# 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:** 59
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1164 "2024-09-17T18:43:47Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Heard back from @Turek; let’s go with **Flight - (non-human)** for this month.   Would an entry involving a man-made object, that does not carry any passenger, but which has been put into flight by the action of a human; be eligible? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1165 "2024-09-18T17:16:33Z")
What an oddly specific clarification…it conjures up such possibilities! I’m imagining you having a once-in-a-lifetime shot of the game-winning home run ball frozen in space a few feet in front of the arc of the batter’s swing, held motionless on its journey out of the ball park and into the pages of history, while the contrasting facial expressions of batter and catcher reveal that they both know that this is it. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1166 "2024-09-18T18:23:06Z")
I kind of got a shot like that once. While on vacation in Costa Rica our group was playing a game where you tried to lasso a steer’s head that was mounted on the wall. I was standing off to the side of the head photographing people as they threw the lasso. One person’s aim was way off, and they actually managed to lasso me instead, and through sheer luck I ended up snapping a photo of the lasso frozen in midair as it was flying towards me. I briefly thought about using it for the “flight” theme, but I thought it stretched the definition of flight a bit too much. (Also, come to think of it since it includes the person throwing the lasso it would violate the “no identifyable people” rule). ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1167 "2024-09-18T22:33:38Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > > [@Spiderman](#): > > > > Heard back from @Turek; let’s go with **Flight - (non-human)** for this month. > >   Would an entry involving a man-made object, that does not carry any passenger, but which has been put into flight by the action of a human; be eligible? As the category picker I’d say no, that would have gone with last month’s theme; don’t know that I’m a judge in this contest though. > [@minor7flat5](#): > > What an oddly specific clarification…it conjures up such possibilities! I caught a once-in-a-lifetime shot of a rocket ship, including stage separation 100k up. This is a [time-lapse](https://www.flickr.com/photos/74663312@N08/51041547097) video I made out of stills that I took of it.Total time was 4+ minutes across the sky on a wide angle lens. -\*Actually, I’ve now done some research into it & I _might_ be able to recreate it, it only means monitoring rocket launches, & weather, then getting up in the middle of the night & driving for a good bit, & then a little voodoo luck! ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1168 "2024-09-19T21:28:11Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > > [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > > > Would an entry involving a man-made object, that does not carry any passenger, but which has been put into flight by the action of a human; be eligible? > > As the category picker I’d say no, that would have gone with last month’s theme; don’t know that I’m a judge in this contest though.   That’s too bad.  I had a clever picture that I produced long ago, where I had turned one kind of _“flyer”_ into a different kind of _“flyer”_.  I might have used in last month, but I didn’t consider it to be manned flight. [![](https://nikonites.com/forum/attachments/zsc_1339n-jpg.228293/) ](https://nikonites.com/forum/attachments/zsc_1339n-jpg.228293/) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2024, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1169 "2024-09-20T01:28:06Z")
Typically launched by a human hand/arm, but like I said above, I don’t know that I’m the judge here ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1170 "2024-09-24T20:06:45Z")
Just posted in the comp thread. Not a great photo - but running out of time, it’s the best I’ve got. The pigeon is taking off from a footbridge over the Rhine, just on the German side. The other side is France. I didn’t see where it flew, so I don’t _actually_ know if it was an international flight. As an aside I considered using this shot from later in the week. Spot the non-human flight. [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNdiXDLyPzNfHMtog1c0A-6O-jRF2VCNy0acVpGOICPwKMh5qAj8LB0egeFuw2Tstkc5cPMgEiehHaJ_QodfPynB8mgd0pYB0kg3yHZtDPJZzZEZ4c=w600-h315-p-k "New item by j") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/w5Ej41u4MkQBQUxy5) j ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1171 "2024-09-24T20:29:08Z")
I had to click on it to fully appreciate it, and then I had to think of Dr. Who. Are those the lists of the fallen in WWI and WWII native to the location in question? You see that in many German places. I often stop to read them: name, born, died, place when known, over and over again. Do you have those in Britain? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1172 "2024-09-24T20:39:41Z")
That’s the war memorial, which I didn’t realize was in shot when I took the photo - so no, that’s not the answer. As an aside, I became slightly obsessed with Alsatian war memorials. All the memorials I saw listed those who died in both world wars. Given the history of Alsace - French; no, German; no, French, no… - I couldn’t figure out if one panel listed soldiers who fought on the German side (WW1); and the other panel, those who fought on the Allied side (WW2). A very odd thought. So: no, not the angel. I’ll post the answer shortly. j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1173 "2024-09-24T20:54:00Z")
The answer You need to look at the windows. Note the peculiar slant to the windows of the “tower” in the middle of the picture. This seems to be a pretty common architectural conceit in Alsace - this is a spiral staircase, and the windows follow the slope of the steps. I like it a lot. So: a (non-human) flight of steps. j ---
**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:** [September 24, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1174 "2024-09-24T21:02:30Z")
Ah, this flight! Hard to see for me. The flags weren’t flying either, I was stumped. Have you noticed they did not build it for defence? In castles the stairs to the towers go the other way around, to favour the (usually) right-handed defender on his way back to swing the sword more effectively around the outer wall, and not against the central pillar. That is also the reason left-handed attackers were at a prime when that kind of events took place. Although this fight probably never happened in real battle. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1175 "2024-09-24T21:21:38Z")
My memory was the opposite - (circular) Scottish [brochs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broch) don’t have a central pillar, as the steps are just slabs set into the outer wall and so… I don’t need to continue this, as I did some digging and this appears to be a _completely_ false memory - another Mandela moment. What did come up several times was this sort of thing: > **[Dispelling Some Myths: Spiral Staircases](https://www.tastesofhistory.co.uk/post/dispelling-some-myths-spiral-staircases)** > > In an effort to continually improve our knowledge we came across 'History…The Interesting Bits!', a blog by Sharon Bennett Connolly. In October 2019, the blog posted a piece by guest writer James Wright, a buildings archaeologist with Triskele... So who knows, eh? j ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1176 "2024-09-25T00:44:15Z")
I’ve been away seven days in the past two weeks, first chance I’ve had to get my photo uploaded & submitted. I have some great ones of gulls & even some looking _down_ on turkey vultures, Canadian geese & even an eagle or two but I decided to go with quantity on a full color shot that only contains black, white & grey on a cloudy morning. When I stated it was light migration I meant it; one of these years I’ll make it out there for peak migration day which was 79,000 last year. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2024, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1177 "2024-09-25T16:58:08Z")
That is what I suspected: (From your link) > Finally, sieges rarely ended with fighting in the interiors of castles, let alone on the staircases - if the enemy was on your stair, the battle was probably already lost!’ But of course I have been told this story repeatedly, from Copenhague (where I even was told an unfortunate architect had been put to death for building the stairs the wrong way around) to Spain, France and Belgium. It seems to be a popular embellishment for tourist guides. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1178 "2024-09-27T14:44:00Z")
[September poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monthly-photo-competition-22-september-2024-flight-non-human/1006780/24) is up. mmm ---
**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:** [October 2, 2024, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1179 "2024-10-02T11:01:44Z")
(posted this in the September thread) Criminy, another tie! Congratulations to @romansperson and @solost. Please collaborate and let us know our October theme. Another please: Do it soon. I am leaving Saturday for a two-week vacation and will be off of the World Wide Web. mmm ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1180 "2024-10-03T00:14:24Z")
Here’s thoughts from @solost and me for the next competition: 1. ‘Moody/atmospheric,’ though we did do its close cousin, ‘shadow and light,’ right around this time last year. 2. We could go with a wider theme of just “Fall.” Not the cleverest, but allows for a wider range of choices/interpretations, and we haven’t done a plain Fall theme yet. Probably the best chance for the widest array of cool photos. 3. We could go with ‘the color orange.’ Could be any subject, but the color needs to make a statement in the photo. And a different sort of theme than we’ve had so far, though the color is in keeping with the season. Share your thoughts here about it by this time tomorrow (so 8 pm EST) and we’ll let @Mean_Mr.Mustard know so he can post before he leaves for vacay. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1181 "2024-10-03T00:20:13Z")
I like Fall and Orange. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1182 "2024-10-03T01:37:17Z")
I like the “moody/atmospheric” theme, too. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2024, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642/1183 "2024-10-03T03:27:10Z")
As someone mentioned, Halloween is not celebrated worldwide. By the same token, it’s not fall in October worldwide. It’s not quite the same thing, since it _was_ fall a few months ago for some dopers - just pointing that out. The rules allow pics from the archive, so it should be okay, but not everyone will be able to shoot fresh fall photos. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642.md?page=58) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-monthly-photo-competition-rolling-discussion-thread/975642.md?page=60)