Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[Ed Rooney]

 

Ahhh, sightless piano tuners! There used to be a lot of them around. 

[John Morrison]

22 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Ahh, baroque -- Bach the complex master, Handel the dramatic German Brit, and Vivaldi when you need a smile and Italian charm! 

 

And baroque and roll... to get your foot tapping...

[Inchiquin]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

 

I wish that I had been introduced to an instrument that plays chords, be it violin, guitar, or keyboard etc, because they remain a mystery to me.

 

 

I do all my music making on a computer nowadays. I used to play piano as a kid and guitar as a young man but I wouldn't be able to manage a tune now. Composing without an instrument is a PITA because you have to do it manually one note at a time and keep playing it back to make sure it sounds right. But it does enable you to eventually play chords without an instrument!

 

Alan

[Bryan]

Before the Baroque period British composers Dowling (possibly Irish but working in England) and Byrd were two of the big names, possibly eclipsed by the more prolific Susato from the Netherlands. They wrote some great tunes, ranging from the melancholic to dance melodies.  It was a stressful time in England, worship the wrong religion and you could come to an unpleasant end.

 

Edit - whoops, missed the maestro Tom Tallis. 

 

Later, Purcell flew the flag for English composition, before it became known as the "Country without music"........

Edited December 28, 2021 by Bryan

[Ed Rooney]

8 hours ago, Inchiquin said:

 

 But it does enable you to eventually play chords without an instrument!

 

Alan

 

Forgive me if I've told this story before. I had three very different involvements with music. In my teens and early 20s, I was a jazz musician. Trumpet was my instrument but I also played drums and that large acoustic standup bass. In those days, most players knew the basic repertoire of American songbook tunes. When we would get together in a pickup band to play a job, somebody would also have a fake book. Those had the basic melody in notes, often the lyrics, and the cord signs -- C Major 7, D Min, G 9, and so on. 

 

In the late '50s, my wife and I played host to two Irish grandmas from the Bronx at a Greenwich Village club to see the Clancy Brothers. This was before they got their matching sweaters and became famous. There was a blizzard that night and they were all a bit drunk. Tom of course was very drunk. I was doing a favour for a friend and had no interest in their music. But when they started the first number it hit some Celtic wire in my brain and I was hooked. Two years later, I was friends with the brothers and a folk singer in Village clubs myself. I had somehow learned to play guitar. But I was busy with photography at that point. 

 

My third adventure in music came when I returned to NYC from Oxfordshire. I went first to stay at my brother's and then my sister's place in Maryland outside of DC. My sister's second son was a pianist and was composing music on a keyboard synthesiser. I watched him for a while and thought, "I can do that." And so I did. I did some ghost writing of commercials for two ex-jazz friends in Hollywood. I'm not a pianist but I developed some basic skill and was able to sound as if I played by putting all the parts together, piece by piece. 

[Bryan]

Edo, you're a man of many talents !

[sb photos]

Was going to make a quick meal of omelettes for this evening, but during preparation had to call it off. before using I always lower eggs into a jug of water. If they tilt upwards I reject them. I started on the oldest box of eggs first, and miraculously all laid completely flat in the jug. As I cracked them they didn't look right, the yokes looked ok but the remainder was partially frozen. I checked the still pretty full fridge, the temperature control had been knocked to maximum by a pack of smoked salmon pushed up to the knob. No big deal, but omelettes were now off the menu.

[Ed Rooney]

 

Here you go, Steve.

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

I just had my third QC fail in about a month. The first fail I agreed with. With the second fail I feel they were wrong. This third image that has been rejected is a dusk picture of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome — and is already in my port. All I did with it this time is change the sky with the sky replacement tool. Here. the one that was accepted:

 

 

What's wrong? Some of the people are blurred-in-motion. But you can clearly read the writing atop the columns on the Basilica. Would QC reject HCB's image of the blurred bike passing the staircase? Maybe. 

 

I'm frustrated and livid about this. I'm bored shooting totally safe images. I need to extend things creatively, work on the edge of what is safe. 

 

 

[MDM]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I just had my third QC fail in about a month. The first fail I agreed with. With the second fail I feel they were wrong. This third image that has been rejected is a dusk picture of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome — and is already in my port. All I did with it this time is change the sky with the sky replacement tool. Here. the one that was accepted:

 

 

What's wrong? Some of the people are blurred-in-motion. But you can clearly read the writing atop the columns on the Basilica. Would QC reject HCB's image of the blurred bike passing the staircase? Maybe. 

 

I'm frustrated and livid about this. I'm bored shooting totally safe images. I need to extend things creatively, work on the edge of what is safe. 

 

 

 

Can you post a full size version of the one that failed on Dropbox or email me the image if you like. It has to be full size original though, it is impossible to tell from a smaller image and this is not the one that failed in any case. Also what was the reason for failure? SoLD, noise?

[Ed Rooney]

 

Thanks but no, Michael. I'm not looking for a second opinion.

[geogphotos]

9 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Thanks but no, Michael. I'm not looking for a second opinion.

 

Sorry to hear about that Edo. QC seem to me to be much hotter on 'noise' in shadow areas than I ever remember them being in the past.

 

I have been finding it hard work with images taken in winter sunshine where there are areas of shadow. 

[Bryan]

On 27/12/2021 at 19:09, Ed Rooney said:

 

In the late '50s, my wife and I played host to two Irish grandmas from the Bronx at a Greenwich Village club to see the Clancy Brothers. This was before they got their matching sweaters and became famous. There was a blizzard that night and they were all a bit drunk. Tom of course was very drunk. I was doing a favour for a friend and had no interest in their music. But when they started the first number it hit some Celtic wire in my brain and I was hooked. Two years later, I was friends with the brothers and a folk singer in Village clubs myself. I had somehow learned to play guitar. But I was busy with photography at that point. 

 

Clancy brothers in 1995

[MDM]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Thanks but no, Michael. I'm not looking for a second opinion.

Ok Edo, it’s just that you did ask a few questions such as “what’s wrong?” and another question suggesting you were looking for opinions which can’t be answered without seeing the original submitted image. If QC is getting more fussy or getting things wrong, then it might be of more general interest but no worries. 

[wiskerke]

30 minutes ago, MDM said:

Ok Edo, it’s just that you did ask a few questions such as “what’s wrong?” and another question suggesting you were looking for opinions which can’t be answered without seeing the original submitted image. If QC is getting more fussy or getting things wrong, then it might be of more general interest but no worries. 

Agree with the more general interest.

Like I want to avoid what they're rejecting at the moment. (And maybe some of the others too.)

For all those reasons Edo gave: being bored plus the rest.

 

wim

[geogphotos]

Today I've been processing high ISO images from  inside a dark medieval church of faded wall paintings from the 13th century - how can these be anything other than borderline for QC?

 

Can they be considered 'Reportage'? Or do I risk a QC fail?

 

 

[meanderingemu]

1 minute ago, geogphotos said:

Today I've been processing high ISO images from  inside a dark medieval church of faded wall paintings from the 13th century - how can these be anything other than borderline for QC?

 

Can they be considered 'Reportage'? Or do I risk a QC fail?

 

 

 

 

based on what i see loaded as reportage, it seems that you should be able to go that way, if the option is available to you. 

[geogphotos]

9 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

 

 

based on what i see loaded as reportage, it seems that you should be able to go that way, if the option is available to you. 

 

Reportage is supposedly for News images older than 24 hours, and Archive is for old images. 

 

What about recent images shot under adverse conditions of very old subject matter?

 

It is on occasions such as this that I wish Alamy was more collegial.

Edited December 29, 2021 by geogphotos

[meanderingemu]

1 minute ago, geogphotos said:

 

Reportage is supposedly for News images older than 24 hours, and Archive is for old images. 

 

What about recent images shot under adverse conditions of very old subject matter?

 

This is the official guidelines

 

What do we mean by reportage images?

Photojournalistic images illustrating a story but captured under difficult circumstances and because of this might not pass our standard QC checks. Examples include photo essays or features.

 

 

I would argue that the inside of a church could be deemed to be photojournalistic, and part of a photo essay on inside of medieval churches. 

 

[geogphotos]

4 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

 

This is the official guidelines

 

What do we mean by reportage images?

Photojournalistic images illustrating a story but captured under difficult circumstances and because of this might not pass our standard QC checks. Examples include photo essays or features.

 

 

I would argue that the inside of a church could be deemed to be photojournalistic, and part of a photo essay on inside of medieval churches. 

 

 

Thanks for that. I'll ask Contributor Services. 

[meanderingemu]

2 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

Thanks for that. I'll ask Contributor Services. 

 

good, please let us know.  Hopefully you got a more cooperative answer than "go fail QC a few times, than we will give you access".  

[Jill Morgan]

Went to the vet's with a friend of mine yesterday.  Had five puppies to get their shots.  I almost always take my camera with me when I go out, but figured with working with wriggling puppies I'd leave the camera at home.

 

As we sit in the truck waiting for the vet (not allowed in of course) this gorgeous bald eagle with wings spread full lands on the hydro line about 300 feet from us. And he sits there for ages.  Vet tech comes out and says he has been hanging around for a few days.  Definitely a young one, so probably from this year's crop.

 

No camera, just the phone.  And my phone has a crap camera.  Was I ever mad at myself.  Never again.  Camera always comes with me now, puppies or no puppies.

 

Jill

[Ed Rooney]

 

Ahh, but a wonderful event, Jill. Puppies is. good, dogs is good, and eagles is good.

[spacecadet]

On 29/12/2021 at 17:20, geogphotos said:

Today I've been processing high ISO images from  inside a dark medieval church of faded wall paintings from the 13th century - how can these be anything other than borderline for QC?

 

Can they be considered 'Reportage'? Or do I risk a QC fail?

 

 

I've said this before, but I downsize everything at ISO3200 to 3250 long side. With the usual light NR of course.

3200 is my limit (Sony A58) but you probably have newer sensors.

[Ed Rooney]

 

Wow, Mark -- ISO1600 is as high as I go. 

 

Ian, I shot in the low light interior of the Liverpool Cathedral awhile ago -- no tripod, everything handheld. They all passed QC. I'm gonna wait till after the holidays before shooting inside the Catholic Cathedral. The Anglicans have a bar in that church. I wonder what the Catholics have? Hmm. For an agnostic, I spend a lot of time in church.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Ed Rooney