weekly Mandy's first 52 challenge 2014 week 52 added and all finished now

well a little bit more catching up and another box ticked in the chart, so that just leaves me with 4 themes left to catch up on in amongst my other things I have to do in my busy schedule. Today was a good day at work so it put me in a good mood coming home so I thought I would get the camera out and have a go at another theme.

Cut

cut by pinkbikerbabe 1, on Flickr
 
Good shot of the phone Mandy, but it does seem to fade into the background slightly in places and I think maybe a darker material would have provided more contrast.
 
Cut - nice, simple shot that does what it's supposed to!
 
Good for you for making efforts to get back up to date.

Communicate is on theme, but a bit uninteresting if I'm honest.

Cut works better, wonder if having a "reason" for making that cut might strengthen the image... even a dotted line, or an outline of something to actually be cutting out. dunno? :)
 
Hi Mandy, agree with Graham about cut something to cut out would have lifted it, but on theme and you are keeping up
 
Hi Mandy

I quite like the high key effect on the phone, almost product type shot (y) The image is let down slightly by the creased material

Cut...does what is says on the tin , on theme but needs something like a line or something to cut round as per previous comments .BUT....we've all done done a bit of PABD & it keeps you in the game :)
 
XenosElaine said:
Good shot of the phone Mandy, but it does seem to fade into the background slightly in places and I think maybe a darker material would have provided more contrast.
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XenosElaine said:
Cut - nice, simple shot that does what it's supposed to!
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overbez said:
Good for you for making efforts to get back up to date.

Communicate is on theme, but a bit uninteresting if I'm honest.

Cut works better, wonder if having a "reason" for making that cut might strengthen the image... even a dotted line, or an outline of something to actually be cutting out. dunno? :)
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alsjazzera said:
Hi Mandy, agree with Graham about cut something to cut out would have lifted it, but on theme and you are keeping up
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blondie606 said:
Hi Mandy

I quite like the high key effect on the phone, almost product type shot (y) The image is let down slightly by the creased material

Cut...does what is says on the tin , on theme but needs something like a line or something to cut round as per previous comments .BUT....we've all done done a bit of PABD & it keeps you in the game :)
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susiejb said:
Hi Mandy ....I agree with the above but it still fits the bill really nicely for the theme :)
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Thank you all so much for the comments, much appreciated.
 
Hi Mandy, Congratulations on the job, hope alls going well :)

Liking the bubble, great reflections (y) crits been covered on the others so well done and keep the catch up going :)
 
Hi Mandy... my turn to play catch up!

Sparkle - for me not the perfect subject for the theme, but he's sparkly enough so it passes :) I do think as others have mentioned the framing/composition could be tightened up a bit perhaps also by shooting from a lower angle? I always like to have a play around with different heights when I'm shooting - kneeling, crouching, standing etc. Worth seeing the difference through the viewfinder.
Big - back to one of your better shots now :) Great colours, sky just enough cloud without being flat and super reflections off the bubble. Composition much better as well for me. Thumbs up! (y)
Communicate - I think your DOF is good on this and I don't mind the bright, almost over-exposed look as I think it works in the context of the product shot. Angle of phone good. Only downside is the background - creased and not bright (or alternatively dark) for me. But still a good take with room to improve next time around :)
Cut has some interesting compositional elements - I like the triangles formed by the angle of the paper and edges of frame. Lighting on scissors is well done, but otherwise it's just lacking a bit of meaning for me. Others have some good suggestions - maybe one for a reshoot at some point?

Great effort to keep up though :clap:
 
pjm1 said:
Hi Mandy... my turn to play catch up!

Sparkle - for me not the perfect subject for the theme, but he's sparkly enough so it passes :) I do think as others have mentioned the framing/composition could be tightened up a bit perhaps also by shooting from a lower angle? I always like to have a play around with different heights when I'm shooting - kneeling, crouching, standing etc. Worth seeing the difference through the viewfinder.
Big - back to one of your better shots now :) Great colours, sky just enough cloud without being flat and super reflections off the bubble. Composition much better as well for me. Thumbs up! (y)
Communicate - I think your DOF is good on this and I don't mind the bright, almost over-exposed look as I think it works in the context of the product shot. Angle of phone good. Only downside is the background - creased and not bright (or alternatively dark) for me. But still a good take with room to improve next time around :)
Cut has some interesting compositional elements - I like the triangles formed by the angle of the paper and edges of frame. Lighting on scissors is well done, but otherwise it's just lacking a bit of meaning for me. Others have some good suggestions - maybe one for a reshoot at some point?

Great effort to keep up though :clap:
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Thanks for the catch up on comments much appreciated.
 
Hi Mandy


Sharp - good focus and mono works well. Agree with others re crop off the left
Sparkle - bit of a crowbar but well done. well captured elements of metal, fabric, soft red brick but pity that window is a bit distracting in its place in the scene.
Big - some lovely colours in there and sharp where it needs to be. There is no context to the shot so that bubble could be no more than 10mm dia and yet, strangely, it does appear really big - don't know why. well done(y)
Communicate - decent comp but perhaps it could have a had a support at the rear to make it stand up more. B/g does detract tho :)
Cut - lighting is a bit harsh and uneven and I think that it could be improved if the scissors had made some sort of cut.

I hope that the job is going well. sadly unstable employment seems to be a fact of modern life and i cannot imagine how you have felt being out of work for 12 months, it must be so debilitating. So well done on keeping up a cheerful countenance and getting out and about on your bike, with or without your camera.
 
superpippo said:
Hi Mandy


Sharp - good focus and mono works well. Agree with others re crop off the left
Sparkle - bit of a crowbar but well done. well captured elements of metal, fabric, soft red brick but pity that window is a bit distracting in its place in the scene.
Big - some lovely colours in there and sharp where it needs to be. There is no context to the shot so that bubble could be no more than 10mm dia and yet, strangely, it does appear really big - don't know why. well done(y)
Communicate - decent comp but perhaps it could have a had a support at the rear to make it stand up more. B/g does detract tho :)
Cut - lighting is a bit harsh and uneven and I think that it could be improved if the scissors had made some sort of cut.

I hope that the job is going well. sadly unstable employment seems to be a fact of modern life and i cannot imagine how you have felt being out of work for 12 months, it must be so debilitating. So well done on keeping up a cheerful countenance and getting out and about on your bike, with or without your camera.
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Thanks for the comments and for taking the time to look.
 
Hi Mandy... Hope the job is going well !!!

alsjazzera said:
Hi Mandy, agree with Graham about cut something to cut out would have lifted it, but on theme and you are keeping up
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I'm with Graham and Allan on this one... nicely lit and liking the angles :)
 
Dark Knight said:
Hi Mandy... Hope the job is going well !!!



I'm with Graham and Allan on this one... nicely lit and liking the angles :)
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Thanks for dropping by the job is going well, but it has had its upsetting and challenging moments. And I am finding it hard to catch up on here which is getting me down a bit, I have also been ill the past week so I have had little energy for things. But I am now back to my old self so I am spending some time today to see what I have missed and try and get some stuff up together.
 
Well It has been a bit of a roller coaster for me and I have been so busy with work, I feel bad that I have not had the time to get my cameras out nor have I had any time to do anything else in my life. But the good news is I am more settled in my job and know some more stuff so I don't pull my hair out so much so I can get on with some other things as well now. And now I am over the flu thing that I had that had wiped me out after work I am a happy bunny now.

So in no particular order here is a start to a catch up on my images for the themes i am behind on at the moment, I have gone for a couple of my mums wedding rings for the week 32 promise. As for me it symbolises the promise of commitment and love you place in each other, not much done pp wise just cropped and turned into b&w.

Promise

Promise by pinkbikerbabe 1, on Flickr
 
Welcome back Mandy.

Lovely simple idea here executed very well. Good black BG, plenty of nice sparkly bits and you've managed to avoid the floating in mid air that often plagues shots of items that have their bases included in the shot really well by getting the reflection in.

The upper ring nicely off centres the composition and the tilt brings in a very pleasing diagonal element. :)
 
I really like this Mandy, detail, composition, pov, lighting, reflection, bg fading away, dof, very nice (y):clap:
 
Hi Mandy, glad you're feeling better now and happier at work - you can do it! Fits the theme, good composition and lighting and just enough reflection on the surface to give the sense of being there rather than floating (y)
 
overbez said:
Welcome back Mandy.

Lovely simple idea here executed very well. Good black BG, plenty of nice sparkly bits and you've managed to avoid the floating in mid air that often plagues shots of items that have their bases included in the shot really well by getting the reflection in.

The upper ring nicely off centres the composition and the tilt brings in a very pleasing diagonal element. :)
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Phil-D said:
I really like this Mandy, detail, composition, pov, lighting, reflection, bg fading away, dof, very nice (y):clap:
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XenosElaine said:
Hi Mandy, glad you're feeling better now and happier at work - you can do it! Fits the theme, good composition and lighting and just enough reflection on the surface to give the sense of being there rather than floating (y)
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Thanks for the kind comments and for taking the time to look, means a lot to me. I have to say it feels great to be back in the game so to speak.
 
Hiya Mandy...

Welcome back - pleased you're back with us again! And... if that cracking photo is anything to go by, your contributions are going to keep up all on our toes, quality-wise!!

Genuinely, that is a belter. It is absolutely one to look at full screen on Flickr because of the high contrast really jumping out at you. I've struggling with lighting shiny things before and you've done exceptionally well here: you haven't fallen into the trap of killing all the really bright bits and making it all just midtone. Conversely, you don't have overexposure anywhere except a couple of the key highlights - which is just how it should be for me.

I think the positioning of the lights is superb - with that glint coming off the top of the back of that ring on the left and some lovely bokeh reflections from the inside of the one on the right. And some great light falling down the fronts of the rings just to bring the texture out. The reflection and subtle shadows are just perfect for me.

Compositionally it's good but I'm going to steal someone else's suggestion for one of my photos: I think they'd work even better over on the left third of the frame. Or maybe even central in a square crop (although that may be too tight horizontally...)

But a brilliant photo which deserves a big :clap: and also a :welcome: BACK
 
pjm1 said:
Hiya Mandy...

Welcome back - pleased you're back with us again! And... if that cracking photo is anything to go by, your contributions are going to keep up all on our toes, quality-wise!!

Genuinely, that is a belter. It is absolutely one to look at full screen on Flickr because of the high contrast really jumping out at you. I've struggling with lighting shiny things before and you've done exceptionally well here: you haven't fallen into the trap of killing all the really bright bits and making it all just midtone. Conversely, you don't have overexposure anywhere except a couple of the key highlights - which is just how it should be for me.

I think the positioning of the lights is superb - with that glint coming off the top of the back of that ring on the left and some lovely bokeh reflections from the inside of the one on the right. And some great light falling down the fronts of the rings just to bring the texture out. The reflection and subtle shadows are just perfect for me.

Compositionally it's good but I'm going to steal someone else's suggestion for one of my photos: I think they'd work even better over on the left third of the frame. Or maybe even central in a square crop (although that may be too tight horizontally...)

But a brilliant photo which deserves a big :clap: and also a :welcome: BACK
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Wow thanks ever so much for the amazing comments on my image, I really do appreaciate them.

I have my brain working over time at the moment to try and come up with ideas for the other themes.
 
Hi Mandy, welcome back and a nice image to come back with, little bit of the BG could do with a clean but overall very good (y)
 
Promise, all been said. Nice subtle lighting, composition and obviously on theme.

Uber crit would be the specular highlights, but I know they can be hard to avoid unless you have decent lights.

Cheers and welcome back.
 
Another go at catching up from me as life and work has been manic for me, and before I know where I am it is going to be Christmas. I have just enrolled my self on the Blackford Centres Digital Diploma in professional photography, and my course materials arrived on Friday so i am looking forward to getting stuck into that. I not only hope to do well and gain my diploma but I hope to take my photography to the next level and improve my editing skills no end.

Week 38 Dark I took a photo of my new Heels, I am not at all happy with the image as I couldn't find a good way of getting a decent background. I know I could of done so much better but it is another theme off my catch up list, and it keeps me in the game.

Dark by pinkbikerbabe 1, on Flickr
 
Good for you on the course Mandy, (y)

I think you've done really well here, black items on a black BG was something a lot of us tried for "dark", and its not easy at all.

The good bits here are really good, and you can see the not so good bits yourself.

The only thing I'd like to be able to see more of is the actual heels of the shoes, as you say they are heels I feel they should be more prominent. I'm imagining just a twist of the shoes and camera to the right a bit would have done it.
 
overbez said:
Good for you on the course Mandy, (y)

I think you've done really well here, black items on a black BG was something a lot of us tried for "dark", and its not easy at all.

The good bits here are really good, and you can see the not so good bits yourself.

The only thing I'd like to be able to see more of is the actual heels of the shoes, as you say they are heels I feel they should be more prominent. I'm imagining just a twist of the shoes and camera to the right a bit would have done it.
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Thanks for taking the time to look and comment, I was having a mare with this shot. I didn't know wether or not to use the flashgun off the camera or on the camera. Ideally I was looking for a better background but didn't have anything suitable to hand. yes I also agree I could of done something better to show of the fact they are heels. But I struggled to come up with any suitable compositions that I liked.
 
Week 44 Live image I couldn't come up with anything fun for this image, So i went with the obvious non exciting choice of a live wire inside a plug.

Live by pinkbikerbabe 1, on Flickr

week 42 Change just a simple image if I am honest, just some loose change I had. That I tried to scatter creatively onto a piece of black card before attempting a low pov shot.

Change by pinkbikerbabe 1, on Flickr
 
hi again.

These two are excellent, really great.

I'll forgive the fact that they are both on the same BG as it works soooo well for both of them.

The plug, (legs stuck through the card I presume) is ace, nice shallow DOF but focus firmly on the live wire. The fuse carefully positioned with the 13A and the symbol uppermost. whites nice and white and black nice and black. as you say not the most exciting but a lovely detailed image that invites a longer look.

the coins againworking well, you say scattered, the upsidedownness of some of them reinforces that fact, nice composition, even if it was just from scattering. triangle towards the front and then curving up through the frame. Nicely lit with just enough sparkly bits, as in the rings above. Also again, the shallow DOF with teh well placed focus is great.
 
overbez said:
hi again.

These two are excellent, really great.

I'll forgive the fact that they are both on the same BG as it works soooo well for both of them.

The plug, (legs stuck through the card I presume) is ace, nice shallow DOF but focus firmly on the live wire. The fuse carefully positioned with the 13A and the symbol uppermost. whites nice and white and black nice and black. as you say not the most exciting but a lovely detailed image that invites a longer look.

the coins againworking well, you say scattered, the upsidedownness of some of them reinforces that fact, nice composition, even if it was just from scattering. triangle towards the front and then curving up through the frame. Nicely lit with just enough sparkly bits, as in the rings above. Also again, the shallow DOF with teh well placed focus is great.
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Thanks again for the kind comments, yes I am much happier with these 2 images only 7 more themes for me to catch up on.
 
Well done Mandy for hanging on in there and fitting it in with your busy life.

I think the shoes lack a bit of impact but as Graham say's black on black can't be easy.

The other two are really good, super clarity on the plug, and I really like the random aspect of the coins ...it's so tempting to 'place' everything, I like he focal point ...a good choice for the theme.
 
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