Challenge 1

Challenge #1 Sunset or Sunrise December 30, 2009

The first challenge is photographing a sunset or sunrise. Just be creative as possible, try something that you have never seen before. The purpose of this challenge is to unleash the photographer within you. You will be able to see other photographer’s work and comment on their photos. Try to photograph the sunset or sunrise in HDR. If you do not know how to take HDR photos just click the HDR tab on top of this page. Of course you do not have to use HDR, you can try other techniques. Please feel free to use whatever technique you want. Just be creative and try something new.

Please only submit your 1 photo to str8photography fan page on Facebook.

Label it as challenge #1. The top 10 will be selected and str8photography’s Twitter followers will vote on the best one. I will know who posted the photo from you Facebook account you used. You can provide a link to your blog, website, or Flickr below the photo. The person with the best photo will have their photo featured on the front page of str8photography.com with a link to your website, blog, or flickr. The winning photo with your link will be tweeted to all Twitter followers. Please RT this challenge and share it on your Facebook page. The purpose of this challenge is to be able to see other peoples work and interact with other photographers and learn from each other. You will have until January 15, 2010 to submit your photos. I will announce the winner after this date. Feel Free to participate in the challenge after this date. Just Have Fun!

Click on Photos to leave a comment or view comments

My name is Ann-Marie Metcalfe and I'm a mother, wife and housewife. Jack of all trades and master of none! I was born in the UK 40-something years ago and have lived in the UK all my life.

I discovered photography about 4 years ago and fell in love with being able to share what I see in the world around me. If we go out somewhere, my camera comes too. I've often heard sniggers from my family as I've been crawling around the garden taking photographs of bugs or flowers, but they stop sniggering when they see the resulting shot.

I don't specialize in any particular area of photography as my favorite subject changes often. I do however, like to be able to capture close up detail that many people would often miss. My current favorite genre of photography is motor-sport. I've always been a racing fan so being able to combine watching a race live and taking photographs at the same time is a great way for me to spend the weekend. I am still very much an amateur photographer.

I currently use a Canon 30D which is a replacement for my Canon 20D (which suffered a horrible death under the front wheel of a car!) which was used to take this Sunset shot of a local gas fired power station that is local to me in the North West UK. From my living room window, I can see the sky changing color at sunset and when it looks interesting, I grab my camera and head down to the riverside to see what I can shoot. This is the result of a 9pm trip to the river last summer (2009).

The Industrial Sunset shot was taken, as I said, with my Canon 20D shot with a Sigma 28-70mm lens at the full 70mm. Set at f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/26- and ISO of 100 (thank heavens for exif viewers, I wouldn't have been able to remember all that).

There haven't really been any adjustments made to the photograph, it really was that colour, but I did a slight HDR on it using Topaz Adjust software, but it was only a mild treatment, although I do really enjoy to push the boundaries on the right image.

For those just starting out with your photographic journey, my advice would be to shoot, shoot, shoot. Don't feel you should specify in one particular genre of photography. Try it all! Read up online, follow tutorials, get advice from forums. And if at first you fail, delete it and try again.

Thanks again

Ann-Marie

www.ammphotography.com - My personal photography site

www.photographers-corner.com - my photographic forum for anyone to join.

My name is Thamer Al-Hassan and I'm an amateur photographer from Saudi Arabia. I've been a photographer since last 2008 and I've been inspired by famous worldwide photographers & by some locals as well. I use a Nikon D300 and various of lenses for my shots.

This photo was taken of a sunrise view of an ancient fort called "Al-Uqair" located in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia at the shore of Persian Gulf. according to some archeologists they believe that its a place belong to The lost city of Gerrha that's been preceded by the legendary Sumerian-era civilization of Dilmun 4000BC. The place been used as a customs building in early 20th century. Once goods are cleared, they're usually moved by the merchant to the "Khan" behind it. This is where it is sold or shipped with camel caravans to the different areas in Saudi Arabia.

I used the camera setting f/13 1/15 sec 100 ISO and I add some contrast and color enhancement by using Adobe Lightroom.

My advice for starting off photographers is to try to pay more attention to the content of the subject while taking a shot , try adjusting the camera setting each time and to try take more shots from different angles to get more dynamic and dramatic results.

Thanks and best regards,

Thamer Al-Hassan

Name: George Fletcher

I'm an "IT professional" working for a large Internet media and content company. Photography and woodworking are my two main hobbies. I don't get to spend as much time as I'd like with either but that's OK. I've enjoyed taking pictures since I borrowed by Dad's Leica rangefinder in 8th grade. I recently started taking a lot more pictures and trying new things including becoming active on flickr.

My first digital camera was a Nikon 995 in 2001 and I still carry it with me back and forth to work. It's got great macro capabilities and doesn't fill up the backpack the way my Canon Digital Rebel XT does. I've now added a used Canon 40D. I'm very excited about this new camera.

This sunset shot was taken at Bears Den Overlook which is off the Appalachian Trail near Bluemont, Virginia. It's an HDR shot combining three exposures. I used a tripod and a wide angle lens. Details below.

Exposure bias: -2.3, -0.3, +1.7

Shutter: 1/30, 1/8, 1/2

Focal length: 12mm

F/Stop: f/22

Metering: Center Weighted Average

Camera: Canon 40D

Lens: Tokina 12-24mm

To stitch the photos together I used Photomatix which provides good HDR support. Once the photos were combined into the final image I used LightZone for the final processing. I like LightZone and it was significantly cheaper than Adobe Lightroom:) I still consider myself a beginner at HDR. I haven't done that many but I do enjoy it and like to try different things.

For those who might not have tried HDR before, I would definitely recommend using a software program to combine the multiple images. It makes adjusting the exposure and fine tuning the image much easier. Make sure you use at least a 2 stop difference in exposure bias to get a good coverage of the dynamic range. It's highly recommended to use a tripod starting how. The tools (like Photomatix) do a good job of aligning images but if hand holding an HDR, you need to make sure the slowest shutter speed is still fast enough to compensate for hand holding movement. As with all of photography, there no better way to learn than to try and learn from your mistakes.

Thanks,

George

My name : Cecilia Kamil

I am a newbie in photography, counting 5 months in all. "Another wet night" is simply one of my result of my daily practice as everyday, I will wake up early to catch sunrise and peek at my window every late afternoon to catch a sunset. I live in Singapore where it is more prominent with high rise buildings and it is difficult to find an open space to capture a sunset or sunrise. However, it does not stop me from taking any sunrise or sunset photographs. So after rain, I went up to the 9th storey flat building beside my house and capture this "Another Wet Night" . For me, there is always a way to do anything. If there is a will, there is a way. I did not use any photoshop or other software to edit. No editing done.

Settings:

Camera model : Canon EOS 450d

Shutter speed : 1 sec

Aperture : F/ 4.5

Focal length : 22 mm

ISO : 400

No flash

Date Taken: Dec 3, 2009, 7:27:09 PM

Name: Adi Spivak

-I am 32, male, amateur photographer, been one for 4 years, work full time as IT support.

-The photo was taken in Kineret, Israel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee)

-Camera use Nikon D80

-Settings I used Bracket, Aperture priority mode, F16, no flash, Tripod and Photomatix to stitch together.

-My advice to you Go out before the sun rises and stay out after the sun sets.

About me:

I am Vincent van der Pas. I am a Dutch freelance photographer for about 4 years now. I do different kinds of photography, from landscapes to wedding photography. I really like to be versatile, but I would love to find a true speciality. I am still searching for that though.

About the picture:

The picture is an HDR from 5 exposures (2 full stops down and up and a neutral exposure) taken with a Olympus E-3 and an Olympus 11-22 f2.8/f3.5 at 11mm with an iso of 125 and at f/22. It's taken on the 5th of august 2009 at my hometown of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It's taken at a lake called 'De Kralingse Plas' in the northern part of the city.

My full name is Paulius Staniunas

About me:

"Originally from Lithuania, a tiny country in Eastern Europe, I found himself living in Asia for past 2,5 years. One year I've spend in Indonesia, while living there among local people and discovering joys and sorrows of daily Indonesian life. Surrounded by completely different culture, religion and social environment than he has originated from, I started depicting portraits of those he met on the way and telling their stories. A year after Indonesia I moved to Beijing to continue Asian adventure and develop his photography skills. Main genre of my photography are portraits."

This photo was taken in 2008. In Indonesia, Jawa Island, Bromo mountain area.

I've used Nikon D50 with Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 lens

Sorry, i don't remember the settings i used

I've used lightroom to edit the photo. Increased contrast and made some areas (especially the displays of other digital cameras)

I would advice to others "Never stop till what you've already achieved..."

Thank you once again and good luck with contest! I will keep on following you on Twitter!

Paul

(click my name to view my flickr)

G'day Str8Photography readers, my name is Ben Latterell. I have been a photographer for about 6 months, since I got my Canon T1i, and have plunged into the Photoshop and digital world of photography full force. I am always learning new techniques, and have a fondness for landscape HDR photography. I live in Portland, Oregon and am currently working out gallery/art shows for my photography. I would encourage new photographers to take hold of these fantastic ways of processing photos, you can create beautiful, vivid, and enchanting images with all these digital tools.

This photo was taken in Oceanside, Oregon, USA. I was extremely lucky to get such a wonderful sky. It was shot handheld, with IS on, 3 exposures. I used photomatrix to merge into HDR, and then Photoshop CS4 to polish it off, add contrast, unsharp mask - enhance details, tweak colors, remove noise.

3 exposures

f/8

1/500sec.

18mm

Stock canon lens 18-55mm

My Website

Gallery of photos

Twitter

Name: Ken Tharp

I’ve been interested in photography for 25 years or so. However, I went many years without taking many photos until I discovered HDR about a year ago. About six months ago, I sold my film camera and lenses (a Nikon FM) and four tools I didn’t use much to raise enough money to buy a used Nikon D90 with a kit 18-105mm lens. For the past six months or so, I’ve spent whatever time I could find learning about HDR and capturing images to work on.

This image was taken at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines, Iowa, USA. I had gone on a hike through the woods there and by the time I was done, it was nearing sunset. I found a location on a trail and waited until sunset, when I took a number of images. This was the best one of the bunch.

The image was taken on September 30, 2009, with the Nikon D90 and the 18-105mm kit lens.

The camera was set to auto-bracket +2 and -2. I used a tripod and the self-timer. ISO = 200, Aperture = F8, and the exposures went off at 1/250”, 1/1000”, and 1/60”.

Being on a budget, I use the open source and free QTPFSGUI software for HDR creation and the open source and free GIMP for processing. As a beginner myself, I don’t know that I’m qualified to offer much advice other than to get out and take pictures. Experience is the best teacher.

Thanks again for considering my image for inclusion.

Best wishes,

Ken Tharp

ktharp@iowaequityexchange.com

Scott Barlow

Orem, UT, USA

I walked into the world of photography a few years ago when I purchased my first camera. Self-taught, I enjoy the challenge of trying to capture and create beautiful images as I saw the real thing. While I don't know true text book technique, I do take a lot of photographs and experiment with many different methods and settings. Every day offers an opportunity to learn something new and a new chance to photograph something remarkable.

I was raised in Los Angeles, but have spent many of my digital photography years in Utah and also traveling. Some of my favorite places are Japan, and Hawaii. I now call Northern Utah home and live with a wonderful wife and four children in this beautiful mountainous paradise. Feel free to connect with me online:

Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/barl0w

Twitter: http://twitter.com/barl0w

Blog: http://scottbarlow.net

These two photos were taken while on a business trip to Tokyo Japan, and from the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in the Minato district. Japan offers so many beautiful sights to photograph, and the best advice I received in order to improve my photography was to take a lot of photos. I also have taken the initiative to connect with a lot of great photographers on Flickr; I follow their streams and their art inspires my creativity.

I used a Nikon D300 and Tamron AF 17-50mm F/2.8 SP XR Di II VC lens. Each photo is 7 RAW/NEF exposures merged in Photomatix -3, 2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3. Other settings are ISO100 (L1.0), aperture is f/7.1, exposure bias is 0, and focal length is 17mm for the Tokyo Sunrise, and 50mm for the Fujisan Sunset.

Thanks Mark!

Scott

Robert Nakama

I'm an amateur photographer that just started to take photography a little more seriously about a year and half ago. I started to take it more seriously, as I was surrounded by other amateur/ semi-professional photographers at work. Started off with a Rebel XT, and then upgraded to 40D.

Being an amateur photographer I get inspired by looking other professional photographers, flickr, and reading about photography online.

For me, the best way to learn is by trial and error. When I go out to shoot, I take a lot of photos of the same shot with different settings to see how they affect the image.

Picture info:

This picture was taken at Sand Island Beach Park in Honolulu Hawaii. The picture was created using 3 shots, and manipulated with Photomatix.

I used a 40D with a 10-22mm Lens handheld set at 10mm, ISO 250, +2, 0- 2 step bracketing.

My Name is: José Betancur

And I'm an addict to taking photos.

This photo was taken with an Apple iPhone and doesn't have any improvements on it.

My photography bag has a Nikon D60 with two lenses (18-55 and 55-200) and my iPhone as a personal polaroid.

As an advice to other photographers I would say that the most important thing is to know your camera very well even if the camera is a cellphone one, each one has a great way to keep the moment.

irst My name is Matthew Pastick..

I have been a photographer since 1987 haveing taken a photographer class in high school. I took time off to get a degree in baking.. after hs an went back to taking photos in about 1987 an well shot flim till 2009 one of the last to switch to digitl am sure ..

Well about the photo I took of the sunset first was taken on lake minnetonka in Wayzata Minnesota! Was useing a cannon d50 digitl at a f stop of f22 at 0"8 sec useing a 28-90 lens . Did not use photoshop an never have I belive in natural light an since shootin so much flim one has to go with you know what will work the best.. no filters were used either... thanks my passion is taking photos I bike everywhere an even bring my tripod along most of the time I think one can stop an get photos so much easier.. Well my motto get out an take photos ! an enjoy yours Matthew Pastick