London Through The Looking Glass

blakester

blakester

Shine On Harvest Moon
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Iain
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I paid a visit to London today in possession of a crystal ball, (hey doesn't everyone ;))
I had an idea that I wanted to try. Not an original idea but one that I thought I could put my own spin on. Your comments and critique are most welcome.

1. Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square by iain blake, on Flickr

2. London Eye

London Eye by iain blake, on Flickr

3. Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus by iain blake, on Flickr

4. London Blue Eye


London Blue Eye by iain blake, on Flickr

5. Houses of Parliament

Houses of Parliament by iain blake, on Flickr

As a footnote, I went alone but ended up talking to many people throughout the day, the crystal ball was a real ice breaker, it seemed to grab people's curiosity. It was a very enjoyable day.
 
Well I can't make up my mind which I prefer, but I think they are all great

I really like the large bokeh effect

Original? Well it's the first time I have seen shots like this...very creative IMHO :)
 
siblingchris said:
Well I can't make up my mind which I prefer, but I think they are all great

I really like the large bokeh effect

Original? Well it's the first time I have seen shots like this...very creative IMHO :)
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Thanks Chris, I tried to put my own spin on the idea of using a crystal ball as a prop. Best done at night to enhance the lights and bokeh.

aethelstan927 said:
Really awesome!! :D
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Cheers Ben (y)
 
They are really quite cool, Have you thought about a bit of photoshoping and turning the globe so that it puts the reflection up the right way.in number 4
 
Dexter247 said:
They are really quite cool, Have you thought about a bit of photoshoping and turning the globe so that it puts the reflection up the right way.in number 4
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Thanks Chris, that would be beyond my skillset in photoshop :LOL:
 
A really good idea, well done........:)
 
These are all really good Iain, love 4 & 5 the best though.

Is that a bit of your 'hand' you've twisted up to make a little ring for it to sit in??

I agree 4 would greatly benefit from the reflection being flipped too. See my PM (y)
 
J H Foto said:
A really good idea, well done........:)
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Thanks Jeff (y)

overbez said:
These are all really good Iain, love 4 & 5 the best though.

Is that a bit of your 'hand' you've twisted up to make a little ring for it to sit in??

I agree 4 would greatly benefit from the reflection being flipped too. See my PM (y)
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Thanks Graham,
No not part of my hand, it was a ring I made with similar wire to rest the ball on.
Yes, the rotation works well, I have pm'd you back with my excuse explanation ;)

starkersclark said:
Very cool in my opinion! (y)
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Thanks also to you Sarah (y)
 
Never seen this style personally and I think it looks fantastic.

Thanks for sharing! :D
 
Excellent concept. Love the set.
 
Iain!!... brilliant concept and a very fun time by the looks of it..

It looks like you mastered photoshop on that last one too!... now i quite liked the original BUT..... seeing it flipped its even cooler... my fav for sure!:D(y)
 
bildo said:
Never seen this style personally and I think it looks fantastic.

Thanks for sharing! :D
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Thanks Bill (y)

viv1969 said:
Excellent concept. Love the set.
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Thanks Ruth, I have more ideas in the pipeline, just need the time to get around to them. :)

Cg_Girl said:
Iain!!... brilliant concept and a very fun time by the looks of it..

It looks like you mastered photoshop on that last one too!... now i quite liked the original BUT..... seeing it flipped its even cooler... my fav for sure!:D(y)
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Thanks Trace, yes I spent hours up in London bimbling around, a very enjoyable day.

Yes, I am happy with the edit, I think it still needs a little fine tuning but I got some pointers from Graham (overbez) above that I am going to try.

It is my favourite of the set too, blue is a particular fav colour of mine.
 
What a great idea and a brilliant result!
Hard to pic a favourite as liking them all but if I had to it would be #4
 
Two and five are my favourites.

It looks like you were hanging the ball in some of the photos, is that right? Probably a daft question, but does it have a hook on it?
 
drooke said:
Two and five are my favourites.

It looks like you were hanging the ball in some of the photos, is that right? Probably a daft question, but does it have a hook on it?
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Thanks Dan.
No, not hanging it Dan. I made a ring from twisted wire to sit the ball on, you can see it in #4. I sat the crystal ball on a wall for most of them. In post processing them, I inverted the images so as the view was the correct way up, then cropped very close to the bottom of the ball so as to remove the wall from the frame.
This inversion didn't look right with #4, hence me doing further pp to select only the ball and rotate it through 180deg. I hope this helps Dan and no it wasn't a daft question at all. Cheers (y)
 
I think I actually hate you! :D

Lovely, both in concept and execution. Can't possibly pick a favourite. (y)
 
This is why I stalk this place, so many stunning pics but these took my breath away, number four for me
 
interesting photos- simple idea but getting some fab images... love them!
 
Monstro said:
This is why I stalk this place, so many stunning pics but these took my breath away, number four for me
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Thanks for such kind comments Monstro, very much appreciated.

tezmed said:
interesting photos- simple idea but getting some fab images... love them!
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Thanks Terry, it is a simple idea indeed and one which I had a lot of fun with as well. I have more ideas/locations in mind too.
 
Hi, Iain, nice set. I thought about buying a crystal ball a while ago but didn't get around to it....whose I had now. Lovely colours, detail and bokeh. #2 for me,

Nice nails BTW ;)

Cheers.
 
Sir SR said:
Great Set! Love 2 and the edited 4!

Now must find myself a crystal ball.........
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Thanks Shaheed, get one, they are relatively cheap for a great effect IMHO

posiview said:
Hi, Iain, nice set. I thought about buying a crystal ball a while ago but didn't get around to it....whose I had now. Lovely colours, detail and bokeh. #2 for me,

Nice nails BTW ;)

Cheers.
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Thanks Andy, I have quite a few more ideas, I am quite taken on the concept. I tried a few shots during the day but think it works best at night with lights.
The nails? :LOL: They belong to a random German tourist who I ask to hold the crystal ball :LOL:

Paul Male said:
:agree:
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Cheers Paul (y)
 
Love these, great concept.
 
stupar said:
I tried this a while back but during the day, see below.
You have nailed the technique better than I had that's for sure and I agree that night time seems a better option. Stray sun rays through a crystal ball are a nightmare.
Well done, love the set (y)
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Cheers Stuart (y)
I tried some during the day but preferred night ones.
I do like yours though,

RickyS said:
WOW
:)
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Thanks Gurpal (y)

Morph3ous said:
Love these, great concept.
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Thanks (y)
 
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