weekly pjm1's 52 in 2014 week 52 (Support) added... FINISHED!

Sharp, really like this one. The processing works really well.

The composition works really well, as does the diagonal texture on the surface.

Uber crit, would be the X on the surface at the top.

Cheers.
 
posiview said:
Sharp, really like this one. The processing works really well.

The composition works really well, as does the diagonal texture on the surface.

Uber crit, would be the X on the surface at the top.

Cheers.
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Super encouraging comments, thanks Andy! I have to say, I liked the diagonals on the tiles but didn't think it would be to everyone's taste. I do think the grout lines at the top are a shame and the feedback is very consistent in that regard... need to get bigger tiles!

Cheers.
 
Hi Paul, i like the image and idea, the lines of the tiles has been mentioned, not sure if everything should be tighter together and more DoF,
I understand that the blade is the major focal point but i would quite like to see the brush hairs more in focus too
the muted colours and the drop of blood are excellent :clap:
another really well thought out image (y)
 
Thanks Allan! I just find it fascinating the way we all have slightly different takes & ideas on the same photos. Getting one person's feedback on each one is great (and infinitely better than me sitting here on my own) but getting 10 people's views really shows how different images make different people think in different ways.

I have to say, I'm really struggling with my "Swirl" catchup. I've taken two series of photos and neither has worked (one was ghastly). I think I can get one to work a bit better with the right choice of background so might reshoot tomorrow or tonight.
 
Nothing wrong with the idea Paul and I like the lighting, for me the they needed placing differently, :thinking:.... closer together, more on the lower thirds to the left, enough dof to have all the items in focus, :thinking: ......... nice touch with the blood, I like it (y)
 
Thanks Phil... glad the lighting worked - that was using my lampshade diffuser (patent pending). Agree the arrangement and lines etc. aren't quite there. The blood was... erm... red food colouring playing around with a bit in Lightroom! However, I did nick myself this morning so perhaps I should have reshot with real blood?! :)
 
Right... I've finally managed to get it to work (sort of)... here's my catch-up submission for Week 11: Swirl.


Swirl: dancing the jig by pjm1 (Paul), on Flickr

EDITED picture thanks to Allan's spot on my dodgy white balance!

I really didn't want to just take a picture of a swirly pattern. So I've tried pots of water and whisks, sinks and plugholes and even contemplated creating a photoshop whirlpool of a coastal picture I've taken outside.

But this is the one I wanted: my daughter's musical box whose dancing toys whirl a merry little jig when the music plays.

It wasn't a particularly easy take: I needed a longish exposure (1sec) and also a touch of flash to bring out the toys at a moment during their dance - otherwise they just became a complete blur. And the problem with the flash was it tended to illuminate my nice dark background behind, especially with the long exposure! So the flash strength and position had to be just right to bring out the dancers without touching the background. I'm always a bit nervous about central compositions but I think it's necessary in this instance - I've tried placing it to one side and it just looks wrong. To me, anyway...

I think it works but I'm always keen to get feedback and crit... you know I'm never completely satisfied until I've been shown how to improve it a bit :)

Thanks for looking!
 
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Hi Paul, you are right it does work central position is fine, just the right amount of blur on the thingumabobs, can't really offer any advice on how to do it better as I have never tried that particular technique
my only crit would be the WB looks a little off, though again that might just be me, but it seems to have a slight yellow tinge to it, though that could be the actual colour of the toy
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi Paul, you are right it does work central position is fine, just the right amount of blur on the thingumabobs, can't really offer any advice on how to do it better as I have never tried that particular technique
my only crit would be the WB looks a little off, though again that might just be me, but it seems to have a slight yellow tinge to it, though that could be the actual colour of the toy
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Spot on Allan! Grrr... I'll blame it on firing the flash a few dozen times into my face impairing my eyesight ;)

I've re-uploaded the image with corrected white balance and it looks 100 times better. So much cleaner so thank you!
 
Hi, Paul, I assume you've sorted the WB as it looks fine to me.

Central works fine to me - rule of thirds can be broken. I feel a square crop would work here, and perhaps a slight crop to remove the clipped get and a bit wider to include all the feel. Nice work with the motion blur.

Cheers.
 
posiview said:
Hi, Paul, I assume you've sorted the WB as it looks fine to me.

Central works fine to me - rule of thirds can be broken. I feel a square crop would work here, and perhaps a slight crop to remove the clipped get and a bit wider to include all the feel. Nice work with the motion blur.

Cheers.
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Thanks Andy... yes, you're right re: the crop. Not quite sure why I didn't opt for that as I do quite like square images. Thanks for the encouragement... Tschüss!
 
Excellent idea Paul, works well, just enough movement captured, good clean black b/g(y), as Andy said, probably work with a square crop :)
 
Phil-D said:
Excellent idea Paul, works well, just enough movement captured, good clean black b/g(y), as Andy said, probably work with a square crop :)
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Thanks Phil! Appreciate it :)

Well, time doesn't stand still so I'm on to my next catch up... Week 10 (Time).

I wanted to play a bit (including on words / the theme) and do something silly so here goes.


Rosemary... and Time by pjm1 (Paul), on Flickr

I'm not going to pretend that it's the most earth shattering photo because it isn't, but I enjoyed taking it!

Comments always appreciated, especially harsh ones ;)
 
Ha ha! Despite the probability that I shall have Simon & Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair as my earworm for the day, I think it's a very clever play on words and composition. My only reservation is the dof with both the top and bottom of the image being oof. I think one or t'other would have been enough for me.
 
XenosElaine said:
Ha ha! Despite the probability that I shall have Simon & Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair as my earworm for the day, I think it's a very clever play on words and composition. My only reservation is the dof with both the top and bottom of the image being oof. I think one or t'other would have been enough for me.
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Hi Elaine - thanks for the comments and sorry for the earworm! (I'll confess I'm much more of a Mrs Robinson fan myself...)

As will be fairly obvious by now, I tend to go "full on" when I try things, whether that be DOF, exposure or post-processing... I really do try to rein myself back in but it's sadly in my nature to push the envelope that little bit more ;) I don't disagree with your comments re: DOF at all, but I do enjoy experimenting - sometimes it works, sometimes less so. Thank you!
 
Hi Paul, have to say I have hated the theme "time" every time it has come up, but I think you have come up with something really clever here. :clap:
no crit from me,
I am just off to kick my own *rs* for not thinking of something that good.
 
Hi Paul I agree with Allan on that one .... I can't count the times I've said to myself 'why didn't I think of that' a really unique idea ...well done :) Super idea for Swirl too ...just enough motion that we know it's turning, but not too blurry that we can't see it ...I like the central position...and a super 'black' background.

Oooops forgot Skill ... I really like the colour tone in this one, it all seems to blend together really well ...the surface suits it perfectly...not too sure about the OOf brush but another excellent choice.
 
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Right... here's my submission for this week - Pure.

I wanted to try something different (again), this time a super-low key, backlit image. How on earth could that work with "pure" as a theme? Well, who said pure has to be good ;) So I opted for "Pure Darkness" as my variant to this theme. Mwa ha ha ha haaa!

In terms of subject, I decided to be silly - given the perennial Nikon vs Canon debate, I thought I'd wind up approximately half of you on here by implying your kit is evil! But don't be offended - had I had a spare Canon to hand, I would have chosen that just as happily!

(By the way, my camera is Pentax so I'm pretty agnostic and uninformed in the whole Nikon vs Canon debacle).

Enjoy (although best viewed directly on Flickr owing to the black background that provides)...


Pure darkness by pjm1 (Paul), on Flickr

Edited to add... I've just looked at this on my phone and it looks very dark and difficult to tell what it actually is. Definitely ok on my IPS monitor although I do have it in a pretty dark room. If you're struggling to see it, turn the lights off! ;)
 
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Hi Paul, not really sure about this i understand what you are trying to do but its all a little indistinct took me a while to figure it out,
not sure I get it either, even with your explanation.
This is a difficult subject I feel as everyone seems to be using the "Pure" bit as a prefix, not that there is anything wrong with that.
sorry can't add anything else This is the third time I have looked at this really don't know what to say, you have stumped me. :thinking:
 
Hi Paul :)

Damn it don't take long to get behind in your thread !!!!

Sorry, but just a quick catch up :)

Step - Excellent motion caught here mate, the possible distracting background is turned into a great backdrop, couldn't be better for me :clap:

Promise - I nice one again, well lit, love the lights/bokeh background and the texture of the cloth leads the image very nicely... hard to crit indeed, only thing I can think of is maybe one cloned light to the RH side to even it up, but that is uber picky (y)

Linked - Yes that works, not sure the composition is one of your best but theme wise it does work :)

Re-shoot Nature - A bug indeed, some nice detail here, Its well lit and I actually like the shadow too, DoF is good... all plusses from me :)

Re-Shoot Rich - A nice product shot, love the lighting set-up (thanks for sharing) and what you have got from it, I'd like to see the beans a tad darker/richer looking other than that another great image (y)

Sharp - A good mind for ideas you have, nicely set up again, the DoF is bang on, and I like the grain in the tiles leading into the image, again VERY hard to find crit... a bit more space above the brush is all I could want, I really like this again :clap:

Swirl - LOL that's a fun shot, perfect for the theme but a bit too central and clipped bottom for me, good background and mothiopn blur again though :)

Time - A clever take, for this I would prefer a wider DoF as the minute hand is falling away a tad, and the hands are not quite central to the clock face, I do like the low angle and the light and detail are as good as always :)

Pure - An unusual take on the theme but it just about works for me, the back lighting has picked up the details of the objects very nicely, I can see it very clearly on my monitor... shame about the model (thought I'd get the ball rolling on that front) :D
 
Hiya Paul, yes, difficult to see for me too :thinking: I think that if it wasn't for the word Nikon and it wasn't a photography forum, I may have struggled to make out what it was :confused: but its certainly a different take on the theme and as you've mentioned before, having a go at new techniques is what its all about (y)
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi Paul, not really sure about this i understand what you are trying to do but its all a little indistinct took me a while to figure it out,
not sure I get it either, even with your explanation.
This is a difficult subject I feel as everyone seems to be using the "Pure" bit as a prefix, not that there is anything wrong with that.
sorry can't add anything else This is the third time I have looked at this really don't know what to say, you have stumped me. :thinking:
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Hiya Allan... thanks for taking the time to look - quite a lot by the sound of it! Sorry for straining your eyes ;) No need whatsoever to apologise for not liking/getting/feeling it and certainly no need to feel you have to provide any sort of crit if you're struggling to make sense of what I'm attempting to do (poorly)!

If every photo I took generated praise (to a greater or lesser degree) then at the end of the 52 I will feel that I've failed. Not because I don't like praise - I do! - but because I want to try different things and push my own boundaries. I'm still at the stage of not really being completely comfortable with and in control of the camera, so this is about improving my skills but also about developing my own eye and sense of photography. It is for this reason I have done quite a lot of pictures with a single subject - it simplifies things for me so I can experiment with perhaps just a variable or two at a time. If I'm not pushing my boundaries far enough then I won't have achieved my overall aim at the end of the year. If I've thrown a few photos out there which have met with a resounding "err... no" then that's good (as long as it's not 52 of them!) so I see mistakes and "failures" as actual mini-successes in allowing me to determine where reasonable boundaries lie.

This one may well not have worked: I was really pushing the use of light into an area which I hadn't really been to before. What I wanted to achieve was some highlighting of one edge and the most subtle edge definition all the way around the camera so it would - if one looked carefully - stand out... just... against the black background. After taking a few shots and some mucking around in post, I changed my mind and wanted lighting to be even more aggressive and really just picking out the left edge. I wanted the viewer to be able to tell it was the side of a camera on a tripod and then be drawn into the darkness of the image to see other features - the brand, the parts of the tripod, the flash is up and - just - the faintest outline of the lens.

A key problem I've found: different monitor setups will mean people actually see quite different things. With such subtle changes in the dark tones, it will mean for some viewers they simply can't see the image, whereas for others they might see it a bit too clearly - more than I was intending and the subtlety is lost. Basically, my idea doesn't work because I have no ability to adjust the image to suit the viewer's own setup... I realised this when I looked at it on my phone and thought, "bleep... I can't see anything!"

Does this mean peoples' setups are wrong... no! People are free to set up their systems as they want (I don't subscribe to a more commonly held view that every photographer simply must calibrate their monitor... most have neither the desire nor willingness to spend £££s doing that!) which means my photography has to take that into account. If I'm playing around at the real edges of definition and visibility, then I simply have to accept that 80% (let's say) of the viewers won't see what I see and/or what I want them to. Which means I need to balance slightly less on the knife edge!

Going back to the image: I think the difficulty with the image I presented was the number of hard edges and perpendicular angles. Had I used a subject with smooth curves (a person or something "organic") then we would have seen a lot more gradation in the transitions from highlight to black. This would have allowed me to fine tune the steepness of the transition more easily so that 99% of viewers (say) could more or less see what I wanted - some might see less of the dark greys, others might see more than I'm seeing, but the low-key effect would be there for everyone. Here, because there is such a quick transition from highlight to complete black, it really does rely on my monitor setup being the same as the viewers' if I want to convey a particular image... which simply doesn't work, practically.

This is all good - I'm learning! So thanks Allan (and others who I'll thank in due course) - you're helping me :)
 
Dark Knight said:
Hi Paul :)

Damn it don't take long to get behind in your thread !!!!

Sorry, but just a quick catch up :)

Step - Excellent motion caught here mate, the possible distracting background is turned into a great backdrop, couldn't be better for me :clap:

Promise - I nice one again, well lit, love the lights/bokeh background and the texture of the cloth leads the image very nicely... hard to crit indeed, only thing I can think of is maybe one cloned light to the RH side to even it up, but that is uber picky (y)

Linked - Yes that works, not sure the composition is one of your best but theme wise it does work :)

Re-shoot Nature - A bug indeed, some nice detail here, Its well lit and I actually like the shadow too, DoF is good... all plusses from me :)

Re-Shoot Rich - A nice product shot, love the lighting set-up (thanks for sharing) and what you have got from it, I'd like to see the beans a tad darker/richer looking other than that another great image (y)

Sharp - A good mind for ideas you have, nicely set up again, the DoF is bang on, and I like the grain in the tiles leading into the image, again VERY hard to find crit... a bit more space above the brush is all I could want, I really like this again :clap:

Swirl - LOL that's a fun shot, perfect for the theme but a bit too central and clipped bottom for me, good background and mothiopn blur again though :)

Time - A clever take, for this I would prefer a wider DoF as the minute hand is falling away a tad, and the hands are not quite central to the clock face, I do like the low angle and the light and detail are as good as always :)

Pure - An unusual take on the theme but it just about works for me, the back lighting has picked up the details of the objects very nicely, I can see it very clearly on my monitor... shame about the model (thought I'd get the ball rolling on that front) :D
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Wow - that's a bundle of looking and writing Dean, thank you!

Glad you liked so many of those images (as I said my previous post to Allan... I do like praise!) I'm glad Promise worked for you in particular as that was one I wasn't happy with... good point about evening the lights up. You're right about the shade of the beans on my Rich reshoot - although I do buy a medium-roast, the theme was rich so I should have emphasised the shininess and depth of tone that you'd get from a dark roast (even though I don't particularly like the flavour!) You're spot on with the clipping of the bottom of Swirl - the mount I was using I didn't like... I should have reshot it on something else but after taking about 30 "takes" I'd had enough, so just cropped it badly! I should have used a less aggressive DOF on time - you're right and Elaine mentioned the same thing... I was pushing things a bit too far there, I think.

Thanks for the encouragement re: Pure - glad you could see it on your monitor, but I don't think it works for the reasons I've mentioned in my previous post... good to try these things though... will do a low-key shot of a person next time :)

Thanks again Dean (y)
 
Phil-D said:
Hiya Paul, yes, difficult to see for me too :thinking: I think that if it wasn't for the word Nikon and it wasn't a photography forum, I may have struggled to make out what it was :confused: but its certainly a different take on the theme and as you've mentioned before, having a go at new techniques is what its all about (y)
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Thanks Phil - I'm still in awe at your amazing bike shots for this theme!

Yes, the Pure shot didn't work for me, but as you say, it's good to try things and when they work it confirms why we need a place like this to give it a whirl! Thanks for looking (y)
 
Oh my giddy aunt...... HOW many have I missed :eek: note to self...stop being so slack on commenting :banghead:

Step....love it , the nearest rider is sharp , slightly less so on the furtherest rider but it still works , the panning effect is brilliant & something I need to practice more of :clap:

Promise... the 1st thing that hits me is the vibrant purple , 2ndly the bokeh orange thingies then finally I see the ring . Don't get me wrong...I love purple & it compliments the silver ring beautifully but ( for me at least ) the bokeh things really aren't needed...especially in orange .......maybe a toning purple or silver could work if you really want them in shot ? Focus on the writing is perfect but you're working with a wafer thin DOF at that angle......did you try a f8-f11 & a very slightly higher POV to get the whole of the ring in focus ? Just my thoughts :)

Linked...perfect use of Sc in that it doesn't look like it is Sc.......my only niggle with this shot is...it's on the squiff ( unless that was your intention )...needs a ccw rotation.......OCD is a killer :D

Nature reshoot....lol...it's a bug :LOL: Like this shot though I have to ask ...why f16 ? generally I've found ( after being told several times !) that f8-11 is usually plenty ?

Rich re-shoot....almost advert standard that one mister , lovely placement , the broken froth on the coffee just add's something :clap: I said "almost advert standard" simply becuase I see a very slight pink cast , mainly over the rhs but noticeable over it all......it looks like the muslin thing you used had some pink in it ? A quick tweak in ps should sort out the whites & then , for me , it's perfect (y)

Sharp....... like it (y) I'm drawn to the blade then the handle then the brush....didn't notice the mortar lines until I read others comments but I did notice the shadow behind the brush.......blood doesn't look quite the right color to me but that could be my screen ?

Swirl.....motion blur well caught....square crop or maybe even portrait ?

Time....I was going to agree with Elaine's comments re the DOF......but the more I look the more I like that both top & bottom are oof.... symetry kinda works with my OCD ,simple but effective (y)

Pure.....had to look at this many times before I could " see " what it was....then read your words......for me it works in that you achieved what you set out to do but as a photograph it doesn't work for me...does that make sense ??


I'm sure I may have missed some of your submissions for which I apologies but I'm trying really hard to get all caught up with everyone before this weeks theme
 
Thanks Lynne (@blondie606) ... no need to panic about missing my thread - there are a others you've been commenting on and we all only have so much time in the day!

Thanks very much for the kind comments on Step, Rich etc - glad you liked them and a big thank you for the kind pat on the back! However, what I really enjoy (masochistic me) are the crit comments on the ones where I need to do a bit more work - so an even bigger than you for those. Your comments and critique are all totally spot on, although the only additional note I'd add is re: my DOF choice. In staged shots I invariably think quite carefully about what I want in and out of focus. Whether I quite nail it is dependent upon my abilities to control the camera, but I'll usually also take a couple of comparison shots with smaller or larger apertures to see if a different take works. So in most cases (not all, sadly!) I've gone for something because of the effect I was looking to achieve. Whether it actually works and hangs together as an image is, of course, quite a different challenge! My eye for photographs definitely needs development.

Re: the macro shot (the bug), I use a Raynox on the front of my lens, so my focus distance is tiny... which means my DOF is a fraction of what it "ought" to be at the usual MFD. For this reason, I've been suggested to stop down to f/16 or even smaller - I've used f/32 without terrible diffraction problems (the Raynox means you're not quite at the highest IQ anyway). I'll be absolutely honest and say I'm a complete noob when it comes to macro so I've been somewhat blindly following advice received... I definitely want to be experimenting on my own with different settings, but for now I've been sticking to very small apertures. TBH, using f/8, I'd probably struggle to get a single hair on an insect's leg in focus! That might be a combination of the Raynox and also my shoddy technique, though ;)

The biggest learning for me at this point in my photography is that it's all about light. Duh... yes, I know that's bloomin' obvious to you all, but it's really dawning on me. For my shots above, I'd add my own commentary as follows:

Step: nice diffuse light as it was overcast and periodically raining... good quantity and quality made shooting easy.
Promise: bounce flash make lighting pretty diffuse and controllable, so despite specular reflections from shiny(ish) ring, quality could be controlled and directed
Linked: difficult lighting conditions and shot is probably weaker and less "alive" as a result
Nature reshoot: poor lighting (harsh naked flash made slightly softer by bringing very close to subject) means I should be able to improve a lot now I'm conscious of the benefits of diffusion
Rich: first shot with my diffuser... made all the difference in this shot and I believe the positive feedback is simply down to good quality, controlled lighting (I mean that objectively, not that I did anything particularly clever!)
Sharp: diffuser again! But more work needed on eliminating annoying shadow at back... user error on my part!
Swirl: tiny bit of bounce/indirect flash but again, controlled.
Time: guess what... diffuser time
Pure: harsh, naked (snooted) flash, very hard to control and a lot weaker for it.

So, in summary? Nice soft, diffuse lighting is much easier for idiots like me to control and, theoretically, get workable photos with. Harsh, hard lighting is far harder to work with and, bluntly, beyond my expertise at the moment. I might get occasional shots which just about work, but it's far more luck based and 99% are a bit poor. Photo-graphy = light-writing/recording. Kind of obvious when you think about it, really!
 
Catch up time........

Natural - It's easy for photos of your own children look better to the taker than others but in this case I feel it is a super portrait of the young man. Nice lighting and good composition

Half - I do like the left hand side but find the right hand side too dark. But that said that is exactly what you were trying to achieve. In which case you've cracked it. The colours in the apple are spot on - just the right amount of saturation. I also like your lemon egg - nice idea.

Skill - How many people did you clone out? You've certainly done a good job at it. I think a close up with a wide angle and shallow DoF of the left hand piper would have been good but I guess it would have been difficult to jump in. I certainly wouldn't have done.

Architecture - Very clever. I would suggest increasing the DoF on the pencil and sketch pad but other than that I really like it

Step - Super super action shot. The riders are sharp but with the right amount of blur on the wheels/spokes and the panning is spot on. Big thumbs up from me

Promise - Nice colours and super DoF. The bokeh in the background just adds to the whole image

Linked - I don't usually like selective colour but in this case it doesn't even feel like it. The computer equipment is black anyway so to fits nicely.

Reshoot (Nature) - Another cracking shot. You've sorted the focus well and the texture of the surface (paper?) helps give a less clinical feel which is good. The raised leg gives a sense of motion. Nice one

Reshoot (Rich) - Good lighting and exposure. The off centre composition works as do the inclusion of the beans. Even the break of the froth helps.

Sharp - Not sure it needed the blood but a nice touch nonetheless. Good use of DoF plus using an odd number of objects is a bonus.

Swirl - The slight feeling of blur lends to the theme. I think a brighter background would have helped. Maybe an out of focus toy room?

Time - Very clever yet simple. DoF is spot on. Having it all in focus just wouldn't have worked as well as your end result

Pure - I can see what you were trying to achieve but feel the image overall is too dark and the viewer has to work a little too hard to work out what the subject is. The rim lighting through works a treat.
 
blimey theres a lot gone on in here!

Havent got time to read it all right now. Maybe tomorrow...

Rich is the one that stands out for me from the last however many.

I think as its the only one that I can see has a "purpose", (beyond trying something for personal development) photgrahpically (beyond ticking a box for the theme. Its the sprt of thing that would work and could be used as an advert / product shot.
 
Delta Skies said:
Catch up time........

Natural - It's easy for photos of your own children look better to the taker than others but in this case I feel it is a super portrait of the young man. Nice lighting and good composition

Half - I do like the left hand side but find the right hand side too dark. But that said that is exactly what you were trying to achieve. In which case you've cracked it. The colours in the apple are spot on - just the right amount of saturation. I also like your lemon egg - nice idea.

Skill - How many people did you clone out? You've certainly done a good job at it. I think a close up with a wide angle and shallow DoF of the left hand piper would have been good but I guess it would have been difficult to jump in. I certainly wouldn't have done.

Architecture - Very clever. I would suggest increasing the DoF on the pencil and sketch pad but other than that I really like it

Step - Super super action shot. The riders are sharp but with the right amount of blur on the wheels/spokes and the panning is spot on. Big thumbs up from me

Promise - Nice colours and super DoF. The bokeh in the background just adds to the whole image

Linked - I don't usually like selective colour but in this case it doesn't even feel like it. The computer equipment is black anyway so to fits nicely.

Reshoot (Nature) - Another cracking shot. You've sorted the focus well and the texture of the surface (paper?) helps give a less clinical feel which is good. The raised leg gives a sense of motion. Nice one

Reshoot (Rich) - Good lighting and exposure. The off centre composition works as do the inclusion of the beans. Even the break of the froth helps.

Sharp - Not sure it needed the blood but a nice touch nonetheless. Good use of DoF plus using an odd number of objects is a bonus.

Swirl - The slight feeling of blur lends to the theme. I think a brighter background would have helped. Maybe an out of focus toy room?

Time - Very clever yet simple. DoF is spot on. Having it all in focus just wouldn't have worked as well as your end result

Pure - I can see what you were trying to achieve but feel the image overall is too dark and the viewer has to work a little too hard to work out what the subject is. The rim lighting through works a treat.
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Thanks for the massive catch up, Peter! That's some effort on your part so thank you (y)

Really appreciate the kind words on so many of these and obviously I'm glad some struck a positive chord with you. I (and plenty of others) agree with you re: half - it didn't quite work apart from for my photographic development.

Re: Skill, there were about six people or parts of people (may have been more as some legs look like they weren't part of a pair!) - it took a while to remove them and that was before I'd really understood how content aware fill worked, so I was doing it manually by copying and dragging layers etc. Very tedious!

The surface on reshoot (nature) was paper (and for Rich) and the low angle of the flash on nature really brought out the texture, which I was pleased with. It's just reasonable quality (90gsm) "extra white" stuff from Tesco but it provides a good backdrop. Only downside is it's probably UV treated so may cause a slight cast, especially since I use it to set my white balance... my grey card is arriving soon!

I really like your idea re: toy room as a backdrop for swirl - I think that would make that photo really work :)

Pure hasn't worked the way I wanted to, but it was fun trying. Glad you like the back lighting, even though I needed something else. More experimentation required!

Thanks again, Peter.
 
overbez said:
blimey theres a lot gone on in here!

Havent got time to read it all right now. Maybe tomorrow...

Rich is the one that stands out for me from the last however many.

I think as its the only one that I can see has a "purpose", (beyond trying something for personal development) photgrahpically (beyond ticking a box for the theme. Its the sprt of thing that would work and could be used as an advert / product shot.
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No worries Graham, thanks for looking anyway - I hope some were interesting :) As you say, I can be a bit selfish in doing some of these mainly to improve my own photography... and usually in quite specific areas. Apologies if that means they can be a bit limited... I will try to be more considerate to all of you "viewers" over the coming weeks!

Funnily enough, the Rich reshoot was probably the most hastily composed of all! I was mucking around with my macro setup and thought, "I'll just pull back and shot something 'normal'..." I was making myself a coffee anyway, so grabbed some beans out the machine and chucked them on the saucer...

But I agree with you, it seems to be the one which is most "finished" and apart from a slight cast which Lynne spotted, I'm pleased with it. Step is probably my next one in terms of how satisfied I am with it, but even that I can see a few areas I'd like to improve next time. Some, like Architecture, were fun to do but as with most, if I re-did it, I'd like to think I could take it up another level now.

Cheers.
 
Think we can all be selfish some weeks - nowt wrong with that. My version of selfish is being a little more lenient with myself regards the themes, and using the camera to get something that I want to keep, or look at again.

The only rules are the ones you set yourself.

I actually like and get your pure evil / darkness shot. The lighting is good. The back lighting providing enough of the shape to show the item, and the lighting on the brand is subtle, but clear.

Mightily impressed though with your workrate and support of others. Given that your essentially doing 2 a week. Looks like you have a good chance of having all 52 by the end of the year. (y) :)
 
Hi Paul...well how good am I :angelic:....all up to date ... so only one shot to comment on.

Pure ...mmmm....first thought was ...is it a robot or something :confused: then I read the explanation and it all fell into place. Fortunately for me I don't fall into the Nikon v Canon debate as I have neither :)

I actually like your Pure...it's very different ...which I like a lot...I also like abstract/arty type images so I suppose it's on that basis that it appeals to me. This is what I like about the challenge...would you normally take that kind of shot ....probably no....would you combine a egg with a lemon o_O probably not....but this challenge gives us a chance to do something out of the ordinary...and that's why I love it so much.
 
susiejb said:
Hi Paul...well how good am I :angelic:....all up to date ... so only one shot to comment on.

Pure ...mmmm....first thought was ...is it a robot or something :confused: then I read the explanation and it all fell into place. Fortunately for me I don't fall into the Nikon v Canon debate as I have neither :)

I actually like your Pure...it's very different ...which I like a lot...I also like abstract/arty type images so I suppose it's on that basis that it appeals to me. This is what I like about the challenge...would you normally take that kind of shot ....probably no....would you combine a egg with a lemon o_O probably not....but this challenge gives us a chance to do something out of the ordinary...and that's why I love it so much.
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Wow - I'm pleasantly surprised! But pleased :)

Agree with all your points about what we actually get out of this challenge... it's good to put yourself in the position where you take photos that are different from "normal" (whatever that is). The thought which has gone into each of these shots for me, although not always massive, is still a huge amount more than a simple "snap". And it's made me really appreciate the value of thinking more critically about the shot before pressing the shutter.

Thanks again Susie for the kind words - looking forward to the next theme already... although try not to make as much mess next week, eh? ;)
 
Okey dokey gents and gentesses. Catch-up time again, I'm afraid.

I've been thinking about this catch-up week 9 (Positive) for a while. I decided on an interpretation which is certainly a play on words of sorts, but I also decided to link it into week 10's theme (Time) a little, too: I wanted a picture which would show the the passage of time in a single photo, through suggestion more than anything. But that's really just a side message - the theme of the photo is most definitely "Positive". I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess/hope that nobody has done this interpretation before?

Week 9 (Positive)

Two negatives make... by pjm1 (Paul), on Flickr

I realise I'm asking more of all of you by playing catch-up, but comments and crit always welcome :)
 
Hi Paul. Some great shot here as always.

Rich reshoot caught my eye (y) [and thanks for showing us your lighting set-up].

Sharp, I like. Nice old razor and brush but -to me- the blood doesn't look realistic. And whatever that is hidden away in the BG, I like it. I like unexplained, OOF BG bits.
 
d00d said:
Hi Paul. Some great shot here as always.

Rich reshoot caught my eye (y) [and thanks for showing us your lighting set-up].

Sharp, I like. Nice old razor and brush but -to me- the blood doesn't look realistic. And whatever that is hidden away in the BG, I like it. I like unexplained, OOF BG bits.
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Thanks David... appreciated! Both the brush and the razor are actually relatively new (well, maybe a couple of years old) but you're right with the blood - it was red food colouring "adjusted" in LR (and not very well done, at that!)

Glad you liked Rich - as I mentioned, it was probably my quickest taken shot of all... but carefully set up lighting (for another shot) worked wonders. Thanks for looking! :)
 
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