My Entry for the LHSA Spring Shoot Photo Contest

I'm at the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in New Orleans. We have a couple of contests going on. I'm entering this shot for the "Spirit of Nola" contest.

 

Spirit of Nola, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summilux 50mm f1.4 Lens

iso 640, 1/250 sec.

 

This city has more than one defining spirit. Bourbon Street bars are one, this is another. The local people are generally very nice, and this lady gave me permission to photograph her saying hi to the neighborhood puppy.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Win Hamish's Leica IIIC!

Image Source: http://www.35mmc.com/06/02/2015/win-leica/

 

I'm always looking for new blogs to follow. I've recently discovered Hamish Gill's blog, 35mmc.

 

Hamish is running a fun photo contest, and the first place prize will be his Leica IIIC and Russian lens (above). In order to win, you must submit a photograph made with a cheap 35mm camera. In fact, the film and camera together must have cost no more than US$15. Hamish wants the photograph you took, and a photo of the camera you used, along with a brief description.

 

(Click Here) for all of the contest details on 35mmc, and good luck! I entered a shot made with my Ricoh 500G, which I got for free.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Mike Selsky - Leica Photographer, Winner of LA X-Vario Challenge

Image Source: http://blog.leica-camera.com/photographers/interviews/mike-selsky-hunting-for-the-strange-and-obscure-in-los-angeles/

I like to read the Leica camera blog, where they regularly feature interviews with other Leica photographers. I like to see what I have in common with others, as well as our differences. The latest is an interview with Mike Selsky, fine art photographer in Los Angeles. Mike recently won the Leica X-Vario City Challenge there, which earned him a free X-Vario.

(Click Here) to read about Mike's approach to photography and his interests.

Mike's regular camera choices are a Leica M6 TTL film rangefinder, and Monochrom, Leica's black and white-only digital rangefinder. His lens of choice is the 50mm Summilux Aspheric (f1.4). This is similar to my favorite rangefinders, the M6 TTL (titanium version, in my case) with matching Summilux 50mm, and the Leica M9 (which allows me to shoot both black and white and color).

Mike seems to be a wanderer, saying:

"I enjoy exploring California with a friend, planning road trips with vague photographic goals in mind."

We also have that in common.

Mike makes images that ask more questions than providing answers. Mystery is important in his style of photography. I find it a challenge to make the questions engaging enough to draw the viewer in. You don't want a response that just says "I don't know what that is." or "Why did you take a picture of that?" Sometimes, it's better to elicit "What am I looking at here?" or "How did you make X look like that?"

One final thing Mike and I have in common: we both value the effort that goes into making a great image. For me, an image is much more valuable to me personally if I know that it was a difficult one to capture. Mike says:

"My favorite images are the ones that took the most effort to make."

Mike seems to be enjoying the new X-Vario that he won in the challenge. Congratulations to Mike. I look forward to seeing more of his work.

(Click Here) to visit Mike's blog, 2WK.

One additional note. Mike mentions that with the Monochrom, he exposes for the highlights, and brings lots of detail out of the shadows in post-processing. A quick look at his blog indicates that he underexposes a lot with that camera. A little too much for my taste. I think he needs to bring up the shadows quite a bit more in many cases. Just a little critical thought on his work.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

My Shot of The Acoustic Burgoo Wins the Piedmont Virginian Photo Contest!

The Acoustic Burgoo, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 100mm

iso 6400, f4, 1/100 sec.

 

My photo of the local band, The Acoustic Burgoo has won first place in the Arts/Music category in Piedmont Virginian's 2012 photo contest!

 

(Click Here) to go to the Piedmont Virginian's website.

 

The hard copy magazine will be on shelves in early July.

 

Once again the Lumix G3 comes through for me, even at high iso settings!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Photo Contest Announcement - National Historic Landmarks

Potomac (Potowmack) Canal, by Reed A. George

Pentax Spotmatic

 

The United States National Park Service is sponsoring a photo contest, focused on National Historic Landmarks.

 

(Click Here) to see the announcement. The contest entry period ends July 9, 2013.

 

There are over 2,500 National Historic Landmarks in the United States. (Click Here) for a listing by state. Being in Virginia, I'm surrounded by sites.

 

You can enter one image per site, with a maximum of ten total photos. If you go to the link announcement above, you'll find directions to the flickr site where you submit the images.

 

Sounds like fun!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

monchan on mu-43.com Wins a Japanese Photo Contest - Awesome Dramatic Shot

 

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f42/i-won-prize-my-first-stoked-40225/

 

monchan, a member on mu-43.com, has won a local photo contest in Japan with this shot.

 

(Click Here) to read monchan's post on mu-43.com

 

The vertical wall of white water is amazing. It's really a great thing that the fisherman is wearing a dark color, contrasting well against the water. He has red on this hat and lower pants leg, which also help. The line of the fishing rod, essentially visually connecting him to the flying water, and the converging lines of the seawall complete the picture. And, there's a reflection even. Wow. Very nicely done.

 

By the way, this was shot with the Olympus OM-D.

 

Congratulations to monchan!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Decisive Challenge on Rangefinder Forum - Winners Posted

 

First Place: Man Centered Square Triangles by Clint Troy

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128570

 

Rangefinder Forum has just completed a photo contest, and the winners have been announced. The winner of the first prize is shown above. Congratulations, Clint Troy!

 

(Click Here) to see all of the winners.

 

There are some really great images here. And the prizes were awesome as well - a vintage Leica camera and lens included! Wow.

 

I need to keep my eyes open for these challenges.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

I Won A Contest - Two of My Images Will Be in the 2013 Calendar of Annual Reviews!

 

Image Source: http://www.annualreviews.org/page/photochallenge

 

Two of my images (below) were selected for inclusion in the Annual Reviews 2013 calendar! One of my colleagues at work forwarded the call for entries (thanks, Jeanne!).

 

(Click Here) to see the full list of winners. As far as I can tell, you have to be a subscriber to get the calendar. They've offered to send me a copy; I wrote back asking if I can buy a few.

 

 

 

Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in Flight, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor Ai-P 500mm f4 Manual Focus Lens

iso 500, f5.6, 1/1500 sec

 

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor Ai-P 500mm f4 Manual Focus Lens

I find it very rewarding to win a contest like this, especially a nature photography contest - they're notoriously difficult to win. So many great photographers focus their attention and cameras on the beauty of nature.

This is great motivation for me to keep pushing my skills!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Landscape Photographer of the Year - First Winner Loses Title Due to Overmanipulation of Image

 

The New Winner - Landscape Photographer of the Year, Simon Butterworth

Image Source: http://www.petapixel.com/2012/11/02/landscape-photographer-of-the-year-2012-stripped-of-title-for-too-much-shoppin/

 
 
"Take A View" (www.take-a-view.co.uk) has announced a new winner for Landscape Photographer of the Year. Originated by photographer Charlie Waite, the competition is in its seventh year.
 
Unfortunately, the initial image selected for first place this year was disqualified after the fact for over-manipulation.
 
(Click Here) to read the original posting, and see the excellent image that ended up being disqualified.
 
The website reports that the original winner, David Byrne, had not intentionally misled the judges; they simply found too much manipulation in the image to suit the requirements of their contest.
 
This is an important lesson for photographers. We all (or very nearly all) do some manipulation of our images. In fact, manipulation in the darkroom certainly precedes Photoshop. But, it's important to know the limits. And, the limits are different, depending upon the competition or venue.
 
I like to think that I use "straight photography" techniques, and don't rely too heavily upon manipulation. That said, I certainly have examples in my mind as I write this where the original image was, well, "ho-hum," until I got it into Lightroom for cropping, levels adjustment, conversion to black and white, and toning. Now it's one of my recent favorites. I would not consider it "manipulated" by today's standards, but it's certainly not straight out of the camera. Here's my image in question.
 

Forest Edge, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 lens

iso 160, f8, 10 secs

 
Personally, I think what I've done here is quite acceptable, as all of these things could have been done easily in a wet darkroom. But is that the right measure? We also know that composites (made from multiple original images) can be made in the darkroom. I would think that's too much (obviously).
 
Where do you think the limits of acceptable manipulation are? I guess as long as we're honest about it when we're done, it's always up to each of us.
 
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Well, A Little Reporting Balance, Perhaps

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I am a big fan of the Micro 4/3 format. I chose the Lumix DMC-G3 as my Micro 4/3 camera, and regularly carry two bodies and primes lenses. I'm quite happy with the results.
 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX3

Image Source: shop.panasonic.com

 
 
Micro 4/3 is by design a compromise between sensor size and overall camera and lens weight and volume. Micro 4/3 is a great compromise in that way, in my opinion. While the sensor is ~1/4 the size of 35mm full frame (50% in each direction), the compactness of the system is just plain right. If it were smaller, it would be too hard to use with human hands, in my opinion. As it is, I certainly hit the wrong buttons on the G3 once in a while, but that's probably my fault. Again, in my opinion, if I were designing a system, I would likely do exactly what they did with Micro 4/3 - go slightly smaller in sensor size, in favor of a compact system overall. This is because we all know that sensor technology will continue to improve, so the down sides to a small sensor will decrease over time. The progress made in high iso performance since Micro 4/3 started a few years ago is amazing. And, it's getting better all the time. The only real limitations are physical - like the effect on depth of field imposed by the small sensor. That can't be fixed by sensor improvements.
 
That said, not everyone agrees with me on how good the format is. PhotoPat on mu-43.com posted that he had a terrible experience with the Lumix DMC-GX1. He's now sold it off.
 
(Click Here) to read PhotoPat's thread on mu-43.com
 
As you can imagine, and read in the comments in PhotoPat's thread, posting disappointment in Micro 4/3 on a Micro 4/3 forum invites some dissent. Nothing too bad, but interesting.
 
Sometimes I have to go back and compare images that I've gotten with full-frame cameras to what I'm getting with Micro 4/3, just to convince myself again that Micro 4/3 image quality is good. It is. I'm pleased with it for much of my photography.
 
Here's an example shot, which won me a contest and made it into the Civil War Trust's 2011 calendar (September page). This was shot with a first-generation Micro 4/3 camera, the DMC-G1.
 

Henry House at Manassas National Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 Screwmount Lens

 
I would never prescribe Micro 4/3 only to anyone else. In fact, you'll see that I shoot plenty of other systems. But, if you use it carefully, the Micro 4/3 system is surely capable of producing some nice images.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Film Challenge Results - Seven Rolls in Seven Days

 

Oklahoma Irrigation, by Reed A. George
Leica M4-2, 50mm f2 Summicron
Exposure Not Recorded
 
 

American Girl, by Reed A. George
Leica III Model G, Canon 50mm f1.4
Exposure Not Recorded
 
 

Red Rock Canyon, by Reed A. George
Leica CL, 3.5cm Elmar f3.5
Exposure Not Recorded
 
I wrote earlier about the experience of entering the July Seven Rolls in Seven Days Challenge on rangefinderforum.
 
(Click Here) to see all of the results, and comments by the OP on rangefinderforum.com
 
Each entrant was asked to pick three best shots to share; most of us got the message (not all).
 
As I've mentioned before, this was a wonderful experience for me. I got to shoot some of my old Leica cameras, and the drive it took to shoot a full roll per day, even on boring days, was great. In fact, I got very ill during the experience, but pushed through, finishing my roll on a couple of consecutive days between the hours of 11:30PM and midnight. But, I made it.
 
Everyone should try this.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

"Twins" Wins! Adam Wins the Sony eReader!

 

The Twins, by Adam Bucci
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adambucci/7616904628
 
I didn't say this up front, but I want everyone to know who the judge was for the DMC-365 photo contest - it was my eleven year old daughter, Christine. She's a bit of a joker herself, and really loved this shot. When asked for why she selected it as the winner, she said:
 
 
"It's funny. The color is great. They really do look like exact twins. The clouds look nice, and you can tell it was taken in the wilderness."
 
So there you have it.
 
We had several great entries - thanks everyone for participating.
 
(Click Here) to see all the entries.
 
I'm already thinking of the next giveaway, and think I have something that may be a little more in demand.
 
Hope you all enjoyed the contest.
 
ADAM - Please send me your mailing address so that I can get your eReader on its way!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
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Is It True? Nobody Wants A Free $300 Sony eReader?

 

Free Sony eReader to Photo Contest Winner

 

So far, there are no entries to the contest. I'm a little surprised. The deadline is in 3 days, and all you have to do is post a great photo shot with a Panasonic camera in the flickr group.

 

(Click Here) for my post that explains how easy it is to enter.

 

Right now, there's no competition. If you enter, and no one else does, guess what? You win!
 
So enter!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 

DMC-365 is Giving Away a Free Sony eReader! Enter Your Picture on Flickr!

 

Sony Reader PRS-950 - Enter on Flickr!

 

Let's have a little photo contest here on DMC-365!

 

The prize is a barely-used Sony Reader Daily Edition (PRS-950), with these features:

- Touch screen

- Wifi and 3G

- Audio player built-in

- Compatible with Sony Reader Store, Adobe pdf, other formats (not Amazon Kindle, however)

 

 

The reader works fine; I've just changed to the Kindle format, even though this one's compatible with many formats, and cost me $300 a little over a year ago!

 

You'll need to have a flickr account to enter (it's free).

 

To enter the giveaway:

 

1. Post a picture in the flickr group at this address:

 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1988936@N25/

 

or (Click Here) to go directly to the flickr group.

 

Pictures must be taken with a Panasonic or Leica-branded Panasonic camera. Deadline is midnight 8/4/2012.

 

2. Include the tag "DMC-365" in your picture's tag list.

 

3. Leave a comment here (below), telling me that you've added the picture.

 

 

Enter up to ten images. There is no restriction on photo subjects (just have to be safe for all to view). Will only ship the prize to a continental US address.

 

The lucky winner will be contacted through flickr mail, and posted here. The Reader is completely free, and I'll pay to ship it to you (all entries must have a shipping address in the continental US).

 

I'll announce the winner and show the winning image by 8/11/2012.

 

Good luck!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

New Panasonic Website - panachallenge.com

 

Image Source: http://www.panachallenge.com/challenge/show_entries.php?challenge=140&cat=Main

 
I just discovered this new website! They host photo challenges, and have forums, centered on Panasonic (and related Leica) cameras. I always like to find more Lumix-focused activity!
 
(Click Here) to go to panachallenge.com
 
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How About an HDR Competition?

 

Inside the Stone House, Manassas Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7, f6.3, HDR

 
mu-43.com is hosting a salon competition - hurry - it closes on July 18.
 
(Click Here) to enter!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Seven Day Film Challenge - What Film Will You Use?

 

Image Source: http://www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium/pm.cgi?action=display&login=kodak_film

 
Keith on RangeFinderForum.com has posted a July film challenge.
 
(Click Here) to read the rules.
 
In order to qualify, you must shoot one roll of film per day (any film format), or two sheets of large format film on seven CONSECUTIVE days, between July 1 and July 28. No excuses are accepted - if you miss a day, you are disqualified. I suppose if you start your seven days early enough in the month, you could always start again in the case of catastrophe.
 
You can use any film and any film camera. On August 1, go back to the post (Here), and Keith will announce where to post your three best pictures from your seven day experience. You can also post about any experiences involved in meeting the seven day challenge.
 
I think I will do this. I am going to visit my parents in Oklahoma in early July, which will give me four of those seven days to kick back and shoot some film. I sure wish I had a Panasonic film camera, to keep in my Lumix theme for this blog. So, what's the closest? Well, I suppose since Panasonic and Leica have a relationship, shooting a film Leica will have to suffice. Gosh, what a burden. :)
 
Anyway, join in the fun! Let's see what you can do with analog for a week!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 

Enter To Win at Lumix FZ48 Camera at photographyblog.com

 

Panasonic FZ47 (FZ48)

Image Source: http://shop.panasonic.com/dotAsset/a811ea10-19e7-4457-bed6-c6747e3191f2.jpg

 

The nice folks at photographyblog.com are holding a drawing, giving away a Panasonic Lumix FZ48 (aka FZ47).

(Click Here) to enter the drawing at photographyblog.com

The deadline for entries is July 2, 2012.

The hosting site is in the United Kingdom (UK), but I don't see any limitations on who can enter. Also, you do automatically sign up for an email newsletter by entering, so make sure that's okay with you.

Good luck! Let me know if you win!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Two of My Images Are Grand Prize Winners in the Piedmont Virginian Magazine Photo Contest!

 

I am very pleased to announce that two of my images recently won Grand Prize in the Piedmont Virginian magazine's annual contest! The best thing, for me, is that both came from projects that I am actively pursuing - one from the local Virginia music scene, the other from my civil war project.

(Click Here) to go to Piedmont Virginian's website.

Riverside Chat, by Reed A. George

Grand Prize Winner in "The Arts"

 
 

Captain Sharp, by Reed A. George

Grand Prize Winner in "Community"

I won two $100 gift certificates from McClanahan Camera, a great store in Warrenton, Virginia. I went and redeemed them for a bunch of great stuff - three straps, 50 sheets of Epson inkjet paper, and lots of film, both 120 and 135 format. The folks at McClanahan's are VERY nice. Thanks for the support of local photographers!
 
(Click Here) to go to McClanahan's Camera's site.
 
They also have an email newsletter with discounts and information. Sign up!
I am really pleased that my work has been recognized in this way!
 
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Photography Blog Announces April Contest Winners, and Start of May Contest ("Rain")

 

First Place Winner - "The Blue Galaxy," by csardases

Image Source: http://www.photographyblog.com/news/april_2012_competition_winners/

Photography Blog (www.photographyblog.com) has announced the winners of its April photo contest, themed "Black and Blue," as well as kicking off its May contest, "Rain."

(Click Here) to see the announcement of the winning images (first place, "The Blue Galaxy," by czardases, shown above.)

Be sure to (click here) to see the full gallery of April entries.

Personally, I find the overall quality of the submitted images to be quite good. For example, the second place winner ("Virus," by zainee) is really cool:

Second Place Winner - "Virus" by zainee

Image Source: http://www.photographyblog.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=124393

I plan to get out there and shoot some rain-related images for the May contest. I have a couple existing images in mind, but can always add more. Here in Northern Virginia, I'm sure I'll get the chance to get out in the rain this month.

In fact, I need to get my Lumix DMC-TS3 waterproof camera out in the rain!

DMC-365.blogspot.com