weekly nickbee's 52 2016: week 19 - Colourful

Cool shot - bang on theme. Liking the idea and the execution; it is well lit and neatly composed. Focus is spot on and bg is simple and uncluttered.

I keep looking at this and wondering what a portrait crop might look like; it would mean losing the left side of the frame but it might be a stronger composition with the vertical branch running parallel to the longest edge rather than the shortest.

Cheers

Spooks
 
Miniature - What a pretty picture! :) I like the fact that it's a little keychain (or something) bird interacting with a real flower. Raises the interest value of the photo. So, it's always about the birds and the bees with you, huh? ;)
 
I like the thinking on this shot - the elements combine really well.
 
Spooky said:
Cool shot - bang on theme. Liking the idea and the execution; it is well lit and neatly composed. Focus is spot on and bg is simple and uncluttered.

I keep looking at this and wondering what a portrait crop might look like; it would mean losing the left side of the frame but it might be a stronger composition with the vertical branch running parallel to the longest edge rather than the shortest.
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Thanks. I was playing about on my iPhone today and you might be right about portrait format. I wanted lots of space to emphasise the "miniatureness" but actually it might not be necessary.

posiview said:
You haven't done too bad with the BG, nice and clean.

I'd prefer it without the flower and a little closer.
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Thanks. To be fair, without the flower it's a very different photo! Re-cropping it as portrait does bring it closer though.

philthejuggler said:
I like the thinking on this shot - the elements combine really well.
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Thank you.

Winter said:
Miniature - What a pretty picture! :) I like the fact that it's a little keychain (or something) bird interacting with a real flower. Raises the interest value of the photo. So, it's always about the birds and the bees with you, huh? ;)
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It's a charm from a bracelet. Birds and the bees? Check my name, babe: it's there in black and white. ;)
 
Hi Nick :)

Sorry it appears I have missed a few of yours, so a catch up from me...

Metal - Really liked this when I first saw this/logged it on the sheet, a nice simple but very effective shot, the aluminium burs scattered around the nice bright drill bit works very well, liking the angles too (y)

Captive - A nice dark image, prefer it without the text myself, the little bits of light bring out the colour well :)

Miniature - This is a cracking image, one of my favorite for the theme, really well thought out, set up and lit, real good attention to detail :clap:
 
Thanks @minx @Jon.P.73 @Dark Knight @Pinkbikerbabe, very much appreciated as always.

So, slightly late to week 4's party but here we are with

Happy

The day the topic was announced happened to be the day I was putting the last of the Christmas decorations back in the loft so I set this up before they all got put away. It was supposed to be a backup shot in case I didn't get anything else good, but aside from a couple of (admittedly very cute) pictures of my youngest, I didn't come up with anything.

The extremities are a little more OOF than I'd have liked but it's bright and bold and lairy so I can live with it (and I'm certainly not going back into the bloody loft to get them out again). At least three people will say "I'd have cloned out the wire" - I considered it but given that the LEDs are so very obvious, it made sense to me to show them linked.
 
Hi Nick

Didn't miss your Miniature, just missed commenting on it ... what a wonderful idea and prop, nicely put together & shot. It's the twig & chain that make it!

That's a handy prop to have for a Happy theme. I'm all for the inclusion of the connecting wire ... would be difficult to clone out anyway. You've already pointed out the OOF extremities ...

(y)
 
I love the glow of this picture and the colours - spot on theme for me don't know why you didn't use it straight off
 
Thank you @CliveNX @d00d @susiejb @minx

Week 5: Abandoned



A fairly personal one for me this week. This is my old secondary, Rainsford High School. Sometime between me leaving and its closure it became St Peter's College in an unsuccessful attempt to save it from failure by rebranding, but in reality appalling academic results (8% A*-C anyone?) sealed its fate. Since its closure in 2011 the North and Middle buildings have stood empty. This is the main entrance of North Building, which hails from the 1930s.

The photo was taken on the dullest day ever so I used what I hope is a subtle HDR effect to try and liven up the sky a bit and manipulated the colour and contrast to make it more interesting without looking too unrealistic. I've never tried HDR before - in fact this is probably the most processing I've ever done to any photo - so I'd welcome comments.

Thanks for looking!
 
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Hi, processing looks fine can't tell its HDR which is a good thing not sure the tree adds to it or spoils it but apart from carrying a chain saw around there is little you can do

I often think these building would be more interesting on the inside, not that you can get in, pity
 
Hi Nick.
Very nice image, I like the in your face colours.
You've already commented on the OOF edges, which is my only concern (but having posted a totally oof shot this week, I can't say a word really).
 
Happy... this really stands out love the background very nice
Abandoned... nicely done on the HDR and on theme, (y)
 
Hi Nick... Happy is perfectly on theme. A good capture of a more challenging subject with the bright light and black background - you've caught that all well. As you mentioned yourself, a touch more DOF might help but irrespective, it's a good shot.

Abandoned is certainly on theme. Leading lines are good and decision to use a central composition probably works here. The tree being cropped is a bit more challenging, as are the missing sides of the building - but in a funny kind of way it all adds to the unsettling nature of the image. I think it's a very appropriate and slightly uncomfortable capture - ideal!
 
Hi Nick. Great minds with Happy - did a good job coping with the lights, nice colourful image. I like the narrative alongside the image for Abandoned. A shame - such a wonderful imposing building. Nicely taken again - like the HDR.
 
Interesting back story to the image, nicely taken and processes Nick (y)
 
Hi Nick

The HDR might be having an effect on the boarded-up windows.

I like it but I think I would have tried shooting from the other side of the tree capturing half the building or something.
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi, processing looks fine can't tell its HDR which is a good thing not sure the tree adds to it or spoils it but apart from carrying a chain saw around there is little you can do

I often think these building would be more interesting on the inside, not that you can get in, pity
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I like the composition - half hidden behind the tree, but there is a way round it.....if you have a tilt shift lens!
 
Processing looks subtle to me, and the gloomy sky adds to the abandoned feel. Composition is really nicely done. :clap:
 
LC2 said:
Hi Nick.
Very nice image, I like the in your face colours.
You've already commented on the OOF edges, which is my only concern (but having posted a totally oof shot this week, I can't say a word really).
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God Tim, 'Happy' is so last week. OOF is probably the way forward though: I think 2016 will be the year fuzziness makes a comeback.

pjm1 said:
Abandoned is certainly on theme. Leading lines are good and decision to use a central composition probably works here. The tree being cropped is a bit more challenging, as are the missing sides of the building - but in a funny kind of way it all adds to the unsettling nature of the image. I think it's a very appropriate and slightly uncomfortable capture - ideal!
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I did try a couple which included the full height of the tree but that put the building at the bottom of the image and at 10mm the distortion looked absurd. The building is far too big to even try getting it all in but I hadn't really considered that cropping it would be anything to be concerned about. Glad you like it though!

d00d said:
The HDR might be having an effect on the boarded-up windows.

I like it but I think I would have tried shooting from the other side of the tree capturing half the building or something.
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I'm pleased you like it. The windows look like they do because I've turned up the contrast and dropped the saturation slightly - I actually quite like the effect. It's the sky which was taken from a different, much darker exposure - in the original image it's just grey. No chance of getting past the tree, I was shooting through locked iron gates! I'm not sure if the image would be better without it but I certainly like the symmetry enough to include it.

philthejuggler said:
I like the composition - half hidden behind the tree, but there is a way round it.....if you have a tilt shift lens!
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Thanks. I cannot comprehend how a tilt shift lens might help see past/though the tree, could you please explain?

Thanks also to @tyrex1 @susiejb @Cobra @Carl Ayling - I enjoyed being able to add a little history to the photo and I'm glad it was appreciated.
 
Pads1980 said:
Processing looks subtle to me, and the gloomy sky adds to the abandoned feel. Composition is really nicely done. :clap:
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You snuck that in whilst I was replying to the others! Cheers.
 
"Thanks. I cannot comprehend how a tilt shift lens might help see past/though the tree, could you please explain?"

Happily - if you imagine photographing a mirror - you don't want the camera in the shot, but nor do you want converging lines / distortion that you get when you photograph it from the side.

A shift lens means you can stand just to one side of the mirror and shift the lens - as the camera back is straight you don't get distortions but the rays of light are coming from the side so you avoid reflections.

The same idea would work here - stand to the right of the tree, but shift the lens left to make it look like you were straight-on to the house.
 
Ah, I see. Well, I say 'I see' - I get what it does but how it does it might ake me a while! Applied to this shot, you'd still be able to see the side walls wouldn't you, you'd just be removing the convergence?

I honestly thought they were just for making things look miniature. I could never understand why anoyone would pay so much money just for that!
 
HI Nick

Great start to your 52 challenge

I particularly like your takes on Metal and Miniature
 
Downton Mini said:
I particularly like your takes on Metal and Miniature
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Thanks - they're my favourites too! I'm trying to push myself into doing a wide variety of photos for this 52 but expect to see more macro against a white background - the anal retentive within me really enjoyed setting those up.
 
Thanks @Jon.P.73

And so on to this week's submission for Camouflaged



This portrait malarkey's harder than it looks isn't it? I knew what photo I wanted to take as soon as the theme was announced. I shot against a plain black background, using one speedlight firing through an umbrella above and left of the camera and a second behind and to the right to highlight the hair (the batteries died in the third flash just before I started shooting :mad:). That was easy to set up, but the actual act of directing someone whilst tryng to take their picture? Wow, really difficult. Lindsay wasn't comfortable and quickly became fed up of sitting there in her heavy makeup, so I just went with the first half-decent shot that came out. The pistol is a replica Walther P99 BB gun kindly lent to me by a friend.

I've done a bit of PP on this, matched some of the greens and did a little bit of smoothing.

Anyway, advice welcomed but go easy, neither of us have done this before (and quite possibly might not again)!
 
Hi Nick ...I'm not sure if she looks very camouflaged but she does look lovely:) I know nothing about portrait photography but you've obviously put a lot of thought into this with acquiring the right props, I think it works well. I like the slight side pose instead of face on, and you've caught the light in the eyes beautifully. Perfect choice in the black background, and good to see a different take on the theme.
 
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It certainly fits the theme!
I can't comment on the technicals because portraiture is completely beyond my ken :D
 
Hi, portraits are not something I do but that looks good to me and spot on theme
 
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