HI Paul
Sense...no crit , really fab shot , love the lighting & the perfect focus
Sparkle....you've added all crit , was going to mention the blue hue to the stone work but you covered that as well.......nice image in less than ideal shooting conditions
Sparkle 2......other than the downwards POV I really like this & top marks for egtting natural sparkle as opposed too pp'd sparkle
Ending...not quite what I expected after reading your words but kind of works.......maybe I have a macabre side but it's not nearly " dark" enough for me - not "dark" as in lighting but in conveying the tone of the theme . Hmmm, not explaining myself too well here.....a few more words on the letter , more pills scattered around , maybe in mono....you choose a serious dark take on the theme , I appreciate that it's a sensitive subject but I think you could have taken it further , you certainly have the skill to do so .
Hi Paul,
Sense - Great shot love the dof and and the focus on the fingertips very much on theme too.
Sparkle - Nice shot, certainly does sparkle and bang on theme for me.
Ending - I followed your link...........
For me it works, death does not need to be gruesome and full of goar, it is sometimes a quiet relief for the person that has committed that final act.
Paul, I like both your SPARKLE shots ... two of the best sparkle entries I've seen.
Hi Paul, sorry seem to have missed sense no idea how that happened, on saying that can't add anything to whats been said, have to admire the focus though no idea how you did that
but very impressive
Hi Paul
Sparkle - like this comp and the bright sunny scene . A bit cool on the WB tho I think
Ending - must admit that i was expecting something more gory. good idea but feel that it is a bit too clean. Would prefer to see it a bit more messy, more foil from the tablets spread about, perhaps a pill or two. Maybe a lower pov also with the bottle more oof, hinting at its use
Sense - excellent - on theme, good comp, detail, focus , dof. Can't find any fault
Fall - another good idea and quite humorous. Like you , not sure about the lighting - seems a bit underdone. Also the green platform is not on the same horiz level as the base at the rear and this gives a strange effect. Perhaps one of the models at the side could be looking up at the bloke on the platform , to give variety to the head positions? Also , where is the victim's head
Hi Paul, 2nd version of fall much better did look at the first one last night and to be honest wasn't doing anything for me lighting wise seemed a little odd and uneven
Its a nice idea for the theme I like the patch of red for the blood, its a nice touch, though I am a little perplexed as to why the lego men have made him walk the plank in the first place.
well you seem to have got it right this time so for not giving up
Now this is a top shot IMO Paul, it's simple, clean fresh and bright. No concerns about anything being blown from me.
Nothing else is necessary for me, in our house we just dive in with fingers for the salad bowl anyway.
Background of the garden table is perfect and the lighting reflects this hint of location.
DOF is spot on too, just enough OOF to render it 'arty' or 'proffeshunal looking'.
Have you noticed that even the serving dish has a smile, and the half grapes could almost be eyes, and the curl of the lettuce leaf a nose! Tell me you didn't set that up.
Well done mate!
Hi Paul, love your second Lego shot although as mentioned perhaps should have had a larger dof as I find the oof bit a bit distracting. That said I don't really do set up shots and don't feel I should criticise others. It's fun, bang on theme with a great story thrown in which really adds to the scene being portrayed in the photograph. Those naughty Reds! Lol
Minerals is good for me I have no cc as it is on theme and well shot and I do like the smiley face makes me smile too.
Good work Paul.
Hi, Paul, I've never tried Lego but must do sometime
You have produced a thoughful photograph with good detail and with a cracking sense of humour. I especially like the blood on the floor. Crit, well I could be pedantic and say it pot rays fallen as opposed to fall, but I won't mention it
Minerals, good lighting and the colours are nice and rich. A little tight, maybe and it seems to lack something. Can't quite put my finger on it, some kind of utensil maybe
Cheers.
be glad when you get back to week 1! Although you have bubble next, that should slow you up a bit...
Really liking thios one too, the mist really making an already strange scene, even stranger.
Super graduation in blacks from the front to the back, well done to maintain separation between the line going in on the right and the BG poles.
The question mark is an oddity for me, if you'd added it in post for extra quirkiness I'd say get rid of it.... but as it was there, it was there! I agree, very strange.
...a few hundred yards from our house we have a very strange phenomenon
Right had my caffeine shot
Thats a very surreal photograph with the question mark in there.
Fog...Mist...Smoke...it's all a matter of interpretation anyway.
I'd love to get there sometime, they look like sculptures.
The reflections work well and the conversion to B&W was, I suspect, the only way to go.
Although it's got FG, MG and BG interest my eye keeps getting drawn to the upper right hand posts and feel they have more interest than the tyres. I think less would have been more, IYSWIM.
None the less, I do like it and it is on theme.
Cheers.
Hi Paul, its becoming impossible to keep up with you,
thats an interesting scene, not sure on the comp its a little busy and seems slightly unbalanced in some way,
but on saying that it does work in a surreal kind of way
I honestly thought you had added the question marks which was a little confusing, there are some strange things about, i am sure they mean something to someone.
the B and W works well with the mist/smoke.
Hi Paul ...well done with yet another catch up...I can't believe you've almost got right back to the start, well done to you
I really like the Lego shot...I can just imagine you having great fun setting that one up...I think I'll be reverting to the grandchildren's toys soon, I'm running a bit short on ideas at the min. Super bright colours against that deep black background....a very imaginative choice for the theme.
Mineral....is good, but not a shot that grabs me.
On to Smoke....I really love this one ...what an enviable location...it's so mysterious looking ...it has that real eerie feel to it, and the black and white just adds to that. I'm sure it looks totally different in colour and it would be good to see one sometime. I tried it in a dark frame with very thin line of grey in the surround If I was being picky I wouldn't have the single front tyre in it ...but that's just a personal thought. I would love to see more shots of that location ...I think it looks fascinating.
Hi, #1 for me. Cracking detail in the bubbles and I've always liked how bubbles can have straight edges
Crit, well, they look a little under exposed. Touch of reflected light or bounce flash maybe.
Cheers.
Sparkle #1 - The reference is definitely on the water which is a thumbs up. Nice fluffy clouds in the sky although the saturated blue isn't consistent under the right hand arch. As a result it doesn't quite look right/real to me - although
Ending - Good idea for the theme. I've no problem with the subject matter. You've obviously thought about the lighting on this one as it works nicely. Two minor crits would be just to reduce the reflection at the top of the bottle label and also there appears to be something (looks like a credit card?) at the top of the table just as it goes into the shade.
Sparkle #2. More good lighting and well done for handling all the reflections and highlights especially in the silver of the shaker.
Sense - Super shot and great use of a very shallow DoF. I wondered if you've put the finger tips on some glass to get them all in focus but I think the reflections would have killed it. So a big thumbs up from me.
Fall - I definitely laughed at this one. Very amusing. I feel #2 works better for me as you can see more of the action - and the head LOL
Mineral - Nice simple shot that could easily be in a food magazine or restaurant menu
Smoke - Interesting shot which makes me ask questions - where? what? etc. Most of all why is there a question mark in the image?
Bubbles - #1 is the better of the two as I feel the light is hitting the joins between bubbles better. I can;t work it out. Have you converted to mono or is this straight?
Hi Paul, bubbles what can I say it was a dull theme when it was announced, I think you have done as well as you can with it but neither grab me in any way
the second one for the colour maybe, not much else I can add to it.
sorry for the poor comments
Hand held @ 1/5th, nice
The narrative helped me as I didn't see Communication straight away, but now I look I can see motion blur in the radar and even zoomed in it still has some definition. Lovely colours in the sky.
I don't think you could have improved the exposure in camera due to the very bright sky. I had a quick edit in PS, but it wasn't working. Increasing the exposure distracted from the sky and tower. I did add a slight vignette, though that seemed to draw attention to the tower.
Then I started with bloomin' content aware and removed some of the stuff
Anyways, cheers
Communication, nice bit of colour left in the sky there and i like the position of the tower.
You'v captured some lovely tones in the sky which has helped provide more interest into the image. I see you've opted for the rule of thirds and I think that works for this one well. I also like how you've included some movement in the rader dish.