This month's theme is 'SHARP' as chosen by the lovely Squirt 
Here's how to take part:
1]Take a picture, based on the theme (think direct, think laterally - it doesn't matter - it's your idea and creativity that people are looking forward to seeing)
2]Upload it anonymously to the Eggwan account (obviously, don't call it 'Mimi's picture of sharp things' or anything that makes it too obviously yours)
3]Try not to make it too obvious that a picture is yours in particular by announcing your upload, etc.
Upload your 'SHARP' photos to the same-titled folder in the Eggwan Gallery. (If you would like to take part in this contest and do not have the username and password to sign in to the Eggwan gallery for anonymous uploading, please PM me for details*).
This contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday 29th June. Good luck and happy snapping!
(*PM-ing me, rather than asking in-thread just means that I am much less likely to miss your request, but it also means that it is far less likely that people will know which picture is yours by the fact that it was uploaded a short time after you asked
)
Here's how to take part:
1]Take a picture, based on the theme (think direct, think laterally - it doesn't matter - it's your idea and creativity that people are looking forward to seeing)
2]Upload it anonymously to the Eggwan account (obviously, don't call it 'Mimi's picture of sharp things' or anything that makes it too obviously yours)
3]Try not to make it too obvious that a picture is yours in particular by announcing your upload, etc.
Upload your 'SHARP' photos to the same-titled folder in the Eggwan Gallery. (If you would like to take part in this contest and do not have the username and password to sign in to the Eggwan gallery for anonymous uploading, please PM me for details*).
This contest ends at 11:59pm on Sunday 29th June. Good luck and happy snapping!
(*PM-ing me, rather than asking in-thread just means that I am much less likely to miss your request, but it also means that it is far less likely that people will know which picture is yours by the fact that it was uploaded a short time after you asked
) 
I'll be sure to take a photo of me wearing my snappy clothes in a mirror then, aha!
Wrong spelling nutface.
I assume I'm also banned from just taking a picture of my family, who unlike that uniformed idiot pictured above, CAN spell their own name.
I assume I'm also banned from just taking a picture of my family, who unlike that uniformed idiot pictured above, CAN spell their own name.
Dudley wrote:
Wrong spelling nutface.
I assume I'm also banned from just taking a picture of my family, who unlike that uniformed idiot pictured above, CAN spell their own name.
I assume I'm also banned from just taking a picture of my family, who unlike that uniformed idiot pictured above, CAN spell their own name.
Ah. I was just going to take a photo of myself since it's my surname too.
I SUSPECT THIS GOES AGAINST THE SPIRIT IF NOT THE RULES OF THE COMPETITION...
and would also cause the excellent membership many convulsions. Of horror.
I'm now slightly worried we're related.
Any smart arse taking a pic of a video recorder is getting a biff on the noggin too.
Any smart arse taking a pic of a video recorder is getting a biff on the noggin too.
[VOTE:AceAceBaby]
Sinister Minister wrote:
Dudley wrote:
Wrong spelling nutface.
I assume I'm also banned from just taking a picture of my family, who unlike that uniformed idiot pictured above, CAN spell their own name.
I assume I'm also banned from just taking a picture of my family, who unlike that uniformed idiot pictured above, CAN spell their own name.
Ah. I was just going to take a photo of myself since it's my surname too.
I SUSPECT THIS GOES AGAINST THE SPIRIT IF NOT THE RULES OF THE COMPETITION...
and would also cause the excellent membership many convulsions. Of horror.
I disagree about the spirit or rules of the competition. I think that part of what makes this fun is the different interpretations of the topic at hand. However, it might not get many votes!
Curiosity wrote:
I disagree about the spirit or rules of the competition. I think that part of what makes this fun is the different interpretations of the topic at hand. However, it might not get many votes!
I'd agree with you. I just wanted to type in red bold for no obvious reason.
Sinister Minister wrote:
I'd agree with you. I just wanted to type in red bold for no obvious reason.
You've got Modz potential dripping off you.
CUS wrote:
Sinister Minister wrote:
I'd agree with you. I just wanted to type in red bold for no obvious reason.
You've got Modz potential dripping off you.
29th of June? I might have a go at this. First, I need to find somebody to slice, someone unsuspecting.
edit: obviously I meant something. Really.
CUS wrote:
Sinister Minister wrote:
I'd agree with you. I just wanted to type in red bold for no obvious reason.
You've got Modz potential dripping off you.
Euphemism of the day, right there.
If you fancy winning the photography contest, get an entry in. One week to go and only one submission so far? Tut tut...
Mimi wrote:
If you fancy winning the photography contest, get an entry in. One week to go and only one submission so far? Tut tut...
I've not even thought of an idea yet! Well, I do have one idea, and I'll do that one next week unless I think of something better before then. I have my idea, but it hasn't turned out how I want it to. And the bloomin' weather isn't helping.
Mimi wrote:
If you fancy winning the photography contest, get an entry in. One week to go and only one submission so far? Tut tut...
I imagine it would scupper the Eurovision-style voting if there were ever fewer than three entries too.
If I can find something suitable to photograph, I might dust my camera off and enter, assuming I don't get my camera seized
I shall adjust the number of places in the Eurovision vote to reflect entries.
If we ever get above thirty, for example, I'd probably up it to five places.
Dust of your camera, DM.
If we ever get above thirty, for example, I'd probably up it to five places.
Dust of your camera, DM.
I dropped my camera 5.5 feet on to a wooden floor (accidentally, natch) 
Fortunately I'd managed to get my contribution sorted beforehand, and it doesn't look like there's any damage, but I don't know for sure.
Fortunately I'd managed to get my contribution sorted beforehand, and it doesn't look like there's any damage, but I don't know for sure. 
GazChap wrote:
I dropped my camera 5.5 feet on to a wooden floor (accidentally, natch) Fortunately I'd managed to get my contribution sorted beforehand, and it doesn't look like there's any damage, but I don't know for sure.
Fortunately I'd managed to get my contribution sorted beforehand, and it doesn't look like there's any damage, but I don't know for sure.Bollocks
I've heard of too many people dropping their cameras lately. Hope it's fine! Fortunately I didn't have a zoom lens on, which I figure is more likely to break than the prime lens I had on in the event of a fall.
I am quite worried, I appear to have lost my camera. I cannot find it. Hope I didn't leave it anywhere while drunk at a gig! 
(Here's hoping it's merely at a friend's house, eh kids?)
(Here's hoping it's merely at a friend's house, eh kids?)
nervouspete wrote:
I am quite worried, I appear to have lost my camera. I cannot find it. Hope I didn't leave it anywhere while drunk at a gig!
(Here's hoping it's merely at a friend's house, eh kids?)
(Here's hoping it's merely at a friend's house, eh kids?)
Bugger. Any news on this?
There are only a few days left on this contest, so please get your entries in!
Got my pics, just need to do the necessary in Photoshop. Definitely will have it done for the deadline.
Mimi wrote:
There are only a few days left on this contest, so please get your entries in!
Yes, Ma'am. Right away!
Plissken wrote:
Got my pics, just need to do the necessary in Photoshop.
Sharpen filter? Tsk. Unsharp mask, natch.
AceAceBaby wrote:
Tsk. Unsharp mask, natch.
Another one of PSs idiosyncracies
AceAceBaby wrote:
Tsk. Unsharp mask, natch.
Praise its soul, the handy little bugger.
DPP puts three levels of its own sharpening on by default so I don't sharpen in PS hardly ever.
AceAceBaby wrote:
DPP puts three levels of its own sharpening on by default so I don't sharpen in PS hardly ever.
I always sharpen after resizing. The difference it makes is quite shocking.
I'm put off by sharpening by the historical overuse of it in DVDs, leading to all kinds of ghastly halo effects. Actually, I don't think any of my flickr photos have any post-resizing sharpening applied.
AceAceBaby wrote:
I'm put off by sharpening by the historical overuse of it in DVDs, leading to all kinds of ghastly halo effects. Actually, I don't think any of my flickr photos have any post-resizing sharpening applied.
It all depends how far you push it, really. You're not going to get artifacts and holoing if you use it conservatively and understand what you're doing (my knowledge of which is quite lacking, I have to admit).
Resizing an image can really destroy its quality and detail, and soften it by quite a margin. Gentle sharpening after that can bring some of it back. Here's my avatar before and after sharpening, after a resize:
And now it's as sharp as the original pic
There's a shockingly garish deep blue stripe/halo above the rightmost cloud, and there's an overly contrasty band on the edge of the road. My personal opinion, but I much prefer the unsharpened version.
nynfortoo wrote:
nervouspete wrote:
I am quite worried, I appear to have lost my camera. I cannot find it. Hope I didn't leave it anywhere while drunk at a gig!
(Here's hoping it's merely at a friend's house, eh kids?)
(Here's hoping it's merely at a friend's house, eh kids?)
Bugger. Any news on this?
None, annoyingly. Looked all over in my house, could be in the bomb-site that is one mate's house, pretty sure it's not in the other two places. I've had it a good two years that camera, but I'm really itching at the loss. Here's hoping it turns up, but I really can't think where it could be and I'm reasonably certain I never left it anywhere on a night out.
Bit worried about it, to be honest. Probably won't be able to make this competition, or subsequent ones for a while.
AceAceBaby wrote:
There's a shockingly garish deep blue stripe/halo above the rightmost cloud, and there's an overly contrasty band on the edge of the road. My personal opinion, but I much prefer the unsharpened version.
Aye, I guess you're right there. Still, in capable hands, I wouldn't completely rule out sharpening. I think doing it selectively rather than image-wide would be a better option. I've heard very good things about a program (plugin?) called Nik Sharpener, too, though it's expensive and I can't justify it.
nervouspete wrote:
None, annoyingly. Looked all over in my house, could be in the bomb-site that is one mate's house, pretty sure it's not in the other two places. I've had it a good two years that camera, but I'm really itching at the loss. Here's hoping it turns up, but I really can't think where it could be and I'm reasonably certain I never left it anywhere on a night out.
Bit worried about it, to be honest. Probably won't be able to make this competition, or subsequent ones for a while.
Bit worried about it, to be honest. Probably won't be able to make this competition, or subsequent ones for a while.
Bugger. Well I hope it turns up!
Hey chaps and chapesses, this contest closes tomorrow!
Please get entries in by Sunday night - it ends at midnight!
Please get entries in by Sunday night - it ends at midnight!
Good to see a burst of entries in the last couple of days.