weekly pjm1's TP52 in 2016 - week 31 Fauna

d00d said:
I thought it was over-lit at first, but I like it the more I see it, and the B&W treatment seems to work well. Definitely one for the family album.
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Thanks David. The direction of lighting does mean the inside left arm of her dress gets more light than the inside right, but that's the nature of directional lighting... it might not be to everyone's tastes though. Cheers for looking and commenting - I was pleased with it! I think the processing I've chosen has really stretched the dynamic range/histogram to the full (which was the point with a high contrast B&W). I'll add a SOOC version below...

LC2 said:
I tend to agree with d00d, it's slightly too bright on her dress. A get image non the less and (y) for continuing your journey into the light(ing).
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Hiya Tim. All opinions appreciated! She was wearing a pale pink voile dress which was always going to be susceptible to highlights getting a bit too high. However, the SOOC below confirms my own thinking that it was my processing (rather than lighting) which has pushed the highlights into the hot zone. Although nothing is blown, it's pretty "contrast-max" and even in B&W I realise it won't necessarily be to everyone's tastes. Thanks for commenting; I always appreciate people taking the time and a critical eye to it :)

Wonkiness and lens distortion:
 
Lovely image Paul :)

( I hope she is getting the appropriate model fee for all these :D )

edit I prefer the B&W
 
pjm1 said:
Thanks Chris... she's not the cheapest model as she demands one episode of "Team Umizoomi" per shoot.
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I've no idea what that is, Paul. :D
But so long as she's happy and doesn't feel that daddy is abusing parental prerogative in the child slave labour stakes, or feel the need to phone child line, then all is good (y)
:D
 
Of course not Chris... In fact I've even given her a mobile phone in case she wishes to make such a call:

playgrow_my_first_mobile_phone.jpg
 
pjm1 said:
Of course not Chris... In fact I've even given her a mobile phone in case she wishes to make such a call:
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PMSL :D
 
Hi Paul :)

I like the colourful shot, especially what you have got from the set-up you have shown, great lighting in such a compact area, really shows what can be achieved :)

Entrance - A lovely fun shot, again nice PP from the SOOC, straightened, nice B&W processing and such a great capture of a fun looking girl... like it (y)
 
Dark Knight said:
Hi Paul :)

I like the colourful shot, especially what you have got from the set-up you have shown, great lighting in such a compact area, really shows what can be achieved :)

Entrance - A lovely fun shot, again nice PP from the SOOC, straightened, nice B&W processing and such a great capture of a fun looking girl... like it (y)
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Thanks Dean, both were fun in their own way to shoot and I'm planning some monster lighting rig for this week's Size effort :)

posiview said:
Yeah, a few hot areas on the address, but TBH, I didn't notice until I read the comments. What a wonderful welcome home :)

Cheers.
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Thanks Andy - hope you didn't suffer too much down in the Lakes at the weekend :) Yes, my processing probably topped out the highlights a bit but I do like my contrast in B&W... Cheers for commenting as always!
 
Ok, here is a photo that I wouldn't normally include in my TP52, but it's here for a few reasons:

1. (and most importantly) it is a tribute to @LC2 's wonderful train shots :) I can't say I'm a train buff myself, but his dedication to the cause is impressive... and since he hasn't included a train shot for a while, I thought I'd add one in!
2. It actually started off with a different train shot I'd taken and was an experiment in PS to "create" a wider crop than I'd captured using content aware fill. The problem with that shot was it was always a "meh" shot (even more than this one) and I wasn't happy with it... so switched to this one.
3. I'm struggling with this week's theme! I'll have to save the lighting experiment for this weekend :)

I chose to shoot it from a higher vantage point than I usually would if I wanted to make it more dramatic... this is because I wanted to emphasise looking down on it (and therefore its small size). Unfortunately, I think the image is weaker as a result, but hey ho.


Week 21: Size by Paul M, on Flickr

I'm not wowed by this shot at all. In any way. Respect to Tim for his great train shots because they have lots of impact - something that wasn't really possible to achieve shooting a toy train trundling along at 2mph on a cloudy day... But them's the sacrifices we make for this challenge!
 
Nice 10" gauge (I think) Hymek there (though not so sure about the Cow Catcher!)
Taking the shot from a lower angle might have given a more striking shot. The transition between grass & concrete is a bit distracting though.

Kettles are easier though, because steam .
 
LC2 said:
Nice 10" gauge (I think) Hymek there (though not so sure about the Cow Catcher!)
Taking the shot from a lower angle might have given a more striking shot. The transition between grass & concrete is a bit distracting though.

Kettles are easier though, because steam .
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Thanks Tim - agree on all counts re: the merit of the picture but hope you appreciate my efforts in trying to fill your train void for a week :)

PABD this week and looking forward to the next theme!
 
It's an interesting take on the theme and I think you more or less said it all in your post for this week. I guess we all have different ideas of what this challenge is about but for me it's as much about how people interpret the topic, the community and the banter as it is about photographic excellence.
 
Definitely fits the theme Paul with those differently sized passengers as well as the miniature loco. Like Chris, I like the inventive takes on themes that comes out of TP52 as much as the skills.
 
pjm1 said:
Ok, here is a photo that I wouldn't normally include in my TP52,
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Your'll be in trouble, mark my words :D

Nicely spotted and captured Paul :)
 
I really like the entrance image, great greeting from the little one and I think the black and white works well (Im a bit of a sucker for B&W lately)
Not sure on the Size one, but as you said sometimes you just got to post something up, something I have been lacking in lately :)

Hope the 10th wedding anniversary went ok, got mine this weekend, trip to London, I got a few shot ideas in mind, not sure how well that will go down :)
 
sirch said:
It's an interesting take on the theme and I think you more or less said it all in your post for this week. I guess we all have different ideas of what this challenge is about but for me it's as much about how people interpret the topic, the community and the banter as it is about photographic excellence.
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Thanks Chris and agreed. Without the discussion and interaction, it just becomes like flickr/500px/facebook with people saying good photo or whatever. Also it's sometimes necessary to break the rhythm a bit.

Carl Ayling said:
Definitely fits the theme Paul with those differently sized passengers as well as the miniature loco. Like Chris, I like the inventive takes on themes that comes out of TP52 as much as the skills.
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This was definitely a PABD image but with work and being away for the long weekend last weekend I just haven't had enough time unfortunately. Poor excuse but if I fall behind at the moment I'll be struggling to catch up later!

Cobra said:
Your'll be in trouble, mark my words :D

Nicely spotted and captured Paul :)
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Thanks Chris... what do I have in store for me then?? :eek:

Longimanus said:
I really like the entrance image, great greeting from the little one and I think the black and white works well (Im a bit of a sucker for B&W lately)
Not sure on the Size one, but as you said sometimes you just got to post something up, something I have been lacking in lately :)

Hope the 10th wedding anniversary went ok, got mine this weekend, trip to London, I got a few shot ideas in mind, not sure how well that will go down :)
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Thanks Lee - I liked the harsh B&W (it looked eerily like a horror movie when I looked at it again there!) and it is something different. The Size one was a PABD "keeping up" image which I said I wouldn't fall into, but I have a few times already :(

10th Anniversary eventually went well, albeit I had a mountain of work on through that weekend (the last bank holiday) so I still have some making up to do :) Enjoy London and try to get some images while you're there!

Cheers all (y)
 
pjm1 said:
Thanks Chris... what do I have in store for me then?? :eek:
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Not for me to say, I'm not the one shoe horning trains in to my 52 :D
 
Nice one Tim ... I mean Paul.

I'm wondering what it might look like side on from a lower POV.

Next time maybe. :)
 
d00d said:
Nice one Tim ... I mean Paul.

I'm wondering what it might look like side on from a lower POV.

Next time maybe. :)
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Thanks Dan. Agree re: lower POV, but I was already precariously balanced over the fence which was supposed to keep people at bay :)

Dark Knight said:
Now what sort of excuse is Tim for a train shot... well, wish I had thought of it :LOL:
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Better shot coming up next time (fingers crossed I can get it as I have an idea in mind...) but thanks for commenting as always Dean (y)
 
Spot on with your own assessment as far as I can see, Paul. I can see that it wasn't an easy shot to pull off at all in terms of something that would give you that wow factor. It's just not that kind of subject.

I wonder what a side on shot would be like, showing the size of the driver in comparison to the engine?
 
Downton Mini said:
That a little train has it shrunk in the wash?
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Ha ha... it's certainly "mini" ;)

chrispp said:
Paul, great idea for the topic. One thing about this challenge it certainly makes you think.
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Thanks Chris - although I'd be happier with better shots and less thinking from my stuff though :)

Emja said:
I've got a fair few of my son on these :) Nice use of track and fence to lead in.
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Thanks Emma - it's done the job and hoping I can get the mojo back for this week!

Ian W said:
Spot on with your own assessment as far as I can see, Paul. I can see that it wasn't an easy shot to pull off at all in terms of something that would give you that wow factor. It's just not that kind of subject.

I wonder what a side on shot would be like, showing the size of the driver in comparison to the engine?
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Cheers Ian. Not my most exciting one (or technically good) but sometimes that's just the way it is. I have an idea for this week and hoping I can get something to work!
 
Entrance - what a lovely welcome home works well in colour too but I like the B+W
Size - a Fun shot, I have nothing to add to your own crit maybe a lower Pov would have worked better. I have many snaps like this of days out to see Santa at a railway like this and they are a nice reminder of the day but none of them would wow anyone
 
minx said:
Entrance - what a lovely welcome home works well in colour too but I like the B+W
Size - a Fun shot, I have nothing to add to your own crit maybe a lower Pov would have worked better. I have many snaps like this of days out to see Santa at a railway like this and they are a nice reminder of the day but none of them would wow anyone
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Thank you Alison :) Agree re: Size... hopefully addressing the lack of technical competence this week!

So here's my entry for Shoehorn. Oops, did I say that? I meant Forgotten ;)

All joking aside, I was supposed to be out taking a picture this evening for forgotten but I was blown away with the sunset just down the coast, so I had to stop to take a photo. By the time I'd finished messing around with filters and the tripod etc., I'd completely forgotten about the other shot, so this one will have to be it since it's the only effort I have. Oops, silly me :oops: :$


Week 22: Forgotten by Paul M, on Flickr


It's actually a blend of two images: a long exposure using a 10-stop filter plus a 2-stop grad against the sky & sunset, which has been used for the water and foreground rocks, excluding the sunburst which was too soft on a 30s exposure because the sun was setting so quickly! So I combined that (after getting the exposures to match) with a "normal" 1/4 second shot which was shot using a 2-stop hard grad only. I had a bit of touch-up work because I was using a fairly cheap UWA zoom which is prone to lens flaring, so had to clean a LOT of that up...

But I think it's a pretty enough shot and it's my first proper go at long exposure. Not quite the shot I set out to capture but that's what happens when you're forgetful ;)
 
A shoehorn if ever I saw one Paul! Fairly well removed from the topic but then you know that so relevance to this week's theme is a moot point ;)

I like the shot itself as it was intended, but as a first effort I think you may have overdone it. Not sure what has caused it but the water has that long exposure feel across the frame with the exception of just below the sun. I'm assuming it's the composite nature of the shot where not only the sunburst but the reflection on the water also were from a different image to the long exposure?

Ps

Where'd you take it from? Would definitely be worth another look, as I'm sure you will anyway! :)
 
I really like that Paul love the reflections and details very nice indeed.

Oh and have you being having lessons off @Cobra?

But with the story behind I suppose it's not that much of a shoehorn.......
 
Ian W said:
A shoehorn if ever I saw one Paul! Fairly well removed from the topic but then you know that so relevance to this week's theme is a moot point ;)

I like the shot itself as it was intended, but as a first effort I think you may have overdone it. Not sure what has caused it but the water has that long exposure feel across the frame with the exception of just below the sun. I'm assuming it's the composite nature of the shot where not only the sunburst but the reflection on the water also were from a different image to the long exposure?

Ps

Where'd you take it from? Would definitely be worth another look, as I'm sure you will anyway! :)
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Hi Ian... thanks as always (y) Still having a play with this big stopper and learning what works and what doesn't :) I had a completely different image in mind but just couldn't get it to work... will try to wheel that out for another theme at some point.

Below are the two images which have just been colour matched by me, with some additional tweaking around the sun to reduce the local exposure there - not SOOC but no heavy editing apart from trying to correct for the 10-stop in terms of white balance, exposure etc. You can see in the 1/4 exposure that the sun reflection is very sparse towards the bottom, so that's why I think the long exposure reflection looked very "ripply", but not sure. I did think about using the shorter exposure reflection, but it didn't work so just stuck with the LE one! The only saturation addition was a +5 on the LE btw... so hopefully I can't be accused of going HDR ;) (although there's some fairly aggressive shadow recovery, obviously!) What's really interesting is the quality of the light on the LE shot is so much better - that 30s exposure has really captured the glow off the rocks and the the shorter exposure is just flat in comparison.

zlIBmG7.jpg

JDjoWHN.jpg


Downton Mini said:
I really like that Paul love the reflections and details very nice indeed.

Oh and have you being having lessons off @Cobra?

But with the story behind I suppose it's not that much of a shoehorn.......
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Hiya Mark... much as I wanted to squeeze a mini or a train into my shot, I just thought that would be a shoehorn too far ;)

Thanks for looking, glad it's worked - but plenty more experimentation to come!! (y)
 
Sorry Ian, you asked where it was - just between the yacht club and the ferry at McInroy's point. I parked up at the tiny car park and chatted to a couple of blokes in there van who were relaxing enjoying the sunset. Nice little spot! Had to perch the tripod somewhat precariously close to the rocks though :)

Edited again - Gourock!
 
How bizarre, I genuinely thought there was some other reason for that section of water appearing differently to the rest.

You're spot on re: the light in the LE though, far more pleasing to the eye with that nice warm glow.

I thought it'd be around there as there's some nice spots to stop around Lunderston etc.

Looking forward to seeing the intended shot when you nail it :)
 
Yeah, it's odd how the LE plays some tricks - over and above any colour cast, vignetting etc. I think it's going to take a bit of getting used to. I love the cheap old Kood filters though - minimal cast, stack well and make editing a breeze because you've already corrected brighter skies etc. I'm sold!

My wife used to stay down on Albert Road so that stretch of the front was a regular haunt for us. It's lovely on a nice evening and with inlaws at the Gantocks and up the hill behind there, we've plenty of reason to go... which was why I was there in the first place last night!
 
Looking at the original image I was struck by the same thought as Ian, i.e. there was something a bit strange with the water below the sun, but looking at the two originals I can see that it is the reflection of the clouds on the water; it's perhaps a bit of a shame that reflection is where it is.That said you have done a good job with the composite and cleaning up the lens flare, etc.
 
sirch said:
Looking at the original image I was struck by the same thought as Ian, i.e. there was something a bit strange with the water below the sun, but looking at the two originals I can see that it is the reflection of the clouds on the water; it's perhaps a bit of a shame that reflection is where it is.That said you have done a good job with the composite and cleaning up the lens flare, etc.
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Thanks Chris... I tried to do as little processing as possible and yes, the flare needed a bit of work (especially on the LE as the effects were even worse - on the image above, I'd already taken out the largest "blob" which was nearly a 1/4 of the frame across bottom right!)

I like clouds for added interest in the sky, but I agree that in terms of reflection you really need a completely still night or you get that LE effect... Hey ho, gives me a good reason to get back down there before the weather turns! Cheers for looking and commenting as always (y)
 
Gorgeous photo but obviously its not forgotten :) But still, great photo!
 
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