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Birth of Las Vegas
1st PlaceBirth of Las Vegas
cutlassdude70


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Neon Signs (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-20D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Location: Oak Hills, CA (near junction of 395 & Phelan Rd)
Date: Nov 7, 2006
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Shutter: 423.0 sec
Galleries: Humorous
Date Uploaded: Nov 7, 2006

 Seeing my Long Exposure shot scoring lower than I anticipated, I decided to shoot an entry for Neon Signs as well. ;) I had been wanting to shoot something similar to this (with my uncle's neon cactus) for quite some time, so this challenge was a perfect excuse! It was shot in a relatively remote area of the high desert. I parked on the side of the road and ran 200' of extension cord down a hill from the inverter in my car. My friend stayed in the car and flipped the inverter switch on and off to light the cactus up when I told him to.

The actual power cord for the neon cactus is coming from the right side of the frame and is buried beneath the sand. The power cord you see is just a decoy that I grabbed from a CD player (I really wish it had been white for this shot!). I picked up the power outlet (which is propped up here by a rock to provide a better angle) at a Home Depot about 2 minutes before they closed. :) I started the exposure, had my friend flash the cactus on and off, then exposed for several more minutes to allow the full moon to light up the landscape. I wish the moonlight hadn't lit up the glass neon tube so much and washed out some of the neon, but there wasn't really any easy way to avoid it...

A cop showed up while we were shooting this and asked what we were doing on the side of the road at 2:00 AM. I told him I was doing some long-exposure night photography. Then came the question of the year - "So you takin' wildlife pictures or sumtin'?" :/ ...... Yep, that's EXACTLY what I'm doing. Long-exposure nighttime wildlife photography is the BEST!!! Right there, right there - see that blur? I call this one 'Squirrel by Moonlight'. :D

* Post-challenge: Thanks everyone for the awesome comments!!! This was a blast to set up and shoot. :D And oh yeah - Jason, don't even sweat the vote. I can see how some people may have thought this didn't fit Basic Editing rules. Thanks for taking the time to explain your vote, and welcome to DPC! :)

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 124
Avg (all users): 6.8876
Avg (commenters): 7.6000
Avg (participants): 6.6462
Avg (non-participants): 6.9653
Views since voting: 10144
Views during voting: 564
Votes: 267
Comments: 74
Favorites: 16 (view)

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AuthorThread
 12/13/2006 12:16:25 PM
very very cool shot... love it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/21/2006 07:45:23 AM
Creative idea and great composition, I love it!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/16/2006 01:20:24 PM
well done and deserved!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/16/2006 10:20:09 AM
great work - glad I gave it an 8!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/16/2006 06:59:01 AM
Great shot and title... I didn't get to vote in the challenge, so I'm commenting now. And the appropriate response to the cop would have been "Here's Your Sign" Congrats on the blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/16/2006 06:05:28 AM
Brilliant! Well done on the blue ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/16/2006 05:41:50 AM
Awesome picture and hilarious story! Great wildlife shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 04:55:59 PM
Wonderful creativity... my kind of shot! Congrats on making the effort and pulling it off so well. :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 01:13:07 PM
Outstanding idea and excellent execution. Perfect for the challenge and so worthy of the top prize... well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 10:27:29 AM
haha this is great!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 06:42:51 AM
Excellent shot, congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 06:17:19 AM
Sweet ~ Congrats on the blue!!! This was one of my top picks!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 05:51:29 AM
Congrats on your blue!!! Certainly a photo and a story to remember for a long time to come!!!! Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 05:17:08 AM
I would like to publicly apologize to Sean for my 2 vote. I am a new member and this is my first time voting. I was quickly flipping though the photos and when I saw that one I didn't think it was real, I thought it was fake. Can you see the descriptions before voting? If I had read Sean's description I wouldn't have made that mistake. Is there someone I can email to change my vote? Anyway I'm glad that my stupidity didn't cost you a blue ribbon and I hope you will accept my apologies and congratulations!

Is there a way to change a vote? I realize now that I need to vote on the actual photo and not what I think it was or was not...Leave the reviewing up to the site admins. I apologies to the whole site for that.

I look forward to participating in the future and will not make that mistake again!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 04:23:44 AM
"Right there, right there - see that blur? I call this one 'Squirrel by Moonlight'"

Hilarious!! :-D :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 04:02:20 AM
This was my only 10 of the challenge. Very creative -- I certainly enjoyed reading your description! Aren't power inverters nice?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 03:53:56 AM
Very creatvie idea, congrats on your blue ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 03:47:35 AM
This is So DNMC!

Congratulations Sean. You Rock!

I would love to know what the folks who voted 2,3, or 4 were thinking.

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 03:29:14 AM
That's funny...Saguaro Catus aren't even native to Las Vegas or even to Nevada. Unbelievable...congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 03:23:09 AM
Excellent Image!!
I had a great laugh when I read your story. If you light the tail it makes a great trail!!
Oh God... I'm a poet and I didn't knowit!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 03:10:46 AM
I had this one pegged for a ribbon. Very creative in a difficult challenge. Well thought out and executed.

Congrats on the blue. It's a pleasure to share the fornt page with you!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 03:07:39 AM
Yeah! Great idea....Classy.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 02:59:01 AM
Hey Sean,

Beautiful work... lots of imagination.... love your entry.... You deserved this ribbon... congrats...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 02:23:42 AM
what a creative idea. Love it! congratulations on the well deserved BLUE
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 01:27:50 AM
Very cool! Congrats on the ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/15/2006 01:15:52 AM
I didn't vote on this challenge, but this is just fantastic! Even better is that you took the time to share the background on how the shot was done. I think I see that nighttime desert squirrel running around back there in the background! :P Great job, and congrats on a well deserved blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 11:16:48 PM
Congrats dude, I didn´t vote but judging from the top 20 thumbnails, the best shot won this challenge as far as I am concerned, good creativity, very much in spirit of Scalvert´s shots.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 09:39:09 PM
Dude!

Your BLUE!!!!!!

Stellar!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 09:15:40 PM
Way to go Sean. Brilliant and well done. Congratulations
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 08:24:45 PM
This was my only 10 - It was perfect - When a picture makes you wonder how it was takenand is also well executed - Then thats 10 in my book. Really well done. This would also make a great poster!
Jeff

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 07:38:24 PM
Dude! You do me proud once again! :D I knew this was a winner the moment I saw it. Congrats..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 07:35:32 PM
Congrats on the blue! Man you've been on fire lately.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 07:30:29 PM
Congratulations on your BLUE. This is a smashing clever response to this challenge!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 07:29:10 PM
Congrats on the blue and thanks for sharing the story behind the shot as well: )
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
11/14/2006 02:53:36 PM
Like the composition of the photo! At first, I thought it just one of the ordinary but it's different when I looked closer. Nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 02:08:45 PM
Great picture, wonderful lighting, and excellant idea...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 10:29:47 AM
Fun shot!!! Very creative and your neon is very nicely shot. I also like the green border.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/14/2006 08:58:51 AM
very creative idea!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/13/2006 06:08:51 PM
Nice idea. I believe the outlet could be in the background and still have the desired effect.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/13/2006 08:08:41 AM
Original concept, good DOF, good lighting
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/13/2006 06:28:56 AM
unreal.. so cool
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/13/2006 01:26:17 AM
I like your creativity. 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/12/2006 07:28:30 PM
Very clever. Would love to see how you did this :) 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/12/2006 04:28:46 PM
Original and funny!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/12/2006 03:06:12 PM
My favorite of the contest
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/11/2006 06:40:25 PM
Fun shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/11/2006 05:01:44 PM
Interresting shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/11/2006 12:57:30 PM
Most original idea in the bunch! Well done! I see horizontal stripes in the sky - too much noise reduction? Clever idea, good luck in the challenge!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/11/2006 11:41:41 AM
The border and border color was a good choice and enhances the photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/11/2006 07:31:40 AM
Creative entry! The angled outlet pulls me away from the neon a bit.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/10/2006 01:26:28 PM
This is great! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 05:15:12 PM
You just made me laught. Great idea!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 04:16:49 PM
Clever and fun. 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 02:19:24 PM
LOL, great concept.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 01:00:41 PM
Definitely creative!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 12:05:13 PM
Extremely creative idea and photograph. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 11:30:18 AM
a very creative idea! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 06:29:26 AM
clever take of the contest. Well composed image and humorous too. :o)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/09/2006 04:54:32 AM
lol
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 10:50:47 PM
now that is funny!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 07:05:21 PM
Lol. Very clever! 7 And another bump for creativity and sense of humor. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 03:46:32 PM
Extra points for clever (and well executed too).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 03:17:22 PM
Gee!, I always wondered how it all got started. Too cute. Good exposure, good composition, good sharpness and color. -6-
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 11:54:35 AM
great out of the box shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 11:05:23 AM
This is a real hoot! Very clever and well done. I'm not crazy about the green border - it does match the neon, but I feel it is also a bit distracting. But you still get a 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 05:18:06 AM
wonderful....great idea......7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 05:01:26 AM
Nice one! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 04:51:09 AM
Great shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 04:25:20 AM
ya might just have a ribbon here..gl 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2006 02:54:09 AM
personaly I find the border a bit distracting, especialy with the colour maching the neon, but the title, and the whole idea, is just great.
the most origanel shot here, framing is perfect, and the power point in the dirt, just love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/07/2006 11:37:28 PM
In genius!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/07/2006 11:18:28 PM
nice idea, lighting could be improved as it is clear, the cord's shadow isn't induced by the neon-cactus. Sky should be darker, startrails should've been cloned out. green border distracts a bit
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/07/2006 09:36:40 PM
Very funny!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/07/2006 09:32:50 PM
very good, very funny and clever...like the frame which really suits this
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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