PhiltheJuggler's 52! - The '52 - Part 1 - weeks 1-27

Many thanks for all the kind words - now I've posted I'll have a look at some other peoples' posts!

Nice week 1 and 2 shots. Especially liking the tree but please consider a smaller watermark :)

Week 3 - your processing has worked well to draw attention to the meat. Might have liked to see the chopper given the same treatment as well.

I can't easily re-size the watermark, but I've moved it left and down a bit to try and help.

As for the chopper - I'll have a play with this and see how it turns out - thanks for the suggestion!

Phil
 
(y) Well done Phil.

The selective desaturation works for me. Very subtle but effective in drawing attention to where you wanted it.
I was expecting something really gruesome from the description, but actually it's just a very good shot of a butcher at work. Nice to see a different take on the theme.
 
Hi all,

Ok...week 4, street.

I decided I'd go out in town today & photography someone. I only had 5 minutes of lunchtime to play with. I saw a few gents hanging around chatting - all look fairly unkempt. I asked this gent & with some encouragement from his mates he agreed.

50D, 135L, f4, 1/250, ISO 400, 580EX II -1 FEC.

Hope you like it!

Phil

larger version on black here

Updated: Cropped version here - I prefer it.

p613039798-4.jpg
 
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Are the half-specs a prop you've given him or was that genuinely his look? :LOL:

Absolutely genuine and he insisted he kept them (it on).

I suspect he is a street-sleeper - I just walked up to him and his mates and I asked if I could take the photo.

I don't think anything artificial would be in the spirit of my take on the theme.

Phil
 
Yay - just realised - I think I may be the first to submit 'Street'! I think there should be a prize for that!

Phil
 
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Sorry Phil, MC Stoo beat you to it, although granted his was taken months ago :LOL:

Not looking though until I've got mine. Darned people far too keen!
 
And it's a cracker.

Half the battle is having the cojones to actually ask in the 1st place. I think you did really well and I'm scared about doing something similar but am determined to challenge myself.

Is that a cropped shot already? If not I'm wondering what a closer crop on the face would do. Fleece collar and his top are a little distracting but that's a preferential thing really.

Nice work, and good on you for getting in so quick..!

Have a biscuit on me :)

Ian.
 
Sorry Phil, MC Stoo beat you to it, although granted his was taken months ago :LOL:

Not looking though until I've got mine. Darned people far too keen!

Oh, go-on, have a peek - dying for some feedback!

Taken months ago! That's not in the spirit of the 52!!!

Phil
 
And it's a cracker.

Half the battle is having the cojones to actually ask in the 1st place. I think you did really well and I'm scared about doing something similar but am determined to challenge myself.

Is that a cropped shot already? If not I'm wondering what a closer crop on the face would do. Fleece collar and his top are a little distracting but that's a preferential thing really.

Nice work, and good on you for getting in so quick..!

Have a biscuit on me :)

Ian.

Many thanks - it isn't a crop - could easily try one though....

How's this?

Phil

p785312714-4.jpg
 
TBH, looks like some guy with a comedy broken pair of specs on. I am not getting street, or homelessness at all. :shrug:

Yeah - he insisted he kept them on & I decided not to argue. I've not idea whether he was homeless or not, but he was lounging around with others on the street and didn't look gainfully employed. His manner of dress etc convinced me he was genuine.

I guess the broken specs can go two ways - underline the poverty or look silly. I thought with the gritty B&W conversion and his serious look I could avoid the comic.

Thanks for your comments,

Phil
 
Like the 'street' man.
very good exposure.
well executed.

Many thanks for your compliment - do you prefer the full version or the crop?

Thanks

Phil
 
I like your street photo (and am very impressed by how early it is!)

I prefer the cropped one as for some reason the original shot looks like a passport photo pose for some reason...

It does say street to me whether he's homeless or not as it's a photo of someone taken on the street, especially as it's not planned/a friend/model...
 
Hmm, I have friends that could easily be passed off as homeless the scruffy b@$t@rd$! I'm by no means saying this is fake I'm just saying 'why didn't I think of that?'. Well done on having the nuts to actually ask this guy to pose, a lot of people would have been too scared to approach him let alone get a camera out and ask for a pose. :clap:

Great shot, I think I prefer the crop as it cuts off a lot of distractions around him. I hope you threw him a few quid and got him to sign a model release form. :rules:
 
I like it. Having the balls to ask someone with obvious mental health issues if you can take their photo gains extra kudos in my book!
 
Crop works better for me... But what do you think?

Cheers for the PM by the way!

Ian.
 
As for the chopper - I'll have a play with this and see how it turns out

:nono: :LOL:

Re CHOPPED, I know the trotter was chopped, but I'd have liked to have seen the cleaver chopping the trotter, rather than (seemingly) resting on top. Regarding the colours, I'd have been intrigued to see it as B/W, with (or without) the coloured trotter. Nice shot.

Re STREET, i think that's a great portrait shot, especially the cropped version. I'm getting enough of a "whiff" of street in there to make it work...but only just! For a street shot, a wider angle would have created the scene for the character to be set against.

(y)
 
Thanks for the comments guys. I'm really struggling with crop vs no crop.

As a shot I prefer the crop, but I think the original fits the theme 'street' better as it gives it a little context.

Phil
 
Crop for me Phil.

And to me you have epitomized the theme of street - having the cohones to go out and ask someone you dont know to pose for you.

And what a result - a stunning shot capturing a real street character. Awesome work that man (y)
 
what did you say the the man in the street to pose for you?

I simply said 'I wonder if I could ask you a favour - I'm doing a competition where I take a photo every week, this week it is 'street' so I decided to take a portrait on the street. I reckon I could get a fantastic shot of you - would you mind?'

After a little general chat he agreed.

Easy really!

Thanks for all the comments

Phil
 
Nice one Phil - I like this. I prefer the cropped version, but I agree that the original one puts it in context a little more. Only other thing I would have done would be to consider taking a shot of him looking in a slightly different direction, perhaps more natural that way, but I appreciate that you wanted a portrait.

Well done on being bold enough to ask him - I trust you gave him directions to Specsavers as well :D
 
Phil, I really love the cropped one. The only problem is that it does not say "Street" to me immediately. Now that I know how you took it, it is more obvious. I have no idea how to take photos of people and would not dare approach anyone in the street - so well done.

Jenny
 
"Street"

Both are first rate. :clap::clap: I prefer the cropped version as a portrait but the first one fits the theme better.
 
Oh, go-on, have a peek - dying for some feedback.

I'm back now! Full marks for having the balls to ask for this. Very interesting character, although you're left wandering why the hell he has half a pair of glasses on. For this fella I think a slightly wider shot to give it some context might be needed. Certainly think the second crop is far too close :LOL:

Great exposure and contrast in the image. Maybe a little too straight on but very nicely done.
 
I prefer the cropped one as a photo, I think it puts more focus on his teeth, I'm not sure why that is a good thing but I think it is :)

Although the un-cropped, as others have said, gives more context to the shot.
 
Well I think that is the dogs B******s, a great shot and you certainly have nailed "Street":clap:....Mick
 
Many many thanks for all the kind comments - I'm really wracking my brains for a decent idea for 'Speed' now!

Phil
 
Brilliant shot Phil, sorry is missed it earlier! Just to go against the grain, I prefer the non crop, but either way it's great.

Cheers, Rob
 
Well done for getting out there, and asking people Phil... way braver than I... I prefer the crop, although it does look a little staged, it's still a very striking image.
 
Hi all - taken 40 minutes before the end of the week....

Week 5 - Speed!

I wracked my brains all week for this one & then had a flash of inspiration this afternoon.

For those not familiar - the cups are from a sport called 'speed stacking' where the object is to very quickly create the towers & collapse them again.

I tried to convey the fast movement of the sport in this self-portrait.

I actually created the stacks relatively slowly to maximise the trails in the air made by the cups.

Technique: I lit the stacks with a black-light and put my 5D with my 24-105 & 580EXII mounted on a gorilla-pod over the light. (I also had to cover loads of stuff that was glowing behind me!). The lens was set at 24mm, f/9 and I left the shutter open for 6 seconds. To freeze my face at the end I set the flash at -3 stops, rear curtain sync. To stop it spilling onto the background I zoomed it manually to the 80mm setting. I used the timer and a remote switch to fire the shutter.

Hope you like it!

Phil

Larger version here

p961996299-4.jpg
 
I really like that Phil!
Excellent lighting that gives a neon glow to the cups.

What's cool twist on the theme! What was your time in the end? Take it that it was slightly more than the shutter speed?
 
I really like that Phil!
Excellent lighting that gives a neon glow to the cups.

What's cool twist on the theme! What was your time in the end? Take it that it was slightly more than the shutter speed?

Glad you like it! I can stack up & down a 6-stack in about 3 seconds but my 'cycle' is hopeless - world record is about 6.5 seconds and I take about 25!!

Phil
 
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