[12/07] Pete Conrad - bit-tech.net Forums

supermonkey · 22nd Dec 2007, 06:03

After a lot of patient waiting, I finally got the shot I wanted for this month's theme.

Yes, one tree has red lights. No, I did not color those lights. While the image may stand on its own, there actually is an interesting story behind the lights, and why one tree stands out.

This is the astronaut memorial grove at the Johnson Space Center. Every astronaut that dies (regardless of cause) has a tree planted in his or her honor. The project was created in 1996 with the original dedication honoring the astronauts killed in the Challenger accident of 1986. Since that time, a new tree has been planted for each astronaut that has died.

When Pete Conrad died, his close friend and colleague, Buzz Aldrin, gave the dedication at the ceremony. In his speech, Aldrin, speaking on behalf of Conrad, related that while Pete was one of the shortest astronauts, he didn't want his tree to be the shortest. He wanted his tree to stand out, to be the most colorful. Pete's motto was: "When you can’t be good, be colorful." Aldrin charged then-JSC Director George Abbey to light the trees each Christmas season, and to make Conrad's tree stand out. They have fulfilled his wish each year since then.

The original article can be found in the JSC newsletter.

In order to preserve the colors and tones throughout the image, I used 4 separate exposures - two for the sky, one for the actual lights, and one for the glow on the trees and ground. The sky consists of two layers, with the lighter of the two on top. I applied the "Multiply" blending mode to it to make the resulting sky pop. No further enhancement was done to the sky. The glow received a very slight levels tweak and the lights received a very slight red color boost, with any resulting red color abberations in painted out of the white lights using a layer mask.

The whole thing was assembled by hand in Photoshop, and layer masks were used to bring out each individual piece.

Hope you enjoy it.

-monkey

Spaceraver · 22nd Dec 2007, 06:40

I request that as a wallpaper, borderless is best... Stunning in a way that i cant describe. But then again, I'm not a photographer, not even hobby.

Buzzons · 22nd Dec 2007, 11:44

we have a winner?

bubsterboo · 22nd Dec 2007, 11:49

I really like this. But one opinion: I seem to notice sort of an outer glow around the base of the trees. This makes them stand out in a very artificial manner IMHO.
Love the sky.

OleJ · 22nd Dec 2007, 13:00

Whoa! VERY beautiful snap there! Well done mate!

Bindibadgi · 22nd Dec 2007, 13:44

Fantastic - wallpaper plz kthx

DaveVader · 22nd Dec 2007, 14:35

this is an awesome pic, I'm going to jump on the band wagon and ask for a wallpaper as this is top notch stuff!

NzC · 22nd Dec 2007, 15:33

I am curious what lens and camera you used. Thanks.

Oh and BTW, awesome photo.

Nick

yodasarmpit · 22nd Dec 2007, 17:15

Great shot mate, love it.

supermonkey · 22nd Dec 2007, 18:38

Thank you all for the kind words.

bubsterboo: The glow around the base of the trees is mostly intentional, though I ended up reworking it several times to get the right gradation into the darker areas. I plan on revisiting this photo in a week or so to see if I still like the result. I have a feeling I may work on it a little more. I call it "George Lucas Syndrome."

NzC: I used a Canon 40D with the 28-135mm kit lens all the way out at 28mm.

For those of you requesting desktops, I'll remove the border and resize the original later tonight.

-monkey

Nexxo · 22nd Dec 2007, 20:57

I'll have one in 2560 x 1600 please.

/deletes this month's entry with a sigh...

DaveVader · 22nd Dec 2007, 21:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexxo

I'll have one in 2560 x 1600 please.

/deletes this month's entry with a sigh...

haha lol, 1440x900 for me please

quack · 22nd Dec 2007, 23:29

Incredible! Wallpaper plz!

supermonkey · 23rd Dec 2007, 03:37

Here are links to the various wallpapers. I have one at 2560 x 1600 (as requested by Nexxo), one at 1440 x 900 (as requested by DaveVader), and one at 1280 x 1024 (since it's fairly standard). The 1280 x 1024 had to be cropped significantly to fit the ratio, but the image still works pretty well. Since the other resolutions are wider, all I had to do was trim a little bit from the top and bottom.

Link to 2560 x 1600

Link to 1440 x 900

Link to 1280 x 1024

Again, thank you for all the kind comments.

Edit: Oops, looks like Photobucket has file size limits. Let me try this again. If anyone has any problems with the resolution, just let me know.

-monkey

DaveVader · 23rd Dec 2007, 10:28

thats awesome. thanks a lot for that! I needed a new wallpaper anyway, I was bored of the generic "windows view of some crappy field" and this definitely does it justice

Boogle · 23rd Dec 2007, 18:48

Awesome, and most importantly, full of meaning.

Mother-Goose · 24th Dec 2007, 09:11

Pheonominal shot, as has been said, we have a winner already I think. This is truly brilliant, and I think the story behind it adds even more power to the shot.

Is there any chance we could have a picture of the year contest where the 12 monthly winners are put against each other? (no prizes but just the kudos)

Anyway, 1920*1200

or I could probably scale the 2560*1600 I think?

Cuban · 24th Dec 2007, 10:22

its a really great shot!! defiantly got my vote this month.

I really like the under glow from the tree's :-)

Bindibadgi · 24th Dec 2007, 11:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by supermonkey

Here are links to the various wallpapers. I have one at 2560 x 1600 (as requested by Nexxo), one at 1440 x 900 (as requested by DaveVader), and one at 1280 x 1024 (since it's fairly standard). The 1280 x 1024 had to be cropped significantly to fit the ratio, but the image still works pretty well. Since the other resolutions are wider, all I had to do was trim a little bit from the top and bottom.

Link to 2560 x 1600

Link to 1440 x 900

Link to 1280 x 1024

-monkey

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Lovah · 24th Dec 2007, 12:06

Thanks for Wallpapers, I've already got it set on the MBP. Fantastic shot! I'm actually embarrassed to post my entry.
I does have a bit of a artificial feeling to it. Really incredible shot and the story behind it does indeed make it even better.

22nd Dec 2007, 06:03	#1
supermonkey Space Monkey Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,703	[12/07] Pete Conrad After a lot of patient waiting, I finally got the shot I wanted for this month's theme. Yes, one tree has red lights. No, I did not color those lights. While the image may stand on its own, there actually is an interesting story behind the lights, and why one tree stands out. This is the astronaut memorial grove at the Johnson Space Center. Every astronaut that dies (regardless of cause) has a tree planted in his or her honor. The project was created in 1996 with the original dedication honoring the astronauts killed in the Challenger accident of 1986. Since that time, a new tree has been planted for each astronaut that has died. When Pete Conrad died, his close friend and colleague, Buzz Aldrin, gave the dedication at the ceremony. In his speech, Aldrin, speaking on behalf of Conrad, related that while Pete was one of the shortest astronauts, he didn't want his tree to be the shortest. He wanted his tree to stand out, to be the most colorful. Pete's motto was: "When you can’t be good, be colorful." Aldrin charged then-JSC Director George Abbey to light the trees each Christmas season, and to make Conrad's tree stand out. They have fulfilled his wish each year since then. The original article can be found in the JSC newsletter. In order to preserve the colors and tones throughout the image, I used 4 separate exposures - two for the sky, one for the actual lights, and one for the glow on the trees and ground. The sky consists of two layers, with the lighter of the two on top. I applied the "Multiply" blending mode to it to make the resulting sky pop. No further enhancement was done to the sky. The glow received a very slight levels tweak and the lights received a very slight red color boost, with any resulting red color abberations in painted out of the white lights using a layer mask. The whole thing was assembled by hand in Photoshop, and layer masks were used to bring out each individual piece. Hope you enjoy it. -monkey __________________ But of bliss and of glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song. -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

22nd Dec 2007, 06:40	#2
Spaceraver Weekend Junkie Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kolding, Denmark Posts: 1,305	I request that as a wallpaper, borderless is best... Stunning in a way that i cant describe. But then again, I'm not a photographer, not even hobby. __________________ "Faith: not wanting to know what is true." - Friedrich Nietzsche. "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Seneca Last thing I remember, I was drinking this glowing green sht out of a test tube and dancing like a bstard.

22nd Dec 2007, 11:49	#4
bubsterboo Hypermodder Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 781	I really like this. But one opinion: I seem to notice sort of an outer glow around the base of the trees. This makes them stand out in a very artificial manner IMHO. Love the sky. __________________ DFI LANPARTY UT P35-T2R - Q6600 @ 3.4ghz - 8GB OCZ Platinum - evga 9800gx2 - 2x500gb seagate, 1x250gb hitachi, 1x320gb seagate, 1x1tb samsung - Benq FP241W

22nd Dec 2007, 13:00	#5
OleJ Me! Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 1,984	Whoa! VERY beautiful snap there! Well done mate! __________________ Quickr! Clickr to my Flickr! Canon camera stuff. Some aluminium PC, an HTPC and a MBP 17"..

22nd Dec 2007, 13:44	#6
Bindibadgi Richard Swinburne bit-tech Staff Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Omnipwntent Posts: 28,247	Fantastic - wallpaper plz kthx __________________ Made you look, made you stare, made you clicked this in your underwear! Den of Geek!

22nd Dec 2007, 11:44	#3
Buzzons Mod Master Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 2,086	we have a winner?

22nd Dec 2007, 15:33	#8
NzC Supermodder Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 489	I am curious what lens and camera you used. Thanks. Oh and BTW, awesome photo. Nick __________________ ~Nick PROJECT: My NEW ROOM I have 18 cool PCs...they range from Pentium 66Mhz to X2 4200+ FLICKR, eh?

22nd Dec 2007, 17:15	#9
yodasarmpit The other Brett. Moderator Join Date: May 2002 Location: West Lothian , Scotland Posts: 9,664	Great shot mate, love it. __________________ The Rt. Hon. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson - "Ping Pong is coming home" www.yodasarmpit.com clickr my flickr

22nd Dec 2007, 18:38	#10
supermonkey Space Monkey Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,703	Thank you all for the kind words. bubsterboo: The glow around the base of the trees is mostly intentional, though I ended up reworking it several times to get the right gradation into the darker areas. I plan on revisiting this photo in a week or so to see if I still like the result. I have a feeling I may work on it a little more. I call it "George Lucas Syndrome." NzC: I used a Canon 40D with the 28-135mm kit lens all the way out at 28mm. For those of you requesting desktops, I'll remove the border and resize the original later tonight. -monkey __________________ But of bliss and of glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song. -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

22nd Dec 2007, 20:57	#11
Nexxo ...like a geek! Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 15,092	I'll have one in 2560 x 1600 please. /deletes this month's entry with a sigh... __________________ "You actually hope to achieve your ideals, I just use mine as an excuse to hate everything" --specofdust "There is no Real Life, only Away From Keyboard" --gpw111 "...my wife says I can't have any trolls, cause they argue with the dog and eat the fish" --KayinBlack

22nd Dec 2007, 23:29	#13
quack \o/ Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: England Posts: 5,221	Incredible! Wallpaper plz! __________________ Denying Rights to Music lovers. Denying Rights to Movie lovers.

23rd Dec 2007, 03:37	#14
supermonkey Space Monkey Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,703	Here are links to the various wallpapers. I have one at 2560 x 1600 (as requested by Nexxo), one at 1440 x 900 (as requested by DaveVader), and one at 1280 x 1024 (since it's fairly standard). The 1280 x 1024 had to be cropped significantly to fit the ratio, but the image still works pretty well. Since the other resolutions are wider, all I had to do was trim a little bit from the top and bottom. Link to 2560 x 1600 Link to 1440 x 900 Link to 1280 x 1024 Again, thank you for all the kind comments. Edit: Oops, looks like Photobucket has file size limits. Let me try this again. If anyone has any problems with the resolution, just let me know. -monkey __________________ But of bliss and of glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song. -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion Last edited by supermonkey; 23rd Dec 2007 at 03:49.

23rd Dec 2007, 18:48	#16
Boogle Multimodder Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: UK Posts: 157	Awesome, and most importantly, full of meaning.

24th Dec 2007, 09:11	#17
Mother-Goose Tories ftw! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: England - Surrey Posts: 3,750	Pheonominal shot, as has been said, we have a winner already I think. This is truly brilliant, and I think the story behind it adds even more power to the shot. Is there any chance we could have a picture of the year contest where the 12 monthly winners are put against each other? (no prizes but just the kudos) Anyway, 19201200 or I could probably scale the 25601600 I think? __________________ Goose Q6600, Striker Extreme, 4GB 6400C4 Dominator DHX, Raptor X, 2x400GB spinpoints, BFG 8800GTX OC, Stacker 830 Evo, HX620, Nova T 500, Freezer 7 Pro

24th Dec 2007, 10:22	#18
Cuban Multimodder Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Warwickshire, UK Posts: 104	its a really great shot!! defiantly got my vote this month. I really like the under glow from the tree's :-) __________________ .:: Current System : Acer Ferrari 4005 - Turion ml37 1.6Ghz, 1Gb Ram, ATI Mobility x700::. MySite MyPhotos Clicky

24th Dec 2007, 12:06	#20
Lovah Apple and Canon fanboy Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Belgium Posts: 3,433	Thanks for Wallpapers, I've already got it set on the MBP. Fantastic shot! I'm actually embarrassed to post my entry. I does have a bit of a artificial feeling to it. Really incredible shot and the story behind it does indeed make it even better. __________________ MacBook Pro 15" \| 20" Dell 2005FPW \| iPod Touch 16GB Canon 400D + BG-E3 \| RS-60E3 EF-s 10-22mm F3.5-4.5 \| EF 17-40mm F4 L \| EF 50mm F1.4 \| EF 70-200mm F4 L Manfrotto 190ProB + 486RC2 \| LumoPro LP604 \| Canon 430EX + OC-E2 \| Nikon SB-262 \| PocketWizard Plus II3