weekly Nick's 52/12 Week Challenge - Week 52 - ''Busy (in York)" Finished !!! :-) " added

lizzy23 said:
Hi Nick apologies for not commenting before, i prefer the tunnel shot, the only thing that i find a bit distracting is the Graffitti on the left hand side, i know its supposed to add to the photo but my eye keeps getting drawn back to it
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Thanks Liz, the great thing about art and photography is that we all like different things and have opinions. It's completely subjective. Wouldn't life be dull if we all liked the same thing. I love reading about other peoples thoughts, views and perspective. Thank you (y)

Nick
 
Hi Nick.

Number two (the original) for me(y) I like the strong contrast and the mystery of what's up the stairs!

I do like the tunnel shot though, but this:
clawz said:
Like the tunnel shot the best. very gloomy! I can even smell the wee! lol
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made me chuckle!

Hahahahahahaha!
 
Many thanks Paul and Marsha, my images are all backed up now but for about 36 hours it was very hit-n-miss........ it's as dull as dishwater, we all know we should but don't because there is always something else better to do.
 
Week 15 - Soft

Marshmallows are soft ! This idea came to me while driving back to the East Midlands from York this morning. I thought I would stack them up in pyramid and simply use natural lighting with a reflective base.

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The technical bit:- Lens 105mm, ISO 100, F/11, 1/8 sec, tripod, natural light, self-timer.

As ever, any constructive criticism or comments welcome..... (y)

Many thanks,

Nick
 
Hi Nick,

What a great idea for this week's theme of soft. Excellent photo with great effect. :clap:

Well done again!!! :)
 
Bloomin 'eck Nick...you're not hanging about :LOL:

As a concept I like it....mallows are scrummy & very soft & I want some NOW ! Like the pyramid shape & the slight reflection , focus is great , you've caught the textures really well ,I love the baby soft color of the BG which works really well with the pink & white & I love the arrangement of colors . Lighting is good for natural (y)


Now if we're giving honest crit......
Wondering if shooting at a slight angle would have worked...may have allowed you to get more of a reflection ? The base seems to have some soft sugar bit's on it & there appears to be some dust bunnies still lurking :eek:.... roughly half way down on the RHS & near the top in line with the last mallow...also some strange darkish & pinkish marks above the LH mallow & by the 2nd mallow up on the RHS.....are they on the BG or or dreaded DB's :thinking:

Nothing major , n fact all rather minor points & I'm sure my shot will get picked at even more :LOL:
 
Damn, I thought I'd managed to get the first post this week, but you beat me to it you b*££&r!

Gotta go out now, but will comment properly later :)
 
Good lord some of you lot are quick off the mark!

Certainly soft and I like you've built them up :) I like that you've lit it from the side as it gives a little depth to the picture but it is a little too bright in places almost blown out especially on the bottom left white one?
 
Lovely image, sharp yet .... soft!
 
Bang on theme Nick, for me i would have liked to see the lighting even on both sides, it's a nice symmetrical image and would have just liked to have seen more of the reflection on the right hand side if that makes sense it gets lost in the shadow on that side, agree with Lynne about the bits on the surface,
 
I like that Nick. I think you've got the lighting and exposure spot on on a difficult subject. My only criticism is that your sensor is dirty, though that's a technical issue obviously and doesn't affect the artistic nature of it. Bang on theme too :)
 
Thanks all. I really have to look at this sensor issue. Lynne pointed it out a few weeks ago so I got a cleaning kit. I don't know if it's my eyesight or monitor but I'm just not seeing it. I'm going to see what I can do tomorrow. I'm really fastidious about the lenses and body and really look after my gear but not being able to see this is bothering me. Thanks for pointing thus out. If I can't sort it I'll have to send it off to Nikon.
 
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Hi Nick, I've marked the main spots I see, hope it helps. Top right is the most obvious one. Sensor cleaning is an inevitable part of owning a DSLR I think; not a sign of any lack of care.


Camera Roll-9 by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr
 
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Is that a white border I see? Great presentation!

Look for the clone stamp tool or spot healer in elements to remove those dust bunnies!

As everyones said: great lighting, choice of material, arrangement and reflective top. My taste would have gone to creating depth horizontally too so we would see the softness receding. But that's a subjective comment.

Glad the sun came out for York! Mandy
 
great picture, the pale blue bg compliments the soft pink and white perfectly. I can't see those marks even with the red rings pointing them out lol, guess my monitor is not that good. I like the reflection too and would like to have seen more of it. I think the lighting is ok and adds depth and 'feeling' to the shot :)
 
Thank you all for your comments and advice. Special thanks to Mark for highlighting the dust bunnies (it might be Easter Sunday but they are not welcome !)

I cleaned my camera with a dust blower this morning taking a reference shot (F/22) on white paper, before and after, but still to no avail. I'll get a swab kit in the next week or so. That's the price for taking lenses on and off all the time. Never had these problems with 5'x4',120/35mm a good blower brush cleaned the camera nicely..... :bang:

Many thanks,

Nick
 
Hi, Nick....I could eat some marshmallows but I'm stuffed with Easter eggs....:puke:

Made me smile. Quite well constructed...but leaning slightly to the right.

Lighting..natural light is always my first choice so nice one. A few of the marshmallows are over exposed and, as has been said, your sensor does need a clean. I did mine for the first tie last week and it's no big deal...let me know and I'll send you a link where I got my cleaners from.

One thing I'd like to see, is a full reflection.

Cheers.
 
Blank_Canvas said:
A big thank you to all contributors this week which include:-

Clawz, Peter, Mandy, Andy, DK, Michael, Iain, Victoria, Darren, Sarah,, Mark, Trevor, Gramps, Lynne and Summer.

At the suggestion of Darren and Lynne, I have reworked my foreboding tower and cloned-out the modden looking hand rail (good call Daren - never looked right) and lightened up the top of the steps for Lynne. I did initially consider this but thought that walking up the steps to a world of darkness was quite intimidating.

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Anyway thanks all (y) another week out of the way and still loads of '52s' to get around and comment on. Where does the time go.......
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Miles better Nick, for me the handrail ruined it.
 
Mmm, I thought of marshmallows too and have a pack here that are destined for rice crispy cakes! Good job I didn't do it as I would have eaten one at every shot!

I think everyone has said everything already. I hadn't noticed the lighting just whatever is lurking top right behind the two mallows on the second layer.

Nice photo though, makes me want to eat them all(y)
 
Entrance - tunnel shot for me, seems to be a popular choice. Well taken and good lead in.

Soft - yummy! They are definitely soft and well posed. The colours have shown up well against the background. I did not notice the dust bunnies until highlighted!
 
Looks like all the main comments have been said, Main things for me is that I would liked to have seen a bit of space to the L&R and Bottom, the reflection looks good but there is not enough of it. :bang:

As said few Easter bunnies there
 
Hi Nick

Entrance - #1 for me. Feels to be more on theme and i really like the muted colours, the composition and the figures at the end giving scale.

Soft - good subject and composition. The colours are soft also. I think that would have liked to see some light on the right hand mellows also and I suppose that if you were going for the clean uncluttered look, the sugar dust at the bottom detracts. But overall I think that it is a good pic on theme.(y)
 
DK, Carol, Michael, Liz , Paul, Marsha, Victoria, Lynne, Mark, Paul, Gramps, Neil, Mandy, Summer, Andy, Darren, Alex, Zeb (Trevor) Alan.

Thank you very much for visiting and thank you for your comments. Well I have invested in a cleaning kit and at last got around to cleaning my sensor, and i'll keep on top of i from now on....

Week 16 - 'Pride'

My time ashore is fast running out and I'm just waiting for the call from the big house as to my next appointment and to find out which ship I am duty bound for and to find out where my next deployment is. With this in mind and the subject 'Pride' I submit a picture of the flag locker from my last ship. 'Flags' are synonymous with the sea and seafarers, in which I am immensely proud to serve.

Perhaps a bit of a cheat as the picture was taken last year, I would rather advise you about my departure, rather than just disappear from the '52' all altogether.

Many of you, no doubt will be familiar with Viscount Lord Nelson's 'England expects everyman to his his duty' signal. (Trafalgar 1805)...and the flags are still very relevant today in the internet world and e-comms for communicating in silence.

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Sometimes, it can be quite hard being away at sea and I miss my Son, at 15 he thinks he is bullet proof and wants to follow his fathers footsteps in joining HM Forces. Whatever he does in life I will be immensely 'proud' of him. (y)

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The steristrips on his head were caused by a dangerous youthful exuberance ! :bang:

As ever, i look forward to your C & C....

Many thanks,

Nick
 
mtjhome said:
Entrance - like your final one. Works well in B&W.

Pride - like the flags very much. Almost abstract even if the pride link is a bit tenuous.
#2 has nice expression and really does say Pride, but is let down by the very obvious pp to remove background.
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Many thanks Mike, tenuous for some perhaps, but for me intrinsically linked. I wasn't completely happy with the background 50/50 whether to leave in or replace. The photo was little more than a snapshot of my Son so really didn't get the thought it deserves.
 
I get the pride thing from the flags, every military squadron, battalion or ship has its own ensign or colours, hence the trooping the colour at Buck Palace every year! But yes this is a bit of a cheat using last years photo;-)

Now I hope you're not going to use some feeble excuse like being at sea for ages to stop your 52? I know what a life you lot lead, I've seen your little deck shoes and shorts, you're all on an extended cruise really;-) But if you do vanish from here, good luck and stay safe:wave:

Good picture of your son, but I agree about the background removal! His ear (on our left) looks odd! Maybe a darker background would work better?
 
Hi Nick. I really like number 1. OK, so it's an older shot, but the only rules for this are the ones you set yourself, so it's fine :). Lovely colours, and I like the composition a lot.

The shot of your son is too "cut" for me. It'd be a nice shot with a decent background, but doesn't really work as it is I'm afraid.

I really hope you can pop in every now and then with a submission, even if not every week. My Dad is ex Navy, from the days when all we ever heard from him was a BFPO letter, and the occasional cassette tape! Hopefully you have the technology nowadays to stay in touch.
 
Soft - Love that, nicely set up and taken, I like the chosen background, suits the colours real well

Pride - Serving in the forces and your son... Perfect for Pride :clap:

The flags may be a year old pic, but a cheat, nahhhhh, very apt in this case so why not!!! still a nice photo with lots of interest to it :)

Would like to see the pic of your son with background in it too
 
Thanks all, I think it's a bit of an epic fail this week. So much to do and so little time left even though I'm still waiting for my go-date. I should of said at
the start that the flag locker was my Joker, first one I have played....

Southdowns said:
The shot of your son is too "cut" for me. It'd be a nice shot with a decent background, but doesn't really work as it is I'm afraid.
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Agree totally, never really happy with the result. It was more of an experiment really as I get to grips with Photoshop. I would like to learn how to make it look seamless but have no idea how to do so.

mtjhome said:
Entrance - like your final one. Works well in B&W.
#2 has nice expression and really does say Pride, but is let down by the very obvious pp to remove background.
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Thanks Mike and totally agree.

Here is my son again (different image as he didn't like the first). This time with the original background. Taken at 1/60 F/8 ISO 3200 natural light.

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The goblin said:
Now I hope you're not going to use some feeble excuse like being at sea for ages to stop your 52? I know what a life you lot lead, I've seen your little deck shoes and shorts, you're all on an extended cruise really;-) But if you do vanish from here, good luck and stay safe:wave:
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Thank you. We do have internet onboard but there is a high demand for it, at times the internet and coms is locked down for operational reasons so it is very hit and miss. Definitely taking my camera though and will do what I can with the 52. - Extended cruise LOL, You won't get me to bite.....:cool:

Dark Knight said:
Soft - Love that, nicely set up and taken, I like the chosen background, suits the colours real well

Pride - Serving in the forces and your son... Perfect for Pride :clap:

The flags may be a year old pic, but a cheat, nahhhhh, very apt in this case so why not!!! still a nice photo with lots of interest to it :)

Would like to see the pic of your son with background in it too
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Many thanks DK, I hopefully I have cracked it now. I don't see him that often as he lives with his mother miles away so no chance of a re-shoot. Also I want to get around and comment on other peoples work. The '52' is very rewarding but quite time consuming (y)

Many thanks everyone,

Nick (y)
 
Hi, Nick, as ex Army I can feel your Pride so nice one. It has narrative which helps and There is plenty to look at. I'd just like to see the photograph composed a bit better - minor point but I felt it needed mentioning.

The second photograph of you son is the better of the 2.

Cheers.
 
Hi Nick, let me know you how you get on with the psd I sent. It uses lots of masking and layer blending - but the skills are usable in elements and will explain the standard work flow that will suit any image!

Cheers Mandy
 
manda said:
Hi Nick, let me know you how you get on with the psd I sent. It uses lots of masking and layer blending - but the skills are usable in elements and will explain the standard work flow that will suit any image!

Cheers Mandy
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Hi Mandy, what PSD ? I haven't received anything:)
 
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