weekly d00d's 52 in 2014 ... Week 51 : Extravagant

Definitely the toast, mainly because my mouth started watering as soon as I looked it, but also because I really like the contrasting textures and colours between the butter and the rough crunchy toast (y)
 
Smooth, what BGs do you use because the colours really work for me.

Of the 2, it's #2 for me. The BG is great, nice detail and warm colours in the toast. I wasn't sure about the orientation of the toast, but having come back, it's just right.

Cheers.
 
d00d said:
Thanks all for your comments.

Better mention, if it's not obvious, the stamp in rotated in pp and the BG grey is artificial. So yes ... abstract.

And Paul ... 1st Cut is 1st not Cut. ;)
Click to expand...

Oops! :oops: :$

Onto smooth... I think first one has some nice lighting aspects but also some remaining challenges. I find the shadow to the right of the butter distracting so I do think lighting from higher up might work better? It's a tough subject with not much room to hide so I think a bit of experimentation with the lighting might be worthwhile.

The second smooth shot (toasty) is great. Shadows much, much improved and the highlight on the melted bit of the butter is superb. Not quite as convinced by the red background but it is nice to see something different. The only thing which might have made a strong picture stronger still would be a slightly shallower POV on the toast, so it's at more of an angle??

But good shot!
 
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Week 47 : Attached



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Oooh, lots of attachments there! I particularly like the use of the red clip to add a bit of extra colour and I think that your idea of clipping them to a pair of jeans to use as a bg instead of plain black was a touch of genius. Overall, a really pleasing image :clap:
 
Thanks Elaine & Andy ... glad you like it! Been experimenting again with different tricks:

shot using natural light but not much of it, and the Exposure Compensation down at -2 .... I like the effect, looks like it's been shot at night whilst the keys glow. Also I gave a teeny bit of Vignette at top L & R in PP to draw the eye away from anything distracting.
 
Hiya David, I thought like Andy that it looked a tad underexposed, but reading your reply above about the vignette, that could explain it :)

Good choice in keys, the brass works well with the red clip, good detail and suits the crop (y)
 
Hi David

That's a good shot. As Elaine has said, it's nice to see something "real" being used as a dark background and I think it works really well. It certainly wouldn't have been as strong for me, had you just put them up against a black background. I do think it could use an exposure lift.

The only tiny crit I'd add is that I'd like to see some direct lighting on one of the "faces" of the keys... just to provide a bit of additional depth/contrast. But that's a compositional change, rather than any fault in the original image :)
 
Hi David


Toast for me as well....the butter just melting on not quite cremated toast & a great red contrasting base....lovely.... :)

Attached.....like Andy , I feel it's a tad under exposed though I take on board your comment about wanting it to look like it's been shot at night , like the use of jeans instead of a plain backdrop as well (y)
 
Hi David :)

Smooth - A good item for the theme, not keen on the set-up of the first, the knife looks awkward sort of cutting off the flow of the image for me, I think an angle would work much better, , I'm going to choose the second shot, not quite as obvious theme wise but really like the textures and colours :)

Attached - Certainly is... are... the belt buckle could do with cloning out for me, other than that, a nice effective image, liking the splash of red with the second clip (y)
 
WEEK 48 Energy

A bit tricky this, taken midday yesterday, they kept moving! with mostly natural daylight through a glass roof but disco strobes too. Hmmm

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Hi David... tough shot! Well done on capturing. Difficult lighting conditions that you mention but you've captured the moment well. Had this been a setup shot there would be a few things I'm sure you'd do differently but for one where you've seized the moment, it's well focused with good DOF. Would have been great to get a faster shutter speed but looking at the grain, I'm guessing you were pushing aperture and s/s as much as you could. (y)
 
Thanks guys

I'd seen this skating at Westfield London throughout the month of December in previous years but never taken photos so a couple of days ago I was down there armed with my dSLR and long lens to get shots from up on the first floor gallery. Not many skaters about, just two couples and I got a total of four quick shots before they were off.

So @Paul ... not very scientific, just snaps on Auto. If there were more skaters I would have got a lot more shots and would have tried different camera settings.

And @susie ... nothing cloned as such (I don't think) ... The BG is just ice but SOOC pics showed greyish marks and scratches. PDN Curves miraculously eliminated just about all of that, but there were a few little patches I went over with the paint brush.
 
Hi good idea but it does look a little bit cut and pasted, but having read your explanation how wrong I am
maybe a conversion to B+W would remove the colour casts from the disco lights on the skaters a little :thinking:
 
Energy, sounds like the lighting wasn't easy here. Overall, and taking this into consideration, it's on theme and well captured moment.

Cheers.
 
Thanks guys.

Week 49 : Round #1
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Week 49 : Round #2
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Hi David,

Catching up on comments here.

Your attached shot: Initially I didn't like it much, it seemed a little basic, but the more I look at it the more I like it and agree about the red and the numbers popping out, fits the theme well and I like that it's attached to someone's pocket.

Energy: I like this viewed bigger and as the eyes wander around the image I like that there's texture around their ice-skates but nowhere else.

Round: I love the first of the two, I like candles and love the DOF and POV you have captured. The colour is nice and warm. The second is a nice linear shot of round windows, it works in a different way to the first one but I prefer the first one. I guess that's just subject matter though. Nicely found.

Si
 
Hi, candles is a great idea and would benefit from a little more light, I know how hard it can be to catch flame without over exposing it, but I think you have something there with a little work (y)
 
Love the idea and composition for Round #1... great choice of DOF for me I agree with Allan that a touch more exposure or shadow recovery to bring the candles out a touch would really make it pop but you've done so well with it, it seems harsh to crit on a small point!

#2 looks underexposed to me... an interesting idea and I do like unusual aspect ratios, but it doesn't have the appeal of #1, for me.
 
Hi David :)

Energy - Going by your description sounds like a tough one to capture, looks like you have managed nicely, thinking I'd like to see a bit more detail in the ice, as it is in the shadows, but guessing too hard to achieve, action caught well though :)

Round - What a real nice idea, hard to crit for me, being really picky I'd like to see more space LH & RH just a few mmm, other than that really like it (y)

The window shot is very nice indeed, love the ubber wide crop, the line of the brickwork dead level, real good symmetry... another (y) for this one
 
Hi David
Attached - really good choice of b/g showing the texture of the jeans and that way that keys area attached. Nice arrangement of keys too. (y) Even with your explanation, still a bit dark to me. The texture could be enhanced and the colours made to sing a bit more IMO
Energy 0- wow what a lot of troublesome light - makes the ice look a bit pink and the skin tones very different between them. Putting that aside tho, it's a really good capture. The boy looks more assured, holding out his hand for assistance/comfort and the girl looks a little unsure with palms down ready to cushion any stumble. Different energies emanating friom each and even tho a still shot, there is the feeling of movement in the bodies :clap:

Round - #1 exposure good and colour nice and warm - focus seems a bit off but flames are so hard to get right ( I took a shot of a gas ring in a n attempt at energy and it was proper rubbish). Very good pov and depth of field which adds to the warmth
 
Hi David

Energy....good result given the conditions you describe , never easy shooting moving subject indoors handheld...ya don't make life easy for yourself do ya :eek:

Round...like that , very calming those candles especially with the very warm tones (y)....poss just needs a slight exposure boost ?
 
Like the candles David, great idea (y) Super detail in the foreground ones and lovely bokeh created by the dof on the rear ones :clap:
 
Hi David. Sorry I've not stopped in on your thread for a while. Hopfully you're signing up for the 2015 challange and I can make it up then...;)

Smooth: I really like these. The choice of muted colour background give this a kind of retro classic feel which fits nicely with the knife in the first. A really good idea for this weeks theme and both technically well captured and lit.

Attached: Works for me. As other have side, an exposure lift and some soft lighting on the keys would give this a bit more punch....Really like the 256 disc which adds some interest by making me wonder what its for.

Energy: A nice capture of a special moment in time and like the way he seems to be giving out his hand in support of an obviously nervous skater. Technically room for improvement but under the conditions you describe, you've done really well there. (y)

Round: Another vote for number 1. As others have said, would be nice to see with a slight exposure lift. Like the warm and soft tones - perfect for this time of year!
 
First - I'm afraid I'm not too keen on this shot. A bit too busy I guess. Maybe isolating the sign with a close up would have made for a stronger image

Smooth - I really like #2. This one has just the right amount of butter and just the right amount melted onto the toast. nice one.

Attached - It certainly fits the theme and I like the central positioning. I do feel it certainly needs a boost of exposure though it order to get the keys to jump out of the screen. I like the inclusion in the 256 tag. I'm now wondering what or who is in room 256.

Energy - I must admit to struggling with this one. A moment captured during difficult exposure conditions with black clothing against the white ice

Round - Nice idea. The glow of the candles gives a warmth to the image which I feel has been cropped just the right amount.
 
Thanks everyone for your comments. (y)

I'm pleased with the candles shot but still, I might do a reshoot ... if I ever get around to it. Maybe on a glass topped table ... hmmm
 
Had a lot of nonsense on my mind all week ... tried shooting a number of different things, things that didn't work too well. This morning [had to get something posted before week 51 commences] I came up with this:-

Week 50 : Nonsense

nonsense3.jpg
 
Superb idea David. You've nailed most things in this shot. If it was taken in a public coffee shop then you've done exceptionally well.

With a bit more time and less questioning looks, I'd have maybe liked to see the cup slid back onto the table a bit more, and maybe something to bounce back a bit of light onto the cup to whiten it up a bit.

Nicely done. :clap:
 
Hi, apart from the lighting issues mentioned above, nice image perfectly fitted to the theme (y)
 
Hiya David... well that's certainly on theme ;)

I would definitely like to see more light on the cup (and marigold) to really show off the shape of both - a bit flat otherwise. But as Allan and Graham have said, it depends on whether you had sufficient control of surroundings / time to do that. You've captured some super bokeh in the background - really adds to the shot. Only tiny observation on that is the plant (?) in the background is a bit distracting being next to the glove and a similar height?

Having said all that, I still think it's a very good shot so well done and a nice idea as well!
 
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