weekly Drodd's Photo52 for 2011 - Week 51, 52 and bonus: Light, Glass, Nature (post 1545)

Dawn,

its all very well getting a great picture out this early, but what are you going to worry about for the rest of the week like the rest of us. :D

Well done and I'm jealous and hungry now for some fresh fruit.

Pete
 
Grumpidad said:
Dawn,

its all very well getting a great picture out this early, but what are you going to worry about for the rest of the week like the rest of us. :D

Well done and I'm jealous and hungry now for some fresh fruit.

Pete
Click to expand...

Hey Pete, thanks but I worry just as much as all of you with regards the themes, just got lucky with this one pal.

Hungry .... fresh fruit...... hmmmmmmm the mind boggles ;) get my drift :D

Cheers

Dawn x
 
that is fantastic ( especial when everyone else is falling apart must be good weather ) !! great idea did you eat any ? (lol)
superbly taken as well (y)
 
Great shot there Dawn, lovely fruit,
I swear that pineapple is laughing at me :LOL:

Good arrangement
(y)
 
TinaC said:
Looks like an offering to the Gods ;)

Again you are blasting away (y) I like the idea but for me the vignette and border don't help :shrug:
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Hiya Tina, thanks ..... offering to the Gods ..... :LOL: I think they will be kissing my ass afs this weekend!

Blasting away hey???? take on board your comment about the vignette and border .... (y)


debrito said:
that is fantastic ( especial when everyone else is falling apart must be good weather ) !! great idea did you eat any ? (lol)
superbly taken as well (y)
Click to expand...

I'll have you know that it all went into a fruit cocktail in the end (bar the veg)
:LOL:

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Rob 80386 said:
Great shot there Dawn, lovely fruit,
I swear that pineapple is laughing at me :LOL:

Good arrangement
(y)
Click to expand...

Thanks Emily

The pineapple is laffing at you :LOL:

Cheers


Dawn :)
 
Hi Dawn

hells bells , I've only just managed to complete Paradox n you've already sorted the latest theme:p

Great idea & lovely compostion , def looks like it was taken in a jungle , spot on for the theme (y) ....I can also see a slight bluey tinge to it as well but love the frame & vignette :clap:
 
blondie606 said:
Hi Dawn

hells bells , I've only just managed to complete Paradox n you've already sorted the latest theme:p

Great idea & lovely compostion , def looks like it was taken in a jungle , spot on for the theme (y) ....I can also see a slight bluey tinge to it as well but love the frame & vignette :clap:
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Hiya Lynne,

Thanks for the comments .... I will have to have a look at this bluey tinge tomoz when the wine is not taking effect :LOL:

michael23 said:
Hiya Dawn, well done on being so quick off the mark! Lovely colours on the fruit, like the vignette, I agree with Dave, there is a blue cast on the white balance side of things.
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Hiya Michael, as above .... will check it out tomoz .... either I have had too much or all of you have :LOL:

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi Dawn, I really, really love your processing of Paradox and its' relevance to theme. Its funny how people do those things. Having seen your original unprocessed I can appreciate more the work that went into it.
Tropical - Shame about the freezer, and not getting the garden done but the by product is this warm tropical feast. Nice composition - works well
 
fido18 said:
Another good image. I agree with the blue tint but other than that , well composed shot.
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Hiya Ceri,

Thanks for the comments, I've had another look at the photo today but on my monitor I can't see a blue tint, perhaps if I reduce the vignette slightly it may improve it..... however I will do some tweeking of the white balance later and see if it improves it.

Marts said:
Hi Dawn, I really, really love your processing of Paradox and its' relevance to theme. Its funny how people do those things. Having seen your original unprocessed I can appreciate more the work that went into it.
Tropical - Shame about the freezer, and not getting the garden done but the by product is this warm tropical feast. Nice composition - works well
Click to expand...

Hiya Martin,

Thanks for the comments and glad you like the processing of the Paradox photo. Thanks too for your kind words and the comments on Tropical. I should really attend to the garden today as I don't think my neighbours are impressed that I have a harvest of dandelions :D

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hiya all,

Thanks for all the feedback so far on the Tropical photo. Having looked at the photo again this morning, with clearer eyes :LOL: I can see the blue tint.

Thanks also to ..MD.. for sending me an edit, much appreciated. I've now had a go at editing the photo and hope this looks better:

Tropical (minus the blue tint):
5648999675_4c7482a303_b.jpg

[/url] Tropical-2 by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

Thanks again to everyone for your valuable support, critique and comments they all form part of my learning.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
michael23 said:
Hi Dawn, that is a great improvement! The colours look even better this time, the vignette is just right. What did you do in pp?
Click to expand...

Hiya Michael,

Thanks for the feedback and comments.

Regards pp .... on the latest photo .... basically I stripped the first one back to try to figure where I went wrong, and think it may be to do with a combination of the wrong WB (which was set to Auto in camera), but as the photo was taken on a bright day, in the shade I think the setting went a bit wonky. On top of that it may have been a combination of good red wine and clicking the Auto Colour buttton :LOL:

So after stripping it back I then did the following .... a few small clones to remove a stray dandelion flower from the background, fix up a chomped dandelion leaf (which I think adds to the 'jungle' look), adjusted RGB levels, a bit of a sharpen and a slight touch of saturation (all done in Picnik). The exif data is 1/100s, f/5.6, focal length 47.0, ISO 200, Auto WB.

Here is a link to the original photo, if you would like to see how it all started out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystal_singer/5652600499/

Hope this provides answer to the question ... and if you, or anyone reading this, has any advice as to where I could improve, I am all ears :D.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
SamuelSlade007 said:
??? what sort of camera lets you dial in 'good red wine' setting...??? :thinking:
Click to expand...

:LOL: ok so this is the 'red wine' you were talking about. Well I'll tell you my camera has all sorts of different settings, not that they are always effective, however I can always rely on the A-Dep setting (Alcohol Dependent) :D
 
drodd said:
:LOL: ok so this is the 'red wine' you were talking about. Well I'll tell you my camera has all sorts of different settings, not that they are always effective, however I can always rely on the A-Dep setting (Alcohol Dependent) :D
Click to expand...


and then there's the G&T dial setting isn't there.. :D ... though i can't talk..mine has a GW setting.. as some of my 52 shots have demonstrated.. :D
 
Hi Dawn, yes that answers everything fine, I too have noticed on my 30d, that the white balance throws a wobbly in bright sunlight, where there is shade involved. Your original image on flickr is showing as private, so I can't view it.

drodd said:
Hiya Michael,

Thanks for the feedback and comments.

Regards pp .... on the latest photo .... basically I stripped the first one back to try to figure where I went wrong, and think it may be to do with a combination of the wrong WB (which was set to Auto in camera), but as the photo was taken on a bright day, in the shade I think the setting went a bit wonky. On top of that it may have been a combination of good red wine and clicking the Auto Colour buttton :LOL:

So after stripping it back I then did the following .... a few small clones to remove a stray dandelion flower from the background, fix up a chomped dandelion leaf (which I think adds to the 'jungle' look), adjusted RGB levels, a bit of a sharpen and a slight touch of saturation (all done in Picnik). The exif data is 1/100s, f/5.6, focal length 47.0, ISO 200, Auto WB.

Here is a link to the original photo, if you would like to see how it all started out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystal_singer/5652600499/

Hope this provides answer to the question ... and if you, or anyone reading this, has any advice as to where I could improve, I am all ears :D.

Cheers

Dawn :)
Click to expand...
 
michael23 said:
Hi Dawn, yes that answers everything fine, I too have noticed on my 30d, that the white balance throws a wobbly in bright sunlight, where there is shade involved. Your original image on flickr is showing as private, so I can't view it.
Click to expand...

Hiya Michael,

Thanks, I think you should be able to see the pic now.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi Dawn.
Damn my rule of no peeking until I've uploaded. All I can do now regards commenting is agree with most of what has been said. You obviously went to a lot of effort setting the fruit and veg up just right for the shot and it has paid off. Superb composition and you even managed to get the shot before the apple browned. The blue tint I probably wouldn't have noticed which is why it's good that people with more experience pop into our 52's to give crit. The border works for me as it adds to the layering with the vignette to draw you in and the title at the bottom gives it a poster feel.

Great job on the shot and re-editing.
 
Barrysprout said:
Hi Dawn.
Damn my rule of no peeking until I've uploaded. All I can do now regards commenting is agree with most of what has been said. You obviously went to a lot of effort setting the fruit and veg up just right for the shot and it has paid off. Superb composition and you even managed to get the shot before the apple browned. The blue tint I probably wouldn't have noticed which is why it's good that people with more experience pop into our 52's to give crit. The border works for me as it adds to the layering with the vignette to draw you in and the title at the bottom gives it a poster feel.

Great job on the shot and re-editing.
Click to expand...

Hiya Colin,

Thanks for the comments and compliments. Indeed it took some setting up trying to get the right composition ... as for the apples .... well they had to be trimmed a few times to rid of the brown .... I might be quick .... but not that quick :LOL:

Glad you like the border, vignetting and title ... how you describe it is exactly what I was trying to achieve by applying this finish (y)

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
This one is for Kev (aka SamuelSlade007 ... Mr Bond himself :LOL:)

SamuelSlade007 said:
as it is..my inbox has SUDDENLY become infected so dare not read any more mail on here.. 'You know who you are that sent ...THAT image to me!!! ... ' ... :naughty:
Click to expand...

I wonder who that could be :thinking:

SamuelSlade007 said:
tropical for me is a bug bear..!! and after dawn picked me up about me shirt incident i'm taking my time... maybe a shot of mali--.. maliii b--... that M drink might be appropriate .. but have a strong dislike for coconut..:thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

SamuelSlade007 said:
:cautious: ... mmm.. no image of bottle as yet>???? odd ... :thinking:
:LOL:
Click to expand...

Could this be the answer :thinking:

5660229727_7b35f5a183_b.jpg
[/url]
IMG_6057-1 by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]


:LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
SamuelSlade007 said:
JUST for the record... I have NEVER seen that bottle before in my life...!!!! :cautious:..i was across the other side of town when i walked into the bar... :help:

..its stitch up thats what... that bottles been pimped!!
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Kev, after reading the above I suspect you've already drank to contents of the bottle...;)
 
Sterling Archer said:
Mouthwatering collection of fruit. Is it me, or does the coconut look surprised?
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Hiya Mark,

Thanks, I suppose in a way the coconut does look surprised :LOL:

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi Dawn,

Love your second version of tropical, great colours and a very nice arrangement. Dandelion leaf didn't bother me and do be honest as a devout carnivore (I eat the cow that ate the grass, thus confirming my position at the top of the food chain)I thought it was a bit of fruit anyway.

Idea for you - get a gardening trigger spray and just mist some fresh water on everything. You get little water beads :)
 
cw318is said:
Hi Dawn,

Love your second version of tropical, great colours and a very nice arrangement. Dandelion leaf didn't bother me and do be honest as a devout carnivore (I eat the cow that ate the grass, thus confirming my position at the top of the food chain)I thought it was a bit of fruit anyway.

Idea for you - get a gardening trigger spray and just mist some fresh water on everything. You get little water beads :)
Click to expand...

Hiya Caleb,

Thanks for the compliments. The arrangement took some time, and one that I am not going to be able to rearrange right now as most of the fruit went into a fruit salad after :LOL: However, I like your idea about the water beads .... I'll remember that for next time I do something like this (y)

I thought the dandelion leaf added to the jungle feel, I had removed one or two others. I too am a devout carnivore .... love meat, but a bit of fruit and veg is good too (for vitamins and minerals).

Glad you like the pic, and agree the second one is a better colour.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi Dawn, sorry I haven't commented for a while, been away for a few weeks.
Your "tropical" image is just brilliant. It just shouts "TROPICAL". You obviously went to huge lengths arranging all the fruit and the composition works very well. I love all the different colours and textures. The revised version is a great improvement - the colours are much better and it looks sharper too.

I think I would have tried cropping in a bit tighter to fill the frame more, and personally I'm not keen on the the border. But those are minor points.

I always look forward to your 52 as I know you are going to come up with something unusual and imaginative.
 
PatrickO said:
Hi Dawn, sorry I haven't commented for a while, been away for a few weeks.
Your "tropical" image is just brilliant. It just shouts "TROPICAL". You obviously went to huge lengths arranging all the fruit and the composition works very well. I love all the different colours and textures. The revised version is a great improvement - the colours are much better and it looks sharper too.

I think I would have tried cropping in a bit tighter to fill the frame more, and personally I'm not keen on the the border. But those are minor points.

I always look forward to your 52 as I know you are going to come up with something unusual and imaginative.
Click to expand...

Hiya Patrick,

Welcome back and I trust you have had a fantastic holiday.

Thanks for the comments about the Tropical shot, I agree the revised version is much better, thanks to all the comments from everyone I learned much from this photo.

I did consider a tighter crop, but as it was already such a busy photo, cropping it would have meant losing some of the pineapple head and filling the frame too much ... and I wanted to apply the vignette to zone on the fruit/veg.

I appreciate your comment about the border, something that is very much a personal preference ;)

I'm glad you look forward to my 52. I have an idea for the new theme, but as I am still at camp (should be packing up .... and not here on TP :LOL:) I've not been able to do much on the little netbook ... but have some photos taken and will compile the shot later. Also my son has given me an idea for Power, so I said he can help me do that one later .... watch this space :D

Look forward to seeing some of your holiday photos and your catch up with the 52.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Dawn,

It is either my monitor, or yours, or your shots seem a little dark and flat recently.
Not the content or structure, just the colours seem flat.

As an example, the background colour on the Malibu picture. I think it needs to be whiter, and that will kill the shadows. I'm guessing you used a light tent or white paper around the bottle, so a few minutes in PP can work wonders. Just do a smart select on the bg, and then boost the levels.

As for the fruit photo, I love the arrangement, and the colours, but for me the vignetting is too much and too dark. Makes it look like a small clearing in the jungle at night. Or maybe it is the dark border....

Love the paradox shot, and the PP work done on it. Very Matrix!!!, Here the darkness of the shot works well.

In fact, overall on you last few photos, I would venture to say, a bit more selective PP work on the shots would really lift them.

Sorry if it seems negative, but I think the shots are there, just the PP work needs more time on it.

Rgds


Adie
 
Webby962 said:
Dawn,

It is either my monitor, or yours, or your shots seem a little dark and flat recently.
Not the content or structure, just the colours seem flat.

As an example, the background colour on the Malibu picture. I think it needs to be whiter, and that will kill the shadows. I'm guessing you used a light tent or white paper around the bottle, so a few minutes in PP can work wonders. Just do a smart select on the bg, and then boost the levels.

As for the fruit photo, I love the arrangement, and the colours, but for me the vignetting is too much and too dark. Makes it look like a small clearing in the jungle at night. Or maybe it is the dark border....

Love the paradox shot, and the PP work done on it. Very Matrix!!!, Here the darkness of the shot works well.

In fact, overall on you last few photos, I would venture to say, a bit more selective PP work on the shots would really lift them.

Sorry if it seems negative, but I think the shots are there, just the PP work needs more time on it.

Rgds


Adie
Click to expand...


Hiya Adie,

Thanks for the feedback and critique. Like you say, not sure if it is different monitors that is causing the darkness, but on my monitor at home they don't appear dark. When I'm back at work tomorrow I'll have another look at the pics.

The Malabu pic was shot in a light box, and to be honest I didn't really pay much attention to the set up of the photo as it wasn't part of this (more for Kev's amusement) and more a quick snap shot. I did however apply a pinkish vignette to it, which now looking at it hasn't worked too well.

As for the tropical photo, it's good to get the difference of opinions regards the vignette, so appreciate that some find it works and others not. Personally I like the vignette as it like you say it makes it look like a small clearing in the jungle at night. Would say I may consider this one for a reshoot at some point ... but the fruit may not be in season at that stage, and I can't do a reshoot of same now as all the fruit went into a fruit salad after this shot :LOL:

I do already spend quite a lot of time processing my photos .... but obviously I am not doing it right :bang: maybe something I still need to work on.

Cheers

Dawn
 
blondie606 said:
Hi Dawn

your reshoot for Tropical is much improved(y)

Personnaly I love the Bottle shot & the vignette :)

Can't wait to see your Power shot , always look forward to seeing your posts (y)
Click to expand...

Hiya Lynne,

Thank you for the comments and compliments on the re-shoot of tropical and the bottle shot.

I will be posting my 'power' shots tonight which some may like and others not, but hopefully there will be a bit of something to please all ;)

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
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