I'm glad I didn't come across this last night... it still scared me this morning in full light.

HINT: Yesterday my G-son cleaned out the sump of our old well

That was in your drinking water?

It looks like a natural water filter.

Not our drinking water, just an old well for landscape water.

It came from just one root that made it's way into the sump and grew and grew and ...

That's good. I thought it was from an animal that fell in there.

It looks like a moose's nose.

I thought it was the world's largest hairball....WTF is it, anyway?

Yeah, what is it????

See # 964

When a root penetrates a water line, it grows like this. Imagine the roots in a hydroponically grown head of lettuce. They're all hairlike. Enough to take up the water and nutrients, but only strong enough to penetrate water. Unlike roots grown in soil, these are very numerous and very fragile (relatively speaking). Nature's smart.

A visitor to our butterfly bush over the weekend.



http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...9/IMG_1946.jpg

awesome!

Yes, very nice !

Great li'l sucker - Excellent shot

Great shot. :thumb:

Attachment 29017

Attachment 29018

Awesome shot of the train tracks, Gravdigr! I have one sorta similar, but it was taken in winter. Nowhere near as much character as your shot.

OK...so next week is when I enter some of my photos in a photography contest at a local fair. In the "Wild Animal - Color" category, I'm entering either the butterfly photo I just posted...http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=675340&postcount=971

or...

this one of a ladybug I posted a while back...http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=669198&postcount=895

Any thoughts on which one? A lot of my friends on facebook like the butterfly. It is more colorful, but the ladybug is more "artistic". I am still quite undecided.

The Butterfly does it for me, better lighting, creative use of depth of field, generally more detail on the little critter.

Good luck either way, dmg1969!

I love the texture of the paint in the ladybug picture... tough call good luck!

Thanks both. I know each photo has its own strengths. I wish you could submit more than one per category. it would make it so much easier. :neutral:

I was sure about the ladybug a week ago. But then I got that butterfly pic this past weekend. Damn decisions!

The butterfly will appeal to more people, does the public vote, or do they have judges?

The butterfly is excellent but there is more to consider, photography-wise, in the ladybug shot.

The contest is at a local fair, you say? I'd go with the butterfly. The ladybug photo will only be truly appreciated by photography afficianados, and I'm betting this is being judged by a bunch of volunteers from the local Elks club or something.

Awesome pic.

Honestly, Bruce, I'm not sure. This is the first year I'm entering. I have a big catalog about the fair. I'll have to look tonight to see if it says who judges. If not, I have a contact who I have spoken to already about when to submit them. I have to call her again with another question, so I will ask her. I agree that the butterfly will probably appeal to more people. I think only someone who does photography or has an eye for it will appreciate the minimalist aspect of the ladybug photo. If the judges are in the photography field, I'll definitely use the ladybug. If not, the butterfly it will be.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But then again, it depends why you're entering, to win a prize or show your skills? :idea:

I'm doing it merely for the fun of putting my work up against that of the others who enter. I imagine, being a fair, that the only prizes are ribbons. If there is a cash prize, which I doubt, I'm pretty certain it's not something I could retire on.

My object is to win at least one of the four categories I enter. Knowing who will be judging them is, let's say, similar to insider trading. :D

Your are going to do some cropping to the butterfly picture, right? It will gain a bit more impact if you do. You could probably add some appeal to the lady bug if you played with the brightness /contrast/mid-tone too. Too bad you cant submit both.

Those 2 statement don't jibe, in my mind, 2 different goals.


Not at all, any competition should clearly state up front how it's to be run, and how the winner(s) will be determined. A juried show will usually name the jurists.

Judged by the public = Pretty or emotional will win.
Judged by pros = composition, balance, mood, technical skills, will win.


Enter both, one in someone else's name.;)

Actually Pico...I usually do not crop or otherwise play around with the photo. I like it to show in the context in which it was taken.

I know that didn't really make sense, Bruce. I should have said it differently. I like the competition and, if I win, that's great. I've had numerous people say that I have a real eye for photography and I'd like to see if others see things that way.

I actually thought about having my wife submit one in her name, but I am a stickler for rules and being honest. It's a fault of mine. I'm the guy who, if he gets too much change or finds money, goes out of his way to return it. I just want to choose which one I think is the best and let the chips fall where they may.

Then go with the Ladybug and find out. :D

Thanks, DMG. I think, if I had to choose, I personally would go with the lady bug...tough choice though.:(

In that case, you are hopefully taking many shots of the same subject with slight variations in its composition/framing...because its those two things that often make a great photo. I personally do not like the amount of space to the left of the butterfly. Eliminating would really amplify the subject of the photo.

ftw

Here you go Pico...what do you think?

I usually do take numerous shots of my subject. Sometimes though, as with butterflies, you may not get more than one shot and you have to be quick. When I took the photo in question, I only got that one shot before it fluttered away.

Bruce, I am actually leaning toward the ladybug. Hell, I probably won't decide until I leave to walk over to the fairgrounds on Monday. :D

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...ly-cropped.jpg

dmg, be careful. Before we're done with you here at the cellar, we will have profiled and characterized each of the judges, performed market research with people with similar attributes as the judges, and compiled an extensive report as to the outcome (plus or minus 1/2 percent.)

:)

I like the ladybug. The butterfly is beautiful, yes, but the ladybug is fantastic.

Don't automatically assume the judges don't have an eye for art.

That's awesome, Shawnee! Quick...call Zogby and Rasmussen. We need numbers people!

I know I'm :dedhorse:. So, I am not going to say another word until I have decided.

You're not beating a cross-eyed sleeping cat wearing a saddle, not at all!

Let us all know how it turns out. :)

Very nice dmg!

From the Hindu Temple, Malibu, CA:

Attachment 29086

Isn't that the one you posted on the previous page?

Different cropping...?

His gums look inflamed - better see a dentist.

Cake and shrimp.

Very appetizing appetizers :yum:

Yes they do, but the Friday Fries on the cake look like...:eek:

That is wonderful looking - Did you do tat yourself or ???

My mom has a cake lady... the fries has us laughing all day (and trying to avoid them when it was cut). Mom made the shrimps. None of my food was photogenic enough to bother with... pasta salad, more grilled peppers, sliders, dogs etc..

I was going through my archive of old scanned pictures, and came across this one. Taken with my first camera of my very own, an Asahi/Pentax K1000SE. I still have that camera. The tractor frame is gone now, of course.

I may go back and try to touch up this pic, as I really, really like it. For whatever reason...

I love that photo GD! I have one that looks similar but my gutted tractor is a JD.

Thx! K, bai!:D

:dedhorse: I know, I know...
But how cool are the craters!

Purty damn cool.

Great shot jinx. My camera can't zoom quite that close. I did get a nice shot with good detail, but I would have to crop it to enlarge the moon. Nicely done.

Mine is very cropped dmg. And 2 clicks of sharpen.

25hrs later...

very cool. looks like it will be full on the 23rd or 24th.... you should continue the series if weather permits.

This was my first attempt at a moon shot back in March. This is cropped as well.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...969/Moon-1.jpg