Brihogan.com: June 2008

6/30/2008

Mike & Shannon's get together

Mike and Shannon had a get together at the beginning of june when most of the Duncombe's were all in town. It was a lot of fun. Dan amazed us with how much he could do on his scooter. Rob has decided he would like one too after seeing how much Dan could do! Auntie Mary made cookie salad and Rob was very excited to eat some and I loved it too. YUM. Thanks to Mike and Shannon for having us all over!

6/24/2008

Kimi

I thought this was cute. Kimi came up and sat on rob's arm.

6/19/2008

Mayo

We got to see Rob's vocal chords yesterday. It was pretty neat. Neither are paralyed which is very good. The doctor wants to wait a bit because he thinks from Rob having a cold for a little bit is affecting them. So we're home now!

The picture of my new fingerprint safe! It is very cool. The kitties do not have access to it, Rob has tried many times to see if he can get in!

6/18/2008

A little update

Hello! Rob once again has lost his voice. He says he's having trouble swallowing and at times breathing. So our adventure continues. We leave for mayo today to have him checked out.

As for the picture, Rob decided one day that he needed a bowl that had two compartments so he could have two different kinds of cereal. He remembered the vegetable bowl I had, so this was the result. He loved it. He is a funny guy.

Rob had a good birthday. Mike, Shannon, Ethan and Bella came over to celebrate and have some pizza. Brian came over a little later. I made cupcake and they weren't very good which was sad, but we also made chocolate raspberry cups and he really liked those.

6/03/2008

Rob's design

For my birthday Rob had this necklace designed. Earlier this year, we went to the jeweler because I wanted to have a setting done for my pearl. The pearl is from the Epcot Japan store during our honeymoon. We were in the Japan store so many times that week that the workers started recognizing us! The pearl is from an oyster that I got to choose. So I've had this pearl for 4 years and finally decided I needed it to be in a setting. (Ok, It didn't need to be in a setting, but I wanted it to be!) While looking around the store, Rob decided that he could design an awesome setting. Isn't it neat? I love it! It has six points because we've known each other for 6 years.

Photo Contest Rules (boring)

Timing
Photos should be submitted to Brian's email by Sunday @ 8:00pm. Posting will go live ASAP. Voting will close Thursday at 3:00pm. Winner will fill out "interview" and deliver to Brian's email by Friday night.

Photo Delivery
Try to keep your photos under 1,500 pixels wide (or tall). You can use the "Large (Higher Quality)" setting through iPhoto. Your photograph should be titled; 1 to 5 words for a title.

Scoring
First place 3 points. Second place 2 points. Third place 1 point.

Handicaps / 1:321 Rule
The idea behind handicapping is to keep the competition close. It is also there so that we can practice photography with limits - since limits might make us more creative. Lastly, it is there to keep players with more resources from having too much advantage.

Since the winner will not be determined until Thursday night, the handicap will be for the following week's assignment. So, basically, the handicapping will always be a week behind.

When a photographer gets first place he will receive one handicap. Handicap is decided on by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place photographers (majority rules). Handicaps for a win must be of the "basic type". If a photographer is winning over the last place person by 3, 5, or 6 wins then he will get +1, +2, or +3 handicaps of the "extreme type".

The 321 part of the rule comes from a photographer winning 3 times, then an additional 2 times, then an additional 1 time. These wins translate to having a score of 9, 15, and 18 above the last place player.

For example, if "Player A" just won a round and has a score of 18 and "Player B" has a score of 0. Then "Player A" Would have 1 basic handicap and 3 extreme handicaps. If a player is more than 18 points over the lowest player than he will get +1 basic handicaps for every single point over 18.

Basic Type Handicaps
For practice! Basic handicaps are assigned to the photographer that has just won a round. And also assigned to photographers that are more than 18 points above the last place player. Basic handicaps reset each round. The handicap is decided on by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place players (majority rules). Basic handicaps would be anything that are not fundamental photographing "rights". These handicaps should be fun & challenging, but not stress inducing. For example, "no flash", "No post production (other than CC)", "Must use S priority mode", "No stabilization (i.e. tripods)", "Must use manual focus", "Must shot in landscape/portrait orientation", etc.

Extreme Type Handicaps
Ouch! Extreme handicaps are assigned to any photographer that are 9, 15, or 18 points above the last place player. Extreme handicaps are reset each round. The handicap is decided on by the bottom 3 players - but not including the player being handicapped (majority rules). Extreme handicaps can include limiting fundamental photographing "rights". For example, "full manual mode (M mode and manual focus)", "No post production at all (not even CC)", "Shots only between 8 & 10pm", "No looking through viewfinder or monitor", etc.

Voting Rules
Photographers are not allowed to solicit for votes. They can link to the voting. Or, even have their own voting on their own blog/site. But, they cannot suggest which photo should be voted for. Photographers can vote once - but not for their own photo.

Ties
If there is a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. Then all the players (other than the players involved in the tie) vote on the favorite (majority rules). If there are an equal number of votes, then the lowest scored individual is dropped from voting. The score for the "lowest scored individual" is the score before the round in which the tie is involved.

Assignments
Next week's assignment will be posted at the bottom of the "contest photos" post, which should be posted no later than Monday. Assignment will be pulled from several standard websites that produce "word of the day" or "assignment of the week" etc. For now, Brian will pick an assignment on a rotational bases.

Winner's Interview
These are the questions the winner should email to Brian so that he can post your victory.

What was your thought process in coming up with your photo?
What settings did you use (shutter/aperture, ISO, etc)?
Did you do any Post Production? If so, what did you do?
What tools did you use (flash, lens, meter, etc)?
What have you learned from this assignment?
What would you have done differently now that it's over?