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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 10/6/2007
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I had you beat, Kes. I downloaded your photo and checked the exif info and saw that you shot yours o the 28th. I was so curious to see if we had shot the same day, especially with the same weather... I was going to ask if you were the guy up at Zapata Falls with the dogs that my dog went nuts about...
but I guess not.
tag.
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![Nelson Moore [Kes] -](http://images.imageopolis.com/images/5/7/8/7/5787/1481659-micro.jpg)
Nelson Moore [Kes] -
{K:20241} 10/6/2007
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Well Dave, the curiosity got to me and I had to check the date stamp on the photo...I took mine on 7/28/07. Amazing indeed!
I like your idea of lighting up the inside!
Hey! It's comment tag! I just saw your comment on my shot that you took this on the 6th! Your it! lol!
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 10/6/2007
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Yeah, Kes, I find that so amazing... it's not like it is some famous place like Yosemite... this is in the middle of nowhere. I guess we look for the same things in photography...
I shot this probably about the time you were uploading your photo, on the night of the 7th, about 9-9:30 PM... I had to wonder if you shot yours on the 7th, when I saw your upload date. The clouds in your sky look really similar to how the weather was on the 7th.
I spotted the farmhouse on the way to the dunes in the afternoon, spotting the same view you shot and thinking to myself that it would be a great place for a night shoot. I intended to light up the interiro and use some colored flash on the outside.
I spent the sunset at Zapata falls and then headed back down to this house. It was really hard to find it in the dark. And that storm was moving in fast. By the time I found it, I had a nature's light show and didn't have to worry about adding lighting... except the flashlight to the exterior of the building...
hahaha... simply amazing.
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Nelson Moore [Kes] -
{K:20241} 10/6/2007
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Ha! You are correct, Dave - same building! Although you uploaded your shot a day later than me, I have to wonder if you didn't capture the storm of the day before my visit.
I like the diminishing power poles leading the eye...and of course the lightning strikes are amazing!
kes
...and for everyone else, this is the shot I took of this place;
http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=1339741
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 10/6/2007
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Thank you, Mahassa... I apologize for the delay in thanking you.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 10/6/2007
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Thank you, Luis... I apologoze for the delay in thanking you.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Elle Elle
{K:10958} 8/17/2007
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excellent and amazing,
the colors are brilliant,
and by the way to me it's just fine as it is, without cropping,
best, mahassa
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luis pereira
{K:26013} 8/17/2007
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Just make sure the camera is not made of metal. I see no way of making it better.
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/12/2007
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Thank you so much, Noemi! I am so glad to hear your comment and that you enjoyed this.
Best to you,
Dave
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Noemi Jurado
{K:8849} 8/12/2007
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Excellent capture Dave! You saw this even before it was taken! At first your thumbnail seemed to have the negative "rails" arround it, but after opening I see it's the cloud and ground below. In my opinion no cropping is needed, it is fine just as it is. Also I see the ghostly shadows to the left, and I like that too!
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NN
{K:26787} 8/10/2007
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PS. I can´t believe this hasn´t been awarded! :(
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/10/2007
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Thanks Laurie... and listen, I am always looking for a partner to go shoot with so next time you get out my way, lets do it!
Dave
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Laurie J. Herndon
{K:5338} 8/9/2007
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KILLER DAVE! Wish I had been there with you. You don't have that many opportunities to get such great shots in my part of the world. Have done similar shots over Monument Valley and other parts of Arizona but this scene works beautifully with the old shack and multiple lightening hits.
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Alicia Popp
{K:87532} 8/9/2007
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a no hago ja ja ja ... hago como gallina cocorocooooo!!!
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/9/2007
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Alicia, tú pollo loco
ja ja ja
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Alicia Popp
{K:87532} 8/9/2007
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ja ja ja ... sólo temblando!!!
Sigo prefiriendo tus fotos!
Saludos y mimitos a Diablo!
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Shirley D. Cross-Taylor
{K:174022} 8/9/2007
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You're welcome, Cap'n Dave!:)
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/9/2007
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I'm like you, Shirley. My first thought about power lines is to crop or clone out but in these night shots and especially this one, they seem to add a perspective...
Thanks, for the critique!
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/9/2007
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Gracias, Alicia. Y recordar, tú habría podido estar aquí compartir la gloria.
Rastros felices a ti,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/9/2007
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Thank you, Ahmed for your very kind comments!
Best to you,
Dave
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Shirley D. Cross-Taylor
{K:174022} 8/9/2007
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At first I wanted to crop out the power poles, but the more I look at it, the more I like them in there, and I like the foreground pole lit up a bit, but it might be good as a silhouette, too. All in all a great shot, Cap'n!:)
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Alicia Popp
{K:87532} 8/9/2007
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Wowwwwwwwwwww.... qué maravilla!!!
La verdad que asusta esas líneas de energía!
La composición es exquisita!
Felicitaciones!!!
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Ahmed Ismail
{K:19853} 8/8/2007
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I wouldn't change a thing here! The composition is great! Dave, you are a master at this! I dont think I have seen a lightning shot as good as this. Impressive..... an excellent image!
Regards, Ahmed
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Kiarang Alaei
{K:49415} 8/8/2007
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*yeah Dave, I was :-)
in low ISO there are more details for exposure and for creating the texture.
glad you test it.
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biljana mitrovic
{K:48110} 8/8/2007
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In both:)))
Big hug:)))
Biljana
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you very much, Katy!
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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¡Mucho agradece, Marcelo!
Recuerdos, Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you so much, John!
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Sheryl. I agree with you on the electric pole. I did intentionally paint it but the bottom got more light because of the flood beam of the flashlight when I was lighting the house. In retrospect, wish I had left the pole dark like the rest. I like them in the silhouette mode.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thanks, Gary. Yes, you do need patience, especially for the trial and error on this... but it is so much fun.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, AJ. Yes, the flashlight allowed for that light leading to the house. I probably need to find a light with a tighter beam. The one I've been using has a pretty wide field of light and you get some bleed over onto stuff you don't want to light up.
I did paint the foreground utility pole intentionally and in retrospect, probably not a wise choice. I like the way the other poles are mere silhouettes and would have liked the foreground one to be, too.
The fence line, though, caught the flashlight mostly unintentionally. I was hitting the posts near where I painted but the bulk of the light was from the bleed. Hard not to get them lit up from the road, though.
I had scoped this place out in the daylight and was ready to do just a regular night shoot of it when I returned. But when I got back and found the angle I needed to be at for the lightning storm, I was dismayed at all the bright lights from the surrounding farms. When I began the shoot, I thought sure they would screw up my chances by being overblown during the long exposure.
But it turns out they weren't as bad as I thought. And I kind of like the perspective they give. Also, cloning them out would present a minor problem in that at least one of them interferes with one of the lightning bolts.
Anyway, Thanks again.
Dave
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John Hatz
{K:156973} 8/8/2007
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ahhhh yeap, that diserves to be to my favs!
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John Hatz
{K:156973} 8/8/2007
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Holly God!!! These thunders looks like stiking the building and makes an unbrela roundly of it....lol...ofcourse a game of perspective but at the end THAT EXCACTLY is the element that I love here, the result is amazing and the quality of the image cannot be better....longer than 5min...WOW!!! That is a serius long exposure without any kind of grain and noise!!! STUNNING JOB!
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Rebecca... but are you sure you see ME? Maybe it is a big-headed alien?? I wouldn't count that out, you know.
Best,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Ani. Since I probably need only a slight crop for printing onto 13X19 paper, your crop suggestion will probably be about right. I thought about taking out the far right light, too, and your crop does this.
Kisses and thanks and hugs,
CM
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Elisa, for your kind words!
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Manuel! Very much appreciate the kind words.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Gianna, for your kind words.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thanks, Kiarang! I think it was you who suggested I shoot these at 100 ISO instead of 400. I've been doing that and it works very well. Much less noise.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you so kindly, Brigitte! I hope you will try this, but not as foolhardy as I... stay out of the lightning. My family gets very mad at me because I shoot so much lightning.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Biljana. Are you speechless in Serbian or English?
:)
Hugs,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Jim. And thanks for the crop suggestion!
Best wishes,
Dave
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Marcelo Berraz
{K:12906} 8/8/2007
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Hermosa y atemorizante foto nocturna Dave!!.M.
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Sheryl Phillips
{K:2728} 8/8/2007
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Dave this is so totally cool! As far as cropping, I agree with you...I like it just as it is. You did a great job with the light painting...looks nice and even. And I think the addition of your shadows adds to it...kinda creepy...the ONLY thing I might look to adjust is the telephone pole (which must have caught your flashlight as you approached). Maybe try to darken it near the bottom again, so that you don't notice it as much. Other than that, which really isn't even a "problem", the image is fantastic! Excellent job!
~Sheryl
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Billy Bloggs
{K:51043} 8/8/2007
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A cracking shot. You've obviously worked hard to get this, painting the shed was a masterstroke. If only I had the patience! The way the lightning surrounds the shed is amazing, reminds me of a miniature Frankenstein's house. When I first saw the image I assumed you'd cloned out any lightning that wasn't in the right place, but no, you've been lucky. I think the composition is balanced as is, including the dark upper and lower portions. Any cropping wouldn't allow the image as much breathing space, IMO.
Regards, Gary
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AJ Miller
{K:49168} 8/8/2007
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An excellent shot, Dave, but the light painting of the house is inspired (and well done). Interesting how the lightning has caught you on the road, but what has caused the streak of light leading from your "shadow" towards the house? Is this also from your flashlight?
I like the way the flashes seem to envelope the house, and the electricity poles provide some interest on the left of the image. The dark cloud balances the darkness of the foreground. The only slight distractions I find are the bright lights in the distance. Presumably difficult to avoid, and anyway your personal philosophy might be against removing them, even if you were of the same opinion...
Suggestion for cropping? I find Jim's a little too tight, while Aniko's does remove one of the lights on the horizon and reduces the dark foreground which is perhaps just a little too extensive. Overall, though, I'd say fine as it is.
AJ
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rebecca claassen
{K:12904} 8/8/2007
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Whoah!
Fantastic shot Dave, perfect in every way, I like the orig. crop that you have posted here.
Great light painting on the house too, perfect in every way. I do see you and you trundling down the road, spooky!
cheers, Beks
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Aniko Heart
{K:26503} 8/8/2007
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Oh Captain Midnight... This image sure does ROCK!
You are very skilled with these night shots. Love it! Love You!!!! :):):)
You asked for critique and suggested crop?
I see that Jim Budrakey has made a cropped version.
To MY personal taste and eye, that particular crop is rather too tight. We lose much from the bottom and also from the drama of the looming black cloud/s at the top. All IMHO!!!
I have made a crop which took only a little out of the bottom and a tad from the right (viewing side).
Either way, Dave... your image is superb!!! "My" crop is to perhaps bring it in a little more to focus on the well lit (by your flashlight painted) farmhouse and the lightning itself. I am not saying that the way I have cropped your image is in any way better than that which you have presented here.
Love and Hugs~
Ani :)
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Ani's suggested crop... with Love :) |
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Katy Simmons Assi
{K:3009} 8/8/2007
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wow such an amazing image, what a perfect capture. lovelly colour and detail, well done!
Katy
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NN
{K:26787} 8/8/2007
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WOW ... talk about MOOD! All I can say is ... congratulations!!! 
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Manuel Bedoyan
{K:9098} 8/8/2007
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I think the composition is perfect. Not a thing to crop. Super shot.
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gianna piano
{K:15530} 8/8/2007
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brilliant image. very well taken!
gianna
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Kiarang Alaei
{K:49415} 8/8/2007
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Exellent.
with a plan.
great, bravo!
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Brigitte R.
{K:25989} 8/8/2007
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Wow, Dave... looks like a lot of work, especially in a dangerous storm, but you've executed this nicely! I've always wanted to do something like this. Well done, very well! Thank you for explaining the process. This is one heck of a good photo!! Lots of drama! Congratulations and best wishes, Brigitte (In my favs it goes and you get a 7/7)!
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biljana mitrovic
{K:48110} 8/8/2007
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I'm speechless....
I envy to you cause you saw something like this by your own eyes:)
Perfect for me:))
Big hug from Serbia:)))
Biljana
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Michele Carlsen
{K:146013} 8/8/2007
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I better have another puff of that 'Kool' cigarette...and practice my smoking :))
I feel your enthusiasm Capt. L. Midnight-
I am sooooo happy for you ...You ought to print it and hang it on your wall ...It is that awesome :))
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Jim Budrakey
{K:24393} 8/8/2007
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Wow, truly a spectacular shot. I fiddled around with cropping it but it's tough to improve on what you have. Here's my best shot at a crop but I'm not sure that I like it better than yours.
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Stormy Night Crop Suggestion |
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Vandy. If you look very closely, along the fence line to the left, you'll see two shadows of me walking up the road. Slightly shorter than the fence posts due to perspective.
Best wishes,
Dave
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Dave Arnold
{K:55680} 8/8/2007
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Thank you, Michele... You don't know how excited I was to get this shot. I couldn't wait to get home and see it on the big screen. I was so worried something would be wrong with it.... but it came out perfect.
I was able to get three shots of this house, this being the last. I had waited and waited until the lightning got behind it. One of the shots was ruined by a car coming up the road. The second wasn't as spectacular as this and then ... after this, the downpour stated. It was a bad storm, lots of flash flooding.
I had an awesome time (photographically), I didn't want to come home.
Capt. L. Midnight
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Vandy Neculae
{K:7990} 8/8/2007
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Excellent.
Great work. I don't see any shadow...
Best regards,
Vandi
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Michele Carlsen
{K:146013} 8/8/2007
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Great shot Dave, EXCELLENT !!! You are the best night shooter !!!!This is amazing ...all of that lightening is beautiful ...
7/7 +++++++++++++++++++++
Wishing You All the Best,
Michele~
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