weekly Mr.Si's 52 Week Challenge - Final Photos Added

Hi all, thanks very much for the comments. Noted regarding the dullness of the veggies - I think the main problem is that I guess the exposure in post as my screen is too bright. I try to dull my screen when I edit, but sometimes it still comes out too low.

I shall see what I can do. Good job I shoot in RAW huh!
 
Loads better! The orange is really quite punchy but just the right side of oversaturation for me.

If your screen is too bright I'd definitely suggest calibration. In fact, I'd suggest it regardless ;) (and if you think I'm preachy about it, you should see some of the other proponents of it in the Computers subforum!)
 
Hi its on theme and certainly works for me. Very simple but effective I like it.
 
That little chap keeping you busy eh? :)

Edit for the veggies is a HUGE improvement. (y)

Sparkle as Carol says is a simple idea, but the lighting you have used has given a lovely sparkle to the glitter. Text is neat and nicely not completely central.

Wonder if there would have been enough light to give a starburst from them had you gone with a smaller aperture?

And this more 'top down' view works better than the other one on your flickr for me.
 
Hi, Carol, as said, a simple yet effective photograph. I think it needs a little more, though, I'd have been tempted to have a little more symmetry in the glitter, maybe shape the edges a little.

Cheers.
 
Hi Simon... nice take and a smart idea for the theme. Difficult to crit - as any meaningful changes to composition, DOF etc. would result in a different image (not better or worse, just a different take on it). I like yours although the only thing I'd add is the central positioning perhaps leaves it, as an image, slightly flatter that it deserves?
 
rush job or not - that is super nice si.

couldnt see what it was to start with, but viewed ful screen its clear.

nice blacks, great whites, super angles, and teh 3 blocks of 4 work well.

Like the text on the single cable too - don;t clone it out!
 
Hey Simon

Well I do like that. I'll confess I had a similar idea but your shot works far better than the switch-based one one I had in my head before I stumbled across the radar station.

I like the B&W, the shadows are just right for me and the only tiny crit I can think of is I'd like all of the connectors to be in focus - DOF is perhaps too shallow for me.

Composition is great - I love the super pano aspect ratio and arrangement. Great novel take!! :clap:
 
HI Simon

Sparkle , original with plenty of sparkle going on......OCD wants the writing the central.....:exit:

Communicate......not got a scooby what I'm looking at but it's effective (y)
 
Hi, not sure on the crop for communicate seems a little long and has some focusing issues, would maybe have cropped the right hand side, i like the abstract nature of it though
 
HI Simon

Architecture - great idea and yo have captured the detail well a tad bright as mentioned

Sharp - background is nice and the composition works its a nice image

Pure - Your re-edit is so much better really punchy

Sparkle - some times the basic ones really work and this does the lighting you have got spot on

Communicate - Im confuzzled what is it?
 
Hi all,

Thank you for the comments - pos and neg. It's always lovely to know you wonderful people are still taking the time to comment.

For those that don't know what my Communicate image is, it's network cables going in to my network switch (a 3COM gigabit baseline 2824 switch, which came out of a Cisco office in Reading (for those who care)).

Now, here's my DARK image, called "Glow in the Dark"

GlowintheDark by Mr_Si, on Flickr

Cheers all, Si
 
Hi sorry I haven't popped in for a while had a few broadband issues, and life's been pretty hectic. You have some very nice work and ideas for the themes, I can only apologies for not commenting on everything individually.
 
Big!


Big Dipper

I know I know, I'm not American, it's The Plough really.
It's the view from the front of my house, edited the blacks up very high to remove all the light pollution.
It's as much as the 50mm 1.8D lens let the camera see! but I wanted as wide an aperture as possible.
15sec exposure.

BigDipper (*cough* The Plough) by Mr_Si, on Flickr


The Universe is a Big Place.

This one has my favourite constellation in it - Cassiopeia - and is the view from my back garden - much less light pollution and a whole load more visible stars.
same lens and settings as above.

TheUniverseisaBigPlace by Mr_Si, on Flickr
 
Dark - Good detail and a really nice image, but have to agree with the others that I would have preferred a closer crop.

Big - At first glance I thought you'd posted two completely black frames by mistake and my monitor needed dusting! Now I've read the descriptions I get it and I think both are good for the theme, but maybe a bit of very subtle line drawing in pp to link the stars and show the classic shapes might make them a little less obscure.
 
I'd agree with Elaine regarding the PP, although you might be more of a purist then me. Only other crit, I'd like to see something else in the frame, not necessarily to emphasise the sky....we all know it's bit, but, maybe to add, dare I say, a little interest/contrast. Struggling to explain what I mean :thinking:

Cheers.
 
Thanks guys, yeah I know what you mean. I might do the PP thing. Unfortunately I couldn't get to a better foreground location last night as it was a spur of the moment thing. I might post the original photo of the plough as in straight out the camera for interest's sake. But can't do that from the mobile.
 
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dark very nicely done, the light from the element lighting up the inside of the glass is lovely. Dark but still enough detail retained.

Love the star shots, the suggestion to link up the stars in PP is a great idea IMO, the constellation is clear enough as it is, but think it could just add an extra dimension.

Not seeing much in the second one though sadly.
 
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Hiya Simon

As mentioned, edit for pure is great (y)

Communicate- great idea, gives a bit of an optical illusion effect in that it doesn't look straight but it is :confused: focus spot on the middle bank of 4 with good dof (y)...:thinking:....I did notice that the corner of the first block on the left was just clipped though :)

Dark- well shot, I'm guessing that's quite a fairly bright bulb and you've underexposed it to get the detail, works very well (y) agree though, tighter crop might work better :)

Big-like the idea (y) good suggestions above about linking the stars :) ......Si, next time have a go at the night sky, try a very high ISO. I was on Anglesey mid August (very little light pollution), messing around about midnight, beautiful clear sky, camera sat on a table laid on its back, pointing up at the sky. The amount of stars I got was mesmerising, no other interest but the high ISO really pulled detail from the sky :)......oh and its better when there's no moon light.
 
Hi Si :)

Sorry... doing the rounds, looks like I have not been on yours for a bit, so quick catchup

Sharp - Nice original idea, good focus, I would prefer the gizmo to be perfectly aligned with the guitar, but hey that's real picky and my OCD rather than true crit, a nicely lit image, like it :)

Pure - A nice selection of veg, not the best of lighting, detail or ompth for me, would prefer it with much more bang... <EDIT> your edit has it, much better, nice bright colours, not sure if it is different or PP, but looks much more as I would like (y)

Pure - Real nice colours, I much prefer the focus point on your second image :)

Sparkle - Not the most inspiring of images from you, fits the theme yes, i'm liking the sparkles and the blacks look good too... I think I have just talked myself out of the first comment :)

Communicate - I'm liking this, shame the focus drifts a bit to the right of the image as other than that I feel it works really well :)

Dark - Now I like that, like the warm glowing filament, nice expanse of darkness, like it (y)

Big - Ah Haaaaa like that idea too, nicely caught, exposure not too long but enough to give some definition :)

Big - Like this again, I would prefer blacker blacks, but there sure seems plenty of colour in the shot from the different stars, a nice big expanse of night sky :)

PHEW.... hope to get back much more regular
 
Hi, I like the idea behind the image it really works well though the BG is just too black everything looks like its floating, if you could just ground it it would be a cracking image
 
Balance

The main technique I was trying here was to expose for the sky and then use my speedlite to lighten up my wife in the foreground.
It didn't work very well to be honest, but I think I may have been too far back (we went on a walk and so I didn't have my OCF equipment for the flash to be closer, which would have helped a lot! I also didn't frame it as well as I could.

Balance by Mr_Si, on Flickr

I may have another go another time when the weather improves.
 
Hi Simon - sorry I haven't been around much to comment.

Dark - I like it, but not sure about the framing. For me, there's just too much black which takes away from the image itself. I realise that's because of the theme, but I reckon the image would be so much stronger with a much tighter crop? You've done very well to master the exposure though... not easy, I'm sure. You deserve a thumbs up for execution definitely! (y)

Big - ticks the box for the theme, but needs more of interest. Either PP, as suggested, or some land?

Fall - fab shot. Good idea for the theme and I do like your lighting. Almost light painted looking. Very well captured, well put together and just a great image. :clap:

Cut - Good idea for the theme but the lighting/colour on the scissor hand looks a bit funny - very red and a bit pixellated/noisy? Lighting overall apart from that is good, though. Nice black background!

Balance - again, some good thinking. The blown clouds are a bit distracting for me but I do like the colour you've got out of the trees - very rich. You could maybe lift the shadows a touch to bring out extra detail on the jeans and dark parts of the trees, but that also could be my monitor needing a calibration.
 
Hi Simon...really liking your shot for Fall...an excellent idea to have the four different stages of the conker falling away on an angle....I love the placing of them. Excellent lighting, and a great black background :clap:

Another smashing idea for CUT ...I like the composition and deep black background again.

Balance ..the sky looks a bit too bright, but a great idea. I like the angle, your wife looks really high up among those treetops...well done to her for posing like that :)
 
Thank you everyone for your comments. It is nice to still be getting positive feedback and I will take on board the blown clouds issue and the floating conkers issue.

Looking forward to tomorrow's new theme!
 
Conker's, you've done well to find 4 in such perfect stages of formation, I love the "non conforming" top left down diagonal composition. Dof looks to be sufficient to get them all in.

Cut, good black BG here, so much easier when it's obvious the subject is in mid air. Again good composition.

Balance, looks to have been a tough one from the get go. Trying to overpower a bright day with flash is always going to be tricky. Looks like less ambient exposure needed (clouds) and I wonder if lighter colour clothes might have made your life easier? Good balancing mrs si and good use of low down POV.
 
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