Photos of the Week - Week 46

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 46, Storytime

Photo by Chris Mccarthy

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Chris  says:

Calaveras County, Circa 1878. This is Sam, a charming, fast talking, slightly roguish gentlemen. Sam just seemed to appear in town one day and proceeded to make his living playing cards, betting on almost anything, and doing some writing/reporting for the local newspaper. Well, here in Angel’s Camp, on the second Sunday of every month, there was a frog leaping contest held inside a barn on Old Man Yasgur’s farm. A big circle was drawn on the floor of the barn and inside that circle, in the dead center, was a much much smaller circle. The frogs were placed in the center circle and released on the word go. The first frog to cross the outer circle won. The prize money didn't amount to much, but the betting did!

This was right up Sam's alley. Looking for a big payday he had captured and patiently and carefully trained Henry, and Sam thought he had the greatest leaping frog in the county. The photograph is of Sam giving Henry his final pep talk, and explaining how their joint financial well-being depended on Henry's performance. Upon “Go!” Henry took off like a hero. After his second leap he was 6 inches from the edge of the circle. No other frog had even made it halfway. But then Henry just stopped. Sam started urging Henry on, then he started yelling, and then he started cuss’n. But Henry didn't budge. The crowd roared, the race was over, Henry still hadn't budged. Sam was furious, yelling and screaming, and even threw down his Panama hat. Suddenly a pretty young lady rushed into the circle, picked up Henry, looked at Sam and scolded “don't you yell at him”. Then she kissed Henry on top of his head. A flash of light, a puff of smoke, and Henry had disappeared. Standing in his stead was a well dressed handsome young man, even princely. He looked at the girl, she looked at him, and the two walked off arm in arm, presumably to live happily ever after. Sam just stood there dumbfounded.

But don't feel too sorry for Sam. He wound up doing all right. On his way home that afternoon, he ran into a boy painting a fence. They struck up a conversation, and eventually became fast friends, kindred spirits. A few years later Sam wrote a a couple of books about the adventures of the boy Tom, and his friend Huck. He got them published under a nom de plume, Mark Twain. And so it goes.

This was a pretty simple picture. All it took was a rubber frog, a fake mustache, the back of a local vineyard as background, and Stu Whalen. The adjustments were all done in Lightroom. The vintage finish was added in Topaz. Oh, you might be wondering why the vintage finish didn't apply on Henry. Well according to the the Internet magical frogs never show up as black-and-white!

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 46 - Color Schemes

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 46, Color Schemes

Photo by Joan Policastro

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Joan  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 46 - Food

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 46, Food

Photo by Kathleen Madden

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Kathleen says:

Beans at Asian grocer

2024 AI Image Club

 2024 AI Image Club:

Week 46, Snowstorm

Photo by  Bob Greenlee

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Bob says: 

Image app. "Railroad. Steam engine working hard pushing a railroad plow through very heavy snow in a blizzard. The plow is pushing huge volumes of snow as it moves forward. Blowing snow makes it hard to see very far. The train is moving toward the camera. Shot from beside the tracks at ground level."

Photos of the Week - Week 46

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 46, Storytime

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says: 

Southern Colorado is known for UFO sightings and alien encounters. Documentaries have been produced about the high percentage of sightings in this area. These have been seen on PBS and there are YouTube videos discussing various sightings over the years. In fact, we have the UFO Observatory located in the San Luis valley. It's true - Google it!

There is a greater phenomena though. That being, all residents of our tiny hamlet of La Veta live among these intelligent creatures and interact with them regularly. It's our best kept secret. (Please don't tell anyone, we'd like to keep it that way).

Donna, a delightful long time resident and army veteran, mans the soda fountain at Charlie's Market during the day where the tourists flock to get their ice cream. It's a tradition! The sidewalks are lined with benches filled with visitors having their Charlie's ice cream.

After hours however, the market closes and the soda fountain transforms into a private speakeasy called Miguel's. Miguel is one of our residents martians, Trust me, nobody makes martini's better than martians, especially Miguel. If you have never had a Martian Martini you are missing out.

This week Hugo, Nick, and I popped in during happy hour and I snapped this photo. I thought would be a good moment for our Story Time challenge topic. We spent over an hour solving the problems of our universe. Of course, it's really helpful to have Miguel offer insights about neighboring galaxies. There's nothing better than a friend who knows stuff!

I created Miguel in AI - using MIdjourney and added him in Photoshop. The same with the martini and the chalkboard.

2024 AI Image Club -  Snowstorm

2024 AI Image Club:

Week 46, Snowstorm

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:  

Photos of the Week - Week 45

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 45, Open

Photo by Brian Savon

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Brian says:

Open Fly, Taken with my iPhone, Edited in Lightroom.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 44 - Step and Repeat

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 45, Step and Repeat

Photo by Denis Gilbert

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Denis  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 45 - Sock

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 45, Sock

Photo by Ray Sisum

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Ray says:

Edited in BeCasso my wife resting with her cozy socks

2024 AI Image Club

 2024 AI Image Club:

Week 45, In the Park

Photo by Ruth-Ellen Flanagan

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Ruth-Ellen says:

Used Firefily with the prompt: Sunday in the park with a lake, a small bridge, and lanterns by its side. Used Art Nouveau, Ink, Watercolor, and Antique Photo styles.

There is a park in Worcester, MA where I grew up called Elm Park. It has a bridge like this and lots of trees and walking paths. The park was designed by Frederick Olmsted the famous landscape and park designer. Well known for Central Park. The land the park resides on was purchased in 1854, making it one of the first public purchases of land expressly intended for use as a municipal park.

Photos of the Week - Week 44

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 44, October Vibes

Photo by Elspeth Davis

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Elspeth says:

I have been experimenting using a flash at dusk. I composited 4 images of fall leaves combined with a birch limb to create this fall abstract.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 44 - Halloween

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 44, Halloween

Photo by Janet Blum

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Janet  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 44 - October Vibes

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 44, October Vibes

Photo by Hugo Dos Santos

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Hugo says:

Colors on the mountain. 

2024 AI Image Club

 2024 AI Image Club:

Week 44, Haunted Mansion

Photo by Christine Staver

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Christine says:

Done in dream. Creepy haunted mansion with scary trees at night

Photos of the Week - Week 44

2024 AI Image Club: 

Week 44, Haunted Mansion

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says: 

Midjourney - the prompt was a highly realistic, photo-realism image of a haunted mansion on a scraggy hill in the distance. It's a dark and stormy night. There are craggy dead trees. Strategically hidden within the scene are spooky objects such as a bat, a headstone, a spider web, a black cat, and a broom. --ar 16:9

In Photoshop, I added the eyes and another set of bats. I also made some adjustments to brighten the scene to show more details.

Photos of the Week - Week 43

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 43, Unique Point of View

Photo by Chuck Harris

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Chuck  says:

Macro shot of one of the last roses of the season from a unique perspective. LR edits.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 43 - Stuck in Place

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 43, Stuck in Place

Photo by Donna Maher

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Donna  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 43 - Relates to Music

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 43, Relates to Music

Photo by Jan Hirth

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Jan says:

The foot pedals on our nearly 100 year old Knabe piano create a regal look at floor level.

2024 AI Image Club

 2024 AI Image Club:

Week 43, 1950's

Photo by  Linda Rider

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Linda says: 

Model: Imagine, Style: Cosmic
Instead of poodle skirts and saddle shoes, I went back to a memory of watching Sputnik cross the night sky with my brother. The DaVinci version dressed us alike, looking down. A glowing orb at waist height apparently represented Sputnik. Imagine left my ten-year-old self alone but captured the wonder of this strange new object in the sky. It didn’t glow as much as the artistic interpretation; it looked more like the light trail that when saw of the ISS while waiting for it to get dark enough in La Veta to photograph the Milky Way.
I looked up “US reaction to the launch of Sputnik,” to refresh my memory. “Sputnik and the Origins of the Space Age,” by Roger D. Launius confirmed my recollection that the populace and the government were distressed that the Soviet Union launched an artificial satellite in 1957 sooner than us. Political machinations ensued and eventually the precursor to NASA was designated to handle the development of space technology as a civilian agency with the ear of the government.

Photos of the Week - Week 43

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 43, Unique Point of View

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says: 

Well - I suppose I've never seen myself reaching into the oven - but this is what that looks like. The main camera was too far from the back wall - so this is my iPhone. Small adjustments for editing.

2024 AI Image Club -  King Arthur

2024 AI Image Club:

Week 43, 1950's

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:  

Photos of the Week - Week 42

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 42, Past Prime

Photo by Lois Bennett

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Louis  says:

This is a lock on an old stable door. I loved all the textures and colors here. I did minimal cropping, standard LR edits and added the Topaz 2 Dramatic look.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 42 - Text Image Overlay

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 42, Text Image Overlay

Photo by Jim Hasbrouck

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Jim  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 42 - Game Night

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 42, Game Night

Photo by Pam Clark

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Pam says:

Every Friday, our senior citizens play Mahjong. I edited this image in Deep Art Effects.

2024 AI Image Club

 2024 AI Image Club:

Week 42, King Arthur

Photo by  Margie Clark

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Margie says: 

King Arthur and Merlin in King Arthur’s Court in a magical scene with mystical characters. Radiant light, highly detailed.

Photos of the Week - Week 42

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 42, Past Prime

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says: 

We have these mammoth Russian sunflowers drying on the table and I know they called to both Hugo and I. Here, I shot the image, used a couple of Topaz filters - blended those with the original - then reduced vibrance.

2024 AI Image Club -  King Arthur

2024 AI Image Club:

Week 42, King Arthur

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says: