weekly LC2's 52 for 2015 Thread - Week 52 : Christmas

Going down a different road, a panoramic crop may do this more justice as a scenic shot. I don't have a problem with it being dark though as there is enough detail in the areas the light hits.

Onwards and upwards Tim
 
Hi Tim, I'm impressed with all your theme entries, Great to see another image where the power of nature shows how fragile some things are.
The other canal shot works well for me too.
All the best !! looking forward to the rest. :)
 
Hi Tim.... Think a lot of the technical stuff has been said but I will say I like it as is really - although @Bruja suggestion of a pano crop might tidy up the overall feel. Love the murals, especially the second one
 
Hi Tim, nice to see your scenic shot with a Narrow boat afloat;)
Catch up time....
Bliss... now this is something i can really relate too! Great use of depth of field here, like the last part of the label in sharp focus (but in real life i would point out after drinking a bottle the whole label would be OOF:)
The Glass is too small, thats a tarts glass not for drinking Rum!:eek:
In seriousness, all good like the sharp DOF and the cap and neck OOF only thing i would change is the backdrop cloth, the ripples, throw you a bit...

Fragile..... I guess nature will always prevail eventually over man made structures, but i think this barge might have been subject to something a bit more heavy duty like a cutting torch, unless the Iron worm finally prevailed.
Nice shot love the reflection would have liked to have seen more of the reflection of the bow, sad to see her laying there like that.

Scenic.... Just worked out where this was taken (sorry a bit slow) spitting distance from where i work! This must have been shot from Brenford Lock..... shot under the bridge...
Nice to see this barge afloat! That path on the LH side of the narrow boats is flooded at the moment!
I think would have been nicer to see more of the bridge as its quite a nice bridge with the old lights on top, not sure what it would look like at night? I think maybe a slightly broader view would be better.

All the best
Steve
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi Tim, have to agree with the above comments regarding the darkness of the image, but I can see there is quite a lot of light in the bottom of the frame and on the side of the barges.

I think the only way round that would be to take it at a different time or in a different light, compositionally I think we need to see a little more of the barges
Click to expand...
I agree, different light would help. Winter (and family life) restricts it a bit though :)
If I had been able to get down onto the locked out landing stage, I might have been able to get closer, but again, location was restricted.

It's actually a shame, as the shot I really wanted wasn't available. Normally there is a BWB working boat moored up close to the railway bridge, which I wanted to try to get from further along the canal. It wasn't around this weekend :(
 
Bruja said:
Going down a different road, a panoramic crop may do this more justice as a scenic shot. I don't have a problem with it being dark though as there is enough detail in the areas the light hits.

Onwards and upwards Tim
Click to expand...
Not had any luck with the (admittedly very few) attempts I've had at panoramic stitching. Perhaps something I need to do for some of the shots for this challenge. Good Call.

Barney Strumble said:
Hi Tim, I'm impressed with all your theme entries, Great to see another image where the power of nature shows how fragile some things are.
The other canal shot works well for me too.
All the best !! looking forward to the rest. :)
Click to expand...
Cheers :)

Pinkbikerbabe said:
Scenic - I am a bit late to the party of comments, I can't add anything on top of what's been said so far.
Click to expand...
Cheers :)

ferg007 said:
Hi Tim.... Think a lot of the technical stuff has been said but I will say I like it as is really - although @Bruja suggestion of a pano crop might tidy up the overall feel. Love the murals, especially the second one
Click to expand...
Ta. I liked the murals, there was about 100 yards of them, those two were a couple that stood out.
 
69Bonni said:
Hi Tim, nice to see your scenic shot with a Narrow boat afloat;)
Catch up time....
Bliss... now this is something i can really relate too! Great use of depth of field here, like the last part of the label in sharp focus (but in real life i would point out after drinking a bottle the whole label would be OOF:)
The Glass is too small, thats a tarts glass not for drinking Rum!:eek:
In seriousness, all good like the sharp DOF and the cap and neck OOF only thing i would change is the backdrop cloth, the ripples, throw you a bit...

Fragile..... I guess nature will always prevail eventually over man made structures, but i think this barge might have been subject to something a bit more heavy duty like a cutting torch, unless the Iron worm finally prevailed.
Nice shot love the reflection would have liked to have seen more of the reflection of the bow, sad to see her laying there like that.

Scenic.... Just worked out where this was taken (sorry a bit slow) spitting distance from where i work! This must have been shot from Brenford Lock..... shot under the bridge...
Nice to see this barge afloat! That path on the LH side of the narrow boats is flooded at the moment!
I think would have been nicer to see more of the bridge as its quite a nice bridge with the old lights on top, not sure what it would look like at night? I think maybe a slightly broader view would be better.

All the best
Steve
Click to expand...
Thanks for the comments Steve.
Fragile - The barge by Richmond bridge has been deteriorating for many years now. When it first sank, I'm sure the sides were intact. I don't think it was cut (but I could be wrong).
Scenic - Yes, Brentford Lock (the top one, not the one on the Thames). If the tow path was underwater, the lock gates must have been overflowing too?. If I had tried to get more of the bridge in, I think the two narrow boats would have ended up as specs. Hmm, Difficult.
 
LC2 said:
Thanks for the comments Steve.
Fragile - The barge by Richmond bridge has been deteriorating for many years now. When it first sank, I'm sure the sides were intact. I don't think it was cut (but I could be wrong).
Scenic - Yes, Brentford Lock (the top one, not the one on the Thames). If the tow path was underwater, the lock gates must have been overflowing too?. If I had tried to get more of the bridge in, I think the two narrow boats would have ended up as specs. Hmm, Difficult.
Click to expand...

I work in Heidelberg at the end of the High street, the path has been underwater for about a week off and on, it often floods. The water level remains lower than the gates, those that live in the boats must get fed up when the have to wade to get home. Yes just thought its a nice looking bridge, noticed on the way home that two of the four old lights on it are out. I guess you would have to be at an impossible angle to get it all in. I often walk there or Syon park at lunch time, go over that bridge every day.
Shame to see these barges decay. But have seen worse examples salvaged at the boat yard behind our office!

All the best
Steve
 
Brentford floods quite well, doesn't it.
One of my (I suppose Great Great) aunts used to live down Ferry Lane (the house next to the pub), this was well before the humps were put in.
She had sandbags and a flood board that slotted into the front door frame. I seem to recall we wouldn't visit during spring high tides.
From a historical perspective, I believe her husband was the last ferryman doing the crossing from Ferry Lane.
 
Hi, I didn't mean do a stitched panorama, just to crop the existing shot to a more 'letter box' shape rather than the traditional 4x3 or 3x2 shot ;)
 
Hiya Tim... I find your canal shot for Scenic very interesting, partly because it isn't an "obvious" shot - which is a plus in my book.

First of all, it needs to be viewed on flickr rather than on this website. Flickr gives it a dark grey surround, which makes the eyes adapt far better to the darks in the scene. Oh, and it's bigger ;)

Although I like it, there are a few tweaks I'd think about if you were able to reshoot. Some might be impossible, mind!
1. POV: is there any way to get lower down? The two barges are crammed a bit against that bridge and introducing a touch more space might help... not necessarily loads, but if you were kneeling, perhaps try on the belly?
2. Light: I don't have an issue with the tone of the image, but I'd like the lights to be ... erm... lighter! It has that overcast look about it (could be wrong) so would you be able to shoot when the sun is lower in the sky and get some strong yellows off the water, the roofs of the barges and the underside of the bridge? That would really make it for me
3. Perhaps a duck... but maybe not ;)
4. Any chance of still water would be fab - strong reflections of those barges would look superb.

Just some thoughts but I really like your thinking on the image... just wonder whether any of the above would help lift it?
 
Hi Paul, thanks for the comments. Definitely some things to think about there.
Yes, much bigger on flickr, I've been posting smaller shots on here to avoid long download times if anyone is reading on a mobile or tablet.

I was basically lying down, with my body proped up maybe a foot on the rail of a fence. It would be possible to get lower down, as there is a jetty, but it was gated and locked and I didn't fancy clambering over (I have no doubt there is CCTV).
The sun was quite high in the sky. I can't actually recall the conditions though :oops: :$ I do like the idea of getting the shot with the sun much lower. Given the constraints of getting something shot each weekend, you don't get much chance to wait for perfect conditions (I seem to think it rained in the afternoon).
There we some birds the other side of the lock, but nothing were I was shooting. I don't think they would add much given how small they would've ended up.
Whilst it looks like a canal, actually at that point it is the navigable part of the river Brent, not the Grand Union. I think there will always be a current on that section.

I must work harder on getting the light right.
Edit: I must work harder on my spelling too.
 
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Week 4: Companions

Focus point on the Queen, Similar to week 1 in that I'm playing with DoF, but with a different lens this week (so not a complete cop out).
Not too much done in PP. I small crop, a touch of white balance and a little saturation added on the yellow channel to make the chess pieces pop slightly.

Companions by timz2011, on Flickr

Full size images on Flickr.
Oh, and I made that chess board and pieces when I was in Junior School, so they are coming up to 40 years old now...

This was my alternative attempt - same theme, but with the youngest's Lego...

Lego_Chess by timz2011, on Flickr

The smaller DoF shots were not as appealing, so this one is f8.
The top shot is my preference though.
 
Quick off the mark Tim, 1st one for me in the Comparison theme, good job.

Phil
 
Good shot for companions - the pieces have stood the test of time well then.
 
Hi Tim

Lots of crit re your SCENIC shot. I've viewed it a number of times, and like it a lot. But personally I'd be tempted - in PP - to select the bridge an give it brightness/contrast of some sort.

COMPANIONS ... good idea. #2 is very clean & sharp ... I don't suppose they hold hands!
 
Phil Bennett said:
Quick off the mark Tim, 1st one for me in the Comparison theme, good job.

Phil
Click to expand...
Hi Phil. Thanks. #1 was my fav too.

p3ryg said:
Good shot for companions - the pieces have stood the test of time well then.
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Hi Perry, They were built to be robust. At <10 years old, I wasn't going to be making anything particularly complex :)

d00d said:
Hi Tim

Lots of crit re your SCENIC shot. I've viewed it a number of times, and like it a lot. But personally I'd be tempted - in PP - to select the bridge an give it brightness/contrast of some sort.

COMPANIONS ... good idea. #2 is very clean & sharp ... I don't suppose they hold hands!
Click to expand...
Hi dood,
Companions: Hmm, I was trying to replicate the Chess pieces in #1, I guess they could though.
Scenic: The bridge has been lightened selectively already, not sure how much more I could recover. (I forgot to turn RAW on, so the original is jpg).
Feel free to have a play and post back though :)
 
Hi, nice idea prefer the chess pieces, the only thing is with the squares on the board and the placement of the pieces, its attention to detail
the squares have to be perfectly symmetrical and the pieces sitting perfectly in the squares
I know that sounds a little OCD but it makes a big difference to the end result

As i said above the idea is there its the prep sometimes which is the hard part (y)
 
Hi, Companions #1 for me. I'd prefer the pieces on a 1/3rd but 'rules' are there to be broken. I also like to see perfect symmetry in a photograph that has repeated patterns.

That said, the textures in the surface and the warm tones of the pieces works well.

Cheers.
 
posiview said:
Hi, Companions #1 for me. I'd prefer the pieces on a 1/3rd but 'rules' are there to be broken. I also like to see perfect symmetry in a photograph that has repeated patterns.

That said, the textures in the surface and the warm tones of the pieces works well.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
I tried thirds, it look right to me. That said, the bottom of the King is on the third line horizontally.

Cheers for the appraisal.
 
Hi again... Like the idea for the companion theme, and you've got the warmth of the wood just right in the pieces, the only thing for me is I'd prefer the chess board checks to be more aligned with the bottom of the frame.
 
Hi, nice choice of subject for the theme and your chessboard was certainly built to last :)
 
In therms of hitting the theme, I think #1 does it for me as Lego can be a go-to for any theme :) However I prefer the contrast of the black-white in the lego shot. The marble(?) board looks a bit faded. Not sure if this is down to the yellow saturation push which has consequently yellowed the veins running through the marble.

The symmetry doesn't bother me a bit. :)
 
Hi Darren,
Agreed, themes are personal, I think the lines are perhaps not classically elegant, but elegant in a functional way (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).
I did try other positions, but moving to the left would have introduced a telegraph pole to the middle of shot, which would have ruined the composition.
I did have a go at desaturating the diesel to make it stand out less. Possibly that would have been the better shot, but not sure.
 
Elegant - I do love steam trains and I am fairly certaint that back in there day it was a very elegant way to travel. I think it works for the theme, crit wise I do find the green engine a bit of a distraction.
 
I must admit that I'm not a fan of steam either,
but the edit is certainly the better of the two images (y)
 
Hi, I do like a good steam engine, but I don't feel this is bringing out its undoubted elegance to me, sorry
 
That's a good idea for the theme Tim - fits in well. (I know what you mean about stuggling with some of the themes) Like this though, simple and direct. :)
 
As Michalene said, it's a clever take on the theme. :)
 
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