Fleur's 52s: Will not be beaten by 52s: 15 added! Index post 1

Knowledge - the EU Parliament, a source of knowledge...or not....depending on your particular view :0)

Knowledge.jpg
 
Not sure it is a repository of knowledge...information maybe...

I'd be inclined to clone out those blobs (birds) at the top. A filter might help you to give the sky some depth, a polarising filter would be my choice but, that might predicate against those lovely reflections you caught further down the building.
 
Hiya Fleur,

I apologise for not commenting on your thread sooner. I seem to recall seeing some of the photos, but can't understand why I didn't comment ..... can only be that I was interrupted at the time, but this little monkey of mine :LOL:

So I've had a quick scan and must say I am impressed with the photos you have posted.

Especially like your Choas photo, with the misty background.

Also love the angle at which you have taken your 'knowledge' shot.

All your photos are right on theme, so well done for that.

Now that I have your thread tagged I should be able to keep up with the rest of your posts.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Ok, here we go with a major catch up on my 52s, life been in the way, tho have been out and about with camera, these all recent, tho i confess not necessarily taken for the themes

however, for moderation, no idea, think thats where i came to a brief standstill as it goes, so playing a joker for that one as its one of my favourite pics to date experimenting with my shiny new SLR :0)

moderation-joker.jpg


Empty - very old empty building

empty.jpg


Object - a famous art object, the Mannekin Pis in Brussels (thought about entering this for the TOTP LOL funny one for the theme :0)

object.jpg


Wrong - cows in the wrong place

wrong1.jpg


Paradox "The coastline paradox is the counterintuitive observation that the coastline of a landmass does not have a well-defined length. This results from the fractal-like properties of coastlines" North cornwall would definitely be difficult to measure!

paradox.jpg


Thats it, wow up to date, whats week 17 i wonder!!!!!!!!!
 
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Hiya Fleur,

WOW WOW WOW!!! I absolutely love your joker/moderation shot. OMG I can just feel the serenity looking at the photo, well done! :clap:

Empty: I feel you have missed the focus on this one. So sorry doesn't really appeal to me.

Object is great, just needs a slight straighten (although by doing so you don't lose the detail at the top) So if this is a cropped version ... perhaps work on the uncropped.

Wrong: indeed ..... makes one wonder who they manage to stay upright on such a steep incline. Nice photo though.

Paradox: brilliant and well thought out. Love the photo too.

Well done on catching up.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Fleur... you've got a great collection here.. love the EU building shot..and the famous object d'Art?? :D good capture of the water especially.. (y)

yes..what is week 17 :D

Kev
 
Another catch up :0)

Accommodation - birds nest (last years)

Accomodation.jpg


Divided - divided land and sky (tenuous praps :0)

Divided.jpg


Power

Power.jpg


Tropical

Tropical.jpg
 
Hiya Fleur

Wow, :clap: well done to you on such a remarkable catch-up. Glad to see you are still with us (y)

Now my turn to catch up on your latest pics:

Accommodation: Lovely photo and very fitting for the theme, nice DOF.

Divided: Not at all tenuous (as you put it), I love the cloudy sky, the colours and the silhouette of the foreground. This is just the sort of shot I like to take, so hope you don't mind but I have had done a bit of an edit, regards crop, levels, sharpen and saturation to show you my ideas for this photo (let me know if you want me to remove the image)

5715947469_38e798fe50_b.jpg
[/url] Divided by crystal_singer (drodd), on Flickr[/IMG]

Power: Indeed a powerful shot, the WB seems a little out (notice from the EXIF that it was set to Auto .... sometimes the camera gets it wrong and needs a bit of tweek in post processing), but otherwise a great shot (y)

Tropical: Another great shot for the theme (this time the WB was set to manual but can't identify what setting you used .... it is a tad out). Even though I like the subject, I think the focus is in the wrong place and IMO it would have been better to get the fore and middle of the subject in focus with a DOF leading to the back .... perhaps more space around it would help too.

I hope the above doesn't sound too critical, they are good shots and I have enjoyed looking at these photos as they all form part of my own learning experience too.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
hello dawn, yes still with you...just, tis so hard fitting it all in! and i find once i log in I lose big chunks of my life looking at everyones pics lol

my word, yes, super edit on the divided one, way too much sky in my original, youre on the money there, I think i have a mental block about cropping to a non standard size for some reason, how silly

took a silly amount of shell pics today, as was out of ideas, but found them impossible to get them looking interesting

I still havent got my head round the white balance thing, tis something i need to work on, dont really know where to start with it!

not at all critical, all very useful as ever dawn, thank you :0)
 
Hi Fleur

my you have been working hard to catch up ,well done you (y)

Love your capture for POWER , unusual view but fits the theme & you caught the action really well with all the hooves juts off the ground , like it a lot:)

Beautiful shell ofr TROPICAL & again fits the theme perfectly , perhaps a little more space around it, particularly the top , would be better but nice none the less(y)

I'm with Dawn on the DIVIDED shot , but great capture & silhouette:clap:

Brilliant idea for ACCOMMODATION , lovely DOF & colors (y)
& I totally love your Joker , beautiful scene & well captured :clap:
 
whitedeer said:
hello dawn, yes still with you...just, tis so hard fitting it all in! and i find once i log in I lose big chunks of my life looking at everyones pics lol

my word, yes, super edit on the divided one, way too much sky in my original, youre on the money there, I think i have a mental block about cropping to a non standard size for some reason, how silly

took a silly amount of shell pics today, as was out of ideas, but found them impossible to get them looking interesting

I still havent got my head round the white balance thing, tis something i need to work on, dont really know where to start with it!

not at all critical, all very useful as ever dawn, thank you :0)
Click to expand...

Hiya Fleur,

Really glad you are still with us .... great to see your works. I know exactly what you mean about the time the project takes ... but believe me it is all worth it.

Thanks, I am glad you like the edit. I have a passion for beautiful cloudy skies, especially when there is an interesting foreground, like your silhouette field.

Many times I have taken photos of a cloudy sky and wanted to include all of the clouds because they are all so gorgeous and add to the image, but as the old saying 'less is more' and it is very much about striking a balance.

At first I was a bit hesitant about unconventional cropping, but sometimes it has to be done ..... best advice I can give is go with your gut feel .... if you like the crop then stick with it. After all it is not always easy to please everyone ... the most important thing is for you to be happy with what you see.

I have literally hundreds of shells at home, just waiting to be photographed. I appreciate what you mean about getting them looking interesting. I think your setting here is good, it was just a matter of focus. I have found with such subject it is better to set the camera to manual focus, especially at such close range. I am still thinking of ways to make them interesting, and when I do I will get the shells out and have a go (coming to think of it .... I have done one photo with a shell which I was pleased with ... it is on my Flickr).

With regards to the WB, it is something I am still learning too. I seem to notice the WB more on other photos than my own :thinking: ... all part of the learning experience I suppose. One thing I have noticed is that one can't always on the Auto WB ... even though it is supposed to be pretty accurate on some cameras, I still find that I have to adjust it in post processing, or set the WB in camera at time of shot. I have also found that using the preset/custom WB settings are not always true, especially in cloudy or shady conditions. Also think it is a matter of taking all other factors into consideration, i.e., the ISO, f/# and Exposure. I guess practice will make us understand it better, and hence why we are all here to learn.

Look forward to seeing your progress through this project.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
I'm still here believe it or not :0) have been doing the 52s as I went, but no time to process, downsize etc, so heres a catch up! hope everyone still having fun, tis a tough challenge this. One of these is a major backtrack as I started late on my 52s, but determined to complete the set

Style - bareback & bridleless, pretty stylish if you ask me!

Style.jpg


Promise - these seagulls promised they would eat my fish and chip supper if I wasnt careful, very dull day so colour a bit shot

Promise1.jpg


Twisted - met this lovely chap with very twisted horns by accident on the north cornwall cliffs

Twisted2.jpg


Hidden, tis a gory one from an archaeological dig

Hidden.jpg


Broken - pile of broken scarecrows

Broken1.jpg


Bright - very pretty and bright damson fly

Bright.jpg
 
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And two more as its a six at a time posting limit ....

Elaborate - a very elaborate desert, nice :0)

Elaborate.jpg


Celebrate - here comes the wedding car!

Celebrate.jpg
 
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fleur...i'm speechless... love these... celebrate is great..the car on the approach, but the candid over the shoulder view is great.

style...more like thick trousers surely...

elaborate... i'm salavating...can't think of anything else...but foooood

(y)
 
ah thanks kev :0))) really appreciate that, tho I have been away from the 52s a fair while, I have been hard at it and learning all the while

I KNOW, i tell you, those meringues were unbelievable, had to take a pic, made from brown sugar, really soft and unbelievably gorgeous.... i wont go on LOL
 
whitedeer said:
I KNOW, i tell you, those meringues were unbelievable, had to take a pic, made from brown sugar, really soft and unbelievably gorgeous.... i wont go on LOL
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no fleur...please don't go on...the image was good enough to eat...and the boss thinks i'm mad for licking the screen... :bang:

look forward to more of your learnings (y) you go get'em girl!!
 
Lovely pics you have there.

Bright : you've missed the focus ever so slightly (seems to be on the leaf instead of the insect), but fits the theme being bright!

Your elaborate desserts, look scumptious. Ever so slightly back (cropped the rhs a little) would have been perfect, but I like the blurred dessert in the background.

Celebrate: I think it might have worked the other way around with the car in focus and the girls blurred (not sure tho). Better pic may have been the confettit rice throwing time... However, you've got the focus nice on the girls dressed up for celebrating.



Congrats on the pics! Keep them coming!
 
Hiya Fleur

I saw your post in my 'subscribed threads', clicked the link, had a quick scan and thought WOW, this requires some attention as it is brilliant .... so I have charged a glass of wine and I am going to look at these in more detail.

Bright: First of all well done to you for even getting a shot of a dragon fly this year ... I have failed miserably with this subject this year .... not only have I not had many in the garden, but when I have spotted one they haven't stayed still long enough for me to get a shot. However, I do agree with Vince that the dragon fly is OOF. I'm trying to decide if this was due to the lighting, some slight breeze moving the subject or camera settings. What settings did you use for this shot? and did you use AF or Manual? Looking past this though, it is indeed 'bright' in the sense of colours and you have captured a lovely DOF, but the focus seems to be more on the abdomen and the leaf. I like the thought process for this one though!

Broken: Nice idea .... not one I would have thought of ... so impressed with this one. However, I do think the composition would have worked better if you had got more than one scarecrow in the shot and perhaps taken it from a lower angle. Is this by any chance a crop of a larger image? If so it would be great to see that one to form a better opinion. Also perhaps a slight sharpen and maybe a tad boost in colour. Although, a very original idea.

Hidden: Now this one is brilliant ... I love the whole idea behind the concept, discovering something hidden that has so much meaning! Only thing for me though is it looks a tad over-sharpened, especially visible in the sand and bones. But then again, I suppose this was quite a difficult subject to focus on with the criss-cross of the string. Nonetheless an excellent subject for the theme.

Twisted: I can see where you were coming from with this one, although the horns don't look twisted enough form my liking .... maybe because I have seen more twisted/curled horns. However, I like the composition and colours and the way you have captured it's almost camouflaged nature ... and you haven't chopped off its legs (which is something I always seem to get wrong when taking pics of animals :bonk:). It also looks a little soft, so maybe a slight sharpen might bring some detail back.

Promise: If you hadn't put the story line to this one, I wouldn't have associated it with the theme. However after reading the title to the image it sort of gels. Would have been great though if you had put a few f&c for them to peck. It does seem a tad soft, but question if perhaps the focus wasn't more on the rocks than the birds ... and also wonder about the WB :shrug: Really like the composition though .... as a bird shot.

Style: Hee-Haw!!!! Talk about a stud!!! .... pity you chopped his hat off :LOL: Lovely steed too! Would have been better with a bit more lighting on the face (of the stud :naughty:) But what can I say ... this pic has me in a frenzy :eek: ..... bareback & bridleless ..... say no more :naughty: (y):clap:

Celebrate: Absolutely stunning ... and I wouldn't change anything about it! (except for the little yellow dot on the pole to the right of the one on the post).

Elaborate: ...... OMG that is such a delish photo .... I could almost eat my screen (but it is too big to fit in my mouth :eek:) That must be one of the best Pavlova I have seen ages ...... yum yum!!!!! Great DOF, although I think it could do with a very slight adjustment in levels to bring out some of the highlights and detail (as it has a slightly yellow/green hue to it). A very tasty photo though and one I wouldn't mind chomping on :D

OMG Fleur, you have tantalised us with many treats all in one week.

I now need to recharge my glass :D

Well done!!!

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Ah thanks Dawn, you always put some time and thought into your feedback, glad to hear you enjoy a glass of wine when you are looking at the 52s :0))

Yes, i think the focus is off on the damson fly, but had to put him in for that one, they are such amazing colours arent they, I think a) tis my skills need development, and b) this is a canon 55-250mm lens, and pretty much at maximum, and I have been a little disappointed a few times with results on this one, but it was the best zoom I could afford

the scarecrows isnt cropped, tis full size, i stumbled across them at a show display by some kids, thought they just looked great all thrown in a broken pile, agree tho, bit of a colour boost would have helped i think

there are lots of issues with the seagull pic arent there, but I liked the position of the one flying off composition wise, and it was one those had to be there moments, they were hysterical, didnt actually get dive bombed tho :0))) not obvious on theme, but got a bit stuck on that one

hidden was another funny experience, took AGES to get a shot that worked on the angle, and a couple of people were intrigued what i was doing, am pretty sure didnt sharpen this, just adjusted levels slightly, loads of them were way way off on focus, getting the balance of string and bones was really really hard for me, and it was an excellent lesson in patience, not really my forte!

ha ha re the pic of david and his horse, I love this pic, it was shouting into sun hence colours not great, but just love the pic on the horses face, and a great shot for style I decided (finally)!! This theme has eluded me for WEEKS!!!!!! I aspire to bareback and bridleless riding, but its a tall order for us mere mortals :0)))

think the dessert a hit with everyone, how could any of us resist it, they should def show a pic in the menu, reckon they would see a surge in orders, beautifully presented, yum :0))))

thanks again dawn, your thought process is really helpful in terms of overall improvements and where shots fall down

take care ;0)
fleur
 
whitedeer said:
Yes, i think the focus is off on the damson fly, but had to put him in for that one, they are such amazing colours arent they, I think a) tis my skills need development, and b) this is a canon 55-250mm lens, and pretty much at maximum, and I have been a little disappointed a few times with results on this one, but it was the best zoom I could afford
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If you are getting a few insects and you want to try macro shots, have a look at a raynox 250 (fits on the end of normal lenses) around 40ukp. More macro. There's several threads somewhere on here (if you use the search) that demonstrate you can get very good macro. Dunno about working distance tho (that is how far away you would need to be to the subject... especially these as they are very skittish).

Hope you get the chance to take some more pics of the insects! :)
 
Hi Fleur


time for a catch up on your thread...sorry I've missed a few weeks:crying:

Elaborate is just scrummy & makes me want one now ! You caught the textures & colors just right & good use of DOF :clap:

Lovely shot for Celebrate..unusual angle for this type of image but works really well (y) The only thing I'd have changed ( or tried to ) was to get the car full in shot but imagine that might have been difficult !

Style...love the shot & brilliant idea...shame about the cropped hat but I like the lighting & the opposite pose of the horse's head & the riders face ( if that makes sense ?) Great idea , just lovely shot (y)

Hidden...great idea for theme & well taken , like the focus on the twine as it makes the bones more hidden (y)

Twisted...great image for the theme , love the composition & colors...spot on (y)
 
OK, another catch up, tho as per usual have been checking in all along, but have to set some time aside for uploading and catching up etc!

Rescue - the Watchtower at Boscastle Harbour

Rescue1.jpg


Cats - very sensual creatures

Sensual.jpg


Dogs have a great sense of smell. AND, this pic fits the "smell of success" :0) LOL - won me first prize in the "animals" class at one of our local shows, was so pleased, and my friend so proud of her beautiful dog Fats

Smell-2.jpg


Weird rat creation at Port Elliot Literature festival

weird3.jpg


Wind

Wind.jpg


Evolution - history of life itself in these rocks

Evolution1.jpg
 
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And two more as a 6 image limit

Andy Weatherall playing some Record(s), also at Port Elliot Lit Fest, rubbish picture really, but had to be used for this theme!

Record2.jpg


And one of my personal favourites, farmer hard at work

Work4.jpg
 
Hi Fleur,

Wow that is some catch up .... well done :clap: Glad to see you are back on track. I haven't even shot my photo for 'work' yet .... hope to get it done today.

After all your effort, I will do a little comment catch up too:

Rescue: Lovely photo and the sky was in your favour for this one with the blue and few clouds. This could have also worked well as a photo for 'wind' with the flag flying.

Sensual: A gorgeous photo of the kitty, nice and sharp too, with lovely dof.

Smell: Another stunning photo of a gorgeous dog, sharp, nice dof and great catch light in the eyes. Well done to Fats too for first prize! :clap:

Weird: Now that is weird and quite scary too. I suppose the people etc give it a sense of placement, but I would have perhaps been tempted to clone the people and the poles+wires, but that is just me.

Wind: Brilliant! Love the angle at which you have captured this shot. Nice foreground detail and again the sky in your favour.

Evolution: Great idea for the theme and anything with rocks get a (y) from me. I love the detail in the strata and I like the way you have used the foreground rocks as a lead in. Only thing for me is it looks slightly soft and perhaps a slight sharpen would benefit to bring out more detail of the rocks. This photo for me has a lovely flow and leads my eye from lower left corner, zig-zagging through the image. Very well done ... one of my fav's so far :clap:

Record: Excellent for the them and I actually don't see anything wrong with the photo ... the graininess adds to the feel of the photo.

Word: Fantastic! Nice line, moody sky and the mono looks great too. It would be interesting to see this photo in colour, just for interest.

Wow you have done a sterling job catching up and I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at these photos.

Well done you! :clap:

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Top work Fleur!

Pick(s) of the bunch for me are:

Rescue: Lovely image with great contrast, shame about all the ariels on the roof spoiling the look of the building somewhat. However they are critical to the context of the image and it's relevance to the theme.

Sensual: Beautiful tonal image, nice isolation with the shallow DoF. A great soft feel - but retaining clarity and detail.

Wind: A well conceived and well executed concept. Love the focus and the perspective! Deffo wanting to replicate that so thanks for the inspiration!

Evolution: lovely subject, really like the diagonals and the textures Can't comment on IQ etc though, as I'm on my iPhone.

Work: love the moody sky and think the conversion works well, but would be interested in seeing the colour version as Dawn mentioned.

Keep up the great work!
 
thanks muchly Dawn and Paul :0) Quite pleased with them as a little collection really, definitely improving as I go, and the 52s really help

As two of you thought the colour one of work might be interesting, here you go, the sun was in the wrong place to my left, so the tractor detail a bit shot, thats partly why it works better in B&W, but also I think the B&W emphasises the lines and angles much more to my mind. This one totally unprocessed obviously!

Work-Colour.jpg
 
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Dawn - yes, silly me, i uploaded the wrong one for weird, I did indeed edit the poles out, but left the people in on the right because I feel they give perspective to how big it is. Have changed to correct one now!
 
Thanks Joe :0) Thats at max length on Canon EFS 55-250 which is surprising really, as I find the lens a bit hit and miss sometimes...clearly its just me tho giggle, as this one pretty sharp I think
 
Hiya Fleur

Thanks for posting the colour version of 'work', I can see that the sun was not at the best angle for you, and that the mono conversion suits it well. Although with a slight tweak to levels and sharpen I am sure the colour version would make a stunning photo too.

Agree the cloned version of 'weir' is better and leaving the people in does add to the scale of the rat. Only point is there is a little bit of the pole on the right that I can see in the trees, easy to clone though.

Once again a little set that you can be proud of.

Well done

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
How bizarre, I din't recall seeing your 52 before....:thinking:

Anyway,

Open, quite an unusual angle and b&w work well and adds to the gritty feel. Nice lighting and shadows from the strings. I'd like to see a tad more light on the near part of the bridge.

Hard I like. Possibly because it's a 'action' photograph. Again, b&w works well.

Clutter, not really getting clutter here. What is it?

Delicate, we have these in our garden. You seem to have lost some detail in the petals. I find the dark section at the top left a bit distracting. Well composed.

Chaos, the white is, well, very white and almost overpowers the photograph. I like the angle and really like the BG.

Finished, Like it. all them cars destined for scrap.....I like the internal framing. Do you have any with the cars in focus?

Trio, well spotted. I'd like to see them all in focus and I feel b&w would work well.

Knowledge, interesting interpretation. I really like the reflections but feel the composition could be improved on, perhaps crop some of the right off?

Accommodation , again, well spotted. I'd like to see a higher angle

Divided, my favourite so far. Super detail in the sky and good foreground interest.

Power, interesting angle and really fits the theme.

Tropical, nice detail and on theme.

Style, cowboys, how can that not be stylish. Pity about his head but nie eye contact, with the horse.

Promise....:D

Twisted, nice horns. I has an almost tilt shift feel to it.

Hidden, like it and really like the focus.

Broken, oofff, scarecrows have always scared me. B&W would be an option here.

Bright, nice detail. Pity it's not all in focus.

Elaborate, nice, very nice. I'd like to see the RH in the photograph.

Celebrate, well spotted. Pity about the car running into her head.

Rescue, well done with the whites. Nice detail throughout. I'd like to see more of the BG.

Sensual, (y) cats are great, s/he looks very happy.

Smell, another nice one.:1st:

Weird, and scary. Pity about the people in the bg.

Wind, nice sense of motion. I'd like to see a tad more of the turbine. Nice sense of motion in the grass.

Evolution, great perspective and angle.

Record, nice choice of b&w. I feel a square crop might work.

Work, my second favourite. B&W again, well chosen. A tad off the bottom might work.

Well done for these and I look forward to the rest if your 52. you seem to have a good eye for b&w subjects.

Cheers.
 
crikes andy, youve been start to finish! I had to have a look back at some of my pics as couldnt remember what they were :0)

Clutter is from the top of a helicopter! lives in the garden, now, that one looks like a pretty poor pic to me, had only had camera a couple of weeks then!

glad you like cat and dog and work the best, they would be three of my favourites in my 52s I think apart from my joker for moderation which i love

thanks for feedback, all interesting
 
Hi Fleau...crikey ...thats some catch up again,well done you (y)

No particular order......

Wierd....now thats bang on theme & almost scary (y)

Beautiful potrait shot for Smell...great color & DOF & wonderful pose...congrats on the win by the way (y)

Work....much prefer the mono conversion as it seems more interesting....love the moody sky :clap:
 
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