Photos of the Week - Week 32

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 32, Ansel Adams

Photo by Betty Gott

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Betty says: 

This little tree is located in a field close to my house. Something about it continues to entice me each season. In the spring it's surrounded by long green grasses, but they die quickly when the weather warms. Then the field gets mowed to help prevent fires.

Ansel Adams took many photos of trees and I thought it befitting to use lone tree.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 32- Silhouette

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 32, Silhouette

Photo by Henry Johnson

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Henry  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 32 - Leading Line

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 32, Leading Line

Photo by David Followill

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David says: 

Was in Knoxville on the way to DC when we happened upon this alley and mural. The color contrast between the mural and dark alley were great. Then on the ground is a line of stones leading towards the sunlight.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 32, Leading Line

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

In Indianapolis we were able to visit the Eidlejorg Museum - Native American paintings and art by Native American artists. It was grand. Here, I tilted the camera to emphaize the main leading line of the platform - but also the other supporting lines taking us through the opening.

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 32, Ansel Adams

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

One of the fun images I saw by Ansel Adams in San Francisco was of barn wood - close up - not abstract, but not as far back as my shot here. So instead of a grand landscape, I attempted to edit this with a high contrast and rather 'sharp' vibe. There is a bit of humor here if you can find it.

Photos of the Week - Week 31

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 31, Hands

Photo by Barbara Larsen

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Barbara says: 

Hands holding a cup of coffee on a reflective kitchen counter.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 31- UpClose/Macro

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 31, UpClose/Macro

Photo by Carrie La Barge

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Carrie  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 31 - Silhouette 

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 31, Silhouette

Photo by Linda Rowberry

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Linda says: 

The weather this week was not the best for getting an outdoor silhouette so I did an indoor one. I placed this angel figurine in front of the window and I hung a piece of crinkled sheer fabric to disguise the light coming in from the window and the background. I edited the photo in the Distressed FX app to make the background a little better.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 31, Silhouette

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

Golden Gate nearing sunset.

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 31, Hands

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

This is a Mayan figurine estimated to be about 500 CE. I attempted to avoid the face so that the hands would dominate. This was taken at the DeYoung museum in San Francisco

Photos of the Week - Week 30

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 30, Automotive Abstract

Photo by Cindy Neville

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Cindy says: 

My 2007 ice blue Honda Civic - playing with light.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 30 - The Story

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 30, The Story

Photo by Alda Vidrich

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Alda  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 30 - Broken

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 30, Broken

Photo by Kathryn Zentner

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Kathryn says: 

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 30, Automotive Abstract

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says: 

This started as rain drops on a red tail light on a red car. I then duplicated the image, enlarged the copy and rotated the copy 90°. The two were then blended. The final step was edited in Prisma app with Blossom

Photos of the Week - Week 29

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 29, In The Moment

Photo by Francisco Valladares

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Francisco says: 

I’ve been on vacation for a couple of weeks so I have not had much time to post or work on my photos. we are on our way back to Texas as I write. My contribution this week is the damage I did after my salad in a very nice restaurant in Telluride, I call it “Abstract After Salad”. I took this photo with my IPhone, i did some editing in PS.

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 29- BW-Color Dreamscape

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 29, BW-Color Dreamscape

Photo by Gabor Kovacs

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Gabor  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 29 - Rainbow Colors 

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 29, Rainbow Colors

Photo by Sandy Low

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Sandy says: 

The Pipe Dream sculpture, designed by Tim Bavington,is across from the Smith Center, the performing arts center in Las Vegas. It was inspired by “Fanfare For the Common Man “ composed by Aaron Copland.

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 29, Rainbow Colors

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

We had a wonderful trip to San Antonio. Coming up from the river walk to the main street level this illuminated carriage was just approaching. The lights on the building added extra impact. Because it was dark, the image was a bit fuzzy - so I used the filter to just give it a painterly vibe. It was the most color photo I found all week.

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Critique Group Challenge:

Week 29, In The Moment

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

In San Antonio I was hoping for some new sights - other than what I'm typicially presented with at home on the mountain. The River Walk was glorious, naturally, but it was the visit to the Alamo that gave me my photo for this week. There were a few characters dressed in period clothing. I was fascinated by the authenticity (or what appeared to be authenitic) and this image shows those details. In the late stages of editing I took this to sepia hoping to continue that authenitc ipact. I was struck by how the belt is wraped over and curios about some things..like the little brush.

Photos of the Week - Week 28

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 28, Year Word Revisited

Photo by Rocky Wells

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Rocky says: 

On the Fence circa 1956
I was about 8 when my dad brought home a Polaroid Land camera model 95. He was a marshal in a small town in north eastern Colorado he needed the latest technology in crime scene documentation. All Polaroid pictures were black and white until 1963. The photography developing process, invented by Polaroid founder Edwin Land, employs diffusion transfer to move the dyes from the negative to the positive via a reagent. A negative sheet was exposed inside the camera, then lined up with a positive sheet and squeezed through a set of rollers which spread a reagent between the two layers, creating a developing film "sandwich". The negative developed quickly, after which some of the unexposed silver halide grains (and the latent image it contained) were solubilized by the reagent and transferred by diffusion from the negative to the positive. After a minute, the back of the camera was opened and the negative peeled away to reveal the print. Every pack of film came with a small black tube of fixative that had to be wiped on the positive before the image stated to fade. The fixer had a vinegar odor that was unmistakable. I kept the black tubes for many years and occasionally run across one in box of junk.
It’s easy in this day and age to take a perfectly sharp and well-focused color image and turn it into a vintage looking relic from a time when the world was a much better place. At this year’s July 4th parade, this little girl was eagerly anticipating the start of the procession. We were only about a half a block from the staging area and it was easy to see the horses and floats preparing to delight the crowd. She was across the street and her parents were just to her left. I removed some background distractions and a tree she was standing under. Happy 247th America!

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 28 - Distort/Liquify

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 28, Distort/Liquify

Photo by Kim Upshaw

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Kim  says:  

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 28 - Year Word Revisited

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 28, Year Word Revisited

Photo by Sarah Carpenter

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Sarah says: 

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 28, Year Word Revisited

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2023 Critique Group

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Ricky says: 

My year word is a point of view. The first week I was looking up. Here I’m shooting down. My goal has been to listen before speaking and hear what views others have. To open my mind and learn how to appreciate viewpoints that differ from mine. The image may not be a winner, but it’s not a view I see often.