Without Prejudice 2

[Rob C]

Further delightful image from the Isle of Winter Sunshine.

What you don't see in the pic, is the two-hundred metre walk to the restaurant through the flooding streets and pavements. As I clambered out of the car, trying to erect the umbrella at the same time, I realised I'd parked over an iron manhole cover. I went with the risk.

As everybody knows, it never rains here, never snows and is perpetually warm and sunny. I know: I used to shoot the brochures.

Retribution?

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I think I'd be tempted to skip lunch!

[Chris Calohan]

Gimme a break, guys. If you can still see the car in front of you, it's umbrella time. It's when the car disappears behind a veil of water you have to give lunch a second thought, swimming lessons first.

[Rob C]

Gimme a break, guys. If you can still see the car in front of you, it's umbrella time. It's when the car disappears behind a veil of water you have to give lunch a second thought, swimming lessons first.

That was one scary part of driving a left-hooker through wet UK motorways: you sat in the driving seat on the left of your car and passed heavy trucks on their right, the spray blinding you more efficiently than any finger in the eye ever could.

Should have said: lunch was actually rather good: thick lentil soup with tiny slices of sausage and potato, followed by fried baby octopus with ratatouille. I never take desert anymore - too much sugar, but I always have that omission balanced by a café solo with sugar. Not too bad for ten euros.

Rob C

[Chris Calohan]

I didn't give the driving on the left consideration with that statement..it's bad enough to have to drive through semi trailer spray with it on the right side.

[Rob C]

I didn't give the driving on the left consideration with that statement..it's bad enough to have to drive through semi trailer spray with it on the right side.

Before the motorway was built, part of the main route from the French/Spanish borders down to Barcelona used to be a road with three lanes, the central one open to overtaking in both directions. It was the most scary event of any driving trip I ever took, especially in the wet, because not only was vision dreadful, but roads long dry become greasy when rain falls on top, and that's just like ice! Plus, unlike northern people, Mediterranean dwellers are just not used to driving in slippery conditions and they generally tailgate at any speed. There's a certain thrill in seeing several sets of headlights coming towards you, side by side, through a soaked windscreen: quite artistic (pace Patricia!). And when you know you can't even slow down without getting rammed from the rear... you wish you'd elected to fly instead.

Rob C

[Chris Calohan]

Certainly not three laned, but welcome to Atlanta on any given day.

[l_d_allan]

Further delightful image from the Isle of Winter Sunshine.

Wonderful picture.

I'm amazed the car interior / steering wheel / dash seem sharp and in focus, and the outside car even appears to be in relatively decent focus. It would have been a dark day, so even with an uwa focal length, it would seem like you'd need some extra DOF from stopping down, and I suppose a rather high ISO.

This is one of many images where I find myself wondering about the EXIF. Is it available, or is this LuLa forum newbie missing how to access EXIF? Ah, now I notice that a cell phone was involved. That explains quite a bit.

My 2¢ of things to consider:

• To me, the light triangle on the left is distracting. You wouldn't want to crop it out in order to keep the street light. Perhaps clone it out?
• Try to make the tail-lights have some "glow", perhaps almost a colorized effect on this nearly b/w image. However, that might not be trivial to do convinciingly. Easy to suggest, not necessarily easy to accomplish. I have my doubts I could do such a glow with my limited p.p. skills, at least in a reasonable amount of time.
• Consider having your descriptive words after the picture. Or minimize? To me, the description was not only a distraction, but in some ways detracted from the image.
• For example, I originally assumed the cars were moving ... and I thought ... "How in the heck did he make that image?". When you commented that you had stopped the car, that took just a bit away from my sense of amazement.

[Rob C]

1.   Wonderful picture.

I'm amazed the car interior / steering wheel / dash seem sharp and in focus, and the outside car even appears to be in relatively decent focus. It would have been a dark day, so even with an uwa focal length, it would seem like you'd need some extra DOF from stopping down, and I suppose a rather high ISO.

This is one of many images where I find myself wondering about the EXIF. Is it available, or is this LuLa forum newbie missing how to access EXIF? Ah, now I notice that a cell phone was involved. That explains quite a bit.

2.   My 2¢ of things to consider:

• To me, the light triangle on the left is distracting. You wouldn't want to crop it out in order to keep the street light. Perhaps clone it out?
• Try to make the tail-lights have some "glow", perhaps almost a colorized effect on this nearly b/w image. However, that might not be trivial to do convinciingly. Easy to suggest, not necessarily easy to accomplish. I have my doubts I could do such a glow with my limited p.p. skills, at least in a reasonable amount of time.
• Consider having your descriptive words after the picture. Or minimize? To me, the description was not only a distraction, but in some ways detracted from the image.
• For example, I originally assumed the cars were moving ... and I thought ... "How in the heck did he make that image?". When you commented that you had stopped the car, that took just a bit away from my sense of amazement.

1.  Thanks for the kind remark.

2.  Being new, you probably haven’t read the original post in Without Prejudice 1 which I append:

“I've knocked the idea around a few times, may be worth trying to see if it sticks.

Basically, I thought it might be nice to have a spot where we can hang pix that aren't looking for 'critique', that exist just for the hell of it, and seemed to be a good idea at the time they were sketched.

I kick it off with a self portrait shot in the office by looking out of the door.

Rob C”

No harm done – just something to bear in mind.

;-)

Rob

[Rob C]

It didn't rain today, so I took some snaps with the cellphone again. As I seldom use it to make calls - I seldom make any calls as I rather e-mail - I might have bought a little shiny camera instead; I'm sure it pulls the girls.

;-)

Rob C

[l_d_allan]

2.  Being new, you probably haven’t read the original post in Without Prejudice 1 which I append:

Guilty as charged 

I did think it was an odd OP "subject", and also that the 4 or 5 replies didn't offer anything particularly close to C&C. My thinking was something like:,
"Well, this guy is looking for feedback, and hasn't gotten anything but friendly banter so far, so perhaps my 2¢ would 'get the ball rolling'. "

[Rob C]

As I mentioned elsewhere on LuLa, this day has been one blessed with air coming up from the Sahara, air laden with bits of the eponymous desert itself.

Bad enough the mess created on my clean little car last night, this pre-Easter testing of a flourishing of sails against the yellow-laden sky seemed so sad and pointless that I decided to photograph it with the help of my portable telephone (write that thirty years ago and they'd put you in a 'secure' home).

The flashing of colour is driven by the hope of milking many tourists from the end of this month until forever, or at least the end of September. The people in the wetsuits probably won't be here later on. At any rate, they make a welcome change from the cycling men-in-lycra who strutt their gender in the few bars now open. They certainly walk the walk in those fashionable shoes. It wouldn't be so bad if they just sat in the bars; the trouble is when they take to the road: they have no idea that the white line at the kerb is supposed to keep them away from the space reserved for motor vehicles. Several get killed every year; in some countries it's wild animals, here it's mainly cats and cyclists.

Nature finds its balance.

Rob C

[l_d_allan]

Basically, I thought it might be nice to have a spot where we can hang pix that aren't looking for 'critique', that exist just for the hell of it, and seemed to be a good idea at the time they were sketched.

Interesting ...

My wife's hobby is drawing/painting, and she is quite good at it. She is an active participant on www.wetcanvas.com. She's mentioned there are two separate "User Critiques"-like sub-forums. I believe one allows "constructive criticism". The other allows "constructive encouragement only".

My impression is that your "Without Prejudice" thread(s) would be more or less the equivalent of the "constructive encouragement only" sub-forum. I suppose that "deafening silence" from members not making replies would provide a gentle form of "constructive criticism".

Mea culpa ... the guy in the mirror thinks he wants plenty of constructive criticism, but so far hasn't posted any images. Hmmm?

[pegelli]

This way please

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... I suppose that "deafening silence" from members not making replies would provide a gentle form of "constructive criticism".

Nope.

That would be true (up to a point, of course) for the regular User Critique forum. This thread's original intent was to avoid precisely that type of interpretation (or any other interpretation which would fit into: "here is what I think you should do/have done instead").

[Rob C]

Nope.

That would be true (up to a point, of course) for the regular User Critique forum. This thread's original intent was to avoid precisely that type of interpretation (or any other interpretation which would fit into: "here is what I think you should do/have done instead").

That's exactly it!

There's no problem with comments here, just so long as they don't amount to 'advice' which becomes a pain in the ass. Trouble is, that's the sort of comment that most folks seem to find easy to make. Anyone can make comments about how absolutely anyone else has ever shot any image and how it could have been shot in a better way, and they do; it's just nice to have somewhere removed from that.

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Rob's "Hole in One" and Pieter's "This Way Please" are two more that I like much better than "Rhein II."

As for how to improve them,....       

[Rob C]

Rob's "Hole in One" and Pieter's "This Way Please" are two more that I like much better than "Rhein II."

As for how to improve them,....       

Now that's fair, unbiased comment! ;-)

In order to improve them, the pix, I have to think you refer to marketability, in which case I suggest we need to organize the outside world a little more to our advantage. I think my daughter left the Godfather DVDs behind last time she came to visit; I shall look again there for hints.

Rob C

[Chris Calohan]

I was going back through some images I've recently shot and ran across this, I guess it would be called a "Redneck Christmas Creche."

[Chris Calohan]

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