weekly Bobby Gold's 52 Weeks 2014: Week 13 - STEP added

Ending Joker - Nice portrait with good even lighting across the model. A couple of minor niggles is the brightness of the ivy of the left and the strange shadow of the right.

Positive - This is one of your trademark shots Simon. Super product shot. Great composition and just the right amount of reflection. The addition of the blue smoke in the background lifts this from a good photo to a great one. As you can tell I do like this.
 
overbez said:
Really hard to fault that one Simon.... composition, lighting, even the text.



I really hope you don't.... The way I judged the effectiveness of my 52 last year was by the shots that I like/ am proud of, that I wouldn't have taken had I not been doing it...
Also, don't forget that you are giving a lot of inspiration to others, and "showing how it should be done", (no pressure now!) :)
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Thanks for the words of encouragement mate, appreciate it :) I think we all need that sometimes to keep us going through a 52 (y)
 
superpippo said:
Positive - spot on for the theme. Excellent black b/g and super reflections in the base.(y) Good colour rendition and good balance of elements in the shot.
Wondering whether this is a standby set up for you because 4 of your last 6 have been of a similar ilk - but a good standby nonetheless.
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Thanks Alan,

Compositionally they are similar but the set-up has been different on every one (other than the black BG). But yes if I'm struggling on a theme then I know something like these would probably work - also I'm trying to build a style for product shots and I like these simple compos with some sort of light or action going on so if 4 of 6 are looking similar then I'm happy. I've got two more like this to upload... hope I'm not going to get flamed too much :) lol

Thanks for the crit mate (y)
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi, have to agree with superpippo above about the standby set up
your use of light is excellent and the composition works, they are very good advertising shots and a lesson in how to present an ordinary object.
The one thing I would like to see is a little more of yourself in them
I do like what you do honest (y)
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Thanks for the comments.

I've wrote above about the set-up etc, but if you'd like to see more of myself and the different things that I've been up to then follow me on Flickr (link below) or on Instagram (username: simon_robson) I have plenty of variety on there, more so on Instagram strangely :confused: This is just simply my 52 which is a side project from everything else that I do. A lot of it never even makes it on there unless its up to a standard, yes my archive is HUGE.
 
blondie606 said:
Oi ....careful mister :p I own the rights to blonde moments round these parts...& senior moments as well come to think of it :D

Another perfect product shot Simon...you really are very good at these...I guess the blue curvy stripes are light painting ? & what are these Eneloops ? & more importantly.....do I need some ?
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Yes, yes you do. Tbh any rechargeable batteries will do, these ones are just like good and stuff.

Curvy line was smoke, trying to use up these bloody incense sticks from the smoke theme :eek:

Thanks for the comments :)
 
JasonGlyn said:
Positive: Brilliant work again. So well executed. The composition works well and the blues tones nicely balanced throughout the picture. I like the sharp focus on the horizontal battery and the way the focus drops off subtley on the vertical ones. where all batteries captured in the one shot? As lynn above, would like to know how you achieved the blue curvy stripes too. No crit required on this one, though do find myself wondering how it would look with the opacity of the blue cury lines lowered a bit

Brilliant work (y)
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Thanks Jason, yes just one shot for the batteries and another for the smoke. Opacity is at 80%, any lower and it starts to fade off from the blue light on the batteries.

Cheers for your input mate (y)
 
mercurius said:
Well shot and pp'd, but agree that
they're becoming a bit same-y.
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I'm trying to stick to a style for my 52... I may even do a whole 52 in this style :eek: who knows. Got two more to upload like this :D

If you want to see some my other work that's not so "samey", then give me a follow on Flickr or Instagram (usernames in a comment above) I always sometimes follow back (y)
 
Delta Skies said:
Ending Joker - Nice portrait with good even lighting across the model. A couple of minor niggles is the brightness of the ivy of the left and the strange shadow of the right.

Positive - This is one of your trademark shots Simon. Super product shot. Great composition and just the right amount of reflection. The addition of the blue smoke in the background lifts this from a good photo to a great one. As you can tell I do like this.
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Yeah completely agree, the shadow really irritated me so that was taken back out and I slightly tweaked out the yellows in the ivy so not so bright. I can't release any more images from that shoot now until payment has been received from the client :banghead:
 
Playing catch up on my Fifty Two after taking a couple of weeks of from work and photography. With limited time (and ideas) I stuck to what I know, yes that's right another product shot.

This was so much harder than it looks, the watch face pretty much shows up any light and reflections and also and dirt or dust... nightmare! To say that it didn't go to plan would be an understatement, so I'm making do with a bad job and submit this (reluctantly) for the theme "Time".


Fifty Two Weeks, 10/52 - Time by SimonRobson, on Flickr
 
I dug out all my old cameras and camera gear not so long ago, for nothing more than to reminisce over. This was the very first camera I was given as a young boy, it was my Grandma's and I always used to want to play with it and take photos when I was round her house, I guess she got bored with me constantly asking to play with the "black box thingy" until one day it was mine, I loved it!

So I've always wanted a decent photo of this camera and I've been meaning to for a while now, I also wanted to try a technique that I had been thinking of and that was light painting with an iPhone. I made a few backgrounds in Photoshop and uploaded them to my phone - some of them worked, some of them didn't, but I really like the way this one turned out, so I am submitting this as a re-shoot for "Line".


Fifty Two Weeks, 11/52 - Re-Shoot by SimonRobson, on Flickr
 
Time - fits the theme and a nice looking watch as well another good product shot. My only niggle Is I find the added lens flair a distraction and takes my eye away from the watch.

Reshoot - nice little camera and another good product shot, a simple but effective image.
 
Really like your 'time' image Simon, very clear,detailed image, pp is great, the coloured orbs running diagonal (y) and you think its a bad job? :confused: At my level I would be ecstatic with this :p
I know its a bit of a 'trade mark' of yours, but I would like to see it without the white line and lettering running through it :)

Re-shoot- again, great detail (y) just can't decide if I want to see more or less of the reflection :thinking:
 
Very nice job on the watch, even liking the lens flare here, technically excellent....Small grammatical whoopsie in the text aside, :), its a great shot - showing up nicely "larger than life" on screen adds impact really well.

Lovely little camera, very effective lighting, bringing out the texture on the front (and the side).

When you say lightpainting for the BG colours?? Surely easier to PP afterwards? Result is good so I s'pose there's always more than one way to get there! (y)
 
Pinkbikerbabe said:
Time - fits the theme and a nice looking watch as well another good product shot. My only niggle Is I find the added lens flair a distraction and takes my eye away from the watch.

Reshoot - nice little camera and another good product shot, a simple but effective image.
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Thanks for your comments Mandy :)
 
Phil-D said:
Really like your 'time' image Simon, very clear,detailed image, pp is great, the coloured orbs running diagonal (y) and you think its a bad job? :confused: At my level I would be ecstatic with this :p
I know its a bit of a 'trade mark' of yours, but I would like to see it without the white line and lettering running through it :)

Re-shoot- again, great detail (y) just can't decide if I want to see more or less of the reflection :thinking:
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Likewise, I couldn't decide on it either - Kim (my partner) usually gets asked LOADS about a final edit... "what do you think... like this... or like this...", I think she just gives up in the end and say's whichever to shut me up :eek:
I do have other edits but I tend not to upload more than one as I don't like spamming my Flickr account.

Cheers for the input Phil :)
 
overbez said:
Small grammatical whoopsie in the text aside
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Oh no don't say that :confused:, which bit is it? 'You are' instead of 'Your'?

overbez said:
When you say lightpainting for the BG colours?? Surely easier to PP afterwards? Result is good so I s'pose there's always more than one way to get there! (y)
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In hindsight it would have been a lot easier but I like to use technique and get it right in camera rather than rely on Photoshop, but yes it was a bit of a ball ache and I doubt I'll be doing it again any time soon lol.

Thanks for your comments mate (y)
 
Bobby Gold said:
Oh no don't say that :confused:, which bit is it? 'You are' instead of 'Your'?
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Afraid so... "you are on time", becomes "you're...."

Was looking through your flickr this morning too. cracking shots of your DJ mate in london. Reminded me a bit of a Trevor Nelson type image with him against the shutter, and the streetlight bokeh one's superb too. Glad to see that 'Product shots' are only one string in your bow. (y)
 
overbez said:
Afraid so... "you are on time", becomes "you're...."
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Doh :banghead:

overbez said:
Was looking through your flickr this morning too. cracking shots of your DJ mate in london. Reminded me a bit of a Trevor Nelson type image with him against the shutter, and the streetlight bokeh one's superb too. Glad to see that 'Product shots' are only one string in your bow. (y)
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Cool, thanks for taking the time to have a look :) yeah I like dabbling in lots of different genres, loving portraiture at the moment.
 
Time - nice clean image of the watch face, don't know what you're complaining about! Did you have to clean up shadows from the fingers and paint the markings on the face back on? Only ask because I had to do that on my clock face and you've made a far better job of it than I did :clap: I like the lens flare top right because it reflects the shape of the watch face and the colour of the strap, but I'm not sure if all the others aren't a bit too much like overkill.

Re-shoot - Good composition and clean background. I think the reflection's just about right - any more would be too in your face, but less would distract from the main image by making you strain to see what it was.
 
XenosElaine said:
Did you have to clean up shadows from the fingers and paint the markings on the face back on?
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Thanks for the comments.

In answer to your question, nope didn't have any reflections from the dials as I didn't light it directly, I used a white reflective poly board to bounce the flash... I had one just above and one below the subject. This gave it a softer light and no harsh reflections or shadows on the watch face and also helped to put some light on the straps (y)
 
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Time - Super shot very much in the Booby Gold style. The quality of the details in the watch in superb. I even like the detail of the fact the letters cut into the horizontal line.

Reshoot - Another cracking shot and again super sharp. Whilst I do like the purple I feel using the trademark Kodak yellow may have suited the subject more.
 
Delta Skies said:
Whilst I do like the purple I feel using the trademark Kodak yellow may have suited the subject more.
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Yeah well pointed out Peter I couldn't agree more... re-edit.

Damn that's two weeks in a row you've had me re-editing and I don't usually do them. That's the beauty of a critique though!

Thanks for your comments. (y)
 
Hi Simon. I like the shots, great PP, but i feel you've been there and done that now... Sorry. :exit:

Time - The actual picture of the watch is great, well lit and sharp in all the right places. As said above, slight error in the grammar but that's an easy fix anyway.

Line Reshoot - As for the camera, i like it, the vivid purple works well, and the reflection is good. Slight niggle though as the purple band would be further down the page if it was a 'real' picture. The actual photo of the camera is well executed and lit though, especially to say it was done with a phone.
 
Hi Simon :)

Ooo I very much like this signature style of your, you seem to tweak it just right for each theme, I think there may be too many flare spots this time, they seem to be overpowering the watch, which has excellent lighting and exposure as usual, and some great detail in the face and strap, catching the second hand on the 12 is perfect and the main hands not obstructing the logo - overall, a cracker (y)
 
HI Simon


another cracking pair of Product shots..... your flickr makes for interesting viewing as well....varied genres to say the least...& all pretty darn good !

Box brownie.....I have one of those , not in very condition though ( very battered ) , I like the bg though agree that yellow might have been a better choice of color . Can't really add any more but you have given me an idea .....though it maybe more of a copy your idea if you don't mind ? ( won;t be half as good though ! )

Time........perfectly lit as usual , still thinking about the lens flare bits...too many maybe ? & yes , I also spotted the Your instead of You're.......sorry :exit:
 
minnnt said:
Hi Simon. I like the shots, great PP, but i feel you've been there and done that now... Sorry. :exit:
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Don't be sorry, everyone has their own preference.

As I've said before in an earlier post, if you don't like the style of my 52 then please have a look at my Flickr or Instagram as there is plenty of variety (usernames in a comment above) this is simply a 'side project'. Am I going to change the style of my 52 any time soon...? Nah I highly doubt it, I'm doing this for myself.

minnnt said:
Slight niggle though as the purple band would be further down the page if it was a 'real' picture. The actual photo of the camera is well executed and lit though, especially to say it was done with a phone.
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How do you mean it would be further down if it were a "real" picture? The band IS part of the image... taken in camera... all one shot...? That was the bit with the iPhone (light painting)... the lighting is off camera flash...
 
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Dark Knight said:
Hi Simon :)

Ooo I very much like this signature style of your, you seem to tweak it just right for each theme, I think there may be too many flare spots this time, they seem to be overpowering the watch, which has excellent lighting and exposure as usual, and some great detail in the face and strap, catching the second hand on the 12 is perfect and the main hands not obstructing the logo - overall, a cracker (y)
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Thanks DK and thanks for recognising it as a style.

I tend to agree on the comments about the lens flare, well the smaller orbs anyway and the larger one bottom left. Can't really be bothered with re-editing though, but thanks for the comments I'll take it on board for future images (y)
 
blondie606 said:
HI Simon another cracking pair of Product shots..... your flickr makes for interesting viewing as well....varied genres to say the least...& all pretty darn good !
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Thanks Lynne for taking the time to have a look at my Flickr :) as I have tried to say before this is simply just a small slice of what I do... and that's just the personal work! A lot of my images are locked for clients on my website.

blondie606 said:
Box brownie.....I have one of those , not in very condition though ( very battered ) , I like the bg though agree that yellow might have been a better choice of color . Can't really add any more but you have given me an idea .....though it maybe more of a copy your idea if you don't mind ? ( won;t be half as good though ! )
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This Box Brownie is battered too, I spent a fair bit of time in photoshop restoring it - it was funny clicking on and off the layer to see how bad it was :LOL:

But yes that's fine I'm intrigued to see what you come up with, tag me on Flickr when you upload (y) also yeah completely agree on the kodak yellow over the purple, will re-edit this one.

blondie606 said:
Time........perfectly lit as usual , still thinking about the lens flare bits...too many maybe ? & yes , I also spotted the Your instead of You're.......sorry :exit:
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Yes and yes, probably too many or could maybe do with altering the opacity. Spelling and grammar was never a strong point of mine :asshat:
 
Ahh bugger, what I meant was the band in the reflection would be further down. I'll make it clear that I have no idea how you have done it all and I may have completely got it wrong, but in my mind (somewhere) I feel the band should be lower.
 
minnnt said:
Ahh bugger, what I meant was the band in the reflection would be further down. I'll make it clear that I have no idea how you have done it all and I may have completely got it wrong, but in my mind (somewhere) I feel the band should be lower.
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Again, the reflection is real and is 'as shot' unfortunately I can't beat physics.
 
minnnt said:
Really? Just goes to show I have no idea :LOL:
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Basically, the set up was a black BG and sheet of glass with a Speedlite (just one) camera right with a shoot through umbrella, I then put some white reflective poly board subject left to add some fill. I made some backgrounds in PS and uploaded them to my phone.

Exposure was about 8secs with flash at full power (no ambient light at all - complete darkness), I then slowly swiped the phone across the frame using the glass to help make a straight line.

I wish I had made a yellow BG now, can't believe I let that one slip.
 
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Another 2 great images, Agree possible too much flare in the time shot, the face of the watch is really sharp there could almost be no glass face to it. No crit for the box brownie other than the colour already mentioned. (y)
 
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