer £2000 reward to scrap old cars"

 

[Maxathos]

Yay

well done to all entries, I love freindly competition

Max.

 

[Comfy]

A well deserved first place! And thanks for the advice CrazyJay.

 

[Nick T]

My apologies for not entering too - I'll use the same excuse as TBY.

My entry would have been a 'glamour' shot of my really nice, shiny and almost pristine '98 BMW 318ti Sport.
Scrap? Nowhere near - but according to the government it should be...

Congrats to the winners