Marks 52 - Week 26 Night

maddog.mark

maddog.mark

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Mark
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Reflection

 I really struggled with this, which isn't a good start. In the end I decided to combine photography and cycling. The reflector is reflected in a mirror and lit by a bike light, the flash just overpowered the composition even on 1/16th power.

I guess I could have got a better shot with more time, but isn't the timeframe part of the point;)

1/52
 
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I kind of struggled to see what was going on at first, me being a bit thick probably.

See it now though, the edge of the mirror is a little bit of a distraction for me.

Looking forward to seeing your next one mate.
 
Thanks Hyster, appreciate the comments(y)
 
interesting idea mate..

as said good on you for trying this
i also will be watching with interest....(y)



md(y)
 
I like that. Couldn't see what it was until I read your description but then....an Oh Yeah moment. Great idea.:clap:
 
Forbiddenbiker said:
Interesting start Mark, I kinda like it. :thinking::D

Good on you for going for this, I'll be following. :) (y)
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Thanks Adam, glad you kinda like it:D. I was beginning to think it was to subtle or that it just hadn't worked.

..MD.. said:
interesting idea mate..

as said good on you for trying this
i also will be watching with interest....(y)



md(y)
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Thanks Dave, I get the feeling I'm being watched:LOL:.

Graulges said:
I like that. Couldn't see what it was until I read your description but then....an Oh Yeah moment. Great idea.:clap:
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Thanks and welcome to TP(y)
 
Thanks John, glad it got people thinking:)
 
Got me thinking too.... The description helped it click for me. Good one (y)
 
There have been some interesting and very different images on the 52's so far, and this is another. Looks like it could be a good year for interesting and abstract images.

Good start!
 
jgs001 said:
Got me thinking too.... The description helped it click for me. Good one (y)
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EdBray said:
There have been some interesting and very different images on the 52's so far, and this is another. Looks like it could be a good year for interesting and abstract images.

Good start!
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Thanks for the comments folks, looks like I need to find an interesting subject for History now:D
 
I like the crispness of the light but find the reflection a bit distracting, perhaps it's the bevel, as mentioned above. But certainly a good take on the theme (y)
 
Many thanks for the comments folks. Strugling with History now, each idea so far hasn't panned out in my mind, I think I need to think about it less!
 
SimonTALM said:
mark, it's a interesting twist on theme, I like it.

If you had to reshoot this image what would you do the same and what would you do differently?
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:thinking: there's a good question. If I had had the time and possibly the inclination I think I would made the use of the mirror to reflect the reflector a bit more obvious. The reflector was also placed on an off-white cloth which I should have ironed to give a smoother finish.

But these are minor tweaks I think and I'm not sure they would have made much more difference to the finished article.

From the comments recieved, the image got people thinking, it may have been better if it got them thinking without the need for words of explanation first, so in that respect I guess I should have given it a better tiltle than 1/52:bonk:
 
Didn't realise you were doing this one Mark. That's a clever interpretation there, best of luck with the other 51. (y)
 
2/52 – History

I wanted my 52 to reflect some local history and as such I have chosen what at first sight would appear to be just an old water tower, but which in reality is the key to a fascinating insight into the history of our railways and the growth of an Industrial Town in rural Norfolk.



This is part of the Water Tower that used to serve the railway engineering works at Melton Constable in Norfolk. Melton Constable is, in many respects, a strange oddity. It was built, in the 1880’s specifically to serve the railways that converged in this rural part of North Norfolk and was built to a plan that you would normally find in the Industrial East Midlands and North. As such it was as far as I know the first Norfolk Village to be on a mains sewer and had it’s own gas works and other services. Melton Constable became a hub, the meeting point of four railways and as such a large engineering works, covering 14 acres sprang up, in fact it became the engineering centre for the Midland & Great Northern Railway, maintaining 180 miles of track and associated rolling stock, and was dubbed the Crewe of North Norfolk.

So why did it happen, simply Lord Hastings and other local landowners wanted to break the dominance of the Great Eastern Railway and provide improved communications in rural Norfolk. The station had an 800ft platform, plus a dedicated waiting room and platform for Lord Hasting sole use.

The Beeching cuts ended Meltons Railway life, but the houses and road names remain and the engineering works are now an Industrial Estate. Much of the old railway buildings can still be seen and this tower, which bears the scars of an air raid in WW2 remind us of a more prosperous and some would say romantic past.

So what of the future, well there are moves to create a new orbital railway in Norfolk, linking historic lines and the modern railway. If it happens Melton Constable will once again see rolling stock.

EDIT: In a shameless plug for another thread, here's the one that didn't make it in. Probably a better shot, but not the challenge I wanted.
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=1199947#post1199947
 
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50 to go mate :LOL:

not to keen on this shot .. sorry but it lacks some punch for me....


its my honest year (y)


md(y)
 
Agree with dave about the photo, but thanks for the history lesson. (y)
 
..MD.. said:
2 down

50 to go mate :LOL:

not to keen on this shot .. sorry but it lacks some punch for me....


its my honest year (y)


md(y)
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Thanks Dave, I know what you mean about the shot, it may be a retake if History gets pulled out of the bag again.

fabs said:
Agree with dave about the photo, but thanks for the history lesson. (y)
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Thanks Fabs.

It's amazing how much history is on your doorstep that you don't appreciate. I knew a bit about Meltons history but much of what you read came out of my research of this shot.
 
I agree about the picture, it doesn't have much punch but looks like an interesting place to explore. It's very well executed though (y). And at least you've got an entry for this week, I'm still looking for the box I'm suppose to be thinking outside of :D
 
Bruja said:
I agree about the picture, it doesn't have much punch but looks like an interesting place to explore. It's very well executed though (y). And at least you've got an entry for this week, I'm still looking for the box I'm suppose to be thinking outside of :D
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You need to stop looking for the box, there's nothing in there of interest;)

Thanks for the comments, I'll put this in the must do better pile and revisit it later in the year, when hopefully the light will be better. (y)
 
kennysarmy said:
I like the PP treatment - though personally would have cropped out some of the not so interesting lower foreground.

:)
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Thanks for the comments, something to consider when I retake the shot in better light!(y)

jeangenie said:
It looks an interesting building and even more so when you know the story behind it. It sounds as though the light wasn't at its best for this one, but it still comes over as an unusual industrial building from the past. Look forward to seeing next week's, too. :)

Jean
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Thanks Jean, I look forward to the challenge, especially as I have a hectic week next week and will need to find time to squeeze the photography in(y)
 
Plaudits for the commentary - interesting stuff Mark and taking the time to write that is a appreciated! I'd like to have seen the colour version of the image - I'm imagining rust and age :) Good 2nd week shot :)
 
Cheers Mark - I do prefer the colour version as it shows the decay a little better (if you like decay that is :))
 
Definitely agree about the colour version Mark. Rust works so much better in colour. ;)
 
I do like decay yes, I was hoping to convey it in the mono conversion but the image didn't work.

Things I have learnt
1) Mono conversions need strong light!
2) No amount of pp can create the strong light, if it ain't there it ain't there. Think of another way of converying the scene.
 
The image certainly fits the theme, I agree that the original shot does appear to be slightly dull but when looking at the colour version I can see why you took the image, the rusty hues do stand out. I think the best way to deal with this sort of image is to send a fair bit of time in PP dulling (desaturating) the colours you don't want (e.g. the green grass) and enchancing the rusty reds (sturating).

I can see this image working in B&W but you would need to be careful how you do the conversion and try of get as much contrast in the image as possible (at least for my tastes). If you had been shooting this image on B&W film you could have achieved a good result by putting a coloured filter over the lens (I can't make my brain think which one it would be at the moment (although I think I may be green - with it being the opposite colour to the one you want to turn black i.e. the red). It is possible to do this during the B&W conversion process in most editing software and if you're lucky enough to have CS3 the B&W adjustment layer can really make the process of obtaining a good B&W conversion very simple.
 
Must say I like the colour one best don't know why but it makes it feel older:thinking:

Good effort:clap:
 
SimonTALM said:
The image certainly fits the theme, I agree that the original shot does appear to be slightly dull but when looking at the colour version I can see why you took the image, the rusty hues do stand out. I think the best way to deal with this sort of image is to send a fair bit of time in PP dulling (desaturating) the colours you don't want (e.g. the green grass) and enchancing the rusty reds (sturating).

I can see this image working in B&W but you would need to be careful how you do the conversion and try of get as much contrast in the image as possible (at least for my tastes). If you had been shooting this image on B&W film you could have achieved a good result by putting a coloured filter over the lens (I can't make my brain think which one it would be at the moment (although I think I may be green - with it being the opposite colour to the one you want to turn black i.e. the red). It is possible to do this during the B&W conversion process in most editing software and if you're lucky enough to have CS3 the B&W adjustment layer can really make the process of obtaining a good B&W conversion very simple.
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Thanks for taking the time to post that Simon, I appreciate the thought that has gone into your post(y). I think you're right better pp skills may have helped, but as it's so close I think I'll wait for the right light and try again.

Spartacus said:
Must say I like the colour one best don't know why but it makes it feel older:thinking:

Good effort:clap:
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Yeah weird eh:thinking: The decay is just more obvious I think.

Thanks for commenting(y)
 
Ok, so learning was a tough subject, I had plenty of ideas and not enough time to excute them:bang:

However this week did provide the ideal opportunity for a good learning shot. So here it is.



So an average shot, could be better, should be better;). Why well because this was my first shot with my new Lencarta 2 head studio lights. :clap: I've got a huge amount to learn about these lights and how to get the best out of them, but I'm looking forward to the challenge:nuts:

Oh and this is my son Ewan, doing his homework and hence learning.... I hope.

I know the pose is forced, the boy doesn't do relaxed in front of the camera.(y)
 
Welcome to the world of studio lights, Mark :)

Lots of plus points here - good catchlights in Ewan's eyes, good highlights and shade on his hair, whites not blown out, 'clean' background without shadows. Ok, so he doesn't look a happy bunny, but the poor lad's doing his homework! Did you try offering double pocket money this week? That usually gets a smile.:)

Well done,

Jean
 
;)



md(y)


you know my thoughts(y)
 
I'm jealous I want some studio lights :sulk:

I think you've done really well, the catch lights in the eyes are great, focus is spot on, and you've done really well to avoid the white shirt from blowing out. If this is your starting point I'm looking forward to seeing what you do later in the year when you've got the hang of them

Fits the theme nicely :clap:

Do you have any of him concentrating on his homework (perhaps chewing the end of the pen) and ignoring the camera?
 
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