Mikes 52, week 33, Mobile, added.

Thanks for the comments. I like a bit of lens flare in shots as well. This is one I took last year and I reckon the flare makes the picture.



 
Peace has been the easiest theme so far for me. It's always easier to convey a message if you're enthusiastic about the subject and I love the peace and quiet of the countryside.
 
Thanks for the comments Allan.

I've gone with both themes this week.

First Indulgence. I really couldn't work out what to do until the last minute. Clearing up after the shoot was a real chore:LOL: . I definitely need to get some backdrops for this sort of shot. A black tee shirt doesn't really work that well.





And secondly Close. An easy one for me, an opportunity to use the Macro lens. Unfortunately there weren't many insects out today as it was too dull but I got a cranefly and some nice flower shots.







 
Indulgence: You're spot on with the self crit about backgrounds. Really good choice of subject, that's well set out but the crumpled t-shirt and bathroom(?) tiles detract from the shot.

As to Close, that Cranefly looks very menacing. :shudder:

Ian.
 
Hi Mike.

Love the choice of props behind indulgence and I think you've arranged them all into a pleasing composition.
I'd have to agree with the b/g not working though.
For my black b/gs I bought 2 metres of black cotton fabric from my local market - total cost of around £4 and it's been worth every penny.

:eek: That cranefly's a bit scary!
Hadn't realised that they were such ugly buggers that close up :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
There's some amazing detail in its eyes . . . any chance of a link to a bigger version?

It's definitely the winner from the 2 close-up shots.
The flower isn't quite doing it for me. It looks a little soft on my monitor and I'd have preferred a narrower DoF to throw the background out more.
 
I'll upload a full size to flickr and link it. The flower was taken at f18 using the flash I think so there should be a large depth of field.
 
Mike, love the indulgence shot, you know about the background... Did you drink all that Baileys ??

Close, The cranefly is excellent, and the flower is very good, but the cranefly wins it ;)
 
The Cranefly is the winner for me - just looks so other worldly.
Like something off Dr Who meets War of the Worlds.

You seem to have a knack with the insects, I like the spider shot very much.
 
Thanks Ian. Insects are my favourite. If the weather holds out I'm planning on doing an insect a day in June.
 
Finally I'm shoehorning an ingredients shot. Not at all happy with the shot or the interpretation really but it's bugging me not having something up so I just need to get something posted so that I can move on to Stop.

I give you one of the ingredients for a nice stew.



 
Another struggle for inspiration this week. My initial thought was to go for the cop out shop of a stop sign but I've not seen one anywhere this week so that went down the pan. Every other idea I've had has been similarly uninspiring so I've ended up with an attempt at humour that came to me when I woke up after falling asleep on the sofa. I probably should have used a wider aperture to throw the background out of focus but in my half asleep attempt that never occurred to me so we have.

STOP



 
Hah. I like it. Nice comedic expression that's well worth a chuckle.

Like Jean's week 19 shot it's not the most technically perfect, but it works because the content overshadows it.

There's only a couple of technical things I can think of...
You've got a big light coming in over your shoulder which has caused the camera to underexpose you. The window is quite distracting and makes it difficult to see what you're doing in the darkness....
Also, it looks a little soft to me. If it was a self-portrait, then that explains it. The problem with using a wider aperture to throw the background out on a self portrait means that getting the focus right is even more critical.

It still makes me smile though :)

Ian.
 
Thanks. It was a self portrait, I set off the remote release using my big toe. I was using natural light from the window and I'd have probably been better turning the light on as it casts quite an even light. It was another of those really uninspiring themes for me again so my heart wasn't really in it.
 
Ingredients... an interesting idea... not sure the rabbit would be happy to be the ingredients though. It looks a little soft around the bunny...

Stop... made me chuckle, a great comedy moment. Gotta agree on the window though and the DOF. But it works for the theme, and I like it.
 
Great expression, mate. What this needs is some fill flash to balance the exposure and get some detail back in the window androom.
 
The23rdman said:
Great expression, mate. What this needs is some fill flash to balance the exposure and get some detail back in the window androom.
Click to expand...

:agree: fill flash would have been good but hard to do as a self shot, mad me laugh though, good take on the theme
 
Time for a catch up. Inspiration has been really thin on the ground for me and every idea I've had has been thwarted by poor weather etc.

Week 21 Isolation

My idea for this was to try and get a shot of the sovereign light tower on the horizon (can't get a lot more isolated) but every morning that I took my camera out there was a thick mist. Finally inspiration struck last night. I'd taken a shot of one of the black leopards at WHF in quarantine, well quarantine is sort of isolation so here we go, Finally, I give you Isolation.



 
Okay on to the next

Quality

My cunning plan for this one was to get hold of a quality street tin, cut out the bottom and do a self portrait with my head surrounded by quality street. typically I couldn't find a tin of quality street in the shops and no one seems to have an old tin kicking around. Plenty of other makes but no quality street. On that note I've decide to shoehorn in a shot of a singing chaffinch which i think is one of the best quality bird shots that I've managed with my 100-400





i did think of putting this shot up on the birds section but didn't think I could cope with the wrath of fracster.
 
Like the isolation image, it works for the theme...

Quality, lovely... good sharp image of the chaffy... agree on the quality street tin.. :D
 
Okay nearly caught up.

2 for the price of 1, metal and post in one shot. Barbed wire attached to a fence post. A bit of a cop out but at least it means I'm up to date and just got to sort out grunge :bang: now.



 
And now for Grunge. I was pinning my hopes for this on Florence, my friends Schnauzer/Russel cross and she didn't let me down. I think today is possibly the dirtiest she has ever got, with a little help from Bertie. I couldn't decide which image to choose so we have 3 choices.













The following images show how she got so dirty.











 
Super idea for the shot, the dog is a star, #1 for me.
 
Well done on catching up Mike (y)

Ingredients is OK, but a little soft.
I do like your "stop" shot though. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
I hope you remembered to wash that toothbrush before putting it in your mouth again.
There's some good comments already on how this one could be improved, but for me this is one of those shots that all about content and the expression on your face says it all.

Isolation : At first I wasn't sure about this - I thought the composition felt too tight. But the more I look at it, the more it grows on me.
Fantastic Focus on the eyes.

Quality : Beautiful. I've yet to manage a really good bird photo, but this is gorgeous. Love the contrast of the colours against the blue sky, lovely catchlight in the eye and great detail in the feathers.

However, I also have to echo the sentiment below . . .

clud17 said:
please double your efforts to find a quality street tin, i'd love to see that.:LOL:
Click to expand...

Post / Metal : Works for me.
Very simple subject and composition, but the DoF gives it some nice interest.

Grunge : Florence & Bertie didn't let you down this week did they?
They are 100% grungy :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

I genuinely like all of these, even the ones showing how she got dirty.
In fact I'd love to see them all arranged as a storyboard . . . 4, 1, 5, 3 ,6 ,2.
 
Yeah - good idea for grunge. The very last image appeals to me most as I like the pose, but the colours for the floor are so similar to the doggie it is difficult to make her out clearly on the small picture size.

Phil
 
Absolutely great 'grunge' shots really made me smile. Difficult to choose a best one - I particularly like the first and last - brilliant!
 
Mike, The Metal and Post shot, I like, simple, with good interest and details.

Grunge, that's one mucky dog :D... defo didn't disappoint, I like them all...
 
Thanks for all the comments, it's useful having a friend with a dog that's a pigpen.

For this weeks theme I had a very specific idea. I was going to get a cracking shot of a pair of insects mating. Needless to say I didn't see a single pair of mating insects all week so I'm going to shoehorn in the shot of glow worms mating from last Saturday night. Shot with a less than ideal lens in a rush so not the best shot but it fits the theme so what the hell.



 
Hi Mike!

Love ingredients! I immediately thought "pie" when I saw that shot :p

Out of the rest, isolation, metal, and grunge are excellent. Love the emotion you captured on that bear shot. Cracking DOF in metal, and grunge is just hilarious! Hope that dog likes baths :LOL:

Good idea on beginnings. Something I never thought of :)
 
It sure fits the theme Mike. What an amazing difference between them. I'm not sure the focus point is quite right, nor the DOF, but it was rushed and as you said, the wrong lens ... ;)
 
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