I'm in the minority here but I think the affect in No. 1 has appeal. The softer lines of the manipulated image work for me and turn a perfectly produced but traditional train shot into something a bit special. Gary's choice of title justifies the treatment. Its good as a one-off but there is always a temptation with a new plug-in to use it all the time and for the effect to become a cliche.
David

Portrait in old paint
[IMG]http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/Davidtrout2/Tanfield81958196_1.jpg[/IMG]
Location: Tanfield Railway, Co. Durham, England
Kit: K10+DA* 16-50mm lens at 50mm
Settings: F9 at 1/50th sec handheld
ISO: 320
Date: June 5 2010

Red faced councils sometimes make mistakes and later have to reverse decisions. Many years ago I took a call in the Evening Chonicle newsroom from the then Lord Mayor of Newcastle who was also chairman of the City's watch committee. "We've banned Oklahoma from the Theatre Royal, we don't want that sort of filth here," he said.
I said: "Don't you mean Oh Calcutta Benny?". "Yes That's the one," he replied.
David

The inconsistency of this Glasgow City Council decision is consistent with the wooly thinking of people who seek to 'protect' public morality. Much ruder words than that are used on television, in the cinema and in magazines. They say you can't print the word bum but I expect they allow photographs of bums to appear on posters in the city.
Newspapers often have a warped sensitivity to what causes public outrage. They use the initial letter of a swear word followed by dots or asterix so that the reader is left in no doubt about the identity of the word. Might as well print the word out in full, it's nothing that any child won't hear at school or in the youth club.
The real obscenity, which most media don't shy away from, is violence.
David

Has the K100D a 6.1 or a 10meg censor? Steve says the former, Tim the latter. Just interested, I'm happy with my 10-meg K10Ds.
David

Like it.
David

Excellent stuff Andrew. I love the textures of rust and peeling paint. Your pictures remind me of Tanfield Railway near where I live, there are lots of rusting hulks there. I'll post some I did there on Saturday soon.
David

Ever since the Angel was erected, at least ten years ago, I must have gone past it on average twice a week but this is the first time I've stopped to photograph it. Perhaps I've been put off by the thousands of images by all the other photographers who beat me to it. This time I thought I must give it a go.
Thanks for your comments.
David

I prefer this set to your eucalyptus trees. The first 'deadwood' makes me wonder if you are referring to the foliage or the religious establishment.
The black and white treatment for the close up details in the 3rd, 4th and 5th pictures really appeals to me.
david

An engaging set of abstracts from your local town that use shapes and textures in an interesting way. I particularly like the boucherie with the reflections of the couple. I wonder if you posed them or were they as seen?
david