PhiltheJuggler's 52! - The '52 - Part 1 - weeks 1-27

Week 24- Metal

A scrap yard relic

Larger version here


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http://www.philhackettphotography.com/52/h31ebf807#h31ebf807
 
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This week I headed towards the scrap yard with my 50mm f/1.4 + 1DsMkii.

I took a few shots of engines in various states of disrepair. The problem was, although they fitted the theme, getting an interesting composition was really tough.

I loved the look of this exhaust manifold so I went in close to it & then exposed it @ ISO100, 1/100 @ f/3.2.

I removed background distractions in Elements and then exaggerated the colours in Lightroom.

Hope you like it & thanks for looking,

Phil
 
ladysue said:
I like that very much Phil.(y) It looks like a creature from sci fi. Fits the theme too.
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Thanks Sue - it does almost look animate doesn't it?

Phil
 
I like it too Phil, the light and colour on the image are good. I like your processing too, it has a real 3D feel to it. My only crit would be to give a wee bit more room to the top of the image, the crop has just clipped the top of the manifold. Other than that (y) from me Phil. Iain
 
Love the rusty colours in the shot. Very well lit, cracking photo for this weeks theme
 
Catch up time for me Phil.

Quality really works well as a collage. The selective desat makes the rider really pop out from the background. And each individual shot is good in its own right.

Post: Hmmmm in 2 minds on this. Part of me likes the understated simplicity of it but another part of me would like to see something a bit more vibrant and punchy.
I keep going back to it, but can't quite make up my mind.

Metal : I like it. Almost a sort of satanic goat type thing going on.
The saturated colours stand out really well against the black b/g - I'd have never thought that an exhaust manifold could be so interesting.
 
Brilliant - great colours and textures against the black bg. It looks like some wierd monster coming to get me.... Well spotted!
 
blakester said:
I like it too Phil, the light and colour on the image are good. I like your processing too, it has a real 3D feel to it. My only crit would be to give a wee bit more room to the top of the image, the crop has just clipped the top of the manifold. Other than that (y) from me Phil. Iain
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Many thanks - I cropped it there because of stuff above the manifold that was attached and couldn't be moved!

DC2Z said:
Love the rusty colours in the shot. Very well lit, cracking photo for this weeks theme
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Thanks - I enhanced the colours quite a bit, but they were all there to start with!

clud17 said:
Im seeing some kind of ferrous horned beast, i know what you mean about compositions on engines its really tricky.
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Yeah - I took loads of shots in the scrapyard and most were unexceptional. This one needed cropping and PP before it became something more interesting!

SarahLee said:
Catch up time for me Phil.

Quality really works well as a collage. The selective desat makes the rider really pop out from the background. And each individual shot is good in its own right.

Post: Hmmmm in 2 minds on this. Part of me likes the understated simplicity of it but another part of me would like to see something a bit more vibrant and punchy.
I keep going back to it, but can't quite make up my mind.

Metal : I like it. Almost a sort of satanic goat type thing going on.
The saturated colours stand out really well against the black b/g - I'd have never thought that an exhaust manifold could be so interesting.
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The detailed catchup is much appreciated! There is definitely something satanic about the manifold!


davidh6781 said:
Hi Phil. cracking shot its looks like it should be from Terminator or some thing its cool.
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Tracer said:
Brilliant - great colours and textures against the black bg. It looks like some wierd monster coming to get me.... Well spotted!
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Thanks both - I was pleased I managed to turn a potentially pedestrian shot into something of interest!

Phil
 
Superb Phil, the colours have popped nicely against the black... the only thing I'd say is the crop on the top of the manifold... as Iain... I understand why you did it though, having read the reply.
 
I agree with Chris and Sarah - it does have a satanic goat/demonic beast look about it. Good find - not sure I'd want that under my bonnet though, the way you've caught it. Good range of colours in there too.
 
Very well seen and processed Phil.

As others have already said it looks like some kind of demonic goat like creature.

The lighting, composition and processing make this shot jump of the screen at you. Well done (y)

Andy
 
Many thanks for all the comments on metal - since you liked the colours - brace yourself, here comes grunge.....

Phil
 
Week 25- Grunge

Graffiti on a halfpipe

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Right - Grunge.

What a nightmare theme! I took some shots of a skateboard park early in the week and then went 'hunting' with the camera for one of the grungy gothic-types that usually hang around in town - absolutely none this weekend! Then I went to the local dump which had been refurbished with beautiful new purple skips - nightmare!

Anyway I decided to return the skateboard shots & I remembered that there was a 'grunge' setting in Photomatix. They certainly wanted a bit of punch and so I decided to go all-out for the extreme cartoon-style HDR!

This is how the image started: (clickable)



Canon 30D, 50mm f/1.4, dab of flash IIRC, 1/125s @ f/2.0, ISO100. Single image tone mapped using 'grunge' presets as a base + tweaks. Returned to lightroom for selective saturation, increase blacks and exposure.

Despite being extremely un-photo like I'm pleased with the rich surreal colours and I think it fits the theme without being dark and dirty.

For full retina-burning effect, click through to my website and the choose 'slideshow' to get it full screen!!

Hope you like it!

Phil
 
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Phil i found this weeks theme a tough one more so than some other tough weeks lol. Initially similar thoughts to Dade. "I don't know what to make of it" but after scrolling down and back up to look at it, i feel it does fit the theme and the grungy effect is better than the normal colour variation. Still unsure but its growing on me to like it..

good work.
 
davidh6781 said:
Phil i found this weeks theme a tough one more so than some other tough weeks lol. Initially similar thoughts to Dade. "I don't know what to make of it" but after scrolling down and back up to look at it, i feel it does fit the theme and the grungy effect is better than the normal colour variation. Still unsure but its growing on me to like it..

good work.
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Thanks - I had to dig deep to try and get something striking this week!

Phil
 
I don't quite know what to make of this one, Phil. On the one hand, I like the extreme treatment - it looks like a photo of a painting, which is interesting, but Grunge to me suggests dull, dark, dirty, messy, monochrome etc, so there's a bit of a contradiction. :shrug: I hope that makes sense - and it's not intended as a criticism, merely an observation. :)

As an image it works well, and if it was retitled Graffitti it would be spot on! (y)

Jean
 
jeangenie said:
I don't quite know what to make of this one, Phil. On the one hand, I like the extreme treatment - it looks like a photo of a painting, which is interesting, but Grunge to me suggests dull, dark, dirty, messy, monochrome etc, so there's a bit of a contradiction. :shrug: I hope that makes sense - and it's not intended as a criticism, merely an observation. :)

As an image it works well, and if it was retitled Graffitti it would be spot on! (y)

Jean
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Thanks for your thoughts - I guess it is a bright coloured, saturated image of a grungy subject!

Phil
 
It's made my eyes hurt :eek:

That said, I quite like it. The composition is great and the subject matter is on theme to me. The PP may be over the top but it works (when your eyes get used to it :LOL: )

Andy
 
My Eyes!!! My Eyes!!! :LOL:...

The overdone HDR does make it look rather more a painting than a photo, but it's certainly come out more grungy with it... I think it fits the theme though.

You really wouldn't miss it, hung on the wall somewhere, as it would leap out and give your eyeballs a shake :D...
 
:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: Another one struck blind here !

But do you know what? I kind of like it.
It's good fun, totally OTT and it really does look more like a cartoon than a photo.
But once you're past all that, compositionally it actually has some great angles & lines and the PP has brought out some interesting textures.

Personally, I'd like it cropped from the top just above the green square. IMO it works better that way as a purely abstract piece and almost a bit of grafitti art in its own right. There's also some weird haloing going on at the top of the ramp and you'd lose all of that with the crop.
 
Hi Phil,

Catching up...

Your metal shot is very good. I would never have guessed what it was. You are very good at PP, making what would be a very ordinary photograph into something special.

I just love your grunge shot. I love the colours and the textures. I wear a lot of bright colours and really like photos that jump out of the screen. That's a very imaginative take on a horrible theme! Well done :clap::clap::clap:

Jenny
 
Grunge is wonderful - I love the combination of curves, straight lines and graffiti with the OTT colour! I bet this would sell as a large canvas. :clap:
 
Many thanks for all your kind comments on what I expected to be more of a marmite photo than it appears to have turned out!

Now for a two week catch-up!

Phil
 
Week 26 - Beginnings

Larger version here

A lady starting modelling and a new day-job..

Now updated with shadow lightened by one stop:

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Before lightening shadow:

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Original choice: (clickable)




Week 27 - Art

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Good work on the 2 week catch up.
Beginning - Personally not keen on it. Don't get me wrong its a good photo but it doesn't shout beginning to me. Plus the tattoo is slightly off putting for me.

Art - Much better portrait. Its very well lit and I can't fault it.
 
Firstly - apologies for begginnings being so late & a bit of a shoe-horn into the theme!

Her name is Emma and she is a delightful new model - I had great fun shooting with her for an evening in Torquay. In addition to her starting modelling she is just about to start a new job, so it fits the theme 'begginnings' even if the shot doesn't say anything about begginnings as such!

The second shot is me dipping my toe in with arty-style portraits. I posted this in the nude and glamour section for crit first of all and then have tweaked it for this final version. The lighting is a touch flat as I was having trouble with my twin speedlite setup & had to use on camera bounced flash, but in this case I like the overall effect.

Technicals - both shot on 1DMKIII

1) 70-200 f/2.8 MKII @ 155mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 400

2) 50mm f/1.4 @ f/2.0, 1/300s (sync), 580EXII, ISO400. Various adjustments in lightroom.

Hope you like them!

Phil
 
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DC2Z said:
Good work on the 2 week catch up.
Beginning - Personally not keen on it. Don't get me wrong its a good photo but it doesn't shout beginning to me. Plus the tattoo is slightly off putting for me.

Art - Much better portrait. Its very well lit and I can't fault it.
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Gosh - you posted so quick I hadn't had chance to put the spiel in!

Anyway - thanks for the comments - relationship to theme explained above, but I agree it is a bit of a crowbar. I may dig out a different shot from the shoot later - had difficulty choosing.

Glad you like 'art' - I confess I was pleased with it, especially as I'm new to that style of shot.

Phil
 
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philthejuggler said:
Gosh - you posted so quick I hadn't had chance to put the spiel in!

Anway - thanks for the comments - relationship to theme explained above, but I agree it is a bit of a crowbar. I may dig out a different shot from the shoot later - had difficulty choosing.

Glad you like 'art' - I confess I was pleased with it, especially as I'm new to that style of shot.

Phil
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Sorry very eager!!!. I'd be very pleased with the Art shot
 
Stuff it! Chosen a new one for 'beginnings' already - uploading now! DONE!

Phil
 
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Yep much much better, ha I may be the only person who ever saw that pic on the forums
 
Phil, sorry for being contrary but looking at the original for beginnings, I prefer that one:LOL:. Your updated image is well lit and composed but the shadow from the flower which falls on the model's arm is quite distracting IMHO.
I like your image for art, the processing does give it nice tones, the good light and strong composition are spot on too.
Just as an aside, I was under the impression we had to start a new thread for the second part of the 52 :thinking:. Iain
 
Hi Phil, I was wondering where you were. It is not like you to be late.

I actually like both of your beginning shots although they are a bit of a stretch for the theme. Your reject is really too small to make out clearly, but for the other one, I find the flower and its shadow quite distracting. The composition and lighting are excellent.

Art, I really love. The treatment that you have given it makes it something quite special.

Jenny
 
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