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POTM 2011 - August (entries and voting)
http://www.ukastle.co.uk/discussion/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=317
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Author:  Indust [ Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: POTM 2011 - August (entries and voting)

Urbis Saturn Land wrote:
I did have another two but these weren't entered as they are ready for the October POTM, but only because the sky was a bit cloudy and it felt more Octobery rather than August. I am also going to place in one of the runner ups from last winter for December's POTM too along with a new one.

I aim to take on average twenty photo's per season and select the best ones, the ones which I think are the excellent ones - I'll enter them in.


You have some great pictures!  :) The only thing that stops me voting sometimes is that some of them are blurred. I'm sure it won't be long before you win a POTM, Urbis Saturn Land.  :)

Author:  Urbis Saturn Land [ Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: POTM 2011 - August (entries and voting)

Some are a bit blurred only because of the cameras battery dieing on me, so I had to rush a fair few.

Author:  mazeteam [ Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: POTM 2011 - August (entries and voting)

It takes a lot of practice... I started using my binoculars combined with my mobile phone camera to get zoomed images just over a year year ago in Wales... the setup would take ages and a lot of photos were bluured. Since then though I have got quite a few good pictures with that setup, including the last full POTM winning entry of the K-Lux's near me, the Rochdale seagulls, and now some other survivors too. When using a zoom the thing to remember is that a slight wobble of just a couple of mm can result in a deviation of 10 or 12 meters (like if using the binoculars... probably about 3 or 4m deviation if using a 3x zoom) so you really need something solid to lean on. You get better side-on pictures of lanterns if you are either elevated or further away with a really good zoom (like with binoculars); and changing the exposure to boost light levels if you're pointing the camera upwards or into the sun will help provide enough light on the lantern in the picture, whilst putting the exposure down if there is a high level of light either coming from the lantern or from behind can provide a good picture of the lantern with a detailled backdrop. (exposure is sometimes called white balance by some people - however, wb is normally a seperate setting). You also have to consider how the lantern is reacting in its environment - if it blends in too well and you can't make out the lantern in a thumbnail picture, then it probably isn't clear enough to be POTM material. Performing special effects on a picture can be tricky: done well and it can enhance the picture; done badly and people will be distracted by the effects.
Looking back on previous POTM winners is a good idea because you can glean how those pictures have been composed, and take notes from those so as to have pointers for when taking pictures yourself. I have done this, and it does work.

Every person though has their own style for photography - if you try and copy another person's style it will not work; but master your own style and you'll have a winner.


As a side-note, I will be monitoring the weather this coming month. Normally september is quite sunny and pleasant... however at [resent I have two conflicting sources of weather prediction: one says we'll have a nice september, the other says we'll have thunderstorms, heavy rain, flooding, gale force winds, and tornadoes.... can't get two predictions much further apart than that!! :shock:
IF we do have a really nice september, I *may* open the POTM as a full one but with a bit of reduced time for entries and voting. It's a big IF and I'm not guaranteeing anything; but just bear it in mind as you may be able to get a good shot off this month and get a winning image.

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