Something for the Weekend - Part 160 - Stay sharp!

[davescm]

Hi,

Thanks to all who took part in our last 'elevator' challenge, there were some great ideas and images.

This week we start with a safety pin. What can you make with this simple object?

The “rules”:

* Anything goes, as long as it meets the forum rules on decency, copyright etc

* Anyone, and everyone, is welcome to have a go, whether you are a complete beginner or a Photoshop expert. This is not just for our forum "regulars".

* There are no prizes apart from the chance to practice, show off, or bring a bit of humour and fun. Don't be shy, join in and have a go!

* The starter image is made available for you to use in this forum challenge only.

To download the image below at full size, hover over the image and click on the circle with the arrows at the top right. Then, when the image opens in its own window, right click and choose “Save Image As/Save Target As” (or similar depending on your browser). On opening, you should also find a path in the paths panel should you wish to use it to create a mask.

When posting back your image – please use the blue reply button in this first post. If posting a comment on someone else’s entry then please use the grey reply button next to their image post.

Have fun

Dave

[Ged_Traynor]

@davescm 🤣

[davescm]

Thank you Jane. We're all waiting to hear the bang ! 🙂

Dave

[Ged_Traynor]

[davescm]

A safety pin flying carpet - nice job Ged!

Dave

[Trevor.Dennis]

Very you Ged.  It would be interesting to see inside your head, but too scary to actually do.  Dag could put this in his gallery. It's an image that draws you in, and won't let go until you have unravelled its many layers.  I like it a lot.

[Ged_Traynor]

Thanks guys 👍

[J E L]

Really super, Ged. I'm very fond of hummingbirds, too.

[Ged_Traynor]

Thanks Jain

[Trevor.Dennis]

Jain, I taught Photoshop to Greame Guy at a PSNZ National Convention in 2011.  Graeme regularly took all the Natural History honours in the Exhibitions, and specialised in Humming Birds like this shot below.  He freezes the wings using seven tiny strobes set to minimum power, which he thought gave him an effective shutter speed of 1/30,000th of a second.  I asked how it was that with all that close range strobe light, why wasn't the background black?  The answer was that two of the five strobes were directed at a false background that was either a large print, on mat paper, or some sort of cloth.  This opened up a can of worms as the rules say that 'The hand-of-man can not appear in a Natural History image'.  One of the judges said that as the background was fully out-of-focus, it was essentially not visible.  It was decided to be too contentious and the rules were changed prohibiting false backgrounds going forward.

[J E L]

So interesting, Trevor. I love Graeme's work. In 2012, I was doing portfolio reviews at a NANPA Summit in Jacksonville, Florida, and I remember this very case being talked about!

[jane-e]

Your image is intriguing, Ged, and I've come back to look at it a number of times.

I like to think that the two females are the same person: first as a child playing cello and then as a young woman singing opera.

I wondered if you chose these songs for any particular reason? It may have been random for you, but here's what I saw:

• Baa Baa Black Sheep
  I think of this as the song for the child playing cello
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
  (I couldn't come up with anything this)
• Danny Boy 
  This is the one I had never heard, but learned it's one of the most popular and recognizable Irish songs of all time. Now I know it! I listened to several versions including Sinéad, The Dubliners, and the Clancys, but then I found one from Judy Garland and am only linking to that because of all the talk about her dress, not because I like it best. Apparently it's sung at funerals?
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDL6-GZ3npg
  
• Shenandoah
  I live an hour away from the Shenandoah Mountains and the Shenandoah River, so when I learned this as a young child, I naturally thought it was about the river but some parts never made sense, like the part about the Missouri River, which is far away. There are several theories for the origin of the song; this is from https://balladofamerica.org/shenandoah/
  "Most musicologists agree that the chief mentioned in "Shenandoah" is the Oneida Iroquois chief John Skenandoa. Skenandoa supported the English against the French in the Seven Years (or French and Indian) War. Support for the English may be the reason that the chief forbade the love between his daughter and the French trader, if the story in this early version of "Shenandoah" is true."
• Toreador Song from Carmen
  I imagine this song is for the adult woman singing opera
• (can't make out the last title)

It's very nicely composited, Ged, and I love this! 😊

~ Jane

[J E L]

[davescm]

I had to look for it - but its there 🙂

Dave

[jane-e]

"Hidden in plain sight"! Is there a story that goes with this @J E L ?

EDIT: Never mind, Jain — Dave has explained that it's legalese. 🙂

Jane

[J E L]

Ha! However, since you asked: Last year, I took this photo at the Territorial Prison near Laramie. On the grounds is this wall of cattle brands. I heard it was originally put up because a Wyoming livestock board was seeking identification and verification of the brands, probably to hunt down some rustlers. About a year before my visit, I completely restored a book written circa 1897 titled, “The Story of the Cowboy.” On this page, you can see how some brands are drawn into the type. When I was designing the text, I had to come up with some creative ways to recreate the brands. So, when I saw this display wall, of course I was interested!

[jane-e]

That's a fascinating story Jain — and it must have been a fun (interesting) challenge to figure out how to recreate the brands for publication. And how thrilling to see the wall right after you finished your project!

So if we want to be brand-blotchers and rustlers, then our challenge would be to change-up the safety pin brand so Dave can't recognize his cattle when we steal them? 😊

~ Jane

[J E L]

Thanks, Jane! Yes, I originally thought of doing a safety pin brand on a cow, but Easter dinner was already late, so I went for the quick fix!

[Trevor.Dennis]

Did you see the Dutton brand Jain?

[J E L]

Ha, I do, Trevor. Better than on someone's chest, right?

[Trevor.Dennis]

Hah!  It took me ages Dave.

[Jacob Bugge]

                                                  Unsafety pin

Click/RightClick to get closer and click again to get closer still; Click Here to see in Chrome 

[davescm]

Another one requiring a large health and safety warning notice 🙂

Dave

[TheOriginalGC]

Here's a quickie:

[jane-e]

That's brilliant, @TheOriginalGC ! 

The only one I know by name is Ira Hayes on the far left — the whiskey drinking Indian and the marine that went to war. This memorial is twenty minutes from my house.

EDIT: In case anyone doesn't know the song, I should add that those words are not mine — they are from The Ballad of Ira Hayes by Peter La Farge (also sung by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and others).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me2u9yBHfFI

~ Jane

[Peru Bob]

I prefer this version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEwSwQtSmDQ