WillJ's Photo 52 - Week 10 - 'Trio' now added!

Hi Will
Dawn's right in her assessment of chaos so I shan't repeat. Nonetheless those are three very good photos.
I really like the photo for clutter. Simple and fits in with the theme very well.
 
Hi Will, I like this image and it made me think, especially with your explanation. Individually the three pics work well with each being very well executed. Good lighting, DOF, sharpness and composition. You've done well with the white backgrounds - what did you use?

As a triptych I could see something like this accompanying a magzine article about the subject you've discussed. For me it works as an image. I would have been tempted to try using paper money rather than coins as that might fit with your idea better (although most of us don't have piles of £20 notes lying around!).

I also really like your previous weeks too - lots of very striking images. The "delicate" shot of the lightbulb stands out for me.

Great 52 (y)
 
Hi Will,
Some nice shots from your DIY studio.
I'm liking the 'new' and 'clutter' shots.

I'm sat here looking at a grey and dull day and your thread has inspired me to add to my own DIY studio rather than going out and getting cold! Your link to SteveBlackDog'd Flickr has some good tips, and also gives me a good excuse to eat some Pringles!
 
Leokull said:
Hi Will
Dawn's right in her assessment of chaos so I shan't repeat. Nonetheless those are three very good photos.
I really like the photo for clutter. Simple and fits in with the theme very well.
Click to expand...

Hi Liam,

Thank you for your feedback, much appreciated (y)

PatrickO said:
Hi Will, I like this image and it made me think, especially with your explanation. Individually the three pics work well with each being very well executed. Good lighting, DOF, sharpness and composition. You've done well with the white backgrounds - what did you use
Click to expand...

Hi Patrick, glad you like the photo, and very kind comments, thank you :). I've been watching the Ross Kemp programs recently and I think that's what sparked the link with representing chaos. FOr the backgrounds I've used a piece of white A1 pastel paper (from an art shop), and paper-clipped it to a vertical lid of a cardboard box so that it gently curves upwards. See below for more on my mini-studio :)

PatrickO said:
As a triptych I could see something like this accompanying a magzine article about the subject you've discussed. For me it works as an image. I would have been tempted to try using paper money rather than coins as that might fit with your idea better (although most of us don't have piles of £20 notes lying around!).
Click to expand...

Thanks! My dad and girlfriend said about the notes too and I said to them it was unfortunate that I didn't have piles of money :LOL:. But yes, you are right it would have fit the whole theme and the message it was trying to convey better.

PatrickO said:
I also really like your previous weeks too - lots of very striking images. The "delicate" shot of the lightbulb stands out for me.

Great 52 (y)
Click to expand...

Thank you, the 'delicate' shot has received the most positive feedback, I might try and fit some more studio photo's of glass/reflections into my 52 - if/when a theme arises that fits the bill.

Mentalblock said:
Hi Will,
Some nice shots from your DIY studio.
I'm liking the 'new' and 'clutter' shots.

I'm sat here looking at a grey and dull day and your thread has inspired me to add to my own DIY studio rather than going out and getting cold! Your link to SteveBlackDog'd Flickr has some good tips, and also gives me a good excuse to eat some Pringles!
Click to expand...

Hi Neil, thank you for your comments. I hate dull days too and that's part of the reason behind making a mini studio! I will post some pics of the setups when I start remembering to take them :) I have literally spent no more than £20 on the studio...I will start a thread on my mini studio to show what I have bought and how I have used it. SteveBlackDog's Flickr is just brilliant though, and all of the inspiration comes from him so credit to him for that! I am yet to make the pringles snoot but I aim to do this soon.
 
An interesting take on the theme there. I think that each picture looks very nicely composed, lit etc but I'm not totally sure that the montage works as a whole as there's nothing tying the three shots together. Maybe if they all had the same colours or view point or something like that then it would unify them?
You've got me intrigued by a £20 mini studio now!
 
For accommodation its No 1 for me, not sure about the black borders on the ones at the end.
 
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Week 9 - Finish

So, here's my submission for this week's theme - Finish. As I work for a certain company, I was lucky enough to gain access to the Concorde to take some snaps for this week's theme. I have chosen the Concorde because as you all know, it is FINISHed, come to an end, stopped production, stopped flying.....This was the British Airways Concorde that had the last ever Concorde flight on 26 November 2003 (see here: http://www.blodtandsmidigt.com/lastconcorde2.html (not my website)

As I'm sure you all know, this aircraft was and is an incredible piece of engineering, amongst many other good things! I'm not going to write an essay about concorde so the fact I've always liked is that you can go from London to New York and arrive before you left! Something you aren't able to do in another plane (yet?).

It was very hard to get a good photo of it, though, due to the close perimiter of fencing surrounding it (couldn't get a good angle) and it is spoilt by the staircase which has been put in place for VIPs to be able to have a look inside. I have significantly decreased the vibrance to help communicate that Concorde is finished, and it's life of flying is over. Hopefully this style of photograph does give you a sense of this? I have also used the graduated filter tool on ACR to give the sky a similar 'doomed' effect.

I hope this photo conveys the theme a bit better than some of my previous photos.

As always, C&C's welcome :)

Will :D.

p.s. I have some other shots of the aircraft if anyone is interested, so I could start another thread with these on?


Week 9 - Finish by W.James, on Flickr
 
Hi, Will, you've done really well considering. I like the perspective which adds to the depth. Good dof and I actually like the staircase, kind of adds to the feeling that Concorde is becoming a museum piece...very sad.

Cropping across and removing the grass at the bottom seems to add to the depth??

I'd like to see a b&w version.

Cheers.
 
Hiya Will,

Great take on the theme and lucky for you to be able to take such a shot.

I think your processing has worked just as you described your idea for it. (y)

What I like most about the angle at which you have taken this photo is that is shows the scale of how large this plane is compared to all the other things around it like the fence, etc.

Sad indeed that such a powerful machine should be laid to rest.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
posiview said:
Hi, Will, you've done really well considering. I like the perspective which adds to the depth. Good dof and I actually like the staircase, kind of adds to the feeling that Concorde is becoming a museum piece...very sad.

Cropping across and removing the grass at the bottom seems to add to the depth??

I'd like to see a b&w version.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Hi Andy, thank you for your comments as always! I will try cropping across the bottom and a B&W conversion, will post it here tomorrow morning as I won't have time tonight unfortunately.

Regards,
Will. :D

drodd said:
Hiya Will,

Great take on the theme and lucky for you to be able to take such a shot.

I think your processing has worked just as you described your idea for it. (y)

What I like most about the angle at which you have taken this photo is that is shows the scale of how large this plane is compared to all the other things around it like the fence, etc.

Sad indeed that such a powerful machine should be laid to rest.

Cheers

Dawn :)
Click to expand...

Hi Dawn,

Again, thank you for your feedback, it's always appreciated. Yes I can see what you mean about the scale, I'm glad it's conveyed its intended message :)

Regards
Will. :D
 
A great depiction of finish. A great shame that this magnificent machine is no longer in the skies (though it once was responsible for the near death of my daughter, but that is a another story :))

I think the square and solid steps add to the feel that this bird will no longer fly, so whilst you might have initially wanted to exclude them I feel their significance completes the composition as does the confining chainlink fence.

I agree with Andy that the strip of grass in the foreground could be lost with nothing but advantage to the image.

The reduced tonal range is appropriate and I feel the b&w would do the same but with infinitely less subtlety.
 
TinaC said:
The reduced tonal range is appropriate and I feel the b&w would do the same but with infinitely less subtlety.
Click to expand...

On my (crappy, but appreciated) laptop I wasn't sure if it was selective colouring or not.

It actually looks better on second viewing.

Cheers.
 
TinaC said:
A great depiction of finish. A great shame that this magnificent machine is no longer in the skies (though it once was responsible for the near death of my daughter, but that is a another story :))

I think the square and solid steps add to the feel that this bird will no longer fly, so whilst you might have initially wanted to exclude them I feel their significance completes the composition as does the confining chainlink fence.

I agree with Andy that the strip of grass in the foreground could be lost with nothing but advantage to the image.

The reduced tonal range is appropriate and I feel the b&w would do the same but with infinitely less subtlety.
Click to expand...

Hi Tina,

Thank you for your comments, much appreciated. See below for a further edited version :D

posiview said:
On my (crappy, but appreciated) laptop I wasn't sure if it was selective colouring or not.

It actually looks better on second viewing.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Hi Andy,

All I did was decrease the vibrance to -81 on Adobe Camera Raw, no selective colouring :)

michael23 said:
A great image, it's hard to believe it is that long ago! Your processing works well indeed. (y)
Click to expand...

Hi Michael,

Yes it doesn't seem that long ago! Thanks for the comments (y)

Here is the photo with the grass cropped out and converted to B+W in CS5:


Concorde B+W by W.James, on Flickr

Will :D.
 
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That's an improvement for me. The crop really accentuates the size and magnificence of the Concorde.

I can't decide whether clouds, had the been any, would add or detract from this one...

Cheers.
 
Hi Will

love your shot of Concord & much prefer your original version .The slight areas of color work really well(y)
 
What a sad end for a magnificent machine. I really like your shot. The angle is great.
The crop works well, but not sure about the mono conversion - the bits of colour add interest..

It's great pic, but if there had been a person in the frame it would have helped give a sense of scale.

Cheers, Patrick
 
AndyMc133 said:
great shot of a great plane
Click to expand...

Thanks (y)

blondie606 said:
Hi Will

love your shot of Concord & much prefer your original version .The slight areas of color work really well(y)
Click to expand...

Hi Lynne,

Thanks, much appreciated :)

PatrickO said:
What a sad end for a magnificent machine. I really like your shot. The angle is great.
The crop works well, but not sure about the mono conversion - the bits of colour add interest..

It's great pic, but if there had been a person in the frame it would have helped give a sense of scale.
Click to expand...

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for the comments. I see what you mean about a person being there - shoud've asked my colleague who was with me to stand at the top of the staircase.

Cheers (y)
Mentalblock said:
It's a nice angle from what sounds like restricted options.
Click to expand...

Thanks :D

kennysarmy said:
Nice take on the theme.
Prefer version II
Was there anyway you could have got an angle that could have shown more the distinctive nose shape of this plane?
Click to expand...

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the feedback :D
I have posted two other shots to my Flickr here, one which shows the length of the plane including the nose.

Will :D.
 
Week 10 -Trio

First off, sorry this is 9.5 hours late, I've had such a busy week and having such a busy weekend that I've just got round to finishing off my submission for 'Trio.'

I'm quite disappointed with my submission this week as I've really struggled to use basic tools in photoshop in order to get rid of some things in the photo's below. I tried to get rid of the shadows to give an even graduation and balance of tone in each of the images, but when I tried doing this you could easily tell that I'd done so and it looked awful. Also, for the third (red) image, the lighting at the top was blown out so I tried to 'heal' this a bit using the clone tool - took me far far longer than it should to get the effect you see below, so was wondering what would have been a simple or quicker way to get the same desired effect?

Now I've got that off my chest...I've tried to convey many elements of 'trio' here:

  • A 'trio' of wine glasses
  • A 'trio' of angles of a trio of wine glasses
  • The 'trio' of primary colours

When the theme 'trio' was announced I thought I'd take the opportunity to do some more studio-type shots of three things. I enjoyed photographing the light bulb ('delicate') so I thought I'd choose something nice and shiny again. I tried playing with different types of lighting and couldn't get it quite right, hence why the lighting is different in all three shots. I understand that this is a drawback of the triptych as I think it ruins the perspective.

Anyway, here is my submission:


Week 10 - Trio (Web) by W.James, on Flickr

Whilst I understand there are many criticisms with the shots, I hope you like the idea :D As always, C&C's are very welcome as I feel like I need to step up my photography skills now (despite the limiting factor that I only have the 18-55 lens kit) - I feel like I haven't improved over the last few weeks and it's starting to frustrate me :bang:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you that are interested, here is a setup shot of my '£20 mini studio'


Trio Setup by W.James, on Flickr

  • 2 x £4.99 desk lamps (homebase)
  • 2 x 'soft light' 20W Philips energy saving bulbs (£6.00 - local cheap shop)
  • 1 x A1 Pastel card (white) £2.50 (local art shop)
  • 2 x black A4 card (8 pack - Hobbycraft - £1.49)

I also have a black A1 sheet of Pastel card, and a pack of white A4 card too. Although this is a very basic studio and I am finding it difficult to get the lighting right (probably my fault due to lack of experience), it is quite versatile in that you can create so many different effects for a smidgen over £20.

Feedback on anything posted very welcome :)

Will.
 
James,

I like the idea and the effort you've put in.
However, and this may be real picky, I'd rather the blue and red shots were taken from the same angle.
The blue appears to be from below the glass rim and the red appears to be above the glass rim.

You've got some shadows and light spots on your back grounds, which I'm not sure are intentional.

Can I suggest you add some tracing paper to your studio kit, it's great at defusing light.
Also, check out Linky for a great DIY snoot - I'm off to B&Q today for the rest of the parts, hopefully to test out on my trio this evening!
 
Mentalblock said:
James,

I like the idea and the effort you've put in.
However, and this may be real picky, I'd rather the blue and red shots were taken from the same angle.
The blue appears to be from below the glass rim and the red appears to be above the glass rim.
Click to expand...

Hi Neil,

It's Will (not James!) :) It's not real picky, I was expecting this one :) I didn't initially plan to submit a triptych for 'Trio' - the idea came after I'd taken the shots and I didn't get time to retake some of them, so I agree with you that it would look much better if the left and right angles were symmetrical.

Mentalblock said:
You've got some shadows and light spots on your back grounds, which I'm not sure are intentional.

As above, these are what I tried to get rid of using photoshop but due to my complete lack of skills I was unable to do effectively :( But I'm glad my observations are in line with yours so thanks for pointing this out :)

Mentalblock said:
Can I suggest you add some tracing paper to your studio kit, it's great at defusing light.
Also, check out Linky for a great DIY snoot - I'm off to B&Q today for the rest of the parts, hopefully to test out on my trio this evening!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips (y) I follow Steve's Flickr quite closely, his stuff is brilliant!

Thanks for the feedback Neil, very grateful!

kennysarmy said:
I like the idea and think you have done really well...
Click to expand...

Thanks Jeff :).

Will :D.
Click to expand...
 
Hiya Will,

I like your idea and the colours in your trio shot, well done, especially considering the busy week you have had.

Have to agree with the comments about the symmetry, shadows and lighting that you have already pointed out.

You have taken on quite a challenge with this, so well done to you for attempting it.

Lighting can be tricky to get right, as can be trying to clone shadows etc, especially when you have three photos to compose as a triptych.

A suggestion to get the symmetry right is to mark a spot on the base (card) where you want the glasses to be positioned and then flipping same over and marking the other card with the spots (you could do this using a compass point and a very light pencil marking which shouldn't show up on the image, but at least you would be able to use them as a guide).

I like the way you have the centre glasses lined up, so if you could get the same view angle for the left and right images that would look great.

As for the lighting, that is pretty much trial and error, but I think if you aim for trying to get a reverse of the lighting (easier said than done) then it might help to get the lighting in the right places. Alternatively, why not try positioning the lighting at a further distance and using a longer shutter speed (I find that works sometimes to eliminate reflection and uneven lighting on the background) If I remember correctly, I used a similar technique on my delicate shot.

BTW don't be so hard on yourself, I think you are doing a fantastic job with your photography and have seen a vast improvement over the weeks.

Personally I think the 18-55 lens is under-rated and I have found it a useful lens. Most of my photos are taken using the 18-55 and up until the latter part of last year was the only lens I owned (until I was kindly given a 70-300 lens).

I also maintain that it's not necessarily about the equipment you have; more importantly it's about how you use it! ...... and I think you are doing fine.

What I admire the most is the way you are being inventive with your mini studio setups, and thanks for sharing the information with us as it is always helpful to see how someone has setup to achieve a result.

Keep up the good work and you could alway take this image and do a re-shoot for week 11 as you already have the groundwork and knowledge of how to get the perfect shot. (Plus that way you would be covering the re-shoot and knowledge themes in one).

Good luck too with your learning post processing, you will get there with practice.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
I really like your trio, and totally understand about the amount of time needed for a reshoot.

Cheers for the £20 home studio tips too!!
 
drodd said:
Hiya Will,

I like your idea and the colours in your trio shot, well done, especially considering the busy week you have had.

Have to agree with the comments about the symmetry, shadows and lighting that you have already pointed out.

You have taken on quite a challenge with this, so well done to you for attempting it.

Lighting can be tricky to get right, as can be trying to clone shadows etc, especially when you have three photos to compose as a triptych.

A suggestion to get the symmetry right is to mark a spot on the base (card) where you want the glasses to be positioned and then flipping same over and marking the other card with the spots (you could do this using a compass point and a very light pencil marking which shouldn't show up on the image, but at least you would be able to use them as a guide).

I like the way you have the centre glasses lined up, so if you could get the same view angle for the left and right images that would look great.

As for the lighting, that is pretty much trial and error, but I think if you aim for trying to get a reverse of the lighting (easier said than done) then it might help to get the lighting in the right places. Alternatively, why not try positioning the lighting at a further distance and using a longer shutter speed (I find that works sometimes to eliminate reflection and uneven lighting on the background) If I remember correctly, I used a similar technique on my delicate shot.

BTW don't be so hard on yourself, I think you are doing a fantastic job with your photography and have seen a vast improvement over the weeks.

Personally I think the 18-55 lens is under-rated and I have found it a useful lens. Most of my photos are taken using the 18-55 and up until the latter part of last year was the only lens I owned (until I was kindly given a 70-300 lens).

I also maintain that it's not necessarily about the equipment you have; more importantly it's about how you use it! ...... and I think you are doing fine.

What I admire the most is the way you are being inventive with your mini studio setups, and thanks for sharing the information with us as it is always helpful to see how someone has setup to achieve a result.

Keep up the good work and you could alway take this image and do a re-shoot for week 11 as you already have the groundwork and knowledge of how to get the perfect shot. (Plus that way you would be covering the re-shoot and knowledge themes in one).

Good luck too with your learning post processing, you will get there with practice.

Cheers

Dawn :)
Click to expand...

Hello Dawn,

Very kind comments and feedback, thanks very much :) I think the lighting is what I'm struggling with the most at the moment, but I am open to learn more and your tips are very helpful so I will try and incorporate them when shooting studio shots again.

With regards to the 18-55, I also believe it is underrated, yes it might not have enough zoom for some situations; or not as wide aperture as desired, but some good photos and effects can be gotten by this lens :) For people like me who cannot afford to buy new lenses very often, I think it's great as a starter lens.

Thank you, again, and I will try to fit in some re-shoots this week.

Will :D.

Sterling Archer said:
I really like your trio, and totally understand about the amount of time needed for a reshoot.

Cheers for the £20 home studio tips too!!
Click to expand...

Hi Mark,

Thanks, much appreciated (y)

No probs I will try to post as many setup shots as possible when taking studio shots, sometimes I just get snapping away and forget about the setup but I will try to remember!

Mentalblock said:
Sorry Will


I finished my DIY Snoots yesterday.
Just got to find a good tutorial to learn how to use them!
Click to expand...

Hi Neil,

No probs, my real name is Will Nicks and everyone always calls me Nick, so I changed it online to Will James, but that was'nt the best choice of change as it's still a christian name as my surname :LOL:

Cool, sounds good! Will be good to see the results and some setup shots with the snoots :)

Will.
 
Apologies for not submitting in time for 'knowledge' last week - I have literally just got off the train home from London as I had a weekend away, and was ultra busy last week so I will double post 'knowledge' and 'moderation' later on this week.

Will :D.
 
Hi Will, love your trio image. A clever idea which you have executed brilliantly. I could find a few nit-picky things to say, but it's a great and original image.

Interesting to see how you set up the lighting. I always like to peek behind the scenes to see how people do things (and then pinch their ideas:LOL:)

Patrick
 
PatrickO said:
Hi Will, love your trio image. A clever idea which you have executed brilliantly. I could find a few nit-picky things to say, but it's a great and original image.

Interesting to see how you set up the lighting. I always like to peek behind the scenes to see how people do things (and then pinch their ideas:LOL:)

Patrick
Click to expand...

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for your kind comments. I would have perfected it more but I just haven't had the time lately :bang:

:LOL: yes I am the same, it's a good way to learn and it helps spark creativity, I think it's good to share ideas! I've seen lots of setup shots before so I thought why not other people easily see the same?

Many Thanks,

Will :D.
 
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