L'Chams 52's - Stare - p5

I like the second shot, good use of DOF and I think it works better with more than one person:D in the shot.
 
I also prefer that second shot. It's a long way better than the first of your photographs. I like the shadows and the light.

Wierd pieces of art though. Just goes to show that there's no accounting for taste.

Ian.
 
Thanks Ian. The improvements are largely down to reading, advice from you guys and another forum I post on. So thanks again everyone. Can't wait to get to Spain next month and reshoot my Poetry entry with the advice given.

Oh and BTW the artist does have some more 'normal' looking pieces but seems to favour these weebles.
 
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Liking shot two. It's a pretty surreal looking sculpture, have you thought of playing with the colour a bit to give it a 'strange' feel? Shot 3 also looks promising but with a bit more background blur (y)
 
Oooh interesting. Not sure which I prefer, I think the second image (one large one with the others oof) takes the cake, but I'm wondering at a slight comedy varient with a single real person in the middle of the original, holding a bit of a pose.

Great interpretation, cool statues, nicely captured.
 
Oooooh those are really weird statues. Nice spot for the theme :clap:

My favourite is the second one you posted with all the other people oof, but there's something interesting about all of them.
Well done n finding such an interesting subject for the theme and for executing the shots so well :clap:
 
Cool artwork! - and a great take on the theme - another 'People without People' shot :)

The second one's my favourite, but I think they're all good :)
 
Not sure about this but here's an attempt to blur the third shot a little more.

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Steve, present is much better (y)

People, what a strange artwork... still... nicely taken, I think the second works best.
 
I like the second shot best, though it's a pity the background isn't more attractive. But then, maybe it pus it into context more...
 
Week 8 - Mechanical

I had something along the lines of this since I'd seen them theme but didn't know what I would find within one of my favourite subjects. The only working windmill in the North East. Unfortunately, or maybe not, a friend of mine had asked me to photograph some local landmarks for the images to be made into cards\postcards to be sold and the profits given to a local church to help with a restoration. Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are. This means that I've been running around like an idiot and had very little time to get my 52 done.

So, I give you a corn grinder from Fulwell Windmill.

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What I learned from this is when you have little time it's very difficult to remain patient and get the shot you want. I also learnt that just because I 'think' a place is going to have low light doesn't mean that it will. Therefore you should not leave you other wider lens in the car thinking 'oh I wont need that'. :bang:

edit: Sorry for the bad grammar but I’ve been out at the football and drinking most of the day.
 
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The problem with shooting displays like this is you're left to the whim of whoever laid it out. In this instance they've put labels and posters exactly where they're not helping the shot. I guess it would also have been tricky to pick it up and move it somewhere either :) Shame as it could have made for an interesting subject, but the label on the front particularly just detracts too much from the overall image.
 
I like the idea Steve, but the label does detract as Darren said. Not sure what could have been done, whether a different angle would have worked... I'm also struggling to work out where the focus is... but that's probably just my eyes... or trying to read the writing...
 
I'm with them ^, maybe a close-in shot of part of the grinder would have suited better... or maybe looking into the hopper even. I do like the *feel* of the shot however, it has a nice warm atmosphere about it.


Arthur
 
My focus was supposed to be right in the middle of the shot but using a nifty on cropped sensor wasn't my greatest idea. If I'd known the inside of the mill was going to be lit so well I would have just stuffed my 18-55 stock lens on. :bonk: This was the only angle I could get all of it in as things were more than a little cramped. There was only me, the Mrs and the guide. Now I've been in though I know what to expect and can prepare for it better next time. They also unlocked the gate at the back and allowed me to go around and take some photos from the side that people don't normally get access to. :cool: Good to see someone being helpful when you have a camera in your hand rather than running for cover.
 
Shooting a 1/15 sec is always going to be a challenge without a tripod ;), not that they would allow a tripod anyway. It's a good choice of subject for the theme.
 
I also tend to agree with the above. It's a shame you were stuck for time, because perseverance netted you a good final shot for people.

Keep at it!

Ian.
 
Not much to add to the above really.
It's definitely got potential and the "feel" of the image is spot on, but I agree with the critique above.

It is a shame about the label - but not really much that you could do about it. I almost think that if you couldn't work around the label, maybe you could have worked with it instead? I wonder how it would have looked with the label in sharp focus so that it was legible with the piece of machinery just slightly oof behind it :thinking:
 
Good subject, such a shame about the label and the slight blur. Lighting is good though, and a different angle could be cool :)
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. As usual they are all very helpful and something I can take and learn from. Thanks to you guys I'm gradually getting better.

I might leave the Play theme until next week while I'm in Spain. Will see if I can find out the new theme on the Mrs phone before I go and try to get both done in holiday setting.
 
I do agree with what has been said already so I am sorry I cant offer any other critique - sounds like a cop-out but it isn't. :)
 
I agree with the rest but well done for getting a shot at all under difficult conditions, and you have learned something, which is part of the point of the exercise.

I have decided it is better to risk noise with high ISO than camera shake - maybe try it the next time.
 
Week 11 - Candid

Right I've skipped a few here but I will be posting the other weeks once I've had time to put the images together. Was hoping to get more shots on holiday but due to the snow and power failure options were limited. So.... I give you candid. Although the subject is my new fiancée (not that I had an old one) she knew nothing of this shot until she saw it.

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I like the sunny, holiday feel about this one, and you have achieved quite good separation from the background.

Better not let her see the "new fiancée"description. :LOL:
 
Week 2 - POETRY

Okay this might seem a bit weird\confusing but since I was back in the same Spanish town I went back and reshot my Week 2 subject following some tips from you guys. Let me know what you think.

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Welcome back Steve, I hope it was a good holiday!
And congratulations on the "new" fiancee :)

Good shot for candid, it's very crisp and clear and definitely fits the theme. She looks completely oblivious to the camera.

Poetry take II . . . now there's real dedication. I bet you didn't tell your fiancee that the purpose of the trip was to reshoot your week 2 ;)
Definitely a big improvement on the original - the background is far less distracting (y)
 
Week 9 - Play

Okay, we're back to Week 9. Try to keep up people. :)

Right, my plan was to get weeks 9 and 10 done on holiday but sadly the Spanish snow on the Costa Brava had melted just before we touched down. Meaning I missed the chance of getting kids playing in the snow for the first time. Then for some reason the Spanish seemed to think that 10-18 'C was cold so there was no one playing on the beaches. So my lesson learnt here was that 'Just because you think you're going to the perfect location, doesn't mean you're going to get the perfect subject\shot'. That all said, I give you (lack of) Play.

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A lovely candid shot of your fiance... it sure looks candid, and lovely and warm too.

Poetry... dedication... that's a lot better... the only thing I'd say... the post doesn't quite work... the DOF at f/1.8 is so narrow that the bottom of the post has slipped out of it.

Play also works, but in a different way... almost sad to see something like that, not being played with.
 
:LOL:Thanks Sarah, thankfully she's bless (or cursed) with a sense of humour similar to my own so she found saw funny side. She even found my proposal amusing. We'd landed in Gerona and got picked up by a mini bus to take us to Tossa. Due to the snow the driver could only get us to Lloret bus station. We had to wait there in the pitch black waiting for the last bus over the hills. Once in Tossa we went to check into our hotel only to find it candlelit due to the power failure. So rather than sit starving in a dark hotel we went to the only place that had lights on, a bar in the bus station. After a romantic meal of Doritos and burgers we headed back to the hotel. Halfway there under one of the clearest skies I've ever seen, I stopped and said "you know, after all this I think we can get through anything together". She turned around to find me on one knee, ring in hand, and was daft enough to say yes. :LOL:

I'm not going back a third time John. :LOL: I did try different DOFS but they just made the backgrounds look busy for some reason. :bang:

edit: Oh yeah, I did have a couple of other deserted playground shot and toyed with the idea of one of those three shot things but haven't really had the time to sort it. Also had one of a pair of swings with one seat going. Just couldn't get the shutter speed right for the effect I was going for.
 
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I like your Candid shot. Minor aggravation would be the "thing" down the left hand side of the frame, but otherwise I quite like it. For some reason, I feel a title of "Lost in Translation".

(y)

Ian.
 
Cheers Ian. The 'thing' is a bit of rock with a plaque on it for some reason. She thought I was sat on the floor talking pictures of it. ;). I wasn't sure if it added balance or not. Maybe if there was more of it. I might try a crop later and see.
 
Week 12 - Produce

Right call me a cheat if you want but I'm just going to leave this picture here to keep a seat warm. I may change it, I may not.

This was another shot taken recently in Spain on market day. I just love the variety of colours and textures.

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Lots of colour & bang on the theme. I think it would be improved with a crop to get the object (scales?) in the top left out.

Phil
 
Week 10 - Chemistry

I'm all caught up. :cool:

Right a little background. There are some on this forum that know me from another non-photography forum as L'Cham? That Vodka Guy? After being sick of paying way to much in trendy bars I wondered how difficult it actually was to create your own flavoured vodkas. Very easy it seems. So over time I have inspired many to join me on my great experiment and come up with many many ideas. Some great, some good, some, well, let's put it this way, I don't recommend pepperami vodka. :puke:

So, I bought these sweets in, yes, you guess it Spain and without trying them decided to give them the treatment.

I'm really really really not happy with the finished shot, just couldn't get the lighting or the focus the same. Next time I shall build a, er, lightbox? Allowing me to leave the setup fixed while I complete the work. And possibly do a triage (?) of the Ingredients, In the bottle, Finished.

So, here's the shot.
duo-800.jpg


And one done on another camera many moons ago.

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For those who are wondering. The red one turned out to be raspberry and the green one melon. :)
 
Produce: Agree with Phil about the scales, and it looks a little soft. However I like the subject, and I like the colours. Nice photograph.

Chemistry... The second shot has too busy a background for me. The first... Well the idea is very good and it's well executed witha duo-tich (or whatever it's called) but your self-crit is spot on... Which is a shame because I like the before and after idea.

Did you learn anything though? Apart from steering clear of pepperami vodka...

Ian.

Note to self: Marmite vodka... Possible?
 
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