weekly Drodd's Photo52 for 2011 - Week 51, 52 and bonus: Light, Glass, Nature (post 1545)

mumble, mumble, grumble, not shot one, grumble, and, mumble three, grumble :shake:

Oh Dawn! fabulous hidden shots self portrait I like...without the border and agree about dead space on side...

TinaC said:

mumble, mumble, grumble, not shot one, grumble, and, mumble three, grumble :shake:

Oh Dawn! fabulous hidden shots self portrait I like...without the border and agree about dead space on side...

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Hiya Tina

Thanks for the compliments and comments. It seems like the majority prefer the 3rd image without the border and I will have to look at removing some of the dead space.

I'm sure you will think of something soon for hidden.

Cheers

Dawn

Hi Dawn,
Love the colour of the third image. I think it is a great take on the theme but it took me a while to work out what it was. i too agree to get rid of the dead space on the left.
ceri

fido18 said:

Hi Dawn,
Love the colour of the third image. I think it is a great take on the theme but it took me a while to work out what it was. i too agree to get rid of the dead space on the left.
ceri

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Hiya Ceri,

Thanks for the feedback, I'm just trying to decide now how much of the dead space to remove

Cheers

Dawn

Blimey Dawn, you must have a clone or 10 to stay on top of all this, and I know you post on other threads too. If there is an award ceremony at the end of this you win the 'Dedication' award.

Apologies if any of this repeats what others have said, I just haven't the time to read all of the posts!

Take one - a great idea and nice subject. It's image #2 for me, the background works better. I would have liked the text in the bottom to be the colour of the top border and the text at the top to be the colour of the bottom border, don't ask me why, I just think it's a nice idea! Some rocks look OOF and I'm thinking using less rocks would have been easier and wouldn't have left the image so crowded giving space to showing the detail on two rocks.

Take 2 - I saw it on your flickr and knew what it was straight off. I couldn't make the connection to Hidden though. Even with your explanation it still doesn't say hidden to me - sorry. However, it does say great colour, lighting, focus and detail and all SOOC. Now the border, you do love them and you never have a simple one. This time however, the simple shadow works and helps the right and bottom edge. Without the border, these edges look lost and undefined.

So overall, I like take two but prefer take one #2 as your 'Hidden'

Mentalblock said:

Blimey Dawn, you must have a clone or 10 to stay on top of all this, and I know you post on other threads too. If there is an award ceremony at the end of this you win the 'Dedication' award.

Apologies if any of this repeats what others have said, I just haven't the time to read all of the posts!

Take one - a great idea and nice subject. It's image #2 for me, the background works better. I would have liked the text in the bottom to be the colour of the top border and the text at the top to be the colour of the bottom border, don't ask me why, I just think it's a nice idea! Some rocks look OOF and I'm thinking using less rocks would have been easier and wouldn't have left the image so crowded giving space to showing the detail on two rocks.

Take 2 - I saw it on your flickr and knew what it was straight off. I couldn't make the connection to Hidden though. Even with your explanation it still doesn't say hidden to me - sorry. However, it does say great colour, lighting, focus and detail and all SOOC. Now the border, you do love them and you never have a simple one. This time however, the simple shadow works and helps the right and bottom edge. Without the border, these edges look lost and undefined.

So overall, I like take two but prefer take one #2 as your 'Hidden'

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Hiya Neil,

Firstly, thank you for your kind words

As for 'dedication' ... I have kind of made it my mission this year to learn as much as I can and at the same time motivate others too (a bit of a two way learning experience). I think there may come a lull in the middle of the year when I venture off for my 4 week camper tour of Britain (bearing in mind I will have limited connection and resources .... so I might not be on top form them, although I will try ).

I think I have finally found a possible for a re-shoot in the future. I was going to do it this week, but have kinda lost motivation on the subject for now .... so will revisit it in the future when I have got more to grips with CS5 (which my bro installed last week .... but hell it is not an easy software to learn :bang

Thanks for your feedback and comments on all .... much appreciated

As for the text vs colour border I will look at that and see what I can do in the re-shoot, but thanks .... noted.

I agree, and looking at the images again, some do look OOF, they might be small ... but hell they are difficult to get in focus. Think it has something to do with all the contours and detail of each individual subject. Agree too about the less is more ... originally I was only going to show one or two of the subjects ... but the beauty of them got the better of me and I wanted to show how each formation is so different from the other. (Note to self .... reign yourself in when choosing subjects )

With the second take ... well done for recognising what it was .... as for the 'hidden' part ... well that stemmed from a previous post I made of bluebells in the woodlands, where someone commented on the 'voyeuristic' appeal of the shots. So I had that in mind for this shot ...... i.e., 'peeping Tom', 'curtain twitcher', 'spying', 'hiding behind the glass' whatever you want to call it ....

I don't do self portraits, normally, only in the unusual way However, I do seem to be gaining some confidence in this field and there may be more to come [Watch this space ] Now if only I could apply make-up like a professional, and learn some of the post processing techniques that the portrait photographers use .... I would be happy to show more pics of myself

However, for now you will have to make do with a 'pin sketch' of me Having said that .... I am impressed with the different variations I achieved from this shoot. The lighting has been very effective and I have done a number of versions of different angled shots of same ... some I have gone a bit ballistic and created some abstract images (which you will see on Flickr).

Thanks too for your support of the border .... I like the effect too, and the intention behind was just as you described.

Your comments have been noted and much appreciated, thanks for taking the time to post same.

Cheers

Dawn

Dawn

I hope you are well?

Im not sure about either of your hidden photos.

I sorta get the take on the themes but I do feel you could do better. Im sure when your out and about in Britain you might come accross many pics which you could use as reshoots or shoots for previous or future themes!

The first one in just a pic of rocks... sorta just an educational image but just does not excite me photo wise. I'd love to see you capture something with more technical photo technique rather than your use of post processing and computer software. I'd love to see a majestic coastline landscape or a blurred image due to slow shutter speeds. You are far better than me at PP that has to be said... but I think if you started with some more technical photographs your PP skills could produce some world class images!

I think your second image is a great idea for hidden... I had one of those pin things years ago and was such fun! I think it really suits a B and W image more than anything else... I'd go for a full frontal rather than side on... but place your face on it at an angle so it sorta disapears from one half to the other if you get me... or just have a full face on one side then manually pull all the pins in on the other half... might take ages but fab effect to create.

I'd loose the border personally... as you know im not a fan of them but I dont think it adds anything It's almost there just to improve a week photograph and make a better image!

Mark

markelliot said:

Dawn

I hope you are well?

Im not sure about either of your hidden photos.

I sorta get the take on the themes but I do feel you could do better. Im sure when your out and about in Britain you might come accross many pics which you could use as reshoots or shoots for previous or future themes!

The first one in just a pic of rocks... sorta just an educational image but just does not excite me photo wise. I'd love to see you capture something with more technical photo technique rather than your use of post processing and computer software. I'd love to see a majestic coastline landscape or a blurred image due to slow shutter speeds. You are far better than me at PP that has to be said... but I think if you started with some more technical photographs your PP skills could produce some world class images!

I think your second image is a great idea for hidden... I had one of those pin things years ago and was such fun! I think it really suits a B and W image more than anything else... I'd go for a full frontal rather than side on... but place your face on it at an angle so it sorta disapears from one half to the other if you get me... or just have a full face on one side then manually pull all the pins in on the other half... might take ages but fab effect to create.

I'd loose the border personally... as you know im not a fan of them but I dont think it adds anything It's almost there just to improve a week photograph and make a better image!

Mark

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Hiya Mark,

Thanks for popping past. I am okay thanks ... just maybe going a bit with this photo52 ... I've been wondering if I should take a short break from it to get my 'ooomph' back and re-assess where I want to take this ... but then I would land up stressing myself about catching up. Perhaps it is a bit of a 'mid-week' feeling .... like Wednesday's if you know what I mean. Perhaps once I get past the middle of the 52 things will improve.

I appreciate your comments, all of which are constructive feedback so thank you for being so honest.

Hidden was a tough theme for me .... so many different ideas, just not sure how to execute them though.

Hopefully my tour of Britain will inspire me, especially getting out in the open as I sometimes start to feel stifled taking photos indoors all the time (the bad weather lately hasn't helped either ... and is not good for SAD sufferers ).

I would love to broaden my technical ability with photography .... and be able to capture stunning photos that need very little, if any, post processing. Perhaps that should be my mission for the next half of the project, sort of a turning point. The first part has pretty much been a combination of both as I have had to learn about the basics of photography (much of which I still have to expand on now) and at the same time applying a learning of processing (something I perhaps have to tame now) in order to reach an equilibrium.

The pin thing is only a small version so I don't have much to play with. However I did get some full face shots as you suggested. In fact I tried all sorts of different takes. I'm quite self conscious when it comes to pictures of myself (in whatever form) so this was quite a brave challenge for me. Perhaps if I had asked my son to be the model I would have had more confidence and produced a better photo. I don't mean this to sound like an excuse .... but confidence does have a major effect on ones ability.

As for borders .... I know I go a bit wild with them at times ... but that is because I love them. However .... from comments made, I am starting to realise that they don't suit every style ... and through this photo52 am starting to recognise same .... and even commented on other's borders. So maybe it is time to lose the borders (or minimise them so I don't feel too deprived ).

One day I hope to produce a photograph that will get the WOW! from you ..... I just hope it doesn't take me another 30 before then

You are a star, and I always look forward to your critique. You sure know how to give someone a kick up the behind

Cheers


Dawn

Hi Dawn, I'm late again this week.
Your first two shots are a big departure from your usual style. They look like posters from a classroom wall. Don't mean that to sound negative, what I mean is that they appear informative on the subject. I could see the images made as posters with your text added underneath.
Your pinart shot I recognized for what it was immediately and really like the idea. I really like the fact that you have used the initial setup of the shot to make it look like a heavily processed shot.

Barrysprout said:

Hi Dawn, I'm late again this week.
Your first two shots are a big departure from your usual style. They look like posters from a classroom wall. Don't mean that to sound negative, what I mean is that they appear informative on the subject. I could see the images made as posters with your text added underneath.
Your pinart shot I recognized for what it was immediately and really like the idea. I really like the fact that you have used the initial setup of the shot to make it look like a heavily processed shot.

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Hiya Colin,

Thank you for your comments and critique.

I have been out tonight with the camera ... into the depths of the woodlands and really pushed my limits both as a photographer and using myself as as a model ... now that is a CHALLENGE! well for me ... or is that for anyone trying to take photos of themselves when they don't feel comfortable doing same?

I will post photos soon. (my last ditch attempt to trying to conquer the hidden theme)

Cheers

Dawn

Hi Dawn, the whole idea behind your mineral images is really interesting and I liked your explanation. I've not read through everyones comments - so sorry if I'm being repetitive.

Of the the two pics I prefer the second one for presentation. The thick black border in the first detracts from the image for me.

I feel there is a great image trying to get out here, but for me it's not working. You have caught the minerals fairly well and I like the variety of colours and textures. The lighting seems a bit flat to me. What light did you use? I feel that directional light with some fill on the other side might work.

They mostly look slightly OOF. I'm not sure if that's:
1. too shallow a DOF
2. the nature of the subject
3. the lighting being flat


The image with the pin toy has some good colour and textures, and it's an interesting idea for the theme. For me it falls between two stools. It's not clear enough what's going on as a story, but also it's not strong enough to stand as a purely abstract image. Excellent lighting for an unprocessed image.

Hope that doesn't all sound too negative. These are by no means bad images, and I think you know by now that I have been very excited by much of your previous work.

Hi Dawn
Hope all is good with you & thanks once again for texting the theme !
OMG girl , you've been at it again !

It's a bit late for me too add much in the way of comments/crit as all has been said already but my 2'penth for what it's worth.....

Hidden ... a beautiful collection with great colors & textures .The shot with them all on white backgrounds reminds me a slide type show & I really like the effect....the slight difference's in background color doesn't detract as the rocks are so pretty you get drawn to them rather than the backgrounds . 2 slight niggles.....some of the shots have a horizontal white line between them which ,for me at least , spoils the presentation slightly & as mentioned by Patrick they all apear very slightly OOF . I do like the version with the totally blackground but that seems to emphasise the OOF...or maybe it's my eyes ?

Great idea & write up to go with the shots , you must be very pleased with your collection


Hidden....had to read others comments to twig what I was looking at .Love the Night scope color effect , suits it really well & , once I read what it was I think it fits the theme perfectly

Hiya Patrick and Lynne,

Thank you for your comments and feedback, all of which helps towards my learning.

The more I look at the gem photos the more I realise how OOF they are .... this will have to be a re-shoot at some point in the future. I think the reason they are OOF is due to a combination of the 3 issues Patrick mentioned ..... something for me to consider in a re-shoot.

Lynne, yes I love my gem collection and I am thinking of doing a Photo52 next year all about gem stones ... I have enough of them to photograph So after this photo52 I will see if I have the energy to do another

Last night I took some photos in the woodlands ... for this theme ... and also to try to motivate myself a bit as I have been feeling a bit down this week .... my son has gone to London with this dad this weekend and I always get a bit on edge when he goes away and also miss him so much

I'm just not sure if I feel confident enough to post the photos though, because I had to be the model in the shots as there was no-one else to photograph So, maybe a glass of wine to calm my nerves and give me some dutch courage might help

Thanks again both of you for you comments, they are honest and that is what I appreciate

Cheers

Dawn

Hidden looks great, both the rocks on black background and the face imprint. Can't decide which I prefer.

Sterling Archer said:

Hidden looks great, both the rocks on black background and the face imprint. Can't decide which I prefer.

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Hiya Mark,

Thank you for the kind comments. I have another take for the theme, but need to build up a bit more confidence before I post as I feature in the photo, and lack confidence when having my picture taken (prefer to be behind the camera. although in this case I was both behind and in front ) .... so I'm still not decided if I should or shouldn't post.

So this might not be the end of week 22 for me yet

Cheers

Dawn

drodd said:

Hiya Mark,

Thank you for the kind comments. I have another take for the theme, but need to build up a bit more confidence before I post as I feature in the photo, and lack confidence when having my picture taken (prefer to be behind the camera. although in this case I was both behind and in front ) .... so I'm still not decided if I should or shouldn't post.

So this might not be the end of week 22 for me yet

Cheers

Dawn

Click to expand...

Post them - I've seen your flickr and those who have too will agree you should post them.

Hiya all,

Thanks for all the feedback about my attempts of hidden so far. So before I tackle the new theme of Broken, I thought I have to finish off my 'Hidden' week with some shots I took on Thursday night, specifically with the theme in mind.

Okay, before you all shout at me for post processing and borders .... this is a personal one for me as it has been such a challenge, not only for the theme, but on a personal level too.

I literally hate having my photo taken, and always land up looking absolutely dreadful because I pull a funny face or someone catches me off-guard that makes me look terrible.

So .... I thought why not do a self photo shoot, to see if I can bring myself out of 'hiding' behind the camera, even though I am hiding ... behind the trees, but at least it a step in the right direction ... or at least I think so.

I was originally going to post the straight from camera shots, but that kinda defeated the object .... which was to take photos of myself, in a challenging location, with no clue about lighting as in the woodlands I would have to rely on my only two sources, i.e., the sun and the flash on camera.

So I got dressed up .... in my dress from Week 2 - 'New' (which I haven't posted photos of same here because they didn't come out as I wanted), but I did have over it the coat I bought to go with the dress ... which I thought worked quite well in contrast to all the green in the woodlands and added a sort of mystical feel.

Armed with camera and tripod, I trundled over the field, god knows what my neighbours must have thought if they saw me , but heyho the things I do for photography

As I have walked through the woodlands many times, I knew the parts I wanted to use for the shoot.

The sun was setting, so in some parts was a bit dark, whilst in others the light was filtering through the trees. In some respects probably not the best thing as it seemed to really enhance the green light.

I had to play around with the settings, and also had to use the flash at times, all experimental which was the aim of the learning experience.

What a challenge it was though, trying to find the focus and then hopping into the frame in 10 seconds, talk about a good exercise workout

Anyway .... after about 2 hours in the woodlands I came home, feeling quite satisfied. I had a look at the photos, and was quite surprised at how they had come out considering it was my first attempt (and more importantly I have learned so much from the experience).

I had specific ideas in my mind before I set out on the mission .... and although I knew what I wanted to do was far beyond my technical skills at the moment (oh how I would love to one day be able to achieve what I wanted without having to use some post processing ... if ever that is possible ... but certainly something to aim for).

So here I present to you some of the results for my Hidden escapade on Thursday night: (apologies to those who are contacts on Flickr who have perhaps already seen these ... but I will have to bore you again with them here )

However .... please feel free to offer any advice .... constructive critique about the photos. I know I will get a ribbing about the processing ... but as I said this is something that I felt was right for me to add to what I wanted to achieve with the ambiance of the whole shoot.

1. Hidden

[/url] Hidden (8789) by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

2. In the woods

[/url] In the woods ....... (8849-1) by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

3. was a Woodland Fairy

[/url] Woodland fairy by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

4. who liked to play in the 'Enchanted Woods'

[/url] Enchanted Woods (8831-1) by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

5. Hiding from those who walked by

[/url] Hidden (8789) by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

I hope you can see where I was coming from with this shoot and appreciate the meaning of same behind the little story.

There are a few more photos on my Flickr if you wish to pop past and look.

Now I think I can put 'hidden' to rest and move onto the new theme of 'Broken' .... which in some ways is ironic as I have 'broken' out of my shell in order to take this weeks theme

I'm on a Tutored Photo-Walk around Abbeystead and Over Wyresdale tomorrow, so hopefully will find some 'broken' inspiration there.

Thanks for taking the time to look through this last post, that is if you have got this far and also a huge thank you to all who provide feedback, comments and critique ... and the motivation to carry on.

Cheers

Dawn

Mentalblock said:

Post them - I've seen your flickr and those who have too will agree you should post them.

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Hiya Neil,

Thanks for the encouragement .... I was putting the post together when you sent this.

Cheers

Dawn

Now I know you don't mean to do it, but sheesh, you really make me feel like saying to myself, "Now, come on, Andy, pull your finger out and get out there......!".

There are really great photographs. For me, what reaaaalllly stands out is the absolute joy on your face. Made me feel really happy....then again, it could be the JD...

I won't comment on the photographs now, but I'll pop by tomorrow and check them out again....

Cheers....

drodd said:

I literally hate having my photo taken, and always land up looking absolutely dreadful because I pull a funny face or someone catches me off-guard that makes me look terrible.

Click to expand...

Now the psychologist is me is wondering about this comment.

No response needed, just me wondering on such a comment.

posiview said:

Now I know you don't mean to do it, but sheesh, you really make me feel like saying to myself, "Now, come on, Andy, pull your finger out and get out there......!".

There are really great photographs. For me, what reaaaalllly stands out is the absolute joy on your face. Made me feel really happy....then again, it could be the JD...

I won't comment on the photographs now, but I'll pop by tomorrow and check them out again....

Cheers....

Click to expand...

posiview said:

Now the psychologist is me is wondering about this comment.

No response needed, just me wondering on such a comment.

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Hiya Andy,

Thanks, I am glad you like them and made you feel happy. I look forward to hearing your comments, even the 'psychologists' view

Enjoy your JD's.

BTW I was thinking of you today .... I popped into Accrington town today (not having been to town in ages) and was surprised to see they now have a Costa there .... if I had had my camera with me I would have snapped a shot for you You see the lasting impression you have left

Cheers

Dawn

Dawn, you are not alone in your cameraphobia (Someone will be along with the correct word, I'm sure)

As to your images, LOVE THEM I particularly like #1 and #4

TinaC said:

Dawn, you are not alone in your cameraphobia (Someone will be along with the correct word, I'm sure)

As to your images, LOVE THEM I particularly like #1 and #4

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Hiya Tina,

Thank you, I feel so much better now

I'm not sure if it is cameraphobia .... as I don't have a fear of a camera otherwise I wouldn't be doing this ..... maybe it is more 'photophobia' a fear of having my photo taken ..... who knows ... but you get the idea

There is method in my madness behind doing this shoot and that is .... how can I expect or make someone feel comfortable about having there photo taken if I don't. And one day ... I may be in that situation where I have to make the person feel comfortable, especially if I get involved in portrait photography.

So I need to build my own confidence in order to help others feel confident.

I have to say #1 is my favourite too ... it is the one that has the least processing, except for a slight tweak in contrast, sharpen, crop and a thin frame.

With #4, which I like too ... I wanted to create a sort of illusion of me flitting about between the trees .... a bit of motion blur per se.

I'm glad you like them and thanks again for your feedback.

Cheers

Dawn

oops

hiya Dawn, checking out your set, all excellent

love the zoom burst effect in the 4th picture, really looks like it's moving

Rob 80386 said:

hiya Dawn, checking out your set, all excellent

love the zoom burst effect in the 4th picture, really looks like it's moving

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Hiya Emily,

Thanks for popping past, and the comments. Glad you like the effect on #4. Every time I look at it, it makes me feel a bit woozy .... thank goodness I haven't had anything to drink

Cheers

Dawn

Now this is Dawn back to her usual creative self. Stunning set of pics which just blow me away.

For me #1 is the bees knees. There is so much to like here. The light in the foreground and especially in the background. The splashs of sunlight are lovely.
I like the detail and light on the big tree trunk. The slight vignette works to emphasise the main subject. Really nice DOF.

Your expression, pose and the textured red of your coat is captivating.

I even like the border

One of your best yet.

PatrickO said:

Now this is Dawn back to her usual creative self. Stunning set of pics which just blow me away.

For me #1 is the bees knees. There is so much to like here. The light in the foreground and especially in the background. The splashs of sunlight are lovely.
I like the detail and light on the big tree trunk. The slight vignette works to emphasise the main subject. Really nice DOF.

Your expression, pose and the textured red of your coat is captivating.

I even like the border

One of your best yet.

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Hiya Patrick,

Thank you so much for the positive and constructive feedback. I always value your opinion

Indeed I seem to be getting back to my old creative self again As I think I said somewhere in a much earlier post towards the beginning, I hope to maintain my creativity, but somewhere along the line it took a knock.

I didn't get much sleep last night after posting this .... perhaps because I'm a bit anxious about how people will view this style of 'art' if one can call it that.

However, I keep telling myself that this is me and I do like to be creative. Granted there are some subjects that don't require all the trimmings ... and then there are images that benefit from some processing. Even the best of photographers use post processing applications ... which I have read about in books and magazines .... so if they can ... I can too

I'm glad you like #1 and thanks for the feedback. I liked the lighting too, although I was a bit concerned that the light in the background, to the left, looked slightly blown, which was difficult to control as that is the direction the sun was setting, so you could say I was shooting into the sun .... but I took a chance hoping that the woodland growth would filter it .... which it seems to have done in a way.

I would love to learn more about lighting and how to control same. At some point I hope to be able to buy some remote flash lights and filters. But for now I will have to make do with the basics that I have.

You won't believe how hard it was for me to get the expression, without pulling a funny face .... however there are some others that I haven't posted that have the funny faces on them

Glad you like the border too

Thanks for your kind words. Now I am ready for the new theme 'Broken'

Cheers

Dawn

drodd said:

Hiya Patrick,

Indeed I seem to be getting back to my old creative self again As I think I said somewhere in a much earlier post towards the beginning, I hope to maintain my creativity, but somewhere along the line it took a knock.

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The way I think about with a project like this. You can either:

1. Play safe and produce pics that everyone will say "yes, nice shot, very good..."

OR

2. You can go out on a limb and try new things and take risks. Sometimes it will be a flop (had a few of those in my 52), but sometimes it will take off and be amazing. But the less successful ones are not "failures", just part of learning and being creative. I'll bet all great painters ended up with a lot of canvases screwed up on the floor in frustration

You ALWAYS go for the second option which is why I usually look at your thread first when I come the 52 posts.

Hi Dawn, firstly a big well done for doing these. I too am someone else who hates having their picture taken, (my profile pic on flickr was taken by my daughter, and I did not want that one done! But I had to give in ) These are a great set of pictures of which you have done very well with indeed. I find 1,2 and 4 stand out for me, love the feeling of movement in 4. The composition works well in all of them and I like the borders you have applied.

PatrickO said:

The way I think about with a project like this. You can either:

1. Play safe and produce pics that everyone will say "yes, nice shot, very good..."

OR

2. You can go out on a limb and try new things and take risks. Sometimes it will be a flop (had a few of those in my 52), but sometimes it will take off and be amazing. But the less successful ones are not "failures", just part of learning and being creative. I'll bet all great painters ended up with a lot of canvases screwed up on the floor in frustration

You ALWAYS go for the second option which is why I usually look at your thread first when I come the 52 posts.

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Hiya Patrick,

Thank you ..... you are a very wise man and how true the words.

Indeed I always seem to go for the latter option ... and I think that is the way I shall continue this photo52 ... even if sometimes it seems a bit OTT or way out ... that is who I am and I will express myself through my art. Fortunately, now with the digital age, I don't have loads of canvases on the floor, but guess that is how it would be if it was still so

michael23 said:

Hi Dawn, firstly a big well done for doing these. I too am someone else who hates having their picture taken, (my profile pic on flickr was taken by my daughter, and I did not want that one done! But I had to give in ) These are a great set of pictures of which you have done very well with indeed. I find 1,2 and 4 stand out for me, love the feeling of movement in 4. The composition works well in all of them and I like the borders you have applied.

Click to expand...

Hiya Michael,

Thank you for your kind comments and encouragement. My profile photo is one I took myself about 3 years ago (with my mobile phone) .... and that one took me hours to get to how I wanted it to be. So guess what .... I have a few more grey hairs since then

Glad to hear you like the latest set of photos, and thanks for the comments about them. I think I am slowly getting to grips about frames ... although I still like bold frames .... at times I have to curb myself

Cheers guys, you have been very encouraging.

Dawn

Little red hiding rude?
Great set of shots Dawn. Well done for getting in front of the lens, something I'm too self conscious to do myself very often. Think everything has been said already, so well done again.

Barrysprout said:

Little red hiding rude?
Great set of shots Dawn. Well done for getting in front of the lens, something I'm too self conscious to do myself very often. Think everything has been said already, so well done again.

Click to expand...

Hiya Colin,

Not sure about Little red hiding rude .... how rude dude!

Thanks for the comments, it was quite a challenge.

Cheers

Dawn

Hi Dawn



glad to see you posted these shots here...as I said on flickr , they are a great set of captures , you should be very proud of them

I'm with you on the "hate being in front of the camera " bit but the look of joy & pleasure on your face is great to see . You took a chance & boy , has it paid off , keep stepping outside your comfort zone , little steps each time , & you'll be amazed ( as you have proved ) at the response .Great work girly

blondie606 said:

Hi Dawn



glad to see you posted these shots here...as I said on flickr , they are a great set of captures , you should be very proud of them

I'm with you on the "hate being in front of the camera " bit but the look of joy & pleasure on your face is great to see . You took a chance & boy , has it paid off , keep stepping outside your comfort zone , little steps each time , & you'll be amazed ( as you have proved ) at the response .Great work girly

Click to expand...

Hiya Lynne

Thank you for your comments here and on Flickr and for the advice about little steps at a time going outside of my comfort zone

I am running a bit late with my posting for the Broken theme as I have some computer problems at the moment which I am trying to sort out, so hopefully I will be able to get my photos posted before Saturday.

Cheers

Dawn

Hiya,

Omg Week 23 has presented a major challenge for me .... I have had endless computer problems and if I actually get this posted it is a miracle.

I have not been able to post what I wanted to after so much time debating with the relevant computer parties and quite frankly I am very p'd off at the moment,so I'm sorry if this seems like a substantive quality this week, but I have had enough of fighting and just want to post something to keep up with the project.

Hopefully I will have everything sorted by the next theme, and be able to be more creative...... so in the meantime, this is what I have been able to come up with for this week of 'Broken'.

On Sunday I attended a tutored photo-walk .... and whilst out an about taking photos I was on the look out for 'broken' items and came across the following:

1.Broken Boundries

[/url] IMG_9233 by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

2. Broken!

[/url] IMG_8926-1 by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

3. Splinter ...... ouch!

[/url] Broken by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

4. Broken pipeline

[/url] Broken pipe by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

So granted it may be a very unimaginative result this week, but hey I have had to make do with what I can work with (which is not much )

Hopefully by next week my computer issues will be resolved and I will be back on track.

I feel so humble compared to some of the submissions for this week, but heyho, you guys and gals are keeping up the spirit of the project and for that I thank you.

Please don't rip me to pieces on this one, but hell if you want to have a go, why not ... there is bound to come a time when all else will fail

As I always say, and mean with much affection, any comments and critique will be greatly appreciated. And I apologise to those who like borders..... but this week I haven't been able to deliver on same due to technical difficulties

Cheers

Dawn

Hi Dawn.
I will ignore your PC problems for the sake of my critique and tell you what I see.

1 & 2 are both very striking. Nice and sharp and well suited to B&W. both spot on for the theme.
3. is very hard to make out what it is because of the busy background. And I think the colouring softens it too much.
4 I quite like but due to the eye being drawn to the end of the pipe the broken part doesn't stand out as strongly.
I'm not a huge fan of selective colouring but a major desaturation of everything except the other end of the pipe might look quite good, but again would detract further from the broken part.

4 shots all on theme and good quality as usual. You don't need us to give you any leeway for the pc problems!

Hope it gets sorted soon for you though.
Cheers
Colin

PS. Borders are spot on.

#1
like it - spot on theme and black n white suits it

#2
again black n white suits with the vignette drawing in the eye

#3
Can't make out what it is. Doesn't look like its in one piece so broken theme fits, but there is something about the pic that just doesn't work for me, but I cant put my finger on it as the wood is in nice detail. May be it needed a smaller dof :/

#4
As previously posted above, the eye is drawn to the flowers at the end.
Although good (flower in focus could be interesting / perhaps both front and back in focus for weirdness) for the theme and broken pipe, perhaps a more side on angle may have worked. Or not.



Overall nice shots. Must have been a nice area to walk in.

Hi Dawn

sorry to hear you have 'puter problems , doesn't seem to have slowed you down though

I'm liking nu 1 , fits the theme perfectly as does the processing

Nu 2 ...not qute doing it for me but can't put my finger on why :shrug:

Nu 3 .... I like the idea & can see it fit's the theme just not sure about the processing...I'm thinking maybe, just maybe , selective coloring might have worked to allow you see more of the wood detail ?

Nu 4..... I likey likey this one loads the 1st thing I saw was the the 2 broken edges on the pipe so def spot on theme, love the angle & the plants add extra interest

The 'puter issue doesn't seem to have hampered you at all as nothing lacking in any of the captures

How was the Tutored walk ? Are we going to see some of the shots ? Had a look on the web to see if any round my area but couldn't find anything , certainley appeals to me so if you think it was a worth while day I may venture further afield & try one

Keep smiling chuck

x

I've been looking at these every day, sometimes a few times in a day. #1-3 I just don't 'feel' them. But the broken pipe, now THAT I like I would quite like the flowers at the far end in focus but, I couldn't do that without losing the feel of the length of pipe. :shrug: