NGF Photographic Competition 2013

[Bealman]

You have stated your case intelligently and well; however, like all art, it is very much a matter of personal opinion and taste. I therefore stay with my point above and I still can't stand, and never will, photographs of model steam locomotives with what is quite obviously fake steam coming from them.

[longbridge]

I work as a wedding photographer and I never consider any of my output to be throwaway, I put just as much thought into composition as I ever did shooting 35mm. Digital is just a much more flexible and efficient way of capturing someone's special day, the principles are the same as film though and you don't need to be shooting 2000+ images (if I was that indiscriminate with my photography, I'd lose sight of the special moments). I think people's main problem lies with so much exposure to bad photographs on social media and the internet which are inevitably taken on digital. People often took bad photographs on film (lord knows, I worked on the photo dev counter at Tesco for several years), it's just they never saw the light of day!

Image post processing is not something new to digital and should not be disregarded out of hand - you can save many good images and enhance outstanding ones. Improving photographs was something I would do in a darkroom on an enlarger, I would manipulate negatives, mask my photographic paper for selective lightening and change colour temperature all the time. Now, I only shoot in RAW and apply this approach to my digital output - I hate the idea that the camera is putting out a JPEG which it has effectively processed for me. Give me wet-film style of control over that next step in the photographs existence any day of the week! Photography is as much about making beautiful pictures as it is taking beautiful pictures - be it 35mm and darkroom or RAW file and Lightroom.

I also worked a Wedding Photographer for 25 years but gave the game away in 2004 when digital started to take a hold, back then I was not that interested in digital photography, it was far easier for me to drop a few rolls of film into the lab and pick them up a few days later, I did a few weddings in digital to help some past clients out but I like most people tended to shoot a pile of digital images and pick out the ones I wanted to use  that really is not my style, more fun making every shot count with 35mm or Medium Format, but then I am an old fashioned fuddy duddy  :thumbsmup: crikey I still use DC on my layout 

Years later I find digital convenient and have fun in the digital darkroom but still prefer wet method.

[d-a-n]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Dave and Bealman.
I agree about adding steam, adding things which aren't there on other pictures and making lots of other 'invasive' changes to photographs, that is also not my style. I do however insist on cropping if necessary, and then applying non invasive changes such as adjusting colours, exposure and general curve work - it's what is happening inside a point and shoot anyway when it applies a colour profile to any image shot!
I know a film photographer and he uses a lab who understand how to tease the best from his exposures - a world away from me banging someones point and click disposable camera negs through the machine at Tesco!
Man Ray, George Hurrell, Helmut Newton, Bailey et al, will all have done their fair share of time in the darkroom (more than behind the camera I expect) to improve their already magical images to bring them to the point where they are so highly regarded as art. You could equally give one of their negatives to a monkey in Tesco colour lab and he'd give you back a washed out, badly framed, overexposed worthless print from the same neg!

[longbridge]

You have stated your case intelligently and well; however, like all art, it is very much a matter of personal opinion and taste. I therefore stay with my point above and I still can't stand, and never will, photographs of model steam locomotives with what is quite obviously fake steam coming from them.

Ivo Peters and Eric Treacy were two of my favorite railway photographers George, mostly done in beautiful Black and White and nothing fake.

[Bealman]

Total agreement, Dave. One of my favourite shots of Bishop Treacy's is one of Royal Scot The West Yorkshire Regiment climbing out of Lime Street through Edge Hill cutting.

And a note to d-a-n: I too have admired the work of Helmut Newton over the years, so imagine my surprise to discover on a tour of the James Boag Brewery in Launceston, Tasmania last year (beer is another hobby of mine  ), that Newton did a whole advertising campaign for the company! The place is adorned with his black & white images, mostly of very sexy women, but with his impeccable style written all over them. The campaign was extremely successful for Boags and his photos still appear on coasters to this day. The beer tastes great, too!! 

[d-a-n]

Bit off topic but I'll have to see if the local off licence (Carringtons of Chorlton and Didsbury) can get some Boag beer in - I love anything dark and malty but will try anything on recommendation.

Slainte!!

[Bealman]

There are of course two major breweries in Tassie - Boags in Launceston and Cascade in Hobart (and yes, I've toured that brewery as well - twice!!) and out of the two, I think I prefer Boags. It's interesting as you drive north from Hobart towards Launceston, there is almost an invisible 'border' where there is a subtle change in pubs as to which beer gets priority. You definitely sense the shift (well I did, anyway.....)

As you say, bit off topic, but I'll post some pics for you!

Cheers, George

[Bealman]

d-a-n:
Well, off topic but it is photography. And we are discussing technique here - yeah, I know that the picture of the Cascade brewery is spoilt by the lamp post right in the middle! I guess that's where a bit of image processing could help!

Cascade Brewery, Hobart, with Mount Wellington in background
[smg id=3801 type=preview align=center width=400]
Cascade advert in historic Richmond pub
[smg id=3800 type=preview align=center width=400]
Yours truly outside Boag's brewery, Launceston
[smg id=688 type=preview align=center width=400]

Longbridge:
Dave have you got the book 'Great Railway Photographs' by Eric Treacy? Your post prompted me to dig it out - thanks for that! If you have, another favourite of mine is the spread just before page 143 showing the amazing signal gantry outside of Newcastle. Imagine modelling that!

[scotsoft]

I feel the merits of one type of photography over another type of photography, digital enhancements etc., have had a fair amount of posts, so could we all please return to the point of this thread which is to promote the photographic competition.

Which is in great need of members adding their own photographs.

The moderating team have tried to "encourage" photographs that have been posted in the various threads, without indicating any favouritism, to enter their photographs into the competition.

cheers John.

[Bealman]

Point taken, and yep, could do with some more entries - and there are some very good photos in many threads, as you say. 

[moogle]

Just added my 2 entries.
Both models and both

[Mollington Street]

And I've just entered mine too 

[5982]

Bit of a struggle to choose two - more or less used a pin in a short list in the end. Uploaded before I changed my mind!
Both prototype, but one with a modelling twist.
Interested that both show a file size less than half of what they show on my laptop.

[Fratton]

has anyone got any tips for reducing my file size, my sizes are way too big, if i can i will chuck a couple of entries in,,,,

[Newportnobby]

Try our FAQ's for instant success

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=resize