Nat Geo’s top 45 pics from readers. Wow.

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 22 total)
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  • #2480
    ravnostic
    Participant

    http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/11/national-geographic-photo-contest-2011/100187/

    I don’t believe any one shot I’ve ever taken compares to any single shot in this portfolio of finalists. I am just in awe.

    #42616
    orionid
    Participant

    Edited to what I really wanted to say:

    Hoe.

    Lee.

    Shit.

    #42617
    fluffybunny
    Participant

    To me, this is an example of the best thing that can happen to a photographer. To be in the right place, at the right time – and to not mess it up too badly. Jeff Engelhardt

    Why doesn’t this happen to me?

    #42618
    Kestrana
    Participant

    That #2 picture just can’t be a real photograph. No freaking way.

    #42619
    ravnostic
    Participant

    That #2 picture just can’t be a real photograph. No freaking way.

    Could be; imagine 30 seconds, with the lightning flash at the last.

    I figure the NG guys have some sort of vetting process to figure these things. And it’s not farktography–tonemapping and such area-specific corrections aren’t disallowed.

    But yeah–pretty friggin’ incredible shot.

    #42620
    Plamadude30k
    Participant

    Holy crap, there’s a lot of REALLY good shots in there. What really gets me, though is the few that are way beyond really good-#25 comes to mind, among others. Spectacular gallery.

    #42621
    Yugoboy
    Participant

    I’ve only been with this community a short while, but I gotta say the amount of kowtowing in here’s astounding.

    These are awesome shots, but a number of us can and have done stuff as good as many of them. One advantage some of these people had was opportunity: the Dubai shot was definitely in part right time tight place, and a number of the exotic locations are just that. If we were there, many of y’all would take similarly excellent images. When I saw the 2 monkey shots, I noticed that they were both black and white, and that ennuipoet‘s gorilla image was just as good. I don’t know how many of you have underwater rigs/gear, but if you did, I’d certainly expect shots as good as the ones they’ve got here.

    Give yourselves more credit. These are great pics, but you guys do great work, too. Similarly great work.

    #42622
    Yugoboy
    Participant

    That #2 picture just can’t be a real photograph. No freaking way.

    Could be; imagine 30 seconds, with the lightning flash at the last.

    I figure the NG guys have some sort of vetting process to figure these things. And it’s not farktography–tonemapping and such area-specific corrections aren’t disallowed.

    But yeah–pretty friggin’ incredible shot.

    #9’s definitely Photoshopped. The shot is real, but the DOF’s been intentionally monkeyed with to produce that effect. Most anybody over at Misfit Squirrels can do that kind of pixel mangling… gotta have the right image, first, however.

    #42623
    orionid
    Participant

    That #2 picture just can’t be a real photograph. No freaking way.

    Could be; imagine 30 seconds, with the lightning flash at the last.

    I figure the NG guys have some sort of vetting process to figure these things. And it’s not farktography–tonemapping and such area-specific corrections aren’t disallowed.

    But yeah–pretty friggin’ incredible shot.

    #9’s definitely Photoshopped. The shot is real, but the DOF’s been intentionally monkeyed with to produce that effect. Most anybody over at Misfit Squirrels can do that kind of pixel mangling… gotta have the right image, first, however.

    I disagree. The transitions not linear enough. It’s much more likely to be from a tilt-shift lens angled to narrow the DoF vice expanding it.

    #42624
    Yugoboy
    Participant

    I disagree. The transitions not linear enough. It’s much more likely to be from a tilt-shift lens angled to narrow the DoF vice expanding it.

    I’ll take your word for it.
    A good photoshopper with an eye to detail won’t make his transitions linear either. Compensation will be made for objects standing upright in the focal range, but your answer makes more sense from a pure photography perspective. (Especially seeing’s how after another inspection there don’t seem to be any artifacts leftover from cutting layers out. Although a really good ‘shopper takes care of those as well.)

    #42625
    ennuipoet
    Participant

    I’ve only been with this community a short while, but I gotta say the amount of kowtowing in here’s astounding.

    These are awesome shots, but a number of us can and have done stuff as good as many of them. One advantage some of these people had was opportunity: the Dubai shot was definitely in part right time tight place, and a number of the exotic locations are just that. If we were there, many of y’all would take similarly excellent images. When I saw the 2 monkey shots, I noticed that they were both black and white, and that ennuipoet‘s gorilla image was just as good. I don’t know how many of you have underwater rigs/gear, but if you did, I’d certainly expect shots as good as the ones they’ve got here.

    Give yourselves more credit. These are great pics, but you guys do great work, too. Similarly great work.

    Once you’ve got some decent gear, learned the technical, grasped some basic compositional skills and built up your confidence this kind of photography comes down to right place and time. Taking nothing away from these amazing photographers, but being where they were when they were makes all the difference.

    And that gorilla shot was damn amazing wasn’t it 😛

    #42626
    orionid
    Participant

    Once you’ve got some decent gear, learned the technical, grasped some basic compositional skills and built up your confidence this kind of photography comes down to right place and time. Taking nothing away from these amazing photographers, but being where they were when they were makes all the difference.

    I can’t tell if this is tongue-in-cheek or not.

    #42627
    ennuipoet
    Participant

    Once you’ve got some decent gear, learned the technical, grasped some basic compositional skills and built up your confidence this kind of photography comes down to right place and time. Taking nothing away from these amazing photographers, but being where they were when they were makes all the difference.

    I can’t tell if this is tongue-in-cheek or not.

    Neither can I, my morning coffee had not fully kicked in. I think what I was trying to say was you can’t get these kinds of shots unless you go out and look for them. Or maybe I was trying to say anyone can get lucky but turning out this level of shot consistently is the mark of true skill.

    I am having a weird day.

    #42628
    Farktographer
    Participant

    Part skill, part being in the right place at the right time. I know if I was forced into these peoples’ shoes when their shutter triggered, I’d probably have a 10% chance of coming up with an image like theirs. I still struggle a ton with my composition, but even then getting the metering right, knowing what to focus on specifically, squaring things away.

    I wish I could see the raw images and find out what they do as far as contrast changes, making colours vibrant, cropping, etc…

    #42629
    fluffybunny
    Participant
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 22 total)
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