DanSandy.Me: Blog

2017/11/17 - Creative & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 01:00:00 GMT

Hey there!

Things are going pretty good here, and I hope all is well on your end!

Along with competing in a creative competition last week, I also got some studio time at a friends place for a little fun! I'm not sharing all of the photos here, but I will be posting them on my site in the next few days, so keep an eye out... or not... that's totally up to you! Although this shoot was a little less conventional, it was a lot of fun!!!

Along with having a ton of great light at the studio, but there were also props! Found these glasses among an assortment of costumes and trinkets!

I love how this shot turned out!

You'll be seeing some of these again in the future, as I intend on entering them into competitions!

Good times... anywho, I competed also in a creative photo comp last week, and I did fairly well!

Creative competition

This competition was only for images that were digitally processed.

"Tangerine CLE" - Did Not Place

At some point last year, I decided to wake absurdly early to capture sunrise photos in Cleveland. The sky in the original shot was fairly bland, so I did some extra processing to punch it up a little bit... along with the treatment in the sky and water, I also did a black and white treatment on the buildings to help contrast against the orange. It may not have done well, but you have to swing the bat to hit the ball.

"Salivation Salvation" - 2nd Place

I had taken this photo of a former co-worker's pug a few years ago, and got lucky in capturing her lil' tongue sticking out! That got me thinking of what I can do in a creative image... this was the result. This image was originally going to be in color, but I found if difficult to match the colors/tones of the different elements that I imported into the background, so I decided to go with a B&W sepia image. I think the B&W really places an emphasis on the barren wasteland, and her longing for her treat. Is it a mirage, or does it really exist? One may never know!

Pictorial Competition

"Zen Garden" - 3rd Place

Took this while at the Japanese garden in Portland during my trip earlier this year. I think the contrasting angles and color of the image work well together!

That's all I have for now!

Best wishes to you and yours!

Regards,

Dan

2017/11/03 - B&W and Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Pictorial Competition

"Snoqualmie Falls" - Did Not place

This photo was taken during an earlier trip to northern Washington where I explored a different part of the state. The sky in the original photo was pure white and not very interesting... with the aid of movie magic (and Photoshop), I was able to replace the sky in the image to look like a beautiful sunset.

B&W Competition

"Doyle 03" - Did Not Place

Taken during the second concert I ever photographed (not the one mentioned above). It did horribly in competition... I think the composition is what doomed this entry to a lower score. In retrospect, I probably had a better image to enter into this category.

" Sea Side Stacks" - 3rd Place

The first two days of my trip though Oregon offered a torrent of rain... The Third day offered a beautiful sunset in Bandon, Oregon. Worth a visit if you're in the area!

That's the last competition till 2018!

Hope you all have a great holiday season!

Regards,

Dan

2017/10/13 - People & Pictorial competitions

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Good day to you!

I hope that all is well!!!

Since I last wrote I've been quite busy! Just in the past few weeks, I've covered a few concerts, photographed and donated art to a gala event for the APL (The Fur Ball), judged a photo competition, and had something pretty cool happen.

The cool thing that happened is that a larger company has licensed cat photo for a greeting card that will be out in the coming months. I have no idea what the final design will look like, but I'll let you know as soon as I know!

People Competition

"Free-Flowing" - Did Not Place

This was a fun shot that was only possible with the use of studio lighting and a fast shutter speed. I just love how the hair looks as it's flowing upward! One of the judges said he didn't like the photo because her feet were crossed...

"Blown Away" - Did Not Place

The shot of my friend was taken at the same studio as the last photo, and then was used for a double-exposed image. Double-exposure started as an accident back in the film camera days, where the photographer would forget to advance the film to take the next shot, resulting in the two images exposing the same piece of film. This would cause the two different shots to merge causing some interesting effects. It didn't take long before photographers were intentionally using this effect to explore a more creative side of photography.

When I realized that my digital camera had a Double-Exposure setting, I had to try it out! Furthermore, I realized that the photos didn't need to be taken consecutively, and that I could load any image from the memory card as my first shot. That being the case, I knew there was nothing stopping me from loading studio shots in the camera and then just taking the second shot during a different time. This shot is composed of the studio shot, and then a photo taken in the metroparks at a later date. Good times!

Pictorial Competition

"Tilted Palouse" - Did Not Place

Another shot from my vacation to Palouse, WA earlier this year. I tried something a little different as you can tell, and it did terribly in competition. Be that as it may, I still really enjoy the dynamic nature of this photo!

Until next time, I wish you all the best of days!

Warm regards,

Dan

2017-09-22 - Nature & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings and salutations!

Last Friday was the second Nature photo competition of the 2017/2018 photo season at the Cleveland Photographic Society, and it was another tough one! There was a perfect score during the Nature category which meant that everyone else had to do better just to get average scores. Be that as it may, I still did pretty good!

Pictorial Category:

"Canola Field" - Did Not Place

This shot was taken during my trip to Washington and Oregon earlier this year. This was taken in the rolling hills of Palouse, Washington. Although it looks like it was a beautiful day, I actually digitally inserted the skyline, because it was otherwise washed out and bland.

Nature Competition

"Sea of Clouds" - 3rd Place

I took this photo in the great Smoky Mountains in TN during a trip with several friends from the photo club. I was standing on the observatory at the top Clingmans dome. You are able to get good views of sunset from the parking lot, but if you're daring or motivated, there's a 1/2 mile hike up a very steep incline for this view.

"Oregon Coast" - 3rd Place

Another shot from my trip earlier this year while I was in Bandon, Oregon. It rained almost the entire time I was in Oregon, but there were a few days that turned out nice. This was during sunset among several sea stacks on our way from Newport towards Crater lake.

The next photo competition will be a People category on October 13th, and I'm really looking forward to it!

Hope you have an awesome day/week/month!

Regards,

Dan

2017-09-08 - B&W and Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Good day everyone!

Friday, September 8th was the most recent B&W photo competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society, and it was a tough one. There were fewer entries than normal, which meant that there were even fewer photos that actually placed.

A while back ago I had mentioned that I was going to do a little work with a local potter to capture some creative photos. That day has come and gone, and another one will be in the future! Two of this evening's competition entries were from that shoot.

B&W competition

"The Potter's Hand" - Did not place

I didn't personally know the artist, but she was extremely friendly and happy to help in my pursuit of different creative photography. I thought this image was neat because it showed the spinning vase as she was sculpting. Although I enjoyed this image, one of the judges felt that the treatment around the edge was distracting. I'm hoping to take the critiques in mind while I photograph during the next shoot.

"Spinning Clay" - Did not place

I really like this shot... The tonal range and lines created by the spinning table while using a slower shutter speed on the camera. Both of the B&W entries were taken using a tripod and a solitary light source. The one judge stated that the abrupt cropping of the curved lines at the bottom of the photo interrupted the flow... Can't say I disagree with that assessment...I look forward trying different shots with this artist in the coming months! Stay tuned!

Pictorial Competition

"Dusty Dirt Road" - 1st place

Although it has been several months since I took a trip out west, I'm still editing photos from the vacation. This shot was captured on a road just north of the entrance to Steptoe Butte in Palouse, WA. When I first started shooting on this road, I left the car windows down as I drove around, not realizing how dusty it really was. After driving around for a few hours, the interior of the brand new rental car and my camera gear was coated in a fine dust. Despite that fact, it was still pretty fun driving around roads where you almost never saw another living soul... I'm just happy I didn't have any car troubles, because phone connectivity was spotty in places.

The next competition will be a Nature & Pictorial category on the 22nd. Until then, I wish the best for all of you!

Take care,

Dan

2017/08/18 - People & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Hey Everyone!

Hope all is well in your world! Things are going fine for me, thanks for asking!

Friday, August 18th 2017 was the most recent People photo competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society. The people category is an area where my work leaves something to be desired, but I get lucky from time to time! This wasn't really one of those times... That aside, I still like the photos I entered.

People Competition

"Fist Bump" - Did not place

This was taken during a photojournalism gig I did a little ways back. As I was trying to hone my camera to the correct settings, I snap a few shots during the opening acts and adjust as needed. This was an opening band, that primarily consisted of yelling with some other noise thrown in the mix. It was loud, unforgiving, and I'm certain I lost a some hearing. Although their "musical style" wasn't up my alley, they did put on a decent visual show!.

"Emphatic" - Honorable Mention

This was from a show where I had to actually do some journalism. The article took too long to create, and it was a struggle the whole way through. Having a tenuous grasp of the English language makes journalism much more difficult that I expected! Be that as it may, I know I'll get better with time. Here's a link to the article, but please keep expectations low... it starts pretty good, but then falls apart in the end. <<>>

Pictorial Competition

"Long Journey Ahead" - Honorable mention

I'd be lying if I didn't say I was disappointed with how this shot did in the competition, but I suppose I shouldn't complain, as it still placed... kind of...

Anyway, I took this shot on the 4th of July while I was awaiting the Cleveland fireworks to start up. The funny thing about the name of this shot, is that the boat is actually being pulled upstream by a tugboat. Another "fun fact" about the boat is that all the dents are from ice flows in the great lakes and oceans! Look closely, and you'll see why you won't find me traversing the oceans of the world in this monstrous boat!

Some other stuff is going on, but I can't tell you all about it yet... lets just say that I'm crossing my fingers!

It's not easy to say goodbye, so I'll just say "Farewell for now!"

Regards,

Dan

03/19/2016 - Creative and Pictorial competitions

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 00:51:37 GMT

Hey Everyone!

I hope all is well!

This past Friday marked the conclusion of the competition season at the Cleveland Photographic Society! I'm eagerly looking forward to the year end event, and feel I may have a good entries to consider!

Here's the original image that I started my creative entry with.

This photo took me around 30-40 hours to get to this stage, but I'm very happy with the results!
Everything else in the image was manipulated or created. I probably spent 5-10 hours just creating shadows on her face and other objects around the room... The judges really raved about this one, which is a welcome change!

"Witches Brew" - First Place - Creative Competition

"Swallowtail Butterfly" - Did Not Place - Pictorial Competition

I knew a number of reasons why this photo wasn't going to do well in competition, but I entered it anyway. It was less about placing, and more about just entering something different. In the end, I just like this photo...

"Cross-eyed Cat" - Honorable Mention - Pictorial Competition

I have hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures of cats sticking out their tongues... I always enjoy catching that moment in time... 8þ

Aside the competition thing, I spent some time updating the "Honors and Awards" section of my website. Give er' a look if you have some free time... feedback is welcome!
http://www.dansandy.me/awards

I've done some volunteer photojournalism for 2 different events in the past few weeks, and will share a few of those photos when I find some time...

Have a great one!

07/14/2017 - Nature & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 23:15:00 GMT

Hey everyone,
Friday evening was the first Nature photo competition of the season at CPS, and it was a fierce one! There was at least a perfect score in each category, and a total of 3 for the competition. Although perfect scores are typically rare, they do seem to occur in bunches. Since the scoring is based on a sliding scale where the highest score determines how the rest of the scores will place, I had to try harder to compete. That said, if you question how some of my images did during this comp, this is the main contributing factor.

It should be noted that CPS has some incredible photographers/artist, and it seems like they're getting better every year! Everyone is pushing everyone else to greater heights, which is spawning some tough competition! I'm just happy to be in the mix!

Nature category:

"Sea Stack Sunset Surge" - Did not place

As I was driving down the coast of Oregon last month, I had the pleasure of stopping by the sea stacks in Bandon, OR during sunset. It was essentially miles of beach with geologic protrusions springing from the seascape. On misty mornings or near day's end, you'll find spectacular views at every turn. Truly a sight to behold!

Pictorial category:

"The Little Tug boat That Could" - Honorable Mention

During a sunset walk on the pier before the fireworks at the Port of Cleveland on the 4th of July, I had the pleasure of seeing this massive ore boat being towed backwards up the mouth of the Cuyahoga river by a little fella. Couldn't have asked for better weather for a spectacular sunset!

"Yaquina Bay Bridge" - Honorable Mention

One of the only days I was able to catch the sunrise in Oregon was when I was in Newport. A nice fishing town with a lot of character, and the Rouge Brewery! I woke early and decided to go down to the beach to catch some photos at the shellfish preserve. Although I never actually captured a sunrise on this day, I still love what I managed to capture!

That's it for the competitions until next month! I'll be in touch soon enough...

Until then, Have a great day and take care!

2017/07/07 - Creative & Pictorial competition and update

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 23:15:00 GMT

Hey everyone!

I've been quite busy since I last wrote! I recently returned from a 9 day road-trip through the state of Washington and Oregon. I managed to take over 200 gigs of photos (a few thousand), and drove a total of 2,487 miles (1,400 were in the first 3 days) despite flying in to Seattle from Ohio! I'll be making a separate post about that as soon as I can find the time to edit all the photos! I've already spent over 40 hours going through them, and have only gotten through about 1/3 of them!

Along with my trip, I also had the pleasure of photographing the Cleveland fireworks from the launch site at the Port of Cleveland again this year! That will also be a separate post, where I'll highlight the past few years of photos taken at the port! I can't express how grateful I am for the access and have no one more to thank than my older brother! Thanks Mike!

If that wasn't enough, I'm collaborating with a few local artists to capture them in their element. One dealing with a pottery wheel, and another who specializes in ice sculptures! More on that later...

Ok... That's the update... Now for the reason I initially started this post.

This evening was the first photo competition of the 2017-2018 season at the Cleveland Photographic Society. As with every year, the Creative category is the first of many increasingly impressive competitions throughout the year.

Due to an urgent family matter, one of the judges couldn't make it to the club, so I sat with the 2 other judges and gave critiques in his stead. Fortunately, the competition was judged prior to today so the absent judge was able to score the entries, and I just filled in as necessary. As for my critiques, some were good, some were bad... some incoherent... In the end it turned out pretty darn good!

Creative category:

"Alien Headdress" - Honorable Mention

This image is composed of 2 photographs. One taken during a model photo shoot a few years ago, and the other was during a hike in the park a few months ago. The neat thing about this is that the final image was made in the camera itself. I did this using a function called "Double-exposure" where you take two photos and merge them together. It mimics the film days where a photographer would forget to advance their film, causing the film to be exposed twice. This accident quickly became an intentional act as photographers started exploring more creative avenues. I've only tried this technique twice with my digital camera but I plan on exploring it further in the future!

Pictorial category

"Beautiful day in Palouse" - Honorable Mention

This was taken during the first 3 days of my trip out west... Couldn't have asked for better weather for my time in South East Washington state!

"Solitary Sunset" - 3rd Place

This was also taken during my trip out west. I'm not an overly emotional guy, but this place literally brought a tear to my eye as I drove up to this spot during sunrise... truly an incredible place that I won't soon forget!

Although I pride myself in not spamming you fine people, there is a Nature photo competition next Friday... so you'll be hearing from me soon enough... you have been warned :)

I wish you all the best!

Warm regards,

Dan

2017 City of Cleveland fireworks

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 22:58:00 GMT

Hey there,

As previously promised, here's a recap Cleveland firework displays that I've captured from the Port of Cleveland this year. A huge thanks to the Port and my older brother for allowing me exclusive access to capture these shots!

Old coast guard station - Cleveland, Oh

Before the actual fireworks, I had some time to kill, so I just wandered on the pier and captured some photos!

a tug was pulling a massive ore boat up the Cuyahoga as I walked out on the pier!

This photo recently received an Honorable Mention in a photo competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society!

Still chugging along! It's incredible the power the tug boats have!

Look at the dents on that ship... apparently caused by ice flows during winter.

Now for the fireworks! There was approximately 15,000 fireworks shot off over a 30 minute period, which was quite impressive! The following shots were captured from next to the concrete silos near the mouth of the Cuyahoga river (which was where I was sitting at the time).

To give some sense of scale, here's a zoom in on the people setting the fireworks off.

Along with the shots I captured manually, I also set up my older camera with a timer that you can program to take a series of shots over a specified amount of time (intervalometer). Seeing that I could capture photos without actually being present, I placed it in the fallout zone just under the fireworks... All I did was frame the shot to where I thought the fireworks might be, and then press go. I set the intervalometer to take a 5 second long photo, with 1 second in between, for a a few hours. I wish I had lens that covered a wider angle to capture all of the fireworks, but I made due with what I had... I love that Cleveland is in the bottom right corner!

as you can see, my camera almost got hit by debris.

another really close one!

I really liked seeing this unique perspective, and am really happy these photos turned out! I tried this in 2016 and I screwed it all up... Can't wait to try this again in the future!

I'll be sending more from years past in other emails, so keep your eyes pealed!

Have a great day!

Concert Photography - Doyle

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 23:15:00 GMT

Howdy folks!

Through a random string of events, I recently photographed a heavy metal show for the publicist of a band named "Doyle". The band was named after the guitarist "Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein". A man that strums so vigorously, that he had to engineer stronger guitars to withstand the intensity! He cycles through a guitar between each song, as the other 5 are being tuned. I'm not entirely sure why he tunes them at all, because with the amps set to 11, there was no way of hearing the difference between notes. Be that as it may, he is a perfectionist in his own right, and that has to be respected to some degree.

Two of the members in Doyle were formally with the punk rock band named "The Misfits". If you've never heard of them, just know that they had hit legend status in the punk scene over the past several decades, but have since split due to creative differences. It was because they were a part of that band that I decided to endure the other heavy metal bands. If I were to sum the show up; there was a lot of screaming in contrast to a wall of noise that was being passed off as music.

Although I'm certain I suffered irreparable hearing loss, I still had a great time! The bonus was great learning experience in the ever challenging constantly changing lighting schematics from one second to the next. This is also why I ended up taking just over 600 shots...

(Left to Right: Bass - Brandon Strate; Drums - Brandon Pertzborn; Vocals - Alex “Wolfman” Story; Guitar - Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein)

Before each song, the lead singer would say "This one here... this one is a love song... and you can dance if you want to". Needless to say, they weren't love songs... unless "screaming your love" is a thing... Now-a-days, you just never know... At any rate, it made me laugh every time!

I mean... how many hours a day can this guy work out?

It was funny seeing all the cellphones... Doyle WVF hates cellphones at shows...

The bass guitarist kept on blocking a bunch of shots, so I squatted down to shoot between his legs for this one... gotta do what you gotta do...

It looks like he sprouted a second head out of his neck!!! Not to worry, it's just the Bass guitar player in the background.

This guy was lively!

Gum and heavy metal go hand in hand... well... I'm not sure if that's actually a fact or not... but it sounds about right!

I'm not convinced that Doyle Wolfgang wasn't trying to scare that kid in the front row...

Drum solo!

an intimate moment at a heavy metal show

This guy also plays in a band named Black Flag (which is also a huge punk band)... He clearly loves playing the drums!

Something a parent doesn't want to hear from their daughter's mouth... "Here's my new boyfriend... and I'm pregnant... can we live here?". At least I imagine you wouldn't...

Someone shouted "Play Freebird" between songs... they never did play it... However, they did play a love song that you could dance to... if you wanted.

After the show, Doyle was explaining the finer intricacies of science and technology to their younger fans.

Here's where the photos were used, along with a little write up about the show.
http://willtorock.com/recappictures-doyle-agora-ballroom-cleveland-oh-41317/

Until next time,

Have an awesome day!

Regards,

Dan

2017/03/17 - Creative & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 23:15:00 GMT

Hey everyone! Hope all is well!!!

Since writing to you last, I've been busy with a few different volunteering events for the Special Olympics, The Cleveland Animal Protective League, and even a presentation by the CEO of Lubrizol as he spoke to a Group Of Aspiring Lubrizol Leaders (GOALL for short).

Along with that, I'm mentoring another group of people at the Cleveland Photographic Society for the second time around, and working on setting up a photo club at Lubrizol!! Needless to say, I have no shortage of things to do, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds,

This past Friday was the final regular photo competition of the season, and it was a tough one! There ended up being an issue with some of the scores, which affected the overall final results of the competition. Sadly, all of my images were negatively affected by this causing them to not place. These things are bound to happen from time to time, and we just deal with them as they come. The good news is that I can still enter them in to the year end competition that's coming up soon!

"Smoky Mountain Star Trails" - Creative Competition - Did not place

This image is a compilation of close to 100 different photos (30-seconds each) that were taken back-to-back over a few hours. This was taken during my trip to the Smokey Mountains last April, which ended up being a great time!

"Submerged" - Creative Competition - Did not place

This photo came about by me experimenting with a feature on my camera called Double-Exposure. It mimics the result of a double exposed piece of film, by overlaying the two images together. While looking through the menus on the camera, I came to find that you can choose a source image as the first image, as opposed to taking two photos back-to-back. That being the case, I loaded a few photos I had taken during a model shoot with a friend, and then headed to the park to take the "second shot". The reeds that the model appears to be submerged in were back-lit by the sun, which gave a neat effect. Aside from a few slight tweaks in Photoshop, this photo was largely done in the camera itself. Yes, this technique could be solely done in Photoshop, but I wanted to force myself to try something different with the camera itself. I really love how this image turned out, and have just gotten it printed on canvas!

"Breaking Through" - Pictorial Competition - Did not place

This photo was also taken during my first attempt at double-exposed photos. Same technique as the last photo, that I also thought was fairly successful!

Well, that's it for now! I'll keep you posted on the year-end photo competition in the following month or two!

Have an awesome day!

Regards,

Dan

2017/02/03 - B&W and Pictorial Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 00:15:00 GMT

Hey there!

Here are some photos from a B&W and Pictorial competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society! This post was part of an email that contained 2 competition results that were split into two blog posts, the brevity is due this post originating at the bottom of said email.

B&W category

"Bass Player" - Did Not Place

Although not a technically sound photo, I still really like this shot! Taken in my buddy's basement when I was doing musical instrument study... This photo was a part of a CPS exhibit a the Cleveland Institute of music a few years ago.

"Giant Arch" - Honorable Mention

I took a day off last fall to take some early morning photos in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and had to stop at the 271 bridge for this shot... it was an amazingly foggy day in the valley that gave a neat effect to the shot!

Pictorial category

"Botanical Twist" - Did Not Place

A few years ago I volunteered to help assist CPS photo students at the Cleveland Greenhouse. I slightly missed the focus on the lower portion of the tan portion of the plant, but I love the flow of the image and the different elements!

There's only one competition left for this season, aside from the year end competition... I'm really looking forward to both!!!

Until then, I have much to do!!!

Have a great day!

2017/01/27 - Nature & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:15:00 GMT

Hey there,

I recently gave a presentation at the Cleveland Photographic Society about the past 8 years of volunteer work at the Cleveland Animal Protective League. The overarching theme was how volunteer work helped me progress in photography, and how competing in photo competitions opened me up to doing photojournalism at the APL! I also used the time to encourage others to consider volunteering their time at the APL or other non-profit organizations for the fun and learning experience. A few people approached me after with positive feedback, so although I used 3 vacation days to finalize the presentation, it turned out pretty good!

Nature category

"Frozen" - Nature Competition - Did not place

This was actually an icicle hanging from a friends porch during the extreme cold streak a few back.

"Ice Cave" - Nature Competition - Did not place

Oddly enough, the ice at the bottom of the shot was at the top of Buttermilk falls... The icicles actually formed from water dripping out from a shale wall just upstream from the falls. Fun fact: Buttermilk falls is on the hillside as the ski hill known as Buttermilk at Boston Mills Ski Resort.

Here's another photo I entered a few years ago of the same place... (it had similar results in competition)

Pictorial category

"2016 Cleveland Fireworks" - Pictorial Competition - Did not place

Taken from just under the silos at the Port of Cleveland. What's really wild about this photo is that you can just barely see the silhouette of a Cleveland firefighter in front of the orange flames (you can just barely see his head just to the bottom-right of the flame).

Till next time!

Dan

2017/01/06 - People & Pictorial

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 07 Jan 2017 00:15:00 GMT

Good day everyone!

I trust the holidays treated you well!

Friday the 6th was the last people photo competition for the season.

"Crimson Kristin" - People Competition - Did not place

Although this photo has good lighting, it sadly lacks inspiration... and the score reflected that. I don't think it's a bad photo, but it did fall short of placing in this competition. I just take that as inspiration to do better in people competitions next year!

"Smile With Your Eyes" - People Competition - Did not place

We were just fooling around with different things, and I asked my lovely model to wrap her head with her scarf. although I was just fooling around, I thought it turned out pretty good despite falling short of Honorable mention by one point. I'll probably enter this photo into the year end competition coming up in a few months, as I still have faith that it can do well!

"Sunset at the port" - Pictorial Competition -Honorable Mention

One of the many perks about being an active member in a photo club is the field trips. This shot was taken from the roof balcony of the Ernst and Young building downtown. I actually entered another photo from this trip during the most recent creative competition.

I'm currently working on a presentation that I'll be doing early next month for the photo club that will be about my volunteer work at the Cleveland APL!

In other news, I have a meeting with a coworker about starting the photo club at Lubrizol! I'm really looking forward to what we can achieve with this club!!!

Wishing you all the best!

Regards,

Dan

2016/11/18 - Creative & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 00:15:00 GMT

Good day everyone!

I recently hosted the most recent Creative & Pictorial competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society. Although there were many beautiful photos entered, it was a tough competition once again.

"Midnight Racers" - Creative Competition - Did not place

I took this photo back in April during my trip to the Smokey Mountains, where I stood in the dark for hours just waiting for cars to drive past. This road is on the way back to Pigeon Forge, KY from Clingmans Dome. I got lucky with this shot because I was able to catch cars moving in both directions, which only happened a few times throughout the night! Once the number of cars began to wain, I packed up my gear and headed back to the cabin for the eve. During the critique portion of the competition two of the judges argued about this photo... what one judge hated, the other loved... just goes to show that art is subjective and seen differently by different people. I for one love this shot!

"Urban Lifeblood" - Creative Competition - Honorable Mention

One of the perks of being a member of the Cleveland Photographic Society is that we occasionally gain access to different vantage points throughout the city. For a while we were going to the 44th floor of the Terminal tower before the building was sold. Sadly we can no longer gain access as we once did... On the good side, one of our friendly members was able to get us on the roof of the Ernst & Young building right near the lake! This shot was taken looking West towards the Lakewood area. As you can see, I did some post processing to highlight the highway through the shot... It only took a few hours and was just barely able to score enough points to get the Honorable Mention.

"Beyond Bridal Veil Falls" - Pictorial Competition - Did Not Place

This photo was taken at my favorite place in the Cleveland Metroparks. It's easy to get to, but the rocks can be quite slippery. No matter the season, it's always a great spot to capture some nature photos! This was unfortunately my lowest scoring entry of the evening, and I'm not sure why it placed so low... but that's just how things worked out... better luck next time!

That's all I have for the rest of the holiday season. My next photo competition won't be till early next year, so I have some time to get some more shots before!

Take care until then!

Regards,

Dan

2016/11/04 - B&W & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Greetings friends,

It's incredible how quickly time flies! There seems to be no shortage of things to do, and photographs to take.

I had the pleasure of photographing the Cleveland APL's Furball banquet/fund raiser at the Intercontinental Hotel last Saturday. Proceeds from the event fund "The Second Chance Program", where the APL helps animals that have more serious medical issues. If you're interested in seeing a 11 minute video with examples, here's a link to a video from a few years ago - Second Chance Program video - Just know that you may tear up... Also worth noting is that one of my photos shows up at 1:31 into the video! If you don't want to watch the video, just know that the program is for a good cause!

Anyway, I was taking photos of the event from every angle from 4:15 till midnight, and ended up taking just under 10 gigs of photos. Needless to say, I still have days of work ahead of me!

Along with taking photos of the event, I also donated a 20"x30" canvas print of the Key Tower which went for $220! Not too shabby if you ask me!

"The City Is Alive"

Along with that, last Friday was the second B&W / Pictorial photo competition of the season, and it was an interesting one for sure. There were some incredible photos that didn't place, and then some blurry one's that did really well... It just goes to show that art is subjective! Someone also recieved the ever so rare "Perfect Score", which raised the bar for the B&W competition. Although I like my entries, they just didn't do to well for this competition... I think I'll do better next time!

B&W Competition - Did Not Place - "Historical Homestead"

This photo was taken in Cades Cove during my photo trip to the Smokey Mountains earlier this year. If you ever get a chance to visit the area, make sure you stop by to get some honey comb from the visitor's center!

B&W Competition - Did Not Place - "One Stick To Rule Them All"

An alternate title for this was "Strangled by infrastructure", but that just seemed pretentious.... so I went with an obscure Lord of the Rings reference that nobody would get. Don't question it... just go with the flow.
Anyhow, this was a dead or dying tree that was under the Turnpike bridge just off of Riverview road near Boston Mills Ski Resort. I got this and the next photo when I decided to use my very last vacation day of the year. I don't regret that idea at all! The fog rolling through the valley, was just too incredible to pass up. Although this photo doesn't completely capture the true feeling, you'll be seeing some during the next B&W competition.

Pictorial Competition - First Place - "Early Morning Mist At The Beaver Lodge"

I woke up around 4 on my last vacation day to catch the sunrise, and whatever else caught my eye. Eagerly, I searched for the sunrise time, and roughly planned out the series of events that needed to reach my destination on time. I'm not certain how, but I must have faltered in my calculations because I arrived hours before sunrise. Despite the misstep, I set up my gear and started snapping away in extremely dark conditions. It didn't take long to realize that these weren't ideal conditions, but about an hour into the shoot when the light just barely illuminated the hazy sky. That's when things started looking up! Not long after this photo was taken, a dense fog filled the area which denoted my departure. The sun never made an appearance in that valley until I reached the bridge that's shown above. All in all, It was a great day to have off to enjoy some of the final warm days before the onslaught of winter.

Until next time, I wish you all the best!

Regards,

Dan

2016/10/14 - People & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Good day folks,

What an incredible weekend for being outside... I wish this lasted longer than a few weeks a year!
That aside, last Friday was a People & Pictorial photo competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society. Although there were plenty of great entries, it turned out to be a fairly low scoring night for most everyone involved.

"Llama Master" - People Competition - Did Not Place

Taken during my visit to the Great Smoky Mountains last April, this shot took me two attempts to capture (on two different days). This spot was about 1 mile uphill from the parking area, and had some precarious rocky and root covered path to contend with. It didn't do well in the competition due to the fact that I didn't give enough breathing room around the subjects in the photo.

"Singer In a Band" - People Competition - Did Not Place

This show was taken during a co-worker's Rock-a-billy show at the Beachland Tavern earlier this year. Although it did poorly during the competition, I still really like this photo!

"Treetop walkway" - Pictorial Competition - 3rd Place

Also taken during my trip to The Great Smoky Mountains, this walkway can be found at the top of Clingmans Dome. It's about 1/2 mile from the parking area, but the path leading to it is at an absurd angle... I swear it was 45 degrees at some points! If you're willing to hike up the thing, the views span for miles around. You can see some incredible colors during sunset.

That's all I have for now!

Hope all of you are doing great!

Regards,

Dan

2016/09/23 - Nature & Pictorial Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Good day/evening/morning to you!

Last Friday was the second Nature themed photo competition at The Cleveland Photographic Society, and what a great night it turned out to be! As I'm working through the virtual pile of photos I took on my trip to the Smoky mountains earlier this year, I'm finding some photos that I really like! Here are a few more that you may remember from previous emails.... then again, maybe not... at any rate, here we go!

"Rainy Day in Cades Cove" - 3rd Place - Pictorial Competition

This was taken on an popular stretch of road among photographers in Cades Cove National park. I guess when all these trees have bloomed, it's a site to behold! Much to my dismay, it turned out to be a rainy day and we were there before most of the trees had actually bloomed. What the day lacked in beauty, it made up for in mood and setting. Rainy or not, we were there to take photos, and that's what we did! I just put my camera in a plastic bag, set up my tripod and shot to my heart's content.

"Sunrise in the Smoky Mountains" - 1st Place - Nature Competition

Taken somewhere in them thar hills... That's slang for me not having a clue where I took this in the Smoky's, What I can tell you is that we were waking up at 4am every morning of our trip to capture shots like this. Although it's a dreadful hour to wake, it was well worth sacrificing some sleep and relaxation for some photos! I was really happy with how this one turned out!

"Misty Morning in the Smoky's" - 1st Place - Nature Competition

Another photo I thought turned out well! Either the same exact morning as the last shot, or perhaps a different one... dunno for certain... but that's not what's important here. What's important is that I was able to enjoy this experience and then ultimately share it with all of you!

I'm really looking forward to my next photo trip which I think may be out to southern WA and some Oregon! Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to go edit photos from the second annual Dick Goddard & Cleveland Animal Protective League telethon that raised over $140,000 to help the shelter during the one day event! Sadly, I found out the next day that Mr. Goddard had fallen and broken his hip while walking into his home after the event... Let's just hope all is well with this local legend!

It'll be a while before the next photo competition, but you'll hear from me once I get through all the telethon photos! Until then, I wish you all the best!

Regards,

Dan

2016/09/09-BW and Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Hey everyone!

Last Friday was the first Black & White photo contest at Cleveland Photographic Society, and it turned out to be a great competition!

"Below Grotto Falls" - Did not place - B&W competition

I took this photo back in April during my trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although this didn't place, the judges were great at explaining where it fell short of the mark. It came down to not having enough contrast between the foliage, rocks, and other elements of the photo. This is a problem that has plagued me in the past which I hope to overcome in the future! That said, I still like the photo.

"Slot Canyon" - Fist Place - B&W competition

This was a last minute substitution for another photo that I originally liked... I'm really glad I swapped them because the other wasn't as strong! This was taken during my trip to Arches National Park in Utah last year (2015). It's a magical place that's worth visiting! It's even more spectacular at night when you can actually see the stars... absolutely stunning!

"The Thriving City" - Third place - Pictorial competition

I took this about a month ago from the old coast guard station at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river. Thanks to a friend in law enforcement, I was able to park at the actual station to set up! He stuck around to keep any miscreants or other law enforcement at bay while I took the photos! Oddly enough the miscreants never made an appearance, but we were approached on 2 occasions by different officers because we were behind the gates. After talking to my buddy for a few moments, they were on their way, and I was able to continue. I was really happy with the photos I captured that eve!

In other news, I was just contacted by CPS about publishing one of my photos in the next issue of their electronic magazine entitled "The Dark Room Door", When I read what photo they wanted to publish, I just stared and scratching my head while pondering what they were thinking. Still not sure... but here it is anyhow.

"Murica' or Git Out" (Originally entered into the 2016-01-08 People photo competition where it did horridly.)

p.s. I really wish I had a Elmer Fudd hat for this shoot! (no pun intended).

I wish you all the best!

Regards,

Dan

2016/07/29 - Concert Photography - Bomb City Royals

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Hey hey hey!

Hope you're all well!

I was recently invited by my coworker to a rock-a-billy show to capture some photos (he's the guitarist). Seeing that I have no experience in venue photography, I saw an opportunity to learn something new! Believe it or not, I'm really new to using a flash in my photos...

Bomb City Royals - 07-029-2019

Tunning up before the gig... funny story, the drummer and bassist didn't have their instruments with them, so they had to barrow the head-liner's gear. This explains the massive bass, with bassist.

Bomb City Royals - 07-029-2019

I just entered this photo into a people competition at the Cleveland Photographic Society. I'll find out how it does on Friday.

Bomb City Royals - 07-029-2019

I was moving all over the place trying to find that unique perspective... in the process, I was groped by an older inebriated gal, at first I thought it was just an accident, but I find that sort of accident typically doesn't repeat itself so soon after. You just never know what you'll run across at a show.

Bomb City Royals - 07-029-2019

Going with a strong silhouette for a more artistic look

I was everywhere!

No flash used

flash used... I like both effects... it's tough to determine which I style I like better!

The woman on the right was the bassist for one of the other bands.

despite using a bass that was far too large, he played like he owned it!

the band

I had to photoshop a guy out of this shot... took forever!

All in all It was a good time, and I look forward to photographing their Halloween show in a few months!

In other news, I decided to say goodbye to a social life all together, and took on another volunteering assignment at the Cleveland Photographic Society. It's a mentor program where people sign up to learn from more seasoned photographers at the club.

So, yesterday evening, Me and 15 other people did short presentations on our specialties and skill-sets, and then people would choose who they'd like to learn from. I'm honored to say that I was the second most chosen person with a total of 14 mentees! I expect that after a little while a good portion of the group will drop off for one reason or another, but I'll try to teach them as much as possible before that occurs. I'm really looking forward to this as I truly believe that I'll learn a ton by trying to teach/help others.

Until next time, I wish you all the best!

Have a great day!

2016-07-15-Nature_&_Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Good day folks,

Although it has only been a week, it feels like an eternity has passed. Be that as it may, last Friday was the first Nature competition of the season, and it was a tough one! The judges were more critical than usual, which made for a lot of low scores across the board. That aside, I managed to do alright!

"Sunset Falls" - Did not place - Nature competition

I really liked this photo, and was disappointed that it didn't quite work out. The good thing is that we're allowed to re-enter photos into the same competition at the later date... I think I may try again with this one. Anywho, this was taken in TN during my vacation last April.

"Myriad of Color" - Did not place - Pictorial competition

Taken somewhere in the Smoky Mountains during sunrise... or possibly sunset... take yer' pick!

"Amber Haze" - Second Place - Pictorial competition

Another vacation photo from last April!

Well, that will be the last photo contest until August 19th, for the first People competition... I'm thinking I need to get some studio time in, because I don't have much to work with in that arena!

Until next time, have a wonderful time!

2016/07/08 - Creative & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Good day everyone!

Last Friday (07/08/2016) was the first competition of the 2016-2017 Cleveland Photographic Society's photo contest season. Being the Creative competition chair person, I was in charge of finding and organizing the volunteers for the evening, and being the MC. Despite being a little chaotic, as most first contests are, it still ended up being a great night!

"Snake in the grass" - 20/27 - Creative Competition - Did not place

I had several filters on my camera while taking this long exposure. The orange streaks near the bottom center of the image were actually cars driving up the long mountain road. I knew this image wouldn't compete well, but I still like it anyhow!

"Around the bend" - 25/27 - Creative Competition - First Place

It was scary setting up over a 20' drop on a precarious ledge, but that's what you have to do to get shots like this sometimes... with heightened senses and an active imagination every rustling in the darkness felt like some sort of savage beast... I whistled loudly for over an hour as to scare off any potential wildlife encounters... say what you will, but it can be intimidating standing alone in the darkness, while being surrounded by the unknown!

"Misty Mountains" - 25/27 - Pictorial Competition - First Place

A lovely sunrise in the Smokey Mountains! Can't recall where I was at the time, but I was happy to be there! I really like this shot, and was thrilled that the judges liked it too!

Until next time!

2015-2016 Year End photo competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sun, 22 May 2016 00:48:00 GMT

G'day folks!

It's been a while, but feels like just a blink of the eye. Since I last wrote, I've been busy with different fund raising events and other random photo related items. One of those related items is that an online publication decided to do a interview/article on me! You can check that out here: Interview

Aside from that, last Saturday was Cleveland Photographic Society's year end banquet and competition. The point of this competition is to recognize the people who have accumulated the most points, and to determine overall winning photos that were entered into previous competitions from this past season. There are 7 different categories that were judged for this competition: Pictorial (Print), Pictorial (Digital), People, Creative, B&W, Photojournalism, Nature, and I'll share everything that I entered!

Pictorial (Print)

"Exploring Autumn" - Did not place

"Portrait of a shelter cat" - Did not place

"Cross-eyed kitty" - Did not place

Pictorial (Digital)

"Summer Solstice Sunset on the Cuyahoga" - Did not place

"Twisted Stairs" - Did not place

"Yeah, I want some treats!" - Did not place

People

"Breezy" - Did not place

"Nancy" - Did not place

"Not-so Picasso" - Did not place

Creative

"The Feds Never Sleep" - Did not place

"Awwwmageddon 4": Frost Princess Fright - Did not place

"Witches Brew" - Second Place

B&W

"Dark Flower" - Did not place

"Guiding Light" - Did not place

"Meditation" - Second Place

Photojournalism

"Emotional Dick Goddard" - First Place

Nature

"Bedford Metroparks" - Did not place

"Foreshadowing" - Did not place

"The Three Gossips at Sunrise" - Photo of the year

As you can see, I did alright for myself! I can't express how honored I am, and encouraged to continue doing what I'm doing!

On that note, I need to edit cat photos from yesterday morning.

Have an awesome day!

2016 Smoky Mountain road trip - Recap

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:48:00 GMT

Greeting everyone!

April 2016 I took a road trip to Tennessee with the intent of photographing the great Smoky Mountains. Being a photo trip, I knew that meant relaxation would take a back seat to waking at 4am every day just to catch the perfect lighting conditions. Hiking miles up mountains carrying photo equipment in the the dark isn't always the most fun thing to do, but that's the cost of doing business.

For 5 days a small group of photography lovers got together to follow a grueling agenda in a variety of weather conditions. It rained on several days, but that didn't stop us... we just put bags around our cameras and kept on shooting!

Although it was a great trip, I did have a bit of bad luck. The first day and a half of shooting was lost to a corrupted memory card in my camera. Although that was discouraging, I still think I got some decent shots! Expect to see some of these in a future email as I plan on entering them into upcoming photo contests at the Cleveland Photographic Society.

Morton's Overlook using a tripod and long exposure.

Taken from Morton's Overlook
Morton's Overlook using a few on-camera filters and a long exposure. I like how you can see the headlights from the cars driving on the road in the valley.

Morton's Overlook using a few different on-camera filters and a long exposure.

Cades Cove on a rainy morning.

Cades Cove with some photoshop magic.

Cades Cove using my Lensbaby lens - On the surface, this is just a field with some trees and mountains hidden behind the fog. When I look at this, I'm reminded of being an awkwardly shaped kid, and being singled out by angst filled youths.

Cades Cove using my Lensbaby lens - I really like this one... the mountains are hidden behind the fog... it was surreal seeing the fog roll over into the valley.

Cades Cove and some photoshop magic

A settler's ranch in Cades Cove.

Taken from the observatory at Clingmans Dome... the hike was short but tough, and well worth it! The mountains were holding back a sea of clouds.

Sunset - Taken from the observatory at Clingmans Dome

Taken from the observatory at Clingmans Dome

The cabin I stayed it! This shot is composed of about 100 shots to capture the rotation of the earth.

Grotto Falls - this was the site of a new nickname due to some idiocy on my part... explanation is further down

Grotto Falls from a distance

Clingmans Dome on another day

Clingmans dome with a few on-camera filters in the evening

On the road back from Clingmans Dome, there's a corcscrew in the road where you loop around go back under the road... Looked like the perfect place for some long night shots! This was about 30 to 45 second exposure.

Oconaluftee overlook

Oconaluftee overlook!!!

Oconaluftee overlook - so quiet... so beautiful!

Mingo Falls - North Carolina

Alone in the park, waiting for cars to pass... photo achieved by taking a 30 second exposure at night.

I remember whistling loudly to scare off wildlife as I was waiting for cars to pass every few minutes.

That cork screw again... just different angles... It's amazing how scary it get when you're standing on the side of the road in the pitch dark waiting for cars to dive by... every crash in the woods and howl from wildlife made my heart beat a little faster...

Grotto Falls again - with a Llama train taking supplies up to a resort that's only accessible via this trail. This is what caused my new nickname for the trip... When we first went to this spot, we were closely followed by the train, so I didn't have enough time to setup and get the shots I wanted. Even after I warned my party members to check their camera settings, I failed to do so in time. We had taken night photos the evening before, and I hadn't had a chance to change my settings to something more appropriate to daylight. That being the case, the 3 photos I was able to fire off ended up taking about 10 seconds each, which yielded completely white photos. This meant that I had to come back on my own a few days later to capture these shots. That spawned the nickname "Redo-Dan", because there were a few other places I went back to on my own to retake shots I had failed at on previous days... good times!

Somewhere down the road from Grotto falls... this shot took far too long to set up, as I was standing in the middle of the river, trying to position the tripod in such a way that my gear didn't spill into the rushing water below.

Mortons Overlook again!

Mortons Overlook

All in all it was a great time, and I'd recommend going at least once in your life!!!

Have a great day!

2016-2017 - Year end photo competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 23:15:00 GMT

Good evening/morning/afternoon!

This past Saturday was the very last competition of the 2016-2017 photo competition season at the Cleveland Photographic Society. The next season will start back up in July, and I'll be spending the next few months getting ready! For the year end competition, you can only enter photos that had been entered during the regular competition season. The photos didn't need to place in previous competitions in order to qualify; they just needed to be from that same season. We could only enter 3 images per category, which turned out to be difficult for me to whittle down. With that said, here are all the photos I entered into this competition.

People Category

"Guitar Solo" - Did Not Place

"Singer In a Band" - Did Not Place

"Smile with your eyes" - Did Not Place

Pictorial (Digital entry)

"Gone In 60 Seconds" - Did Not Place

"Early Morning Mist At The Beaver Lodge" - Did Not Place

"Breaking Through" - Did Not Place

Pictorial (Printed entry)

Overall Accumulated Points - 2nd place

"Sunset at the port" - Did not Place

"The Thriving City" - Did Not Place

"Misty Mountains" - 2nd Place

Creative Category

Overall Accumulated Points - 3rd place

"Around the bend" - Did Not Place

"Midnight racers" - Did Not Place

"Submerged" - Did Not Place

Nature Category

"Ice Cave" - Did Not Place

"Sunrise in the Smoky Mountains" - Did Not Place

"Misty Morning in the Smoky's" - Ruth Morrison award (for Best Authentic Nature Image)
- This image is a special photo of the year, and will hang on the "wall of fame" at the CPS clubhouse for the next year!

Nature Category

"Giant Arch" - Did Not Place

"One Stick To Rule Them All" - Did Not Place

"Slot Canyons" - William Meyer award (for Best Scenic Nature Image In B&W competition)
- This image is a special photo of the year, and will hang on the "wall of fame" at the CPS clubhouse for the next year!

In the end, I walked away with 5 ribbons for this season, and I achieved a goal I had set when I first started competing 5 years ago... which was to get 2 photos on the back wall in a single year! I'm already looking forward to the upcoming competition season! My next goal is to get a "Perfect score", which will likely elude me indefinitely.

Until next time, I wish you all the best!

Warm regards,

Dan

2016/02/05 - Black & White and Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 04:09:00 GMT

Hey there,

Last Friday denoted the last B&W photo contest of the season. Aside from one more regular competition late next month (Creative category), there is also the year end competition/banquet in March (which is where the "Photo of the Year" awards are presented)!

"Dark Flowers" - Did not Place - B&W competition

Although I like this photo, it fell 1 point short of getting an honorable mention. I think if I had cropped this picture differently, I think I could have brought that score up. Something I need to clearly work on in the future!

"Northern NY" - Did not place - Pictorial Competition

A nice snapshot from a road trip I took several years ago... I look forward to visiting the area again for some more photos! Given the low score of this photo, I'm thinking it may have not been the best photo to enter into this contest. Guess I just need to try harder next time!

"Kendal Lake" - Did Not Place - Pictorial Competition

A neat place in the park on a perfect day! This photo also didn't do well in the competition, but after seeing all the entries, I'm not that surprised... There are some incredible photographers at CPS!!!

I still have much to learn about photography, but am having a great time along the way!

Farewell for now!

Dan

2016/01/15 - Nature & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 01:00:00 GMT

Good day everyone... I hope you're all well!!!

January 15th was the final Nature photo contest at the Cleveland Photographic society. In regards to this competition category, Nature is defined as "Photos of animals, flowers, plants and scenics where the 'hand of man' is not evident". Although this category is one of my favorites to enter, I also find it to be one of the more difficult. Even the contrail from a plane will disqualify an entry into this competition...

"Bedford Metroparks" - Did not place - Nature competition

As many of you know this is my favorite place in the local park system, and with the convergence of several waterfalls it's easy to see why! Sadly, this photo fell 1 point short of getting an Honorable Mention, but it is what it is... There are a few things I could have done to allow for greater impact... That aside, I still really like this photo and am not disapointed by any means! This place will most certainly be photographed even more in the future... so keep an eye out.

"Foreshadowing" - Did not place - Nature competition

I took this photo about a decade ago on a lone road trip through the Adirondack mountains... What a great trip that was... I concentrated mostly on northern New York and spent days wandering around in my car, trying my best to capture some semblance of autumn. This would have been easier if I hadn't been a week early for the changing leaves, but I still had fun non-the-less! This photo was taken is a small stream somewhere along the road. I'll take this same road trip again in the future, but have so many other places I'd like to visit first.

"Garfield Monument" - Did not place - Pictorial competition

One of the many benefits of being a member of Cleveland Photographic Society is that we often go on field trips to local places like the Lakeview Cemetery. This photo was taken from the inside of the Garfield monument just above the statue in the center. Although this photo also didn't place, I still thought it was kind of neat...

Well, that's it for this week! The next photo contest will be the last Black & White competition of this season. After that, there's one other competition before the year end competition in May.

Have a wonderful day!

2016-01-08 - People & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 00:37:00 GMT

Hey everyone!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New year!

It has been quite a while since I've last written to all of you wonderful people! Hope all is well on your end!!!

Last Friday denoted the last People competition at The Cleveland Photographic Society for this competition season. Being someone who likes to mix things up a bit, I'm always trying different styles of photography. Trying new styles, although fun, doesn't always yield the best results...

"Kelly"
People Competition - Did not place

Kelly is a long time friend of mine that was kind enough to model for me a few months ago... It was great fun, and I learned a lot about flash photography... I'm really looking forward into studying studio photography in the future!

"Murica' or Git out!"
People Competition - Did not place

With all the gun news out now-a-days, I figured I'd go for a more over-the-top satirical photo... Although it was a bit unnerving having a gun pointed at my head, I thought this was a neat photo concept. It's clearly not a good one, but it was fun none-the-less! This is dedicated to all those crazy gun nuts out there! This photo ended up being published in the Cleveland Photographic Society's online publication in 2016.

"Orange Kitty"
Pictorial Competition - Honorable Mention

This is a photo of a former resident of the Cleveland Animal Protective League! It was originally taken to help him find a home, but the cat was at the shelter for only a short period of time! Although it didn't help him find a home, it did do decent in competition!

Since the photo club took a holiday break for competitions, we have a little catching up to do. I just got done uploading my competition entries for a Nature competition for this upcoming Friday! That being the case, you'll be hearing from me again very soon!!!

Take care!

Warm regards,

Dan

11/20/2015 - Creative & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 01:00:00 GMT

Hey Everyone,

It's that time again... Results from the most recent photo contests at the Cleveland Photographic Society! This competition is generally a lower scoring category as "Creative" is a broad category which is subject to interpretation. Although the overall scores for all who competed were lower than most other contests, I was still able to do a little better than I was hoping!

"Autumn Falls" - Did not place - Pictorial Competition

This is one of my favorite places in the metroparks, and I assume you can see why. Although this area is pretty, my image fell a little short of placing this time around. I've learned on what I can do better for next time, and look forward to trying some different things. For those of you interested, this is located in Bedford Metroparks, at an area called Bridal Veil falls. This isn't Bridal Veil, but if you walked down Bridal Veil falls, you'd eventually appear in the area on the right... It's well worth the visit, but make sure you wear slip & water proof boots, because this areas is slick.

"Guardian Angel" - Did not place - Creative Competition

This is a famous statue found in Lake view cemetery overlooking a family's grave site. I used a Lensbaby lens, which is a specialty lens know as a "Selective focus" lens. By using this lens, I was able to get the face in focus while blurring the wings that are very close by. Despite not placing in this contest, I still really like it for it's daunting look.

"Awwwmageddon 4: Frost Princess Fright" - Third Place - Creative Competition

I was recently asked to photograph a friends family, which is something I never do. Due to the fact that the family has supported my photography substantially over the years, I decided to go along with it. I managed to get some great shots of the family, but I won't be doing portrait photography any time soon... sorry! Although my typical "Awwmageddon" series usually includes shelter animals and pets, I decided to mix it up with a photo from the portrait shoot (after asking permission of course). This shot still needs a little work, but I was running tight on time (finished it at 1am the night before the contest)... I do plan on tweaking it a little more before I give it my stamp of approval, but I do like it anyhow!

That's all for this contest! The next competition won't be until January due to the holiday season, so I'll have more time to get things in order. Until then, I wish you all the best during the Holidays!!!

Take care!

11/06/2015 - Nature & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 01:00:00 GMT

Hey everyone!

It has been a while... I trust all is well!

I just attended the most recent photo contest centered around Nature and Pictorial categories. Although I didn't have much hope for my nature entry, I did have high hopes for my pictorial entries.

"Emerald Reflections" - Nature Competition - Did not place

I didn't have much hope for this, and as you can guess, it didn't place. It should be noted that there was a perfect score on this evening which put the top score at 27, however, that wouldn't have mattered for my score.

"Exploring Autumn" - Pictorial Competition - Did not Place

You just never know what impact your footsteps will bring

I used a specialty lens on this shot that allowed me to move the focal point of the image. I personally love this photo, but sadly the judges did not... I probably should have gone with a little less blur, but it is what it is..

"Lake View Guardian Angel" - Pictorial Contest - Did not place

This is an awesome statue at Lake View Cemetery that always looks a bit creepy. I tried my best to make it slightly more creepy... sadly, this didn't do well either.

Even though my photos didn't place this time around, I was still proud of the pictorial entries!

The next contest will be in two weeks and focus on Creative and Pictorial Categories... I'm going to have to step it up a little bit to compete against an ever improving group of photographers!

Have a wonderful day!

Regards,

Dan

10/09/2015 - People & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Good day,

Last Friday was the second people competition of the competition year at Cleveland Photographic Society. Although I wasn't expecting much with my entries into that category, I still managed to do alright!

2015-10-09 - Honorable Mention - People Competition - 20/27 - "Meditate"

This photo was taken during a fund raiser for Aneurysm research, started by this young lady after her brother passed away at a young age from an Aneurysm. The proceeds are split between a research fund, and paying towards college funds of her brother's children. A noble cause to say the least!

2015-10-09 - Honorable Mention - People Competition - "Nancy"

Taken with very basic equipment in a tiny space... very informal, yet fun!

2015-10-09 - First Place - Pictorial Competition - "Twisted Stairs"

This is the steps found just within the Garfield monument inside of the Lakeview Cemetery.

Taken at the Lake View Cemetery in East Cleveland. This was the stairs heading down to the crypt inside of the Garfield monument... Along with capturing this photo, I was able to capture the following photo from the balcony of the monument during a structure fire just north of the cemetery! The building was abandoned and often referred to as the "Duck Factory", because it was full of rubber duckies that were in the Cuyahoga river.

This was the last photo contest for this month, as the next contest will be for beginners (which I'll be judging)... The next contest I'll be competing in will be a Nature/pictorial competition on November 6th. Until then, I wish you all the best!

Have a wonderful day!

2015/09/27 - Nature & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Good day everyone!

Time is absolutely flying, working at my new job!!! I can't believe it has already been 2 weeks since my last email...Be that as it may, I did much better for this contest than I had in the last Black & White / Pictorial competition!

"The Three Gossips at Sunrise"
Nature Competition - 25/27 - Second Place

I took this shot during my visit to Arches National Park in Utah last October... What an incredible place to visit! If you've never been there, I highly recommend it!!! I look forward to my next visit out there!

"Mystical Forest" - Pictorial Competition - 21/27 - Did Not Place

I already had this photo printed out from a few years ago, and decided to throw it in as a last minute substitute for a Nature photo that didn't turn out as I had hoped. This was taken at Virginia Kendall Lake in the CVNP... did a little photoshop magic to get the pink leaves... Although I think it's a neat photo, it didn't do well in competition...

"Portrait of a shelter cat" - Pictorial Competition - 24/27 - Second Place

I rarely enter photos from my volunteer work into competitions, but decided to give it a go... glad I did.

That's all for now folks! The next contests are on 10/09/2015 and is focused on People / Pictorial.

Until then, I wish you all the best!

Regards,

Dan

2015/09/11 - B&W and Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Good day everyone!

It has been 2 weeks, and another contest has taken place. This contest was particularly difficult because one of the judges gave every single photo low marks, which ultimately affected the outcome of every contestant. Despite this fact, I was still able to have one photo do well!

"Guiding Light" - Third Place - B&W competition

This photo was taken from the roof of the Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland, using one of my specialty lenses.

"Heck Yes, I want some treats!" - Did not place - Pictorial competition

This photo was published in a book a few years ago... Sadly it didn't do very well in this contest. It may have some other publications in the future, but only time will tell.

"Star Trails at Observatory Park" - Did Not Place - Pictorial competition

This was my second attempt at a star trail photo. It's the result of taking 197 images (30 seconds each photo). and merging them together in special software. I hope to do more of these shots in the future when I find the time!

That's it for now! The next contest will be in 2 weeks, and will focus on Nature, and pictorial.

Hope you all have a great day!!!

Regards,

Dan

2015/08/21 - People & Pictorial

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 04:17:45 GMT

"Breezy"

Category: People

Contest Score: 24/27 - Second Place

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: A photo studio near Steelyard commons

Story behind the photo: Used a fan to make the hair flow, and a strobe flash to capture the motion.

Camera gear:

- Canon 6D

- Canon 17-40mm f/4 lens

- 1 Strobe light with a massive diffuser, a model light, and filler light with diffuser.

- Fan

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as PSD > Jpeg

Focal Length: 40mm

Aperture: f/9.0

Shutter Speeds: 1/50

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Photoshop Camera RAW

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

- Alienskin Exposure 5 (for B&W conversion, and boarder)

Lessons learned:

- Friends make great models when trying to learn.

- It's nice to have someone around that knows how to use strobe studio lighting! It would have taken me a long time to try to figure it all out on my own..

"Not-so Picasso"

Category: People

Contest Score: 22/27 - Honorable Mention

Print medium: Digital upload

Location: A photo studio near Steelyard commons

Story behind the photo: Saw someone try this online, so I figured I'd give it a go... took a little fooling around to get the ladies aligned.

Camera gear:

- Canon 6D

- Canon 85mm f/1.8

- 1 Strobe light with a massive diffuser, a model light, and filler light with diffuser.

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as PSD > Jpeg

Focal Length: 85mm

Aperture: f/16

Shutter Speeds: 1/160

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Photoshop Camera RAW

- NIK Silver Efex Pro 2

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

Lessons learned:

- using a 50mm lens at about 5-8 feet away from the models gave me issues of their heads being different sizes or being distorted. This also make it difficult to merge the faces.

- Using an 85mm lens at about 12-20 feet away from the models will flatten the image, allowing the models to appear merged, and have the same sized heads.

Final Thoughts:

One thing I learned from the studio owner is that shooting photos at the same height as the models creates a boring effect. By sitting in a chair at a slightly lower elevation than the models, I was able to gain a more dynamic and dramatic affect in the photos. So just remember, if you don't like the results of your shot right away, try slightly altering the angle by standing higher, or lower then the models. Don't be afraid to lay on the ground to try different angles (unless it's covered in snakes or spiders).

Just remember that pixels are cheep and that you should shoot a ton of different shots... but remember that you'll have to wade through the sea of photos that you take!

"Ready for Takeoff"

Category: Pictorial

Contest Score: 21/27 - Did Not Place

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: Shot taken from the mouth of the Cuyahoga river looking South-East

Story behind the photo: I got lucky and met some people who granted me access to a good spot to catch photos in Cleveland! While taking the shots of a different direction, I head fireworks going off, and quickly turned to take shots of the action!!!

Camera gear:

- Canon 6D

- Canon 70-200mm f/4 USM lens

- Remote shutter release

- Tripod

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as PSD > Jpeg

Focal Length: 122mm

Aperture: f/4.0

Shutter Speeds: 2.7 Seconds

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Photoshop Camera RAW

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

Lessons learned:

- Long exposures on top of a vibrating platform makes things a little more difficult. Just try to time your shots out to to allow enough light in to the lens, but not too much that everything is blown out.

- Luck has a great affect on photo opportunities. You just have to be there to get the shots! get out there and shoot photos as much as possible, and may run across that once in a lifetime shot! You'll never get them if you're not out there!

Have fun, and feel free to ask questions!

2015-08-21 - People & Pictorial competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everyone!!!

As always, I you're doing great!

Last Friday was the most recent photo contest at the Cleveland Photographic Society. This contest was split in to 2 categories. People, and Pictorial (being any photo of any type)

Although portrait photography is still very new to me, I rented out a studio and had a little fun! A few hours with some good friends makes for a decent use of time! I captured many photos during this shoot that I've used a few times for different photos.

"Breezy" - Second Place - People Competition

My friend with an industrial fan drying out her contact lenses for a good cause... art!

"Not-so Picasso" - Honorable Mention - People Competition

If you squint a little, the nose looks like it could belong to either gal! I hope to recreate this shot at some point in the future!

"Ready for Take-off" - Did Not Place - Pictorial Competition

Although one of the judges called this photo "boring", I greatly disagree! But as you all know, art is subjective, and is open for interpretation.

I took this photo from the top of the silos at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river!

If you'd like to see any technical data on how I took any of these shots, I've made a blog that goes deeper in to the technical aspects: 2015-08-21-people-pictorial technical info

I wish you the greatest in all that you do!

Thanks for your time!

Warm regards,

Dan S.

2015-07-17 - B&W and Pictorial photo contest results!

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everyone,

Hope all is well!!!

Cleveland Photographic Society has changed their competitions up a bit, and included a brand new category! The new Category is a general B&W competition, which can include anything B&W. This just so happens to be one of the areas where I struggle, so I see this as a great opportunity to learn and grow at something new! The competition was tough, but I did manage to receive one award!

2015-07-17 - Third place - B&W Competition - "Meditation"

Taken during a fun photo shoot with my friend Kelly!

2015-07-17 - Did not place - B&W Competition - "Colorado Curve"

Taken during a road trip through Colorado.

2015-07-17 - Did not place - Pictorial Competition - "Tiny Cleveland Fireworks - 2015"

(This photo was taken from the top of the silos at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River! The two tiny dots about 1/8" down and right from the source of the fireworks is my brother and his colleagues! I was the only photographer allowed onsite for this display, and am grateful that I could experience such a cool event!)

Aside from that, I just found out that one of the photos I had sent in the last email (seen below) has been chosen by a panel of judges to be on display at a photo exhibit in University Circle at the Coffee House! Turns out that one of the judges is one of my new co-workers!

Sadly, the next photo contest won't be until August 21st, so It'll be a little while before I send another one of these!

I wish you all the best, and hope to hear from you all soon!

Have a great day!

Your friend,
Dan

2015-07-10 - Creative & Pictorial competition results

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Creative Competition

2015-07-10 - Third place - Creative Competition - "The Feds Never Sleep"

Around 40hrs of work merging a color image and a b&w version of it. This was a fun experiment with Photoshop!

Pictorial Competition

2015-07-10 - Third place - Pictorial Competition - "Summer Solstice Sunset on the Cuyahoga"

Taken during the summer solstice at Settlers landing in Cleveland Ohio. There were about 50 other photographers from different photo clubs gathered for the potential of capturing sunset between 3 bridges. I wasn't at the right angle to capture that shot... but the clouds made the angle irrelevant anyhow... the lack of an actual sun did make for some incredible colors!

2015-07-10 - Did not place - Pictorial Competition - "Fireworks over the Cleveland Pyramids"

Cleveland fireworks from a few years ago... I had debris landing all around me during this shot!

That's it for now... I wish you the greatest in all that you do!!!

Have a wonderful day!

Regards,
Dan Sandy

2014-01-24 - Projection Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:15:00 GMT

"The City is Alive"

2014-01-24 - "The City is Alive"

Category: Color

Contest Score: ??/27 - Second place (I think at least one person got a perfect score this evening)

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: Top of the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, Ohio! One of the many benefits of being a member of The Cleveland Photographic Society!

Story behind the photo: Sunset on top of the Terminal tower can lend it self to some beautiful views! I used a few Cokin graduated filters to take this photo.

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Canon 11-18mm Ultra wide-angle

- Remote shutter release

- Tripod

- Cokin Filters - Graduated Neutral Density

- Sunset filter (Can't confirm)

- Amber filter

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > 3-image HDR saved as PSD> Saved as Jpeg for upload

Focal Length: 14mm

Exposures: 0 / -2 / +2

Aperture: f/5.0

Shutter Speeds: 0.5 - 1/8 - 2.0

ISO: 200

Software used:

- Photoshop

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

-NIK HDR Efex 2 (3 Image HDR)

Lessons learned:

- Cokin filters can save even the brightest of days! Or it can totally ruin your photos... you just never know.

- Bracketing exposures (AEB) and then using HDR software such as NIK HDR Efex or Photomatix can yield some interesting results!

"Reflecting On Where They're From"

Category: Color

Contest Score: ??/27 - Third Place

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: Somewhere in Bedford Metroparks in Bedford, Ohio. http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Reservations-Partners/Bedford-Reservation-1.aspx

Story behind the photo: Went on a hike during early December in the park. Saw remnants of fall leaves in a pool of unfrozen water, and got some ideas...

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Promaster 11-18mm Ultra wide angle

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as PSD > Converted to JPEG for upload

Focal Length: 18mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/40

ISO: 400

Software used:

- Photoshop

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4 (Just used slight filters)

- HRD Efex Pro 2 (Single Image Tone Mapping)

- Alien Skin Exposure 5 (for some simple film effects, and the boarder)

Lessons learned:

- Even if it's cold, there are shots to be had!

- The original unedited photo doesn't look nearly as cool as the final product.

- Sometimes rotating a photo 180 degrees can make a substantial difference!

Final Thoughts:

The proper cropping can help or hinder your photo entry... could mean the difference between placing, or getting nothing at all... Just make sure you it works for the photo, and don't force it!

2013-10-11 - People Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 23:15:00 GMT

"I Surrender... To Meditation"

Category: Studio

Contest Score: xx/27 - First Place (Became Photo of the Year in 2014)

Print medium: Semi Gloss

Print Size: 11x17

Location: Studio 11 in Tremont (Yoga studio) https://www.facebook.com/studio11tremont

Story behind the photo: My good friend Kelly is a yoga instructor who was happy to help me get some yoga shots!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Promaster 11-18mm Ultra wide angle

- 2 Constant Studio lights on stands & one fill light on the background.

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as Tif > Jpeg

Focal Length: 12mm

Exposure: -0.33

Aperture: f/5.0

Shutter Speeds: 1/15

ISO: 400

Software used:

- Photoshop

- NIK Silver Efex Pro 2

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

Lessons learned:

- Friends make great models when trying to learn.

- Lighting can be difficult... move the lights around until the shadows look right for your shots.

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana

"Utthita Hasta Padangustasana"

Category: Studio

Contest Score: xx/27 - Didn't place

Print medium: Matte Paper

Print Size: 11x14

Location: Studio 11 (Yoga studio) https://www.facebook.com/studio11tremont

Story behind the photo: Same shoot as above... Kelly was a trooper, as it lasted several hours, and she was doing complex poses for most of them!

Fun Fact: as an instigator, I used the legitimate name for this yoga pose. I knew that someone would need to try and pronounce the title during the contest, so I made sure it was long, and difficult to read... The best part was that the announcer asked how to pronounce it, and I stated that I didn't even know... good times!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Promaster 11-18mm Ultra wide angle

- 2 Constant Studio lights on stands & one fill light on the background

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as Tif > Jpeg

Focal Length: 18mm

Exposure: -0.33

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speeds: 1/50

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- NIK Silver Efex Pro 2

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

Lessons learned:

- I took hundreds of shots during the eve... Good things pixels are cheep!

- After the shoot, I was told by another artist that some cultures are offended by the bottoms of women's feet... Although it is nice to be considerate of other people's cultures, I would still take and show this shot a million times over. Although it didn't do well in the contest, I really like it anyhow!

Final Thoughts:

Learn your camera by taking tons of shots... you'll only get better by knowing your gear! One thing to aid in that is to search Youtube or Linda.com for tutorials specific to your camera gear. The difference between an mediocre shot, and an award winner could be just a matter of using some simple after market filters in Photoshop! (I personally love the NIK filters (currently owned by google). If you decide to buy this filter pack, look for coupons online, as you can get something like 20% off!

2013-09-27 - Projection Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 23:15:00 GMT

"Wind Swept"

2013-09-27 - "Wind Swept"

Category: Color

Contest Score: ??/27 - Second place

Print medium: Digital Upload

Judges Comments: I recall the judge liking the fact that the bent stick in the foreground almost makes a complete circle along the grass in the sand, and the other greenery.

Location: Roosevelt Beach Road, Copalis Crossing, WA (I was somewhere near coordinates 47.176033,-124.195655 Plop that into Google maps)

Story behind the photo: Was aimlessly driving around Washington state and ran across a beach access... decided to walk around to enjoy the beautiful June day on the West coast!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Canon 11-18mm Ultra wide-angle

- Remote shutter release

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > 3-image HDR saved as Tif > Saved as Jpeg for upload

Focal Length: 11mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speeds: 1/320

ISO: 200

Circular Polarizer (filter)

Software used:

- Photoshop

- NIK Color Efex Pro 4

-NIK HDR Efex 2 (Singe Image Tone Mapping)

Lessons learned:

- The West coast has a lot to offer!

- How to beter edit photos using some simple aftermarket filters in Photoshop! (NIK software)

"Old Czech"

2013-09-27 - "Old Czech"

Category: Black & White

Contest Score: ??/27 - Did not place

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: A former co-worker's basement with all their old musical instruments.

Story behind the photo: Both the harmonica and sheet music are from old world Czech Republic.

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Lensbaby Composer with Double Glass Optic

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for upload

Focal Length: 50mm

Aperture: f/??

Shutter Speed: 1/50

ISO: 400

Software used:

- Photoshop

- NIK Silver Efex Pro 2

- HRD Efex Pro 2 (Single Image Tone Mapping)

Lessons learned:

- Using a Lensbaby gave the look of motion when none was present!

- Silver Efex pro can give some really cool effects to photos!!!

Final Thoughts:

I highly recommend shooting photos in RAW format, and converting your image to a smart object before doing any edits. Both those things will give the option to go back and fine tune any changes you've already made (minus clone brush work). If you intend on using the Clone brush or Dodge/Burn tools, do so before converting to a smart object.

Saving the image as a PSD file will allow you to retain any layers and edits for later retouching. Once you're happy with the photo, flatten the image, and save a copy in a different format (preferably JPEG).

2013-06-28 - Creative Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 23:15:00 GMT

"Autumn Stairs"

2013-06-28 - "Autumn Stairs"

Category: Through the Lens

Contest Score: ??/27 - Honorable Mention

Print medium: Matte paper

Print Size: ??

Location: Bridal Veil Falls in Bedford Metroparks (http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Bridal-Veil-Falls.aspx)

Story behind the photo: One of my favorite places in the park, for it's awesome waterfalls (there are several others below the first waterfall) and unique geology. I had entered this photo in a previous contest, but it didn't do well due to my cropping http://www.dansandy.me/blog/2015/7/2012-02-10-pictoral-photo-competition... I didn't crop this version...

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Promaster 11-18mm

- Handheld

- Natural lighting

- Cokin Neutral Density graduated filter

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as Tif > converted to Jpeg for printing

Focal Length: 11mm

Aperture: f/4.5

Shutter Speeds: 1/250

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

Lessons learned:

- Cokin filters can be used to take photos that could otherwise be impossible due to bright skies and darker foreground.

"A warm day in hell"

2013-06-28 - "A warm day in hell"

Category: Through Processing

Contest Score: ??/27 - Honorable Mention

Print medium: Metallic Paper

Print Size: 11x14

Location: Blue Hen Falls (http://alltrails.com/trail/us/ohio/blue-hen-falls)

Story behind the photo: The skies were gray on another Ohio winter's day, and therefore decided to use some Cokin filters to save the day! I don't recall the actual filter I used on camera, but did a fair number of adjustments during post-processing, which is why I entered it in to the "Creative, through processing" category.

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Promaster 11-18mm

- Handheld

- Natural lighting

- Cokin graduated filter(s)

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as Tif > converted to Jpeg for printing

Focal Length: 14mm

Aperture: f/5.0

Shutter Speeds: 1/800

ISO: 200

Software used:

- Photoshop

Lessons learned:

- Cokin filters can make for some really cool effects, and can save some otherwise difficult photo situations. They have saved many photos that would otherwise be impossible.

Final Thoughts:

Some purists don't believe filters should be used on cameras, but I say that's a bunch of hooie! On camera filters can save some otherwise difficult photo situations. In both cases with this contest, my photos would have looked drastically different without... to the extent that they wouldn't have been good enough to even enter.

2012-08-17 - People Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:15:00 GMT

"Jen Smiles"

2012-08-17 - "Jen Smiles"

Category: Non-Studio

Contest Score: 24/27 - Third Place

Print medium: Matte paper

Print Size: ??

Location: In the shade on a sunny day

Story behind the photo: Needed a model for my first people competition, and asked a good friend!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Canon 50mm f/1.8

- Handheld

- Natural lighting

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > saved as Tif

Focal Length: 50mm

Exposure: +1

Aperture: f/2.0

Shutter Speeds: 1/500

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

Lessons learned:

- Friends make great models when trying to learn.

- If it's a sunny day, take photos in the shadows... Direct light on portions of the face will blow out details.

- Some sort of highlight in the eyes from a light source will prevent the look of "Dead eyes".

"Hey Big Fella"

2012-08-17 - "Hey Big Fella"

Category: Studio

Contest Score: 20/27 - Didn't place

Print medium: Matte Paper

Print Size: 11x17

Location: Jen's basement

Story behind the photo: Jen had a really cool sign that once said "Barber", her husband cut the sign in half to only read as "Bar"! Along with that, she had a mannequin's head and some army fatigues from her husbands visit to Afghanistan, so I put the two together to make a weird scene... I love the absurd, and that was my aim for this portion of the shoot...

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Tamron 18-200mm telephoto lens

- Tripod

- Softbox for lighting

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for print

Focal Length: 35mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed: 2 seconds

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

Lessons learned:

- It helps to know optimal camera settings, which I didn't at the time of the shoot. Things would have been easier with a higher ISO given the low light conditions of the basement.

- You can use a light inside a softbox as a make-shift diffused light source. Studio lights are better, but sometimes you have to make due...

- I should have used Camera Raw to even out the colors between the fake man and my model.

Final Thoughts:

Learn your camera by taking tons of shots... you'll only get better by knowing your gear! One thing to aid in that is to search Youtube or Linda.com for tutorials specific to your camera gear.

2012-08-03 - Projection Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 23:15:00 GMT

"Rotting Away"

2012-08-03 - "Rotting Away"

Category: Black & White

Contest Score: 23/27 - Did not place (at least one person received a perfect score this evening)

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: Somewhere in New York state

Story behind the photo: I decided to go on a road trip around northern New York and spotted a large riverbed along the road... I saw a pull-off and decided to take a stroll. Great road trip through the mountains!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Canon 11-18mm Ultra wide-angle

- Remote shutter release

- Tripod

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > 3-image HDR saved as Tif > Saved as Jpeg for upload

Focal Length: 11mm

Exposure: -2, 0, +2

Aperture: f/4.5

Shutter Speeds: 1/125, 1/500, 1/2000

ISO: 200

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Photomatix HDR software

Lessons learned:

- Needed to work on contrast between black & whites. Camera Raw would have been a good tool to use for adding contrast (Alt+Shift+A) in photoshop.

- Could have brought some of the highlights back using Camera Raw as well.

"Cleveland Stadiums"

2012-08-03 - "Cleveland Stadiums"

Category: Color

Contest Score: 26/27 - 2nd place (at least one person received a perfect score this evening)

Print medium: Digital Upload

Location: The roof of the Terminal Tower in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

Story behind the photo: Being a member of CPS, we occasionally are granted access to places that the general public isn't able. About 3 times a year, we are allowed up to the roof to take photos of sunset and a few hours after! One of my absolute favorite field trips to take downtown!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Tamron 18-200mm telephoto lens

- Remote shutter release

- Tripod

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for upload

Focal Length: 28mm

Aperture: f/6.3

Shutter Speed: 4 seconds

ISO: 200

Software used:

- Photoshop

Lessons learned:

- I should have used camera raw (Alt+Shift+A) in Photoshop, to pull back some of the highlights.

- Used the Lens Correction filter (Shift+CTLR+R) in Pbotoshop, to correct the distortion from the lens. Some of the buildings had lines that weren't parallel, so I did what I could to correct them.

Final Thoughts:

Night photography is great fun, and I highly recommend it for anyone with a tripod! Fool around with long exposures and playing with lights. There are a ton of great tutorials on Youtube about light painting and other night photo techniques that yield some incredible results!

Unless you are trying to make an abstract photo with extreme angles, you should try to correct any unparallel building lines. Judges have been known to drop points for this during competitions.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend saving your images as PSD files, as you have the ability to go back and retouch things that you wouldn't be able to with Tiffs or Jpegs. Equally as helpful is to "convert your layer to a smart object", as you'll be able to go back and fix some of the changes you made... Make sure you "flatten your image" before you save to Jpeg (for digital uploads), but don't save over your PSD with the flatten image or you'll lose the layers. The downside is that PSD files are much larger, and require more hard drive space. With dropping prices on hard drive space, this is a problem easily circumvented!

2012-07-20 - Pictoral competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:15:00 GMT

"This Cat Thinks You Stink" (I couldn't find the original print of this photo, so the name could be different)

2012-07-20 - mlem

Category: Color

Contest Score: ??/27 - Did not place

Print medium: Matte paper

Print Size: 11x14

Location: The Cleveland Animal Protective League (https://clevelandapl.org)

Story behind the photo: I volunteer as a cat photographer, where I spend my entire Saturday taking and editing photos of adult cats. I avoid taking photos of the kittens because they don't need any help getting adopted... My love for the absurd draws me to photos where cats are sticking out their tongues... there's just something about it that makes me giggle like a little girl (which I'm not ashamed of!). I've actually narrowed it down to a science, so that I can almost predict when they are about to do it! It doesn't always work, but I can usually get several during a shoot.

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Canon 50mm f/1.8

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to TIF > Converted to Jpeg to for printing

Focal Length: 50mm

Exposure: +1.33

Aperture: f/2.2

Shutter Speed: 1/50

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Lessons learned:

- Had some hot spots that I should have removed by either burning the area down, or by using Camera raw in PS and pulling back the highlights. The later of the two would be less destructive to the overall photo.

- Although I love when cats stick their tongues out, I recall one of the judges mentioning that he took points away for that very thing. I still really like this photo, and actually have it hanging on my wall!

- I cropped this photo down from a 2x3 format to a 4x5 format to remove unnecessary portions of the photo.

"Terminally Excluded"

2012-07-20 - "Terminally Excluded"

Category: Black & White

Contest Score: 19/27 - Did not place

Print medium: Matte paper

Size: 11x17

Location: Parked in Whisky Island park, then launched directly into the Cuyahoga near the first train bridge near the mouth of river. http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/whiskey

Story behind the photo: A friend and I took some kayaks on to the Cuyahoga River for some fun... So I brought my dslr, hoping that I wouldn't flip, and lose all my gear. While floating downstream, I found what I believed to be the perfectly framed photo... with a flowing river, it makes it difficult to stay in one spot... so I'd snap the shot, then have to paddle back upstream... take a shot... paddle... so on and so forth, until I captured what I was hoping for!

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Tamron 18-200mm telephoto lens

- Cokin Neutral Density filter (handheld because I forgot the bracket again)

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for printing

Focal Length: 28mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/200

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Lessons learned:

- I cropped out some extra space around the photos... I don't think this negatively affected the image.

- The photo lacked contrast between the whites and blacks, causing it to be a bit muddy. I should have used camera raw (Alt+Shift+A) in Photoshop, to give a greater contrast. The blacks needed to be more black, and the whites, more white.

- The photo was a little over-processed using the noise reduction software, causing it to look a bit too smooth.

Final Thoughts:

Make sure you print to the appropriate size sheet for the level of detail in your photo. If you find that you have areas with low details, hotspots, or substantial grain/noise, consider printing on a smaller sheet that won't highlight your photo's downfalls. Printing to the wrong size sheet could cost you points, where every point matters.

Don't be afraid to have a little grain in your photos... Too much could be detrimental to your overall contest score, but too little could also do the same. The key is to find a happy medium.

The downside PSD files is that the photo size will be much larger, thus requiring more hard drive space. This is a problem solved by buying extra hard drive space for relatively low prices. Do your homework and don't buy something that's often prone to failure or data loss... just food for thought.

2012-06-29 - Nature Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 23:15:00 GMT

"Mossy Falls"

2012-06-29 - "Mossy Falls"

Category: Color

Contest Score: 25/27 - Third place

(At least one person received a perfect score this evening)

Print medium: Matte paper

Print Size: 11x17

Location: Somewhere in Vermont

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Tamron 18-200mm telephoto lens

- Possibly used a Circular Polarizer, but don't recall

- Tripod

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to Jpeg to for printing

Focal Length: 95mm

Aperture: 36

Shutter Speed: 20

ISO: 100

Software used:

- Photoshop

Lessons learned:

- Had some hot spots in the moss and water that I should have removed by either burning the area down, or by using Camera raw in PS and pulling back the highlights. The later of the two would be less destructive to the overall photo.

- Long exposures with water give some cool silky effects, but I needed to pay attention to where the sun was shining (i.e. the hot spots)

"Ice Curtins"

2012-06-29 - "Ice Curtains"

Category: Color

Contest Score: 19/27 - Did not place

Print medium: Metallic paper

Print Size: 11x17

Location: Downstream from Blue Hen Falls. Just before the massive waterfall before it hits Boston Mills Ski Resort (http://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/bluehen.shtml) This wasn't actually a waterfall, it was a frozen shale wall before the waterfall...

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Tamron 18-200mm telephoto lens

- Tripod

- Remote shutter release

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for printing

Focal Length: 25mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/60

ISO: 200

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Lessons learned:

- Over processed with the noise reduction software... again... should have just used the software that came with the camera to remove some of the noise.

- Printed on metallic paper... big mistake in this instance... The paper actually caused the lighter tones to be blown out, thus resulting in a lower score. Metallic works great in some instances, but this wasn't one of them...

- I printed this on an 11x17 sheet... with the lack of detail in certain spots I shouldn't have printed to a smaller sheet.

Final Thoughts:

I may try to reprocess the last photo using Camera Raw in Photoshop to fix any problems I had with this contest entry. I still think this could do well! Then again, I could be totally wrong, and it will suck in competition again... that's part of the fun!

Youtube can help on eithr of these subjects, and most any other Photoshop related techniques and questions!

2012-03-23 - Creative competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:15:00 GMT

"Going Nowhere Fast"

2012-03-23 - "Going Nowhere Fast"

Category: Through the Lens

Contest Score: 23/27 - First place

Location: Cuyahoga Valley National Park (North of the yellow houses on Riverview Road)

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Lensbaby Composer with Double Glass Optic

- Cokin graduated neutral density filter (also handheld because I forgot the bracket)

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to Tiff file > Converted to Jpeg to for printing

Focal Length: 50mm

Aperture: ??

Shutter Speed: 1/1250

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Print medium: Metallic paper

Lessons learned:

- That Metallic paper can really help some images!

- Don't forget bracket at home, because it makes everything more difficult!

- Lensbaby can give the perception of movement even when things aren't moving. The train didn't even have an engine... it was just sitting there...

- Still a little heavy handed on the noise reduction software, but it didn't hurt this image too much.

"The Fleeting Redhead"

2012-03-23 - "The Fleeting Redhead"

Category: Through the Lens

Contest Score: 20/27 - Did not place

Location: My parent's kitchen table with wilting flowers

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Lensbaby Composer with Double Glass Optic

- Lensbaby macro rings (2 of them stacked)

- Canon Macro ring II

- Tripod

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for printing

Focal Length: 50mm then zoomed... not sure what the real focal length would be

Aperture: ??

Shutter Speed: 1/20

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Print medium: Matte paper

Lessons learned:

- Once again did far too much with the noise reduction software.

- Cropped the image from a 2x3 ration to a 4x5... It helped in this instance...

- I should have sharpened the image, as the print ended up blurry.

2012-03-09 - Projection Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:00:00 GMT

This was the second photo competition I had entered at The Cleveland Photographic Society, and was before I had learned how to post-process images using Camera Raw in Photoshop, or NIK photo filters. I have learned much since then, but it's always interesting to see where I started.

Did Not Place - "Wha Wha What Happened to Fluffy"

This was a lucky capture during my volunteer work at The Cleveland Animal Protective League. That toy was unaltered in Photoshop, and was just worn by time and multiple washes... works perfectly with the cat's yawn! I was a bit heavy handed with the post processing, but that's all a part of the learning process.

Did Not Place - "Lilly Pond"

There's a little pond tucked away on a hill in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park that's only a few acres wide. It offers some nice views and is accessible 24 hours a day... I'm hoping to try some night photography here at some point, but there are so many other things I want to try!

Have a great day!

Regards,

Dan

2012-03-09 - Projection Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:15:00 GMT

This contest theme is similar to the Pictorial competitions, but is only a digital competition. Meaning the contestants need to upload their photos, to have the judges score the photos prior to the club meeting.

"Lilly Pond"

2012-03-09 - "Lilly Pond"

Category: B&W

Contest Score: 22/27 - Did not place

Location: Terra vista Natural study area (http://alltrails.com/events/2013/06/walk-terra-vista-natural-study-area)

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Promaster 11-18mm

- Can't recall if I used any on-camera filters or not

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for uploading for the contest

Focal Length: 13mm

Aperture: f/5

Shutter Speed: 1/1000

ISO: 400

Software used:

- Photoshop

Print medium: Digital

Lessons learned:

- I should have used more contrast between the colors.

- Some of the areas were underexposed, which means I should have payed more attention to all the details in the photo.

- The photo itself was far too dark...

"Wha wha what happened to Fluffly"

Category: Color

Contest Score: 22/27 - Did not place

Location: The Cleveland Animal Protective League (https://clevelandapl.org/)

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XTi

- Canon 50mm f/1.8

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image > Converted to JPEG for uploading for the contest

Focal Length: 50mm

Aperture: f/3.5

Shutter Speed: 1/80

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Lessons learned:

- I did an extensive amount of "noise" removal. The original photo had a lot of grain in it, but not a lot of "hot pixels".... Once again, I did more than I should have.

- I also used the dodge tool in Photoshop to a substantial degree in order to lighten the image. I should have used the Camera RAW tool to lighten the image, and bring up the shadows (the problem was that I didn't know it existed at this point).

2012-02-24 - Nature competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:15:00 GMT

Technical details

"B&W Waterfall" - Did not place

2012-02-24 "B&W Waterfall"

This photo was taken below Bridal Veil Falls in Bedford Metroparks (Bedford, Ohio) using a specialty lens. The lens used is a Lensbaby Composer with Double glass optic. It's such a neat place to visit!

"Engulfing clouds" - Honorable Mention

2012-02-24 "Engulfing clouds"

When I first purchased my first digital SLR camera, I decided to take a road trip to upper New York state for a road trip. Along the way, I stopped by the side of the road to capture a blanket of clouds rolling over the mountain. I look forward to my next trip to the North Eastern United States!

2012-02-24 Nature Photo Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:15:00 GMT

"B&W Waterfall"

2012-02-24 "B&W Waterfall"

Category: B&W

Contest Score: 20/27

(this photo later got 3rd place during the year end competition!)

Location: Bridal Veil Falls in Bedford Metroparks (http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Bridal-Veil-Falls.aspx)

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XT

- Lensbaby Composer with Double Glass Optic (DGO)

- Can't recall if I used any on-camera filters or not

- Handheld

Photo Specs:

Raw Image

Focal Length: 50mm

Aperture: ?

Shutter Speed: 1/250

ISO: 400

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Print medium: Matte paper

Lessons learned:

- Learned that the Lensbaby lens wasn't overly accepted by judges in the beginning. When people see areas with blur, they automatically believe that the photo was taken out of focus... with Lensbaby being a selective focus lens, that isn't actually the case. Although it appears to be a more accepted lens (or at least recognized) now, it can either help or hinder a photo. This lens is absolutely not for every subject matter, but when it works, it works well! Part of the fun is figuring out where it does work.

- Learned that my monitor wasn't in sync with the output images, thus causing me to produce printed images that were darker than on my screen. Instead of syncing my screen, I just started making the photos much lighter in Photoshop.

"Engulfing Clouds"

2012-02-24 "Engulfing clouds"

Category: Color

Contest Score: 24/27 - Honorable mention

(at least one person received a perfect score this evening)

Location: Somewhere in New York State, taken during a solo road trip through the Adirondack mountains.

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XT

- Tamron 17-200mm Telephoto lens

- Cokin graduated Neutral Density filter (I think)...

- Promaster red enhancing filter (but maybe not...)

- possibly a Circular polarizer

- Tripod

Photo Specs:

Raw Image

3-Image HDR (+/- 2 stops)

Focal Length: 47mm

Aperture: f/5.6

Shutter Speed(s): 1/40 , 1/160 (-2) , 1/10 (+2)

ISO: 200

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Photomatix (HDR software)

Lessons learned:

- Learned how to process using HDR without being heavy handed. I only used it to even out the colors/tones.

2012-02-10 Pictoral Photo Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:15:00 GMT

"Pictorial" is a term relating to photos or photo manipulations in general.

Technical details

"Autumn Stairs" - Did not place

2012-02-10 "Autumn Stairs"

This photo was taken at Bridal Veil Falls in Bedford Metroparks (Bedford, Ohio) during Autumn. It's an incredible place any time of year, but especially magical during the fall! If you have the nerve to walk down the first waterfall, there are a few additional smaller waterfalls downstream. The main waterfall is fairly slippery, so you may want to consider finding an alternate route. All I can say is that it's worth while if you do find a safe way down!

"Before The Light" - 2nd Place

I was invited to photograph a bass fishing tournament a few years ago, and being the type of person who likes explore different photographic adventures, I was all in! I woke at the crack of dawn to get there before the break of day, as you'll find the most dramatic light just before sunrise or sunset. There's something about the angle of the light during those times of day, that makes everything look ethereal... Sprinkle in a few clouds, and you've got the ingredients for a decent photo. Inversely, noon is the absolute worst time of day to take photos, due to the harsh light.

This shot was captured just before the sunrise, using a few graduated filters attached to the lens. These filters allowed me to even out the exposure between the sky and foreground, which made a tremendous difference in the final image.

2012-02-10 Pictoral Photo Competition

dan.sandy@gmail.com (DanSandy.Me) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:15:00 GMT

The following photos were my first entries into any contest at the Cleveland Photographic Society. The main theme was "Pictorial", which is an all encompassing category that includes any photo you've ever taken or edited to any degree.

"Before the Light"

2012-02-10 "Before the light"

Contest Score: Second Place

(this photo later became "Photograph of the Year" during the year end competition!)

Location: LaDue Reservoir (http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/laduereservoir) - during a Bass fishing tournament

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XT

- Tamron 17-200mm telephoto lens

- Cokin graduated filters (I used a Sunset filter, and possibly a 2 graduated Neutral Density filter... but don't remember as I don't take notes)

Photo Specs:

Raw Image

Focal Length: 200mm

Aperture: f/6.3

Shutter Speed: 1/200

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Print medium: Metallic photo paper

Lessons learned:

- Metallic paper does a great job at accentuating certain colors in photos, however, if you have a photo with a lot of highlights, it could work against you, as those highlights could look "blown out".

"Autumn Stairs"

2012-02-10 "Autumn Stairs"

Contest Score: 20/27

Location: Bridal Veil Falls in Bedford Metroparks (http://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/Main/Bridal-Veil-Falls.aspx)

Camera gear:

- Canon Digital Rebel XT

- Promaster 11-18mm Ultra wide angle Lens

- Cokin graduated Neutral Density filter

Photo Specs:

Raw Image

Focal Length: 11mm

Aperture: f/4.5

Shutter Speed: 1/250

ISO: 800

Software used:

- Photoshop

- Noise reduction software

Lessons learned:

- I ended up cropping this photo from it's original 2x3 to a 4x5 aspect ratio to fit within an 11x14 photo mat, I lost a good portion of the photo by doing this. This negatively affected the look of the photo, which cost me points in a contest where every point matters! I have learned not to change the aspect ratio of a photo just to fit within the mat. Instead, I should have left the ratio alone, and purchased/created a mat that matched the photo's original dimensions.

- Still being new to the whole photo editing process, I did an extensive amount of "noise" removal. The original photo had a lot of grain in it, but not a lot of "hot pixels".... I didn't realize that when printing, that grain would barely be recognizable, so I did far more than I should. When you look at this photo, you'll see that it's really smooth, where you can't see fine detail in the wood on the stairs. Now everything looks plastic and undefined.

Well there you have it... My first blog, about my first photo contest entries at the Cleveland Photographic Society. I'll be posting every contest entry to date, as I find the time. I'm hoping that with your comments, I can refine this to be more comprehensive and entertaining. My ultimate goal is to help teach people some of the things I've learned along the way. If you take anything away from this, being entertainment or new ideas, then I have done what I've set out to do!

Please let me know what you think!

Have a great day!

Dan

DanSandy.Me: Blog

2017/11/17 - Creative & Pictorial competition

2017/11/03 - B&W and Pictorial competition

2017/10/13 - People & Pictorial competitions

2017-09-22 - Nature & Pictorial competition

2017-09-08 - B&W and Pictorial competition

2017/08/18 - People & Pictorial competition

03/19/2016 - Creative and Pictorial competitions

07/14/2017 - Nature & Pictorial competition

2017/07/07 - Creative & Pictorial competition and update

2017 City of Cleveland fireworks

Concert Photography - Doyle

2017/03/17 - Creative & Pictorial competition

2017/02/03 - B&W and Pictorial Competition

2017/01/27 - Nature & Pictorial competition

2017/01/06 - People & Pictorial

2016/11/18 - Creative & Pictorial competition

2016/11/04 - B&W & Pictorial competition

2016/10/14 - People & Pictorial competition

2016/09/23 - Nature & Pictorial Competition

2016/09/09-BW and Pictorial competition

2016/07/29 - Concert Photography - Bomb City Royals

2016-07-15-Nature_&_Pictorial competition

2016/07/08 - Creative & Pictorial competition

2015-2016 Year End photo competition

2016 Smoky Mountain road trip - Recap

2016-2017 - Year end photo competition

2016/02/05 - Black & White and Pictorial competition

2016/01/15 - Nature & Pictorial competition

2016-01-08 - People & Pictorial competition

11/20/2015 - Creative & Pictorial competition

11/06/2015 - Nature & Pictorial competition

10/09/2015 - People & Pictorial competition

2015/09/27 - Nature & Pictorial competition

2015/09/11 - B&W and Pictorial competition

2015/08/21 - People & Pictorial

2015-08-21 - People & Pictorial competition

2015-07-17 - B&W and Pictorial photo contest results!

2015-07-10 - Creative & Pictorial competition results

2014-01-24 - Projection Competition

2013-10-11 - People Competition

2013-09-27 - Projection Competition

2013-06-28 - Creative Competition

2012-08-17 - People Competition

2012-08-03 - Projection Competition

2012-07-20 - Pictoral competition

2012-06-29 - Nature Competition

2012-03-23 - Creative competition

2012-03-09 - Projection Competition

2012-03-09 - Projection Competition

2012-02-24 - Nature competition

"B&W Waterfall" - Did not place

"Engulfing clouds" - Honorable Mention

2012-02-24 "Engulfing clouds"

2012-02-24 Nature Photo Competition

2012-02-10 Pictoral Photo Competition

"Autumn Stairs" - Did not place

2011-2012 - Photograph of the Year - Pictorial Category &2012-04-29 - Hopkins International Airport Exhibit

2012-02-10 Pictoral Photo Competition