PhiltheJuggler's 52! - Finally! Week 52 - Together - A mosaic finish..

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Welcome to the 52 part 2!

Links here:
Weeks 1-28 are here

28. - Relaxation (this post!)
29. - Grace
30. - Endings
31. - Electric
32. - Transform
33. - Mobile
34. - Surface
35. - Light
36. - Project
37. - Film
38. - Dirty
39. - Rage
40. - Console
41. - Distant
42. - Secret
43. - Urban
44. - Train
45. - Share
46. - Faith
47. - Distortion
48. - Lead
49. - Space
50. - Close
51. - Romantic
52. - Together


Week 28 - Relaxation

A self portrait of relaxation time

Larger version here

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Week 28.

I've picked up a new black background with a view to doing some fine-art nude work and thought I test out one of the lighting patterns I intend to try.

Lighting was a 580EXII shot into a silver brolley & triggered by an on-camera 580EXII that didn't fire itself (i.e. no fill light). I used the 1d3 + 24-105 at the wide end due to space constraints using a 2-second timer. 1/250, f/8 @ ISO400.

In lightroom I converted to B&W (green filter effect), upped the blacks and added some grain.

I hope you like it,

Phil
 
nice simple shot, but for me the left side of your face is too dark, i cannot see any detail.
 
nice simple shot, but for me the left side of your face is too dark, i cannot see any detail.

Many thanks - I deliberately lost the detail on that side, although I may use a reflector to kick back some fill when I use this lighting style for studio work.

Phil
 
I like it - I assumed that you intended to lose some of the shadow detail to make a starker, more dramatic shot. (y)
 
I like it - I assumed that you intended to lose some of the shadow detail to make a starker, more dramatic shot. (y)


Thanks! Yeah - that's exactly what I did - single light & then upped the blacks to strengthen the effect!

Phil
 
Week 28.

I've picked up a new black background with a view to doing some fine-art nude work and thought I test out one of the lighting patterns I intend to try.

Phil


Phil, I'm glad that you kept your clothes on for this shot :D
Nice shot, great lighting - almost looks like the front cover of a CD.....in fact, very similar to the front cover of the Eric Clapton Unplugged album.
Also, really like the lighting.
 
Excellent Phil, spot on, and the effect is very striking... I like the way you've done the lighting on this.
 
Phil, I'm glad that you kept your clothes on for this shot :D
Nice shot, great lighting - almost looks like the front cover of a CD.....in fact, very similar to the front cover of the Eric Clapton Unplugged album.
Also, really like the lighting.

Many thanks - I can assure you that most of the Northern Hemisphere is glad I kept my clothes on!

This is a really good one, Phil. The lighting is spot on and I think your face needed to be in shadow to add to the impact. Excellent :clap::clap::clap:

I would not know how to do an SP (no plans to try one either) but they must be really tricky to get right.

Jenny

Thanks Jenny. The SP was too bad - a wide angle lens stopped down meant deep dof, so focussing wasn't too critical. Just used a remote + a 2 second timer setting.

Excellent Phil, spot on, and the effect is very striking... I like the way you've done the lighting on this.

Many thanks - fingers crossed for my session next week!

Phil
 
Week 29- Grace


Larger version here

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Week 29

I've not looked at many other posts yet but I know I'm not the only one using ballet as a theme for grace. I had an idea to make it a little different to what I suspected others might try - do a silhouette, but the lighting was a pig!

I used a white background and blasted three studio guns through it. I was still getting some detail on the model so in lightroom I converted to B&W and then upped the blacks until almost all the detail disappeared.

1DMKIII, 24-105 @ 45mm, f/22, 1/125s (faster shutter speed I dare to sync with the studio lights!).

Hope you like it,

Phil
 
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Great minds think alike Phil ;), I chose ballet for this week's theme too.
I like the 'feel' of this image, your lighting works well, there's lots of detail in the silhouette to catch the eye and add interest. Well done. Iain
 
Nice idea Phil But I feel the image needs a slight tweak.. In ps and the crop. Imho


I did another version which gace the model more room and lost the grey around the legs and it worked better imho

MD
 
Nice idea Phil But I feel the image needs a slight tweak.. In ps and the crop. Imho


I did another version which gace the model more room and lost the grey around the legs and it worked better imho

MD

Thanks for the suggestion - I've cleaned up the grey around the legs, but decided to stick with the crop as-is!

Phil
 
Thanks for the suggestion - I've cleaned up the grey around the legs, but decided to stick with the crop as-is!

Phil

I haven't seen the original, so can only comment on what's here - and I like it a lot.
It may have taken a lot of fiddling around with, but it's paid off in the end. Just enough light coming in on her face and palms of her hands to stop it from being too flat, but it's definitely still a silhouette.

Can't find anything to fault with it Phil. I just really like it.
 
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:agree:... this is excellent. Superb silhouette and looks very graceful. really well done on the lighting and PP... only one small thing... there's a small grey sploge above her face, between her elbows... easily fixed mind...
 
Time for a catch up.

Relaxation - I love black backgrounds and this works really well. The lighting has worked out perfectly (y) You certainly look relaxed.

Grace - Another one that works well with the PP that you have given it. The light coming through the costume is great along with the light around her hands and face. Still a silhouette but enough detail to give the shot some interest.

Andy
 
Hi Phil - Just catching up. :)

Relaxation: Playing music is definitely a relaxing thing to do, and I can almost hear you picking out a bluesy-ballad in this shot. The lighting is really atmospheric and boosting the blacks has added to the effect. My only very slight niggle (and I do mean 'slight') is the light reflecting on the tuning key on the bottom string. Definitely a great set up and I hope we get to see some of your fine-art work using this set up. :clap::clap:

Grace: Another ace shot, Phil. The touch of light on the ballerina's face and the light on her tutu lifts this way out of the ordinary into something special. I would have liked to see more (or all of her legs) but realise this might not have been do-able and might have reduced the efffect of the lighting. It fits the theme really well, too. (y)

Jean
 
RELAXATION: another cracker, nice lighting and well composed and fits well.

GRACE: love it - just a hint of light to bring out the details, great silhouette. Also nice the way its a polar opposite to the week befores theme :)
 
Wow - thanks for all the compliments, guys! Great to read them all on return from my hols, which is why last week's is late! I will be catching up with all the threads soon...

Phil
 
Week 30 - Endings

Larger version here (looks better on black!)

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Original version:

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I wanted to use graves, but in a very different way to my shot for present (week 6). I wanted a much darker, gothic effect so I photographed this French graveyard using 3 exposures and combined in Photomatix. I then converted to cyanotype to remove the distraction of the colour.

In this photo I have deliberately tried to do things a little differently composition-wise. I've avoided giving any clear simple subject, but instead was trying to get the eye searching round the frame meeting lots of symbols of 'endings' - mostly crucifixes. I quite liked the way the graves stacked in a way that had confusing visual cues to the depth of the shot. Basically the idea was to bring across a mass of graves without allowing the viewer to properly assimilate the scene, hopefully therefore conveying the impression of darkness and endings more acutely.

I used the 1DSMKII + 24-105mm @ 65mm, f/5, various shutter speeds @ ISO200.

I hope you like it, although it is deliberately not 'easy' on the eye!

Phil
 
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I like the textures Phil, I like the idea of searching through the whole image and you have a subject here that has plenty of interest all round. my eye seems drawn to the black stone on the left each time though. I have taken several looks at it and off i drift to the right. I think if you could lighten up that part you are on to a winner and for me you have achieved what you set out to do.
 
Phil you've put a great deal of creative thought into this shot - and I like it very much. :clap: The eye having to search round the 'chaos' of all the graves adds to the gothic-ness somehow, and you've succeeded in creating the effect of gravestones piled on gravestones. I agree with Chris about the gravestone on the left - it's the most contrasty part of the composition and I find myself being drawn to it. Did you try cropping it out - I think it would make the crucifixes more prominent and more dramatic. :)

I love the cyanotype treatment - it's perfect for this.

Another cracking week for you Phil. (y)

Jean
 
I like the textures Phil, I like the idea of searching through the whole image and you have a subject here that has plenty of interest all round. my eye seems drawn to the black stone on the left each time though. I have taken several looks at it and off i drift to the right. I think if you could lighten up that part you are on to a winner and for me you have achieved what you set out to do.

Phil you've put a great deal of creative thought into this shot - and I like it very much. :clap: The eye having to search round the 'chaos' of all the graves adds to the gothic-ness somehow, and you've succeeded in creating the effect of gravestones piled on gravestones. I agree with Chris about the gravestone on the left - it's the most contrasty part of the composition and I find myself being drawn to it. Did you try cropping it out - I think it would make the crucifixes more prominent and more dramatic. :)

I love the cyanotype treatment - it's perfect for this.

Another cracking week for you Phil. (y)

Jean

Thank you very much for your inciteful comments! Refining shots is a lot of what this '52 is about for me, so with that in mind I have lightened both corners slightly and added the updated version to the original post! I did try cropping the lhs before posting in the first place, but felt it lost something - I'm much happier with the lightening.

Phil
 
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This one NEEDS to be viewed on black.

Looking at the shot here it didn't really do much for me - but viewing on black really seemed to transform it. This is a photograph that draws me into it and it absolutely does what you set out to do. It may not have been the obvious choice, but the cyanotype treatment was a great decision too. It adds bags of atmosphere.

It's hard to see much in the original at the size you've posted, but I think Chris and Jean were spot on about the corners.

Personally, I'd have also liked a bit more height in the shot. The RHS in particular looks like it's been cut too tight, with the roof and gravestone feeling chopped off. I know that you were deliberately aiming to capture the jumble of stones and the feel of layer upon layer of monuments, but I don't think a bit more space would have detracted from this.
But maybe this slight visual imbalance was something you were deliberately aiming for ?????

Either way, I love gothic graveyards and you've caught the feel of this place brilliantly, so (y) from me again this week.
 
This one NEEDS to be viewed on black.

Looking at the shot here it didn't really do much for me - but viewing on black really seemed to transform it. This is a photograph that draws me into it and it absolutely does what you set out to do. It may not have been the obvious choice, but the cyanotype treatment was a great decision too. It adds bags of atmosphere.

It's hard to see much in the original at the size you've posted, but I think Chris and Jean were spot on about the corners.

Personally, I'd have also liked a bit more height in the shot. The RHS in particular looks like it's been cut too tight, with the roof and gravestone feeling chopped off. I know that you were deliberately aiming to capture the jumble of stones and the feel of layer upon layer of monuments, but I don't think a bit more space would have detracted from this.
But maybe this slight visual imbalance was something you were deliberately aiming for ?????

Either way, I love gothic graveyards and you've caught the feel of this place brilliantly, so (y) from me again this week.

Many thanks, Sarah! I was after a slightly imbalanced, uncomfortable look.

The larger original edit is here

If you're interested here is the image after combining the different exposures in PhotoMatix - (click image to view larger)



As you can see the way I took the orginal there was no extra space above, but there was a little more on the right - I may have a go at re-cropping.

Phil
 
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it does look better on black, but for me its a bit confusing and the writing on the left could have been a little clearer.

ian
 
it does look better on black, but for me its a bit confusing and the writing on the left could have been a little clearer.

ian


Thanks for the comment Ian! It was designed to be visually confusing & the writing at the front was intentionally out of focus!

Phil
 
This works really well for me Phil.

At first I thought it was a collage of different shots. I had to look properly to work it out. I am normally one to say an image lacks a focal point when offering crit. On this shot the lack of an obvious focal point is what makes it special.

Cyanotype processing is ideal for this one as well.

Andy
 
Visually confusing or stimulating? I think the latter and it has certainly got my eyes and brain working to take everything in. It's nice to see an image filled with details rather than being a complete distraction to itself. Definitely screams out for a dark background, one of my dreams is that one day we'll have an integrated lightbox on this site for just that reason :)
 
how very strange!? I too was playing in graveyards last week! I went for a more simple effect but I do like what you have captured, lots for the eye to explore ;)
 
Its a different way of showing gravestones. I am not familiar with this type of processing. It is a lot better on black. I know the intention was that the scene was crowded but it is a bit too much for me. Good to have something different and on theme.
Sue
 
Another excellent photo, Phil. It really is necessary to view on black and bigger. It does everything that you were trying to achieve and is really rather creepy in that there are so many "endings". I prefer your tweaked version with the lightened corners and the cyanotype processing (had to Google this) really makes it.

Jenny
 
Very good Phil, I think it's worked just as you wanted it, the processing is spot on. I think I prefer the first edit, the brighter area in the sky above the stone on the left, doesn't fit in with the rest of the feel for me.
 
This works really well for me Phil.

At first I thought it was a collage of different shots. I had to look properly to work it out. I am normally one to say an image lacks a focal point when offering crit. On this shot the lack of an obvious focal point is what makes it special.

Cyanotype processing is ideal for this one as well.

Andy

Visually confusing or stimulating? I think the latter and it has certainly got my eyes and brain working to take everything in. It's nice to see an image filled with details rather than being a complete distraction to itself. Definitely screams out for a dark background, one of my dreams is that one day we'll have an integrated lightbox on this site for just that reason :)

how very strange!? I too was playing in graveyards last week! I went for a more simple effect but I do like what you have captured, lots for the eye to explore ;)

Its a different way of showing gravestones. I am not familiar with this type of processing. It is a lot better on black. I know the intention was that the scene was crowded but it is a bit too much for me. Good to have something different and on theme.
Sue

Another excellent photo, Phil. It really is necessary to view on black and bigger. It does everything that you were trying to achieve and is really rather creepy in that there are so many "endings". I prefer your tweaked version with the lightened corners and the cyanotype processing (had to Google this) really makes it.

Jenny

Very good Phil, I think it's worked just as you wanted it, the processing is spot on. I think I prefer the first edit, the brighter area in the sky above the stone on the left, doesn't fit in with the rest of the feel for me.

Many thanks for all your comments on what I thought might have been more of a 'Marmite' job than it turned out to be!

Phil
 
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