St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

From VOTING http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-233865-1.html

The winners of Vanishing Point with 193 entries and (518) votes are...

1st place = gemartin with 10.11 points and (23) votes (1st) taken 2013:07:27
2nd place = Angishore with 7.61 points and (20) votes (1st) taken 2013:11:06
3rd place = kpassaur with 5.42 points and (19) votes (1st) taken Unknown
4th place = warogers with 5.40 points and (12) votes (1st) taken 2014:04:05

Congratulations everyone - especially those who added a little more by telling us about their photos!!!

> http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest.jsp?pcnum=129 <
- Click (ratings) to see all the entries at once

Running Totals - Underlined equals multiple time winners
1st = fad2000, u02bnpx, PW4GDF, edlcsre, mcdykes, lifenprism, zuke, Robeng, Shaughnessy, gwigley, Pixelpixie88, Shaughnessy, qhorse, louelke, melequus, ptipton, PhotosBySteve, gene McKinnon, aerials, Mr T, Paradox, freeseframe, charben, 111USMC, DavidT, Indy5, Nikocarol, alissaspieces, fes22, manofhg, gemartin
2nd = Fuzzycoach, GreyGeek, abby, Beaubeau, KWKathy, howlynn, DavidT, PeterM, gpro111, DavidT, mcdykes, lensbaby007, phys406, dragonswing, JimGuy, Raz Theo, photojack, rps, cat2560, kirk s, wowbmw, Captain Tom, SQUIRL033, DrPhrogg, Jstreet, regionabove, Lorima, Tony R, greg vescuso, charben, Angishore
3rd = mcdykes, Moonsey, Ken Mahar, roger2012, plessner, mopinia, Gary K, Shaughnessy, Nikonian72, PW4GDF, bob44044, Tony R, jimmya, abby, wowbmw, Zulu inc, Songalolo, Scoutman, Captain Tom, cifuent, Indy5, Gryffon, firtree, Daleg, freeseframe, j_c42, melequus, take5, Lorima, Jbranum, kpassaur
4th = tjoyce0528, pithydoug, catfish252, plessner, kirk s, xen, DrPhrogg, Captain Tom, cat2560, bhatch, plessner, KWKathy, JoeS, ColdSnap, Wild Life, bob44044, Fuzzycoach, ColdSnap, Hoops12751, susano, Zelle, Nikonian72, Captain Tom, Mr T, alissaspieces, taylorzacre, LPigott, Dan Copeland, Shaughnessy, greg vescuso, warogers

Highway 6 Nevada


Melk Abbey, Austria


Meddard Park, Plant City FL


Bow waves

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

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St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with kpassaur,

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
I got into photography in High School back in the seventies. I lost interest in it for years and then about five years ago I went fishing with a friend of mine and he had a Lumix point and shoot. I could not believe how cool it was and the quality of the photos. So I went out and bought a Nikon one. I got hooked on photography again and then upgraded to a regular DSLR.

2) Do you have any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
I took a photography class in High School and when I got the DSLR I mentioned above I met Jeff Carsted a retired pro who was willing to mentor me.
As for the type of photography I am really into photographing live bugs. The world of macro is a little different and in order to become good at it you really need to understand the technical side of photography. Once you have that down, I think photographing other things becomes a lot easier.

3) In your opinion, what makes a good picture stand out from the rest?
It creates emotion. Like wow, I wish I was there or isn’t that cool, boy I have never seen anything like that.

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup? Can you walk us through it?
I used a Canon 5D MKII with a 15mm fisheye lens and a tripod. I virtually never use a tripod but I was reading about Lightroom’s ability to correct distortion. But you also need to have the camera level with the 15mm. So, I leveled the camera and shot it at different heights and at a couple of different exposures.

5) Do you post process your final images, and if so can you describe your workflow?
I shoot in RAW and until this past winter I only used the software that came with my camera. I had a great workflow as far as I was concerned. Now I use Lightroom, Perfect Effects and Helicon Focus. I have a terrible workflow now. Before I would process the image and save it as a jpg. I would wait a week and see if I still liked it, if I did I would save it to be reviewed again later. After about 3 months 90 percent of the photos were gone and at that time I would save the jpg on my server and burn the RAW file to a DVD. It was something I read on Ken Rockwell’s website. How to build a portfolio, just keep reviewing and only keep the best.

6) Who or what has influenced your photography and what inspired you to take your winning shot?
I don’t know who influenced me. What inspired me to take this shot was that it was at a photography club shoot and I didn’t want to embarrass myself so I had to come up with something decent. I had been to that location before, I knew about the bridge and I knew what I wanted the shot to look like. I don’t think it is as good as it could be at all. I think it is decent; others seem to like it more than me.

7) Would you change anything if you could do it again, and if so what?
I would change all kinds of things, a better sky, a different time of year so the sun would be dead center at the end of the bridge. I would keep the angle, and use a longer exposure to get smother water. The list goes on and on.

8) What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?
Since the question is one thing, I would say don’t believe what you read on the internet. I’m primarily into macro photography and 90% of what you read was written by someone who has never done it or was lucky to get a good shot.

9) What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera?
My flash.

10) If you had to choose one lens which one would it be and why?
It depends upon what I am shooting but overall since I shoot a lot of macro shots so I would pick my 100mm macro. I can add a tele-converter and increase the magnification or keep the same magnification and shoot further away. It will focus to infinity (not all macro options allow you to shoot to infinity) and it is great for portraits, flowers etc.

11) What lighting equipment, if any, do you take on a shoot?
I always take a macro flash or a regular flash and a flash bracket.

12) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?
Go fishing or camping, something outdoors.

13) Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your experiences?
Nothing I can share.

14) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
http://www.macroshooting.com has some old macro shots. I removed the rest of the links to my photos to have the site concentrate on macro photography.

15) Do you have any advice for the rest of us?
Bad question to ask someone like me. I think there are two really important things, first know your equipment. That means everything about it. So when you see something you have the technical ability to capture it the way you want in the camera. Plus the more you know the more creative you can become.
Second, be your own critic. Yes this shot was a winner, but could I have done better, I think so. I mentioned numerous things wrong with it to me. To me you don’t get better by listening to other’s opinions you get better by listening to yourself. The day I care if others like my photographs is the day I give it up. I am not a pro, they have to care about what others like.
My mentor told me he was so happy when he retired because he could finally shoot what he wanted. His shots are some of the best I have ever seen and the reason is simple to me, he has the technical ability and he shoots what is in his heart.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with gemartin,

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
Began using a camera in earnest in 1963. I was in the military and had the opportunity to travel all over Asia doing courier duty and wanted to capture images of my travels to share with my family. "Turned pro" in 1999.

2) Do you have any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
Formal training consists of attending many workshops and completing online courses.
My photography is primarily landscape (my favorite) with an almost equal amount of portraiture.

3) In your opinion, what makes a good picture stand out from the rest?
Good composition and tack sharp focus. Very important to lead the viewer's eyes to the desired area of emphasis.

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup? Can you walk us through it?
Photo was taken with Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-105 f/4 L lens. Indura tripod with Acratech Ultimate ballhead. I was in the middle of a month-long photo journey and heading back home in Wisconsin. This image was taken in the middle of the Nevada desert and there was almost no traffic so I sat up in the middle of the highway and took a series of landscape and portrait orientation shots. My intent was to show how alone I was and how far the road went in an unbroken line. Capturing this mood at sunset added to the dramatic scene.

5) Do you post process your final images, and if so can you describe your workflow?
I use Adobe Lightroom 5. My workflow is to import the photo files (RAW) to LR and store them on an external hard drive. I then establish the folder and rename the files on import to contain the date and a descriptor or job name. My system is set up to automatically create a backup each day of any new or changed files (secondcopy app). This is done to an external drive I call Daily Backup. After two copies of the files exist I then put the memory card back into rotation by formatting it in camera. Once per week my backup drive is copied to another drive as an archive. On the beginning of each month I change the archive drive and put the drive into a safe deposit box. I'm paranoid about my files because I lost all of my images once, and that will never happen again.
Post processing begins with rating images, batch processing in LR, and then depending on what it is I process in LR or Photoshop CC. I use NIK filters, OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 8, and Topaz labs filters for noise removal. For portraits I often use a soft touch of Portrait Professional Studio 11 (very easy to get too heavy handed - eliminate all defaults and do your own settings!).

6) Who or what has influenced your photography and what inspired you to take your winning shot?
I subscribe to and read multiple photography magazines and shots like this are influenced by what is shown in the magazines and on sites such as 500px.com. I was inspired for this shot by what I was viewing in my rearview mirror on my car.

7) Would you change anything if you could do it again, and if so what?
If I had my life to live over again I would have taken some photography classes in college.

8) What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?
How to use available light more effectively.

9) What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera?
My tripods and loupe to check focus or to work in bright lights.

10) If you had to choose one lens which one would it be and why?
I have the Canon 24-105 f/4 mounted most of the time so I would guess that['s my favorite because it offers both wide angle and telephoto. The lens is sharp and has image stabilization so it works really well handheld and tripod mounted.

11) What lighting equipment, if any, do you take on a shoot?
I always have Canon Speedlites with me as well as reflectors.

12) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?
I'd play the piano or fly an airplane. But, I don't know how to do either of those so I stick to photography.

13) Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your experiences?
Funny and interesting probably only to me.

14) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
I have a new website but I am struggling to find the time to get it set up. There is a rather clunky slideshow that I pulled together in about an hour that really does not show what I am most proud of in my work, but I needed something. http://www.imagesbymartin.com

15) Do you have any advice for the rest of us?
Use a tripod for most of your shots, It will aid you in composition, stabilize your camera, and increase the number of tack sharp shots your obtain. Be sure your tripod has a good ball head. I learned from an old time pro many years ago that there are two types of tripods, "those that are easy to carry, and those that work." Be sure your tripod is substantial. After all, why invest in good camera bodies and glass if you don't support the equipment with a stable foundation.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with Angishore,

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
Got started in photography in high school when I went on a Mediterranean Cruise with my class. My older brother gave me a 35 mm point and shoot and twenty rolls of film. (year 1975, long before digital)

2) Do you have any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
No formal training in photography, just a lot of years dabbling in photography as a hobby.
With the introduction of the internet a little while back, I have used it to teach myself how to do some awesome things with a camera and a computer.
I do landscape, nature, sport, travel, street, HDR and panoramic photography. To make it really interesting, a combination of any of these categories in one image.

3) In your opinion, what makes a good picture stand out from the rest?
I believe that good composition contributes the most to making a good picture stand out from the rest.

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup? Can you walk us through it?
I used a Canon T4i with a Canon 18 - 270mm lens.
There was no special setup. Through experience I have learned that when on a street shoot, guided tour or any other similar situation where time to take the photos I would like to capture only occurs in very fleeting moments, I always use my zoom lens at the widest setting with the greatest depth of field.

5) Do you post process your final images, and if so can you describe your workflow?
Yes I do post process but not with all images.
I always shoot at the highest quality JPG and also RAW format so that I will have the greatest number of options available for post processing.
First I resize and or crop the image to optimal size. Then, if needed, apply some exposure correction. In JPG I use Topaz Adjust or with Raw images I use the image editing software that came with my Canon camera.
Then when I want to take the image a step further and give it that HDR look, I use Topaz Ajust and play with the different settings until I get what I like.

6) Who or what has influenced your photography and what inspired you to take your winning shot?
My daughter started playing softball at about age 7 (around the same time photography went digital and the expense of processing was eliminated) and I became team photographer. It was during these years that I became acutely aware that it can all come down to timing.
When I took this photo I was on a guided tour of the Melk Abbey in Austria. We had just started to walk down the stairs when I looked down over the railing. Because all my tour group was behind me and I didn't want to cause a bottleneck so I did the point and shoot.

7) Would you change anything if you could do it again, and if so what?
In these on the fly situations its either impossible or very difficult to control any of the conditions you could find yourself in and thus you do what you can. If I could change anything, I would like more time to compose and take multiple shots at different angles

8) What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?

9) What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera?
Other than the camera, my favorite photography accessory is my computer.

10) If you had to choose one lens which one would it be and why?
From the lenses I have, the one lens I would choose is a Canon 18 - 270 mm.
I think that this lens is a very good lens with a long zoom range and fast auto focus.

11) What lighting equipment, if any, do you take on a shoot?
Have yet to work with lighting.

12) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?
If I couldn't do photography I would be an abstract or landscape artist.

13) Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your experiences?

14) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
I do have my own website but at this time it is only for personal photo albums. This photo seemed to fit the theme so good I couldn't resist.

15) Do you have any advice for the rest of us?
Try your best to anticipate and shoot, shoot, shoot.