Photography couldn't exist without the light.
Sometimes, the light effects really change a photograph or a fractal.
So I thought about a celestial light contest.
I hope it is an interesting topic...

I agree - this lends itself to a lot of creativity!

I like the idea of celestial lighting, but natural beauty seems like a good choice to me; but very broad! (Since there is so much of it!)

'Natural Beauty'.

Landscapes, sunsets, flowers, dogs, cats and let's not forget ... horses.


Boring, people.

Surely what with the bounty of creativity around the site here, some more imaginative topics could be presented as options?


Try to keep in mind, when suggesting a topic:

i) Open to all genres of art. Not just photography.

ii) Add a short description (one or two lines is sufficient, methinks) , so 'we' know what the artistic aim/intention of the subject matter is.

iii) Try not to repeat previous topics.

If beauty is in the lens of the beholder,is it possible to find things that are naturally ugly?

I'm sure Quasimodo would like to appear in this genre.

And here's the clue - find something that is gnarled and weather worn on the outside, and show the natural beauty within.

A dilapidated and ruined castle

an isolated leafless tree trunk in a desert,

a close up of a vulture head or a bat.

A fully laden spider web.

tattooed hairless cats

Your mother-in-law even?

I'm with Les, "natural beauty" really? Is this a topic designed with the specific intention of making it easy for all us landscape snappers to simply make our next inevitable upload also a contest entry while simultaneously handicapping the fractalists and digital artists? If these type of (Poorly thought thru, non inclusive, rehashing, blandly non specific.) contest topic suggestions keep getting voted up I'm going to start begging the big C to "do something". Mmmmmm. I guess I could just ignore the contest topics that annoy me.

ummmmm

If I take a photo of a beautiful woman in the "au naturale" will that qualify for natural beauty?

Mikel.

Naturally ugly - love it!!

Music. Anything musical. people playing an instrument, pop band, concert, opera, rave, street musician. An instrument on its own, sheet music, notes, harmonics, perhaps even sound.

Illustrations based on music, composers, pieces of music.

Fractals using algorithms based on the mathmatics of music, harmonics, frequencies etc. Mapping sound frequencies to colours etc.

CGI, well the possibilities are there as well, perhaps a robot quartet in some futuristic scene.

Les is right !....I think "Rhythm" cover it all !
John

EDIT: 'Music' by coram9

It was a difficult choice between music and rhythm but I chose music.

I think music is a great choice. It is one of those areas that isn't addressed by creative imagery here too often.

I like the idea of natural ugly as it would be interesting to see how others interpret this side of life.

I think rythem is covered by music anyway, or at least could be. I would not like to get the vote split with two very close subjects.

O.K Chris, I delete it !
John

Seems like ugly was kind of included in the recent "Bizzare" contest to some degree.

And in Beauty in decay.

Have been busy with glass the last few weeks in photography and
manipulation with or without fluid's a wineglass or just window glass the trick is it's has to be broken so let's call it Broken Glass a challenge I think for all.

I vote for "Balance"....

Mind you..not my idea, but Sherrees aka Danika idea,(see last topic contest) but I like that idea too.

Sherree wrote when she voted for "Balance"in the last topic......

I would like to propose "Balance" ... again. Open to ALL GENRES & should produce some creativity with alot of thought put into the image in regards to composition / subject matter.

I don't see any point in repeating any topics so soon as there are others to consider ... Google is your friend & the possibilites are wide open.

What you's all think?

Music is my vote.

Some of the graphic people have spoken for Music so...
One of them even posted something from that realm so it must be all-inclusive! :o)

Taking a page from that of YouTube's comment section..

'12 people, as of this writing here, need to challenge themselves some more.'

:oP

Thank you Els ... and my vote has been cast for "Balance".

I also like "Music".

" Music" seems a great challenge to capture.
To get into the mood, I have a beautiful opera put on the CD player;-)

Sixty-five (65) votes cast, as of this writing here.

Ninety-five (95) votes cast, in total, on the last poll.


Still time left.. to hear from thirty odd members. Give or take.

Said I would vote for "Balance" in the last poll. Casting my vote now to keep my word.

But.. will swing it to that of "Music", if need be.

Mmm..Music isn't so bad either, if "Balance" will stay behind with votes again, than I swing (lol) my vote in to "Music" if needed, ofcourse:o)

Changed my vote to Music too. Perhaps I can find a naturally ugly instrument (or performers). [arf arf.]

I changed my vote from Balance from when I thought of "100 Steps From My Front Door." I know I'm the one who always moaned & groaned about GCI people not being included in these contests,& having said that, ironically, I thought of a topic that's heavily slanted towards photography. Sorry fractalists, & other abstract artists.


All I was thinking was, simply, go out your front or back door, turn right or left, count to 100, and what ever you see is the subject of your entry.


Tada.


This will be harder for we abstract artists because we're going to have to do representations of what we see, but there's no law that says next week's contest can't be more heavily slanted towards us. Another discussion another time maybe ?

Lauren wrote....

All I was thinking was, simply, go out your front or back door, turn right or left, count to 100, and what ever you see is the subject of your entry.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Nice idea, Lauren, but who is going to check this out. Methinks that such contest are diffecult to do...in my humble opinion...

Annd...if you vote for "Balance" you can enter a fractal or something like that, cause you can work with balance in a fractal or something like that :oD

So...vote "Balance" and crawl behind you PC and work on that fractal, girl. I know you can do it :o)

I know Els, I thought about that too. We'd have to depend on people's honesty, plus I think they'd have to put a little blurb about it in their description. I still like it though, I think it's different & as you know.... I'm all for different ! :oD

P.S. THanks for your faith hon. Big hugs.

Voted for *music*, it's evocative, challenging for those who like to be challenged beyond a photo of a piano but literal interpretations can still generate great images and it's abstract potentials give plenty of space for fractalists and digitalistas.

Natural beauty was my suggestion. But you took it literally. When I say natural beauty, I don't mean nature, landscape, sea..... I mean natural beauty in general, beauty without "make up", without Photoshops, Picasas etc. There is beauty in everything, we just have to find it with our cameras. Well, in music, too. And ugly? No way, life is ugly enough as it is, we don't have to invite it here, too. Well, this is just my opinion. Don't bite my had off, please. LOL

Guess it will be Music this time so my vote is going to Music!!

But the next time....I vote for Balance again :o)

Appreciate you stepping forward with an explanation, Milka.

Perhaps, for future reference in suggesting topics ... include/post a short description?

That way, misinterpretations can be avoided.


Additionally, and maybe more importantly ... try to think of the other artists of our community.

For example, those that create C.(omputer) G.(enerated) I.(magery) works, fractals and other genres of art other than just photography.

Keep to inclusive topics, in short. (Or, try to.)

The more the merrier kind of thing. Instead of precluding participation to any degree or extent.


Not that 'natural beauty' would exclude them per se, depending on how one understands that phrasing ... but, since you are referencing post processing/editing ... their entire creative world encompasses that stuff.

Where would the line be drawn with these kinds of artists?


/\ Just some food for thought.

We already had a contest on music... is it necessary to start repeating topics?

Well, sorry, I didn't think about the other artists. I was just trying to say what I thought. But everything what I said stays as it is, except for "Photoshops, Picasas etc."

By the way, I adore music, it's very important in life.

I am looking forward your musical and artistic works.

The last music competition was in 2003. I think enough time has elapsed. I also felt that since music has its own category in the galleries it was worth putting it forward to promote it. The images in the previous competition are worth looking at.

Music is in the Main Galleries, but not the New?

Only 4 of the original contest entries are left.

It may be that enough time passed without an entry into the New Images category of Music ... that the category was removed, for lack of a better word/descriptor.

Has more to do with the site's code, than anything else.

Thanks for pointing that out, Hannah.

Can always use "The New Images Galleries: Photography->General" till rectified.


/\ Just an f.y.i..

Not for what I'm thinking of doing ...

No worries, Hannah ... just for you ... new category for imagery.

That of;

"The New Images Galleries: Hannah and Whatever She is Thinking of Doing, Now.. and in the Future".


:oP

Wait for it..

The..

Natural Beauty gives us such a wide choice which should fire everyone's imagination.

A link that shows what can be done mathematically with music. I am not sure if this will help any fractalists, but I found it interesting anyway.

/\ Interesting stuff.


Some more creative assistance and food for thought.. and just in time for this new contest.

For fractalogists (Apophysians, in particular):

"Music Notes Tutorial" by Shortgreenpigg.


Download the zip file via the upper right-hand side 'Download File' link/button.

I thought music must be heard and not seen!

I thought that, too, but now we can see people singing, playing, will see many music instruments and the pictures of many composers. Something like a documentary album. I hope it won't be boring.