CharlotteFitz Photo52 2011 - WEEK 4 ADDED- OPEN

I lacked motivation this week due to being a little under the weather so this is only a very simple and obvious shot. I am hoping to throw myself into the photo52 project next week.

I have been over and over again post processing this image but no matter how hard I try it still seems a little noisy. I suppose I can only get better from now on and take inspiration from all my fellow 52ers who are a damn sight better than I am at present :D !

P.S I'm not usually a fan of black and white but as Lilly's fur is a very off white I felt it suited the image !

ACCOMMODATION PHOTO52 WEEK 1

 
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Ah bless - I was hoping to find a picture of a mouse in a house! Good effort and great texture on the fur; he must have been a very patient mouse. I would try straightening the horizontals in PS and possibly avoid using on camera flash if possible.
 
Spooky said:
Ah bless - I was hoping to find a picture of a mouse in a house! Good effort and great texture on the fur; he must have been a very patient mouse. I would try straightening the horizontals in PS and possibly avoid using on camera flash if possible.
Click to expand...

Haha its a hamster not a mouse.

I am a big animal lover and really like this shot. (y)
 
Tell us what you like about this image, what you don't like and how you might do things differently next time.

For me I love the catch light in the eye of the hamster, really makes it appear alive. I also think the idea behind the shot - hamster home - fits the theme well. I like the B&W but there isn't enough contrast for my liking as it appears grey and washed out. The background is also a little distracting, although the skirting board could of course be a home if this was a mouse, but you would have to make a feature of the photo rather than just a back ground.

If you were to RESHOOT this if a RESHOOT card was drawn in the future I would suggest getting the camera lower so it is also resting on the floor making, I think the downward view doesn't give the right impact.

Overall a great start to a 52 and I will guarantee that if you continue this project your photography will improve massively over the year.
 
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Hi Charlotte,

Good start to your 52.

I pretty much agree with what Simon has said.

I'm sure you will learn so much over the coming weeks of this challenge, keep it up.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Thanks for all your comments everyone ! I have seen a lot of other people saying what they like and what they don't like about their photo an think this is a really great idea, I'm always picking up tips. Its great to get feedback , its very encouraging !

Simon I also think the skirting board is a huge distraction from the photo but it was the safest place for her as there are no little holes for her to run away into. We live in rented accommodation so losing her would be a nightmare lol. I will definitely try to re-shoot this one at a later date and possibly set up a white background with far better lighting this time :)

Lissa I'm a huge animal lover myself, 4 hamsters and 4 goldfish to date with an idea of expanding my animal family even more :)

I don't blame you for thinking she is a mouse Spooky, when we brought her home from the adoption place we sat looking at her thinking she is a very mousey hamster with her narrow head and big ears ! Such an easy mistake to make when Lilly is the subject lol.
 
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Hi Charlotte.

I really like this image despite the noise. I'm not sure why it is so noisy as you shot at ISO 100. Maybe due to overprocessing?

Simon has already touched on ways to improve this shot so I'm not going to repeat what he has said.

Black and white works really well and you have captured the detail in the fur well which can be tricky on white creatures.

Despite the fact that you say you are new to DSLR you have some great shots on your blog. I look forward to seeing more of your 52.

Andy
 
Photo 52 Week 2 - NEW

Below is my take on the theme for this week. I was given a bonsai tree kit for christmas and have been patiently waiting for for my hyssop seeds to sprout. They finally arrived just in time for my photo 52 challenge but I found it very difficult to capture them in a way that would do them justice.
I like this photo as I captured it in a windowsill so it is fairly light and you can see the blur of a building in the background. I don't like the fact that the dof in my shot isn't anything special and doesn't work to do the photo justice. I also don't like the fact that the pot is slanted in my photo.

C&C welcome and appreciated as always, thanks for looking :) !


photo52newsharperresize.jpg
 
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What effect were you after with the depth of field? For a shallower depth you need to shoot with a wider aperture but not knowing your lenses that may not be possible.

As for the slanting pot, that's what PP is for. I regularly get my horizons off level and have to straighten them in PP.
 
Really like the accommodation picture - hamsters can be such fascinating little creatures, used to have a few of my own.

As for your "new" photo, I think that a little fill in flash from the front to lighten the shoots might make you a little happier with it perhaps? With all the light coming from the rear, we've seeing the shaded side.
 
:agree: Was exactly my thoughts on the fill flash.

The hamster shot is good, the fur carries some lovely detail.
 
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Thanks for your comments everyone ! They are really appreciated.

Mike, I shot with my aperture on around 5, still getting used to aperture and depth of field stuff. I think I would ave preferred to have all the shoots in focus and just the background blurred so does that mean a higher aperture such as 10?
I don't have a clue how to change the slanted angle using post processing software which is pretty rubbish, I should probably looking into that , especially if I ever need to take photos of buildings ect. Thanks for you advice :)

Ray , I think a flash would have lighted it up far more and possibly brought the green out so thanks for your advice on that one :) I have gone a bit wild with hamsters and now have lots but we won't go there lol.

David, thanks for the nice comment on my hamsters fur , I was a little worried that it was too noisy so you have given me a little more confidence in my photo :)
 
Hi Charlotte,

I like your take on the theme, although have to agree with most comments already made.

I'm sure with practice you will soon get the hang of settings and post processing. To straigten an image is not too difficult but does make all the difference to an image.

Good luck with the rest of your project and I look forward to seeing your progress.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Photo52 Week 3
Style

For this weeks photo52 theme I visited the local Loughs agency aquarium. It is open and free to the public and aims to teach people about the conservation of our local river and catchment areas, the river Foyle. It contains fish species that are found within the Foyle and on the day I visited I managed to get a photo of a flounder. Taking underwater photography through glass is a completely new style to me so I felt it fitted the theme for this week. Another reason I felt this photo fitted this weeks theme is that flounders look completely different than any other fish with their mouth and fins side ways and their eyes on top of their bodies. I am pleased with this photo as I feel it is fairly clear and the colours are good for a first attempt especially as this particular flounder never stays still ! However I feel that I could be a bit sharper and there are a few marks on the glass. C&C welcome as always ! Thanks for looking :)

flounder.jpg
 
Love the colours in this photo and the composition - I do however find the scratches in the top left a little off putting - could you try cloning them out in editing software?

I really like the fact the fishes eye is so clear - well shot!

week 1 - awwwww what a pretty hamster :) I have rats myself - but sooo want a hamster!!!! Nice shot but the contrast could do with a boost.

Week 2 - I would have said about fill flash - but it's been said, so I wont :p

Good luck with the rest of your 52 :)
 
I'm still mastering the techniques of cloning and the like. I will admit that I am absolutely terrible with editing software, the only thing I know how to do is sharpen, lighten and change the colours :(

Hamsters are brilliant, we have four ! I have never kept any other rodents before but my partner and I are hoping to get a pair of female rats to add to our big family of rodents !

Thank you for your helpful comments :)
 
good for you charlotte - it's always refreshing to see someone try something new :)

It's hard to get a good capture through glass, your composition is really good :)
 
have had a quick play with the clone / heal brush hope you dont mind

flounder.jpg


It's worth looking up how to use these online - they're my most used tools!!!!

Also re: rats - if you need help or advice feel free to PM me - i'd recommend anyone gets them!!!
 
The colours of your style photo are great,but I agree with the other comments about the scratches.Sarah's edit to remove them is a big improvement,but I guess that in future you'll be more aware of things like that when you're taking the picture-it's all a learning curve! I've never done a photo through glass but I've now learnt what to look out for, so thank you!
 
Wow Sarah, you have done a brilliant job on my photo thank you. I really appreciate it ! It shows what I could achieve if I topped up on my photo shop skills lol !

Thank you for the kind words Tim, its good to get feedback as it lets me know I'm doing ok as a newbie ! Whilst I was taking this photo I did look out for the reflection of light in the glass etc but never thought of scratch, I will be looking out for that too in future :)
 
Hi, Charlotte, from one newbie to another...

#1, b&w works well for me, but it's all a bit grey. Horizon's been mentioned. I'd like to have seen it with his/her nose peaking through the door.

#2, now I read somewhere that things work well in trees...?? I'd like to have seen a difference angle, that is not face on. Horizon looks a tad off. I bet you could get some more colour out of it, especially the green.

#3, not an easy one I suspect. Possibly a bit of a crop of the left and and it's very noisy. Again more colour?

Anyway, keep it up and thanks.
 
I am running a little behind as I have just started my new job but here is my entry for photo52 week 4 , open.
When we moved into our apartment there was an antique stand with a little draw incorporated into it. It is a very scruffy little stand but still very pretty and we keep any pennys that are laying around the house in the drawer. I like this photo as it is the first time I have done any cloning work on an image and I managed to get rid of lots of wax stains that were in this photo. I also like the dof and the fact that some of the pennys are shiny and new and others are dull. I don't like how I managed to cut the closest corner of the drawer off in this photo though but still think it is a nice image.

Photo52 Week 4 :
Open

opencompletepicnik.jpg




C&C welcome and appreciated as always. Thank you to everyone that has commented on my thread so far, I really appreciate it.
 
it's a nice image Charlotte, and I agree that the image would be improved if the corners of the drawer weren't cut off :)

Lovely tones, looking forward to seeing your week 5 :)
 
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