# September Photo Challenge DISCUSSION THREAD



## HoopyFrood

So the new theme is up!

Have at it, and enjoy!

Please don't kill me...

*legs it*


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## alchemist

(not my entry)


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## Mouse

Um. _Interesting_. 

Personification? I don't even know what that means! 

(I love those cards too though, Hoops!)


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## Perpetual Man

Alchemist's picture says it all....

(Did you go looking for that or do you just have odd pictures of the Carry On team on your computer?)


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## Talysia

It's definitely an interesting theme.  I'll have to put my thinking cap on for this one, and see what I can come up with.


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## alchemist

Perpetual Man said:


> Alchemist's picture says it all....
> 
> (Did you go looking for that or do you just have odd pictures of the Carry On team on your computer?)


 
I'd love to say that I have the rights to the never-started carry On film, Carry On to Mordor, but I googled.


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## LittleMissy

And what a genre you have chosen!

You said you liked constructing a photo... and I'm thinking there might be a lot of that in this one 

Now, let's hope I didn't use up all my little grey cells on last month's "LIGHT".  Must get thinking cap back on... I may be gone some time


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## StormFeather

Am loving the idea of this theme! Whether I can come up with something suitable is a very different matter, but I _LOVE_ the theme!


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## AE35Unit

Something I came up with years ago:

Oops, wrong place...


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## Mouse

Nice one, AE.

I have a question, do we have to caption our photos too? Or can we just carve a face into a mango or something?

I remembered earlier (while pondering whether Beau would let me put a hat on him) that I once came second in the NFRS's (National Fancy Rat Society) photo competition with a photo of my rat, Malachi, brushing his teeth. And the caption was _You should see me floss!_ I won't post the photo for this, as I have no idea where it is and it was taken back in the days when cameras used film.


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## HoopyFrood

Oh, no, no! I didn't mean we should all literally take photos like those card examples. As with all themes, it is open to all possibilities and interpretations. 

I want to find a tree with a face...


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## Mouse

That's ok, that's what I thought! Just thought I'd check first before posting anything. (I also thought 'tree with face.' Spooky!)


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## alchemist

Mouse said:


> I won't post the photo for this, as I have no idea where it is and it was taken back in the days when cameras used film.



AND BECAUSE HE'S A RAT!!

While I try to find the human made from junk that was outside a recycling depot for a year here (until last month), I thought I'd post some rejected photos from last month.

First, that double rainbow I mentioned. You may have to squint.







I used long exposures for the first time. In this one, I was limited by lack of traffic, lack of elevation and a max exposure of 8 seconds.






And finally, long exposure plus a coloured light function on my phone. I could probably have done a lot more with better equipment. Anyway, take that, Barney!


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## Mouse

alchemist said:


> AND BECAUSE HE'S A RAT!!



So? A _pet_ rat, not a wild one. Not that there's anything wrong with wild rats either. They're clean, intelligent, friendly and loving. Stupid media and morons give rats a bad name. Grr.


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## alchemist

Well if he's a white one he's okay! It somehow manages to add a cuddliness factor. 

Things are a little sensitive here at the moment. Yesterday I was given a box with the word Rentokil on the outside, and told to install it in the attic tout suite. We have visitors, and not the friendly, fantasy-writing kind either.


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## Mouse

He was a pedigree husky (now called 'roan' but basically coloured and marked like husky dogs) rat. No, I didn't know you could get pedigree rats either at the time.


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## Brev

Saw the theme and couldn't resist...I knew those holiday snaps would come in handy.


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## Mouse

I've spent the night ghost hunting at Kents Cavern. ^ Didn't see any ghosts though.


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## HoopyFrood

What?! Why? Why pick on the orange one?!

Unless it's being awesome and is about to kick the ass of all the green ones in Bruce Lee style or something. Yeah, there's a definite mean look on its orange face.


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## Mouse

Heh heh! Yeah the green one needs back up, but the orange one's so confident, it just turned up on its own to kick ass.

My office mate gave me her left over green and orange gummi bears as she doesn't like those flavours. They kinda all taste the same to me!


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## Moonbat

mmmmm Gummy Bears!


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## Brev

Mouse said:


> I've spent the night ghost hunting at Kents Cavern. ^ Didn't see any ghosts though.



Sounds fun...that pic of the face was about the only one I took which doesn't have an 'Orb' on it...

...although whether they're the Flash reflecting on dust particles or evidence of spirit manifestation, is up to you?? But I wouldn't want to spend too long down there with the lights out.


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## Mouse

I spent all night down there with the lights out! Was pretty cool (we had to wear hard hats and everything!) but not very scary. The scariest thing was the slugs. That place is full of slugs at night time! 

Also got lots of orby photos down there, but dust, bugs, or ghosts? Dunno. I've been on lots of ghost hunts and Kents Cavern was the least spooky.

Um, back on topic...


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## Talysia

Great pics already!  I really like this theme.

We've been growing runner beans this summer, so when I saw this thread I wanted to see if I could use them for a pic.  After making a background of sorts (and legs/arms) out of paper, I got the arrangement to my liking and took the photo.


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## Mouse

Taly, love it. We've got runner beans coming out of our ears here!


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## alchemist

Loving the runner beans here too, and my 7 year old will vote for the Meccano.


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## TheDustyZebra

Mouse, I'm sure that I would have titled that one, "I suppose you're wondering why I've gathered you all here today..."


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## Mouse

Heh heh! Yeah, I was going to title it, actually, but changed my mind as I don't want what I think's going on in the picture to change what other people might think's going on in the picture.


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## Perpetual Man

Some really fun entries this month, I have to admit Alchemists really made me laugh when I first saw it. Some very inventive stuff coming out at the moment.

Just posted my first one, and have an idea for my second...


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## Mouse

Perp, your tree has boobies.


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## Perpetual Man

Well I have to admit I did not see that!


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## Mouse

Maybe it's cos there's a tree where I walk the dog that also has tree bosoms. Makes me smirk every time I see it.


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## alchemist

Perpetual Man said:


> Some really fun entries this month, I have to admit Alchemists really made me laugh when I first saw it. Some very inventive stuff coming out at the moment.
> 
> Just posted my first one, and have an idea for my second...



Thanks, PMan! Is yours an Ent?


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## HoopyFrood

Mouse, Pep beat us to the tree face thing! *shakes fist at Pep* 


Taly, I bloody _*love*_ your runner beans! They're so good!


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## Talysia

Lol - thanks!  And thanks to Mouse and Alchemist, too (we've still got a glut of runner beans, too - been eating them for a while now!)

And I love the tree, PM.  I had the same idea as Alchemist - that it could be an Ent, too!  I've been looking for a tree with a face in it for my second entry, but I think I might do another foodie one.  Should be interesting.


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## Perpetual Man

HAHROOM! HAHROOM! It just walked up to me when I was out for a walk and said, "I've been thinking, perhaps if I talk at an Entmoot, it might be nice if someone took a photo."


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## chrispenycate

A moot point.

I've always taken a "personification" as an actual person, a sort of living example or epitome. A bit like Piers Anthony's "incarnations if immortality".

Thus, if I could take a photo of myself and caption it "the personification of prosaic pedantry…

Unfortunately my face is not correctly integrated with my character - very few people's are. The picture doesn't transmit an obsessive punctuation freak, but a slightly vague santa clause in training. I nearly asked an ageing punk this weekend if he'd like to pose for me as the personification of bad taste, but couldn't work up the courage. The photo of my grandniece surrounded by spilt jam and fragments of ex-jamjar (personification of innocence) the lighting's not good enough, and she's got too big for a retake to bebelievable. So what greater principle – emotion, situation, position can I find within range of my little camera? Industry, lethargy, conviction, stupidity? don't watch this space, there is a powerful element of chance involved in this process.

The personification of chaos?


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## Talysia

I love the gingerbread man, PM!

Well, I've posted my second picture, based on my user title.  It took a while to gather up all the leaves and arrange them, though!


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## HoopyFrood

Gah! I thought you couldn't top those runner beans, but Lady is zarking amazing!

Taly, you should definitely use that as your avatar.


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## Perpetual Man

Talysia said:


> I love the gingerbread man, PM!
> 
> Well, I've posted my second picture, based on my user title.  It took a while to gather up all the leaves and arrange them, though!



Thanks Talysia, a spur of the moment thing when Perp Jr. was playing with his car and (meant to be) eating his Gingerbread man.

Unfortunately said driver met with an unseemly accident after this photo was taken, it is unknown what happened exactly, but there was nothing left to really identify, although it is known that his last words were 'Crumbs'

Ahem.

Loved the face as well, really clever - and I imagine it would have taken a lot of time to arrange so well


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## Talysia

Thanks Hoopy and PM!  It did indeed take a lot of time, especially as I didn't stick any of the leaves down.  One false move (or stray breeze) and I would've had to start again from scratch.  I've cropped the pic down to use as an avatar, too.

I've really had a lot of fun with this challenge.  Great theme.


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## AE35Unit

Talysia said:


> .  I've cropped the pic down to use as an avatar, too.
> e.


Very cool!! And fitting for the time of year and your signature!


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## BookStop

Very good theme this month, and I'm loving the creativity. Really makes me wish I hadn't lost my camera in the move!

Taly - not only is your entry creative and amazing, but just darned pretty too. Would we all walk on fallen leaves if they were as striking as that? I think not.


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## Mouse

I think I know who's gonna win! 

I have no idea what to take for my second photo. If I run out of time, are photos of vegetables shaped like body parts allowed?? I have a tomato that looks like a bum.


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## HoopyFrood

Turnips shaped like thingies!



Er...perhaps not. Hem.


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## Perpetual Man

Someone been watching too much Blackadder?


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## Talysia

Thanks BookStop.

I'd forgotten about Blackadder!  

I thought about entering a pic of a funny shaped vegetable myself.  In the past, we've had some humorously shaped carrots (especially one that looked like a pair of trousers), and with a little papercraft I could've turned it into a person, but they weren't ready for harvesting yet.


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## HoopyFrood

What? That's a thing from Blackadder, is it?

*snicker*

We had a Blackadder party once, and there were a few parsnips going around. 


Well, to say I thought up this theme (and I'm so glad everyone's got into the spirit of it, I was worried for a while!) I haven't got a ruddy clue. Especially compared to the awesomeness that has already been posted.


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## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> I think I know who's gonna win!


I of course wont receive a single vote, as usual! Not enough people participate in a bit of fun!


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## Mouse

So today I learned that in Hot Egg vs. Pen the result will be Hot Egg 1-0 Pen.


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## Talysia

Mouse, I love the egg pic!  Great shot.


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## Mouse

Ta. Tasty too!


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## Culhwch

The poll should close about now, but I haven't had a chance to set up the poll, plus I never gave the traditional warning - so a short extension is in order. I'll set up the poll in about ten hour's time, so if you've got a last-minute entry, post it!


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## Culhwch

Mouse said:


> Ta. Tasty too!


 
Your photo is missing, Mouse! I get the little Photobucket warning of it being moved or deleted...


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## Mouse

I think that's my fault. I moved it into a different folder after I copied the link instead of doing it the other way around! D'oh! I've posted it again, but feel free to delete it if that's not in the rules. Sorry!


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## Culhwch

No worries - I trust that you haven't tricked us all!!

The poll is now up: http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/foru...otography-challenge-poll-personification.html


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## Talysia

Not many entries, but all of them are wonderful!  I wish I could vote for everyone, but since I can't they all end up on my shortlist:

*AE35Unit* - I love the humour in these two pics, and the meccano band is great.
*Brev* - A really spooky shot, and very atmospheric.  I love the face - it reminded me of some earth spirit, trapped in the rocks.
*UltraCulture* - This really made me smile.  Very clever.
*Mouse *- The gummi bear confrontation made me laugh, and the egg was brilliant.  I even felt a bit sorry for the egg at one point!
*alchemist* - Very nicely put together.  I'd been looking for household items with a face to possibly use myself, but didn't have anything.  Cleverly done!
*Perpetual Man* - The tree is great (it made me think of the Green Man legend at first, then Ents), and I'd love to have something like that near me.  The gingerbread man pic made me smile, too.

Picking a winner was really difficult, but in the end I went for *Brev*.

Well done everyone!

Edit:  And thanks for the votes, Chris and PM - that's made my afternoon!


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## TheDustyZebra

Arrgh I forgot to take my pictures again! I had some ideas this time, but things have just been too busy and the month slipped away from me.

I really loved Mouse's gummi bears, but the lady of Autumn nudged it out.


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## TheTomG

Was going to take part, but life went too pear shaped (fruitonification?) and I ran out of time. Hopefully next month!

Anyway, there were a lot of options here on who to vote for, even with so few entries. So may different approaches! Ultimately I liked the assembled scenes that Talysia put together, the lady of autumn being my favorite. I did like Mouse's egg too though, I get days where I feel like that! And Henry raised interesting questions about what form artificial intelligence might end up taking.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing who wins, and what our next subject will be!


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## alchemist

I was tempted to go with Brev, but had to go for Talysia's photos, both of them. It must be an arty household you have there!


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## StormFeather

I had some great ideas - but so little organisation or time that I never quite managed to use my 'Big Knit' hats on my eggs to make the scene that was rattling around in my head!

But, I have really enjoyed this theme. It's been wonderful to see the visual creativity of my fellow Chronites. 

Initially, I really loved Brev's rock face - reminded me of the Gnome King in Return to Oz (watched it recently to see if it was suitable for my 6 yr old - no, too scary!).

But Taly submitted the Runner Beans - laughed out loud at that one, and then you created your beautiful Lady of Autumn - and I'm sorry for the others but there was really no contest after that!

I really hope to get out there soon - am hoping that the warm weather lasts and that I can capture some of the Autumn beauty that I'm surrounded by at the moment


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## Talysia

Wow - you could knock me over with a feather right now.  8 votes?  I'm amazed, and really pleased.  Thanks to Cul, Mosaix, TDZ, alchemist, TheTomG and StormFeather for your votes - what a lovely surprise, and lovely comments, too.

Oops, almost forgot:  alchemist, it's odd, but everyone in my family has been arty in some way.  I'm one of those types of people who'll keep all kinds of odds and ends, just in case they turn out to be something I can use for a picture or drawing (or something).

StormFeather, I'm hoping to get some more autumn photos, too, as long as this sunny weather holds.  I love this time of year.


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## Culhwch

And Taly is our winner - congratulations!! I look forward to your challenge in October!


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## Talysia

Thanks Cul, and thanks to Hoopy and Mike for your votes! 

I'll be posting the next challenge later on today.

Thanks again everyone!


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## HoopyFrood

Congratulations, Taly, a _very_ well deserved win.


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