weekly Lorraine's 52 in 2015 - Week 24 Spiral Added

[Deleted member 59779]

An elegant residence indeed. Edited version especially. i can visualise the owners gliding up the steps to the regal entrance with its opulent furnishing inside.

 

[Cobra]

That certainly is an elegant residence Lorraine

 

[Bruja]

I like the edit of the Hall and love the elegance of the tree Did you pop in and get some ice cream in Seaton Deleval? I try and get there each time we come over as I used to go there as lot.

 

[viv1969]

That really is an elegant building Mandy.

There's a place not far from my office called Mereworth Castle and whilst it's not a castle, but a private house, it's proving to be a bugger to get close to to shoot.
It used to be owned by some UAE ambassador. I must look into it again.
I think I'm going to have to take the "in your face" option and rock up to the door with my gear!!

 

[Plumtreelad]

Yes Lorraine, that certainly works for me and conveys elegance. A few slightly dark patches, but does little to detract from a good composition. Good work

 

[Dem55]

An elegant residence indeed. Edited version especially. i can visualise the owners gliding up the steps to the regal entrance with its opulent furnishing inside.

Thanks Mandy. Sadly, most of the interior is less that grand - the building was almost destroyed by a fire and it's never been fully restored. I'm waiting to see what the National Trust do to it

That certainly is an elegant residence Lorraine

Thanks Cobra

I like the edit of the Hall and love the elegance of the tree Did you pop in and get some ice cream in Seaton Deleval? I try and get there each time we come over as I used to go there as lot.

Thanks Jill I have to confess that even though I live just a couple of miles away, I've never tried the ice cream. I know it's supposed to be amazing and there's always long queues outside the shop in summer...I might make this the year I give it a go

 

[Dem55]

That really is an elegant building Mandy.

There's a place not far from my office called Mereworth Castle and whilst it's not a castle, but a private house, it's proving to be a bugger to get close to to shoot.
It used to be owned by some UAE ambassador. I must look into it again.
I think I'm going to have to take the "in your face" option and rock up to the door with my gear!!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting Ruth It's a shame about Mereworth Castle - maybe it might be possible to arrange to see inside if you contact them in advance? You could always let them have copies of your shots

Yes Lorraine, that certainly works for me and conveys elegance. A few slightly dark patches, but does little to detract from a good composition. Good work

Thanks David

 

[Dem55]

Watery - I had a few ideas for this theme, the first one was ruined by the sunny weather so it was on to this

This is the weir on the River Coquet at Guyzance. The sun was in just the wrong place when I got there this afternoon and the highlights were blown and there was some flare on all of the shots I took. /this is the best of the bunch. I know I'd have got a better shot if I'd had grad filters - something for the shoping list

View attachment 30444

and this was a backup shot, it taken yesterday in St Cuthbert's Church in Allendale. I'd gone to Allendale for something else altoghter and we wandered into the church. It shows Jesus rescuing St Peter from a watery grave...it may be aa bit soft as I didn't have my tripod with me

View attachment 30445

 

[viv1969]

Good weirs are hard to find, and this certainly fits the theme.
The overhanging foliage in the foreground re a little distracting, but I'm thinking any closer and you'd have got wet

 

[big soft moose]

#1 is a nice location and imo the flare doesnt matter much, what impacts on the shot is all the bushes and stuff in the foreground, it would have been much stronger if you had a clear shot at the water (though i realise that might not have been possible), also an ND grad wouldnt have made much difference to this shot as theres no cloud and balancing the sky and the water doesnt seem to have been an issue - they also have been difficult to use with the trees in the way. A straight ND filter (not graduated) would have allowed a longer exposure for milky water if you wanted to go that route.

#2 looks good , though it might have been better to expose more for the light and let the frame go dark - that would have made for a more vibrant shot, and a faster shutter speed thus removing wobble

 

[Dem55]

Good weirs are hard to find, and this certainly fits the theme.
The overhanging foliage in the foreground re a little distracting, but I'm thinking any closer and you'd have got wet

#1 is a nice location and imo the flare doesnt matter much, what impacts on the shot is all the bushes and stuff in the foreground, it would have been much stronger if you had a clear shot at the water (though i realise that might not have been possible), also an ND grad wouldnt have made much difference to this shot as theres no cloud and balancing the sky and the water doesnt seem to have been an issue - they also have been difficult to use with the trees in the way. A straight ND filter (not graduated) would have allowed a longer exposure for milky water if you wanted to go that route.

#2 looks good , though it might have been better to expose more for the light and let the frame go dark - that would have made for a more vibrant shot, and a faster shutter speed thus removing wobble

Thanks both for your thoughts . I have to agree about the branches, I really wanted to get shot of this weir, I've tried to find it before and failed. The main path is quite high, with loads of trees in the ay. I found some steps and got almost to the river's edge, but as you can see, there were still branches in the way. I didn't fancy getting wet , so I didn't go any further

Thanks for your comments on #2 Pete. The sooc shot was quite dark, this is what it looked like. I had dialled in some exposure compensation, but maybe it wasn't enough as there wasn't much detail showing in the top of the window

View attachment 30453

 

[Cobra]

Nice weir I like the sunburst too Lorraine

now if only you had gone a few yards forward and eliminated, some of the gorse and over hang

 

[big soft moose]

I think i prefer the SOOC on #2 lorraine

 

[pjm1]

Hi Paul,

Thanks again for your help. i've found the slider now - it was there all the time :-D

I agree with you about digital - it gives you lots more scope for experimentation and it's not tragic if you go wrong (which I do most of the time). In theory, once you've bought the kit, you then don't have any more costs, until you get your eyes on a lens....a set of filters....software.....

It's the strobes and the modifiers for me at the moment... Ouch!

 

[Manc Man]

Watery - Lovely weir..

Nice sun bust and reflected burst.

 

[Karl Beattie]

Nice, I like the sun reflecting off the weir, though it would have been better it the shot was clear of the encroaching branches..

 

[Allan.H]

Hi, I like the church window and i think you have the processing just right, I work in a church and have taken a few pics of windows it's difficult, you have brought out the detail in the first one the SooC has definitely lost some of it
looks like it needs a bit of a crop and a CCW slight rotation, works for me

 

[Pinkbikerbabe]

Watery - I do like the stained glass window some nice detail in the image, but I do agree the window could do with being straightened.

 

[rpn]

I quite like the weir shot and thought the sun bursts actually enhance the image. Most already mentioned about the foreground.

 

[Dem55]

Nice weir I like the sunburst too Lorraine

now if only you had gone a few yards forward and eliminated, some of the gorse and over hang

hmm, maybe next time

I think i prefer the SOOC on #2 lorraine

thanks Pete

It's the strobes and the modifiers for me at the moment... Ouch!

oh that sounds bad :-(

Watery - Lovely weir..

Nice sun bust and reflected burst.

Thanks for looking & commenting

Nice, I like the sun reflecting off the weir, though it would have been better it the shot was clear of the encroaching branches..

Thanks Karl - I agree it's a shame about the branches

 

[Dem55]

Hi, I like the church window and i think you have the processing just right, I work in a church and have taken a few pics of windows it's difficult, you have brought out the detail in the first one the SooC has definitely lost some of it
looks like it needs a bit of a crop and a CCW slight rotation, works for me

Thanks Allan, glad you like the processing. I think you're right about the straightening & crop

Watery - I do like the stained glass window some nice detail in the image, but I do agree the window could do with being straightened.

Thanks Mandy, yes, looking closely it is a littl bit out

I quite like the weir shot and thought the sun bursts actually enhance the image. Most already mentioned about the foreground.

Thanks Stan, those branches are bad aren't they, it gives me an excuse to go back there and try again though

 

[Cobra]

hmm, maybe next time

I'll be watching and waiting

 

[pjm1]

Hi Lorraine... shame you weren't able to get the shot you wanted in the first watery shot. You could have dialled in a load of -ve exposure comp (maybe -3) to see if that could catch it, and then correct the shadows back up in post?

 

[Delta Skies]

Elegant - Much prefer the edit. The exposure has been well handled given what looks like quite harsh lighting.

Watery - I feel the harsh lighting has taken over on this one. I guess shooting into the Sun won’t have helped although I like the sunburst off the water on the right hand side.

 

[69Bonni]

I'm gonna start waaaay back at scenic
Scenic...
Yep like the castles most of the crit has been already said I just underline it. I like the 2nd edit of the 1st castle, this makes the castle turret more dominant as it sits above the horizon and therefore more like a castle should be. Nice light on the castle and brings up the texture in the stonework well. I prefer the viaduct sitting at the angle rather that square on in No2. No2 has that fence that gives you a good lead in but I think that the perspective, looking down makes the castle look less menacing!
Regarding the shadows also when you get into the bowls of LR you will find the adjustment brush top of the development palette it can be used to brush over an area and then apply all sorts of goodies like exposure, shadow etc etc. so if you don't want to lift the shadows globally on an image but selectively....

Nice location has lots of possibilities for shots in the snow, at night sunrise and sunset if you don't live far away.

Companions ..... Poor little thing hope it's been ok.... And hope you a well again! Nice and sharp hope he made it.

Elegant .... That's a most impressive house! I know technically when thee leaning back it's not correct but somehow I think it gives it almost a different perspective almost as if it's stretching up to the sky a little more perhaps more aristocratic than elegant . The first image is a bit soft but the second edit is much sharper and punchier. Definitely needed that sharpening! When you pulled up the verticals did you use the lens correction tool In LR? If you don't know where it's hiding its in the development palette again hiding right at the bottom easy to miss. There they have a wealth of presets for lots of different manufactures lenses.

No2 the Ash tree, this is the one for me! I love those beautiful curves of the main branches and slender lines of thin younger branches it's a lovely! What a fantastic tree, to be fair I hadn't heard of a weeping Ash before. Now that IS Elegant!
I think taking the supports out would look obviously better and I think it would be a worth while exercise in this case. I have always found the process of cloning out not so much difficult as very time consuming and you need a lot of patience ( my wife reading this over my shoulder has just burst into laughter, and said I don't do a lot of cloning then) it's something you cannot rush ( more bursts of laughter). As for the image I think it's a little soft again but it's a cracking image.
This has my vote!

Watery... I think this image Is over all a tiny bit dark for me but then I guess that's because you were shooting into the sun. So the only way would have bed to probably taken two shots and blended them one to expose for the sky and one for the ground. Still you might be able to lift the shadows a little more with that slider if your careful. You can also duplicate the image raise one to expose the sky correctly and the other for the land, then blend them together ( it's a lot of fading about though).
Was trying to work out the water flow here, it seems to be coming over the weir and also coming across from the left! Is the water feeding in from behind too? I love the sun bursts, especially that little sparkly one on the edge of the weir. Also like the curving top of the weir pulls you right done into the shot. The nice upright fir tree gives a nice anchor for the eye. The branches are a distraction but I have been at plenty of spots like this Lets just say the camera didn't get wet, can you visualise Excalibur and the sword coming out of the lake, we'll replace the sword with a camera.
@Cobra Chest Waders????

Like the stained glass window first shot, beautiful colour, if the first shot is the edited version of the sooc then I'd just have a little play in PP I think for me the first shot, but with a slightly darker frame it would really bring out those colours.

Good work Lorraine nice set.

 

[Dem55]

I'll be watching and waiting

oh dear

 

[Cobra]

oh dear

 

[Cobra]

@Cobra Chest Waders???? .

 

[Dem55]

Hi Lorraine... shame you weren't able to get the shot you wanted in the first watery shot. You could have dialled in a load of -ve exposure comp (maybe -3) to see if that could catch it, and then correct the shadows back up in post?

Hi Paul, thanks for your comments, the first shot I had in mind wasn't the weir, but it needed rain and the weather wasn't playing. This is the weir shot sooc - it was really dark. I did play about for a while and the shot I posted was the best I could do....but I'm slowly getting to grips with LR I think

View attachment 30878

 

[Dem55]

I'm gonna start waaaay back at scenic
Scenic...
Yep like the castles most of the crit has been already said I just underline it. I like the 2nd edit of the 1st castle, this makes the castle turret more dominant as it sits above the horizon and therefore more like a castle should be. Nice light on the castle and brings up the texture in the stonework well. I prefer the viaduct sitting at the angle rather that square on in No2. No2 has that fence that gives you a good lead in but I think that the perspective, looking down makes the castle look less menacing!
Regarding the shadows also when you get into the bowls of LR you will find the adjustment brush top of the development palette it can be used to brush over an area and then apply all sorts of goodies like exposure, shadow etc etc. so if you don't want to lift the shadows globally on an image but selectively....

Nice location has lots of possibilities for shots in the snow, at night sunrise and sunset if you don't live far away.

Companions ..... Poor little thing hope it's been ok.... And hope you a well again! Nice and sharp hope he made it.

Elegant .... That's a most impressive house! I know technically when thee leaning back it's not correct but somehow I think it gives it almost a different perspective almost as if it's stretching up to the sky a little more perhaps more aristocratic than elegant . The first image is a bit soft but the second edit is much sharper and punchier. Definitely needed that sharpening! When you pulled up the verticals did you use the lens correction tool In LR? If you don't know where it's hiding its in the development palette again hiding right at the bottom easy to miss. There they have a wealth of presets for lots of different manufactures lenses.

No2 the Ash tree, this is the one for me! I love those beautiful curves of the main branches and slender lines of thin younger branches it's a lovely! What a fantastic tree, to be fair I hadn't heard of a weeping Ash before. Now that IS Elegant!
I think taking the supports out would look obviously better and I think it would be a worth while exercise in this case. I have always found the process of cloning out not so much difficult as very time consuming and you need a lot of patience ( my wife reading this over my shoulder has just burst into laughter, and said I don't do a lot of cloning then) it's something you cannot rush ( more bursts of laughter). As for the image I think it's a little soft again but it's a cracking image.
This has my vote!

Watery... I think this image Is over all a tiny bit dark for me but then I guess that's because you were shooting into the sun. So the only way would have bed to probably taken two shots and blended them one to expose for the sky and one for the ground. Still you might be able to lift the shadows a little more with that slider if your careful. You can also duplicate the image raise one to expose the sky correctly and the other for the land, then blend them together ( it's a lot of fading about though).
Was trying to work out the water flow here, it seems to be coming over the weir and also coming across from the left! Is the water feeding in from behind too? I love the sun bursts, especially that little sparkly one on the edge of the weir. Also like the curving top of the weir pulls you right done into the shot. The nice upright fir tree gives a nice anchor for the eye. The branches are a distraction but I have been at plenty of spots like this Lets just say the camera didn't get wet, can you visualise Excalibur and the sword coming out of the lake, we'll replace the sword with a camera.
@Cobra Chest Waders????

Like the stained glass window first shot, beautiful colour, if the first shot is the edited version of the sooc then I'd just have a little play in PP I think for me the first shot, but with a slightly darker frame it would really bring out those colours.

Good work Lorraine nice set.

Wow - thank you so much for taking the time to give all of this feedback Steve, it really is much appreciated

Castle (scenic). Thanks. I often go here, it's only about 15 miles from me and it is a lovely place. Not many people go there so you can easily get shots without a load of people in. I have to admit I haven't used the brush in LR as yet, I'm learning it very slowly as I go along...but I'll get there one day

Companions - thanks, I'm much better now , I hope he made it too

Elegant - I think this one was the hardest so far to come up with an idea for. The outside of the house is pretty black which does nowt for the elegant theme ha ha , but they're not going to clean it up because the family made it's money from coal..bit odd, but never mind. The lens correction in LR is the first thing I do to all of my shots, it's surprising what a difference it makes. Then I used filter, correct distortion in PSE.

I'm glad you like the tree, I've never heard of these until I went to the house. It has a huge lawn all to itself and it's very impressive. I don't mind a bit of cloning, I'm not sure I'm good enough to get all of the supports out, but it might be worth a try - I wonder why your wife was laughing?

Watery - yes, the sun was a killer, right in the wrong place. I didn't have my tripod with me so taking two shots wasn't an option really, but I've never thought about trying to duplicate the shot and process the two differently, so that's definitely worth a go (it may take me some time though
The water is flowing right to left, and as you can see the river's pretty wide at that point.
The camera stayed dry, and I did too, which is always a plus round water. Chest waders? they'd come up to my chin

Thanks again

 

[Dem55]

Elegant - Much prefer the edit. The exposure has been well handled given what looks like quite harsh lighting.

Watery - I feel the harsh lighting has taken over on this one. I guess shooting into the Sun won’t have helped although I like the sunburst off the water on the right hand side.

Thanks for looking & commenting Peter.

Elegant, you're right, the sun was pretty strong that day,

Watery - yes, the sun caused problems with that one too, but I'm glad you like the little sunburst

 

[Dem55]

Bold

I've been foiled again by the weather a bit this week, last week there was too much sun, this weekend it's been grey & dull, so my first idea was dead in the water.

So, this is my attempt, and I may be stretching it to get it to fit the theme - my boldly coloured Christmas mug. I'm finding a few of these themes are taking me out of my comfort zone -which is great as that's one of the things I joined the 52 for. I'm not geared up for indoor photography at all, the only flash I have is the camera flash, so this is all natural light. When I posted my fragile shots, a few people mentioned the reflections, and I faffed about for a bit to try to make sure there weren't any on the mug - it involved a whole kitchen reshuffle and some black velvet to absorb the light. I haven't quite managed it, but this is the best I could do. My own crit - it may look a bit flat, I'm not sure. I'd also have liked to get the whole reflection of the mug in but I couldn't quite manage it.

View attachment 30883

 

[Cobra]

A little bit of a shoe-horn there I think Lorraine
But I do agree a bold "pattern" and colours

 

[rpn]

Hi Lorraine, theme wise I'm but photographically you done very well with the limitations. The pattern inside the mug just creeping into view is a bit distracting.

 

[Dem55]

A little bit of a shoe-horn there I think Lorraine
But I do agree a bold "pattern" and colours

Hi Lorraine, theme wise I'm but photographically you done very well with the limitations. The pattern inside the mug just creeping into view is a bit distracting.

Thank you both for looking and commenting - I can't argue with what you say about the size of the shoehorn involved in this week's post

I see what you mean about the inside of the mug Stan - I should've tried to clone it out. Ah well, onwards and upwards to next week!

 

[posiview]

Hi, interesting interpretation for Bold. The WB looks quite off, I did a quick WB adjust in LR and it popped a lot more. I'd prefer a cleaner BG and you might have included the reflection.

Cheers.

 

[Allan.H]

Hi, Bit of a shoehorn indeed, agree with Andy above different BG and a change of the WB would help

 

[ShinySideUp]

Bold [colours], OK I'll let you have it . If 'cold' comes up later you could use it again

 

[Bruja]

Well done for trying something new even if it needs a bit of a crowbar to fit. Nothing to add to the above crit

 

[Manc Man]

Hi Lorraine

nothing wrong with a shoe-horn..
it fits the theme and the theme made you think about the shot... that whats it all about.