weekly Delta Skies 2014 TP52 - Week 51 Extravagant & Week 52 Support (that's 2014 done)

D800 :bat: nice one. What lenses you buying :)

I recognised the BG straight away. I like the composition, maybe a little off the bottom and left.

Good show.

Cheers.
 
D800 :bat: nice one. What lenses you buying :)

I recognised the BG straight away. I like the composition, maybe a little off the bottom and left.

Good show.

Cheers.
I've already got some FX lenses but unfortunately my favourite one (Nikon 17-55 f2.8) isn't one. I do fancy moving to primes. The Zeiss Distagon range look particularly attractive (apart form the cost) and a superb quality. Just the feel of them shouts quality. As you can tell I want one :love:

I know exactly what you mean about the crop. I opted against it as it lost the patch of blue water on the right.

I'm sure Mr Hedgehog wasn't there when I posted for Promise.

Nice detail and I like the tired look on its face :)

Cheers.
Cheers Andy. It's actually a Mrs Hedgehog - not that I've looked.:whistle: The tired look is probably a grumpy one given that we woke her up during the day.
 
Nice one Peter - Good results from your new toy already !!!!

Nice line of the wire from the corner, perfect Focus on the lock, separates the buildings nicely, also nice to see a bit of blue sky and white cloud in the background too, works well (y)

Congrats on Explore too :clap:
 
Architecture - certainly made me smile. As you have said there is something not quite right about the shadow matching the lego but still a fun and interesting shot.
Promise - great composition, dof is perfect for this and I can't fault it. Well done.
Sharp - another great shot - sharp in every detail.
 
Nowt like a new toy to get some enthusiasm going. :)

Nice one for Promise, lovely light on the buildings in the BG, and just enough on the lock.

Hedgehog is too a great choice for the theme, perfect focus on the face, but feel the shallow DOF has left few of the spikes super sharp.
 
Hi Peter, love the hedgehog very nearly bought one a couple of years ago, they are just too cute, nice BG and great focus, sharp indeed(y)
 
Architecture: Creative & Humorous. Thanks for that. (y)

Promise: another nice idea. perfect POV & DOF. (y)

Sharp: Not sure I like hedgehogs, but yes that's sharp shooting, (teeth and the rest). (y)
 
Architecture...

A brilliant idea for the theme and technically, all aspects of the photo / composite are really well-executed. The only thing for me is it just doesn't hang together as an image for some reason? I can't fault anything, so this isn't helpful crit but it just doesn't work in my eyes?? Sorry!


Promise...

Peter - another well-composed photo. All of the techicals are there, great choice of DOF and positioning. Lighting is good although some of the reflections seen in the lock are very slightly distracting (if that's what they are). Are the verticals vertical? I can't tell!

Super take on the theme which wasn't an easy one for many of us... Bravo! (y)


Sharp...

Wow. Detail is fantastic and it's a brilliantly executed photo. You certainly don't fall into "all the gear, no idea" camp with your new toy, do you?? Honestly, it couldn't be a stronger photo for me - all technical elements are perfect. I'm guessing you've de-clarified/blurred the near-side ground? It works well, just assuming it was added (or enhanced) in post rather than SOOC? Super! :clap:
 
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Hi Peter

Promise - I hate these lock things. :eek: Good, got that out of the way. Like the comp with the oof b/g but still showing what is clearly water, buildings and sky. Excellent focus on lock and detail in the wire. Good light
Sharp- another super shot in terms of comp, b/g, mutes colour. Nice pose that she has adopted for you - I know it sounds daft but she looks really alive in the shot. Perhaps a spot more dof to sharpen all of the spikes.:thinking:
 
I've already got some FX lenses but unfortunately my favourite one (Nikon 17-55 f2.8) isn't one. I do fancy moving to primes. The Zeiss Distagon range look particularly attractive (apart form the cost) and a superb quality. Just the feel of them shouts quality. As you can tell I want one :love:

.

Now you do know that you can offload that lovely 17-55mm to a deserving home don't you? A place where it would be well kept and cherished.:)
That way you can start your Zeiss fund.:)
 
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Nice one Peter - Good results from your new toy already !!!!

Nice line of the wire from the corner, perfect Focus on the lock, separates the buildings nicely, also nice to see a bit of blue sky and white cloud in the background too, works well (y)

Congrats on Explore too :clap:
Thanks Dean

Architecture - certainly made me smile. As you have said there is something not quite right about the shadow matching the lego but still a fun and interesting shot.
Promise - great composition, dof is perfect for this and I can't fault it. Well done.
Sharp - another great shot - sharp in every detail.
Many thanks Richard

Nowt like a new toy to get some enthusiasm going. :)

Nice one for Promise, lovely light on the buildings in the BG, and just enough on the lock.

Hedgehog is too a great choice for the theme, perfect focus on the face, but feel the shallow DOF has left few of the spikes super sharp.
Cheers Graham

Hi Peter, love the hedgehog very nearly bought one a couple of years ago, they are just too cute, nice BG and great focus, sharp indeed(y)
Thanks Allan
 
Architecture: Creative & Humorous. Thanks for that. (y)

Promise: another nice idea. perfect POV & DOF. (y)

Sharp: Not sure I like hedgehogs, but yes that's sharp shooting, (teeth and the rest). (y)
Thanks David

Architecture...

A brilliant idea for the theme and technically, all aspects of the photo / composite are really well-executed. The only thing for me is it just doesn't hang together as an image for some reason? I can't fault anything, so this isn't helpful crit but it just doesn't work in my eyes?? Sorry!


Promise...

Peter - another well-composed photo. All of the techicals are there, great choice of DOF and positioning. Lighting is good although some of the reflections seen in the lock are very slightly distracting (if that's what they are). Are the verticals vertical? I can't tell!

Super take on the theme which wasn't an easy one for many of us... Bravo! (y)

Sharp...

Wow. Detail is fantastic and it's a brilliantly executed photo. You certainly don't fall into "all the gear, no idea" camp with your new toy, do you?? Honestly, it couldn't be a stronger photo for me - all technical elements are perfect. I'm guessing you've de-clarified/blurred the near-side ground? It works well, just assuming it was added (or enhanced) in post rather than SOOC? Super! :clap:
Many thanks for the comment Paul. Promise verticals - not sure? Will look again. Sharp - No PP blurring it was all done in lens/camera

Hi Peter...super choice for promise ...I love the composition and DOF.
The hedgehog is another excellent shot, I can imagine it wasn't easy to get her so still and and posed for that one....an excellent choice for the theme.
Thanks Susie. The old adage don;t work with children and animals was true here. Lots of wasted shots and lots of patience required.

Hi Peter

Promise - I hate these lock things. :eek: Good, got that out of the way. Like the comp with the oof b/g but still showing what is clearly water, buildings and sky. Excellent focus on lock and detail in the wire. Good light
Sharp- another super shot in terms of comp, b/g, mutes colour. Nice pose that she has adopted for you - I know it sounds daft but she looks really alive in the shot. Perhaps a spot more dof to sharpen all of the spikes.:thinking:
Many thanks Alan. The balance of DoF was a nightmare. Too much and the background would have been too prominent. Too little and not enough in focus. I split the difference :cool:

Now you do know that you can offload that lovely 17-55mm to a deserving home don't you? A place where it would be well kept and cherished.:)
That way you can start your Zeiss fund.:)
My Zeiss fund is now empty. I came home with one in a shopping bag yesterday :exit:
 
Hi Peter

Ooooh.....D800 & new lens.....gotta love new toy's & your'e getting some fab results with them already :clap:

Love the padlock shot for Promise...never seen one of these bridges with padlocks on before so added it to my list of " to-do's " ! Nothing to crit at all

Sharp.....strange , was sure I'd commented...another senior moment I guess ! Maybe I commented on flickr :thinking: Anyway...lovely capture , time well spent to get the perfect pose, all sharp where it should be :clap:
 
Hi Peter,

Love both Sharp and Promise stunning colours in both, great use of dof and love the soft backgrounds, nothing more to be said except well done.

Oh except the hedgehog is dead cute!
 
Hi Peter

Ooooh.....D800 & new lens.....gotta love new toy's & your'e getting some fab results with them already :clap:

Love the padlock shot for Promise...never seen one of these bridges with padlocks on before so added it to my list of " to-do's " ! Nothing to crit at all

Sharp.....strange , was sure I'd commented...another senior moment I guess ! Maybe I commented on flickr :thinking: Anyway...lovely capture , time well spent to get the perfect pose, all sharp where it should be :clap:
Many thanks for the comments Lynne

Hi Peter,

Love both Sharp and Promise stunning colours in both, great use of dof and love the soft backgrounds, nothing more to be said except well done.

Oh except the hedgehog is dead cute!
Thanks for the kind words Carol
 
Week 34 - Pure

Pure Nature by Delta Skies, on Flickr

A had a shot a week ago for this one but wasn't keen on it so held off posting it. I was determined not to get too far behind again so I went for a macro nature shot. Lit using a studio flash head with a darkened green background to get away from going down the black route for this one. I know there might be votes for using stacked focus layers but I liked the blurring of the outline of the dandelion clock which I feel gives it more of a pure feel to it.

Edit - Just spotted that this was my 5,000th post of TP :banana:.........and no I'm not addicted :p
 
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Hi Peter, thats a nice shot of the dandelion, i am with you on the blurring I like it that way (y)
you have placed it well in the frame and the detail is great
 
Lovely lighting, cracking detail and the shallow DOF is, as has been said, well suited to the subject.

I wasn't sure about the composition at first, but after looking for a while it's grown on me.

5,000 :clap:

Cheers.
 
Sparkle, heck that really jumps out on you. Vivid colours work for me as does the reflection on the table.

Was the lens flare added? I'm sure it wasn't.

Cheers.
 
Blooming heck....

Fall, cracker, very unusual take and the composition works really well. The flash of red, the blue of the dog's eyes and the rustic tones.

Good show...now no more :)

Cheers.
 
Lovely lighting, cracking detail and the shallow DOF is, as has been said, well suited to the subject.

I wasn't sure about the composition at first, but after looking for a while it's grown on me.

5,000 :clap:

Cheers.
Thanks Andy. I'm glad you like it as I've cut the grass since picking the dandelion so can't reshoot it :D
 
Sparkle, heck that really jumps out on you. Vivid colours work for me as does the reflection on the table.

Was the lens flare added? I'm sure it wasn't.

Cheers.
I'm afraid it was. Lots of experimenting though with which one to choose and what level to select. I wasn't sure about adding it at first but I feel a subtle addition works

Blooming heck....

Fall, cracker, very unusual take and the composition works really well. The flash of red, the blue of the dog's eyes and the rustic tones.

Good show...now no more :)

Cheers.
Thanks Andy. Yeah no more tonight. I need to start editing my images from my day out on Thursday with Joe Cornish and Mark Banks on a landscape workshop - Sarah's birthday present to me from last October (y)
 
I need to start editing my images from my day out on Thursday with Joe Cornish and Mark Banks on a landscape workshop - Sarah's birthday present to me from last October (y)

OOOoooo, I've seen a few Youtube videos of these two so will look out for the photographs. Was it good day?

Cheers.
 
Hi Peter, some absolutely top quality submissions here. It's worth waiting for (perhaps a lesson to others - e.g. me - to take things more slowly sometimes :))

Pure (dandelion) - top drawer. I love the narrow DOF and think it really works... stacking would have led to a different image which I'm sure would have been interesting but I really like this one. Great detail - did you really use f/2.8 for a macro shot?!?! Wow. Framing perfect for me.

Sparkle - I love it. Lens flare adds rather than distracts for me, the bokeh is spot on (and nice and round - although a tiny hint of bright outline) and exposed perfectly for me. Can't improve it in any way. Again, composition spot on.

Fall - really nice lighting on the dog (and some good highlights off the jam). I'm not a massive fan of the angle of view, but struggle to imagine an alternative in the circumstances. Very good take and it did make me smile. I think the dog was happy!

So, a great job there Peter... looking forward to your next submissions (y)
 
Well done on being able to hold on until you get the right shot for the week, often it is worth sitting on something for a bit and seeing if you still feel the same about it.

Dandelion is superb, simple close up with fantastic detail, the fade into OOF serves as a lovely frame to the central section, the crop on three sides works really well. I d don't think a square crop with the fourth side cut would work nearly as well.

Candle bokeh, "merry Christmas everybody..." Really?!? :LOL:. I was the first in with Christmas light bokeh last year but I wait till week 48. :) what's not to like there. Reflections of the bokeh make it. (Faux) lens flare is subtle, and effective.

Toast is a good idea, for me it comes over as looking very staged. More like some jam was spread on the f floor and then some bread placed on top. Understand you need the jam to be visible, which is hard given its going to be under the bread, think less might have been more in this case.
 
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Hi Peter...super dandelion...and I totally agree it needs the softness around the edge, it adds to the feeling of the fragility of the subject.

Sparkle ...another super one...lots of lovely colour....an eye catching image.

Fall....I love the expression that you've captured in Archie's eyes ...there's a real look of longing there ... a sort of 'do I or don't I' look. But the jam ...it just doesn't look natural enough....I think it could definitely do without the smear to the left of the bread.
 
Great images Peter. I particularly like sparkle ... very creative ... genuine bokeh complete with reflection. :clap:
 
Hi Peter, sparkle works really well though it seems so wrong at this time of year
Fall, got to love the expression on the dogs face he looks a little confused as to why such a thing has happened,
agree sort of with everyone about the jam but I suppose you have to emphasise the point a little.

nice birthday present by the way
 
Hi Peter, some absolutely top quality submissions here. It's worth waiting for (perhaps a lesson to others - e.g. me - to take things more slowly sometimes :))

Pure (dandelion) - top drawer. I love the narrow DOF and think it really works... stacking would have led to a different image which I'm sure would have been interesting but I really like this one. Great detail - did you really use f/2.8 for a macro shot?!?! Wow. Framing perfect for me.

Sparkle - I love it. Lens flare adds rather than distracts for me, the bokeh is spot on (and nice and round - although a tiny hint of bright outline) and exposed perfectly for me. Can't improve it in any way. Again, composition spot on.

Fall - really nice lighting on the dog (and some good highlights off the jam). I'm not a massive fan of the angle of view, but struggle to imagine an alternative in the circumstances. Very good take and it did make me smile. I think the dog was happy!

So, a great job there Peter... looking forward to your next submissions (y)
Many thanks Paul. It definitely wasn't f2.8 for the dandelion shot. I used f16 but I was at minimum distance for the 60mm macro lens hence the DoF still appeared really shallow. And yes the dog enjoyed the snack.

Well done on being able to hold on until you get the right shot for the week, often it is worth sitting on something for a bit and seeing if you still feel the same about it.

Dandelion is superb, simple close up with fantastic detail, the fade into OOF serves as a lovely frame to the central section, the crop on three sides works really well. I d don't think a square crop with the fourth side cut would work nearly as well.

Candle bokeh, "merry Christmas everybody..." Really?!? :LOL:. I was the first in with Christmas light bokeh last year but I wait till week 48. :) what's not to like there. Reflections of the bokeh make it. (Faux) lens flare is subtle, and effective.

Toast is a good idea, for me it comes over as looking very staged. More like some jam was spread on the f floor and then some bread placed on top. Understand you need the jam to be visible, which is hard given its going to be under the bread, think less might have been more in this case.
Cheers Graham. I can beat your week 48. The year before I shot a Christmas bauble for the magical theme in week 12 !!!

I agree about the jam. The bread moved during the set up and I didn't clean it all up :banghead:

Hi Peter...super dandelion...and I totally agree it needs the softness around the edge, it adds to the feeling of the fragility of the subject.

Sparkle ...another super one...lots of lovely colour....an eye catching image.

Fall....I love the expression that you've captured in Archie's eyes ...there's a real look of longing there ... a sort of 'do I or don't I' look. But the jam ...it just doesn't look natural enough....I think it could definitely do without the smear to the left of the bread.
Thanks Susie. See above regarding the jam

Great images Peter. I particularly like sparkle ... very creative ... genuine bokeh complete with reflection. :clap:
Cheers David

Hi Peter, sparkle works really well though it seems so wrong at this time of year
Fall, got to love the expression on the dogs face he looks a little confused as to why such a thing has happened,
agree sort of with everyone about the jam but I suppose you have to emphasise the point a little.

nice birthday present by the way
Thanks Allan. Yeah it was a super present. Totally unexpected. The only downside was waiting from last October to now before going on the workshop. You really do have to book ahead if you want to go on one of Joe Cornish's workshops.
 
Hi Peter...

Pure is bang on for focus... nice crisp image...
Sparkle works too and the bokeh is easy on the eye which is pleasing...
Fall... the disappointment on the dogs face is excellent...
 
Hi so sorry for not having dropped by to comment for a while, I have had some broadband issues so I am on a marathon catch up session.

Sharp - a very nice image of a cute hedgehog, those spines certainly look sharp to me. Everything about the image works well for me I love it.

Pure - a nice fitting detailed image, I think it is nicely lit and well exposed.

Sparkle - a great image, I love the lens flare the bright colours coming from the lights and the placement of the candle works very well.

Fall - a fun take for the theme, the dog seems to look a bit upset at it having fallen on the floor. I do like the image and works for the theme, keep up the good work.
 
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Hi Peter sorry for my lack of comments trying to catch up

Half - like the idea but think the clock face looks rather lost with the negative space

Architecture - its different love the red and over sized shadow works for me

Promise - like the angle of the wife and DOF works well nice shot

Sharp - lovely photo face is so cute but should it not be fast asleep in daylight?

Pure - lovely effect you have achieved there with the blurring of the edges, the detail in the centre is excellent

Sparkle - in your face image colours are superb well done

Fall - the dogs eyes make it for me is it thinking yes lunch or what the hell is he doing :)
 
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