weekly Manxmaid's 52 for 2015 - Week 26 Animal added

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Andrea
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I'm back for a third time, and after completing 51 of 52 themes in 2013 and a measly one of this year's, I aim to finish in 2015! DK, could I have an amber-coloured line in the spreadsheet please?

Looking forward to getting involved :)

Week 1: Bliss
Week 2: Fragile
Week 3: Scenic
Week 4: Companions
Week 5: Elegant
Week 6: Watery
Week 7: Bold
Week 8 : Relax
Week 9 : Vertical
Week 10: Mouth
Week 11: Crowd
Week 12: Close Up
Week 13: Machine
Week 14: Alphabet
Week 15: Sound
Week 16: Experiment
Week 17: Heat
Week 18: Figures
Week 19: Household
Week 20: Limit
Week 21: Bizarre
Week 22: Broken
Week 23: Entertain
Week 24: Spiral
Week 25: Silhouette
Week 26: Animal
Week 27 : Medicine / Medical
Week 28 : Proverb
Week 29 : Pale
Week 30 : Tear
Week 31 : Words
Week 32 : Support
Week 33 : Religion / Religious
 
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Yayyyy....good to see you again Andrea...looking forward to seeing some shots of the IOM again (y)
 
Well - 51 plus 1 equals 52, so I guess you could say that you'd done a complete 52 :LOL:

Glad to have you here again Andrea.
Good luck and looking forward to watching your thread.

Thanks SarahLee, I hope it'll be worth watching! And yes, you could say I've done a 52 :)

Hi, Andrea, welcome and I'm sure you'll finish this year.

Thanks Andy. I have a few less distractions now so I'm really going to try to finish this time.

Yeah welcome back Andrea, and good luck :wave:

Thanks DK (y)

Yayyyy....good to see you again Andrea...looking forward to seeing some shots of the IOM again (y)

Thanks Lynne, I'm sure there will be a few of those!

Good to see you hear again.

Thanks, Mandy :)
 
I've been laid low with 'flu so already running behind with week 1, although I did take it last week but only just got up the energy to do something with it! It's an indoor shot thanks to the bug, but I think it fits the theme :)

I deliberately haven't looked at anyone's images for week 2 yet so will try to get something 'fragile' this weekend before looking around everyone's threads, but thank you to anyone who does look in.


01 Bliss by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
Hi Andrea


that's a lovely warm image for Bliss, great use of DOF showing the fire but not letting it over power the front elements of the shot , the candle exposure looks well handled (y)

Niggles....couple of highlights on the glass bowl could maybe cloned out ? The Tia Maria bottle would benefit from a touch ( & I mean a small touch) more light on the neck ?
 
Lovely image full of warmth and peace

Thanks Gary, that's the atmosphere I was hoping to convey.

Hi Andrea, that's a lovely warm image for Bliss, great use of DOF showing the fire but not letting it over power the front elements of the shot , the candle exposure looks well handled (y)

Niggles....couple of highlights on the glass bowl could maybe cloned out ? The Tia Maria bottle would benefit from a touch ( & I mean a small touch) more light on the neck ?

Thank you Lynne, I was full of a cold and a nice warm image was about all I could contemplate! You're right about the highlights on the glass bowl and I had missed them until you mentioned it. Must do better :)

Nice a warm, composition works well.

Cheers.

Thanks for looking in and commenting, Andy.

Bliss - a very nice warm inviting image, I like it very much.

Thanks Mandy, that's what I was hoping for, and thanks for looking in :)
 
That's a really blissful scene Andrea. I love the warm colours with the oof fire in the bg and the all contrasting shapes and textures in the foreground. It's been many years since I had a Tia Maria, but this has really made me fancy one - it would make a great marketing shot! :clap:
 
That's a really blissful scene Andrea. I love the warm colours with the oof fire in the bg and the all contrasting shapes and textures in the foreground. It's been many years since I had a Tia Maria, but this has really made me fancy one - it would make a great marketing shot! :clap:

Thanks, Elaine :) It's years since I had one too, but it was a useful prop.

A lovely image with some super lighting and as others have said it portrays a warmth to the overall scene. Very nice.

Thank you, Peter. I was aiming for a sense of warmth above all else so I'm pleased the image conveys that.

Right..... (sigh) what do people do when they fall behind? I set out with great intentions but illness, work, weather and travel have conspired against me and I don't know whether to pick up with the current theme and fill in the previous ones later, or try to get them done in order? My instinct is to try for the latter, but I still need to get over the mental block I had about week 2 (fragile) whatever I do.
 
Thanks, Elaine :) It's years since I had one too, but it was a useful prop.



Thank you, Peter. I was aiming for a sense of warmth above all else so I'm pleased the image conveys that.

Right..... (sigh) what do people do when they fall behind? I set out with great intentions but illness, work, weather and travel have conspired against me and I don't know whether to pick up with the current theme and fill in the previous ones later, or try to get them done in order? My instinct is to try for the latter, but I still need to get over the mental block I had about week 2 (fragile) whatever I do.

Andrea, I would suggest going with the former. I feel you will get much more support staying with the current theme and being up to date and playing catch up.

I would carry a list of themes in your camera bag, just as a little reminder so when you are out and about, if you see something you can tick it off your list. Experience of the 52 tells me that it could get a little disheartening playing catch up all the time. Cut yourself some slack and catch the missed themes as and when. Most of all, enjoy it!
 
Thanks, Iain, I will blow the dust off my camera and I can see the logic of diving back in with the current theme just to be at the same stage as everyone else.

That's a useful tip about carrying the themes in my camera bag, too. I did that in 2013 and found it really helpful, but haven't been doing it this year.
 
I'm just tip-toeing in to post this. It's the subject I wanted for week 2 and couldn't find any at the time, but spotted one recently and thought maybe it's not too late to attempt a catch-up. I have some images in the bag and some I need to do.


02 Fragile - raindrops on spider web by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
Hi Andrea, no idea how I've missed your thread here.

What a beauty of a shot for Fragile. Focus is spot on, great pattern and the oof dark bg just works perfectly.

Thank you, Stan, much appreciated!

I'll be tip-toeing in again to post more images. After falling so far behind I don't know whether a big catch-up is on the cards, but I haven't given up.

This is my image for 'Scenic'. Night time Manchester may not be everyone's idea of scenic but the 'big city' is a bit of a novelty for us islanders and I loved the colours!


03 Scenic - Manchester at Night
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
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05 Elegant:

I took this last week while filling in the gaps for this attempted catch-up. One from a series of shots, the bird's effortless style and the graceful curve of its wings in this one summed up the theme best for me.


05 Elegant - Bird in flight by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
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06 Watery:

Living on an island you might expect a photo of the sea for this theme, but this is the inland water of a reservoir. The low sunlight was catching the ripples and gave the surface a contrasty and almost oily look, and the original colour version was almost monotone anyway so no colours were harmed in the processing of this image :) I think the end result looks almost like mercury.

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06 Watery
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr

Oh, and if anyone can ID the bird above for me, I'd be grateful. Edit: I believe it is a Black-headed Gull.
 
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07 Bold

This was initially a walk to try out a new camera body and lens (Nikon D750 and 24-120VR f4) but I hoped to find something colourful by the harbour and this new orange rope was just the ticket, especially alongside the new bright silver paintwork! I wasn't able to get an angle to exclude the roof of the boat in the background, but I think it and the sea help to set the location.


07 Bold - colour
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
All the new pictures are great, I love them all but my favourite has to be the Scenic one. There is so much to see in the photo and a really big print would be stunning.
 
Thank you, Martin. I could hardly believe the amount of detail in that one, especially from a compact propped on a windowsill! :)

I've been busy trying to fill in the remaining gaps so hopefully I will be up to date by the weekend and can be in step with everyone else and commenting on threads after that (y)
 
Hi Andrea, that's some catch up, well done you! My favourtie is bold, it fits the theme well and I really like the subjest - harbours are great places for taking shots.
 
Hi Andrea, that's some catch up, well done you! My favourtie is bold, it fits the theme well and I really like the subjest - harbours are great places for taking shots.

Thanks for looking in and commenting, Lorraine. I'm glad you liked 'Bold' and I agree, there's lots to see by the sea :)
 
08 Relax

I don't often take photos of people but there was something really striking about the relaxed atmosphere in Brindleyplace, Birmingham on this sunny day, with office workers finding places to eat their lunch in the open air, along with parents and grandparents with pushchairs, and a few visitors like us.


08 Relax
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
09 Vertical

As soon as I saw these colourful fish boxes stacked sideways on the side of the harbour I knew I had my image for this theme! I really liked the bold colours and the clear lettering, and the way that at first glance they form an almost abstract image.


09 Vertical
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
Hi Andrea

Welcome back, excellent catch-up ...

Bliss ... not crazy about this: a bit soft, dark (OK that's the idea) and reflections.

Fragile ... very nice, good focus.

Scenic ... great, masses of detail, colour too!

Companion ... wacky idea.

Elegant ... yes works well, nice focus/DOF.

Watery ... amazing that oily look.

Bold ... my favourite (I think) ... heavy metal, silver paint and that orange is bold indeed.

Relax ... perfect find, and so sharp.

Vertical ... thought they were DVDs at first ... another good find.

(y)
 
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10 Mouth

I tried a few things like the mouth of a river, harbour and tunnel but then thought of this one and liked the literal interpretation best. Converting to B&W lost the colour of the actual mouth so I stayed with colour and added a tiny vignette to (hopefully) maintain interest in the centre of the image.

She had been running around for a while, hence the saliva and bubbles, which I think add a sort of immediate impact - even if it's "Eeuurgh!" :)


10 Mouth by Andrea Thrussell, on Flickr
 
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Hi Andrea

Welcome back, excellent catch-up ...

Bliss ... not crazy about this: a bit soft, dark (OK that's the idea) and reflections.

Fragile ... very nice, good focus.

Scenic ... great, masses of detail, colour too!

Companion ... wacky idea.

Elegant ... yes works well, nice focus/DOF.

Watery ... amazing that oily look.

Bold ... my favourite (I think) ... heavy metal, silver paint and that orange is bold indeed.

Relax ... perfect find, and so sharp.

Vertical ... thought they were DVDs at first ... another good find.

(y)

Hi David, thanks for looking in and commenting on all of my images - it's very much appreciated and thanks for your feedback. I'm hoping to be up-to-date in the next few days and then keeping up for the rest of the year.

You commented on Relax being sharp, and for most of these images - certainly Fragile and the latest four - I've used my new Nikon 24-120mm f/4 lens and its passed every test so far. Very pleased with the results as well as the size and weight.
 
11 Crowd

Let me start by saying we don't have crowds over here most of the year (TT Week is a major exception :) ) so I set up my tripod today to try to picture the idea I had in my head. Let me also say that still life is not something I normally do so this was an interesting exercise and I've ended up with two images. I'm not sure which I prefer so I'd be interested in any feedback. I was aiming for "Standing out from the crowd" and the first image tries to convey that through focus and depth of field, while the second is a result of playing around with a torch to put the subject 'in the spotlight'.


11 Crowd - standing out from the
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr


11 Crowd - standing out from the
by manxmaid2000, on Flickr
 
Week 12 Close Up

I saw this lovely Dandelion head and thought it was ideal for this theme. B&W conversion to reduce background distractions and to hopefully bring out the fine details, although I may try reshooting this with a macro lens as those fine details are very fine!

This is the first time I've tried a square crop too.


12 Close-up
by Andrea Thrussell, on Flickr
 
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Hi Andrea,

Just catching up on your catch up!

relax - really works for the theme. The light is a bit stark, but you wouldn't expect anything else to bring everybody out at lunchtime :)

vertical - like David, my first thought was cds/dvds, then I couldn't work the titles out! :LOL: it's a great subject for the theme, good choice :)

mouth -this seems to have vanished from your thread ? :eek:

crowd - it is difficult to get your head round shooting indoors when you're not used to it isn't it? It's not something I've done much of either, until this challenge, but it's great to try new things. I think the second sht works best - good idea using a torch as a spotlight! It shows the figure standing out very well :)

close up - I love this. Dandelion heads are such good subjects and the mono works a treat (y)
 
HI Andrea

good to see you back again :wave:

Fragile...super shot, lovely n delicate web with great bokeh :clap:

Scenic...great nightscapeshot , makes manchester look really attractive :D

Companions....on theme but not a patch on the previous 2...sorry

Elegant...lovely bokeh again, well placed in the frame & well focused (y)

Watery.....wonderful abstract...it does indeed look almost oily...well spotted (y)

Bold......like that , simple but really effective with that strong orange color :)

Vertical...think I prefer the 2nd one.....looks kinda sinister :eek:

Close...love it ! Square crop works well & mono really suits :clap:
 
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