SamuelSlade's Photo52 4 2011 : Week 52 Glass + Nature added

SamuelSlade007 · 7 Jan 2011

though thankfully wife didn't lock the door while i was out taking this and leave me in the dog house, literally

Matblack · 7 Jan 2011

Like that a lot

Just enough external light to show the subject and the light inside and the reflection on the decking work for me. Is it a flash on a remote inside or is your dog having an indoor BBQ?

MB

TinaC · 7 Jan 2011

I like the take on the theme! I like the light within but feel it too strong so the outside lacks any detail to enable one to fully appreciate the potential warmth within.

Also like the reflection on the decking

SamuelSlade007 · 7 Jan 2011

thanks MB and Tina

those were a real boast for someone stepping out in faith here...

The light inside was a candle inside a plastic container, that i was actually using for a smoke trails project that didn't work out.

I had to take a judgement on the length of exposure and have numerous rubbish ones... one even where the cat tried to go inside as it as so inviting.. ???

Hippo_MC · 8 Jan 2011

i like this shot, i think it is well lit

drodd · 8 Jan 2011

Hi

I like your take on the accommodation theme, well done.

For me it is just a bit too dark and I think it would benefit from slight lighten.

The warmth of the light inside is very inviting and the light reflection on the ground is a great lead in line.

I think if you had been locked out, you would have been quite toasty in there

Good luck with the rest of the Photo52.

Cheers

Dawn

Mr G · 8 Jan 2011

superb i like that good take

David Gethin · 8 Jan 2011

I initially thought this had been shot with a flash inside the kennel. I would have suggested a longer exposure to bring out the detail outside but not much you can do about that ifyou are shooting with an ambient light (candle) inside as correct exposure for outside would result in an overexposed middle. It's all a compromise, and I think you handled it well.

SamuelSlade007 · 15 Jan 2011

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40775338@N08/5356799281/

Well here is week 2 - New... down graded from a gas glugging petrol bread van to this nippy speedy and soooo much lighter on the pocket..

Why this style...because i want 2011 to be the year of NEW angles and experimentation...

drodd · 15 Jan 2011

Hiya Kev,

I like this photo and the angle it draws one into the image. I'm also trying to use diffent angles and experiment this year, so will be watching your thread closely for some ideas and inspiration.

Good luck with week 3 and enjoy your new car.

Cheers

Dawn

sparrow · 15 Jan 2011

Really like the lighting in week 1, also the contrast between wood, brick and cloth - great shot.
Also like week 2 - unusual approach which works well.

PatrickO · 16 Jan 2011

Really like both your pics.

Week 2 looks like a dream image. How did you get that effect?

parkmoy · 16 Jan 2011

Really like this image, so different from the usual 'motor' shots.

redcloud · 16 Jan 2011

I like the Idea and the the photo itself but I would have gone with a slightly tighter crop so the edges of the bullseye (not sure if you'd call it that but it does look like a view through an old bullseye window) were closer to the edges of the frame, but maintaining the overall bullseye affect if that makes any sense :thinking:

That's just working to my tastes though and as we all know this is a very subjective art-form, good thinking anyway

SamuelSlade007 · 16 Jan 2011

PatrickO said:
Really like both your pics.

Week 2 looks like a dream image. How did you get that effect?

thansk Patrick, the dream effect is probably the blur i added to car's paintwork and the tree, some how i just felt i wanted certain elements to stand out, especially the citroen badge, i love the grill on these models..

thanks to David and David, though i am not sure what a bullseye window actually is...and yes, i wanted a different take on the car shot...though i took a number from different angles and perspectives this one said yes.. thats the money shot for me..

captures.in.time · 16 Jan 2011

Must admit i'm not sure about your week 2 image... it's not anything technical it just does not appeal to me asthetically... Love your week 1!

michael23 · 16 Jan 2011

Really like your week 1 photo, superb! Week 2, I like it and I like the idea, Just wondering if being down lower would bring a little more impact to the image, and maybe the car at an angle?

SamuelSlade007 · 16 Jan 2011

michael23 said:
Really like your week 1 photo, superb! Week 2, I like it and I like the idea, Just wondering if being down lower would bring a little more impact to the image, and maybe the car at an angle?

if i had the time, i would have gotten lower (almost in line with the cars underneath maybe, but having just washed it (and missed parts :naughty:

) i didn't want to get too low. Also, i would have liked to have angled the front wheel, this is see in some real impact shots...

Must admit i'm not sure about your week 2 image... it's not anything technical it just does not appeal to me asthetically... Love your week 1!

thanks mark

Turbo weasel · 16 Jan 2011

I like your take on week 1. As others have said it would have been nice to have seen a bit more from outside the kennel. Perhaps shooting earlier in the evening would have helped. A great idea.

Not keen on week 2. As far as experimentation goes it certainly fits the bill though.

Charlottefitz · 16 Jan 2011

Love your take on the theme for week 2. Its really unique

SamuelSlade007 · 22 Jan 2011

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40775338@N08/5378288786/

Bear with it if you don't get it straight away... :naughty:

All week i thought about it... to no avail. Sooooo.... the dictionary says

Stayhl (style / Stile)

noun
1. a series of steps or rungs by means of which a person may pass over a wall or fence that remains a barrier to sheep or cattle.
2. a turnstile....

round here these seem to be a dying breed...only really stones ones left...

thanks

drodd · 22 Jan 2011

Hiya Kev,

Oooooh I like this! Is this and HDR image? I like the colours, contrast and detail.

Great take on the theme.

Well done.

Cheers

Dawn

SamuelSlade007 · 22 Jan 2011

thanks Dawn...it started off with HDR in mind as i'd been keen to try the technique for some time...but i ended up doing a homebrew HDR process... and tweaking hue and Sat...

SarahLee · 23 Jan 2011

I really like the lateral thinking in style. Interesting and effective processing too - I like the way that you've desaturated the scene beyond the stile to give it an eerie feel, and it contrasts nicely with the foreground.

Minor niggle, but there seems to be a horizontal line about a third of the way from the top on the RHS - a wire of some sort? I'd quite like to see that cloned out, but beyond that this is a really nicely balanced and composed image

I really like the quirky fisheye shot for week 2, but so far out of the 3 accommodation is the standout week for me. :clap:

Genius idea and I love the warm glow inside the kennel.

Dutchie · 23 Jan 2011

I think you can interpete all the themes in different ways. That's the interesting thing and in you get all kinds of different pictures.

I like the doghouse, great idea and the light works for me. It looks very snugg in there for a dog

I like week 2. It looks like an airbubble with a car's reflection. Looks good.

And I really do like week 3. Good thinking. I've cracked my brain over what to choose

I like the processing you've done

SamuelSlade007 · 25 Jan 2011

SarahLee said:
Minor niggle, but there seems to be a horizontal line about a third of the way from the top on the RHS - a wire of some sort? I'd quite like to see that cloned out, but beyond that this is a really nicely balanced and composed image
.

i saw that telephone wire while i was out in taking it...just those little bits of detail i'm always missing.. i'll see about doing a clone job on it.. after this weeks theme maybe..

thanks too to dutchie ..though should i say that the cat uses the kennel more than a dog... with the candle in there i HAD to keep her away

SamuelSlade007 · 29 Jan 2011

I admit i have been left dumbfounded all week. Any attempt at what i wanted to do has been mared by circumstances beyond me.

Going out today under dull skies and uninspired landscape i came across a new'ish concrete pipe protruding from the ground. Scouting round i found it serves some sort of purpose as the entrance has been blocked.

And so to the task in hand....i've submitted 2 shots for this simply because i wanted to try out some pinhole photography

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40775338@N08/5398020857/

The second shot i approached the subject from the opposite side.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40775338@N08/5398621446/

This week i also thought i'd add my own critique.

Image 1, i have tried pinhole photography a number of times, and all seem to come out with this soft effect. And i am wondering if the hole is simply too big?. I set. mirror lockup and that cut down on camera shake, and using the lcd screen to try and line up the shot. And using a cable release so i could place the camera on the ground and activate the shutter remotely. The drawback i found with any pinholing is that you have little control over focus.

Image 2, this has come out the way i intended, though the opening may have been better off on a third, perhaps. Though the scene looks cluttered, i kept it in mind 'derelict'. Almost as if the open'ing was well off the beaten track. I have pulled the sky back in so it had some colour.

Anyway, enough from me. I welcome any critique.

thanks

Marts · 29 Jan 2011

I cant really comment on Pic 1 as I am not familiar with pinhole. All I can say is a reasonable picture has been acheived.
I feel that pic 2 is a little cluttered at the front too, but you have qualified that with your take on the feeling you wanted it to have. Nice take on theme

Marts · 29 Jan 2011

I forgot to add when I commented recently - your week 2 is awesome and I love the colour contrasts in week 3.
( I did think about doing a Stile myself but there arent any decent ones around here.)

drodd · 29 Jan 2011

Hiya Kev,

I can see your take on the theme for this week, so well done in that respect.

I'm sorry I can't offer much as for the technique as it is something I am not familiar with, but the fact that you have mentioned it has pricked my mind to look into it more.

Sorry, but neither of your images do anything for me this week, perhaps because I am trying to put them into perspective.

However, I think it is an interesting subject, and think, if it was me taking the shot, I would have got in front of the pipe and played around with taking the shot from different angles from from the front. I say get down and dirty to get the right image and it could have been very interesting the results.

With a bit of creative inspiration, I think you could have turned this into a very unique image.

I hope this doesn't come across as too negative, but more as food for thought.

Cheers

Dawn

SamuelSlade007 · 30 Jan 2011

@dawn, you comments never come across as negative BUT can i say i spent ages in front of the damn pipe trying to get a decent full frontal with a pin hole effect.

I cropped it so it was square with a round hole in it... i might have used this, now thinking about 'creativity'

too much clutter in foreground :bang:

Too much off to one side AND THAT DAMN CLUTTER AGAIN!!! :bang::bang:

the pipe was facing out onto a bank so getting down and dirty would have meant lying litterally in rabbit and sheep droppings...[note for next nature walk, plastic sheeting]

SamuelSlade007 · 30 Jan 2011

@martin, thanks for the comments glad u liked them

SamuelSlade007 · 30 Jan 2011

I'll admit i did try the same technique for week 4 as week 2 'new'..

the only PP i have done is to crop it square and sharpen it.. :shrug:

drodd · 30 Jan 2011

SamuelSlade007 said:
I'll admit i did try the same technique for week 4 as week 2 'new'..

the only PP i have done is to crop it square and sharpen it.. :shrug:

Hiya Kev,

I have to say I prefer this image out of the shots, even though it is the same technique you used for week 2, nothing wrong with that.

This image gives it a more 'haunting' appeal, for want of a better word. Almost like you are spying on the pipe waiting for the gate to OPEN and some mysterious creature to jump out at you (perhaps half rabbit half sheep with big scary teeth and firing droppings at you :LOL:

).

I appreciate that this was a very challenging subject to get a decent photo of, but I think you have shown us your creativity with this image.

Indeed taking some plastic sheeting is a good idea for ground cover. I always carry a big plastic bag, folded up, in my camera bag. Which doubles as both a ground cover and also as a bag protection for chance it starts raining.

Well done on successfully achieving this weeks theme.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

Cheers

Dawn

SamuelSlade007 · 3 Feb 2011

This week i'm proud to announce i'm ahead of myself... got a set of tubes today and HAD to try out a spot of macro..ok, i haven't got a true macro lens, BUT i think for a first outing i think my submission fits the theme...except i took two images as i couldn't make up my mind...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40775338@N08/5411440205/

This chap is a Chaplain for the Deaths Head company of the Blood Angels legion. Using my new tubes and a 24-105 lens i managed to (eventually) catch him at a decent angle. PP was enhancing exposure, blurring the base slightly, cropping closer and sharpening. Lighting was two desk lamps either side.

In light of not being able to make up my mind about which chap looked 'hard' enough for this week's theme, i submit a Terminator from the Blood Angels legion. I managed to get even closer by swapping the tubes around, i struggled to control the DOF blur (if there is a name for it ??? lol). Lighting was the same as before.

.... and for anyone who disagrees that either of the images don't look 'hard' enough....

..you'll be introduced to my cat....

antihero · 3 Feb 2011

hard to chose between the two, although the Terminator just wins in the hardness stakes for me

lighting works well too and looks like you have got the hang of those tubes already!

SamuelSlade007 · 3 Feb 2011

antihero said:
hard to chose between the two, although the Terminator just wins in the hardness stakes for me lighting works well too and looks like you have got the hang of those tubes already!

Paul, seriously those tubes are confusing... i took a first look through the VF with all three attached and couldn't get anything to focus.!!! not realising the closer i got to a subject the more infocus it became...doh!! :bang:

thanks

Mentalblock · 3 Feb 2011

2nd for me, nice detail and dof.
#1 needs the cross thing to be in focus too
as for #3, I don't like cats, sorry, but they make me sneeze!

SamuelSlade007 · 4 Feb 2011

Mentalblock said:
#1 needs the cross thing to be in focus too

i thought the same but i traded my inexperience for a better focus on his 'face'... the cross is attached to his backpack.. i guess this is where lower f# would come in...give it a deeper range?

SamuelSlade007 · 8 Feb 2011

I have a terrible feeling i won't make this weeks theme so i'm playing a joker...wildcard..whatever..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40775338@N08/5429222158/

legend has it that if you stare at the image for too long...you can see a green cube in it somewhere...

..not seen it myself..

SamuelSlade's Photo52 4 2011 : Week 52 Glass + Nature added

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

Also loves to mass debate

RENEGADE!!!!!!

Also loves to mass debate

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

Also loves to mass debate

RENEGADE!!!!!!

TPer Emerita

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

Also loves to mass debate

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

Also loves to mass debate

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!

RENEGADE!!!!!!