jeangenie's 52 for 2010 - Week 26 Beginnings

jeangenie

jeangenie

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Jean
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Wk 1 Curved, Wk2 Poems and Poetry, Wk3 Chopped, Wk4 Street, Wk5 Speed, Wk6 Present, Wk 7 People, Wk 8, Mechanical, Wk 9 Play, Wk 10 Chemistry, Wk 11 Candid, Wk 12 Produce, Wk 13 Quad, Wk 14 Shoot, Wk 15 Single, Wk16 Stare, Wk 17 Peace, Wk 18 Indulgence, Wk 19 Ingredients, Wk 20 Stop, Wk 21 Isolation, Wk 22 Quality, Wk 23 Post, Wk 24 Metal, Wk 25 Grunge, Wk 26 Beginnings

Happy New Year everyone. :)

And a big welcome to all those joining the 52 Madhouse. :wave:

I'll get my Week 1 shot in before the Sunday 'deadline' - and no doubt it will be the usual scramble to post it! It looks like the bar's been raised sky high this year with everyone being so organised and early. I'm looking forward to seeing what you've all posted, but don't want to look before I've done my shot. :)

Jean
 
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Thanks Sarah! I hope you have a good one, too. :)

Have you counted how many 52s there are this year? Squillions! I don't know how I'm ever going to keep up with all of them. It was hard enough some weeks last year. :eek: It just shows what a popular project we've chosen! :)

Jean
 
jeangenie said:
Have you counted how many 52s there are this year? Squillions! I don't know how I'm ever going to keep up with all of them. It was hard enough some weeks last year. :eek: It just shows what a popular project we've chosen! :)
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:eek:I know!

This week's been quite nice. The Friday night theme meant I got my shot in early so I've had the whole week to browse through the other posts and leave comments, but from next week on I haven't got a hope of looking at them all :help:

Well done to Simon for organising this. It's definitely drummed up a lot of interest.
 
Wk1 Curved,

SarahLee said:
Well done to Simon for organising this. It's definitely drummed up a lot of interest.
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Yep - I second that - thanks Simon. :)

Well, continuing last year's trend, I'm only just getting my effort posted. :bonk:

Curved seemed an 'easy' topic after some of the horrors of 2009. Curves are everywhere. So in true 'Jean can't make her mind up' fashion I dithered and dithered. I haven't looked at other people's 52s yet, but I bet I'm not the only one who took advantage of the weather. :LOL:

In the end, I chose a simple twig with snow and ice, defying gravity to wind itself round the twig:

Week 1 Curved:



Last year I rambled on about what I had (or more often hadn't!) learned, but what was really helpful were the comments, good and bad from people kind enough to take the time to make them. So please don't be afraid to be honest, and I'll try and take your advice on board. :)

Right, I'm off to drop in on as many other 52ers as I can manage - if I don't comment this week I'll try to keep up in the next week or so.

Jean
 
Well spotted, nice against the blue sky.

At that angle I would like to have seen it with a greater DOF so all the snowy snake is in focus.

Good luck with the next 51 and commenting on the other gazillion threads.

(y)
 
:clap: Great start Jean.
I don't think I've ever seen ice spiral around a twig like that before, and it makes a beautiful interpretation for curved.

Lovely detail in the ice and gorgeous blue sky to set it off.
I think I'd agree about wanting a bit more DOF to capture the whole of the spiral, but it still works well the way it is.
 
Lovely detail and colours, though I agree with others that more DOF would have been even better. Weren't you afraid that it might suddenly land plop! on right on top of you? :D
 
I like that, I like the simplicity of it with the blue sky (or maybe it's because I haven't seen one of those for so long!) and the really interesting curvy snow :)

A good start, and good luck with the next 51 (y)
 
Hi Jean, glad to see your back here again ;)... Good shot, I did think the curve I was looking for was the twig to start with, but then looking again I saw the curved ice/snow snake. I think it needs a little more DOF also, sorry Jean...
 
Great find Jean - I like that spiral and it's unusual. I do agree with the comments about DOF though, but otherwise it works very well.
 
foggy4ever said:
Well spotted, nice against the blue sky.

At that angle I would like to have seen it with a greater DOF so all the snowy snake is in focus.

Good luck with the next 51 and commenting on the other gazillion threads.
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SarahLee said:
:clap: Great start Jean.
I don't think I've ever seen ice spiral around a twig like that before, and it makes a beautiful interpretation for curved.

Lovely detail in the ice and gorgeous blue sky to set it off.
I think I'd agree about wanting a bit more DOF to capture the whole of the spiral, but it still works well the way it is.
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mowse73 said:
a goog idea. the sky makes a lovely background.
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Tracer said:
Lovely detail and colours, though I agree with others that more DOF would have been even better. Weren't you afraid that it might suddenly land plop! on right on top of you?
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SpidersEye said:
I like that, I like the simplicity of it with the blue sky (or maybe it's because I haven't seen one of those for so long!) and the really interesting curvy snow

A good start, and good luck with the next 51
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jgs001 said:
Hi Jean, glad to see your back here again ;)... Good shot, I did think the curve I was looking for was the twig to start with, but then looking again I saw the curved ice/snow snake. I think it needs a little more DOF also, sorry Jean...
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daveb99 said:
Great find Jean - I like that spiral and it's unusual. I do agree with the comments about DOF though, but otherwise it works very well.
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OptimusBri said:
Lovely shot for the 'curved' theme it looks great against the blue sky!
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justlooking said:
that was well spotted. Love the colour of the sky.
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Thanks everyone for your comments. I hadn't considered the dof at all :bang: - blame frozen brain :LOL:

Tracer - it was -4C and the 'melting' bits were frozen hard. I wasn't being brave at all. In fact, I was too cold to even think! :)

Jean
 
Hi Jean - happy new year (y)

I really like the idea of this shot and I think the simplicity of it is lovely. Others have already mentioned it so I'll just say that I agree about the DOF but also - I'm not sure about the bottom left corner. I think I would have cropped it closer and that might have helped with the DOF issue as well.

Good start though - looking forward to wk 2.
 
Hiya Jean,

I really like the way you have captured the snow snaking it's way down the branch, nice "curved" interpretation.

Good luck with week 2, I think we're gunna need it.
 
Hello Jean :wave:

Happy New Year :banana::banana:

I like this shot, and it's something I couldn't have done here :LOL:

The DoF is an issue for me though too. :(

But as you had 'Frozen Brain Syndrome' I'll let you off :D

Off to look at your 'Growing thread now.
 
Hi Jean. It's a lovely simple curve set off against the bluest of blue skies. I know you're already kicking yourself over the dof so I won't mention it :)

Looking forward to following your year.
 
Now thats interesting Jean and very well spotted! The DOF is to my taste on this one and thc colour and contrast is great :) A chilly start to the 52s for you but a good 'un :)
 
I like the exposure, composition and the subject but unfortunately for me the depth of field of the curve of ice is not strong enough. Such a pity as it was so nearly a great image!
 
Daysleeper40 said:
Hi Jean - happy new year

I really like the idea of this shot and I think the simplicity of it is lovely. Others have already mentioned it so I'll just say that I agree about the DOF but also - I'm not sure about the bottom left corner. I think I would have cropped it closer and that might have helped with the DOF issue as well.

Good start though - looking forward to wk 2.
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Thanks Fi. I hope 2010 is good for you, too. I did actually think about cropping off the bottom left, but my frozen brain cells didn't listen. :bonk: Thanks for commenting - really appreciate it.

Skeleton1200 said:
Hiya Jean,

I really like the way you have captured the snow snaking it's way down the branch, nice "curved" interpretation. Thanks very muchly.

Good luck with week 2, I think we're gunna need it. I think you're right!
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Bruja said:
Hello Jean

Happy New Year :banana:

I like this shot, and it's something I couldn't have done here Grrr... :razz:

The DoF is an issue for me though too.

But as you had 'Frozen Brain Syndrome' I'll let you off Fanks, I just want to hibernate in this cold weather!

Off to look at your 'Growing thread now.
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dlh said:
Hi Jean. It's a lovely simple curve set off against the bluest of blue skies. I know you're already kicking yourself over the dof so I won't mention it Thanks, Darren

Looking forward to following your year. I hope you're not disappointed. Thanks for the support.
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Dark Star said:
Now thats interesting Jean and very well spotted! The DOF is to my taste on this one and thc colour and contrast is great A chilly start to the 52s for you but a good 'un Thanks John. Got to start thinking about poetry now!
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EdBray said:
I like the exposure, composition and the subject but unfortunately for me the depth of field of the curve of ice is not strong enough. Such a pity as it was so nearly a great image!I really appreciate the comments - and with 51 weeks to go, hopefully I'll get a bit closer to the 'great image' - it's my Holy Grail!!
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Thanks to everyone for you comments. I shall definitely be thinking about dof this week! :LOL:

Jean
 
I really like this. I doubt I would have even noticed until I walked right through it and destroyed it. Like everyone else I think the DOF could have been better but it still looks great.
 
With a whole world of poetry to choose from - where on earth do you start? :( My first choice was The Donkey - but I couldn't find any this week (there are donkeys grazing on in the New Forest!), so I went for something light-hearted and a bit silly:

"The King's Breakfast" by AA Milne:

Click the link for a recital!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/offbyheart/video/andrew_mudie_the_kings_breakfast.shtml

I was going to put up the text, but Andrew Mudie's eyebrow gymnastics are worth a look!



I quite enjoyed setting this up, and decided I didn't want it to look too tidy - the characters in the poem sound a bit too silly to be tidy! :LOL:

I wanted the focus to be on the butter (melting on newly-baked bread! yum, yum) with the marmalade slightly oof.

I'm a bit disappointed with the composition, and with that wonderful gift of hindsight, I think a lower pov would have been more interesting. The (natural) light was rubbish and it needs more pp skills than I've got to make the background a good, clean white.

I really didn't leave myself enough time to do this properly - a lesson to be learned!

Thanks for looking. Your c&c is most welcome - and helps enormously. :)

Jean
 
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the recital is amusing, I think poems are always better read aloud.

Like the picture, tasty bread and butter, although the melted butter looks a little off
putting.
 
Liking week 2 Jean, although putting that much butter on your bread is a coronary waiting to happen. I don't think the light is rubbish at all, gives it an early morning feel to it. Angle wise maybe it would have worked better a bit lower and helped separate your buttered bread from the marmalade. Peckish now :)
 
As you have already said Jean, a lower point of view may have improved this slightly. However it stands on it's own as it is. A great effort for the second week (y)
 
Hi Jean, glad to see you've stuck with it for a 2nd year - most impressive.

1 - Curved: Great spot and it links nicely with the environment this week, but I don't think it's one of your best images. The curved nature of the ice is quite tenuous and I find the OOF small branch a little distracting. However, as I said it links nicely with the environment this week and that's something I want to start doing i.e. getting a shot that both fits the theme and fits the week the theme was pulled.

2 - Poem / Poetry, much more your standard and really works with your chosen poem. I bet the warm bread tasted great with the butter even though the molten butter doesn't look quite right to me, I think it would photograph even better with cold bread. When I listened to the words and read your post I got slightly confused as the marmalade looks too dark and I first thought it was Jam. I'm wondering if using a white or clear bowl would have allowed the orange colour to shine through. However these are minor niggles as the image is great, the real brilliance in this image is in the details; the wooden bread board, the "proper" butter knife, the white patterned napkin over the loaf and the spoon in the marmalade :clap:

Looking forward to seeing more from you during the year (y)
 
Very nice, Jean - a lower POV might have been better but I really like this shot as it is. (y) Lovely colours and textures - makes my mouth water!

The melted butter looks just right to me, but then I am another bread maker who can't resist a loaf fresh from the oven... (there is one baking as I type :))

I loved that poem as a child - have you seen the reworking "The queen's pickle" by Christopher Matthew, in his "Now we are sixty"? It is very funny.
 
Darkmage said:
A nice shot, I could see this on a hotels website
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Thanks - although I think most guests would expect something a bit more substantial in the form of a full English! :)

ccsnet said:
Week 1 - lol at that ice - funny how it looks like a caterpillar

Week 2 - Spot on.... looks tasty too

Terran
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Thanks - the bread was lovely (fresh out of the bread-maker!)

justlooking said:
the recital is amusing, I think poems are always better read aloud.

Like the picture, tasty bread and butter, although the melted butter looks a little off
putting.
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Thanks. I'm glad you like the recital. I found the poem in a book first then came across the recital, and he performed it exactly how I'd 'heard' it in my head - the eyebrows were a bonus. :LOL:

dlh said:
Liking week 2 Jean, although putting that much butter on your bread is a coronary waiting to happen. I don't think the light is rubbish at all, gives it an early morning feel to it. Angle wise maybe it would have worked better a bit lower and helped separate your buttered bread from the marmalade. Peckish now
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Thanks Darren. I hoped the light looked early morning-ish, even though it was actually going dark. :)

photomaker said:
I really like this photo.
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Thank you kindly. :)

daddy day care said:
As you have already said Jean, a lower point of view may have improved this slightly. However it stands on it's own as it is. A great effort for the second week
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Thanks, Andy - I'm pleased you like it. :)

SimonTALM said:
Hi Jean, glad to see you've stuck with it for a 2nd year - most impressive.

1 - Curved: Great spot and it links nicely with the environment this week, but I don't think it's one of your best images. The curved nature of the ice is quite tenuous and I find the OOF small branch a little distracting. However, as I said it links nicely with the environment this week and that's something I want to start doing i.e. getting a shot that both fits the theme and fits the week the theme was pulled.

2 - Poem / Poetry, much more your standard and really works with your chosen poem. I bet the warm bread tasted great with the butter even though the molten butter doesn't look quite right to me, I think it would photograph even better with cold bread. When I listened to the words and read your post I got slightly confused as the marmalade looks too dark and I first thought it was Jam. I'm wondering if using a white or clear bowl would have allowed the orange colour to shine through. However these are minor niggles as the image is great, the real brilliance in this image is in the details; the wooden bread board, the "proper" butter knife, the white patterned napkin over the loaf and the spoon in the marmalade :clap:

Looking forward to seeing more from you during the year
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Thanks, Simon. I must be mad to do a second year, and doubtless that will be reflected in the photos. :D I was a bit iffy about the first week's effort, and with hindsight I could have chosen something else, but it was a bit too much like my personal project shot for week 1!

I'm sure you're right about the marmalade - it was very dark (bitter and chunky - yum, yum) and in fact, by the time I got everything ready the loaf had cooled, and I ended up cheating (you can probably guess how!) to make the butter melt on the bread. :D

Tracer said:
Very nice, Jean - a lower POV might have been better but I really like this shot as it is. (y) Lovely colours and textures - makes my mouth water!

The melted butter looks just right to me, but then I am another bread maker who can't resist a loaf fresh from the oven... (there is one baking as I type :)) Yum, yum. And just where do you live? :)

I loved that poem as a child - have you seen the reworking "The queen's pickle" by Christopher Matthew, in his "Now we are sixty"? It is very funny.
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Thanks very much, Tracer. I haven't seen the Christopher Matthew book, and I've just Googled it but can't find any extracts. It sounds like a book I should get, though. :)

Jean
 
I like this a lot Jean.
Great poem and recital. I always just think of Pooh when I think of AA Milne. Easy to forget that there are poems there too.

The shot works brilliantly.
Real attention to detail in the set up - cloth over the bread, spoon in the marmalade. You've definitely got the focus where you wanted it on the butter, and the bread looks delicious. I'm not sure that the melting butter looks quite as good as it tasted though.
Hmmmmmm I think I might just make some bread tomorrow.

Re: your own critique.
The light actually looks fine to me - I don't think I'd like the background to be any whiter. However, I think perhaps your suggestion of a lower viewpoint might have worked even better.
 
I really like that picture and it's making me hungry ... buttered toast is one of the best things ever :D

:)
 
Not much to add to the many very good comments except that the picture is making me sooo hungry!

Nothing wrong wth the natural lighting for me, nice and soft.

It just seems a shame to have done all that work to set up such a lovely still life and then only take the one angle (if that is the case). Maybe make it a rule in future to force yourself to take a few extra shots at the end at different angles than you normally would or planned to?
 
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