L'Chams 52's - Stare - p5

Yeah, I mean I post these (normally shot on a camera phone) on another forum and looking at some of those shots they look a hell of a lot better than the second shot. I'm buying an off camera flash which will allow me to have a setup and leave it undisturbed while I finish the process. Plus to use the same exposure settings\camera location.

I'm really enjoying this. Even the ones were I just don't get the result I'm looking for. If I ever get 'great shot, wouldn't change a thing' on any of my 52's I'll probably just explode, ha ha ha.
 
Wow - that's some catch up you've done, Steve. I'll try and keep up. ;)

Mechanical: I didn't know Bamfords made things like corn grinders! This looks like a grand old piece of machinery, and as everyone else says, it's a pity about the labels.

Play: Good clear shot - fulfils the theme, although I know it's disappointing when you can't get the shot you've hoped for. Perhaps another trip to Spain is on the cards? :)

Chemistry: I love the variety of colours in the second shot, but prefer the first shot from a photographic point of view. I suppose there's only one way to check this chemical reaction> :LOL: (y)

Pepperami vodka. Uckkkk :puke: (I've wanted to use that smilie for ages. :D)


Candid: A lovely candid shot. I hope she agrees. And congratulations to you both. :)

Week 2 Poetry: Dedication indeed, and a good way to mark progress. Well done! (y)

I've skipped over Produce very quickly because I haven't done mine yet. :eek:

Jean
 
Produce - love it. Lots of colour, loads to look at and spot on the theme.

Chemistry - you could have used this for produce !! Neat idea. I'm off to buy boiled sweets.
 
Chemistry - I prefer the first image as it is less busy and there is nothing to compete with the attractive shapes and colours. Pity about the focus as you say, and it could do with a smoother background but you've done the best you can for the moment. A good idea with great potential.

Produce - love the colours and promise of summer!
 
Tracer said:
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:
Click to expand...

It's not new fiancee that you should be worried about its when you call them 'current' fiancee that seems to bother them! :LOL:
 
I really like this image for produce.

Good composition and loads of interesting colours.

The first thought I had for improvement was losing the scales as others have already said. Apart from that it's a winner (y)

Andy
 
Last edited:
L'Cham said:
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:
Click to expand...

:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:Now there's a story to tell the kids in years to come !!!!

Funny you should say that you're known as "that Vodka guy" - my nickname in college was Smirnoff :eek:
I'm clearly not as hard core as you though.
Pepperami vodka? :shake: Nope
Spanish sweet vodka? :shake: not done that either

Anyway, I love the idea for your chemistry shot (clearly anything involving vodka is a good idea, but I do really like this one)
I love the way that the light is diffused through the liquid and the contrast of the red and green is very effective.
As you said, it's a shame that you couldn't have got the set up exactly the same for the before and after - but it still works well for me.

Produce : I'm with you on the great colours and textures in this. It does look just a touch soft on my monitor though and I'd agree about cropping out the scales.

Play : Simple, clean and sharp. Good colours too.
There's always something slightly eerie about an empty playground, so this image actually has far more impact than you'd expect from such a simple composition.
 
Just looked through your recent flurry of posts and of them all the ones that stand out are Produce and chemistry. I think i'm just a sucker for colour, these both make for very interesting photos. Well done :)
 
I like produce, good colours and a lot of different textures... I think I have to agree on a small crop to get rid of the scales...

As for peperrami flavoured vodka... oh man... Anyway... the colours work well, and it's a great idea... I have to agree with you on the second shot...
 
Week 13 - Quad

So after I finished screaming 'Quad? WTF is that supposed to mean? Arrrrrrrrrrggghhhhh!! :annoyed:'. I decided to put it to the back of my mind and hope for some kind of miracle. Whilst working on a little project of mine exploring local overlooked gems I headed down to the Tyne. Whilst looking for The Spirit of the Tyne (a statue on the riverbank) I found a small enclosed dock with a cluster of these small little metal boats. Flicking through the images when I got home I wondered if they would make and interesting cluster of shots, that's it, Quad!
So here they are,

The Small Ships.

Quad800.jpg

Not sure if the overcast day helped keeping the relections off the ships at the expense of clearer looking water.

Oh and since the other half is stuck at work today I thought I'd experiment with off camera flash again. So I give you

Flashed to Death. :D

DinoQuad800.jpg
 
Last edited:
The metal boats are interesting - how big are they? The arrangement doesn't quite work for me - I wonder if flipping some would help. I particularly like the image in the top right corner.

Flashed to death - I can identify with this as I have taken loads of shots of toy animals while trying to learn how to use flash. :)
 
I have to agree with tracer.

It is a cracking idea for a quad of images, you seem to have some great public art up in the North East.

The top right is the strongest of the four. A bit of time re-arranging or shooting from different angles would have made the rest as strong as this one.

Andy
 
I agree with the others about the first set. The only problem I have with it is that the boats do blend into the background a bit too much for me - but I'm not sure what you could have done with that!

Flashed to death though... :LOL:
 
Thanks for the comments everyone.

The ships are about a meter in length and there are about eight of them. Unfortunately they are about a meter below street level and then there is a fence going around the edge so you have to shoot down on them. Plus going around the outside of the fence is a road, with parked cars and then houses. Then you have swans that won’t get out of the damn way and they have clustered some of them together so singling them out is near impossible.

Summary, lovely to look at, pain in the ass to shoot.

edit: Here's one of the group shots to give a little perspective.

IMG_1383b800.jpg
 
Last edited:
Really liking the ships Steve, the top right is by far the strongest... I think they'll probably all work well if made into Mono and boosting the contrast.

As for flasghed to death... a good fun shoot... I've done much the same.... nearly blinded myself for several minutes on a couple of occasions into the bargain too...:D
 
Okay I'll be wuick here because I've got to pop out and just realised I've just forgot to post.

Week 14 - Shoot
Simply put, something you may shoot, a shooter. Really not happy with the end result but the more I use the off camera flash the better I'll get.

IMG_1719b-800.jpg


Week 15 - Single

And Single, one stood alone.

IMG_1776b-800.jpg
 
Really interesting take on quad. Those metal boats are very interesting and I have to agree with Tracer that the top right one stands out.
Not so keen on the ones with the sides of the dock showing, but it looks like it was a difficult location to get a good angle from.

Shoot isn't at all bad either.
Good colours and I really like the flashes of colour through the shadows.
The lighting isn't quite there for me, but as you say practice will make perfect.

Single is my favourite out of the set.
In fact I think it might be my favourite out of your 52.
Love the composition with the crossroads in the path echoing the sculpture. The semi-silhouetting works well and some very pretty colours in the sky. I like this a lot :clap:
 
Thanks Sarah. The composition with the path and angel were almost an accident and I didn't think it would work until I'd seen it on the laptop. I was getting sick of waiting around for people to stop sitting on it and kept wandering around it to get an angle where I could hide the people. Walking away from it almost ready to give up I thought the path would lead into it nicely. Took a few shots and was about to leave again but wanted to see how the second path coming across would affect the dynamics. Quite pleased I kept looking back really. The sky did look better that night but I people just wouldn't get out of the way.
 
Single is such an unusual angle for the AotN, but the atmosphere of it kinda works. I would be tempted to clone out the crossing path so the leading line is stronger. I feel the path is a little distracting.
 
I really like the perspective you have captured for single, and as has been said it is an unusual angle to take it from which is good.....I like it a lot...the only small thing is is I think I would like to see a little more room in front and less behind but that's being picky. :)
 
A very striking image. Ideally like Sonia I would like a bit more room to the left, but I can understand that you didn't have much 'wiggle' room and wouldn't want to loose the sky on the right.
 
Nice choice of angle for the angel. A pleasant change from the norm. Agree with Dean that maybe losing the horizontal path with some cloning might add a little more impact to the lead in. Nicely done.
 
Interesting angle on the angle for single - I've shot her several times, and it can be difficult to be orginal - you managed with this shot. The nice pastel tones in the lower part of the sky help as well.

Phil
 
Thanks for all the comments everyone.

My Photoshop skills are pretty weak but here is an attempt to clone out part of the path. I prefer it as it was personally.

IMG_1776b-800clone.jpg



Oh, and after I got the shot after looking back again and again in frustration I thought I didn't stop there. I went even further back.

IMG_1788b-800.jpg


C&C's welcome on these too.
 
Shoot, a great idea, and excellent colours. I'm not sure the focus point works for me, it appears to be on the rear of the glasses.

Single, an excellent and original shot, not seen that angle before. It's well composed. I quite like the crossing path, although the edit, removing it, does help to be honest. You just need to add the path edging in... ;) and watch the white dots on the right. I quite like the one with the bollards, I'm not sure why... but it works for me.
 
I know what you mean about people getting in the way Steve. If you asked them if you could take their picture they would look horrified :LOL:

I love that you have captured a different view than normal of this. The path leads into the frame and the partial silhouette gives a great atmosphere.

I didn't have an issue with the horizontal path but the edit without it does look better.

The wider view you have put up looks great. The composition and lighting make a stunning image of a much pictured landmark stand out from the norm.

I am still jealous of all the outdoor art in your area :LOL:

Andy
 
Single is the best of the page for me...

I do like the composition and the silhouetted figure. Some good lines going on in this shot. Nice colours in the sky too.

Ian.
 
Week 16 - Stare

Okay I'm a little late with this one. Not for the want of trying. I've had the Mrs stood outside a few nights gaving up at where the bloody moon should be and having trouble firing my flash so I've eventually given up on that idea.

Thanks to a fellow TP member I now have an Interfit EX150 kit :cool:

So, here is the pick of my first attempts at a self portrait and using a softbox.

C&C as usual please peeps.

4566153625_b20d946707_o.jpg
 
Your SP is on theme Steve and very brave for doing so. I like the lighting on your image, well done. One small niggle though, the right lens on your glasses have caused an odd effect with the side of your face. There must be some technical term for it but :thinking: it escapes me. Good effort overall(y)
Iain
 
You're spot on Iain I saw that myself. It's like 'refraction' when things get distorted in water but I don't know if that's the term. Think it would be lessened if I faced the camera a little straighter but didn't get a look I liked.
 
An excellent SP Steve, and plenty of stare too... I agree about the odd effect from the glasses... not sure what can be done though...
 
I think it's a good initial effort. Self portraits are tough...

A couple of suggestions from me.

- A reflector to splash a bit of light back to the dark side of your face. A moody expression would have been OK, because that light/dark contrast works in moody portraits. It seems to be more of a "study" to me, therefore I'd like to have seen more light on the dark side of your face.

- Try losing the specs. They are quite distracting, and have shadowed out the light in the catchlight in your eye. The AF has probably picked out your specs rather than your eyeball.

These are just my opinion though. Your composition is great and your pose and expression are very natural looking. The B&W conversion also works well (assuming it was originally colour, then converted?)

Ian.
 
Candid.....crop out that tree on the edge or incude it all and you have a great shot.

Play.... quite a sad shot for Play as it looks like it's just sat there waiting for a child to come and play.

Produce....plenty of produce in your produce shot and great vibrant colours.

Chemistry....Love the left handside of the first shot with the sweets in the bottles, the right side look a tad soft.

Quad.... reading all the other comments I can't really add much more.

Shoot....we are all alchoholics......:D

Single..... lovely shot of the biggest piece of scap/crap to be called art :bang:

Stare.... very nice sp, lighting is spot on and the position of yourself all make this a great shot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top