weekly GarethB's 52 challenge for 2019 - Week 51 & 52 - CHRISTMASSY & OUTTAKES - FINISHED!

Week 10 - Free - SOOC

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Here is my entry for the free week.
The first image was a JPEG straight out of the camera, and directly uploaded to Flickr.
There's a few alternatives too, which had some very minor tweaks.
Hope you like them....


MD3A7465
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

....and the 'tweaked' ones....


TP-52-2019 wk-10 - Free2-SOOC
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr


TP-52-2019 wk-10 - Free1
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)
 
Love the colours in the first one best. Is it a lampshade?

Many thanks Joan, most appreciated!(y)
It isn't a lampshade, it's about 30 sheets of A4 paper which have been glued down one edge to form a tear-drop shape, and then painstakingly arranged into the pattern you see.
I used two flashes, one camera left with a purple gel and diffuser, and one on the right with a blue gel and diffuser.
After setting up, it was just a matter of fiddling around with the positions to get a good balance.
I forgot to mention, that the last image is a focus stacked image (eight images I think) but I've just noticed it didn't go to well at the bottom left!:facepalm:
I may have rushed that one a little, didn't check it thoroughly....oops!:sorry:
 
I think the first ones great you have the colour perfect in that one, that must have taken some setting up, very impressed.
 
Wow. love this. Really like the set up and the results. Original image is my preference. Like the tighter crop and colours. Makes me want to have a go myself! Great
 
I think the first ones great you have the colour perfect in that one, that must have taken some setting up, very impressed.

Thank you most kindly Allan, it did indeed take a while to set up....about an hour to glue all those pieces of paper, then maybe another hour to place them in a neat pattern so as not to get too many 'edge' issues....then maybe another hour to tweak the lighting and get the shot....phew!

Got to be the first image for me too Storming Gareth :D
Really is a great image and very well placed for taking the image, great job done again mate.

Thank you very much Dave, always appreciate your positive comments.
I must have shot at least a hundred frames at different points of view, and in fact the final image I shot was indeed that image I posted!
I think it was the best one of the shoot, and I'm pleased to get it all in camera too.
...Storming Gareth...
:LOL::LOL::LOL:
I hear I was shoving around a Royal Navy Frigate earlier - HMS Sutherland - that's pretty bad-a$$!!

Wow. love this. Really like the set up and the results. Original image is my preference. Like the tighter crop and colours. Makes me want to have a go myself! Great

Thank you so much @Chenti very kind of you to say!(y)
 
Our mates T and C have a vid up on why they think Canon will release a $500 ff cam by 2021
Many thanks Joan, most appreciated!(y)
It isn't a lampshade, it's about 30 sheets of A4 paper which have been glued down one edge to form a tear-drop shape, and then painstakingly arranged into the pattern you see.
I used two flashes, one camera left with a purple gel and diffuser, and one on the right with a blue gel and diffuser.
After setting up, it was just a matter of fiddling around with the positions to get a good balance.
I forgot to mention, that the last image is a focus stacked image (eight images I think) but I've just noticed it didn't go to well at the bottom left!:facepalm:
I may have rushed that one a little, didn't check it thoroughly....oops!:sorry:
Wow, that's clever! Great image and fantastic colours
 
Like all of them, I prefer the tweaked ones getting some nice shadowing and contrast into them, but the first works great for sooc and I really like the shapes and composition
 
Wow! Wow! Wow! That's a fabulous shot for your free week. Thanks for explaining it. You have a hell of a lot more patience than I! I prefer the SooC as I think it works better with the softer edges. Should be printed and hung on a wall IMHO. :clap:
 
I love it, Gareth. For a SooC shot it's got lots of impact and some fantastic colours. Very creative!

Thank you Carl, very kind of you to say!(y)

Wow, that's clever! Great image and fantastic colours

Many thanks Mark, appreciate the positive comment!(y)

Like all of them, I prefer the tweaked ones getting some nice shadowing and contrast into them, but the first works great for sooc and I really like the shapes and composition

Thanks Ian, most appreciated.(y)
The tweaked ones have a contrastier look for sure, which I too rather like, and #3 is lit with no diffuser, so those hard shadows created a different look which I was quite pleased with....if only I'd paid closer attention to the focus stacking....those messy bits on the left are driving me insane!!!:LOL:

Wow! Wow! Wow! That's a fabulous shot for your free week. Thanks for explaining it. You have a hell of a lot more patience than I! I prefer the SooC as I think it works better with the softer edges. Should be printed and hung on a wall IMHO. :clap:

Blimey Lee, thank you so much for the encouraging comments, most appreciated!(y)
Of course now I have a pile of paper shapes hanging around in the back bedroom!:facepalm:
I've had a play around with some different arrangements, but 'winging' it hasn't yielded anything decent....it just goes to show that having a clear vision really works!
Plus, they're quite cumbersome and fiddly....one wrong breath and they wobble around all over the place....I should have perhaps cut them down into smaller pieces!
Oh well....you live and learn!!:giggle:
 
Great colours and shapes, I also prefer the SooC as it look less like a photo & more like shapes puzzling the mind more than the others.
 
Think the first one looks best Gareth actually! Colours are great and great concept!
 
Great colours and shapes, I also prefer the SooC as it look less like a photo & more like shapes puzzling the mind more than the others.

Many thanks Jon, that's exactly what I wanted to achieve with this image, glad you like it!(y)

Think the first one looks best Gareth actually! Colours are great and great concept!

Thank you most kindly Daniel!(y)
 
Week 11 - (Disused/Forgotten) Entrance

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Here is my entry for the 'entrance' theme.
Being as it was a beautiful, sunny day, I decided to go outside!:giggle:

This is the entrance to the old, disused pumping station in Trowse which is located just outside Norwich.
It was built in 1871, and is mostly intact, with some lovely Victorian brickwork and details.
It was abandoned in 1899, in favour of a newer facility, and so has stood empty for many years.
The interior is bare and there is little information of what machinery there was inside.


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance2
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

I processed it in mono to see what it would look like....not sure really....I think it looks better in colour....but what do I know!!:giggle:


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance1
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

Here is the main frontage showing how overgrown the entrance is....quite like this one, but it didn't convey 'entrance' as well as I would have liked.


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance3
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

....and a close up of that lovely, but sadly broken clock face.


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance5
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)
 
Great choice for this weeks theme Gareth! Agree with Dave, I think the pulled back one takes it for me, very nice composition!
 
FREE - a lot a prep, but the result is a set of very good images for the theme.
ENTRANCE - that looks like a cool place to take photos of. As you say, a bare interior, so the interest is outside. I prefer the shot of the clock, actually. It would look great in my kitchen!!
 
It is better in colour it’s a pity they have let it get into such a state, the pulled back version is also good though a little to much sky for me.
 
Entrance: Nice choice of images for the theme. My preference is the first closely followed by no3.
 
Entrance
What a waste of a beautiful building.
I like derelict buildings and interiors (I can't for the life of me remember what it's called. Urbanex?)
I think you could have cropped a little off of the bottom.
 
Week 11 - (Disused/Forgotten) Entrance

(Click here to go back to the contents page)

Here is my entry for the 'entrance' theme.
Being as it was a beautiful, sunny day, I decided to go outside!:giggle:

This is the entrance to the old, disused pumping station in Trowse which is located just outside Norwich.
It was built in 1871, and is mostly intact, with some lovely Victorian brickwork and details.
It was abandoned in 1899, in favour of a newer facility, and so has stood empty for many years.
The interior is bare and there is little information of what machinery there was inside.


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance2
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

I processed it in mono to see what it would look like....not sure really....I think it looks better in colour....but what do I know!!:giggle:


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance1
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

Here is the main frontage showing how overgrown the entrance is....quite like this one, but it didn't convey 'entrance' as well as I would have liked.


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance3
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

....and a close up of that lovely, but sadly broken clock face.


TP-52-2019 wk-11 - Entrance5
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)

That's a great image and an impressive entrance, such a shame its empty and unused...
 
Hi Gareth,

Wet - Really liking the colours from the blue to the reds and all colours in-between. Glad you explained how it was done, I was thinking it was some clever lighting of spilt oil and water.
Free Week - That is excellent (as ever). #1 one for me as it's less obvious as to what it is.
Entrance - Colour for me. That is a wonderful building in great condition considering how long it has been unused.
I'm guessing it must be in some kind of use, even if not in it's original guise.
 
Hi Gareth

The psychedelic Wet shot is great and much as I like them all, probably the first of the Free Week shots. Stunning images: that folded paper shot could be some graphic design. The pulled-back Entrance shot is definitely better but perhaps a little less sky and a little more foreground might have been better. If I'm splitting hairs, it's just because I'm jealous of the paper shot.
 
Very interesting entrance images Gareth. Love the really abandoned look to it. I'm glad you said that it was bare inside as i'd have been expecting you to be in there with your camera investigating
 
I like the third one too, and I especially like the unusual composition with the large amount of sky at the top. Some great colours and textures there too. Such a shame that an old building like that has fallen into such a poor state.
 
All very nice images Gareth, my choice is the 3rd shot pulled back showing this old building and great entrance.

Many thanks Dave(y), I like that one too....just thought the entrance looked a bit lost, so I decided to shoot one closer, but that ended up looking a little busy!
Can't win 'em all!!!:LOL:

Great choice for this weeks theme Gareth! Agree with Dave, I think the pulled back one takes it for me, very nice composition!

Thank you kindly Daniel!(y)

FREE - a lot a prep, but the result is a set of very good images for the theme.
ENTRANCE - that looks like a cool place to take photos of. As you say, a bare interior, so the interest is outside. I prefer the shot of the clock, actually. It would look great in my kitchen!!

Thanks for your positive comments Bob, most appreciated!(y)

It is better in colour it’s a pity they have let it get into such a state, the pulled back version is also good though a little to much sky for me.

Thank you Allan, I agree with you about the sky....I had thought of cropping it, but that bit of cloud at the top looked quite nice and I became rather attached to it!:giggle:
I must learn to let go!:LOL:

Entrance: Nice choice of images for the theme. My preference is the first closely followed by no3.

Thank you Mandy, your positive comments are most appreciated!(y)

Entrance
What a waste of a beautiful building.
I like derelict buildings and interiors (I can't for the life of me remember what it's called. Urbanex?)
I think you could have cropped a little off of the bottom.

Thank you Dominic, I think you're right now that I look at it again....it is a little 'bottom heavy'!
I know what you mean about 'Urbanex' - Urban exploration - it's fascinating! (Just googled Urbanex!! :giggle: )
Although there aren't too many derelict buildings around these days....what with the developers moving in and turning them all into apartments or car parks!
There's an old hospital (or a lunatic asylum as it was once called) in Norwich too, which I have photographed before....it's pretty creepy!
I was able to gain entry and tried unsuccessfully to take some 'spooky' interior shots!...might go back and try again, though I think it's on borrowed time....most of it has already been demolished!

That's a great image and an impressive entrance, such a shame its empty and unused...

Thank you kindly Mark, and I quite agree....it is indeed a shame....although, it's somewhat comforting to see it still in a reasonably decent state....not a huge amount of vandalism thankfully.
I don't know much about who owns it, or whether there are any plans for it....I'll keep my eye on it though....it would be a real shame if it were to be demolished!

Hi Gareth,

Wet - Really liking the colours from the blue to the reds and all colours in-between. Glad you explained how it was done, I was thinking it was some clever lighting of spilt oil and water.
Free Week - That is excellent (as ever). #1 one for me as it's less obvious as to what it is.
Entrance - Colour for me. That is a wonderful building in great condition considering how long it has been unused.
I'm guessing it must be in some kind of use, even if not in it's original guise.

Thank you most kindly Tim!
Regarding the building, I'm not sure if it it's being used for anything, it is completely empty and seemingly unused....I would have taken some shots of the inside (it's securely locked, but there are a few broken windows which can be peered through) but the interior is completely bare and there's nothing except a few broken bits of furniture and huge piles of pigeon plop!!!:giggle:

Hi Gareth

The psychedelic Wet shot is great and much as I like them all, probably the first of the Free Week shots. Stunning images: that folded paper shot could be some graphic design. The pulled-back Entrance shot is definitely better but perhaps a little less sky and a little more foreground might have been better. If I'm splitting hairs, it's just because I'm jealous of the paper shot.

Thank you Nick, very kind of you to say!(y)
I agree with you regarding the building crop....sadly I didn't have much to play with. There were some unattractive (un-clone-out-able) details in the foreground which I decided to shoot around....and I really liked the cloud in the shot, so I kept that in, perhaps to the detriment of the final image!:sorry:

Very interesting entrance images Gareth. Love the really abandoned look to it. I'm glad you said that it was bare inside as i'd have been expecting you to be in there with your camera investigating

Many thanks Ian!(y)
Yes indeed, I would have been inside like a shot, if it were photo-worthy!
Being as it's full of pigeon plop, I decided not to show any of the interior images I took....they'll be for my private collection of pigeon plop images!!!:LOL:
(I'm kidding....I didn't take any of the interiors!!):giggle:

I like the third one too, and I especially like the unusual composition with the large amount of sky at the top. Some great colours and textures there too. Such a shame that an old building like that has fallen into such a poor state.

Thank you kindly Carl!(y)
A shame indeed, I just hope whomever owns it doesn't sell it to a developer for apartments etc. I'm not sure if it's listed even....it's in a nice-ish part of town, maybe it'll be restored....we can only hope, but I shall be keeping my eye on it.
 
Hi Gareth,


Rough: Great detail on the sandpaper, really well composed shot and nice DOF.
Object: marbles for me, again good use of DOF and vibrant colours.
Wet: I like the colours and diversity in the first picture.
Free: Liking the symmetry in these shots
Entrance: I like the shot with the whole building in frame, kind of reminds me of the clock tower from Back to the future.

Great shots mate.
 
Hi Gareth,


Rough: Great detail on the sandpaper, really well composed shot and nice DOF.
Object: marbles for me, again good use of DOF and vibrant colours.
Wet: I like the colours and diversity in the first picture.
Free: Liking the symmetry in these shots
Entrance: I like the shot with the whole building in frame, kind of reminds me of the clock tower from Back to the future.

Great shots mate.

Many thanks for your positive comments Garry!
Indeed, that clock tower is in need of attention....just need to get hold of a flux capacitor and 1.21 jigawatts....whatever a jigawatt is!!:LOL:
 
Open - works me love the nice colourful background.
Distant - a good take on the theme, items are nicely placed, not keen on BG colour though.
Cold - what a great take on the theme and I like the idea alot, both images are very good, the simplicity of the 1st image works best for me.
Waiting - WOW thats a brilliant take on the theme, not much more i can say.
Rough - works for me.
Object - Both images work, nice and sharp, good colours.
Wet - The first image in the set for me, loving all the colours, very well executed.
Free week - a nice set of images, good work i like them all.
Entrance - a good find for the theme, not sure if i prefer the B&W or the colour.
 
Open - works me love the nice colourful background.
Distant - a good take on the theme, items are nicely placed, not keen on BG colour though.
Cold - what a great take on the theme and I like the idea alot, both images are very good, the simplicity of the 1st image works best for me.
Waiting - WOW thats a brilliant take on the theme, not much more i can say.
Rough - works for me.
Object - Both images work, nice and sharp, good colours.
Wet - The first image in the set for me, loving all the colours, very well executed.
Free week - a nice set of images, good work i like them all.
Entrance - a good find for the theme, not sure if i prefer the B&W or the colour.

Thank you very much Mandy for taking the (quite significant chunk of) time to look at and comment on my images!
Very much appreciated!(y)
 
Week 12 - Young

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I found myself near a local reserve today - Whitlingham Marsh near Norwich.
I saw these juvenile Herring gulls having a mid air argument over something (don't think the black-headed gull at the bottom of the frame was involved).
It's far from perfect, but I always feel fortunate to capture moments of aggressive behaviour of wild animals....even if they are just gulls.
So, may I present....

Young Guns....or perhaps that should be Young Gulls!!:giggle:


TP-52-2019 wk-12 - Young2
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

Here's another one of the same bully individual!


TP-52-2019 wk-12 - Young3
by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)
 
Last edited:
Some great captures there Gareth!! Love the first one, fits the theme perfectly!
 
Lovely images Gareth. Looks like you caught them perfectly. Great action to the shot
 
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