COJ Photography contest week 11: "Trees"

I really wanted to pick laundry as a theme......but figured you would all come up to Canada and lynch me!
 

Thanks Helen.  Although I must admit the laundry pile is the size of a small shrub since I would rather be out taking pics!

Does it have to be trees by Helen's house.. ??



I think there are tree in Dallas,

Yes. It must be within my property limits......you OK with that?
 

Great topic.  But I gotta say, I am really struggling with the "taken this week" thing.  I will try.  I don't suppose you could throw in another "taken any time" soon?

Sorry - the last tree in dallas was just cut down - you might have to travel for this one.

NOT TAKEN THIS WEEK SO NOT TO BE CONSIDERED IN CONTEST.

Just one of my favorite pics, taken in a park in savannah, GA. Biggest tree i've ever seen in my life. I was trying to find my pic i took this week at Agnes Scott college of a massive magnolia that easily 100 years old.

I agree.  Taken this week gets me out taking pics and that is how I can improve.  It is certainly great to see pics that meet the topic criteria that people have in their files but for the contest "taken this week" works best for me too.

Thanks to everyone on this thread for sharing their work, feedback and ideas!

Evidently I am in the minority. It isn't that I don't like the weekly challenge, it is a time issue with full-time work and a young family. If I had time, I'd probably spend too much of it looking for photo ops but it just isn't going to happen. Sure I can take snap shots but these are usually not competition-worthy. I'd rather just look at the nice pics others take.

One more vote for the 'shooting this week' group.
Although I wasn't able to participate this week because of time constraints, it did get me motivated and thinking of different photo ideas & possibilities.
Personally I feel the reason behind same week photo submits is to help instill the creative thinking process. (it's too easy/lazy to rely on past efforts)
Even if you can't find the time to take the photo, at least spend time thinking about what you'd like to achieve. Visualize every step of how you might accomplish the photographic procedure and how you would get the results you want.  This alone might give you the impetus to get the camera out and put your thoughts to action. 
Remember, some of the best photographic opportunities are within a hundred feet of your present location, aquagirl for one has proven this theory.  

Hmm...  Some may call it stalking ,, I will call it photography  

I agree with everyones reasons for this week shots. It has given me a chance to really get creative and add a whole bunch of photos to my portfolio. Malgal, I have two boys 7 and 4. I try and take them on shoots or hikes for photos. It is funny they love to participate. Sometimes they even ask to take pictures. Pretty funny seeing them trying to shoot with the dslr. I love their input and when they ask me to take a photo of this or that.

I need to get this one done asap as I will be away this weekend and start of the next week.

Edited by Tynan19 2010-11-17 9:44 AM

This user's post has been ignored.

I shall throw my hat in the ring:

My dad bought me a basic point-and-shoot camera when I was 13, in preparation for a family trip to Europe.  I took a whole roll of film of the sandstone Greek temples in Agrigento, Siclly, some of them very good.  Lots of other pics over those 4 months too, but that day in Agrigento was the best.  Orange-y sandstone temples against a super-blue sky.  I remember lying on my stomach to get some flowering brush in the foreground, that kind of thing.

That fall I entered the try-outs to be a yearbook photographer, was taunted by a status-hungry type of kid for my "Fisher Price camera," and made the staff.   (He didn't.)  I could flip through that junior high yearbook today and tell you which ones are my shots. 

So yeah, you never know what a small encouragement will do for your kid.

No camera now though, other than my cheapie phone.

So I am avoiding doing boring chores and thought I would bump this thread with a photo of the Arbol del Tule.  A truly giant cypress tree outside of Oaxaca Mexico that I visited in April.  By DNA it has been shown to be almost 2000 yrs old (I don't know how they do this) and the circumference measured at 119 ft if you exclude some offshoots.  The diameter is calculated at 31 ft and its height by laser at 116 ft.  It's BIG!! You cannot get too close so I did not have a human reference point in the photo but the fence in the foreground is about 4 ft high.

This isn't for the contest but I thought it was fun to share and the thread has been pretty slow while everyone is out finding that perfect photo.







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LOL My 4 year old already knows how to use my DSLR and takes better photos than his father.  My younger son is only 20 months old so not quite old enough to go on photo shoots or hikes.  Because I am lacking the creativity gene, to actually plan a shot takes a lot of time, including getting it on to the computer then uploaded to the website.  Trust me, I totally get the appeal of the weekly thing.  I wish I had more time to be involved but I don't.  I snap a lot of shots during a typical week and if I am lucky, one will fall into the week's category.  If not, no go. But I still love to see other people's shots so I will continue to visit and vote.

I am enjoying looking at all of the other "not for competition" photos so here are a couple of themed photos from 2005.  We had an unexpected snow fall before the leaves fell from the trees and while it wreaked havoc on our power lines, it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  These are taken with an old point and shoot.




Edited by Malgal 2010-11-17 4:06 PM

Cute pic.  Here are a couple of photos taken by my 4 yr old when he was 3 - using my Canon.







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Love that top  photo, looks like baby is giving the "squish test"  to her own diaper!

Not to be a dbag, but isn't the "Favorite photo" thread the place for putting photos that are not for submission to the weekly contest? Kinda makes it hard to sift through which is a submission and which isn't when voting comes around.