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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> The Best of CTF Challenges >> Best of 2009 > 2nd - Warding off Evil - by CJ in CA
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09-JAN-2009 CJ in CA

2nd - Warding off Evil - by CJ in CA

Garlic has been used as a charm against evil and dates back to Ancient times.
The ancient Egyptians believed in a Vampire-like ghost that killed sleeping children
by sucking up their breath. The protection that was used against the attacks of this
murderous monster was a wreath of garlic.

Canon EOS 40D ,Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
1/60s f/22.0 at 100.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time09-Jan-2009 23:19:33
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS 40D
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length100 mm
Exposure Time1/60 sec
Aperturef/22
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (1)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Canon DSLR Challenge14-Jan-2009 03:41
I really like the lighting here... Wonderful, Carole! ~Lydia
ctfchallenge12-Jan-2009 02:58
Looks perfect to me... like i could pluck one off the page. Great job CJ! Love the shadows. jano
Guest 12-Jan-2009 01:54
No point of redoing it just because the technicalities might not be perfect. The image is great and that's what matters.
ctfchallenge11-Jan-2009 14:59
Christakis, I sharpened this up a bit more. And to tell the truth, I forgot to change the shutter speed after changing lenses but but when I was editing this, I thought it was sharp enough so didn't retake it. CJ
Rod 11-Jan-2009 07:30
Well megirl you're doing some wonderful lighting wiv the flash, I can't find any tell tale signs it looks very natural.
Guest 11-Jan-2009 05:45
Ahhh Garlic :) I like garlic...Present it like this and it looks even better. I think it could take a tiny tiny bit of sharpening; was this handheld or tripod(ed)? Although it doesn't make a major difference if there wasn't a decent amount of ambient light why did you go for 1/60s and not a higher speed (1/120,1/200 for example)? You know the flash would still use the same amount of light and your picture would still look the same (maybe a tad sharper) don't you?
ctfchallenge11-Jan-2009 05:28
PS: At f/22 I had to use flash! :-) CJ
ctfchallenge11-Jan-2009 05:24
Thanks gang! Start your little girly screaming now Rod as I bounced the flash off a white wall on the right! I want to set up a light tent with a couple of high wattage daylight fluorescent lights I saw on a photo supply site. :-D CJ
Rod 11-Jan-2009 05:13
If Carole ses she used flash I will screem:-)
aam1234 11-Jan-2009 05:06
Simply beautiful. Love the homey subject and colors.
sue anne11-Jan-2009 02:30
Very nice and I enjoy cooking with lots of garlic ;)
Canon DSLR Challenge11-Jan-2009 01:07
Or you can blanch it first, whole, then peel it and use for whatever. Julia Child recommends that when adding garlic to mashed potatoes. It take the really strong bite out of it.
Carole - this looks really good A f22.What kind of light did you have?
Penny Street
ctfchallenge10-Jan-2009 17:13
Carole, keep in mind that the lens is still pretty sharp at f32 but it does still suffer slightly from diffraction at that setting. I use it that way sometimes at work because I need a closeup of up to six teeth in a row for color and characterization reference. I wouldn't stop it down quite that much though unless your picy really needs very deep DOF.
Rod, the roasted garlic I mentioned wasn't spiced or artificially sweetened we were told. You could probably Google how to prepare it. I joked about it but apparently the roasting takes a lot of the odorous after effect out of the stuff. Other people we were around later may disagree ;-)
~Brent
ctfchallenge10-Jan-2009 15:29
Thanks all for the comments and thanks Brent for the info about how small an aperture I can use with this lens. After I saw your comment I looked up the specs on this lens and it indeed did say you can use it from f/2.8 to f/32. I think I will experiment with f/32 on my next picy. :-D CJ
ctfchallenge10-Jan-2009 14:40
Reminds me of driving through Gilroy, just south of San Jose (garlic capital of the world). I really like the warm tones and your composition CJ, very nice pic. -angioman
ctfchallenge10-Jan-2009 14:16
Rod the Korean restaurant's version was not so elegently prepared except that most of the outside husk was removed. No spices at all. Come to think of it, there were actually two heads served in one appetizer portion. -tv
Rod 10-Jan-2009 09:23
Thanks Brent, the next time I'm naughty I will try cooking it. Were any spices used or just plain roasted garlic? I would think just plain garlic is enough on its own.You were lucky your partner at the time ate the same a.
Canon DSLR Challenge10-Jan-2009 08:56
Went to a place years ago in San Francisco (think it is/was called the Stinking Rose) that served whole roasted garlic splayed out like a blossom as an appetizer. The waitress talked my girlfriend and I into ordering one. You just scooped out the soft garlic with a knife and spread it onto bread. It tasted sweet actually and was really good. We had no problem after eating it since we both had consumed it, and everywhere we went that night the crowds just cleared out of our way :-)
~Brent
Rod 10-Jan-2009 07:02
They say there's nothing nicer than a whole roasted garlic, I've never tried it. Anyone have a recipe?
Canon DSLR Challenge10-Jan-2009 05:44
Now I know why no one bothers me although my wife does complain some. Good and natural even delicious. (But take care - I once had a whole head of "roasted" garlic in a Korean restaurant - it was coming out of my pores for a week.) -tv
ctfchallenge10-Jan-2009 05:25
Very nice Carole, great detail and lovely light. So the garlic my Mum put in my food got me past childhood? I think f22 is no problem for that lens. I sometimes stop mine down to f32 to get large DOF at work doing oral images (gross I know) and the detail is still decent. Nice work!
~Brent
Rod 10-Jan-2009 04:55
Garlic also warns off old friends too:-) I love the stuff. Most of us won't go over F8 or F16 but Penny & now you have shown us not to be scared off using very small F stops. This looks really good with the large DOF & the lighting is excellent. Nicely done megirl,