weekly Shiny Side Up's 52

superpippo said:
Hi Martin
Time - an original idea very well handled. Composition and lighting on the face are top notch. Maybe a bit more of the hand and a little (the slightest) amount more light of the body would help but all in all a most excellent shot:clap:
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It's a fine line. A bit more hand may add interest, or it may detract by becoming notable in the picture. If I lightened the body? Not sure, but I don't really think it's relevant as the story is in the faces of the two subjects so personally I like it better the way it is... but I see your points.
beckyboy1 said:
Very good idea and nice B&W conversion. (y)
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mr.si said:
I agree with all the above. Great portrait shot, great lighting, great idea for the theme, captures it perfectly.
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Thanks people.
 
This my favourite so far on Time. Good, subtle lighting to reflect the theme. Good eye contact and well composed.

Technical elements aside, it has real emotion.

:clap:

Cheers.
 
Great lighting on the portrait, personally I find the hand a bit distracting a floating head would not have worried me :)
 
A very striking portrait there Martin, I like it a lot. The lighting is good and the expression is a perfect contrast to the child shot. mono works very well here too. My little bit of crit would be to have just a slightly bit more room on the right of the frame but that's just to my taste. Good work.
 
Thanks everyone for your kind comments. I fear I have set the bar rather high for myself for the next theme. I am usually very critical of my own photography and rarely like what I've done, although others don't always share my doubt, however with this one I am very happy, which is a pleasant change for me.
 
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I was at a loss as to what to do for 'Swirly'. There is no ambiguity that I can think of and I was trying to avoid things that 'swirl'; alas I have been unable to. So the best odd take I can make on this subject is to make my own swirl. I did this using a telescope laser collimator (a flashy laser pointer really) while the shutter was open for 20 or 30 seconds and I waved the laser all around and used a stick as a subject in the middle. I wanted to use a persons face but I also wanted them to be able to see afterwards so I stayed with an inanimate object instead.

I can't say I'm overwhelmed with this entry, or with the theme -- there isn't enough scope for interpretation -- but hey ho, it's a submission.


Swirly-2 by gorgon703, on Flickr


Swirly by gorgon703, on Flickr
 
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Morning Martin

yeah , another theme that's marmite........the vibrant red is great ,not so sure about the stick though I see why you used it , think I prefer #1 for the more circular type swirls

Maybe a little more control with the laser to create more consistency in the swirling :thinking:


& I missed your Time shot....which is really daft cos it's a corker ! As a portrait with an emotional connection to you it works perfectly , really good lighting & mono suits it perfectly :clap: As for including more of the body and hand....you obviously didn't want those in shot so for you it works....for me ?? I'm torn , as it stands it's very effective but it would be interesting to see more of the hand & body if only slightly more just to add a little more depth to the image ( phsyical depth not emotional depth )
 
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Thanks Lynne. I only got the laser on Friday to collimate my telescope and never considered how faithfully a laser beam follows ones hand movement (although it should have been obvious). Because the beam is so focused it's almost impossible to hold it still let alone try to control it while making circles but I did try several times before giving up the attempt. |I had to put something in, I thought, cuddly toy, why? Chess piece (used on in another theme)? A hand, couldn't reach? So in the end, a stick. :banghead:

It's pictures like 'Time' that make it all worthwhile for me and I thank you for your kind words.
 
Hi Martin...yes I tried a a laser shot too and it really is terribly difficult to keep any sort of control over it, I ended up putting mine in the abstract thread.....I'm not sure about the stick...or why it's there. I think the nicest swirls are the ones on the bottom right of the second pic.
 
Susie, initially my swirly pictures were just taken against a blank wall but they were a bit 'meh' so I had to put something in; see my last post as to why it was a stick.
 
Hi, i think it's a great idea but and there has to be a but its not really working its a little messy,
I see why you have included the inanimate object which gives it a little more interest, but there are just to many swirls for me
well done on getting a pic in, as you say the theme is poor.
 
Dark Knight said:
Hi Martin :)

Time - What a great idea, Crit wise could do with spot removal on your jumper and even out the back background, other than them nit picky bits I really like it, the lighting is very effective (y)
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Yes, I noticed that. Can't mess too much with the black (I'm not good at PP) but the spot will be easy.

alsjazzera said:
Hi, i think it's a great idea but and there has to be a but its not really working its a little messy,
I see why you have included the inanimate object which gives it a little more interest, but there are just to many swirls for me
well done on getting a pic in, as you say the theme is poor.
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Can't argue with that. I suppose given a lot more attempts I would have got a lot more out of it but with the theme being so restricting it just isn't worth the trouble.
 
Hi Martin not a fan of the swirls I'm afraid looks a little messy, maybe if you'd hung the laser up with some string and and either pointed the camera up to it or had it trace out the swing on something black on the floor it'd have a more evenness to it :thinking: Not sure If I'm making any sense but did a similar thing to get my Avatar pic.
 
beckyboy1 said:
Hi Martin not a fan of the swirls I'm afraid looks a little messy, maybe if you'd hung the laser up with some string and and either pointed the camera up to it or had it trace out the swing on something black on the floor it'd have a more evenness to it :thinking: Not sure If I'm making any sense but did a similar thing to get my Avatar pic.
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Which I'd thought of that at the time. I might have another go during a reshoot.
 
Judi said:
Hi Martin... I like your as swirls go it fits the theme :)#1 swirl #2 is a bit of a mess,
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Pinkbikerbabe said:
Being very lazy but :agree:
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I have not liked this theme at all, I have been unable to find anything original to photograph. I want the next theme to be 'The Universe and it's Entire Contents, Past and Present'.
 
Linked to my old dog in so many ways over the years. He is coming up to sixteen now and has difficulty walking but he's still a happy dog for the most part. Here we are sharing a photographic moment.

I would have liked to have spent much more time on this shot but it was starting to rain, I had to go to work and Bisley has a short attention span!

The background is odd I know, the tree is a bit obvious but lack of time made it necessary to get a picture regardless.


Linked by gorgon703, on Flickr
 
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Linked - lovely moment between the two of you very nice, crit I feel if you had more time to spend on the shot you could maybe have achieved a better background. That said I do like your take on the theme, with the bond you share with your dog.
 
I like this. I agree with Mandy regarding the capture of the moment. Background doesn't bother me. I like that you manage to include yourself in some of your shots
 
Nice image Martin, really shows the bond you and Bisley, it looks well exposed, good detail and use of natural light (y) as you've already mentioned, possibly a different bg :)
 
Not bothered about the tree, lovely shot of the two of you together. The link between clear to see.

(Have you upped the red in processing? Just the lead looks a bit too red to me.)
 
Swirl - interesting technique for the theme, but the composition lets it down really.

Linked - that's a nice shot that captures a real bond between you and your dog.
 
Pinkbikerbabe said:
Linked - lovely moment between the two of you very nice, crit I feel if you had more time to spend on the shot you could maybe have achieved a better background. That said I do like your take on the theme, with the bond you share with your dog.
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I have to make the most of it, I doubt he'll see another winter.

mr.si said:
I like this. I agree with Mandy regarding the capture of the moment. Background doesn't bother me. I like that you manage to include yourself in some of your shots
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Yes, that's me in a shot two weeks in a row, I'll have to be careful about over-exposure!! :)

Phil-D said:
Nice image Martin, really shows the bond you and Bisley, it looks well exposed, good detail and use of natural light (y) as you've already mentioned, possibly a different bg :)
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Thanks Phil. It was a liitle dull so I used the camera flash to brighten it a little then lowered the exposure a bit as it was then TOO bright.
overbez said:
Not bothered about the tree, lovely shot of the two of you together. The link between clear to see.

(Have you upped the red in processing? Just the lead looks a bit too red to me.)
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I'm afraid OB that his lead really is that bright, it's so I didn't lose it when I put it down during a walk across the moors -- not something we can do anymore as Bisley only is good for about 500 yards now before his back legs tire.

mercurius said:
Swirl - interesting technique for the theme, but the composition lets it down really.

Linked - that's a nice shot that captures a real bond between you and your dog.
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Yes, Swirl was a bit naff, I didn't really have anything for the theme at all.
I enjoyed Linked, there were many more alternatives to lok for.
susiejb said:
Hi Martin....super shot of you and your dog....the background looks fine to me ....it's very natural and not too 'set up', Bisley looks a lovely dog.
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He is indeed a real sweetie and I'm starting to like the tree.

Delta Skies said:
You've mentioned the background yourself but the image has been well exposed and is nice and sharp.
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I'm a 'sharp' Nazi, I get very pee'd off if my shots turn out soft if it's not possible to do anything about it (moment has passed, etc.)
 
Hi Martin

Swirl - I can add no more than what has been said
Linked - good colour, very sharp, as has been mentioned . Presumably your camera was in timer mode and the set up, partic with a live animal, is more difficult. I have no problem with the tree but just a pity that you and Bisley are not a little further to the right to get rid of those twiggy things and stop the tree trunk being behind your head. On theme with both the lead and the way that you relate to him.
 
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