weekly Ferg's 52 for 2015

Watery - bang on theme and it certainly looks like a nice bright sunny day, lovely colours in the image. The reflections in the water are lovely and add impact to the image. I only have one niggle and that is when I first looked at the image, my eye was drawn immediately to the green netting stuff in the middle of the white building. I would be very tempted to have a go at cloning it out, apart from that it's very pleasing to look at.
 
Hi Ferg, long time no comment :(

Elegant - I like the effect you've achieved with your 'Heath Robinson' lighting set up (and this is from someone who doesn't even own a flash :)) Only crit is it's a bit tight at the bottom but that has already been mentioned :coat:

Watery - Certainly fits the theme and you've got some nice reflections going on there. Only crit is I'd lose a bit of the sky and make it a letterbox crop as the sky is very flat - where are the fluffy clouds when you need them :p
 
So colourful ... a lucky catch.

I'm not really in the position to offer advice, but ... what about having the waterline dead centre, revealing a little more FG water?
 
Hi Ferg :)

Elegant - Nice idea, I'd like to see a tiny bit more at the bottom, but other than that think you have done a grand job with the lighting and exposure, the chrome looks pretty clean to me, real nice reflections (y)

Thanks for sharing the set-up too :)

Watery - That's a wonderfully colourful image, great composition, the reflections are real good, the inclusion of the bright waals either end really help lift the shot for me- good one (y)
 
Companions - Super image of the dog. What a face as well - I just love those wrinkles. The fact both subjects are laying asleep on the same rug is great.

Elegant - Great image. I maybe feel it’s a little tight at the bottom but that’s me nit picking. I like how you’ve used the headlights against the garage door to light the grill. Have you converted to mono? Either way I like it.

Watery - Hard to believe that’s the UK in February. It almost has a spanish villa feel to it.
 
watery - lovely shot and bang on the theme. If it wasn't for that one bare tree I'd have thought it was taken in the middle of summer. I agree with Jill about cropping some of the sky though :)
 
Companions, it has to be the snoozing pair, that tongue just finishes it off nicely
Elegant, really like the lighting, and love your idea of bouncing the headlights off the house. Maybe it needs more space at the bottom and a slight straighten up, but I like it
Watery, I too thought this looked somewhere warm abroad, just goes to show! Pleasing colours too:)
 
Pinkbikerbabe said:
my eye was drawn immediately to the green netting stuff in the middle of the white building. I would be very tempted to have a go at cloning it out, apart from that it's very pleasing to look at.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback [emoji5]️..... You know I hadn't really noticed that before - now it's the only thing I see! Haha.

Bruja said:
Hi Ferg, long time no comment :(

Elegant - I like the effect you've achieved with your 'Heath Robinson' lighting set up (and this is from someone who doesn't even own a flash :)) Only crit is it's a bit tight at the bottom but that has already been mentioned :coat:

Watery - Certainly fits the theme and you've got some nice reflections going on there. Only crit is I'd lose a bit of the sky and make it a letterbox crop as the sky is very flat - where are the fluffy clouds when you need them :p
Click to expand...
Hey Jill! [emoji4] Heath Robinson-esque eh? Gratefully accepted! Hehe.... Just seemed easier somehow than figuring out how the make the flash work at the right power[emoji23]

Agree about the sky - silly clouds! I would add some in PP but they'd only end up looking like floating sheep!

Phil Bennett said:
Great colours and reflection Ferg, nice work

Phil
Click to expand...
Thanks Phil [emoji16]

d00d said:
So colourful ... a lucky catch.

I'm not really in the position to offer advice, but ... what about having the waterline dead centre, revealing a little more FG water?
Click to expand...
Thanks for commenting d00d [emoji5]️.... I had to cut quite a bit of FG out as I was crouching for the shot and got a lot of dead shoreline grass in the way.... And I'm rubbish at cloning [emoji23]

Dark Knight said:
Hi Ferg :)

Elegant - Nice idea, I'd like to see a tiny bit more at the bottom, but other than that think you have done a grand job with the lighting and exposure, the chrome looks pretty clean to me, real nice reflections (y)

Thanks for sharing the set-up too :)

Watery - That's a wonderfully colourful image, great composition, the reflections are real good, the inclusion of the bright waals either end really help lift the shot for me- good one (y)
Click to expand...
Hey Dean![emoji16] think I might have another go at the elegant one at some point, see if I can find a way it include the bottom chrome slat in the shot - it just looked like a bit squint compared to the others because it's more curved...... Do I get a little star or something on the spreadsheet for a set-up shot?[emoji13][emoji16]...please? Lol.

Really pleased at how the watery one turned out in the end tbh - it was kind of just a grab it shot incase I couldn't find a decent beach hut (found one but the sun was in the wrong place) - so more luck than judgement on that one! Haha. Thanks for dropping in!

rpn said:
Beautiful colours and nice reflection. Me personally would like to centre the shot, i.e. the reflection being exact mirror image.
Click to expand...
Hey there .... Thanks for the feedback [emoji5]️.....hadn't really thought much beyond getting a reflection but yes, I see what you mean, that would look good.

Delta Skies said:
Companions - Super image of the dog. What a face as well - I just love those wrinkles. The fact both subjects are laying asleep on the same rug is great.

Elegant - Great image. I maybe feel it’s a little tight at the bottom but that’s me nit picking. I like how you’ve used the headlights against the garage door to light the grill. Have you converted to mono? Either way I like it.

Watery - Hard to believe that’s the UK in February. It almost has a spanish villa feel to it.
Click to expand...
Hi![emoji16] the wrinkles are his secret weapon - no one is immune to them! [emoji23]

I tried a mono first, but it somehow didn't feel shiny enough, so it just had the colour temp/tone adjusted slightly instead.

It does feel a bit Mediterranean doesn't it?! Unfortunately the rest of the beach doesn't quite have the same feel! Lol. Thanks for taking the time to comment[emoji5]️

Dem55 said:
watery - lovely shot and bang on the theme. If it wasn't for that one bare tree I'd have thought it was taken in the middle of summer. I agree with Jill about cropping some of the sky though :)
Click to expand...
I was all snugged up in my winter jacket and gloves, then the sun came out and it was pretty warm! Too much sky, agreed[emoji5]️. Thankyou for commenting [emoji5]️

crazylady said:
Companions, it has to be the snoozing pair, that tongue just finishes it off nicely
Elegant, really like the lighting, and love your idea of bouncing the headlights off the house. Maybe it needs more space at the bottom and a slight straighten up, but I like it
Watery, I too thought this looked somewhere warm abroad, just goes to show! Pleasing colours too:)
Click to expand...
Hi... Thanks for the nice comments![emoji4]
I can't resist squishing his fluffy face when he sleeps with his tongue out..... He's never overly impressed with me though![emoji23]
 
Hiya Ferg, sorry I've been so long before commenting on everyone's threads (including yours).

Scenic - nice spot. Have you experimented with your camera positioning - trying taking the same shot from "normal" height, waist height, floor-level and perhaps a stretch to taken from a foot or so above your head? It'd be interesting to see how the different viewpoints change that single shot. I also think it might work well with some cropping... definitely a good subject for experimentation as it has some classic features like a strong lead-in line. Early morning/late afternoon with strong side lighting would also work well...

Companions - well that's a cracker! Lovely positioning and a great image. Really well done (y)

Elegance - well that's on theme for me. Could work with a touch more exposure personally, but well controlled lighting and a great setup shot! If you'd wanted a lower-key look, I'd have gone for stronger side-lighting but then you couldn't have used the headlights! As it is, it's a very nicely taken shot and worth having a play lighting-wise just because it's a strong base shot...

Watery - as an image it's not working so well for me as the composition is all on more or less on the same vertical - if you'd been able to shoot at an angle it might create a bit more tension/dynamism??
 
Very nice reflections in there Ferg (y)
 
Winding back to Companions Ferg!
Companions...
Love the shot with the dog just a bit puzzled which ones Ferg;) Great positioning and nice use of DOF.
The lighting seems pretty good too nice shot!

I think the Swan shot is quite nice, I love the duel reflection of the swans in the water. I like the way the diagonal branch points you into the photo. Maybe you could ask them to swim the other way into the open space.... :). It's i a good shot Ferg.

Elegant ....
Interesting shot, the lighting gives the chrome a real burnished look about it. Like highlights running along the leading edges of the grill and badge. Think it would have been even better if you'd have got the third upright of the badge (vertical one) with a highlight running up the centre of It. But you can't have everything;)
Really nice to see the lighting set up, good work Ferg.

Watery.... Quite a splash of colour there! Has a bit of a tropical flavour about it, and I like the strong L shaped reflection that accentuates the slightly abstract side of the image. The reflection is quite good and glassy even though there are ripples on the surface. I think the others comments about cropping some of the sky works well as it draws more attention to the reflection.
Definitely watery!

Good stuff Ferg
 
ferg007 said:
Thanks for the feedback [emoji5]️


Thanks for commenting d00d [emoji5]️.... I had to cut quite a bit of FG out as I was crouching for the shot and got a lot of dead shoreline grass in the way.... And I'm rubbish at cloning [emoji23]
Click to expand...

Nah ... my idea of having the waterline dead centre doesn't really work anyway, as the reflection is longer than the real thing. IYKWIM
 
Week 7: Bold

Ouch....this theme made my head hurt! Isn't strange how a simple word you've used in many different contexts can cause instant brain block!:runaway:

I'm not completely happy with this shot - i really wanted to catch some paint dripping off the petals, but, my pouring & trigger co-ordination wasn't great as it turned out and the lightbox was in serious danger of being splatted with paint so I stopped while the going was....acceptable!:ROFLMAO:

bold by fergusinglis, on Flickr
16548567276_a2caee7ba6_k.jpg
 
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Watery is really nice, I love reflection shots anyway, and the colours work really well in this. The only slight improvement for me would be proper symmetry, but I'm guessing the foreground wouldn't allow for that.

Bold is clever. At first glance I thought you'd had some kind of processing catastrophe, then I clicked through and realised what you'd done... Nice! can't really offer anything other than well done... Concept, composition, lighting, background... Spot on for me.
 
I like it a lot. A good take on the theme.
I actually like the fact that it's not symetrical. Only funeral flowers should be symetrical :)
 
Hi Ferg.
Interesting idea for bold, I'm having the same headache :( It s within theme which is good. I thin the image looks a bit 'bolder' on flickr but that may be to do with their black background around yours. To me the dof is good and I think the image works well. My only crit is that because as you say you couldn't get better drips I think it may be better to get rid of that little drip all together.
 
Nice image Ferg. Even without the paint it's a nice detailed shot. (y)
 
NickD said:
Watery is really nice, I love reflection shots anyway, and the colours work really well in this. The only slight improvement for me would be proper symmetry, but I'm guessing the foreground wouldn't allow for that.

Bold is clever. At first glance I thought you'd had some kind of processing catastrophe, then I clicked through and realised what you'd done... Nice! can't really offer anything other than well done... Concept, composition, lighting, background... Spot on for me.
Click to expand...
Most of the processing I do is a catastrophe! [emoji23]..... This was a rare occasion where it was by design - thanks for the great compliment [emoji4]

viv1969 said:
I like it a lot. A good take on the theme.
I actually like the fact that it's not symetrical. Only funeral flowers should be symetrical :)
Click to expand...
Haha.... That made me giggle, and you're absolutely right.... Only funeral flowers!![emoji23]

Phil Bennett said:
Bold

Nice one Ferg, what kind of PP did you use? looks like a bit of a painting.

Phil
Click to expand...
Hi Phil, thanks! PP is not my strong point so nothing too complicated is the answer..... Played around with the exposure, contrast, highlights and shadows to get as much of the creases in the background sheet out as possible. The paint I used was red so changed the red channel to pink as I thought it was "bolder". Increased the vibrancy and saturation a little and did some healing in the remaining BG creases...... It sounds a lot now I write it down, but was only about 10mins work, which is about as much Lightroom and Pixelator as I can stand frankly [emoji23]

Raptor Mike said:
Hi Ferg.
Interesting idea for bold, I'm having the same headache :( It s within theme which is good. I thin the image looks a bit 'bolder' on flickr but that may be to do with their black background around yours. To me the dof is good and I think the image works well. My only crit is that because as you say you couldn't get better drips I think it may be better to get rid of that little drip all together.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the crit[emoji5]️. You know I hadn't even noticed that little blighter there!....too busy being disappointed at a lack of long gloopy streaks of paint I guess!

d00d said:
Nice image Ferg. Even without the paint it's a nice detailed shot. (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks d00d! [emoji5]️
 
It made my head hurt too Ferg.
(The theme not your image ;) )

Its a nice take on the theme, and yes there is a little paint dripping down :)
 
Interesting take. Drips, I'm not sure they would have been that visible, TBH, unless the BG was black so they stood out more.

Nice detail in the flowers, real ones would have been better, though ;)

Cheers.
 
Cobra said:
It made my head hurt too Ferg.
(The theme not your image ;) )

Its a nice take on the theme, and yes there is a little paint dripping down :)
Click to expand...
Haha, glad it wasn't the image Chris!

posiview said:
Interesting take. Drips, I'm not sure they would have been that visible, TBH, unless the BG was black so they stood out more.

Nice detail in the flowers, real ones would have been better, though ;)

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback Andy! Oh I couldn't hurt a real flower!![emoji16] (garage didn't have any mainly white bouquets)[emoji23]
 
pjm1 said:
Hiya Ferg, sorry I've been so long before commenting on everyone's threads (including yours).

Scenic - nice spot. Have you experimented with your camera positioning - trying taking the same shot from "normal" height, waist height, floor-level and perhaps a stretch to taken from a foot or so above your head? It'd be interesting to see how the different viewpoints change that single shot. I also think it might work well with some cropping... definitely a good subject for experimentation as it has some classic features like a strong lead-in line. Early morning/late afternoon with strong side lighting would also work well...

Companions - well that's a cracker! Lovely positioning and a great image. Really well done (y)

Elegance - well that's on theme for me. Could work with a touch more exposure personally, but well controlled lighting and a great setup shot! If you'd wanted a lower-key look, I'd have gone for stronger side-lighting but then you couldn't have used the headlights! As it is, it's a very nicely taken shot and worth having a play lighting-wise just because it's a strong base shot...

Watery - as an image it's not working so well for me as the composition is all on more or less on the same vertical - if you'd been able to shoot at an angle it might create a bit more tension/dynamism??
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the feedback Paul - everyone's comments on the 52 is really helping me to think before I click! Agree with you on watery completely, I knew at the time it wasn't going to feel quite right but the colours were too good to pass up and time was running out [emoji16]

69Bonni said:
Winding back to Companions Ferg!
Companions...
Love the shot with the dog just a bit puzzled which ones Ferg;) Great positioning and nice use of DOF.
The lighting seems pretty good too nice shot!

I think the Swan shot is quite nice, I love the duel reflection of the swans in the water. I like the way the diagonal branch points you into the photo. Maybe you could ask them to swim the other way into the open space.... :). It's i a good shot Ferg.

Elegant ....
Interesting shot, the lighting gives the chrome a real burnished look about it. Like highlights running along the leading edges of the grill and badge. Think it would have been even better if you'd have got the third upright of the badge (vertical one) with a highlight running up the centre of It. But you can't have everything;)
Really nice to see the lighting set up, good work Ferg.

Watery.... Quite a splash of colour there! Has a bit of a tropical flavour about it, and I like the strong L shaped reflection that accentuates the slightly abstract side of the image. The reflection is quite good and glassy even though there are ripples on the surface. I think the others comments about cropping some of the sky works well as it draws more attention to the reflection.
Definitely watery!

Good stuff Ferg
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time with all the feedback! Really appreciate it. That extra highlight on the merc badge would've been ideal wouldn't it?! Definitely going to have another at that shot one day. [emoji6]
 
susiejb said:
Hi Ferg ....I really like this one :) very effective against the black background.

I did a dripping honey shot last year ....very messy :eek: I used the burst setting on my camera to capture the drips.

Bold was a difficult word this week, so well done with your choice.
Click to expand...
Doh!!! Completely forgot about burst mode!!.....too busy wondering if the paint was going to splash the sides of the lightbox [emoji23][emoji23]
 
looks good, fits the theme. I can see what you wanted to do with the paint, but as it turned out I would have wanted the paint to be matt rather than glossy.
 
Thanks for all the lovely comments!

Rob E said:
Hi Ferg,

Very creative effort for Bold, Lovely lighting too. was it take in a light tent?
Click to expand...
Hey Rob....Yeah it was a light tent with lights left, right and above - I love eBay :ROFLMAO:
 
Week 8: Relax

Been a manic week so was running a little behind. Went to the Birling Gap today to capture something for Vertical and as luck would have it, stumbled across a rock stack that someone had kindly made and left! Feels a little bit zen-like to me to Relax is now done!:sneaky:

Relax by fergusinglis, on Flickr
 
Week 9: Vertical
Cracking day for being out and about! Wanted some cliffs for Vertical so headed to Birling Gap to grab this shot.......It was a bit scary standing under cliffs that are constantly crumbling throughout the year - the things you do for a TP52 challenge!:LOL:

Vertical by fergusinglis, on Flickr
 
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