weekly Arlandria's 52 Thread :: NEW - Up, Duo, Direction

Arlandria said:
Thanks Iain. I did take bunches of shots in lots of different poses - some "catalogue style", some walking, some with one overturned like they've just been kicked off... but that's the one that seemed "right". I may well put some of the others up on Flickr when I've had a chance to edit them and have a mini-set, like I did with Industry. The lighting was considered but technically ambient - just from the overhead light in the study. It was a case of move the subject, not the light :)
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The lighting is very clean IYSWIM, Vicky, I like it a lot. It has a light tent feel about it with it being so even. Good work. I will look out for your other shots should you put them on flickr. Iain
 
Hi Vicky

I'm glad you enjoyed Wales, we see it as our fav part of the country visited so far, and agree the 'natives' were very friendly

Small - Love the picture, at first I wondered whether it needed something in the shot to help show the scale of the trainers, but looking again it doesn't really need that as they do look small without assistance, so with that I can just repeat all the compliments really
 
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Thank you all so much for your C&C so far! I made a point of thinking about everything said - even things I didn't agree with - for small, and it looks like I've managed a technically good shot on an easy subject that fits the theme. Now to do it again with something harder...!

DK - I have the same shoes in grown-up sizes and was planning to shoot one of each shoe, but we moved fairly recently and I can't find mine :( If they turn up and we get a re-shoot, it's happening!
 
Apologies. I seem to have missed you out on my commenting session last night. Well it did get late

Joy – I really like the idea. The J might not be as obvious as it could be though. I wondered about the “empty” space between the bottom and the top of the image but in the end decided I liked the stopper of the pans at the bottom.

Sweet – Nice and colourful and certainly on theme

Secure – The pp’ing suits this subject as has the use of B&W. Nice one

Small – I like this. The not overly saturated pink blends well with the white background. I wonder if the shot would benefit from having the subject to the thirds and a step or two back to exaggerate the smallness of the boots.
 
Delta Skies said:
Small – I like this. The not overly saturated pink blends well with the white background. I wonder if the shot would benefit from having the subject to the thirds and a step or two back to exaggerate the smallness of the boots.
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Thanks Peter :)

My original thought was to cut out the boots in PS and have them rather small in the corner of an all-white canvas, but when I tried it I lacked the PS skills to pull it off effectively - the white background isn't perfectly even, and I couldn't get it the way I wanted it. I couldn't have shot it like that, either - my white background was barely bigger than the boots, so I had to make do with centered shots only :(

Oh, for a studio...! Anyone want to buy me one for my birthday?!
 
Hi, Small, well composed and nice pink.

It would have been easy to crop in and this would have really detracted from a cracking photograph so well done.

I can see why you added the vignette but I'm a bit undecided.

Cheers.
 
I can't believe I've not commented on your shots before Vicky. I've left myself a lot of work to do in one go, but your pictures are worth it so here goes!

Sweet; I love the colours and dark background. Nicely composed too.

Secure; sooo, we learn something about you, despite what you tell us! Very nicely exposed simple shot.

Industry; I like the tone on this one, but think the wagons do get a little lost.

Handmade; lovely shot, but I'm not certain it screens handmade to me. Great colours.

Shiny is the only one of yours I'm not so keen on. It definitely says shiny, but I just don't like it so much as an image. There's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't connect somehow :(

Soft; wow, I just feel the softness. Makes you want to snuggle up on the carpet with the cat!

Leave; blimey girl, what have you done to that poor animal! Great shot, and I love the B&W.

Abstract; lovely shot again, but not really abstract IMHO. Love the starburst :)

Symmetry works well because you've got symmetry in the reflections.

Moody; needs your explanation, and I agree with your self critique, but it is a nice well taken shot.

Joy; took me a while to spot the theme in this one, but once I did I loved it! Very very clever.

Small; really nice, and your composition makes it I think.

Have I missed any? Phew!!!!

I think you have your own distinctive style, which is a very good thing. Most of your shots I'd stand a reasonable chance of guessing were yours in a blind taste test!

I hope you're enjoying your A77. I don't know why more people don't use Sony's; to my mind they offer a lot that Canikon don't (yet).

If you want to bring those handcuffs along to my next random party, I'll do you a special rate!!!!
 
Hi Vicky


Great shot for industry...#1 for me...real aged feel to me , love the pp :clap:

Joy....whilst I like the shot I don't get the theme connnection...having a dim moment I suspect :LOL:

Sweet....I do like...another simple almost minimal image...I could live with just the plate though rather than the stand it's on ?

Secure....lovely mono , great focus & positioning of the hands & well done to hubby for helping you out :clap:

Small...I like pink trainers...oh to be young & wear stuff like that again :D Everythings been said so just a (y) from me

Look forward to seeing more of your images :)
 
Finally, life has calmed down a bit!! Sorry I've been MIA for the last few weeks - everything has been entirely hectic and I haven't been able to get the camera out :( Thankfully I have some free time back now so I'm playing catch-up - again! Please bear with me while I make the rounds...
 
Southdowns said:
I can't believe I've not commented on your shots before Vicky. I've left myself a lot of work to do in one go, but your pictures are worth it so here goes!

Sweet; I love the colours and dark background. Nicely composed too.

Secure; sooo, we learn something about you, despite what you tell us! Very nicely exposed simple shot.

Industry; I like the tone on this one, but think the wagons do get a little lost.

Handmade; lovely shot, but I'm not certain it screens handmade to me. Great colours.

Shiny is the only one of yours I'm not so keen on. It definitely says shiny, but I just don't like it so much as an image. There's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't connect somehow :(

Soft; wow, I just feel the softness. Makes you want to snuggle up on the carpet with the cat!

Leave; blimey girl, what have you done to that poor animal! Great shot, and I love the B&W.

Abstract; lovely shot again, but not really abstract IMHO. Love the starburst :)

Symmetry works well because you've got symmetry in the reflections.

Moody; needs your explanation, and I agree with your self critique, but it is a nice well taken shot.

Joy; took me a while to spot the theme in this one, but once I did I loved it! Very very clever.

Small; really nice, and your composition makes it I think.

Have I missed any? Phew!!!!

I think you have your own distinctive style, which is a very good thing. Most of your shots I'd stand a reasonable chance of guessing were yours in a blind taste test!

I hope you're enjoying your A77. I don't know why more people don't use Sony's; to my mind they offer a lot that Canikon don't (yet).

If you want to bring those handcuffs along to my next random party, I'll do you a special rate!!!!
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Blimey, party and a half at yours I see!!

Thanks very much for all your comments, I agree about shiny - definitely one for a reshoot I think.

I love, love, love my A77. I think a lot of people don't even consider Sony, probably because pros don't tend to use it (because of the comparative lack of lenses) so people get the idea that it's not a "proper" camera for "proper" photographers. It's a shame - if there were more users, there'd be more lenses, and more people to swap and share lenses with - but hey. It's doing just fine by me!
 
blondie606 said:
Hi Vicky

Great shot for industry...#1 for me...real aged feel to me , love the pp :clap:

Joy....whilst I like the shot I don't get the theme connnection...having a dim moment I suspect :LOL:

Sweet....I do like...another simple almost minimal image...I could live with just the plate though rather than the stand it's on ?

Secure....lovely mono , great focus & positioning of the hands & well done to hubby for helping you out :clap:

Small...I like pink trainers...oh to be young & wear stuff like that again :D Everythings been said so just a (y) from me

Look forward to seeing more of your images :)
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Thanks for all the comments :) The more I look at sweet, the more I think something is off with it. I did try them out on a plate, but that didn't look right (the plates weren't quite the right size), so they ended up on a cake stand.

If you look at the hanging bits at the top of joy, they spell out the word. I was brainstorming the theme with my husband (which he has to endure a lot of - bless) and we went from the obvious "joy of sex" joke to the joy of cooking, so I started thinking about a cooking theme and how to bring in the joy, tried getting him to model for me but he just couldn't look happy about cooking my dinner(!), and then I looked up, saw the pan rack, and... ding. Light bulb moment. A couple of people have said it's not too obvious, and others have said they like that it's not too obvious, so I'm a bit divided on it. Some days I love it, some days I only like it.
 
Week 28 : Straight

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This photo is full of good intentions, but ends up being - I think - pretty boring. The ruler and spirit level both say straight, the square crop is a nod to the right-angle ("square") tool, and I tried lining up the ruler with the edge of the door in the background. And... the effect is pretty boring. It's filler, and I'm disappointed, but I do have a lot of catching up to do so I think I have to accept it, for now at least.
 
Week 30 : Contrast

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I always feel like I'm cheating when I use a photo of Marie - I take so many of them, I could probably use one for every shot (now THERE'S a challenge). I do a lot of high-con b&w too, so that makes it feel even more cheaty. But... I do think this is a pretty cool shot. I'm annoyed that I clipped her paw at the bottom, but I love the PP. It reminds me of those scratch-off-the-picture-foil things.
 
Week 29 : Letter

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I quite like this one. I think it might have more interest if it was zoomed out and had a candle burning in the background somewhere, but that would be a rather different shot and I think I'd lose the focus on the fact that the letter's seal also has a letter on it.
 
Hi Vicky


Catch up time for me..again !

Letter....now this I really like , beautifully muted tones , well laid out , good focus & DOF...Wonderful image :clap:

Straight...don't be so hard on yourself...lots of interest from a simple item , mono works really well , like the finishing touch of lining the rule up with the door & a nice POV... (y)

Contrast...thats one pretty kitty , nice focus on the eye's , you've mentioned the cropped paw , not sure about the mono though I see where you;re coming from with them theme....is she a tortoiseshell or B&W in reality ?

Temperature...I want ice cubes like that :D For me a little too much dead space to the top & lhs

Flight....not really doing anything for me I'm afraid though it's well shot , good focus & DOF , think a blue sky might have lifted it a little :thinking:

Keep'em coming missus , some good images fomr you...did I mention that I really like Letter :clap:
 
blondie606 said:
Hi Vicky


Catch up time for me..again !

Letter....now this I really like , beautifully muted tones , well laid out , good focus & DOF...Wonderful image :clap:

Straight...don't be so hard on yourself...lots of interest from a simple item , mono works really well , like the finishing touch of lining the rule up with the door & a nice POV... (y)

Contrast...thats one pretty kitty , nice focus on the eye's , you've mentioned the cropped paw , not sure about the mono though I see where you;re coming from with them theme....is she a tortoiseshell or B&W in reality ?

Temperature...I want ice cubes like that :D For me a little too much dead space to the top & lhs

Flight....not really doing anything for me I'm afraid though it's well shot , good focus & DOF , think a blue sky might have lifted it a little :thinking:

Keep'em coming missus , some good images fomr you...did I mention that I really like Letter :clap:
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Thanks Lynne :) She's a tortie and white Maine Coon:

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The sweetest, cutest, funniest ball of fluff I ever did see. (Though I might be a touch biased!)

I think Letter is my favourite of those too, and the more I look at Flight, the more I don't like it. Oh well - time to start thinking about Mineral, and all the others I'm missing!
 
Hi Vicky

My work seems a bit like yours at the moment - come with a rush of 3 or 4!

Flight - on theme but not your best. One thing that I do like is that it is a dove of peace but the overall effect is a bit sinister - don't know if that was waht you were aiming for.

Temperature - like the idea and i do like the positioning of the item. Howevr the words on the ice are hard to read and this detracts from the theme for me.

Straight - not anywhere near as bad as you make out. Like the sharpness of the knurl and the numbers. Would have been nice to see the spirit bubble tppo. But can't have everything.

Contrast - good shot . Even the grass has that b&w contrast

Letter - lovely shot. Like the composition, the tones and the vignette - all suit the idea and the colour of the wax. However i ma a sucker for seals and letters so for me this is excellent. Just one point, did you seal it and then clean the wax off the seal?
 
superpippo said:
Hi Vicky

My work seems a bit like yours at the moment - come with a rush of 3 or 4!
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Yeah... life gets in the way sometimes! Thanks for stopping by :)

superpippo said:
Flight - on theme but not your best. One thing that I do like is that it is a dove of peace but the overall effect is a bit sinister - don't know if that was waht you were aiming for.
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Not when I was taking it, no - it happened by accident in PP and I quite liked it, but I think I've since written off this shot entirely!

superpippo said:
Temperature - like the idea and i do like the positioning of the item. Howevr the words on the ice are hard to read and this detracts from the theme for me.
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Believe it or not it was even worse SOOC - I had to enhance a little to make it even barely legible. Any more made it look fake though. If I had more PP skills I could probably do more with it.

superpippo said:
Straight - not anywhere near as bad as you make out. Like the sharpness of the knurl and the numbers. Would have been nice to see the spirit bubble tppo. But can't have everything.
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I think it's my complete lack of interest in the subject matter that puts me off so strongly!

superpippo said:
Contrast - good shot . Even the grass has that b&w contrast
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Yes, I've taken a similar shot before (though the PP was softer, more greys) and the grass came out like that too - it's what gave me the idea to do a simple shot of Marie and PP it to show contrast.

superpippo said:
Letter - lovely shot. Like the composition, the tones and the vignette - all suit the idea and the colour of the wax. However i ma a sucker for seals and letters so for me this is excellent. Just one point, did you seal it and then clean the wax off the seal?
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Sort of. The seal had previously been used with a silver ink sheen over the wax, and I didn't clean it very well afterwards, so there was a messy-looking silver sheen on the seal. I didn't want to re-seal it (I didn't have a candle holder to hand and was at risk of getting three kinds of wax all over my oak desk) so I scraped it off with a stitch unpicker. I tried to get it as smooth as I could, but didn't get it perfect - you can see it pretty clearly in the fullsize version.
 
Hi Vicky
Don’t know what has happened to my post as I remember commenting on your shot for Abstract and Joy. Must have pressed the wrong button or something. Often get timed out so that may be the answer.:thinking:
So just a few comments to try and catch up.
Handmade – The majority of pencils are machine made but your fair hand will sharpen them. Good shot, nice colours and angle helps composition.
Abstract – The edited shot is a great improvement on a good idea
Soft – yes cats are soft but boy do they scratch and bite.
Shiny – more of an abstract, but yes it shines.
Symmetry – clean simple shot with lots of symmetrical shapes in the glass.
Industry – cannot fault the theme and a good image, just a shame there’s so much white sky. It’s a photographer’s nightmare at times.
Leave – Prefer the gritty nature of the B&W and the knife cuts left in the platter, but how could you leave that rocket.
Joy – I was impressed with the lighting and textures of the metal/glass etc. Good interpretation of theme to boot.
Sweet – excellent colour achieved here and def on theme
Secure – cheap cuffs and a tad overexposed on the hands, again composition is good
Small – great subject, and like the vignette to give better emphasis.
Temperature – this appeals to me but wonder if an increase in contrast might have brought out the writing a bit more
Straight – personally I would have concentrated more on the spirit level bubble in focus with OOF the ruler etc. Good clean shot and well converted to B&W.
Letter – Like colour lighting and DOF of this one, seal stamp not quite sharp (you have already answered this point)
Overall some excellent images and good interpretation of themes with thought behind the ideas. You seem to be on top of lighting in the majority of cases. :clap: Will keep an eye open for updates, it was hard work catching up. lol
 
Welcome back. I thought you’d left us for a minute.

Flight – I can see where you were going with this but can’t help but think a colour version even if desaturated a tad would improve things

Temperature – Nice one. I’m wondering whether the writing could have been made to stand one a bit more by moving the light source?

Straight – Great shot. The subject is crisp and sharp where it should be. You seem to have caught the full range of tones as well. (y)

Contrast – I have to say I find this one a bit too dark for my liking but understand what you were trying to achieve with the theme

Letter – Cracking shot. I love the tones on this one. Well done.
 
Flight i like it maybe more landscape though

temperature i too think the writing needs to be more defined

straight is a lovely clear picture and a really nice idea

Contrast is a bit dark lovely cat

letter excellent really nicely done
 
Week 31: Mineral

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I quite like this one. It took a lot of experimenting with light to get it how I wanted it, but I think the end result works. It's not as clear a picture as I'd like, but that's because the "diamond" is actually a glass paperweight, so it's full of flaws and imperfections.
 
Hi Vicky - you have been busy catching up, well done!:):clap:

Win - I like your use of DOF on this, I'm not sure if it would look better having the point of the pencil in the shot as well!

Mineral - another well lit picture, in this one though I think I would like to see more of it in focus but that might not be possible!!:):)
 
What can I say Vicky. From flight on, they're all perfect, nearly. I say nearly, because I'm not so keen on contrast; lovely cat, on theme, and well captured with good eye contact, but I just think its a shame the PP has been necessary to get contrast, as it's spoiled an otherwise nice shot for me :(

Letter I love BIG time!

Again your personal style is coming through, which is very very nice to see :)
 
Win – Nice use of a shallow DoF. I thinking that losing the table at the top right hand corner would improve things.

Mineral – I like this a lot. For me it just needs the background tidying up a little and it would be spot on.
 
Hi Vicky

Letter - Now that is great, agree with you about the focal point and think a wider shot may not be as striking, love the dof and tones

Win - Great Idea, now that's a great score, somebody have a few extra letters :LOL: again like your choice of depth of field and the focal point on the winning score

Mineral - Nice lighting and good dark background

Dark - Not sure what it is, but like the image
 
Hi, Vicky, catch up time :D

Flight: like it. Great contrast and moody sky.

Temperature: well composed and I like the lighting and even the shadow off the pill. I'd like to see a tad more contrast on the pill.

Straight: nice industrial feel. The thing next to the level looks a tad hot.

Contrast: plenty of overall contrast and very cute cat. I'd like to see Marie stand out a bit more, especially around the head, back and belly.

Letter: Now this I like :clap:great vignetting, muted colours, sharp where needed.

Win: on theme. is 203 the winner, as it's circled?

Mineral: nice black BG. Hard to tell how big it is, could be tiny or fist size. Nice contrast; would like to see the bottom in focus.

Dark: like it. It's the kind of photography I'd like to do more. Great negative space and the shadow from the poll is great...go on, what is it?

Cheers :clap:
 
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