# February Photo Challenge - Discussion Thread



## Mouse

Theme coming up...


----------



## mosaix

Thanks, Mouse. Plenty of scope.


----------



## hopewrites

man made huh? I'm interested to see what everyone comes up with.


----------



## Mouse

So am I. Hope we get lots of entries!


----------



## David Evil Overlord

My entries are in. But when I tried to post, the image came up as a tiny blue square with a question mark in it. I don't remember taking photos of question marks.

So I posted the links instead.


----------



## TheDustyZebra

David Evil Overlord said:


> My entries are in. But when I tried to post, the image came up as a tiny blue square with a question mark in it. I don't remember taking photos of question marks.
> 
> So I posted the links instead.


 

Well, they would certainly qualify, if you had.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Lookin' good, David, you Evil overlord, you.  
(You're still not the Evil OverLord of Me; but... you can have your hemisphere... I'm fine with that.)


----------



## David Evil Overlord

TheDustyZebra said:


> Well, they would certainly qualify, if you had.



Only if they were man-made question marks!


----------



## David Evil Overlord

Alex said:


> Lookin' good, David, you Evil overlord, you.
> (You're still not the Evil OverLord of Me; but... you can have your hemisphere... I'm fine with that.)



Aha! But the photos were taken in the Northern Hemisphere! Bwahahahahahahahaha!!


----------



## David Evil Overlord

I think I found the problem. I Brian mentions on the "Post a photo of yourself" thread that he can help resize photos so they can be posted. The whole Italy trip, I kept my camera on the largest possible photo size, so I didn't miss any details. In three weeks, I chewed through about 8G of memory cards.

My big photos must be too big for the forum.


----------



## Mouse

Lovely pics, David. You can resize photos on photobucket, if you have it, then they give you a handy link to post on forums so your pictures show.


----------



## The Judge

Just to let everyone know, Tiffany's pictures got caught by the automatic software.  I've sorted it out and they are both there in their glory now.


----------



## Mouse

I like the horse!

Still pondering mine.


----------



## Tiffany

The Judge said:


> Just to let everyone know, Tiffany's pictures got caught by the automatic software. I've sorted it out and they are both there in their glory now.


 
Thank you very much.



Mouse said:


> *I like the horse*!
> 
> Still pondering mine.


 
He is gorgeous, Heather Jansch is a lovely lady & a brilliant artist.


----------



## Mouse

The name's familiar. I'm gonna Google her. (I'm thinking I've seen some of her stuff somewhere before.)


----------



## Tiffany

Mouse said:


> The name's familiar. I'm gonna Google her. (I'm thinking I've seen some of her stuff somewhere before.)


 
You probably have, she lives in Devon, I've been to her home. She has had her horses at Saltram & The Eden Project & other places too. I wish I could afford one.


----------



## Mouse

Ah yeah, might've seen something at the Eden Project then. Also fancy I've seen it at gardening shows.


----------



## Kaladan

Just curious; is any element of Photoshopping allowed in this? I don't mean MAKING the image in PS of course.


----------



## Mouse

Yep. I usually correct the exposure in my pics. I've done a colour splash before and I know Cul has too.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I have a fine old fiddle with various things in Photobucket before I post. Saturation, exposure, contrast, maybe throw on a fancy frame...


----------



## Mouse

Oh yeah saturation! I only discovered that one recently and I love it!


----------



## David Evil Overlord

I'm gonna have to look at Photobucket.


----------



## Tiffany

I have Photobucket as well, but all I do is crop, if needed & autofix.


----------



## alchemist

I'm on photobucket too, but have no idea what those things do.

I see we have three newbies, and six cracking photos already. What's this challenge coming to? (Right so, off to take a picture of the International Space Station tonight)


----------



## David Evil Overlord

If you want to win the challenge, Alchemist, you have to take your photo of the ISS from _above_.


----------



## Tiffany

David Evil Overlord. (Please, can I call you David? )

Photobucket is great for resizing, Alchemist, cropping & doing other things. Just click the edit on a pic & you can do all sorts. I use it because I haven't got any fancy photo software.

The new photo's on the photo challenge are super.


----------



## Mouse

alchemist said:


> I'm on photobucket too, but have no idea what those things do.
> 
> I see we have three newbies, and six cracking photos already. What's this challenge coming to? (Right so, off to take a picture of the International Space Station tonight)



I've never heard you sound so Irish, alc! 

Photobucket is good. Go play.


----------



## alchemist

David Evil Overlord said:


> If you want to win the challenge, Alchemist, you have to take your photo of the ISS from _above_.



I'm in Florida as I type this. See you all on Monday.



Tiffany said:


> David Evil Overlord. (Please, can I call you David? )
> 
> Photobucket is great for resizing, Alchemist, cropping & doing other things. Just click the edit on a pic & you can do all sorts. I use it because I haven't got any fancy photo software.



I've done the sizing and cropping, but as for the rest; I can fiddle with it, but never understand why e.g. what functions do you use to make a dark picture clearer? It's more complicated than upping the brightness. Some day I'll learn, some day...



Mouse said:


> I've never heard you sound so Irish, alc!
> 
> Photobucket is good. Go play.



Ah shur now I might, but that photo stuff is fierce complicated.


----------



## David Evil Overlord

Tiffany said:


> David Evil Overlord. (Please, can I call you David? )


 
You may, but I don't want to be confused with all the other Davids roaming in vast herds across the forum. 

I chose a life of Evil Overlording thanks to an incident at Border's bookstore a few years ago. Browsing the shelves of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and related genres, I found the anthology _If I Were An Evil Overlord_, inspired by the Evil Overlord lists you may have seen on the internet (just Google Evil Overlord List if you haven't - it's a list of how to get evil right, unlike the bad guys in fiction who keep doing such stupid things that they let the good guys win easily).

When I went to the counter to buy the book, the cashier took a step back, his eyes wide with shock. He asked if the book was real...he thought it was some kind of self-help book for aspiring Evil Overlords!


----------



## Tiffany

David Evil Overlord said:


> You may, but I don't want to be confused with all the other Davids roaming in vast herds across the forum.
> 
> I chose a life of Evil Overlording thanks to an incident at Border's bookstore a few years ago. Browsing the shelves of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and related genres, I found the anthology _If I Were An Evil Overlord_, inspired by the Evil Overlord lists you may have seen on the internet (just Google Evil Overlord List if you haven't - it's a list of how to get evil right, unlike the bad guys in fiction who keep doing such stupid things that they let the good guys win easily).
> 
> When I went to the counter to buy the book, the cashier took a step back, his eyes wide with shock. He asked if the book was real...he thought it was some kind of self-help book for aspiring Evil Overlords!


 
 David is quite a common name, four of our friends are called David. What do others here call you? Do they type all of your name each time? I'd not want to be different! You can call me Tiff.
PS I will Google evil overlord.


----------



## David Evil Overlord

Tiff, I've only been here since January, so you're the first person to ask me what name I'd like to be called. Everyone else just quotes me, and gets my full username quoted into the message for them. David is fine.

When Googling evil overlord, pay close attention to the size of the air conditioning ducts in your Fortress of Evil, the care and affection that should be lavished upon the ferocious monsters you keep to eat captured heroes and failed minions, and the clear faceplates that must be installed upon the helmets of your Legions of Terror.


----------



## David Evil Overlord

, we're not discussing the photos!

Tiff, I do like the horse. Very nice.

Mouse, what did you do to poor defenceless Glastonbury Abbey?  The destruction depicted is worthy of an Evil Overlord.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Went out today to try and get some photos (there's something promising at the end of the high street). Took one photo and my camera was all "LOL, nope" and turned itself off. Must've worn it out at the house party a few weeks ago...


----------



## David Evil Overlord

I'm sure a house party counts as man made...


----------



## Talysia

A great theme, and some great entries so far.  This is going to be a tough month!


----------



## Perpetual Man

Really liked all of the entries so far, and having taken a month off from this challenge I am hoping to take part again.

I did mean to take a picture of my ongoing building project under the title Man Made Mess, but I was halfway through clearing up when I realised I had not taken the picture.... doh!


----------



## andyw1691

How do I add the photos so they appear in the post like Tiffany's & Mouse? All I could see was the option to add them as attachments with small thumbnails.

Thanks,

Andy


----------



## Mouse

You need to get the image location url (you can get this from where ever your photo is online - photobucket, Facebook etc.) then write

[ img ] image location url here [ /img ]

(But without the spaces)


----------



## Tiffany

I like the ruined abbey shot, it looks good in B&W.
Fascinating pattern of bricks in the Seaton viaduct photo.


----------



## Tiffany

I like the castle, Alchemist. It is a castle isn't it.


----------



## Mouse

Love that pic, alc.


----------



## alchemist

Tiffany said:


> I like the castle, Alchemist. It is a castle isn't it.



Well, kinda. It's Scrabo Tower, near Belfast.



Mouse said:


> Love that pic, alc.



Thank you, ma'am (both of you)


----------



## StormFeather

Wow - fantastic pictures once again this month.  I have to get myself organised and take some - I know what I want to take, but always seem to have perpetual distractions!

hope - those roses are beautiful!  From the photo, I wouldn't have said that they were made out of coffee filters at all - you are very talented, and I'm very impressed!


----------



## Mouse

Get on with it, SF! 

Hope, I agree, very cool roses!


----------



## Perpetual Man

StormFeather said:


> Wow - fantastic pictures once again this month.  I have to get myself organised and take some - I know what I want to take, but always seem to have perpetual distractions!



What? Where? When?

I'm not distracting anyone. 

Better keep my trap shut I said I was going to enter a couple this month and still haven't got around to it...


----------



## Mouse

Get on with it, Perp.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Gulp! Right away!


----------



## StormFeather

Mouse - I shall dig out the camera tomorrow whilst the dinky ones are out of the house (at least that's the plan . . . )

Perp - as I'm sure you're aware, and about to be even more so () in a house with children, (and puppies - Mouse!) there are _always_ distractions!  I'm sure at some point (soon!), Perpetual Man will become Perpetually Distracted!!


----------



## Perpetual Man

I'm not far off it at the moment SF, just getting ready for the new one... (not to mention leaking ceilings and all the rubbish that comes with that...)


----------



## alchemist

Just think, if Perp Jr 2 arrives before the 27th, you'll have something to photograph for the challenge...


----------



## Perpetual Man

Hardeharhar...

It's scary to think I just said the  exact same thing to my wife. 

The look I received was daggers.


----------



## alchemist

Tsk, she's not prepared to suffer for your art?

*shakes head*


----------



## StormFeather

Perpetual Man said:


> Hardeharhar...
> 
> It's scary to think I just said the  exact same thing to my wife.
> 
> The look I received was daggers.





alchemist said:


> Tsk, she's not prepared to suffer for your art?
> 
> *shakes head*




If I was Mrs Perp I'd be giving you both more than a dangerous look right now - cheeky boys!


----------



## hopewrites

thank you, they have been fun to make. My dad is working on them with me. Since he ties his own flies (for fishing) he gets to do the wrapping and I get to do the blooming and painting.
Have to say, I will never take a rose bush's hard work for granted again.


----------



## Mouse

Lovely photos, Perp, where were they taken to?


----------



## Perpetual Man

Thanks Mouse!

There's a park a mile or so away from me called Radford Park, it's mostly grass, trees and water, but it has an awful lot of history, even though most of the best stuff is gone. (There was an old house that was not just steeped in local history, but important English history, and it was knocked down for no apparent reason in 1937), but there are lots of interesting bits remaining...


----------



## Mouse

Ah that's a shame. There's a cool old building not too far from here which people keeping setting fire to! Should just leave it alone.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Mouse said:


> Ah that's a shame. There's a cool old building not too far from here which people keeping setting fire to! Should just leave it alone.



Tell me about it! The nearest Library to us was burned down in 'mysterious circumstances' a few years ago. Everything was lost.

After a very public and protracted argument it was actually rebuilt as a modern state of the art library and opened a fortnight ago. It was vandalised and spray painted within 3 days of the opening.


----------



## alchemist

Bloody bookists!!


----------



## Culhwch

Entries are closed and the poll is up: http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/535411-february-photo-challenge-poll.html. Not as late as usual!

I'll also thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about the future of this challenge. As I'm sure has been fairly obvious, I've grown somewhat divorced from the photo challenge here of late. There's no one reason for this, but in general I have lost some of my enthusiasm and drive for photography, while work has become a bigger factor on my time and is affecting how often I get a chance to swing by and contribute here. Just the act of setting up and closing the polls has become an afterthought, and more often than not I'm days late doing this. This isn't so much of a problem with the wriitng challenge, as there are a bunch of mods keeping watch - over here, I'm a one man band.

I'm more than happy for the challenge to continue, however one or two (or three or four) of the regular contributors are going to have to volunteer to take charge of the running of it. It's not hard - make sure the new thread is started in a timely manner, an eye needs to kept out to ensure entries are abiding by the rules, and a poll will need to be set up at the usual time, with a closing date (I don't think non-mods can manually close a poll, even one they have started). 

I'm afraid it's not a paying job, but if you want to volunteer, do raise your hand...


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Spoiler* alert on the early voting.

Apparently I'm about the first, on scene, to cast a vote. 
It seems that the entries have been more about subject than photographic artistry.
I'm loving the general theme of man made things, deteriorating.  I was casting about for a local scene to illustrate the transitory nature of man-made follies, in case I might have occasion to snapshop an entry.

I loved the follies, ruins and transitory manmade transgressions; but the horse is just plain an awesome piece of artwork. (Well, so are the roses, but the horse got my vote)


----------



## hopewrites

if no one else raises their hand, I will. I have no idea what my time will look like in the future or I would just offer to raise my hand out right. I may not be a fantastic photographer, and only have my phone to work with, but I love the art that comes out in this challenge and would be happy to help out with it how ever I can.

(thank you for liking my roses AGT. there were so many fantastic shots it was hard to pick among them. Alch was my runner up loved the tower, but mouse's waterfall tipped the scale ever so slightly. way to go everyone.)


----------



## David Evil Overlord

alchemist said:


> Just think, if Perp Jr 2 arrives before the 27th, you'll have something to photograph for the challenge...





Perpetual Man said:


> Hardeharhar...
> 
> It's scary to think I just said the  exact same thing to my wife.
> 
> The look I received was daggers.



They think making children involves the women doing all the hard work! *

*Before all the women on Chrons kill me, I'm kidding!


----------



## David Evil Overlord

I voted for Alc's tower, too.


----------



## crystal haven

I have made my vote - Alchemist's first picture. I thought it had a wonderful atmosphere about it.

My second favourite was Tiffany's - the horse.

But they were all lovely. Thank you for sharing .


----------



## Vertigo

> There's no one reason for this, but in general I have lost some of my enthusiasm and drive for photography, while work has become a bigger factor on my time and is affecting how often I get a chance to swing by and contribute here.


Cul sorry to hear that. I know the feeling, I have barely taken a photo since I last posted here (quite a while ago). I am now planning to try and make the time to get back into it (all part of my New Years resolution to put balance back in my life!). I'm not sure I have the time to commit to this at the moment but hopefully someone will.

I have voted for Tiffany, I just love that horse - I want it in my garden... now!


----------



## Talysia

Good entries all!  I loved all of them, and I had to decide between Hope's roses and Tiffany's horse - with Tiffany narrowly winning.  Well done everyone!


----------



## StormFeather

All of the entries this month were great, but the one that I really loved from the start was Tiffany's horse.  It's beautiful, and I'm with Vertigo - would LOVE to have that in my garden!!


----------



## Perpetual Man

It was a really hard decision. I really liked all the entries, so narrowing them down to a single winner was virtually impossible, but in the end when I first saw the horse I just went "Wow!"

I have to add to that though, that I thought Hope's flowers were a work of art in themselves, magnificent! And I really liked Mouse's pic of Glastonbury Abbey. It's been a while since I went up that way and had a wander.

I fully understand Cul's comments. I started taking part in the challenge because it looked a little bare (and then I was given a camera so needed an excuse to use it), and would hate to see the challenge vanish. Normally I'd step in an offer my time, but that's going to be non-existent in the coming months. 

Hope - I'm sure you would do a wonderful job, and you would get support from all the regulars and me! (I'd even try and help if you needed it - when I was able!)


----------



## Mouse

Thanks hope! 

I voted for Perp, though it was close between him and alc. (And I like the horse too, but Perpster had two better photos, I thought.)

Be a shame for the challenge to go now that more people are getting interested in it again!


----------



## StormFeather

oooh ooooh ooooh!!! 

Just scooted back to see what Cul has posted.  I'm waving my arm - I can help with running the challenge, what with not having quite as much stuff on now.  Haven't got a clue with how to set up polls or anything, but happy to learn and 'pimp' this challenge all over the place to drum up more interest . . .  Definitely don't want to see this disappear.  Scrolling back through previous months and years, there have been some stunning images that we might not have the opportunity to see otherwise.  

Count me in!


----------



## Perpetual Man

Well gosh! I got a vote!!! Thanks Mouse, that was completely unexpected, a great surprise to end the day.

Funny thing, after I went out and took the photo's, I was at my parents telling them some of the things I had been reading about the park, then walked home. 

10 minutes later my Uncle walks into my parents house showing my dad a booklet he had managed to get his hands on- a history of the park and all the things in it. Coincidence or what?


----------



## Mouse

Spookular.


----------



## alchemist

Thank you very much, crystal haven and David Evil Overlord for the votes. 

For me, it was between Tiffany's horse, DEO's Siena and hope's roses. I plumped for DEO's picture -- I'm a sucker for a picturesque shaft of light!

Cul, thank you very much for your organising. I know you've been doing it for a long time, from far before my time here. I'm happy to help out too. However, it won't be that simple for we mere mortals. There will be three threads to close, and some stickying to be done each month. That requires modding powers (the type that come with great responsibility).

I see three options --
1. We PM Cul when there's work to be done (which would defeat the purpose)

2. We alert another mod to do the modding bits; either pick one, or use Report Post to find whoever is in the building (not quite what it was designed for)

3. Somebody gets a promotion (not the normal reason for that)

But, like I said, I'm happy to help on a voluntary basis. It's been good to get new folks entering this month and I hope that keeps up.


----------



## Culhwch

Stickying and closing threads is easy enough, and any of the mods can do that if given a shout. It's the timely posting of polls that's the real problem and the area I have been failing miserably at. Anyone can post a poll, and can set a closing date (three days is probably spot-on if posted on the 27th/28th). Once a poll is up, the comp is closed, so even if the thread doesn't get manually closed straightaway, it's still obvious entries after that point are not going to be considered.


----------



## David Evil Overlord

Thanks, Alc. The first vote I've gotten on Chrons for anything.

If not your tower, then Tiff's horse or Hope's flowers would have been fighting it out.


----------



## Mouse

Thanks for the vote, Starbeast.

(Is it too early to congratulate Tiffany?)


----------



## Culhwch

There I go again.

Poll is closed, and Tiffany is the winner!


----------



## alchemist

Yay! for Tiffany!


----------



## Tiffany

Gosh! Many thanks, Guys. Not been around as we have been away. I am very Happy you chose my pic of No Surrender, but it's down to Heather Jansch, she spent weeks sculturing it.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Congratulations to Tiffany, it was nearly a one horse race... ahem.

Suddenly realised a got another vote, so thanks Teresa, I did not see that coming!


----------



## StormFeather

*Congratulations Tiffany!!!* 

You may not have made the horse, but you captured it's beauty for us, and for that I'm grateful!  

Am looking forward to seeing what this months theme is . . .


----------



## crystal haven

Congratulations, Tiffany!


----------



## alchemist

Just in case, and since we're all minding the challenge now, I've PMed Tiffany about the next challenge. To March!


----------



## David Evil Overlord

Congratulations, Tiff.


----------



## Abernovo

Congratulations, Tiffany!


----------



## Interference

Congratulations, Tiff *wild applause*


----------



## Tiffany

Thanks, Guys. I am chuffed to bits. Never win anything.


----------



## David Evil Overlord

Tiffany said:


> Thanks, Guys. I am chuffed to bits. Never win anything.



Now you'll never be able to say "Never win anything" again.


----------



## Tiffany

David Evil Overlord said:


> Now you'll never be able to say "Never win anything" again.


 

That is very true.


----------

