Yes yes, for all of those who have noticed my absence, I am alive and well - I just decided to take a break from the responsibility of my photography and keeping up with these sites.  Normally I would miss it, but I have to say I have really enjoyed the fact that I haven't even picked up my camera in about a month!  Apparently I needed some time to rest and rejuvenate, but I'm sure I will be back to my usual self sooner rather than later.

As for an update as to what has been going on, I am currently sitting in the lobby of a very lovely hotel in Singapore, after spending an awesome day at the zoo, and will be leaving for the airport shortly, to fly to South Africa - where my partner Luke (~rudeboyskunk) has returned and where I will be living for a few months.

I'm very excited, it's been a couple of months since I've seen him and I'm looking forward to checking out the country, some amazing photo ops I expect!

Anyway, just a short update, I have to head to the aiport soon.

Hope everyone is well and happy - and I do apologize that I have not been able to keep up with all your work - I've had to delete the messages from my inbox because it's just been too much - but if anybody has anything they would like me to check out, please feel free to send me a note - speaking of which, I have a million notes which I don't have a chance to read, and lots of lovely messages from people and features etc, that I have not been able to respond to.  So thank you very much everyone, and I promise to get back to you asap.

If I don't get an opportunity to get on in the next week or two, I jsut want to wish you and your loved ones all the best for the Christmas/New Year - I hope it brings you all you could hope for!

Best of everything!

Cheers
xox
Damienne

Ok this is part 12 of my watcher feature - and is very long overdue.  Thank you all once again for your continuous support, it really means a lot to me!

Now enjoy!


(don't forget to check out Part 11 and the news article of this edition.

Been a while since I've done one of these features, so it's going to be a little bit long!  But I hope you all enjoy it anyway.  Thank you to all those who have been supporting my work, I really do appreciate all the kind and interesting comments, faves and watches!  And I really hope that I continue to make work that you enjoy

And now, I hope you enjoy these features!


(don't forget to check out Part 12 and the news article for this edition.

So it seems there is a new wave of tagging going around DA, and yes I have been tagged quite a few times (and yes, ignored most of them...sorry guys!)
But this time I was tagged by `dandelgrosso and it seemed like too  much fun to not join in, so here we go...


Rules of the game:
- Choose a singer/band/group
- Answer using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group
- Tag 6 more people (let them know they've been tagged)


I chose the Foo Fighters


1. Are you male or female?
Doll

2. Describe yourself.
Exhausted

3. What do people feel when they're around you?
I'll Stick Around

4. How would you describe your previous relationship?
Disenchanted Lullaby

5. Describe your current relationship.
Miracle

6. Where would you want to be now?
Walking After You

7. How do you feel about love?
Ain't It The Life

8. What's your life like?
Up In Arms

9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish?
See You

10. Say something wise.
The Deepest Blues Are Black


I'm too kind to tag anyone and force them to participate in this silliness lol but if you want to play, consider yourself tagged!  (And let me know if you do, so I can read your answers!)

Now that you've made your way through this, here's your present....I hope you enjoy these features, they may look random but they are all "loosely related" to the song titles above.


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I've been suggesting DD's for a while now, some have been selected, some haven't, but I've decided now to display all of them in a journal that I will update regularly.
I hope you all enjoy!



February 21, 2008

Butterfly VII by ~rudeboyskunk



You couldn't ask for a more perfect choice of composition and depth of field in this photo.
As far as I am concerned this is the ultimate macro - the perfect combination of
analytical reproduction of the minute details of life, and artistic flair.
*rudeboyskunk has really used the focus and depth of field perfectly to isolate
and accentuate the amazing texture of that pollen and fur on the creature.
The photo brings this delicate creature to life and shows us more than
just the average colourful butterfly shot. Superbly done!
(Suggested by ~GreenEyedHarpy and Featured by `hellfirediva)




November 4, 2007

Blue Fairy Dreams 2 by =Evil-e33



"The clarity of this photo is beautiful and I love her choice of composition,
it's dynamic yet kind of peaceful and the serene colors of the blue/greens are so easy on the eye."
(Suggested by ~GreenEyedHarpy and Featured by `hellfirediva)




October 10, 2007

Monorail Snail by ~MarkdV


"This photo has the most spectacular use of composition and dof. The colours and clarity are wonderful.
It's so beautiful, it's almost like a painting. I cannot get over the eveness of colour in the background and the details in the subject.  I could look at this photo all day."
(Suggested by ~GreenEyedHarpy and Featured by `Photosbykev)




October 1, 2007

Gecko by !fanaticus



"What makes it beautiful? The composition is perfect, the use of muted colours,
the flow through of the grey and green of the subject, into the background.
The dof and clarity of focus is wonderful and the way the photo has been displayed is professional and classy.
What an amazing capture!" (Suggested by ~GreenEyedHarpy and Featured by `Photosbykev)

primarily by ~infinitemonkeytheory

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"I think the DD's do not see enough abstract photography and for that matter, unmanipulated photography.  
This is one of the best examples of architectural and abstract photography I have ever seen.
The use of colour and the graphic lines and angles of the architecture is superb and this is all strengthened by
the perfect, minimalistic use of the composition. It's simple but so stark and strong. Just beautiful"





Bourne in color by ~narabia



"This photo is one of my all time favourite flower photos.
The coolness of the tones and lighting,
coupled with the softness of focus makes for such a serene beautiful feel to this image. There is such a softness and yet texture in the details. It's very serpentine, I love the way the shape of the flower stem
morphs into the head of the flower, combined with the darkness of the image, it creates a kind of juxtaposition of serenity and sinisterness. Reminds me of Shakespeare: 'O Serpent heart, hid with a flowering face' "





aurora borealis by ~julie-rc



"This photo has such a beautiful ethereal feeling to it. Not to mention the colours and focus are absolutely spectacular.
What I love most is that this is an extraordinary, unique and beautiful take on a subject that has become rather cliched.
This has new vision. Just beautiful!"





Pelican by ~photodream



"For a start, I think every photographer knows how hard it is to create true black without sacrificing detail in their photos,
and also how difficult it is to isolate your subject on an even background, the way the artist has here.
There is such stregnth to the balanced composition as well as lovely details in the colour and texture. It's almost tactile. Just beautiful!"





peacock 03 by ~dragonflyforest

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"This is such a joy to look at. In a sea of embarrassingly bad and/or cliched macro shots, this was a wonderful surprise!
The subtle toning is the perfect choice for this study of texture and form. It reminds me of looking at hair or
fibres under a microscope, and elicits an almost tactile response in me, I want to reach out and feel that texture.
Just a stunning photograph, I can't stop looking at it!"





Breakout Wallpaper II by ~rudeboyskunk



"I love the concept and minimalistic design of this. The colour and design are sharp and really pop. They are so effective and
have immediate impact. The concept is hilarious and just fantastic, it makes me want to keep looking at it and
never fails to get a laugh out of me. It definitely deserves some more attention!
It comes in a series of four, and the green is my personal favourite, but perhaps you'll enjoy the others too".




Eye of the Setting Sun by *hougaard



"I'm not normally all that excited by landscapes these days, even though they can be extraordinarily beautiful, a lot of them tend to look the same. But this one, to me, is a masterpiece. All the elements have fallen into place. The composition is spectacular, the colours are beautiful and his use of the light and texture in those clouds is marvellous. I also think the inclusion of the human element really strengthens the sense of vastness, and expansiveness in this scene. It's just beautiful work that I could look at over and over again!"




Bent by ~dechobek



To me, this is the epitome of street photography. It is truly as if this piece was posed. The perfect use of light, composition and positioning of the "model" is just superb. Not to mention the high contrast which brings out that amazing texture and light. It really contextualizes this woman in her surroundings - adding to the sense of "harshness" of her life. What an extraordinary captured moment!

The Blue City by ~GreenEyedHarpy
Although the suggester didn't formally suggest this, I saw it in his journal and fell in love.
The framing here is perfect and I adore the boy's dreamy expression.  The colors are lovely as well. Great work!
(Suggested by ~Valimar and Featured by `rhapsouldize )




Thank you very much to both Michael ( ~Valimar ) and Meredith ( `rhapsouldize ).  I honestly can't believe I got this DD.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!  It's nice to be able to share a part of my travels with you all.
Thank you for the support and to all of you who have faved and commented, it means a lot to me!







Together In The Dark II by ~GreenEyedHarpy
Unusual macro photo with great use of dof (depth of field) and nice mono color.
Thanks for sharing ! (Featured by `hellfirediva)



I know this is incredibly late, and I apologize to Tina aka `hellfirediva particularly for not having thanked her earlier.  I've been feeling a little out of sorts lately so it's taken me a while to get myself together and organise a bunch of things that need doing.  But now I just wanted to say a big thank you to Tina for selecting my piece for a Daily Deviation.
It was my first and such an honour to be thought of.

Now, most of you who watch me already know who Tina is, but for those of you who don't...she is the new Gallery Director for the Macro gallery.  And she is having a lot of trouble trying to bring some order to the gallery, it's only new but has a really loyal following of photographers who love that genre.  The problem is, there are a lot of people out there who don't know exactly what macro means and involves.

Tina is working really hard to educate everyone out there, as to what is and isn't considered macro photography.  So if you have any questions, please check out her journals, they are really thorough and I'm sure she would be more than happy to answer any of your questions IF you can't find the answers already in her journals.

She's also started a new chat room for macro photographers, so we should all go and participate in that if we have any spare time.
It will be a great resource for creative ideas, tips and tricks.  So go check out #macroART

So I decided to put together this little feature as an homage to the latest craze sweeping DA
(and as a promo for the cool new club    Check it out now!)

Enjoy!


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Help spread the word, support the news article here:
Bottlecaps... something new for stamp lovers

and don't forget to post your bottle caps in the Forum


Bottlecap Template

UPDATE: Check out the updated prizes and entries, the links are just below!





~leocbrito is holding a contest!  The theme is "The Birds"


SEE THE ENTRIES: Part I Part II Part III



Rules:

- You can send only ONE pic;
- Only animal photos are accepted;
- To send your entry, just send ~leocbrito note with the Subject "contest", and in the body, put your link or thumb of the pic;
- The picture DON'T NEED to be new;
- Photos with little manipulations are accept;
- Send your entry until July 19th!!
- You don't need to do this, but you can watch ~leocbrito to view the news about the contest.


Prizes:

1st place
- 6 month subscription, donated by `hellfirediva
- 3 month subscription, donated by ~bia37
- Feature in ~leocbrito's journal
- Feature in ~photography-key's journal
- Feature in :devInsect-Lovers-Club':s journal
- Feature in ~Lyfers' journal
- Feature in ~Broken-the-Chains's journal
- Feature in ~cfoto's journal
- Feature in ~Amersill's journal
- Feature in #Fujifilm-Club's journal
- Feature in #SkyAndNatureClub's journal
- Feature in #Unframed-Nature's journal
- Feature in ~TheOutdoorziez's journal
- Feature in ~DandiBooks315's journal
- Feature in ~Zorala86's journal
- Feature in ~wolf02's journal
- Feature in !SimplySteff's journal
- One requested drawing, one custom-made icon, and one picture of the winner in a top hat, donated by !SimplySteff
- Feature in ~Wimley's journal
- Feature in ~SusantheMartian's journal
- Feature in ~Silver-Dew-Drop's journal
- Feature in #butterflys-forever's journal
- Feature in ~Gothic-Enchantress's journal
- Feature in ~Canon-Club's journal
- Feature in ~thetopcrusader's journal
- Feature in ~anglerfishies's journal
- Feature in ~FLixter's journal
- Feature in ~InLightImagery's journal
- Feature in ~SergioCatarino's journal
- Feature in !undyingangel's journal
- Feature in ~thetopcrusader's journal
- Feature in ~IndigoMidnight's journal
- Feature in !KateHughes's journal



2nd place
- 3 month subscription, donated by `hellfirediva
- 1 month subscription, donated by ~bia37
- Feature in ~leocbrito's journal
- Feature in ~photography-key's journal
- Feature in #Insect-Lovers-Club's journal
- Feature in ~Lyfers' journal
- Feature in ~Broken-the-Chains's journal
- Feature in ~cfoto's journal
- Feature in ~Amersill's journal
- Feature in *Fujifilm-Club's journal
- Feature in #SkyAndNatureClub's journal
- Feature in #Unframed-Nature's journal
- Feature in ~TheOutdoorziez's journal
- Feature in ~DandiBooks315's journal
- Feature in ~Zorala86's journal
- Feature in ~wolf02's journal
- Random sketch of the winner's choosing, donated by !SimplySteff
- Feature in ~Wimley's journal
- Feature in ~SusantheMartian's journal
- Feature in ~Silver-Dew-Drop's journal
- Feature in #butterflys-forever's journal
- Feature in ~Gothic-Enchantress's journal
- Feature in ~Canon-Club's journal
- Feature in ~thetopcrusader's journal
- Feature in ~anglerfishies's journal
- Feature in ~FLixter's journal
- Feature in ~InLightImagery's journal
- Feature in ~SergioCatarino's journal
- Feature in !undyingangel's journal
- Feature in ~thetopcrusader's journal
- Feature in ~IndigoMidnight's journal
- Feature in !KateHughes's journal



3rd place
- 1 month subscription, donated by `hellfirediva
- 1 month subscription, donated by ~Amersill
- Feature in ~leocbrito's journal
- Feature in ~photography-key's journal
- Feature in #Insect-Lovers-Club's journal
- Feature in ~Broken-the-Chains's journal
- Feature in ~cfoto's journal
- Feature in ~Amersill's journal
- Feature in #Fujifilm-Club's journal
- Feature in #SkyAndNatureClub's journal
- Feature in #Unframed-Nature's journal
- Feature in ~TheOutdoorziez's journal
- Feature in ~DandiBooks315's journal
- Feature in ~Zorala86's journal
- Feature in ~wolf02's journal
- Feature in ~Wimley's journal
- Feature in ~SusantheMartian's journal
- Feature in ~Silver-Dew-Drop's journal
- Feature in #butterflys-forever's journal
- Feature in ~Gothic-Enchantress's journal
- Feature in ~Canon-Club's journal
- Feature in ~thetopcrusader's journal
- Feature in ~anglerfishies's journal
- Feature in ~FLixter's journal
- Feature in ~InLightImagery's journal
- Feature in ~SergioCatarino's journal
- Feature in !undyingangel's journal
- Feature in ~thetopcrusader's journal
- Feature in ~IndigoMidnight's journal
- Feature in !KateHughes's journal

(~leocbrito is searching for more prizes. If you want to donate, a feature for example, send him a note. He will really apreciate this )


Judges:

!FlowerFavClub is hosting a contest!


THEME: "Still Life" (of flowers)

What do we mean by "Flower Still Life" ?

Answer: An arrangement of cut(fresh flowers - no artificial flowers, please),e.g. cut flowers arranged in a vase/with a special background/placed on an open book/dropped on the floor/in a champagne glass etc ...

It can be conceptual but need not - provided creative!

A few examples from club members


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By the way, please do not rush off and "scan" your gallery for an entry covering the theme ... Only new deviations (submitted to your gallery AFTER July 8th 2008) will be accepted


IMPORTANT INFORMATION>

- during the contest the club will not be admitting new members!
- do not participate without having read and accepted all CONTES RULES AND GUIDELINES

- the admin/s will each entry and post it to a separate collection and journal titled 'contest entries'

- all contest entries -winning or not- will be featured in a news article at the end of the contest!


For more information please read the CONTES RULES AND GUIDELINES



CONTEST THEME: Flower Still Life

SUBMISSION DATES: Tuesday 8th July – Sunday 17th August 2008

VOTING DATES: Tuesday 19th August - Monday 25th August 2008


RULES/GUIDELINES

  First rule: DO NOT PARTICIPATE WITHOUT HAVING READ AND ACCEPTED ALL CONTEST RULES!

  Only members can submit one entry

  During the contest the club will not be admitting new members!

  The submitted art must be the member's own work!

  Accepted styles: photography only (black & white or sepia are also welcome)
-no manipulations!
-slightly edited photographs will be allowed.

  Only entries of good quality covering the theme, without mature (violent, pornographic or racist) content are accepted.

  Only new deviations (submitted to your gallery AFTER July 8th 2008) will be accepted

To submit an entry to the contest, send your link or thumb in a note titled 'Contest #1' or 'Still Life Contest' to !FlowerFavClub

All members who submit a contest entry have to vote!
Contestants who do not vote will be disqualified! (This is not a joke)

Voting will be by commenting on the contest journal - [link]

Each member should vote for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.  Your choice for the 1st place will receive 3 points, for the 2nd 2 points and for the 3rd 1 point.
We'll total all points for each entry and the final places will be determined by the total number of points.

In case of a tie result the admin/s or a jury will decide on the final winner/s (there won't be a voting by poll!)

The admins won't submit an entry but will judge/vote.

ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONTEST? Please, don't hesitate to send a note to !FlowerFavClub


AND NOW ... BE CREATIVE!



PRIZES

All contest entries -winning or not- will be ed and also featured in a news article!

1st place
-feature in admin !AmiraMora's journal for 4 weeks
-winning entry featured on admin !AmiraMora's shoutboard for 2 weeks
-feature in !FlowerFavClub's journal
-feature in ~TreesClub journal
-feature in ~GreenEyedHarpy's journal
-feature(winning entries) in !The-Elven-Priestess's journal
-feature in ~yokopoko's journal
-feature in !MidnightMekare's journal
-feature in #Unframed-Nature's journal
-feature in ~TheOutdoorziez's journal


2nd place
-feature in admin !AmiraMora's journal for 2 weeks
-feature in !FlowerFavClub's journal
-feature in ~TreesClub's journal
-feature in ~GreenEyedHarpy's journal
-feature(winning entries) in !The-Elven-Priestess's journal
-feature in ~yokopoko's journal
-feature in !MidnightMekare's journal
-feature in #Unframed-Nature's journal
-feature in ~TheOutdoorziez's journal


3rd place
-feature in admin !AmiraMora's journal for 2 weeks
-feature in !FlowerFavClub's journal
-feature in ~TreesClub's journal
-feature in ~GreenEyedHarpy's journal
-feature(winning entries) in !The-Elven-Priestess's journal
-feature in ~yokopoko's journal
-feature in !MidnightMekare's journal
-feature in #Unframed-Nature's journal
-feature in ~TheOutdoorziez's journal


All prizes are subject to change.

If you are interested in donating a prize to the contest, please send a note to !FlowerFavClub, they will be more than happy for any help you can give.

UPDATE:

Going, going, GONE!  The contest is closed.  All the entries have been just amazing  (glad to see some of you guys got your entry in in time!)  Keep checking `dandelgrosso's journal for details about the outcome.  Winners will be announced in a couple of days I believe.

And to celebrate the end of the contest, I'm going to feature all of the entries.  So for all of those who haven't already seen them.....

ENJOY!


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is holding a contest!  The theme is "Delicate" and you have until June 28 to enter.


SEE THE ENTRIES: Delicate Contest Entries



Description

For this contest the theme is intricate delicacy of nature, in simple terms photographs of flowers and/or water drops which portray beauty in small details.
`dandelgrosso wants to see how you portray nature in all its beauty whether it be a small water drop on a petal, or a flower.


Words & Photographs to help you:

Delicate, Intricate, Detailed, Complex, Fine, Exquisite







Rules

Only new deviations (submitted between 1st June - 28th June)

Only deviations submitted in either the Photography>Animals, Plants & Nature>Flowers & Plants
or Photography>Macro>Nature will be accepted.

You can only submit one entry.

Donators can enter (except judges).

No manipulations (removing objects from the photograph, major colour changes (hues, saturation) and also 'worn-out' photo filters or textures.
Small manipulations like cropping, contrast, softening and sharpening are fine though).

Please send entry in a note to `dandelgrosso titled "Contest Entry."

In the note, give the title of the deviation and the thumbnail number.


The contest journal will be updated every week and the entries can be seen here


First Prize
1 year sub donated by `davincipoppalag
3 month sub donated by `dandelgrosso
Fella Plushie donated by `hellfirediva

Second Prize
3 month sub donated by ~jinseinokaze
3 month sub donated by !chilipalmer
Accessory Pack donated by `hellfirediva

Third Prize
3 month sub donated by `Jules1983

All winners will be featured by the following members:

~Lord-Dip *lostknightkg ~game-breaker ~reachthetop *FramedByNature
`FaMz ~DafoeofLenin ~ahmedwkhan ~shiiaru `Whimsical-Dreams ~messysprings
`dandelgrosso ~GreenEyedHarpy


And, behold the judges for this contest:




Good luck all, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

Now also a news article



This is a little tribute to my favourite club on DA!

is probably the most effective and well known club on the entire site and has THE hardest working admin keeping it running all by herself.

I'm sure everyone who watches me already knows this club, but if you don't, and you're a photographer you should definitely check it out.  You'll be astounded by the beautiful art that winds up in your inbox each day and as the name says YOU will receive exposure for your work.

I've said it a few times before, and now I'm going to say it publicly.  !babyducks does not get enough appreciation or recognition for her hard work in keeping this club going!
And I know, for a lot of us, a dose of ~Ex-po-zure each day is a must!  Please remember that no matter how hard !babyducks works, a club is only as good as it's members and lately it seems that she is working her butt off to promote this club and getting very little participation in return!

She runs the club for US, for YOU.  It's all about getting your name and your art out there, but the only way to do that is for you guys to help!
Promote the club, promote yourselves and each other!

So in a bid to do my bit, please enjoy these beautiful, random features I found browsing through the gallery and folders in the club.
And please don't forget to keep up with all the news and events going on at ~Ex-po-zure - read the journals, answer the polls.  It's all for your benefit!

ENJOY!!
















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So it's been waaay way too long since I've done one of these.  And lately I've been pre-occupied with that pesky thing called real life, so I haven't been around here as much as I would like.

I just want to say a big thank you to all of my friends and watchers who have been supporting my work over the last year (by the way, yes I clocked up the one year DA anniversary this month ) and particularly over the last month or two while I have been somewhat absent.  I really appreciate the support - faves, comments, critiques, watches.  You've all really helped me increase my confidence as a photographer and my work has grown and changed so much just from sharing my art with you, and sharing in all your talents - that really is the most important aspect of this site for me.  It's such a wonderful forum to share ideas and techniques.

With that being said....please enjoy these latest features.  I spent quite a few hours going through all these people's galleries and I've found some real gems.  I hope you all agree, and if you do, that you go give some attention and support to these most deserving artists!


Cheers,
Damienne


(don't forget to check out the news article )