# SDMB Monthly Photo Competition - rolling discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** photo\ **Created:** [November 27, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642 "2022-11-27T20:27:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 109
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2164 "2026-05-01T14:22:05Z")
Thanks everyone! So many great entries. I feel honored to have won. Is there a current list of the previous topics? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2165 "2026-05-01T14:39:56Z")
Here is the list of previous topics used. You may repeat a topic, but only if it has not been used within the previous 12 months. **2022** December-Outdoors **2023** January–Skies February–Animals March–Water April–Transportation May–Flowers June–Reflections July–Summer August–Home September–Shadows and Light October–Trees November–Cold December–Cosy **2024** January–Bugs February–Big or Small March–Patterns April–Change May–Still Life June–Night July–Bridges August–Flight September–Flight – Non-Human October–Moody/Atmospheric November–Food December–Texture **2025** January–Blue February–Motion March–Gritty April–Smooth May–Nature Macros/Close-Ups June–Colors July–Patriotism August–Eye or Eyes September–Doors or Gates October–Spooky November–A Whole Lot of \_\_\_\_\_ December–On the Road **2026** January–Fire or Ice February–Snuggles March–Delicious! April–Ancient ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2166 "2026-05-01T14:42:29Z")
And if you are in need of inspiration, here is a list of previously-suggested topics: Accidental Weirdness Action Architecture Backlit Beauty Black and White Childhood Cinematography Color (one specific) Contrast Handmade (non-food) Holiday/Season Industry Invisible Jump! Less is More Man-Made Object(s) Moonlight Operate Out of Time Over the Top Repetition Stone/rock Unexpected Vintage Weather Windows ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2167 "2026-05-01T16:27:01Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I thought @Chefguy’s was very artistic. Like I could imagine it as an oil painting. A pretty cool old truck. What’s amazing is that it still runs - or did at the time I took the photo, which was a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2168 "2026-05-02T02:30:31Z")
A superb selection of entries, and a well-deserved winner. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2169 "2026-05-02T14:26:31Z")
So how did you achieve that super-sharp contrast? That’s what drew me most to the picture. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2170 "2026-05-02T15:26:20Z")
Who are you asking? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2171 "2026-05-02T15:27:34Z")
The topic for next month’s challenge is “Graffiti." ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2172 "2026-05-02T16:11:57Z")
Love that! mmm ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2173 "2026-05-02T16:17:28Z")
This should be fun! ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2174 "2026-05-02T16:18:02Z")
May, 2026 contest, **“Graffiiti”** , is [right here.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monthly-photo-competition-42-may-2026-graffiti/1029726) mmm ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2175 "2026-05-02T19:43:22Z")
I think I have one photo that could qualify, it’s interesting for the text of the graffiti but it is not otherwise out of the ordinary, I wonder if I should use it or try and take another… ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2176 "2026-05-02T19:49:42Z")
Berlin, 2010, Eisenacher Strasse, that graffiti was one of several, about 25 cm x 25 cm. Never found out whether they were original or fake. Long gone. Other example (please don’t tell me it would have gotten more votes!): [![](https://i.imgur.com/j7Yo0MC.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/j7Yo0MC.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2177 "2026-05-02T21:28:53Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Who are you asking? You. Your shot of the Forum looked almost unnaturally sharp, which was what drew me (and probably a number of other voters) to favor it. So, how’d you do it? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2178 "2026-05-02T23:48:07Z")
Ah. First of all, a bit of discussion: Digital photography is inherently unsharp. Not only is there aberrations in the lens, but the aperture adds unsharpness due to diffraction. Then, the sensor compounds that by capturing colors in a matrix. So, even if the sensor has 45,000,000 pixels, it really only has around 1/3 of those for each color (there are usually more greens). The image is built up by comparing adjacent photo sites, and making a guess as to what the color and intensity actually was. And, there’s another problem. Because the sensor is a matrix, it will tend to cause annoying moire patterns when capturing data that has content that is repetitious at approximately the same frequency as the sensor array (this is very common, and is usually seen when photographing fabric (clothes). To minimize this, some camera manufacturers put an “anti-aliasing” screen above the sensor, which serves to blur the image even more. The upshot of all this is that digital photographs are often somewhat unsharp right out of the camera. Most modern point-and-shoots fix this by applying built-in sharpening when converting to jpeg. I shoot “RAW,” so the images need to be post-processed. Everyone is familiar with Photoshop, and that’s what I used to do my post-processing in. But, it’s gotten too expensive, so I’ve switched to a rather nifty program called Luminar Neo. When I edit my images, there are a handful of tools I use: 1. “Develop” - this allows me to adjust the overall exposure, boost shadows, knock down highlights, adjust the saturation, etc. 2. “Enhance” - hard to describe what this does, but it somehow applies intelligent contrast to the image. Used judiciously, it can help an image. 3. “Structure” - this one is the real winner. It applies a filter to small differences in contrast, and sharpens the image without leaving ugly halos. It’s easy to overuse this, and make the images look unnaturally sharp. I used to be a real purist, and try to present my images as-shot, but I have come to realize that the camera is not an eye, and vice-versa. When I think back on the day that I took that photo, that is how the scene looked - the sky was a vivid, Italian Summer blue, with striking clouds. The columns and stonework were rich with detail. So, that is how I processed the image. The human eye can see a tremendous amount of detail and tonal range. It’s rare that a digital photo will look “real” straight out of the camera (this is why so many novice photographers are so disappointed with their photos- they just don’t look as sharp or vivid as they remembered). Post-processing allows the photographer to correct the image to be what they remembered the scene to be. It’s a great tool, but like all tools, can be used badly. Hope this helps. BTW: > **[Luminar Neo - Easy Photo Editor | Software for Mac & PC](https://skylum.com/luminar?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Luminar_Neo_Brand_search_us&utm_term=Luminar_Neo_exact&utm_content=_%7C_%7Bluminar%20neo%7D&pid=google_neo&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14582782739&gbraid=0AAAAADsMsgkI_zIYna1T0pukcJcNm0mdL&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2O2s9uSblAMV2hJECB3dgycTEAAYASAAEgLAH_D_BwE)** > > Download Luminar Neo - photo editing software for PC and Mac! Simple photo editor with AI that helps edit your photos as you imagine it in your eyes (They are pushing it’s AI capabilities, and scene replacement (skies), but I don’t use any of that stuff, although I do use their wonderful power line removal tool) ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2179 "2026-05-02T23:57:44Z")
Ah was going to recommend **PhotoLemur** but see it has been merged into Luminar. Because it makes the resulting photos much larger I only use it for special cases where I want an enhanced result …and at times it is very very effective…especially clearing up skies/clouds and bring out colours without over saturating. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2180 "2026-05-03T01:25:04Z")
What camera or phone did you use? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2181 "2026-05-03T02:03:48Z")
That was taken with my venerable Nikon D70. A whopping 6M pixels. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2182 "2026-05-03T06:20:58Z")
For @Chad_Sudan 's picture all I see is an error message that says, “[imgbb.com](http://imgbb.com) uploading this content requires registration”. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/2183 "2026-05-03T10:20:39Z")
I am also not seeing Chad\_Sudan’s submission. On Edge browser. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642.md?page=108) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642.md?page=110)