Ian's 52: Week 21: Isolation (pg 12)

[Harlequin565]

Link to week 21 (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=2674739#post2674739) (page 12)

I've almost been losing sleep over whether I'll be able to manage this on a weekly basis. I had enough trouble with the Monthly competitions...!

But enough of that. I'm hoping this 52 will get me out with the camera a bit more, and more importantly, shooting with purpose.

I hope to comment on other people's 52's as well, although I'm not confident about passing critique on other people's work. If I don't like something, that doesn't neccessarily make it bad! Am hoping to learn how to critique with a bit more constructiveness (rather than just "good shot").

Lastly, I'm not setting myself any rules other than "try and follow the theme without using a crowbar". I'd like to shoot mono/duo-tone as I prefer that, and would also like to try and improve based on critique received.

Anyway. Curves... The Re-shoot!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4239683287_38b5919080_o.jpg

1 pair of pink Coral eggs (we keep chickens). They were the cleanest eggs I could find. They were set in blu-tack on the kitchen counter (black flecked formica) with a piece of black card for a background.
Originally shot for a bit of fun last year, I wasn't happy with it. It was shot in natural light and therefore with a wide aperture (f1.8 on the 50mm). Because of the wide aperture, the rear egg was out of focus, so with this reshoot, I closed the aperture to f10 in the hope of getting everything in the same depth of field.
Unfortunately, that required 1/8sec at ISO400 (blurred shot even with IS), so I rolled out the flash and stood it on the counter top held up by a couple of jam jars at around 45 degrees from the subject basically trying to add fill in light where the window was not enough.
First shot was whiteout city, so I lowered the flash to 1/8 power and dropped the ISO to 100. Shutter speed set to 1/250sec. I was fairly happy with the outcome in-camera, so the wife got the kitchen back and I went to do some PP.

First thoughts upon opening was that a crop was required to remove the blu-tack holding the eggs up :)
Closer inspection of the images revealed that these eggs are very different from my attempts last year. The Whitestar eggs from last year were pock-marked and very obviously textured, which I liked, but these Coral eggs are not so obviously textured.
So rather than keep the pinkess of the Coral eggs, I went for a B&W conversion.
PP in short (about 15 minutes spent):
Crop to remove blu-tack & make it look more like a bum :)
Small amount of diffusion
Added noise (I like noise in some images - an having to use the flash meant a high in-camera ISO)
Levels & curves adjustment to increase contrast
Silver toning

And that's that. I may come back and reshoot again with a pair of Whitestar eggs if I get a really tough subject later in the year.

Lessons learned:
- First proper use of off-camera flash and balancing exposure with flash power and ISO.
- I like the final result, although I'm wondering if the PP was a bit too much. Adding diffusion after going to all the trouble to get a sharp shot seems to defeat the object..:bonk:

Please feel free to comment and I'll do my best to take a look and comment on some more 52's.

Cheers!

Ian.

[Nick T]

I do like that :thumbs: - and yes, it does look a little 'bummy' :lol:

Nice subject :)

[foggy4ever]

HA! very cheeky shot well executed. :thumbs:


Love the detailed walk through of your shot as well.

[SarahLee]

Hi Ian.
Well the 52 will certainly get you out with the camera, if that's what you're looking for!

A really clever interpretation of the theme for the first week, so I hope you stick with it. I'd like to see more from you.

Your efforts with the flash have really paid off, and personally I think you made a good choice with the smoother eggs. Nobody wants to see a pock-marked bum !!! :lol:

[Briony]

Great shot, great idea, great shape - wished mine looked like this LOL

God if this is the standard I have had it straight away!!!!

[The23rdman]

I like it too. Decent composition. I'd never have guessed they were eggs.

[kimo]

great shot Ian.
I do keep thinking it looks like a bum:lol:

[mmcp42]

nice balance between subject and background :thumbs:
would like to see a touch more detail in the eggs - at least I think so
not a bad start to the year! :clap:

[Nicci]

when I asked my hubby and my 5yr old boy what they though the pic was, my hubby said a bum and my lil lad said "don't be stupid dad it's 2 eggs".............I like the shot, it's fab!! :)

[Harlequin565]

Crikey! Thanks for all the comments.

I'm hoping to try and document what I do with each shot for my own personal education, so I don't forget things.

Cheers all!

Ian.

[clud17]

:clap: Brilliant, i love how simple and clean the shot is, well taken

[jennyb]

I love it - so simple and fits the theme perfectly.

Jenny

[coohullin]

Really like this. Looks so simple....I wish I could knock up a couple of eggs that good!

[RobC]

Cracking shot ;)

[Ambermile]

Nell Gwynn... I like it, so much fun deciding what it *really* is means the "hook" for the pic is working perfectly - a great image well taken. All our eggs have straw and chicken poo on them...

Arthur

[Harlequin565]

All our eggs have straw and chicken poo on them...

Arthur

As do ours... I'm not even going close to the duck eggs. Quick rinse under the tap does the job though.

Thanks all for taking the time to visit and comment.

Ian.

[MC_Stoo]

Like it... and a good writeup about how it was done :)

[ShrubMonkey]

Haha, very cheeky, love it ;)

[daddy day care]

Very good.

You do realise that you have to continue with the bum theme for the rest of the challenge now though don't you ? :lol:

[justlooking]

Have to admit I wasnt too sure what I was looking at, I suppose the colour version would look even more ... how did someone put it "bummy" !!

Fits the theme very well.

[Squawk]

great subject for the theme, I like this. Simple, to the point, fits the brief. Marvelous :D

[Harlequin565]

Have to say I'm a bit overwhelmed by responses.

Thanks!

-Ian.

[mich66]

how did I miss this?.. first thought.. wow, thats a pert bottom there.. untill I read your explanation :)

great interpretation of the theme, nicely shot.. look forward to seeing more!

[photomaker]

Absolutely love this.

[CGeezer]

I had to do a double take on this one, Really like it and I'm sure with the right cropping it could look a lot more NSFW :lol:

[jgs001]

Nicely done Ian, a good start to the 52 and definitely cheeky :naughty:

[dlh]

Like a lot of others, when I first scrolled down to the image I thought it was a bum too. Says a lot about the minds of certain individuals.

I think it's a well thought out shot. Well lit and good contrast against the background. The b&w conversion works well. The only negative is it looks a little soft to me, but that could be me being deceived by the smoothness and lack of texture of these eggs.

Good luck with the next 51.

[dade_f]

lol, cool shot - at first I thought 'cheeky' but then realised - maybe we have dirty minds not you!? ;)

[Tracer]

Very clever and nicely executed!

[EdBray]

How did you get a picture of my wife's backside, she won't even let me take that.

Nice image, bang on theme and handled really well!

[SpidersEye]

I love it - such a clean image and great composition, spot on for the theme too. A great start :thumbs:

[dougiem]

I love it - such a clean image and great composition, spot on for the theme too. A great start :thumbs:
I second that :thumbs: cant wait to see the coming weeks images

[Harlequin565]

Week 2: Poetry

'Tis a grove-circled dwelling set close to a hill
Where the branches are telling strange legends of ill
Over timbers so old that they breathe of the dead
Crawl the vines, green and cold, by strange nourishment fed
-H.P. Lovecraft

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4246289092_a37f639907_o.jpg
3 exposure HDR blended in Photomatix, then converted to black & white in PS.


Bit of a rush to get this one in and not the shot I wanted to capture the words, but hey ho. Will go through some other 52's tonight to leave comments. It's been a busy week!

Ian.

[Rob Bartley]

WOW!! Love this Ian. Shot and poem work perfectly together! Ethereal and serene.

Got try some of this HDR malarky sometime.......from what I have read it's like marmite and I think I like it!

Cheers, Rob

[Harlequin565]

OK. Week 3. "Chopped".

Had a bit of a gruesome idea last night, and had a play around whilst I was cooking. It didn't really work out, but it was fun to see the look on #2 daughter's face when she saw it on the computer.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4285219199_1220652087_o.jpg

I really wanted to have a go at some proper composite type shots, so shot 1 was with the arm, shot 2 with the cleaver. All done on a tripod and triggered remotely.
Shuffled into PS, and both images opened one on top of the other. Then I masked out the cleaver around the arm.

This is why I failed terribly at Art even before O'level.

I didn't bother adding blood and such - mainly because it would have taken me too long, but also because I didn't want it looking too real. I'm not sure it's worth all the effort to be honest. Not my cup of tea.

Anyway in the end, I went for a wander down to Delamere today to see if there were any chopped trees. I found one. And this is my entry for week 3.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4285477617_a4a2531e10_o.jpg
1/50sec @ f7.1, ISO800

No cropping here, took the time to set up the shot I wanted.

PP:
B&W Conversion w/red filter.
Selectively masked the foreground and Glow'd and Blurred the background.
Noise added
Selective sharpening to the trunk
Dodged the stump to bring out the detail that was in the shadow.

Looking at the shot again, I think all I'd change is maybe closing the aperture a bit more (f8 or maybe f10) and upping the ISO, as noise seems to add to B&W conversions rather than take it away.

Ian.

[exoticsworld]

Thats a good choice, I really like the detail in the tree (cant comment on the technicalities im to much of a novice) But I'm wondering what it would look like in colour :)

[Nick T]

I do like your week 2 image - absolute corker you've got there, and the ethereal processing really makes it work with the poem. :clap:

Week 3, I was thinking about something along the lines of both of your images - so now I've got to change track :lol:
The one you've chosen - it's a good picture, but it doesn't really do much for me personally - I don't know why, there's nothing particularly 'wrong' with it IMHO but it's just not holding my interest. (Sorry :() - I believe if you had stuck with your original idea it would have produced a more interesting picture for me - and I like what you did with that one :)

Look forward to seeing your week 4 :D

[jollyjack]

Nice images m8 all 3. I had an idea much like this but to do with feet, but didnt go with it as wife wasn't impressed when i stated play around with the sunday roast. It a chracking shot m8, well done

[Digitall]

I feel there is to much in the background that distracts the eye away from the main picture. My eye keeps going to the Marmite jar.
Good idea though.

Allan

[Harlequin565]

The one you've chosen - it's a good picture, but it doesn't really do much for me personally - I don't know why, there's nothing particularly 'wrong' with it IMHO but it's just not holding my interest. (Sorry ) - I believe if you had stuck with your original idea it would have produced a more interesting picture for me - and I like what you did with that one

You know what Nick - I completely agree. It's not a bad shot now that I look at it again, but it's not a good one either.

Thanks to everyone else for their comments.

Ian.

[philthejuggler]

I really like your poetry shot - the HDR conversion gives a great ethereal quality!

Phil

[bigsteve]

Hi Ian,

Your week 3 image is very well executed and processed, but there's nothing that really catches my eye about it. Sorry. :-(

Your week 2 is great though, I love the processing and the atmosphere it generates. :-)

[Squawk]

I like the arm chop thing, partly because it's done what a 52 is supposed to, got you trying something new. The shot itself isn't quite doing anything for me but I can't put my finger on why. Hopefully it leads to a few attempts at similar shots.

[justlooking]

I like the detail of the saw marks on the tree trunk but my eye keeps getting drawn to the empty lighter bit just above the tree stump.

[SarahLee]

Hi Ian.
Sorry to have missed your poetry first time round, but I'm catching up now!

The arm chop shot is OK, but sort of neither here nor there for me. I think with this type of shot to really work you need to go all the way with fake blood and as you said a lot of effort if it's not your sort of thing.

Both your tree shots (poetry and chopped) are fantastic though!!! :love:
The poetry one has a real other-worldly feel. I've never been a big HDR fan, but I'm finding I'm more and more drawn to B&W HDR conversions.
PP on the second one is spot-on and again a dreamy feel to it :thumbs:

[ccsnet]

I like the photo just a tad more sharper in the back ground needed imho.... not too much just a little.

Terran

[Harlequin565]

Thanks for all the new comments.

I am surprised no one has said they think the poetry shot was over-cooked in Photoshop. I do :)

I can't find one single comment I disagree with either. Nice to have constructive feedback rather than just "great shot" or no comment at all.

Anyway, onto week four, and thanks everyone!

Ian.

[collins82002]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for C&C on my 52.
Your 52
Week 2 Curves: nice and clear ,better in B&W than colour good choice.
Week 3 chopped: Love the chopped hand, and like the large trunk been chopped but would have been nice to see the rings in the tree as its so big I think, but im only a novice at this so dont take my word.

Regards
Chris

[D_Ninety]

Shots are looking good... I like your first attempt at week 3... I do wonder whether a bit of tomato ketchup may have made the shot more interesting?

Your second attempt is good too, I'm a fan of Delamere but don't have time to get there very often these days... take a look at my week 3 for a similar effect ;o)

[DC2Z]

I really like the idea behind your 1st week 3 shot even if it didn't quite work out.

[jgs001]

Ian, love the tree shots, both for Poem and Chopped. The processing on Poem is excellent, and I keep expecting to see something horrible and lovecraftian shamble out of the trees... Not so keen on the chopped arm though...

[OptimusBri]

I like the first photo for 'chopped', although my eye keeps going to the marmite as well. I think it would be better with a less cluttered background to draw more attention to your arm. The second shot is great too :)

Good luck with this weeks!

[kh_42]

I'm pretty much in the same boat with everyone else here, i.e. love, love, love the poetry shot, it has a wonderful ethereal quality to it. Week 3 isn't a bad shot, much like everyone else has commented, it just doesn't leap at me.

Good luck with the remaining 49!

[Tracer]

I like both your tree shots - the processing is excellent, giving an other-worldly effect. :clap:

[Harlequin565]

Street... Oh dear, and Great! all at the same time. Grab a cuppa.

Last year I did an NCFE level1 at college in the evening and we had a "The Crunch" project which I grabbed with both hands. Because we had four weeks to do it, I had plenty of time to get out. One of my favourites was the guitar man in Chester.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571/3482798264_e3ae903f1c_o.jpg

After seeing philthejuggler's week 4 I was determined to do something similar, but I failed, and here's my list of excuses....

The weather was rubbish, I didn't have time, the weather was rubbish, I didn't have time... (repeat ad nauseum)

So today, I set the time aside to go out and get my shot. But the weather was really really awful. I parked up, got out of the car. Walked around in a hurricane, got soaked in a typhoon, then went back to the car dejected. (I'd add more excuses but my wrist is tired and I can't think of any more exaggerations).

So I sat in the car. I had a McDonalds. I worried about my waistline.

Then I looked in the rearview mirror.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4309560779_9fce4165b8_o.jpg

Now ordinarily, I'd say this was desperation. However, I actually quite like the shot. I wouldn't put it on the wall, but I like the way the wing mirror has blurred that right hand part of the image, and also I like the way the letters are all reversed.

I considered processing it with a film neg look, but that looked stupid and I'm tired of over-processed shots.

Anyway (bored yet?), I had a cig, and contemplated forcing an elderly lady (who looked utterly lost) to pose for me, but in the rain, I thought she might not see the funny side. Then, the magical moment appeared!

At this point in this lengthy story (which is beginning to sound like one of foodpoison's (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=166364) excellent tales -click the link - you know you want to), please forgive my relative use of the word magical.

This dog looked as depressed as I was. Is it street? Probably not, but I don't care. It got me out with the camera, and this made me smile.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4309560633_6c7a67c6d2_o.jpg

I'm off to see what others have been up to now.

Thanks for looking!

Ian.

[foodpoison]

Your tales are nearly up to par with mine :D

Liking it so far, keep up the good work! It's great fun, isn't it!

[The23rdman]

Great series of pictures, Ian. Love the wing mirror one, but the dog one works great too.

[Andysnap]

Morning Ian,

Just had a good look through this thread and as usual I'm impressed. Love the egg shot and the poetry one, the chopped arm is an interesting idea but like you its not my type of thing but the Delamere shot is great. I like both the street shots but the dog made me laugh so thats me fave.:thumbs:

Cheers

Andy

[Harlequin565]

Your tales are nearly up to par with mine :D
Liking it so far, keep up the good work! It's great fun, isn't it!

It's a bit mental and hard work too. Doubt I'd try a 365

Great series of pictures, Ian. Love the wing mirror one, but the dog one works great too.

Thanks Dean. Made a bit more of an effort this week, and it shows I think.

Morning Ian,
Just had a good look through this thread and as usual I'm impressed. Love the egg shot and the poetry one, the chopped arm is an interesting idea but like you its not my type of thing but the Delamere shot is great. I like both the street shots but the dog made me laugh so thats me fave.:thumbs:
Cheers

Andy

Thanks Andy - you should have got on board with this. Missing your lovely landscapes at the moment!

Ian.

[foggy4ever]

Catch up time.

Week 2 Love the shot, lots of atmosphere.

Week 3 Nice bit of PP, I like to see a bit of humour/gore in a theme.

Week 4 The first shot works best for me as to the theme, the dog shots a cracker reminds me of my first German Shepherd who would always jump into the drivers seat if I got out of the car.

[louise-knight]

that is one cool pooch..! I like the shot, I just wish the last little bit of wheel was in the frame. What did it look like in colour?

[Harlequin565]

Pretty much the same as in B&W. Grey car, grey sky, grey stone walls, grey portacabin.

Exciting eh?

Ian.

[jollyjack]

#1 week 4 m8 for me

[Rob Bartley]

I love Streets number 1 and number 3 made me LOL:lol:

Cheers, Rob

[Squawk]

Guy with teh guitar is great, I was hoping for someone like that, but it was 1 degree in York today and anyone playing a guitar would likely have ended up with frostbite. Actually not quite true, a band sparked up just before dark, but nowhere near enough light for me to capture them.

The dog in car is pure comedy gold, nice concept and well spotted. I'm with you on the mirror shot too, I like it but couldn't identify why.

Guitar is the winner though.

[Ian_Wilson]

All good, but the wing mirror shot does it for me, definitely.

[Tracer]

The first shot is the best, but then it is much easier when you have plenty of time. I had hope to catch a busker but it was really cold and they were packing up by the time I found them.

The mirror shot is rather interesting - I like it. The dog in the car is not great technically but made me laugh - well spotted.

[justlooking]

well done battling the weather and the lack of time ! The dog mad me laugh but I thik my favourite is the wing mirror one.

[DC2Z]

Love the final shot for 'Street' but for me the better one is the 1st one

[uniquegardens]

Catch up time...

week 3 - That must have hurt, nice PP and great interpretation of the theme.
week 4 - Loving week 4 considering the weather. The busker is very good like this one lots, I am assuming the reflection of the boy is watching or is he waiting in the studio (minds playing tricks). Looks a bit like Griff Rhys Jones :lol:.

Nice spot with wing mirror. The dog in car is simply a classic capture, never seen one driving before :lol:

nice work Ian.

[coohullin]

the busker shot is really good and like the mirror view too....well done!
(and the story of your efforts was entertaining too!)

[Ambermile]

Guitar man is great, can see why you liked it, mirror's cool as well but it's the dog for me all that way - storytime again!

Arthur

[SarahLee]

Hmmmm . . . those hurricanes and typhoons in Cheshire somehow failed to make the national news . . . I wonder why that was :thinking: maybe they were just localised over that retail park :lol:

TBH I'm glad that you didn't go down the obvious street photography route - it's one aspect of photography that just doesn't appeal to me. So while I can see that your earlier guitar man is a good shot, it just doesn't draw me in :shrug:

Love the idea of the wing mirror - took me a while to work out and realise that the signs were backwards.
What would have been great is if you could have positioned the car so that the signs were reflected again the right way up in the puddles.
But I do like it. The PP is good and reflects the dull miserable (hurricane and typhoon) day.

:thumbs: The dog photo made me smile too :)

Is it street? Probably not, but I don't care. It got me out with the camera, and this made me smile.

And that's what the 52 is all about . . . I really like that attitude :clap:

[Harlequin565]

Catch up time.

Week 2 Love the shot, lots of atmosphere.

Week 3 Nice bit of PP, I like to see a bit of humour/gore in a theme.

Week 4 The first shot works best for me as to the theme, the dog shots a cracker reminds me of my first German Shepherd who would always jump into the drivers seat if I got out of the car.

And that's exactly what this fella did. Must be a dog thing :)

#1 week 4 m8 for me

I love Streets number 1 and number 3 made me LOL:lol:
Cheers, Rob

Guy with teh guitar is great, I was hoping for someone like that, but it was 1 degree in York today and anyone playing a guitar would likely have ended up with frostbite. Actually not quite true, a band sparked up just before dark, but nowhere near enough light for me to capture them.
The dog in car is pure comedy gold, nice concept and well spotted. I'm with you on the mirror shot too, I like it but couldn't identify why.
Guitar is the winner though.

All good, but the wing mirror shot does it for me, definitely.

The first shot is the best, but then it is much easier when you have plenty of time. I had hope to catch a busker but it was really cold and they were packing up by the time I found them.
The mirror shot is rather interesting - I like it. The dog in the car is not great technically but made me laugh - well spotted.

well done battling the weather and the lack of time ! The dog mad me laugh but I thik my favourite is the wing mirror one.

Love the final shot for 'Street' but for me the better one is the 1st one

Thanks folks.

Catch up time...
week 3 - That must have hurt, nice PP and great interpretation of the theme.
week 4 - Loving week 4 considering the weather. The busker is very good like this one lots, I am assuming the reflection of the boy is watching or is he waiting in the studio (minds playing tricks). Looks a bit like Griff Rhys Jones :lol:.

Nice spot with wing mirror. The dog in car is simply a classic capture, never seen one driving before :lol:

nice work Ian.

Thanks! Playing catchup on all these 52s takes a while doesn't it? :)

the busker shot is really good and like the mirror view too....well done!
(and the story of your efforts was entertaining too!)

Cheers. I took inspiration from foodpoison as well as a couple of 52ers who's stories just involve you a bit more with the pics.

Guitar man is great, can see why you liked it, mirror's cool as well but it's the dog for me all that way - storytime again!

Arthur

Hmmmm . . . those hurricanes and typhoons in Cheshire somehow failed to make the national news . . . I wonder why that was :thinking: maybe they were just localised over that retail park :lol:

TBH I'm glad that you didn't go down the obvious street photography route - it's one aspect of photography that just doesn't appeal to me. So while I can see that your earlier guitar man is a good shot, it just doesn't draw me in :shrug:

Love the idea of the wing mirror - took me a while to work out and realise that the signs were backwards.
What would have been great is if you could have positioned the car so that the signs were reflected again the right way up in the puddles.
But I do like it. The PP is good and reflects the dull miserable (hurricane and typhoon) day.

:thumbs: The dog photo made me smile too :)


Thanks Sarah. I didn't think to move the car and catch the reflections. That's one step up from where I am now I think.

Ian.

[Nick T]

Hah love the doggie driver, but I think my preference is for #1 this week. A nice set :thumbs:

[jgs001]

The first one wins on the theme for me. I like it. There's something about the second shot I quite like, but I'm not sure what it is... And what a cool dog ;) well spotted and taken.

[Glass Books]

Hi Ian,

Catch-up time!

Week 2 - I have to admit to almost hating HDR. But I think with this picture you've managed to convert me - it works beautifully! :clap:

Week 3 - I can tell that the first picture isn't your cup of tea as you put it, it lacks that special something .. can't put my finger on it. Second one is much better, although personally I would have liked to see more of the trunk and less of the trees in the background. Like the processing on this one, I'm not that keen on noise so it works well for me as it is.

Week 4 - great picture of the busker! Your story of how you got the pictures made me laugh, and the dog shot is very funny :) The car mirror picture doesn't do it for me though, mostly because the reversed writing annoys me! But that's just me being weird.

Looking forward to Speed! :thumbs:

[Harlequin565]

Hah love the doggie driver, but I think my preference is for #1 this week. A nice set :thumbs:

Shame that was an old one... Oh well :(

The first one wins on the theme for me. I like it. There's something about the second shot I quite like, but I'm not sure what it is... And what a cool dog ;) well spotted and taken.

Thanks!

Hi Ian,

Catch-up time!

Week 2 - I have to admit to almost hating HDR. But I think with this picture you've managed to convert me - it works beautifully! :clap:

Week 3 - I can tell that the first picture isn't your cup of tea as you put it, it lacks that special something .. can't put my finger on it. Second one is much better, although personally I would have liked to see more of the trunk and less of the trees in the background. Like the processing on this one, I'm not that keen on noise so it works well for me as it is.

Week 4 - great picture of the busker! Your story of how you got the pictures made me laugh, and the dog shot is very funny :) The car mirror picture doesn't do it for me though, mostly because the reversed writing annoys me! But that's just me being weird.

Looking forward to Speed! :thumbs:

Thanks for the critique! I actually find that more useful than positive feedback!

Cheers,

Ian.

[Dark Star]

My first visit here but I hope not my last :)

Curved: Oh thats nice :) Very bummy and caused a double take for me :) Good idea nicely lit!

Poem: Thats one spooky shot and matches the Lovecraft poem nicely - shot is wonderful!

Chopped: Both good - the arm one for me for the inventiveness and execution (pardon the pun) Some one doesnt like marmite :)

Street: The first for me - great B&Ws and good and sharp and a character to boot! Nice! :clap:

[Harlequin565]

Week 5: Speed

OK. After messing about outside with sparklers in the freezing cold for the High Speed monthly comp (which seems to be a failure anyway) I decided against doing something outside this week.

I have just replaced my old guitar after an accident, and haven't had a chance to get any shots of it yet, so speed for me this week = fast strumming.

Well... Sort of.

Thinking about the shot first: This was a set up shot, so I had to try and get it right in camera as much as possible. I wanted the guitar logo to be in focus, so I knew that a long exposure would mean keeping the neck as still as possible.
Self-checklist:
Long exposure to capture the movement.
Low ISO (125) and high aperture (f13) both to allow as much to be in focus as possible, as well as give me a nice long shutter speed and plenty of time to much about with the shutter open.
Background. I.e. be aware of it.

So I set the shot up, fired the remote trigger, dropped the cord quick, and started picking out duelling banjos (it's fast and easy).

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4328226445_792cb196bd_o.jpg

Headstock blurred, doesn't look very fast, but it's worked.

Tried again with fleece off (grey background) and a simple bridged chord up and down the fretboard very quickly.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4328226315_e8eac295fd_o.jpg

Not so happy about this. All the movement has blurred everything and it looks like I was falling over as the shot was taken.

Then, Mrs Ian asked if she wanted me to play the piano. My wife is a wonderful pianist, so I sat her down and asked for lots of running up and down the keys in a tune as fast as she could. Cue "'Aint Misbehavin'"
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4328958556_266b67bc0e_o.jpg

Didn't work quite as well as I liked, and more shots from different angles didn't work mainly due to space constraints (the piano is at the bottom of the stairs) forcing me to shoot long rather than catch bannisters, curtains, doormats, half-painted kitchen doors and the like. I like the fact it looks like her fingers aren't pressing any notes due to the long shutter, apart from C & E which get hammered by the looks of things.

Processing:
White Balanced the RAW file
Levels & Curves. Some selective sharpening on the piano keys. Pointless sharpening anything else.
Black & White conversion using channel mixer.
Noise added
Soft focus on the guitar shots to make the blur look arty.
Crop to remove bits of background that couldn't be moved due to space issues.


Lessons learned this week:
If you picture a shot in your head, you can make it work. I'm not sure if the image is aesthetically pleasing, but I managed to output what was inside my head, so I'm quite pleased with that. Shot number one - the first of the session, is probably my favourite.
Health & safety: Extended tripod legs in a closed space with remote trigger cords and musical expensive instruments could be a recipe for disaster if you're not careful. Of if your teenage daughter needs to suddenly rush past everything at high speed to answer the phone to her odious boyfriend.

Finally! Now I can go and respond to some of these lovely comments on some other 52's. Although I might leave it to tomorrow. Pretty tired and full of cold at the moment.

Ian.

[Dark Star]

Three nice shots (I love the B&W) but its the first for me - #2 looks a little too frenetic :)

And I prefer guitars to joannas so its #1 for me!

#1 says fretting speed for me as your left hand is prominent and moving fast!

Very nice!

And your narrative is also very good :)

[clud17]

hi Ian, 10/10 for the effort, despite being a harsh critic on yourself i think the first image has achieved the brief perfectly, it certainly conveys speed. thanks for the essay on the session and settings, it makes a great read, we are all putting in effort, blood sweat and tears into the 52's so its nice to read on the thought that goes into other members projects.

[Ricky T]

Nice shots, No 3 my fav.
Like the grain and B&W coversion.
Main thing is were all learning. I too am finding the 52 hard but enjoying it when i get tround to it each week.
Your tennage daughter sounds like she makes your photography, dito, i have 2 daughters, 3 and 6, so just has hard but on the other end of spectrum LOL.

[jennyb]

I like these Ian. They are a really good take on the theme. Number 1 is my favourite and I really appreciate your descriptions about how they are done.

Jenny

[Harlequin565]

Three nice shots (I love the B&W) but its the first for me - #2 looks a little too frenetic :)
And I prefer guitars to joannas so its #1 for me!
#1 says fretting speed for me as your left hand is prominent and moving fast!
Very nice!
And your narrative is also very good :)

Thanks John. As someone who's only average on the guitar, I prefer to hear my wife play expertly!

hi Ian, 10/10 for the effort, despite being a harsh critic on yourself i think the first image has achieved the brief perfectly, it certainly conveys speed. thanks for the essay on the session and settings, it makes a great read, we are all putting in effort, blood sweat and tears into the 52's so its nice to read on the thought that goes into other members projects.

It's funny. The effort other people are putting into this kind of spurs me on. Thanks for you words.

Nice shots, No 3 my fav.
Like the grain and B&W coversion.
Main thing is were all learning. I too am finding the 52 hard but enjoying it when i get tround to it each week.
Your tennage daughter sounds like she makes your photography, dito, i have 2 daughters, 3 and 6, so just has hard but on the other end of spectrum LOL.

Apparently it's only the first 18 years that are the worst. I'd pay good money to have mine go back to being 3 & 6. I could educate them properly in music, and movies, and NEVER EVER buy a mobile phone for them. The worst part is when you begin to start talking like your parents. You then realise how old you are.

I like these Ian. They are a really good take on the theme. Number 1 is my favourite and I really appreciate your descriptions about how they are done.
Jenny

Thanks Jenny!

Ian.

[drfrallyphotos]

Like your week five photos Ian, I can only agree with what has been said above by Dark Star.

[RobC]

Don't be so hard on yourself, all 3 are great. Personal fave is #2 lovely 'texture' to the image.

[dougiem]

Great interpritation of the theme i like the second one best

[jollyjack]

great image, you just mind them fingures

[justlooking]

like your interpretation of speed. I think #1 is my favourite.

[SarahLee]

:clap: Brilliant idea this week Ian.
And you've put a massive amount of effort into it. It's seeing how much thought people like you are putting in week after week that's kept me from a couple of filler shots already :thumbs:

Of the 3, I definitely prefer your first shot.
You say it doesn't look very fast, but "slow" is a speed too so it didn't have to be super fast to meet the theme!
I think you have just the right amount of motion blur in this one - in the other two it's just a bit OTT, you're losing too much definition in the hands for my taste.

I like the black fleece for the background too. It adds a bit more depth than the grey in version 2.

[Tracer]

Great images - my fav is the second one, showing the frantic shifting up and down the fingerboard. If the background wall were just a bit darker your right arm would stand out a bit more, but it is a good effect even so and I love the gritty texture. :thumbs:

[foggy4ever]

3 good attempts to show speed, all three have different plus points but no.2 stands out for me. :thumbs:

[jgs001]

Excellent idea Ian... I prefer the first of the three. There's clearly movement and it looks speedy, but there's also plenty else sharp enough too. I think the second has too much motion in all of it. The piano is good, but I think again, a little too much motion in the hands for my tastes.

[Harlequin565]

Like your week five photos Ian, I can only agree with what has been said above by Dark Star.

Don't be so hard on yourself, all 3 are great. Personal fave is #2 lovely 'texture' to the image.

Great interpritation of the theme i like the second one best

great image, you just mind them fingures

like your interpretation of speed. I think #1 is my favourite.

Thankyou all for your kind words...

:clap: Brilliant idea this week Ian.
And you've put a massive amount of effort into it. It's seeing how much thought people like you are putting in week after week that's kept me from a couple of filler shots already :thumbs:

Of the 3, I definitely prefer your first shot.
You say it doesn't look very fast, but "slow" is a speed too so it didn't have to be super fast to meet the theme!
I think you have just the right amount of motion blur in this one - in the other two it's just a bit OTT, you're losing too much definition in the hands for my taste.

I like the black fleece for the background too. It adds a bit more depth than the grey in version 2.

I tend to agree with you an all of that Sarah.

Great images - my fav is the second one, showing the frantic shifting up and down the fingerboard. If the background wall were just a bit darker your right arm would stand out a bit more, but it is a good effect even so and I love the gritty texture. :thumbs:

3 good attempts to show speed, all three have different plus points but no.2 stands out for me. :thumbs:

And a couple of votes for the second one. I'm thinking it's actually useful to get feedback on more than one shot. Thanks guys.

Excellent idea Ian... I prefer the first of the three. There's clearly movement and it looks speedy, but there's also plenty else sharp enough too. I think the second has too much motion in all of it. The piano is good, but I think again, a little too much motion in the hands for my tastes.

Thanks John. Appreciate the feedback.

Week 6 to post in a minute, then I can get around to looking at other people's stuff which is fast becoming just as much use as actually taking the shots!

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

Week 6: Present

I had a lot of ideas this week. It's a great subject, and to be honest, I've spent more time thinking than shooting! However with a busy weekend coming up, and a training course for most of next week to prep for, time is limited at the moment.

So. "Present". Yep. Has many different meanings, but this weeks photo means all of these things all at once.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4348577238_315cf76c79.jpg

This is my wife. We've been through a lot together, and are still going through a lot, but this photo is her doing something just for me. Posing :). I know she's not a fan of sitting for me, she doesn't like much about herself no matter what I say, but I love her very much.

In some ways I feel as though this relationship is a real gift. I often tell her that she's helped me see the world in colour instead of shades of grey. I feel very lucky.

Also, on another note, she has changed a lot physically over the past couple of years. Age catches up with us all I know, and she's rarely happy with the way she looks. I have so many photos over the years, and in each shot she looks different. So for me, this is a recording of the "present". The now. I know in a few months, things will have changed again.

I see every shot taken with a camera as a recording of the present. This subject could be taken of anything to be honest, and it would still be valid. I'm not sure even a crowbar is needed. The most important thing for me in my "present" though is my wife, and I'm glad I took this shot...

Techy stuff:
Annie on the sofa, arm resting on the arm. Taken @50mm, 1/200sec, f2.8, ISO 100.
Off camera EX430 triggered remotely (eBay radio trigger) and fired back at the (white) wall @ 1/8 power to try and bounce the light.
Processed in CS3.
- Levels selectively applied to brighten the RH side of the face.
- Curves to increase general contrast
- Upped the saturation a bit in preparation for a B&W conversion
- Selective sharpening and whitening of the eyes. (would appreciate comments around whether this is too much. I think it is, but others think not)
- B&W conversion using the channel mixer.
- Resisted the temptation to gaussian blur backgrouond for soft focus effect. Glad I did.

Lessons Learned:
This was one of many shots taken. The first series, I had Annie sat on a chair against a white wall. I think I took over 40 shots and didn't like a single one. It was only when we went into the lounge that I started being happy with the more relaxed shots on the sofa. I'm not confident about a sitting subject and need to read up on that I think.
With the shot itself, there was one other shot I preferred, but I focussed the 50 on her fringe and not the eyes. Missing the focus spoiled the shot and I did kick myself afterwards. Getting spot on focus is by far my biggest problem in portraiture. Focussing in low light was difficult (was OK when the flash went off).
I could have upped the aperture to f8/f10 but I think I'd have still missed the eyes, and would have had to up the ISO to compensate, picking up undesirable noise.
I've also blown the highlights a little on the LH side of the face. Getting the same shot with a different angle to the flash would have helped. Additionally, I could have upped the aperture to f8/f10 to cut the light. This would have helped with focussing too.

I do like this portraiture stuff. However it's a bit of a faff for me, and the patience of my subjects is always in the forefront of my mind. Practice will make perfect though, and I'm not aiming to be a professional, so I'm happy with the results.

Comments and critique always welcome. Off to have a look at some of the other 52's now!

Ian.

[Rob Bartley]

Ian, that is a really super portrait and a wonderful take on the present subject.

Sounds like you really worked hard for this shot but it works wonderfully. And for reference, I have seen many "so called" pro portrait shots that are nowhere near as good as that.

Really well done.

Cheers, Rob

[RichM]

Very professional looking shot. If you hadn't said that this was taken on a sofa with nothing but an off camera flash i'd have never known. I'd be proud of that shot :)

[collins82002]

Hi Ian,
Lovely shot of your wife and the conclusion you gave to why you had taken it for the theme is emotion.
Thanks for sharing your feelings and well done on the images
(makes me wanna go hug my wife)
cheers
chris

[Harlequin565]

Ian, that is a really super portrait and a wonderful take on the present subject.
Sounds like you really worked hard for this shot but it works wonderfully. And for reference, I have seen many "so called" pro portrait shots that are nowhere near as good as that.
Really well done.
Cheers, Rob

Wow. Kind words. Thanks Rob.

Very professional looking shot. If you hadn't said that this was taken on a sofa with nothing but an off camera flash i'd have never known. I'd be proud of that shot :)

And more kind words. Cheers Rich.

Hi Ian,
(makes me wanna go hug my wife)
cheers
chris

Do it. You never know what's coming round the corner. Thanks for your kind words too Chris.

Much appreciated all.

Ian.

[clud17]

Ian that's a special shot and a real nice image. I love the introduction to the shot and the emotion behind it, now go and tell your wife she looks beautiful.

[jennyb]

Wow, that is a really lovely shot. No, you have not over done the eyes. They really jump out and make the picture. Wonderful.

I really like your explanations of the reasons behind the shot (very moving) and the technical detail.

Taking photos is a really good way of recording the "present" and great to look back on in years to come.

Well done.

Jenny

[blakester]

I like your image too Ian. Your wifes eyes draw the viewer in, a good capture of a lovely subject, thanks for sharing the image and your thoughts behind it.
Iain

[philthejuggler]

Lovely portrait brought to life by the great accompanying thoughts - thanks for sharing.

Phil

[Harlequin565]

Ian that's a special shot and a real nice image. I love the introduction to the shot and the emotion behind it, now go and tell your wife she looks beautiful.

I do that every day, but thanks for the comments.

Wow, that is a really lovely shot. No, you have not over done the eyes. They really jump out and make the picture. Wonderful.
I really like your explanations of the reasons behind the shot (very moving) and the technical detail.
Taking photos is a really good way of recording the "present" and great to look back on in years to come.
Well done.

Jenny

I'm glad you don't think they're over done. It's now 2:1 in favour of leaving it as it is. Thanks Jenny.

I like your image too Ian. Your wifes eyes draw the viewer in, a good capture of a lovely subject, thanks for sharing the image and your thoughts behind it.
Iain

Lovely portrait brought to life by the great accompanying thoughts - thanks for sharing.
Phil

Thanks guys.

Ian.

[mickyluv]

Ian, you have made a fantastic start to your project. There is obviously a lot of musical talent in your house and substantial photography skills. If your wife doesn't believe you go tell her I said she's beautiful too:thumbs:

[kay rocks]

Very cool shot, your wife is very pretty, good bone structure with eyes that really draw you in!

Thats very cool you keep chickens, I've always wanted to!

[jollyjack]

great photo m8

[Peter-T]

really good pictures so far!! present is a fantastic portrait

[Nick T]

Hi :wave:
I like your speed pic - it's a very refreshing idea, and well executed :clap:
Also - your portrait present is very nicely done, and I'm sure the Mrs is very pleased with it :)

[foggy4ever]

Excellent portrait shot :clap: with a lot of info to back it up.

:thumbs:

[justlooking]

lovely shot and with the story fits the theme very nicely .. no crowbar required

[Tracer]

A wonderful portrait :clap::clap: and very fitting for the theme (and i think you have the eyes just right).

[SarahLee]

That's my favourite shot for "present" so far this week :)

The story behind it is beautiful and sets the scene, but the image is definitely strong enough to stand on its own without explanation.

Portraits are not really my thing, so I'm not qualified to offer much technical C&C other than to say that I really, really like it and then try to explain why.
The pose looks really relaxed and not staged at all and the B&W conversion is spot on. I don't think that you've overdone the eyes at all - in fact they look stunning.

I hope you let your wife see your post this week - I'm sure it would be a gift for her to read your reasoning for this shot.

[jgs001]

Well done Ian. A lovely shot, spot on theme in so many different ways.

[titch124]

really like this, and having just tried to do something like this and realising how hard it is, can see what a good job you have made of it

top stuff :thumbs:

[dlh]

Fantastic portrait of a fantastic looking lady. You should both be very happy with this shot :clap:

[dade_f]

great shot and very brave of your wife, look forward to seeing more of your work, your story only adds to the shot ;)

[Harlequin565]

Ian, you have made a fantastic start to your project. There is obviously a lot of musical talent in your house and substantial photography skills. If your wife doesn't believe you go tell her I said she's beautiful too:thumbs:

Thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated.

Very cool shot, your wife is very pretty, good bone structure with eyes that really draw you in!
Thats very cool you keep chickens, I've always wanted to!

Keep the chickens. You'll not regret it. Best eggs ever!

great photo m8

really good pictures so far!! present is a fantastic portrait

Hi :wave:
I like your speed pic - it's a very refreshing idea, and well executed :clap:
Also - your portrait present is very nicely done, and I'm sure the Mrs is very pleased with it :)

Excellent portrait shot :clap: with a lot of info to back it up.
:thumbs:

lovely shot and with the story fits the theme very nicely .. no crowbar required

Thanks folks.

A wonderful portrait :clap::clap: and very fitting for the theme (and i think you have the eyes just right).

Another +1 for the eyes. I guess it's just me then!

That's my favourite shot for "present" so far this week :)
The story behind it is beautiful and sets the scene, but the image is definitely strong enough to stand on its own without explanation.
Portraits are not really my thing, so I'm not qualified to offer much technical C&C other than to say that I really, really like it and then try to explain why.
The pose looks really relaxed and not staged at all and the B&W conversion is spot on. I don't think that you've overdone the eyes at all - in fact they look stunning.

I hope you let your wife see your post this week - I'm sure it would be a gift for her to read your reasoning for this shot.

Thanks Sarah. Praise indeed, and more kind words. I've not shown her the post, or the comments yet, but I will, I promise.

Well done Ian. A lovely shot, spot on theme in so many different ways.

really like this, and having just tried to do something like this and realising how hard it is, can see what a good job you have made of it
top stuff :thumbs:

Fantastic portrait of a fantastic looking lady. You should both be very happy with this shot :clap:

great shot and very brave of your wife, look forward to seeing more of your work, your story only adds to the shot ;)

Again, thank you all for your words. Hard to respond when there's no criticism.

I'm struggling with this week to be honest, as I'm on a course from 6 'til 6 and things are fairly hectic. Might be a joker week...

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

Week 7: People

Urgh!

I've been on a training course most of the week, and what was left was spent catching up with work that piled up while I was away. (Oh the glory of being on a team of 1) so this was a tough week. I didn't want to take my camera into Dodgy Central in Manchester, so I've pulled out the crowbar this week.

People... i.e. how can I fit photos into the subject with a limited resource.

Listening to the iPod though on the train, did give me a little inspiration though. Can't remember the song now, but I remember the line was something along the lines of the fact that we are really just made up of the sum of other people. Parents, friends, relatives... All contribute to who we are.

Also, on the back of this, I've run out of willing human subjects at home, so all I was left with was me.

And here I am...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4373258791_46ba1a1d3e_o.jpg
Exposure set to f8, ISO100, 1/200 sec. 430EX at arms length just inside my peripheral vision triggered with an eBay remote.

Initially, I focussed on my guitar headstock as a pointer, then switched to manual focus hoping I could kneel in just about the right place. I dialled down the power on my 430EXII to 1/16 and spent about an hour messing about with holding it at different angles and different distances. I now have a new respect for those folks doing a self-portrait 365 or 52. I deliberately wanted my face in shadow, so I held the flashgun just inside my peripheral vision to get the cross-flash moody look. I'm a grumpy bugger you see.

Out of around 20 shots (by which time my knees were broken from getting up, fire camera on timer, run back, kneel down, fail to look cool, rinse, repeat ad nauseum) I had just 2 I liked. Two. :(

So then I decided to have a bit more fun drawing people with a maglite.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4374012854_b092b3a9ed_o.jpg
ISO100, f29, 30sec exposure.

I don't know why I do this to myself. More running about.

I also fail at art. Bigtime. I cannot write backwards either.

It made me smile when I finished it though. Having to work on a 30sec timer didn't help. I was all a bit rushed. That's the problem with not having a proper remote trigger for the camera.

Handy tip for drawing stick adults: Use yourself as a guide. I stood and held the torch, pretty much tracing my own leg/body/head proportions, jumping to the right to draw the woman. The child was a bit of a nightmare and I forgot the eyes, but this was attempt 15 and I was exhausted from running back and forwards. "Family" was a separate 30 sec exposure and just comped on in Photoshop.

Anyway, that's me for another week. Please lets have a nice easy Week 8! Please?

Ian.

[Nick T]

Two good efforts there Ian - don't really have much to offer except for if you find writing backwards difficult then just write normally and flip vertical in photoshop afterwards ;)

[foggy4ever]

The light painting is a fun shot but your first goes really well with your explanation. Time to get a wireless shutter remote I think :D to save those knees.

[ladysue]

I love the portrait of your wife. She is a beautiful lady.

[jennyb]

Ian, I really like your self portrait. I would not have a clue about how to take a photo like that.

Jenny

[Harlequin565]

Two good efforts there Ian - don't really have much to offer except for if you find writing backwards difficult then just write normally and flip vertical in photoshop afterwards ;)

Excellent tip - Thanks for your kind words, but I think I'm a long way off some of the light work you've been doing.

The light painting is a fun shot but your first goes really well with your explanation. Time to get a wireless shutter remote I think :D to save those knees.

Thanks. I thought the light painting thing was a bit of a cop out, but as I made the effort to make it, I thought I ought to put it up.

I love the portrait of your wife. She is a beautiful lady.

Thanks Sue.

Ian, I really like your self portrait. I would not have a clue about how to take a photo like that.
Jenny

It's trial and error Jenny believe me. take a shot, see how badly exposed it is, adjust, reshoot. I must admit, having the wireless triggers for the flash helps enormously. I think FlashInThePan sells them on here. If you have a flashgun, give it a whirl.

Ian.

[Karlos]

Really like your self portrait, great composition and skin texture, and really black! Mine always come out grey and I end up photoshopping them.

Also do your light writing as you see it and then flip it horizontally afterwards. :p

[uniquegardens]

Catch up Time - sorry Ian.


Present - Wow. It is a wonderful photo and it belongs on a wall- stunning.

Reading through your discription Ian, it comes across just how much you love your wife.

Self Portrait - is also very good, has a dark, sinister feel about it and also a very pensive expression.


Cracking stuff Ian. :thumbs:

[clud17]

Thats a cracking self portrait Ian, i love the flat emotion in your eye

[dlh]

What's your missus doing with a dodgy looking git like that? :D A great self portrait, despite your poor knees, the end result was worth it. Lighting is spot on and creates a very strong image. Very nicely done :thumbs:

[karmagarda]

Another thread I've missed so far. And some cracking photos in it. It's been mentioned, but I have to say it too... you sure curved isn't a picture of an arse? :lol:

Good work on the HDR, I wouldn't have known. I would have put it down to IR would you believe, nice shot.

Love your second street shot, the effect reminds me of a Lens Baby type of photo, in fact that's what I thought it was until I read your post. Really like that one. And I had a nice chuckle at the dog driving car photo! Wicked capture!

All 3 speed shots are cracking. Really love the noise in the second. Gives it a lovely feel.

But the best of the bunch are the 2 portraits. Love the photo of your wife, really is a relaxed, beautiful, and delicate shot! Excellent words too. From an old romantic to an old grump :lol:. Love the moodiness you've captured in your self portrait. I've tried this and failed. So you get a :thumbs: for 2 very different, but excellent portraits.

Really liking your thread, looking forward to more :)

[daddy day care]

Cracking self-portrait.

I hate other people taking my photo and I don't want to do it myself either. I do like to see other peoples though.

Really well lit and worth the effort you went to.

[madmadam]

I like you first shot, very moody

I also like the family but I think I would have liked some colour in it..but that's just my opinion.

[Rob Bartley]

Blimey Ian! Wouldn't want to bump into you on a dark night! Another really good portrait shot. Keep up the good work.

Cheers, Rob

[RobC]

Holy cow, you're quite scary !!

It's an amazing self portrait, one day I might be able to produce quality like this.

[justlooking]

#1 - you look very sinister. Sounds like #2 kept you fit !

[mich66]

two great portraits.. your wife is a stunning lady.. and the lighting and mood on your SP is fabulous..

love the sentiment of the light painting.. its trickier than it looks, nicely done!

[Harlequin565]

Really like your self portrait, great composition and skin texture, and really black! Mine always come out grey and I end up photoshopping them.

Also do your light writing as you see it and then flip it horizontally afterwards. :p

The low light shooting meant that anything not caught in the flash was black. I did tweak the levels though in photoshop.

Catch up Time - sorry Ian.
Present - Wow. It is a wonderful photo and it belongs on a wall- stunning.
Reading through your discription Ian, it comes across just how much you love your wife.

Self Portrait - is also very good, has a dark, sinister feel about it and also a very pensive expression.
Cracking stuff Ian. :thumbs:

Thanks for reading through this Graham.

Thats a cracking self portrait Ian, i love the flat emotion in your eye

Took a fair bit of practise... That's just me, annoyed at having to kneel down again.

What's your missus doing with a dodgy looking git like that? :D A great self portrait, despite your poor knees, the end result was worth it. Lighting is spot on and creates a very strong image. Very nicely done :thumbs:

I have no clue what she's doing with me Darren.

Another thread I've missed so far. And some cracking photos in it. It's been mentioned, but I have to say it too... you sure curved isn't a picture of an arse? :lol:

Good work on the HDR, I wouldn't have known. I would have put it down to IR would you believe, nice shot.

Love your second street shot, the effect reminds me of a Lens Baby type of photo, in fact that's what I thought it was until I read your post. Really like that one. And I had a nice chuckle at the dog driving car photo! Wicked capture!

All 3 speed shots are cracking. Really love the noise in the second. Gives it a lovely feel.

But the best of the bunch are the 2 portraits. Love the photo of your wife, really is a relaxed, beautiful, and delicate shot! Excellent words too. From an old romantic to an old grump :lol:. Love the moodiness you've captured in your self portrait. I've tried this and failed. So you get a :thumbs: for 2 very different, but excellent portraits.

Really liking your thread, looking forward to more :)

Thanks for taking the time to go through all those shots! Much appreciated.

Cracking self-portrait.

I hate other people taking my photo and I don't want to do it myself either. I do like to see other peoples though.

Really well lit and worth the effort you went to.

I am not keen on photos of me, but as I subject others to it, I thought I ought to have a go. Thanks for the comment!

I like you first shot, very moody

I also like the family but I think I would have liked some colour in it..but that's just my opinion.

My original shot was in colour, but I'm trying to stay B&W for this 52.

Blimey Ian! Wouldn't want to bump into you on a dark night! Another really good portrait shot. Keep up the good work.

Cheers, Rob

Holy cow, you're quite scary !!

It's an amazing self portrait, one day I might be able to produce quality like this.

#1 - you look very sinister. Sounds like #2 kept you fit !

Crikey. I didn't realise I looked that scary. I thought I just looked p'd off.

two great portraits.. your wife is a stunning lady.. and the lighting and mood on your SP is fabulous..

love the sentiment of the light painting.. its trickier than it looks, nicely done!

Many thanks for your kind words.

Ian.

[Stephen Ramsay]

Excellent idea for week 7.

I was also going to do this but the only person I had to use was my brother and I had used him the previous week, so took it to the street.

Brilliant lighting on number 1, would liked to have seen some more lighting on the body so your heads not floating, maybe even a small dim light behind you would have helped with that.

Love this weeks image, well done :) Good luck for week 8

[Harlequin565]

Thanks Stephen.

Ideally I did want a second light, but I didn't have anything that wouldn't have been blown away by the flashgun.

I am saving for a second flashgun, but times is hard at the moment and other things have priorities.

Appreciate the feedback!

Ian.

[SpidersEye]

I really like the moody feel to the self portrait. It's a great image and I like how you arrived at the idea too.

I like the second picture too - Maglite-art is good fun! :D

[Tracer]

Excellent self-portrait - really moody. The lighting is fantastic, and I really admire how you have managed to set it up on yourself...it is hard enough to do with someone else. :clap::clap:

[louise-knight]

Week 7: People

And here I am...
Exposure set to f8, ISO100, 1/200 sec. 430EX at arms length just inside my peripheral vision triggered with an eBay remote.

Initially, I focussed on my guitar headstock as a pointer, then switched to manual focus hoping I could kneel in just about the right place. I dialled down the power on my 430EXII to 1/16 and spent about an hour messing about with holding it at different angles and different distances. I now have a new respect for those folks doing a self-portrait 365 or 52. I deliberately wanted my face in shadow, so I held the flashgun just inside my peripheral vision to get the cross-flash moody look. I'm a grumpy bugger you see.

Out of around 20 shots (by which time my knees were broken from getting up, fire camera on timer, run back, kneel down, fail to look cool, rinse, repeat ad nauseum) I had just 2 I liked. Two. :(
Ian.

The self portrait is my favourite for people :) and the fact that you got two shots in the space of an hour or so is good, imagine if you'd have got NONE :gag:

I love the shadows and the entire composition, it looks great in black and white too. I'd say the edges of your hood are distracting, but I think without them there to frame the face, the image would have too much negative space.

Nice nice nice :)

[daveb99]

Ian, the 2 portraits for Week 6 and 7 are superb - I especially like Week 6. The family shot is amusing as well, and an interesting (and valid) take on the theme.

[Harlequin565]

I really like the moody feel to the self portrait. It's a great image and I like how you arrived at the idea too.

I like the second picture too - Maglite-art is good fun! :D

Thanks!

Excellent self-portrait - really moody. The lighting is fantastic, and I really admire how you have managed to set it up on yourself...it is hard enough to do with someone else. :clap::clap:

Don't think I'll be doing it again in a hurry!

The self portrait is my favourite for people :) and the fact that you got two shots in the space of an hour or so is good, imagine if you'd have got NONE :gag:

I love the shadows and the entire composition, it looks great in black and white too. I'd say the edges of your hood are distracting, but I think without them there to frame the face, the image would have too much negative space.

Nice nice nice :)

High praise indeed Louise. Many thanks.

Ian, the 2 portraits for Week 6 and 7 are superb - I especially like Week 6. The family shot is amusing as well, and an interesting (and valid) take on the theme.

Thanks Dave.

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

Week 8: Mechanical

I had this idea in my head from the moment I saw the subject on Sunday. So I persuaded my better half to pose for me and took around 10 shots determined to try and get it right in camera.

Problems:
Lighting, and processing.
My camera was hunting for focus in dim light, so I had to put the overhead lights on which has made the picture" harder" than I wanted.
So in trying to soften it in Photoshop, I think I've messed things up completely.
The problem is that I've spent so long looking at the same thing, I don't know if it's any good any more.

So, what started as a bit of an eyebrow raiser for fun, has ended up a mess. I have six different versions of this and only these two marginally appeal.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4387554950_838c4f166a_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/4386794225_4ee18d9d74_o.jpg

Anyway, I ended up at college on Wednesday and we were looking at shape, lighting and form. We had to take a fork in, and shoot it.

Of course, being different, I had to take a Knork that was given to us by a supplier a couple of years ago.

I couldn't think of anything more boring to shoot, but I guess that was the idea, and when I finally got them on the PC at home I was quite pleased with the results.

A fork is about as mechanical as you can get, so here, for your viewing pleasure is a Knork and a Fork.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2713/4388537586_368348d4d0_o.jpg

What a joyful week.

Lessons learned: Don't give up the day job!

Ian.

[dlh]

Liking the first "blue" image. Processing suits the theme you've taken (although I won't ask about your props) and composition is very good. The red on the second is not good for the skin, making it blotchy. And I've no idea what a nork is (not in the cutlery sense anyway) :)

Problems with focusing, either manual focus or use the light to auto focus and switch the lens to manual (unless you've got focus on a separate button) before turning the light off again.

I think it works very well.

[Harlequin565]

Liking the first "blue" image. Processing suits the theme you've taken (although I won't ask about your props) and composition is very good. The red on the second is not good for the skin, making it blotchy. And I've no idea what a nork is (not in the cutlery sense anyway) :)

Problems with focusing, either manual focus or use the light to auto focus and switch the lens to manual (unless you've got focus on a separate button) before turning the light off again.

I think it works very well.

Cheers Darren,

Totally agree with you on the red shot. I'm the only one (out of my wife and Flickr folks) that prefers the blue one.

At least I've learnt something this week. Focus with light on, switch to manual then light off. :facepalm: Simple when you think about it really.

And a Nork... It's a fork with sharp edges like a knife. It was a Dragon's Den idea I think. We only keep it for amusement value. :)

Ian.

[dlh]

Oh, like a spork. I get it now :D

[aztec]

a Nork... It's a fork with sharp edges like a knife. It was a Dragon's Den idea I think. We only keep it for amusement value. :)

Ian.[/QUOTE]

Just googled nork and it came up with something completely different :eek:

[Harlequin565]

Thanks Shaun. Week 8 post edited.

I really should check my spelling better... :$

Ian.

[justlooking]

intersting take on theme. I prefer the blue to the red

[jennyb]

I like the blue one especially the focus on it. I am not so keen on the processing on the red one. Interesting take on the theme.

Jenny

[jgs001]

People, it works well Ian, sounds like you suffered for it though...

Mechanical an interesting idea. Of the first two, much prefer the blue version, the red has done very odd things to the skin. The fork/nork works too, but it's got less impact.

[bulldogphoto]

I like it, the blue one shows better detail. well done

[foggy4ever]

I agree with the others, the first with the blue tinge works the best. The forks are a good shot but not too sure they are machanical just a tool.

:thumbs:

[Harlequin565]

Thanks everyone. It seems the blues have it..!

I agree with the others, the first with the blue tinge works the best. The forks are a good shot but not too sure they are machanical just a tool.

:thumbs:

Cheers Scott. And you're right, the forks are a tool. As others have said also, it doesn't do much.

I'm going to try and make a promise to myself to take shots that have meaning. Concentrate on creating a photograph rather than ticking the weekly box.

It's not that easy though...

Ian.

[RichM]

Ah-hah. I've been looking for your thread ever since you started commenting on my 52. Never thought to look for your real name :bonk:

In fact, i've probably commented here before without realising who it was. I'm liking the blue image this week. Gives it a cold metal feel if you see what i mean. Have you tried using the blue effect a little more subtlely to see how that turns out?

The image looks like something you'd see on the front cover of a DVD case though. Good image :)

[68lbs]

Really like the first mechanical image where you've got your b**** cuffed and down to her suspenders! Great idea getting her to fall for the "I need you to dress like this so I can complete this week's theme". Not sure it says mechanical to me. though I can think of other words. ;)

[MagicMynx]

Really like your play shot! It's great!

[RichM]

Really like the first mechanical image where you've got your b**** cuffed and down to her suspenders! Great idea getting her to fall for the "I need you to dress like this so I can complete this week's theme". Not sure it says mechanical to me. though I can think of other words. ;)

:lol:

[mich66]

now thats an interesting interpretation of the theme.. do prefer the blue version.. nicely focused and the skin looks better than on the red one ;)

[SpidersEye]

That's a different take on the theme! I agree with everyone else and prefer the blue version as I feel it suits the image more and the lighting works better :)

[SarahLee]

Hi Ian,

Sorry to be repetitive but I really do like the blue version of the image that you posted.
I like the framing and I like whatever PP it is that you've done to it. Definitely got a very arty feel - although "mechanical" isn't the first word that springs to mind :)

Two fairly minor niggles for me.
There seems to be an odd "glowy" bit going on around the lower part of the cuff on her wrist which is a bit distracting.
The inside of her hand looks overly bright - you seem to have lost a bit of detail there.

All in all I think it works well though and it gets a :thumbs: from me.

As much as I think your knork / fork shot is technically good, it just doesn't have the same emotional impact as shot no.1.

[Tracer]

First shot for me too. The red one is a bit blotchy and the fork/nork/spork is not so interesting, not does it really fit the theme.

[Harlequin565]

Week 9: Play

I knew what I wanted to do this week, but doing it has been a PITA.

Not many opportunities to get Zombies into a photographic 52, but with Play, I was certified a win.

"Zombies!!!" is a simple and daft card game where you make up your own map with card tiles and try and get your "survivor" to the helicopter (and safety) before another player. Each person takes it in turns to place zombies (to foil other players), place random map tiles (in the hope of turning up the helicopter), play cards (such as the wonderfully titled "I will survive... You on the other hand may not.") and try and move forward to the helicopter.

It's dead simple, and has 3 supplements (including "Mall Walkers" and Zombie Dogs!). It's just a bit of fun really and after watching the relatively amusing ZombieLand eariler in the week, I thought it apt as a choice for my subject.

So. How to photo this? And that's where the problems began. The figures are tiny, plastic and not the best quality. The floor tiles are shiny and reflective. The Zombies are grey, and they all look the same.

Dark lighting was key for me. I wanted mood, not flash, so I move the floor lamps as close as I could (limited equipment here). I tried wide-angle shots with the 10-20 - didn't really work. I tried zoomed shots with the 70-300 but I couldn't handhold at the high ISO. ISO1000, F5.6 meant a shutter around 1/50sec, and at 200+mm all I was getting was blur.

So out came the 50.

If lighting hadn't been an issue, I'd have shot at f16 to get the DoF, but it was. So after experimenting with a few shots at different DoF's, I settled on f2.8. That still allowed for some close focus, but it's not great.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4406018325_73ea03e811_o.jpg

I was trying to get a sense of how amusing it is to look at a Zombies!!! board and see all the zombies.

Post processing was very limited. A tighter crop despite swearing that I would make a real effort this year to get the composition right in camera. levels for light, curves for contrast, then a simple B&W conversion with a sepia tone and a slight vignette.

Lessong learned:
- Buy a cheap flexible desk lamp. Would have been able to throw much more light on the subject giving me much more control over aperture and shutter speed when taking the shots.
- Take your time. I spent a long time setting things up, moving them about, taking distracting zombie dogs out of the way, turning zombies this way and that. I'm more satisfied by the composition than anything else.

Self crit:
Too much DoF, not enough detail.
The "Zombies!!!" cards are illegible due to the DoF. Would have been better without them.

Ian.

[dlh]

Certainly no way out for this guy. I like what you've done here and I can read the zombies on the card at the front. The angle, lighting and processing brings across the impending doom and frenetic (as much as it can be on a board game) nature of the beast. Has made me want to download Left for Dead now :)

[The23rdman]

Don't let them eat his guts! Nice shot. Dof is as little narrow though. Maybe a bit more and a tripod and you'd have the perfect combination.

[louise-knight]

What a bizarre looking game! I like the shot and the colours you've chosen to process with, the composition is great and the angle.
Although I can see where you're coming from with 'too much DoF', I think if you had any more in focus it might take away from the image that the guy is trapped, I like it, it gives a feel of isolation :)

[justlooking]

very odd game, fit the theme though and the colouring fits the game

[SarahLee]

:lol: :lol: :lol:
What a weird game - and that poor player looks doomed !

I like the composition and I like the mono conversion.
And I think I like the DoF. I see where you're coming with your self crit, but actually the narrow DoF really does draw your eye to the main character.
I'd quite like the be able to read the writing on the Zombie cards, but I far prefer them in and illegible than left out completely.
:thinking: A bit more DoF would let me read them, but then would you lose the focus on the character? . . . I don't know. It's all about compromise, and the one that you've come up with works pretty well for me :clap:

[philthejuggler]

I like this shot - I like the subject matter, the composition and the mono conversion. I'm not to struck with the foreground cards & agree with you that the shot would have been better without them.

Phil

[Squawk]

I disagree, I like the DoF. Personal preference I suppose but I love how this turned out, I like the composition and the processing suits the shot perfectly.

Never heard of zombies though, thats a new one.

[Ambermile]

I love silly games like this, and I like this picture too, no idea why but it just appeals to me in an odd way!

Arthur

[Harlequin565]

Certainly no way out for this guy. I like what you've done here and I can read the zombies on the card at the front. The angle, lighting and processing brings across the impending doom and frenetic (as much as it can be on a board game) nature of the beast. Has made me want to download Left for Dead now :)

Download it. You know you want to :)

Don't let them eat his guts! Nice shot. Dof is as little narrow though. Maybe a bit more and a tripod and you'd have the perfect combination.

Agreed. My tripod is ultra-cheap though and won't get down that low. And I'm not dipping into that 16-35 fund... Promise....

What a bizarre looking game! I like the shot and the colours you've chosen to process with, the composition is great and the angle.
Although I can see where you're coming from with 'too much DoF', I think if you had any more in focus it might take away from the image that the guy is trapped, I like it, it gives a feel of isolation :)

Thanks Louise. Reading through the comments it seems the DoF is marmite. Just goes to show that critiquing your own stuff can sometimes be a bit too harsh.

very odd game, fit the theme though and the colouring fits the game

Thanks!

:lol: :lol: :lol:
What a weird game - and that poor player looks doomed !

I like the composition and I like the mono conversion.
And I think I like the DoF. I see where you're coming with your self crit, but actually the narrow DoF really does draw your eye to the main character.
I'd quite like the be able to read the writing on the Zombie cards, but I far prefer them in and illegible than left out completely.
:thinking: A bit more DoF would let me read them, but then would you lose the focus on the character? . . . I don't know. It's all about compromise, and the one that you've come up with works pretty well for me :clap:

I'm glad someone else is undecided like me. Thanks for commenting Sarah.

I like this shot - I like the subject matter, the composition and the mono conversion. I'm not to struck with the foreground cards & agree with you that the shot would have been better without them.

Phil

Cheers Phil. Thanks for echoing what I was already thinking.

I disagree, I like the DoF. Personal preference I suppose but I love how this turned out, I like the composition and the processing suits the shot perfectly.

Never heard of zombies though, thats a new one.

Thanks for a counter point of view!

For anyone interested, Zombies!!! can be found on the web here (http://www.twilightcreationsinc.com/zombies/) and you can buy it from Amazon here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Creations-2010-Zombies-Edition/dp/B000HX1NBA/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1268043566&sr=8-9) or probably find it on flea-bay.

Cheers for the comments. I'll try and get round to everyone's this afternoon...

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

I love silly games like this, and I like this picture too, no idea why but it just appeals to me in an odd way!

Arthur

Cheers Arthur.

It is nice to sit down and play a boardgame around the table. Even if it is a bit daft and #2 daughter cheats madly. Beats watching the telly, and seeing the kids with their noses buried in their mobile phones.

Then again. I'm getting old...

Ian.

[Andysnap]

Morning Ian. I've just spent an enjoyable half hour reading through this thread and looking at the photos and, as usual, I'm very impressed with your work. They are all excellent and fit the themes really well but as I think is the consensus, the two stand-outs are the portraits of you and the missus. Both stunning in different ways, the lighting of your wife is top and the pp is spot on, lovely eyes, the one of you is good as well (if a bit scary, good job I know what a nice fella you are) great lighting and composition and as usual the b&w conversion works perfectly.
Really enjoyable thread to read through and I will be nicking your lighting ideas later for a self-portrait.

Cheers

Andy

[Harlequin565]

Cheers Andy, and thanks for stopping by.

You know you should really get stuck into this 52 lark. You'd have fun! :)

Ian.

[jollyjack]

Great play on the theme, i like the picture very much and the mono conversion is right on, just find the forground alittle distracting, but it dont stop it being a good shot

[Yv]

very odd looking game, but I bet your shot has got loads of people googling to find out more. You already know the dof is a problem, though a tripod would have solved any issues, and given the flexibility you wanted by way of shutter and aperture settings....albeit a little more expensive than a desklamp, I admit. I still like the result given what you have used, its kind of cute in an odd way :thumbs:

[mich66]

well its certainly not monopoly :) looks a fun game, I dont mind the DOF, great mono conversion too

[68lbs]

What a bizarre looking game!

That was my thought. I've looked at this shot a few times and to use a word not often heard, I am flumoxed! I really don't know what to say.

Photographically, I'm not too keen and every time I look I am drawn to the dice over on the left. Other than that, it's an odd shape with a hugely distracting foreground. Sorry, I'm sure I'll like next week's shot. :D

[RichM]

I Agree about it being a wierd looking game! ALthough, my fascination with all things zombie may just cause me to look it up sometime :p

Lighting is good, angle is great and the DOF is spot on. Nothing really to add here, couldn't improve on this shot if i took it. Great work Ian, look forward to seeing your choice for Chemistry :thumbs:

[Harlequin565]

Great play on the theme, i like the picture very much and the mono conversion is right on, just find the forground alittle distracting, but it dont stop it being a good shot

Thanks. Another +1 for the distracting foreground....

very odd looking game, but I bet your shot has got loads of people googling to find out more. You already know the dof is a problem, though a tripod would have solved any issues, and given the flexibility you wanted by way of shutter and aperture settings....albeit a little more expensive than a desklamp, I admit. I still like the result given what you have used, its kind of cute in an odd way :thumbs:

Cute! Zombies! Good grief madam! :thinking:

well its certainly not monopoly :) looks a fun game, I dont mind the DOF, great mono conversion too

Thanks Michelle.

That was my thought. I've looked at this shot a few times and to use a word not often heard, I am flumoxed! I really don't know what to say.

Photographically, I'm not too keen and every time I look I am drawn to the dice over on the left. Other than that, it's an odd shape with a hugely distracting foreground. Sorry, I'm sure I'll like next week's shot. :D

No need to apologise Lee. I'm rarely backward in coming forward myself. I don't consider it to be one of my better shots thats for sure.

I Agree about it being a wierd looking game! ALthough, my fascination with all things zombie may just cause me to look it up sometime :p

Lighting is good, angle is great and the DOF is spot on. Nothing really to add here, couldn't improve on this shot if i took it. Great work Ian, look forward to seeing your choice for Chemistry :thumbs:

Thanks Rich. You might be looking forward to it, but I'm not. Although I do have an idea.

Ian.

[Nick T]

I like it the way it is - and I'm certainly going to be googling for Zombies myself :lol:

[jgs001]

Now that's a weird game... however, the shot works very well indeed Ian. And overcoming the issues you faced, you've done a darn good job. A tripod would have allowed for the greater DOF, but then you'ld have lost the focus on the main character (who's toast...)...

[Rob Bartley]

Ian. Great concept and the mono look suits it well, but as mentioned the narrow DOF doesn't quite suit the composition.

Man what a bizarre game though!!:eek:

Cheers, Rob

[Tracer]

This looks a lot of fun - I like your lighting and processing. The triangular OOF foreground thingies are just a bit distracting for me, though.

[dan_yorkshire]

Good shot Ian, never seen that game before!!!

Agree with your own self crit regarding too much DoF but the PP is very nice.

Well done!

[jennyb]

Hi Ian, I guess my comments are better late than never.

When I first looked at this shot I thought the DOF was too narrow. When I went back to it I realised what you were trying to achieve and agree that it is a much more powerful image with only the poor guy (definitely toast) in the middle in sharp focus.

I had no idea what the distracting things at the front were until I read some of the posts.

All in all, I like it, especially the b/w/sepia tones.

Sadly, my husband an I can no longer play board games - one of us will end up in a bad mood. We used to play Monopoly and it was really cut throat :eek:

Jenny

[Harlequin565]

I like it the way it is - and I'm certainly going to be googling for Zombies myself :lol:

Google away, and don't forget the "!!!" at the end. Exclamation marks are everything!

Now that's a weird game... however, the shot works very well indeed Ian. And overcoming the issues you faced, you've done a darn good job. A tripod would have allowed for the greater DOF, but then you'ld have lost the focus on the main character (who's toast...)...

Thanks John. Need new tripod.... Birthday is just round the corner... :naughty:

Ian. Great concept and the mono look suits it well, but as mentioned the narrow DOF doesn't quite suit the composition.
Man what a bizarre game though!!:eek:
Cheers, Rob

Cheers Rob. Totally agree with your comments. Not sure I like the DoF either.

This looks a lot of fun - I like your lighting and processing. The triangular OOF foreground thingies are just a bit distracting for me, though.

Point taken. Really going to work on my composition for a few weeks I think.

Good shot Ian, never seen that game before!!!
Agree with your own self crit regarding too much DoF but the PP is very nice.
Well done!

Thanks Dan. Seems like people like the PP, but I am beginning to hate it. Oh well...

Hi Ian, I guess my comments are better late than never.

When I first looked at this shot I thought the DOF was too narrow. When I went back to it I realised what you were trying to achieve and agree that it is a much more powerful image with only the poor guy (definitely toast) in the middle in sharp focus.

I had no idea what the distracting things at the front were until I read some of the posts.

All in all, I like it, especially the b/w/sepia tones.

Sadly, my husband an I can no longer play board games - one of us will end up in a bad mood. We used to play Monopoly and it was really cut throat :eek:

Jenny

Thanks for the comment Jenny. You're not as late as me this week... And as to winning. With three competetive girls in my household (two of which are hormonal teenagers) I see how fast I can lose so I can get out of the room!

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

OK, so week 11 is late, week 10 is somewhere in the ether and week 12 is already a day old and I haven't even looked to see what it is yet.

It's been a very hectic couple of weeks. Work, home life, pretty much everything is conspiring against me at the moment, and my photo-mojo is probably at an all time low.

Anyway, it's boring to yatter on about it and I want to get round to look at what I've missed over the last two weeks so here's Candid for week 11.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2670/4423832672_1837ece740_o.jpg

We were at college working with studio lights, and I was trying to get a natural pose from Kate as she was posing for the guy with the flash trigger. Hence these were shot in poor lighting with studio modelling lamps. This was taken in-between shots as people were milling about trying to get the lamps set right.

ISO 1000, f4 @ 1/125sec @ 105mm.

Not crop on this as I'm trying to get composition right, but I'm really happy with the expression on this.

Not sure about the PP and am going to try a few weeks without any fancy PP to see how I prefer them.

Well... I've bought myself a few more days and am on holiday next week. Can't flippin' wait to be honest.

Now to see what week 12 has in store and what everyone else has been up to.

Ian.

[lizbeth]

Lovely natural shot - she looks wistful.

[jennyb]

Ian, I love this one. The lighting is great and the expression is very thoughtful. Doesn't need any cropping.

Jenny

[jeangenie]

Hi Ian, I' still trying to catch up with 52s, and yours in one of the all too many threads I've looked at but not got round to commenting on, so I've just had a good browse through and I have to say - thoroughly enjoyed what you are doing here. :clap:

You have clearly put time, thought and effort into the shots week in and week out - and it shows! I also love your back stories and it was a good job I'd finished my coffee or it would have ended up all over the keyboard a couple of times. :D

I'm going to pick one absolute favourite that has everything - Present. It's a truly beautiful photo of your very beautiful wife (please tell her!) taken with love. I hope you've had it printed. :)

So catching up with Week 11 Candid: Another excellent portrait and at first I thought it was expertly posed, but reading your story, it's completely natural and is even better for that. Her expression and the light behind and on her fact work really well. I love it. :clap::clap::clap:

Jean

[Ellekes]

Amazing picture. even though she wasn't posing as such, lighting fits the picture. It tells a whole story!! Real nice!

[SarahLee]

Well done on (almost) getting back up to date . . . just one photo a week sounds so easy, but it really isn't !!!

Lovely shot for candid. Great thoughtful expression on her face and the B&W processing really suits it.
It's probably a bit too posed to technically be a candid shot, but I don't care because I far prefer this style to more conventional candids so :razz: to anyone who wants to moan about it!

I have to say that it's lovely to see a dark, moodier portrait too. The couple of times I've accidentally stumbled into the portraits forum those really bright high key portraits seem to be all the trend and I just don't like them at all.
This is far more to my taste.

[Harlequin565]

Lovely natural shot - she looks wistful.

I know. That's what I love about this shot.

Ian, I love this one. The lighting is great and the expression is very thoughtful. Doesn't need any cropping.
Jenny

And again. The composition was what I was after and I'm really happy with it.

Hi Ian, I' still trying to catch up with 52s, and yours in one of the all too many threads I've looked at but not got round to commenting on, so I've just had a good browse through and I have to say - thoroughly enjoyed what you are doing here. :clap:
You have clearly put time, thought and effort into the shots week in and week out - and it shows! I also love your back stories and it was a good job I'd finished my coffee or it would have ended up all over the keyboard a couple of times. :D
I'm going to pick one absolute favourite that has everything - Present. It's a truly beautiful photo of your very beautiful wife (please tell her!) taken with love. I hope you've had it printed. :)
So catching up with Week 11 Candid: Another excellent portrait and at first I thought it was expertly posed, but reading your story, it's completely natural and is even better for that. Her expression and the light behind and on her fact work really well. I love it. :clap::clap::clap:

Jean

Thanks Jean, and thanks for looking. Still haven't told Alison about that shot yet....

Amazing picture. even though she wasn't posing as such, lighting fits the picture. It tells a whole story!! Real nice!

Thank you!

Well done on (almost) getting back up to date . . . just one photo a week sounds so easy, but it really isn't !!!

Lovely shot for candid. Great thoughtful expression on her face and the B&W processing really suits it.
It's probably a bit too posed to technically be a candid shot, but I don't care because I far prefer this style to more conventional candids so :razz: to anyone who wants to moan about it!

I have to say that it's lovely to see a dark, moodier portrait too. The couple of times I've accidentally stumbled into the portraits forum those really bright high key portraits seem to be all the trend and I just don't like them at all.
This is far more to my taste.

One photo a week is fine when you have time on your hands. I shot Produce last night, will process on Wednesday and have it up by Thursday. No sweat... However the last couple of weeks have been mad busy, and hobbies tend to take a back seat. I certainly appreciate those who can bang out a shot a week. As to those bonkers 365ers... Well...

Thanks all!

Ian.

[RichM]

Hey Ian, excellent Candid shot. The thing i like here is firstly the expression and secondly this is the first demonstration of this type of 'spotlight'-ing that i think actually works. I'm a complete newbie to lighting, how did you achieve this, snoot?

However you did it, works great, good job. :D

[MadFrankie]

Like that alot! Great lightling and a nice pose...

[Harlequin565]

Hey Ian, excellent Candid shot. The thing i like here is firstly the expression and secondly this is the first demonstration of this type of 'spotlight'-ing that i think actually works. I'm a complete newbie to lighting, how did you achieve this, snoot?

However you did it, works great, good job. :D

Thanks Rich.

I could say that yes, it was a snoot carefully placed on a metered head unit meticulously planned etc etc...

But it was a candid shot, so what it actually was was Kate staring at the two guys fiddling with the back of the lighting head trying to work out how high/powerful they wanted the lights and probably wondering what they were farting around at.

The only illumination there is from the modelling lights. One was on the models face, the other on the background. I've added the vignette PP for impact.

Just lucky!

Like that alot! Great lightling and a nice pose...

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Ian.

[RichM]

Thanks Rich.

I could say that yes, it was a snoot carefully placed on a metered head unit meticulously planned etc etc...

But it was a candid shot, so what it actually was was Kate staring at the two guys fiddling with the back of the lighting head trying to work out how high/powerful they wanted the lights and probably wondering what they were farting around at.

The only illumination there is from the modelling lights. One was on the models face, the other on the background. I've added the vignette PP for impact.

Just lucky!



Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Ian.

Oh i can see it now. I couldn't tell it was a vignette i thought it was all done in camera. Looks really authentic :)

[Harlequin565]

Week 12 - Produce

So I knew what I wanted to do at the outset this week... More Eggs (see week 1 "Curved")

We currently have 16 birds in the garden. 1 goose, 7 ducks and 8 chickens. And apart from our male drake Indian Runner, they all provide us with some lovely eggs.

We haven't paid for an egg since May last year, and even in the winter we had enough for just us. Now the spring is here, everyone is firing on all cylinders and delivering the goods. We get between 10 & 12 eggs a day. The whole ethos of keeping poultry has been very very entertaining. All the birds now have a defined personality and it's very therapeutic spending time in our (now wrecked) garden just chatting to them and feeding them. Even Mavis (our goose) eats out of our hands now and she's a gem. Mostly because we're getting a huge goose egg every 2 days.

So I wanted to take a shot of what we produce for ourselves. I know the birds actually produce them, but we feed them, water them, clean them and chat to them to keep them happy.

I've got a few shots here as I couldn't decide which one I liked. I love the shape of an egg. Perfect, but not perfect. Close examination of any of our eggs reveals tiny imperfections. Bumps and divets, scratches and colour runs. But the egg itself is perfect.

So here are the shots.


Beam me up - Final Submission
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4461120258_093b6118bc_o.jpg

I think this is my favourite. Shot on black mountboard with a torch hand-held above the eggs. I wanted that kind of spotlight effect, and thankfully I've got it. Was more about acrobatic shooting (Canon 50D with 24-105 is heavy to hold one handed) with the camera and torch but after a lot of attempts, I got one I was happy with. 2 goose eggs and a chicken egg provide a nice bit of perspective. In real life, if you were to squeeze a tennis ball to the shape of an egg, that would be about the size of a goose egg. They make great cakes.

Lesson learned: Buy a little tripod, or better still a decent full sized one.

Only In Threes
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4461120340_8d1db449da_o.jpg

This was taken with the flashlight on the floor trying to cast a shadow on the black mountboard. In the end, I took two exposures, then blended them in Photoshop. No need for HDR, just a simple overlay and erase to keep the detail in the eggs and also show the shadow. Eggs held together with Blu-tack.

Cross
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/4460350791_ce3dff0f0d_o.jpg

I like the detail in this one again, and I tried a cross-processing look for the Monthly comp. I ended up not using it and going for something else. I thought the general voting population would probably not go for it as it was boring. (HDR and "wow-tastic" images seem to be the favourites in the monthly comp).

Henz
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3863475136_20361dbda3_o.jpg

This final shot was taken some time ago, and is mainly here for illustration. These are all our chicken eggs lined up in a row. 430EX fired from a tripod to get a nice shadow effect across the front of the eggs. Saturation increased to bring out the colours of the different eggs.

And in case you're interested... From the left, we have eggs from an Aylesbury duck, a Welsummer hen, a Whitestar hen, a Legbar hen, a Light Sussex hen, and a Coral hen. We were looking to try and sell the eggs as an "eggzotic egg box" but it didn't really work. People just wanted cheap free range eggs and didn't care what colour they were.

Back on top of things now.... Roll on week 13!

Ian.

[Sonial]

Lovely Candid shot.....I love the dark moody lighting...there are so many shots I 'WANT' to take in this style and haven't managed to arrange the opportunity yet. Lovely expression. It's not quite what you would expect as a candid but great shot none the less.

Produce.....this is a why didn't I think of that moment! I haven't quite got the range of poultry that you have but do have three different hen breeds :) The first one reminds me of Bohemian Rhapsody :) Well taken! ....I love the colours of the 3rd one!

[Harlequin565]

Lovely Candid shot.....I love the dark moody lighting...there are so many shots I 'WANT' to take in this style and haven't managed to arrange the opportunity yet. Lovely expression. It's not quite what you would expect as a candid but great shot none the less.

Produce.....this is a why didn't I think of that moment! I haven't quite got the range of poultry that you have but do have three different hen breeds :) The first one reminds me of Bohemian Rhapsody :) Well taken! ....I love the colours of the 3rd one!

Thanks Sonia. Bohemian Rhapsody.... Now you make me want to get my daughter to draw some faces on the eggs and re-shoot....

Priceless... :)

Ian.

[MadFrankie]

Nice, I just posted my produce and they look remarkably similar in style, great minds!

I was actually going to go and paint some faces on mine, I've got one egg that has a feather on top that looks a bit like hitler so I was very tempted to draw a little moustache :p

I might still have a go as it won't be my main submission and I suppose it's not against the rules for a couple of us to try it.

[jennyb]

Hi Ian,

You are ahead of yourself this week.

Nice set of images, but I'm wondering when you are going to get an Ostrich? You could hold omelette parties.

The first and last are my favourites. I love the colours in the last one and the simple layout. The lighting is great in the first one even if it was a bit Heath Robinson. I am really surprised how big goose eggs are compared with hens eggs.

Well done this week.

Jenny

[Lynton]

We were looking to try and sell the eggs as an "eggzotic egg box"

I'd have probably gone for a box of 6 mixed up like those! But then again I am a sucker for things like that!

[clud17]

loving your eggs Ian, good choice for the final submission this one stands out and the spotlight effect works well. I'm also drooling as i've just found out i have intolerance to eggs so i have to cut them out of my diet, I love eggs too

[Harlequin565]

Nice, I just posted my produce and they look remarkably similar in style, great minds!

I was actually going to go and paint some faces on mine, I've got one egg that has a feather on top that looks a bit like hitler so I was very tempted to draw a little moustache :p

I might still have a go as it won't be my main submission and I suppose it's not against the rules for a couple of us to try it.

Go for it! In all likelihood I'll not get round to a reshoot. Thanks for the comment.

Hi Ian,

You are ahead of yourself this week.

Nice set of images, but I'm wondering when you are going to get an Ostrich? You could hold omelette parties.

The first and last are my favourites. I love the colours in the last one and the simple layout. The lighting is great in the first one even if it was a bit Heath Robinson. I am really surprised how big goose eggs are compared with hens eggs.

Well done this week.

Jenny

Thanks Jenny. No way would we get an ostritch. On the subject of Omlettes though, we are members of a local mushroom foraging group and we did speak to the organisers about taking some eggs with us on a forage and cooking mushroom omlettes for everyone. Hopefully should start off this autumn which will be a laugh.

I'd have probably gone for a box of 6 mixed up like those! But then again I am a sucker for things like that!

I think you're in a minority. So many people are fussy about coloured eggs. Someone even said to us that White eggs are less nutritious than brown ones which is the biggest load of cobblers I've ever heard. Lots of fussiness over duck eggs too. People reckon they can taste the difference but I can't.

loving your eggs Ian, good choice for the final submission this one stands out and the spotlight effect works well. I'm also drooling as i've just found out i have intolerance to eggs so i have to cut them out of my diet, I love eggs too

Thanks Chris. What a shame you have to cut them out of your diet. I'm guessing you're still OK with cakes though :)

Ian.

[lizbeth]

Love your egg shots - the last is my favourite - great colours and lighting. Really interesting to see the different colours produced from the different birds.

[Harlequin565]

Thanks. It is very interesting to see the different colours... Now the Aracana is laying blue eggs and that's really quite exciting!

Ian.

[jgs001]

Candid is excellent, well done. I really like the first for Produce, but the bright spot on the rear egg I find a little distracting... I do like the last one, with all the egg colours

[jennyb]

On the subject of Omlettes though, we are members of a local mushroom foraging group and we did speak to the organisers about taking some eggs with us on a forage and cooking mushroom omlettes for everyone. Hopefully should start off this autumn which will be a laugh.
Ian.

That is very interesting. I have identified more than 100 different fungi in my garden over the last few years, but have never dared to eat any of them. I am sure your advice will come in handy when I start putting fungi in my 52. That is not too far off because the morel season is almost upon us, followed closely by the St George's. I usually find the first Morels around 5th April. Interesting to see if they are also late this year.

Jenny

[justlooking]

I like the last one .. interesting to see all the colours

[Tracer]

I love your "Candid" portrait - beautiful lighting really complements her pensive expression.

Produce - So how many did you break while you were setting these up?:lol: I like your first choice best - very clever because it is not immediately obvious what the picture is of. If I half-close my eyes I can see a sort of alien face. I'm not keen on the burnt-out highlight from the torch but that is only a very minor niggle.

The last one is also fun with the different coloured eggs, nicely arranged on a diagonal.

:thumbs:

[ladysue]

Great Candid shot- lovely lighting. I liked the last egg shot the best, all the different colours made the shot.

[dan_yorkshire]

Gret shots Ian,

Really like the first and last shots on your post.

The lighting on the first is really nice, the halo around the eggs really helps the image.

The composition in the last is great (would like to see the foreground/background to be pure black though as think it would make the eggs stand out more)

Good shots

Dan

[philthejuggler]

Hi Ian - I like all of your produce shots - really struggling to decide a favourite, but your chosen one is certainly a strong shot - well done!

Phil

[Rob Bartley]

Hi Ian,

Candid is a super portrait, love the black and white with the lighting. Great job.:thumbs:

Number 1 produce is the one for me as well. The contrast between dark and light must have made it a pig to take. It looks really odd but kind of cool!

Cheers, Rob

[jeangenie]

I

Thanks Jean, and thanks for looking. Still haven't told Alison about that shot yet....





:rules: :bat::bat::bat: :)

Produce: I agree with your choice for #1, although I love the drama in #2 and 3 as well. #4 is a good illustration of how different breeds of hens' eggs vary.

There's lots of produce being created there - so bang on theme. :thumbs:

Goose egg omlettes would be interesting! :)

Jean

[Nick T]

Absolutely love your Henz picture - and I am quite partial to an Old Cotswold Legbar egg or two myself :thumbs:

[mich66]

fabulous eggs!.. like your choice, really stands out.. I also like the last one of the different colours, agree a pure black background might have worked better.. do they taste different from different breeds of hens?

would love to have some hens.. I will do one day, hopefully :(

[RichM]

Hi Ian,

Great produce shots and it's pretty interesting how different eggs can be such different sizes and colours, i had no idea. I particularly like the last shot you have there showing the colours off but i think i agree that the first shot is the best of the set. When i first looked at it it didn't occur to me that the eggs could be different sizes, you had me puzzled as to how you managed that (doesn't take much :bonk:) but the lighting works really well.

Not much more to add, in all honesty except that i thought i was being original by shooting eggs. Your the second i've seen in the past hour :p

Great work :thumbs:

[Harlequin565]

Just an update to say computer problems are causing issues at the moment.

Will have to catch up when I can.

Ian.

[SarahLee]

Just an update to say computer problems are causing issues at the moment.

Will have to catch up when I can.

Ian.

Hope to see you back soon Ian.

I have just caught your produce week though. Absolutely love the one you chose and I agree that it's the best out of the set.
Something fascinating about the Henz shot though. If you were local I'd definitely want one of those eggzotic egg boxes . . . never seen blue eggs before!

[Harlequin565]

Thanks Sarah. I've had a busy few weeks, what with computer problems, a college project to work on, the garden and work.

I fully intend to catch up and look through some 52's that I'm missing. Just might be another week. Make sure job is safe 1st before enjoying hobbies.

Although I did sneak out to the TP Blackpool Zoo meet last weekend which might garner a few crobar'd shots.

Time is my enemy at the moment though...

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

Overdue Update....

I've been remiss, I know....

The last few weeks have been fairly hectic. Had a massive fight with Microsoft Windows which resulted in ripping it right off my desktop PC and putting Linux on. Then I started fighting with Gnome (lost that one fairly quick) and Wine (trying to get Photoshop working - another epic fail) before losing my rag and putting XP back on, and re-installing all the software. All in all, a fairly angry time.

Add to that some college obligations as well as work messing me about and I'm frazzled up to the ears at the moment. One shining light in all of this though was the TP Blackpool Zoo meet last weekend. Actually getting some decent photos prompted me to get my backside into gear and fix the computer, so here we are...

Week 13: Reshoot/Quad
In a complete absence of common sense, I decided to reshoot a less strong image (the fork from Mechanical) with it's 4 (quad) prongs.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4522498999_ebb3a2ace9_o.jpg

It's boring isn't it. :(

Week 14: Shoot
So this is from Blackpool Zoo (link to more shots from other TP toggers here (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=219063)) last Saturday and fulfills the requirement. Thanks to Billy & Savagestorm for being such good models :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2172/4509073238_2731119b46_o.jpg

And finally....

Single

This is Mavis.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/3863474554_7e02cba762_o.jpg

Mavis is our lone Goose. When we got the geese as little ones, we got a pair as we'd read that geese didn't like to be alone. Brenda (bless her soul) picked up an infection and died after a few months, but Mavis struggled through and has now become an honourary duck. So she's alone (and single) in a way.

However, Geese get a lot of bad press, and Mavis is a wonderful bird. She always comes hurtling across the garden when we go out, to see if we've got any tidbits (marmite on toast is her favourite). She's far gentler in eating out of the hand than the chickens or ducks. The chickens peck so hard they can sometimes mark, but Mavis (who can crunch through a brocolli stalk in 2 bites) is ever so gentle in taking food. She's thicker than two short planks, but loves to stand under the garden hose for a shower, and her single lone egg every two days makes the most amazing cakes.

We love her!

Now... Time for me to catch up with some comments....

Roll on week 16 - I hope :)

Ian.

[jgs001]

Well done for catching up Ian, sorry to hear about the puter woes... painfil when that happens...

Quad... I agree it's not the most grabbing of shots... but it fits the theme... My biggest issue with it, is trying to find the focus point... I think it's part way up the tines, but I'm not sure. Would it be better with the focus on the points?

Shoot... It's clear and on theme. Nice shot.

Mavis... Ah bless... she's obviously not really Single, I'm sure you all spoil her :D... However, it fits the theme, and I really like it. The crown of her head looks a bit bright on my Mac, but it's an uncalibrated iMac which has a silly bright screen, otherwise the exposure looks about right and excellent DOF.

[Stephen Ramsay]

Great catch up session, I also fell behind so its good to see you back on track.

Quad - I really like the idea. If the fork was sharp that would be a very strong image indeed :)

Shoot - I like the blue tint as I use this quite a bit with some of my portraits, have your tried a washed out black and white edit? Id be interested to see what that is like....but great capture..

Single - Excellent depth of field, nice crop and very well placed in the frame...I like :)

[Peter-T]

For quad, i think of the focus was of the tip of the prongs, it would be much better, works well on the theme though
Shoot is very apt. Like the mono conversion (looks like it has a blue hue to me?)
haha i love your Single shot!! great DOF, great detail, and a great story behind it!

[clud17]

Sounds like your having a pretty tough time, i hope it eases up for you. You've still managed to produce some decent images
quad, i agree above, i like the idea and think the image could be improved by being a tad sharper.
shoot, really good candid and i like the mono.
mavis, the pick of the bunch for me, great use of a shallow dof really brings out the best in her.

[SarahLee]

Glad to see you back up to date, and I'm hoping that things settle down a bit for you now.

Quad definitely fits the theme and I really like the pano crop.
I have to agree that it's lacking a bit of oomph though, but I'm not sure what you could do to add to it.
I seem to remember a similar fork shot in Dade's 52 where he added some bright colours to the background. Might be worth a look for some inspiration.

Shoot is an incredibly clear crisp shot.
Fantastic quality and the B&W suits it perfectly.

And Mavis . . . awwwwwww!!!!!
She's adorable.
This is my favourite out of the 3. Good colours, nice background and this is sharp exactly where it needs to be.
i also enjoyed reading the little story about her.

[Nick T]

Good catchup! Like the DoF on the knife & fork, the moment in 'shoot' is great and I love Mavis :thumbs:

A good few shots :)

[foggy4ever]

Play - Any one that gets Zombies into a them gets a :thumbs:. Already said bit a little more DOF would help.

Candid - That has workind really well with just the modeling lamps, well spotted.

Quad - Good choice of subject and the composition works very well.

Shoot - I thought I recognised one of the shooters(Savagestorm) works as a great candid shot also.

Single - I cry FOWL :D but then again so is mine.

[justlooking]

Well done for catching up.

Shoot - nice to see happy togs !

Single - like that .. the background on Mavis adds to it. Glad she thinks she is a duck and isnt lonley !

[Harlequin565]

Well done for catching up Ian, sorry to hear about the puter woes... painfil when that happens...

Quad... I agree it's not the most grabbing of shots... but it fits the theme... My biggest issue with it, is trying to find the focus point... I think it's part way up the tines, but I'm not sure. Would it be better with the focus on the points?

Shoot... It's clear and on theme. Nice shot.

Mavis... Ah bless... she's obviously not really Single, I'm sure you all spoil her :D... However, it fits the theme, and I really like it. The crown of her head looks a bit bright on my Mac, but it's an uncalibrated iMac which has a silly bright screen, otherwise the exposure looks about right and excellent DOF.

You're right on both there John. The forsk are boring and I shouldn't have reshot. And Mavis' head is blown. I need to watch my tonal ranges when I get into PP.

Great catch up session, I also fell behind so its good to see you back on track.

Quad - I really like the idea. If the fork was sharp that would be a very strong image indeed :)

Shoot - I like the blue tint as I use this quite a bit with some of my portraits, have your tried a washed out black and white edit? Id be interested to see what that is like....but great capture..

Single - Excellent depth of field, nice crop and very well placed in the frame...I like :)

Thanks Stephen. It's unlikely I'll get to reprocess with a college final project breathing down my neck, but I may give it a go at some point in the future.

For quad, i think of the focus was of the tip of the prongs, it would be much better, works well on the theme though
Shoot is very apt. Like the mono conversion (looks like it has a blue hue to me?)
haha i love your Single shot!! great DOF, great detail, and a great story behind it!

Thanks Peter. Yep. The blue-hue was intentional.

Sounds like your having a pretty tough time, i hope it eases up for you. You've still managed to produce some decent images
quad, i agree above, i like the idea and think the image could be improved by being a tad sharper.
shoot, really good candid and i like the mono.
mavis, the pick of the bunch for me, great use of a shallow dof really brings out the best in her.

That's the benefit of shooting long with a cheap lens. At 100mm+, even with f6, it still blurs the background.

Glad to see you back up to date, and I'm hoping that things settle down a bit for you now.

Quad definitely fits the theme and I really like the pano crop.
I have to agree that it's lacking a bit of oomph though, but I'm not sure what you could do to add to it.
I seem to remember a similar fork shot in Dade's 52 where he added some bright colours to the background. Might be worth a look for some inspiration.

Shoot is an incredibly clear crisp shot.
Fantastic quality and the B&W suits it perfectly.

And Mavis . . . awwwwwww!!!!!
She's adorable.
This is my favourite out of the 3. Good colours, nice background and this is sharp exactly where it needs to be.
i also enjoyed reading the little story about her.

Thanks Sarah. Much appreciated. I'll tell Mavis you said you liked it, although with all the popularity of her portrait in this thread it might go to her head...

Good catchup! Like the DoF on the knife & fork, the moment in 'shoot' is great and I love Mavis :thumbs:

A good few shots :)

Cheers Nick. It'll be Monday before I can get out commenting properly, but I'm caught up now.

Play - Any one that gets Zombies into a them gets a :thumbs:. Already said bit a little more DOF would help.

Candid - That has workind really well with just the modeling lamps, well spotted.

Quad - Good choice of subject and the composition works very well.

Shoot - I thought I recognised one of the shooters(Savagestorm) works as a great candid shot also.

Single - I cry FOWL :D but then again so is mine.

Cheers Scott. Both for the encouragement and the terrible pun :)

Well done for catching up.

Shoot - nice to see happy togs !

Single - like that .. the background on Mavis adds to it. Glad she thinks she is a duck and isnt lonley !

Thank you.

As I said above, I'll be out commenting during the week. Not ignoring you all at the moment!!

Ian.

[jennyb]

Hi Ian,

Sorry to hear about your PC problems. Technology is great ... when it works!

Glad you managed to catch up.

I would have preferred more of the tines of the fork in focus - but definitely on theme.

Shoot is a great shot. The expressions on their faces are priceless and I love the treatment.

Aaah, poor Mavis. She even looks sad. A goose who thinks she's a duck and likes Marmite - interesting. That's a lovely shot but I agree that the top of her head is blown slightly.

Hope you manage to get on top of all your commitments soon.

Jenny

[Lynton]

Just a quickie - will pop back in later and say a bit more - keep discovering all these 52's I haven't seen before.

Loving "Mavis" - sounds quite a comical goose!

[mich66]

oh mavis.. what a lovely story about her.. she sounds a right character.. super shot, nice focus and great DOF :)

looks like a good day was had by all in blackpool ;)

[Harlequin565]

Thanks guys.

Ian.

[philthejuggler]

Nice bit of catching up. Not totally struck with quad / reshoot, but I love the shot of the photographers and Mavis is very appealing!

Phil

[Tracer]

I sympathise with your computer problems. I dual boot with Linux but can't do without XP for PSE.

Quad - I like the soft dreamy effect here. I think it might be even better if you cropped out the handle on the left so that you were left with just the four tines. Just my opinion, though.

Shoot - a lovely candid shot which shows how much they are enjoying themselves - makes me smile with them. The mono treatment suits the hard lighting. I think I'd like a black border round it to contain the white shirt on the right.

Mavis - she's gorgeous! Lovely soft background, and a great story to go with it!

[jeangenie]

And I thought I had computer problems! Glad you're back in action, Ian

Mavis: what a little duck! :D Geese are amazing birds and have lots of character. The best I can hope for is the stone one in our small garden, but Mavis sounds ideal, and the best of all possible worlds. I'd love to see her full length, though. :)

Jean

[jollyjack]

Catching up on your catch up session, Just lately i have had less time to get these images done, final go the single on do this morning, now catch up on other peoples images.

Quad - Great image of the fork, nicely focused and great DOF

Shoot - Well us TOG's alway make a good image when we shooting away.

Single - Depth of field works great on this image

Well done on all and well caught up

[Harlequin565]

Nice bit of catching up. Not totally struck with quad / reshoot, but I love the shot of the photographers and Mavis is very appealing!

Phil

Thanks Phil. I saw some shots of forks in a photo mag this month and it really depressed me how other people can take a simple still life and turn it into something interesting, yet all I can do is boring. Totally agree with your comments.

I sympathise with your computer problems. I dual boot with Linux but can't do without XP for PSE.

Quad - I like the soft dreamy effect here. I think it might be even better if you cropped out the handle on the left so that you were left with just the four tines. Just my opinion, though.

Shoot - a lovely candid shot which shows how much they are enjoying themselves - makes me smile with them. The mono treatment suits the hard lighting. I think I'd like a black border round it to contain the white shirt on the right.

Mavis - she's gorgeous! Lovely soft background, and a great story to go with it!

Thanks for the comments. I'm down to a dual booted system with XP now just so I can keep CS3 and Lightroom. I wish they'd provide Linux support for Adobe software. Either that or I eat the learning curve with GIMP. Been told it's very good, but the UI is clunky and it doesn't have adjustment layers of which I'm a heavy user.

And I thought I had computer problems! Glad you're back in action, Ian

Mavis: what a little duck! :D Geese are amazing birds and have lots of character. The best I can hope for is the stone one in our small garden, but Mavis sounds ideal, and the best of all possible worlds. I'd love to see her full length, though. :)

Jean

I'm sure the birds will feature again in my 52. They are so very calming to watch pecking around the garden and Mavis is just wonderful. When we go out with bread or broccoli stalks she runs over and rubs up against our legs. I really didn't think I'd warm to a pet like this.

Catching up on your catch up session, Just lately i have had less time to get these images done, final go the single on do this morning, now catch up on other peoples images.

Quad - Great image of the fork, nicely focused and great DOF

Shoot - Well us TOG's alway make a good image when we shooting away.

Single - Depth of field works great on this image

Well done on all and well caught up

Ha! Glad someone else is having to catch up on comments as well as shots. It's not just me!

Thanks for taking the time to go through everything. I'll be over to see your catchup in a minute.

Ian.

[Harlequin565]

Week 16: Stare

So this week I was determined to get a shot of the cat staring at me. He goes bonkers for the cat treats - you know the ones where the cat is leaping over buildings? Well Oscar actually gets onto his feet (from a permanent prone position on a cushion/in front of the fire/on the thick rug in the sunshine).

Never work with animals when you actually have an idea of what you want.... i.e. a cat staring at me from the top of the stairs. Just peering down from the top step.

What did I learn this week?
- Don't work with animals - especially lazy good-for-nothing cats.
- Don't get an idea in your head that requires some form of bribery to work. Cats are smart.
- Before setting up your dream shot, look at what you're doing. Beige carpet and white walls make for terrible backgrounds.

Needless to say, the shot came out awful. Boring boring boring.

So when #2 daughter decided he "smells like a dog" and needed a bath, much hilarity ensued.

Here he is after being rubbed dry with a towel and put outside to dry off in the sun.

My week 16 entry.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4549303820_148f537b49_o.jpg

For once he looks serious. Probably decided I can do more than open tins.

That'll teach him to be a better model. I might have defended him more if he'd given me the shot I wanted.

Good ole' Oscar.

Ian.

[holryn]

Haha Nice one Ian - he looks decidedly p'd off with you. :)

[clud17]

fabulous shot, that has me rolling around. Especially with the look of being "got" on his face. It works really well with the natural sunlight glint off his coat too.

[Nick T]

You can't beat a good cat shot - the little buggers have always got so much emotion in their faces.

Like it, and the B&W works nicely too :thumbs:

[Tracer]

Awww - poor cat - he is certainly looking daggers at you! Love the shot and the back story - purr-fect! :lol: