[Duplo]

Welcome to the Duplo DA21ltd give away contest

Contest dates:
Contest starts now and will end on June 10th at midnight CET.

Contest Rules:
Two rules only to be in the run for the price.
1) To enter one must post one and only one landscape image that in the best possible way convey the message of balance between the raw power of mother nature and her fragility.
2 The image does not have to be captured within the competition period, but a recent image is preferred and you must be the one having captured it.
3) An explanation of why the price should go your way - it can be brief or long winded, but it really must be there.
4) The in my opinion best combination of image and explanation will result in a win
5) any post containing a contest entry should me marked; Contest entry - "Tittle of image"

Contest Price:
My copy of the DA 21mm ltd as seen below, including lens pouch and a new V+W 43mm UV filter to mount inside the lens hood when shooting stuff risking to damage the lens elements (i.e. helicopters taking off at close range ).


Why all of this and what makes this lens so special:
Well as I leave Pentax behind for a while, I found that my DA21ltd simply had too long a history with me to just be sold off.
If have travelled the world, endured blizzards, dog sledding and arctic winters in temperatures well below -40C, it has travelled eastern Greenland in a wooden schooner and even saved my face from a nasty hit by a rock from a helicopter taking off (which I was supposed to shoot images off as it took off). It is the lens that is responsible for some of my personal favourite landscapes, people, mountaineering and travel images, not to mention my first premiere collection PPG entry.
It is worn, it has its quirks and would probably not mind to stop by Pentax for a service round up, but it is also the proof that the limiteds can stand up to years of hard pro use, travelling and arctic conditions and keep on shooting.
What I came to realise going over all the images captured with it recently (a selection of favourites are HERE), was that it in so many ways has been a huge part of my development as a photographer, being my primary workhorse and lens.
What I hope to do with this give away, is to find it a new home where it will continue its journey and perhaps even be part of another photographers appreciation of the raw, powerful, fragile and fantastic nature that surrounds us all.
That way I am in a way able to pay a little something back to an online community from which I have learned a lot.

Is all of this not a bit silly?
Probably is and it is a used lens even - but hey, it is a chance to win a free lens with a fun history to it - so as silly as it may strike you, it cannot be all bad, can it?

Anyway, I hope this contest will see at least an entry or two, would be a bit embarrassing if it does not

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Last edited by Duplo; 05-27-2012 at 09:32 PM.

[gtl]

Wow. Very generous of you.

[littledrawe]

Can't see any reason why we would not try to get in on this.

[Heie]

This is my entry:



2) I captured this image while on an alpine mountaineering trip in an attempt to summit the Matterhorn (thwarted by bad weather on the summit day) in July 2011. I used my Pentax K-7 and DA 55-300 lens. This was taken at the Aguille d'Midi (French and Italian border on the Mont Blanc Massif) at ~3800m elevation. I'd be lying if I said that I wanted to go climbing that day - it was raining in a way that reminded me of the hurricanes I've had to endure living in Southern Florida. Thankfully my guide knew better and took me up anyway, because once we were above the clouds (my first time save for within airplanes), it was a whole different world.

The reason that I felt this image captured the sentiment of "power and fragility" was the clouds juxtaposed with the mountains. Clouds are some of the most fragile creations bestowed by Mother Nature. As a child, you are taught the fragility and comfort clouds bring, especially those "cotton-ball looking ones" that almost seem so "fluffy." In fact, the only thing I can think of that would have any comparison to the level of fragility of a cloud would be the snowflake, which scientifically you realize is but another physical form of water.

On the contrary, one of the most uncontested icons of Mother Nature's raw power are mountains. Jagged, cold, wet, and perilous, many of history's best militaries have been humbled by something as simple as mountains. Many of the world's greatest climbers have been entombed by Everest, K2, etc. There's a reason "Everest" has become a metaphor for an otherwise impossible task or goal, and those that do conquer it in the literal sense, are held in awe.

3) I started photography at a time when I was a senior at the United States Military Academy at West Point (2.5 years ago). I had always taken photos growing up, and most of my traveling had been done either without cameras, or with a small P&S. I remember rushing to the nearest Best Buy on the weekend right after Thanksgiving in 2009 (which turned out to be the third nearest one) to acquire my brand new Canon G11. Jumping from $90 Kodak EasyShare P&S's, it was the first time I held in my hand a truly expensive "tool" that was 100% mine. I remember the pleasure I received from manipulating all the finely machined knobs, wheels, and buttons. The funniest part, I feel, is how it was the first time I grew from the notion that "all cameras were created equal," and "my P&S must be fantastic because it has 14mp resolution." Naivete is such a comfortable and secure blanket to be embraced within, because once you start abandoning that nurturing shield, everything I have experienced can be summed up in one sentence: the more I learned, the more I learned I didn't know anything. And such would be my experience with photography.

After mastering[sic] my G11--in reality, getting a few good shots and then realizing my creativity was being stifled by the inability to control depth of field, because a new realization dawned on me: sensor size actually matters for more than just image quality--I researched where to take my photography next. I had a friend in college who always had his Canon Rebel XSi with him, and he even let me borrow it a few weekends to practice, as I said that I wanted to learn to use a DSLR (of which I couldn't tell you what any of those letters meant at the time other than "Digital"). I decided that this was what I wanted to get, and then because I'm an insatiable bastard, I researched my first camera DSLR to where I'm confidant I was the most-educated first-time-buyer ever (which of course has been rendered obsolete by replacement models within the entry-level field). As any DSLR virgin getting his ankles wet, I was turned to Canon and Nikon recommendations. It wasn't until my constant nagging regarding my requirement for a camera that would be suitable for my active, military lifestyle. "What is a camera that I won't worry about dust and rain?" After dismissing the several thousand dollar pro-grade FF offerings from Canon and Nikon (not to mention the lenses as well), I was recommended Pentax. "A tariff on writing implements?" It was then that I acquired and fell in love with my brand new Pentax K-7. Since receiving it (and subsequently upgrading to the heralded K-5 by pure luck of finding an unbeatable Like New deal from Amazon for $768 in September of last year), I have felt my photography truly grow to where I am just beginning to capture on an electronic chip the image that I have conjured in my mind.

It is here that I feel the acclaimed 21 Limited will hone and correct my path towards developing into the photographer that I see myself becoming. The constraints such a "limited" relationship will force me to live and compose within is something I have been dreaming of experimenting with. A child of the generation of convenience, my photography exudes that sentiment - a collection of zooms and one prime whose main purpose is macro.

But what is the endstate? What is the "desired outcome" we military types like to delve on and on about? For me, my passion has been fueled by my desire to become an accomplished photographer that can capture a moment in time that makes people not just look at a photograph I take, but experience the moment as if they were there with me as well. This is why I have a hard time respecting "No Photography" signs at the museums, cathedrals, etc that I visit the globe over. I know some will disagree with that statement, however my reason is simple (and to my personal set of morals, not selfish) - it's my desire to share the sights I take in with the family and friends that will never have the opportunity to visit the places I have realized I am so fortunate to do so. I realize that I am a terrible story teller (can't you see from this that I'm just way too long winded for any good, enraptured story?), so describing the places I visit has caused more headaches than jealousy.

Returning to that ever-evolving idea of an endstate, it becomes pronounced every time I'm asked why I've spent so much money on photography equipment. "When I retire from the military, I'd love to become a National Geographic travel photographer, and if people agree with my personal assessment that I am a talented (albeit admittedly superfluous) writer, then maybe a journalist as well. Being given the opportunity to embrace and explore my love for language, people, and a proclivity for trying that disgusting and smelly dish every culture seems to have, is my endstate. If I could make that a career, and even further share those adventures with my family, then to me, there's nothing more a photographer can hope for. And the 21 Limited would most certainly not hinder that quest.

-Heie

[VisualDarkness]

Great pic Heie, I can really feel the theme. It took me a while to see the people that even added more depth and meaning to it.

[zosxavius]

I shoot nature a lot, and man vs nature is a recurring theme in a lot of what I shoot. This should be fun and I greatly look forward to it. This idea is something I've been looking for a shot to represent for a long time. I'll see what I can cook up....a 21ltd is a real dream to me right now.

[pezmaker]

This is my entry:

done in one?

[jasonm1968]

I took this picture at a petting farm in Kissimmee Florida called Green Meadows Petting Farm. Hope you all like it.

[thebigcat]

2.) This photo taken on Weds 5/22/2012 conveys the desolation of the Sonoran desert. In my opinion one of the harsher environments in the World. The fragile stack of rocks which I found made me wonder how long they would remain, and what their purpose is.

3.) I have been coveting this lens as it is the perfect focal length and size for street photography.


Thanks for your generosity in putting on this contest. While I am not very active here, and don't enter many contests, this one seems tailor made for me after my recent trip and the prize.

Good luck to everyone

[zosxavius]

done in one?

Its a good shot, but I don't think nature is looking very fragile there.... :P

(edit)

It certainly ups the ante though.....

[sjwaldron]

1) The power and fragility of nature is very easily visible in water. In this instance the water is being held back by human structures that allows the fisher in the photo to walk through it, but on the right you can tell that nature is on the winning side. Her power can only be held back for so long. I took this photo a few days ago on 5/26 with a Pentax K-01 and 40mm f2.8 XS lens.

3) Why should I have the prize? I think it's a bit self centered to answer why I would be more deserving or use it better than someone else, but I'll try to make a few simple points. Maybe checking out my gallery ( scottjwaldron.com ) and blog ( photographybanzai.com | All about photography and then some! ) to see my photography would help in your decision. One positive is that my tools of choice are prime lenses rather than zooms (the only zooms I currently have are 50-200mm WR and 10-17mm Fisheye). The 21 won't go into a closet and never be used because I can't be troubled to use a prime. I even go as far as to use two cameras at once when I need a decent focal length range. I could certainly use a wide angle lens that is as compact as the 21mm... Had I had a 21mm Limited, chances are I would have had it with me instead of the 40mm. My goal that day was to have an extremely small setup and only took that one lens.

[HelderLuis]

This photo was taken by air plain wen i was coming back home to Terceira Island in Azores, in that day it rained a lot. so much that u can see it on the sea. Taken with Pentax K5 and 16-50mm f2.8 star Pentax lens.

[tcwilson]

I took this picture during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park. The power of nature is there in abundance, as well as the delicate balance that makes it all work. That became even clearer to me when I learned Yellowstone is merely a tin foil cap on a massive super volcano. What nature created there, it will one day destroy. Despite humans' insistence that people can manage the power of nature, the scale of the park visitors puts the truth in clear perspective.
To me the prize here isn't really the lens, its the opportunity it provides to see the world in new ways and share those images with others. By sharing our pictures here, we've already accomplished that. But, with the gift of the lens comes the implicit promise it will continue to be used to that end. I will.

[SJBRDLL]

I took this last month on my K-r (before i upgraded to the k5) whilst heading home from studying to see family. I waited 3 hours for the sun and the clouds to align for the shot i had envisaged, needless to say i got pretty wet but was happy with the result.

I think the photo conveys the beauty of the coast and sea but also the fragility of the life living in and around it.

I don't think i deserve to win this anymore than any other person who enters but the DA 21 sure would be an amazing addition to my setup as i am trying to save for it at present anyway, something which isn't too easy being a student!
I am also taking a trip to Iceland this summer, it would be a true privilege to have this lens with me for some (hopefully) prosperous landscape shooting.

If nothing else i hope that people appreciate the shot.

Thank you

[nfrw]

This was taken last week in the late afternoon. The power of the mountains and the sky against the lake and trees in the shadow give a sense of the fragility of the lake. Especially this year, since the water levels are so low. Eventually Mirror Lake will disappear as a meadow takes its place.

Every year my school takes its Alpine Club to Yosemite to hike, enjoy nature, and learn about the valley's history and geology. (I'm a history teacher.) Many of our students have never been out of their hometown in central California. The photo was taken after a 5 hour drive, during our first hike to acclimatize the students to the altitude. (They live at sea level.) Each student will be getting a DVD with the photos that were taken during the trip as a lasting reminder of their successes - the Mist Trail and Nevada Falls, the beauty of the valley, and the need to protect nature.

The photo was taken with a K-5, smc Pentax-DA 16-45mm F4 ED AL at 45 mm, 1/250/ f6.3 ISO 200. I have just gotten this lens and was trying it out in various lighting conditions and distances. I used Photoshop CS6 to convert the photo to B&W.