John's Photo 52 PtII - Week 52 (28th Dec) - Texture

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jgs001

Brian Cox
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Continuing on from Part 1...

Here's Fun

Another week that start out with zero inspiration. In fact this week has been mainly perspiration and no fun at all, but that's another story. Anyway, whilst thinking and thinking last night, wishing I could try and get shots of the storms blazing away outside whilst keeping the kids calm (like that was going to happen) an idea snuck quietly into the lesser known recesses of my brain. I'd shot some 'in fun' shots a while back... so decided to try something in the same vein... Anyway, there's a bit of a story involved here...

Last night Monkeh asked me if he could borrow my SLR to try something, I said "No way! but you can use my old Z2, it's more your size". So after setting up his Studio for him, he recruited a few characters from the toy boxes and proceeded to shoot a Thriller tribute shot. Of course I grabbed a shot of the proceedings...

IMG_7489.jpg


Technically, I know there's lots wrong with it, but it's been one of those weeks and I'm not expecting it to get any better, so this will have to do.

For anyone interested, here's Monkey's shot too (He gave me permission to post it :D)

PICT0217.jpg


Lessons learned...

1) When under lots of different outside pressures, taking the time to do something you enjoy just doesn't seem to give the buzz as normal when something works. And it's much harder to be inclined in the first place.

I can't think of anything else, although I'm sure there's loads. This wasn't my first attempt at something, but the others just didn't work.

Here's a couple I also tried

Fun 1

Fun 2
 
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That's good it worked :D. Thanks Ruth... I've just noticed... there's a smear of something on Monkeh's shot... Gonna have to go see what the kids have done to the Z2... They were the last ones to use it at Goodwood.

Time Passes...

Hmmm... will have to have words.... There's enormous splodgy fingerprints across half the objective.... Still easily dealt with...
 
I like this idea very much :LOL: made me laugh too. I also quite like that second shot you got, of the Wii wheel :)
Monkeh has some talent there, watch he's not after our camera when you're sleeping ;) :LOL:
 
Inventive and fun :)

Funnily enough as soon as I saw the image and before I read your words I thought 'Thriller' :D

Bubbles would be jealous ;)

You've acknowlegded the technical merits ;) so lets just accept this one as a good fun shoot :D (y)
 
Shorty said:
I like this idea very much made me laugh too. I also quite like that second shot you got, of the Wii wheel
Monkeh has some talent there, watch he's not after our camera when you're sleeping
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Thanks, I keep it locked out of his reach :D... I just couldn't get the Wii wheel as I envisaged it. Maybe upping the brightness on the TV... not sure.

Dark Star said:
Inventive and fun

Funnily enough as soon as I saw the image and before I read your words I thought 'Thriller'

Bubbles would be jealous

You've acknowlegded the technical merits ;) so lets just accept this one as a good fun shoot
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Cheers John. It wasn't my first idea for Monkeh's shoot, but I couldn't find a suitable toy... I'm glad the intent comes across clearly though.
 
:D :LOL: I've had a terrible week at work and really needed cheering up. Those shots have definitely put a smile on my face !

Great interpretation of the theme, and I liked your second shot of MarioKart and Wii wheels too.

p.s. Monkey's effort is particularly impressive given that he had to operate the camera minus any fingers and thumbs.
 
Glad to help Sarah :D and thank you.

He did well didn't he :D
 
Very good, very funny
J
 
Thanks Corky.

Cheers Jean, it was just one of those weeks... if it could go wrong, it pretty much had a damn good try at it, or at least it felt like it.
 
Monkeh looks like he´s having fun, and straight away I spotted the Thriller connection. They both made me laugh so you´ve managed to get a couple of fun pictures out of what sound like a very unfunny week. I take my hat off to you :clap::clap:
 
Thanks very much Jill. Glad you got the connection and it made you laugh (y)
 
When I saw this... I groaned, and Simon blamed me for it... It's not what I asked for at all... However, a brief think later and it occurred to me, that the easiest thing to do was to use a shot that was easy to get. No tricky lighting, not difficult framing, panning, flash, multiple exposures, stacking, image combining or any such thing. So here's what I settled on

A simply easy shot to shoot.
IMG_7536-Version2.jpg
 
Your fun shots made me smile so they hit the spot, I love messing with light tents and tabletop lighting, great way to play with light and see how it affects an image.

Your easy shot is a strong image and would fit many of the themes we have had. Nicely done.
 
Thanks Hyster. I probably ought to get the tent out and play more with it. I'm not inspired as I have nothing suitable to light it with, I need to look into it. I've got a couple of old flahsguns that'll work in slave mode ... if I can figure out a way to hold them up...

Thanks Karmagarda...far too many themes have been hard in the first 6 months...
 
Thanks Sarah. It was easy... I had the camera in Aperture priority (the light was changing by the moment, blinking weather), bumped the ISO a little to get a decent shutter speed, pointed and shot :D... Lighting was what was there. I wish it were, but no, this is one of the ponds in the "The Princess of Wales Conservatory" at Kew.
 
Hi John, two great shots. The first really does sum up the element of fun, and the second, well there is nothin simpler and easier on the eye than a beautiful flower, which you have captured perfectly! :clap: :clap:
 
jgs001 said:
Thanks Sarah. It was easy... I had the camera in Aperture priority (the light was changing by the moment, blinking weather), bumped the ISO a little to get a decent shutter speed, pointed and shot :D... Lighting was what was there.
Click to expand...

I suppose that's the beauty of a shot like that . . . it really looks like there was a lot of effort and planning that went into it.
I've yet to experience that pleasant surprise when a simple photo comes straight out of the camera looking perfect.
 
Fun - they made me laugh so fit the theme perfectly imo.

Easy - To be completely honest this one isn't doing too much for me. I think it's the composition - I'm finding the bud and leaf bottom left really distracting. Just the flower on it's own with a nice reflection would have had more impact I think. I am being picky though - and appreciate that sometimes random leaves are just there and have to be condended with!
 
adrury said:
Hi John, two great shots. The first really does sum up the element of fun, and the second, well there is nothin simpler and easier on the eye than a beautiful flower, which you have captured perfectly!
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Thanks Angela

Shorty said:
Wow, lovely shot. Easy for some, but not for me. Lovely colours!! :D
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SarahLee said:
I suppose that's the beauty of a shot like that . . . it really looks like there was a lot of effort and planning that went into it.
I've yet to experience that pleasant surprise when a simple photo comes straight out of the camera looking perfect.
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:D it doesn't happen to me very often

Daysleeper40 said:
Fun - they made me laugh so fit the theme perfectly imo.

Easy - To be completely honest this one isn't doing too much for me. I think it's the composition - I'm finding the bud and leaf bottom left really distracting. Just the flower on it's own with a nice reflection would have had more impact I think. I am being picky though - and appreciate that sometimes random leaves are just there and have to be condended with!
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Thanks DS. This was the best angle... and I don't think the gardners at Kew (or the fish in the pond) would have been too happy with me adjusting it :D. I cloned a leaf out of the lower right corner, but I will admit I didn't try with that much.

Toothie said:
Great colours and reflections i think the bits at the bottom distract a little though. :D
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Thanks Ruth... I agree on the bits

jeangenie said:
Until I read everyone else's comments I hadn't noticed the leaf and bud because the colours of the flower are so eye catching. So for me it works beautifully and looks as though you've spent hours getting just the right light.

Jean
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Thanks Jean.
 
Easy is a beauty, I think your interpretation of the theme is cleverly done ;) Like Fi I would have preferred to have seen the flower on its own but then that wouldn't have met the theme would it :) The colours and light a very 'easy' on the eye and subtle ;)

Nice one :)
 
Thanks very much John ;)
 
Wow that a lovely shot John...:clap::clap::clap:

You really did do this flower justice, works so well as a stand alone shot and would make a great wall picture...(y)

and you may think it was easy but most would struggle to take that shot so well...

nicely done mate...(y)
 
Thanks very much Marcus.
 
Spartacus said:
Wow that a lovely shot John...:clap::clap::clap:

You really did do this flower justice, works so well as a stand alone shot and would make a great wall picture...(y)

and you may think it was easy but most would struggle to take that shot so well...

nicely done mate...(y)
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Not being Lazy John, but my first thought was ´that needs to go on a wall´ so Marcus sums it up for me. (y)
 
Crumbs... 2 votes :D.. Thanks very much Jill... I'll have a look into getting it printed.
 
First off... I printed the flower and it's come out really nicely... it almost glows. Thanks for the suggestion

Anyway... Colour... or perhaps I should say Colours :D.. I had some ideas for this and I shot a few to see what I liked best.

First up a macro shot of some wrapping paper with coloured stripes on it. I quite like the effect this produces... in fact I was rather surprised

IMG_7765.jpg


But in the end... the kids had been making things yesterday, so I grabbed the tub, popped the raynox on the nifty, lit with the 300AFD bounced off a nearby wall.

IMG_7795.jpg


I quite like the randomness of all the beads.
 
OOh hard to pick between those two - love the first abstracty one - almost hypnotic - but the second wins for me I think - a dynamic still life - it somehow has lots of movement for me and no sense of scale so the size of the 'bits' could be anything :)

Very good shot that- I like it! :clap:
 
mmm... don't know which to pick myself! Both are good shots. Both suit the theme! But probably the second one. I think the colours are more vibrant in it.
 
Well another good week for you I'm thinking...:clap::clap::clap:

Spot on with the themes subject matter, both are good in there own right but I'm with karmagarda and Dark Star if I had to choose it would be the second one...(y)
 
Like em both. Well done on both counts
 
Everyone's done so well this week!
I like both those shots, but I think I prefer the second one if I had to pick.
The range of colours is really eye-catching and the definition on each bead is so crisp and clear. I can almost see that blown up on a canvas in some swanky office building.
 
Ooooh, I like these both. Prefer one, but I think it's for the simplicity against the texture, very well done (y)
 
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