Monday, July 25, 2016

Readers Write and IPPA

Readers Write . . . 
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David B sent me an email in response to the posted pics of pareidolia, the phenomenon of seeing faces in objects:
I find Carl Sagan's explanation of pareidolia quite convincing: 
As soon as the infant can see, it recognizes faces, and we now know that this skill is hardwired in our brains. Those infants who a million years ago were unable to recognize a face smiled back less, were less likely to win the hearts of their parents, and less likely to prosper. These days, nearly every infant is quick to identify a human face, and to respond with a goony grin.
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The day of the sad events in Nice I had posted a quote by Naopleon, before I knew of those events - "There is no place in a fanatic's head where reason can enter." I mentioned the next day that this had been coincidental, being a comment selected for Bastille Day, not that I was using the terrorist attack as a stimulus for a quote.

Byter Tobye P sent me an email:
Just before this arrived I was reading a fascinating article about France-it’s a bit long, but you may find it interesting.  
Yesterday’s quote was rather apropos-considering what happened shortly after. A terrible tragedy, but I would hope people would realize that it wasn’t a comment on that situation but a coincidence-no reflection on you. 
Enjoy the weekend! Regards, Tobye 
https://medium.com/@b_judah/islam-and-the-french-republic-from-the-banlieus-to-le-pen-land-92d8a1fbf0e0#.u838oa5eh
As Tobye says, a lengthy item but worth the read.
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iPhone Photography Awards 2016

iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) is the first and longest running iPhone photography competition. Founded in 2007, IPPAWARDS has been celebrating the creativity of iPhone photographers since the iPhone first began to inspire, excite and engage users worldwide. Every year since then, IPPAWARDS has selected the very best shots among thousands of images submitted by iPhone photographers from more than 130 countries around the world. Winners are selected by esteemed jury members in a multi-step process and The Photographers of the Year are then awarded.
Below are some of the winning photographs, proving that you don’t need a fancy camera and stacks of lenses, filters, tripods etc to take a good photograph. There are 19 IPPA categories with 1st, 2nd and 3rd places awarded in each. The overall winner was Siyuan Niu for the following photograph . . .


Photographer of the Year, Man and the Eagle. Siyuan Niu was born in 1980 and lives in China in the Xinjiang Province. “The brave and wise Khalkhas live along the mountains in the south of Xinjiang and are companions with the eagles. They regard eagles as their children and train them for many years to hunt. This 70 year old man is rigid and solemn in front of family and friends, but when he is with his beloved eagle, the corner of his mouth would curve up. When the eagles reach mating age, although he is very reluctant, the man releases the eagles back into nature so that they can thrive. A mild heart and exquisite love are covered by his weather-beaten face. He is a tough man with a tender heart.”


Some of the winning images, without commentary:
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