weekly Manxmaid's 52 for 2017 - Week 51 & 52 Festive & Weather added (and COMPLETE!)

Dave70D said:
Clean, another good shot and on theme Andrea. Like the reflections and blue badge of this lovely two seater (y)
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Thanks, Dave, it was a striking old vehicle.

rpn said:
Spot on theme, shiny and clean. Lots of elbow grease involved there.
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I think you're right, Stan! Lots of bare metals to take care of, and in great condition considering it's over 100 years old.

sirch said:
Great details on clean without any harsh highlights, nicely done
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Thanks, Chris, fortunately the cars were under cover so no harsh direct light.

LC2 said:
Hi Andrea.
I like the blue vs the bronze/copper colour of the radiator(?).
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Yes, I think it's the radiator cap, Tim. I liked the warm metal tones, too.

Dark Knight said:
Ooo that's a nice old thing... I think it needs a bit of a clean with Brasso here and there or a soft cloth... well okay it is old so wouldn't get cleaner than that :) :)
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You could see a lot of work had been put into getting a shine on most of it, but a few smears here and there. There were about six cars and twice as many old motorcycles so it keeps someone busy :)
 
Week 34 - Curves


34 Curves by Andrea Thrussell, on Flickr

We had a family outing on Saturday to the Calf of Man, the small island south of the Isle of Man, and there were lots of options for this week's theme with curving lanes, coastline, three round lighthouse buildings and a mysterious round lookout tower. However, one of the most photogenic things we saw was this striking skull, and while sister-in-law @Missycat has used it for Clean, I thought the extravagant curling horns were ideal for Curves.

The Loaghtan sheep is native to the island and has dark brown wool and up to six of these curling horns. I'm pleased to add that we saw a flock of live ones grazing peacefully in the fields :)
 
Piece is really clever. It must have taken ages to get it balanced. Was it taken on a mirror?
Clean is well taken - you can see the details and in both this and Piece, you've managed the reflections well.
I love the skull. The strong light and sharpness really make it stand out against the blurred background. I'm glad there were plenty of live ones still around :)
 
Oh I do like a bit of classic car detail all buffed up.

The skull ... very atmospheric and detailed.
 
Hi Andrea ....really liking your last three shots.
Contrast is a real eye catcher, beautiful colours and the focus is absolutely spot on.
Clean, you don't get much cleaner that that, composition is perfect.
Wow, that's a spooky image for Curve, a great find and impressive in the b&w.
 
Curves
I like that, it works really well in black and white. There's also some great textures in the horns and wall.
 
Allan.H said:
What a great find, nicely separated from the BG great texture in the wall and skull
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Thanks, Allan, it was a bit of a shock when we first spotted it! Those great horns were a gift for this theme though.

Emja said:
Nice composition on the clean shot Andrea - love the warm glow of that shiny metal. I agree with Allan about the skull - those textures are amazing and you've handled the highlights well too. Sounds like an amazing day out!
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Thanks, Emma, it's a lovely little island - no cars, just a couple of seasonal bird wardens and lots of birds and sheep - and we left it far too long between visits. Definitely won't leave it 15 years until the next time :)

Dave70D said:
What a cracking take for the theme, and bang on too Andrea. Great textures and lighting (y)(y)
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Thanks, Dave, it was a lucky find for this theme.

Bebop said:
Piece is really clever. It must have taken ages to get it balanced. Was it taken on a mirror?
Clean is well taken - you can see the details and in both this and Piece, you've managed the reflections well.
I love the skull. The strong light and sharpness really make it stand out against the blurred background. I'm glad there were plenty of live ones still around :)
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Thanks very much for the comments. Piece was a fiddly one and I tried a few different angles and locations, but keeping it balanced was probably the easiest part; just a tiny spot of Blu-tack to keep it still. Yes, there were plenty more sheep around :)

Hertsman said:
Curves is fab, superb detail in the B+W, I like that a lot
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Thanks very much, Mark. It was a lucky find and ideal for this theme. I tried a colour version but B&W brought out the details (y)
 
Dark Knight said:
Jeepers Andrea that is a creepy find !!! the background sets off the curves/horns perfectly, liking it in B&W (y)
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Thanks, Dean, it was a bit of a shock just finding it on a wall, but it was full daylight on a lovely sunny day so naturally @Missycat and I just reached for our cameras :D

d00d said:
Oh I do like a bit of classic car detail all buffed up.

The skull ... very atmospheric and detailed.
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Thanks, David (y)

posiview said:
That I like, well processed, moody and nice detail.

I might have pruned, as in move the 2 stray plants.
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Thanks, David, I agree but the wall was a few feet out of reach on the other side of some vegetation, and I had another angle where they were less prominent but the background was messier. I thought about trying to clone them out but I wasn't confident of doing a good job :(

SteveSc said:
Nice find for the theme and I like the B&W treatment, I also particularly like the way the light shows of the curve on the LH horn as we look at it.
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Thanks, Steve, there were certainly lots of lovely details and textures and I tried to show that with the B&W processing.

LC2 said:
Hi Andrea.
I think the B&W treatment works really well and as Allan says, you've separated the skull from the background really well.
(y)
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Thanks, Tim (y)
 
susiejb said:
Hi Andrea ....really liking your last three shots.
Contrast is a real eye catcher, beautiful colours and the focus is absolutely spot on.
Clean, you don't get much cleaner that that, composition is perfect.
Wow, that's a spooky image for Curve, a great find and impressive in the b&w.
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Thanks for the catch up, Susie, I appreciate the comments and glad you like them :)

Nostromo said:
Clean
Super shiny clean, a fair bit of polishing gone on there.
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Nostromo said:
Curves
I like that, it works really well in black and white. There's also some great textures in the horns and wall.
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Thanks Mark, although colour worked quite well, I think B&W showed off the textures best.
 
Week 35 - Occupation


35 Occupation by Andrea Thrussell, on Flickr

I hadn't managed to find a good subject for this theme before our trip away last week, but when I saw the punt chauffeurs at work on the river in Cambridge I thought they would make an unusual subject. This one was squatting down for introductions with his passengers as they set off, and I liked the interaction and their expressions. I just wish the River Cam had looked a bit more photogenic at this location :)
 
Dave70D said:
Very nice take on occupation Andrea, a good punt on the river on what looked a sunny day :)
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Aw thanks, Dave, you are the king of commenters! :) Hopefully I can edit and upload my next two images tomorrow and then get around everyone's threads again.

It was very sunny, which is why I've struggled a bit with the harsh shadows. Wish I could go back later in the day :)
 
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Well that boat's fully occupied, isn't it? I haven't been about for a while so I just took a look back through your recent shots. The skull for curved and the jigsaw for piece are the stand-out ones for me - I tried to think of a way of making a jigsaw look interesting and failed completely!
 
I think the portraits of these happy people outweigh any limitations of the water reflections Andrea. The eye is drawn straight to the smiles and interaction with the "punter". Really on theme I think.
 
It's a nice happy image and well spotted for the theme, I find he lighting a bit harsh but we can't have it all.
 
Tis a shame about the water but the expressions are great, they def look like they are enjoying themselves and certainly a different occupation:D
 
nickbee said:
Well that boat's fully occupied, isn't it? I haven't been about for a while so I just took a look back through your recent shots. The skull for curved and the jigsaw for piece are the stand-out ones for me - I tried to think of a way of making a jigsaw look interesting and failed completely!
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Thanks for looking in and commenting, Nick. Yes, it was a sunny day and the punts were constantly on the go and almost all fully loaded. It was interesting to hear the replies to the chauffeur when they were setting off and he was finding out where they were all from. In one punt alone, the first two replies were "Hawaii" and "New Zealand", so they really were from far and wide.

I'm struggling to maintain a consistent level with my images this year, especially when trying not to fall behind. I was pleased with the two images you mention, yet others are more 'meh', but I suppose that's the secondary challenge of the 52; not just to get something on theme but also something you are pleased to post. I'm about 60/40 so far this year! :)

granddad john said:
I think the portraits of these happy people outweigh any limitations of the water reflections Andrea. The eye is drawn straight to the smiles and interaction with the "punter". Really on theme I think.
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Thanks John, glad you like it. I thought I had a really nice and unusual image at the time, but when I saw it on the computer I realised just how bright a day it had been. Just goes to show we're always learning! But I am glad you saw the fun and interaction between the people as that is what attracted me, too (y)

sirch said:
It's a nice happy image and well spotted for the theme, I find he lighting a bit harsh but we can't have it all.
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I agree, Chris, I was so disappointed with the light and contrast when I saw the images on the computer and would love the opportunity to go back again. As I've said above, I had high hopes for this one so it's proved to be another useful learning experience :banghead:

Missycat said:
Tis a shame about the water but the expressions are great, they def look like they are enjoying themselves and certainly a different occupation:D
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Thanks, me dear. As I said yesterday, I wish I could go back but it will have to wait for a bit. Hopefully not another eight years though :)
 
Week 36 - You


36 You by Andrea Thrussell, on Flickr

Does the theme 'You' mean me, or you?

I pondered this for a while, changing my mind a few times, but while we were away last week I noticed this chance to re-enact a reflection selfie that I took about 15 years ago and it seemed to fit the theme. Especially because it was in Cambridge, which has been a big part of my life.

I've also noticed that although I am hiding behind my camera there are a surprising amount of clues that can still be gleaned from the image, which makes it very much me/you :)
 
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Ha my first thought was this was an old picture. Good job you pointed out it was a do over :D Its worked well, nice colours and a good :)bit of bokeh going on in the bg too
 
I like the use of a car wing mirror, nice take on the theme
 
Nice/different Occupation. I bet if you lived/worked in Cambridge you'd be taking shots of these punt blokes from different POVs all the time. Are they embarrassed by the young lady on the bridge pointing a camera at them?

Car mirror reflection: great idea for You ... even if it has been done before. ;) ... luscious OOF BGs
 
Yep, Iike the "you" shot a lot, I did consider a something along those lines myself, but thats very nicely done.
 
Manxmaid said:
I'm struggling to maintain a consistent level with my images this year, especially when trying not to fall behind. I was pleased with the two images you mention, yet others are more 'meh', but I suppose that's the secondary challenge of the 52; not just to get something on theme but also something you are pleased to post. I'm about 60/40 so far this year! :)
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I think it's unavoidable; it's not possible to come up with something fantastic every week. Every thread here has at least a couple of so-so shots. Of course that doesn't stop me falling weeks behind because I can't come up with a good idea!
 
Dave70D said:
You took a good photo of your self Andrea, clever thinking and on theme :)
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Thanks, Dave. Behind the camera is my preferred position :D


Missycat said:
Ha my first thought was this was an old picture. Good job you pointed out it was a do over :D Its worked well, nice colours and a good :)bit of bokeh going on in the bg too
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Thank you :)

Tilz said:
I like the use of a car wing mirror, nice take on the theme
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Thanks, Tilly, I was puzzling over this one for a while and then this just presented itself to me.

d00d said:
Nice/different Occupation. I bet if you lived/worked in Cambridge you'd be taking shots of these punt blokes from different POVs all the time. Are they embarrassed by the young lady on the bridge pointing a camera at them?

Car mirror reflection: great idea for You ... even if it has been done before. ;) ... luscious OOF BGs
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Thank you, David, I think they are very used to being photographed and had a very practiced 'patter' as they departed and sailed under the bridge. As for 'young'; oh I wish :D

sirch said:
You - a really good take on the theme, well framed by the mirror.
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Thanks, Chris. I'm glad I just happened to spot myself in the car mirror as it gave me an answer to my me/you ponderings :)

Hertsman said:
Yep, Iike the "you" shot a lot, I did consider a something along those lines myself, but thats very nicely done.
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Thanks, Mark. I know it's not original, and indeed my current (soon to be former) avatar on here is a similar one from about 15 years ago, but I liked the fact that I was in my birthplace when I took it, which added another layer to it for me.

nickbee said:
I think it's unavoidable; it's not possible to come up with something fantastic every week. Every thread here has at least a couple of so-so shots. Of course that doesn't stop me falling weeks behind because I can't come up with a good idea!
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That's my problem too, Nick. Puzzle and ponder too long, and suddenly a week has gone by and you're playing catch-up again :rolleyes:

rpn said:
A different kind of selfies and it's all about You. Nice camera too. If I'm being a tack picky, the green patch behind is a bit distracting.
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Thanks, Stan. I hadn't really noticed the green patch but now I agree with you, grrrr. It was the scene through the back window and between the headrests, so I don't suppose I could have done much about it, but a plain or darker background would have been less distracting.

Dark Knight said:
That's a cool shot for occupation, the half heads look difficult to crop anywhere else so think choosing where you did was the best option keeping all legs in the main characters :)

You - Annnnd yes it is a new take on your avatar, like it :)
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Thanks, Dean. I did consider cropping them out completely but, as you say, it would have been brutal to the forward-facing passengers. I left them in as it sets the scene of there being more people involved in the conversation. One of those images that seems a great idea at the time, on reflection isn't really a 'good' image but can't be re-taken. As for You, I'd forgotten that the previous image is my avatar. That was taken in the USA, with a Canon :eek: so I think my next task should be to change it to the up-to-date version :)
 
Week 37 - Arch


37 Arch by Andrea Thrussell, on Flickr

When Chris drew this theme last Thursday, we were drinking tea sheltering from a rain shower in the Cotswolds, and I had just admired a postcard of this building, hence my "ooh I like that!" response when seeing the theme last week. Within the hour we were admiring it close up and I was trying to find a good angle to capture some of the arches. The verticals have proved to be a challenge but I hope you can get an impression of the shape and fantastic condition of this 400-year-old market hall in Chipping Campden.
 
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