weekly The Ian W 52 mkII (2017) - Weeks 6, 7 & 8 added

Good b&w Ian - excellent compo with the cracked leather in the bg giving context to the presence of the Balsam.
 
Agree with the others. Well thought out, executed and converted to b/w (y)
 
Works for me! The DOF is just right, focussing attention on the text but leaving enough of the background identifiable, and the B&W looks good too. Could be an advert.

Exactly what I was aiming for, Nick. Thanks very much :)

I'm with Nick on this one, he summed it up perfectly, it works well Ian, I'm liking it in black and white too (y)

Good b&w Ian - excellent compo with the cracked leather in the bg giving context to the presence of the Balsam.

I like how you've put this one together Ian, a unique choice for the theme too ... it works really well.

Agree with the others. Well thought out, executed and converted to b/w (y)

Thank you all. I'll let you into a secret in that the cloth was bright blue, hence the B&W conversion. Suits the image more than the colour would have done anyway I think mind you :)
 
Hey Ian, just crept in on time. Like the prop. Danbo is lit well (he looks kinda in awe at the size of the salt) and I do like the warmth of the lighting generally.
 
I really like you photo for smooth, great composition, great DoF and great B&W conversion!

Not so sure about mineral, I don't think the wallpaper adds anything to the photo.
 
Haven't seen one of those guys for some time, always used to see one or 2 pop up in the 52's. He looks like he can be a valuable asset for future themes.

(y)
 
Hi Ian

Smooth is a pleasing image but not sure B&W is such a good idea. o_O

I like the cardboard man, don't know what you call them, looking concerned about that salt mountain. :)
 
Hey there Ian,
Smooth - I've not anything to really add to the other comments other than nailed it.
Mineral - No issue with the wallpaper from me, it helps provide proportion. Without it, it would be hard to begin to understand the size, Danbo could be 3' tall otherwise, and not (perhaps) 3".
 
Hey Ian, just crept in on time. Like the prop. Danbo is lit well (he looks kinda in awe at the size of the salt) and I do like the warmth of the lighting generally.

Just what I was going for. Thanks, Carl.

I really like you photo for smooth, great composition, great DoF and great B&W conversion!

Not so sure about mineral, I don't think the wallpaper adds anything to the photo.

Thanks very much for the comments. I'd have preferred something a little more natural in the background, like grass or something but that would have been tricky with the electricity and Scottish weather not mixing. I could have had a bash at a composite, but my Photoshop skills really aren't up to much! (i.e. non-existent!).

Smooth - works for me, and the black and white looks good as well.

Mineral - nice idea for the theme, but I am not a fan of the wallpaper in the background.

Comments much appreciated as always. Gotta take the rough with the smooth! :)

That's a cool idea for mineral Ian, good to see something included with the subject, liking the colour and the given scale of the mineral (y)

Thanks, DK. The lamp on its own just didn't give any kind of effect other than the glow and wanted a sense of scale / other interest included. I knew Danbo was coming so was a perfect opportunity to use both.

I like the thinking behind smooth and nicely arranged - I'd agree the comment on the bg in mineral, but Danbo adds a nice touch of humour and I like the warm light across the wood.

Another hater of the wallpaper! Best not let my wife see this, she'll be crushed :D

All joking aside, thanks for your comments as always Em. Glad you liked them (mostly) ;)

Haven't seen one of those guys for some time, always used to see one or 2 pop up in the 52's. He looks like he can be a valuable asset for future themes.

(y)

He's a brilliant asset and I fully intend on utilising little Danbo for the rest of the year where needed. If you fancy one, just don't do what I did and order from China. Ended up coming from an English supplier at the second time of asking for less than £8 all in anyway!

Hi Ian

Smooth is a pleasing image but not sure B&W is such a good idea. o_O

I like the cardboard man, don't know what you call them, looking concerned about that salt mountain. :)

A total switcheroo vs other comments. I'd be interested to know why the B&W isn't such a good idea? Not being defensive at all, purely interested as a means to improving if you thought there's a better way to go about it :)

Hey there Ian,
Smooth - I've not anything to really add to the other comments other than nailed it.
Mineral - No issue with the wallpaper from me, it helps provide proportion. Without it, it would be hard to begin to understand the size, Danbo could be 3' tall otherwise, and not (perhaps) 3".

Hi Tim and thanks for stopping by. Kind comments as always and despite probably agreeing with others re: the wallpaper, you managed to come up with a reason for it to be there (y)
 
After being so cocky for week 5 and my 'not slipping', I found myself three whole weeks behind! Doh! Cue an outing with a purpose and given the atrocious weather experienced, here is what I captured for Whole, Structure and Routine. Hope you like, however as always if you don't please do let me know as any C&C is welcome.

Week 6 - Whole: My first visit to a fishmongers in Glasgow. I couldn't resist the opportunity to snap some of the stock having struggled to come up with something for what on paper at least, should have been one of the easier topics. My only submission for the catch up with was a JPEG out of the camera rather than a processed RAW.

John Dory
by Ian Williams, on Flickr

Week 7 - Structure: Converging verticals ahoy in this shot, but I really don't mind them personally. All adds to the scale for me, though others are allowed if not inclined to disagree!

Kelvin Grove Art Gallery
by Ian Williams, on Flickr

Week 8 - Routine: Here we have the organist within the Art Gallery, performing his 1 o'clock routine on the enormous organ which on the first floor, overlooks the main entrance to the building. Would have liked to get in closer but only had my 18-55mm with and didn't fancy cropping too much. I liked the natural framing offered by the pillars and lighting / sound equipment from this vantage point also.

Kelvin Grove Organist
by Ian Williams, on Flickr

Week 8 - Routine: A rarely seen second shot, provided if only to provide some scale of the organ and building which it sits within.

Kelvin Grove Organ
by Ian Williams, on Flickr

Thanks

Ian
 
whole - nice lighting, especially how it fades to darkness towards the top of the photo. i also like the little man, he's cool
whole - freaks me out a little bit. i like fish but i wouldn't want to eat this one. that aside, it's a good photo :). i had to google john dory, what a strange name for a fish!
structure - # 1 definitely the winner for me, sky's a killer and the folks walking up the steps add great story and atmosphere for me. love the wide angle (wish i had a proper wide angle lens!). also lovely shadows. one of my faves so far in this evening's commentamarathon :)
 
..., here is what I captured for Whole, Structure and Routine.
Ian

Whole - Reaches for the grill pan, looks good enough to eat jpeg or no.

Structure - Verticals do converge! It is only your brain that fools you into ignoring the evidence your eyes send you. Most times I'd rather see the top than worry about convergence, leave that for shots for architects.

Routine - Good shot of the organist for theme but love the shot of the full organ. My father was an organist and spent many happy hours with him looking and listning to great organs.
 
Whole fish is a good clear shot, like it. Structure #1 I love this one, looks really dark, moody as if it came out of a horror film, great shot again as totally love it :plus1::plus1:

Haha high praise indeed. Thanks for your comments, Dave.



whole - nice lighting, especially how it fades to darkness towards the top of the photo. i also like the little man, he's cool
whole - freaks me out a little bit. i like fish but i wouldn't want to eat this one. that aside, it's a good photo :). i had to google john dory, what a strange name for a fish!
structure - # 1 definitely the winner for me, sky's a killer and the folks walking up the steps add great story and atmosphere for me. love the wide angle (wish i had a proper wide angle lens!). also lovely shadows. one of my faves so far in this evening's commentamarathon :)

Commentamarathon [emoji1]

Danbo is cool and he'll likely be making further appearances! The structure shot is a favourite of mine, though I do wonder if I pushed the processing a tad too far. Glad you like it though :)

Whole - Reaches for the grill pan, looks good enough to eat jpeg or no.

Structure - Verticals do converge! It is only your brain that fools you into ignoring the evidence your eyes send you. Most times I'd rather see the top than worry about convergence, leave that for shots for architects.

Routine - Good shot of the organist for theme but love the shot of the full organ. My father was an organist and spent many happy hours with him looking and listning to great organs.

Thanks for the comments, and yeah I don't mind the verticals being off either when it's so obviously so.

The organ s*** is my favourite of the two also, but doesn't quite tie in with the theme as well. He certainly seemed to know how to play and draws quite a crowd at times!
 
The structure shot is a favourite of mine, though I do wonder if I pushed the processing a tad too far. Glad you like it though

I often wonder the same on the post editing, but as with all art, alot of it's subjective and I guess it's a style thing. I for one think it works great in the structure #1 pic, almost gothic/Sin City-esque :)
 
Love the fish, Love the external shot, Love the massive organ shot last. The Routine image (#3) has a really nice range of textures to it. Great contrast also adds a lot of mood and grandure to it. Whats the big black obstruction at the top centre of the image over the lights?
 
Hey Ian,
Whole - Certainly works for the theme. I'm glad you avoided any temptation to go B&W with it. What does "John Dory" mean?
Structure - I like the image. I like the low angle and processing, though it's a shame that the top of the towers got cut off (during the processing perhaps?)
Routine - The first one, it has a voyeuristic look to it, sort of spying on his routine, clever :)
Of the three, Routine 1 is my favourite.
 
Love the fish, Love the external shot, Love the massive organ shot last. The Routine image (#3) has a really nice range of textures to it. Great contrast also adds a lot of mood and grandure to it. Whats the big black obstruction at the top centre of the image over the lights?

Thank you for the kind comments. Always good to know when you're doing something right as well as wrong/can be improved upon.

The obstruction is actually a light for filming inside the atrium. I wasn't too happy about blocking the hanging light out as they're really cool, but thought it added to the voyeuristic style of the shot as Tim puts it. The darkness provided by the pillars at the sides and balcony at the bottom edge also added to this, making it feel like it was shot from the darkness [emoji102]

Hey Ian,
Whole - Certainly works for the theme. I'm glad you avoided any temptation to go B&W with it. What does "John Dory" mean?
Structure - I like the image. I like the low angle and processing, though it's a shame that the top of the towers got cut off (during the processing perhaps?)
Routine - The first one, it has a voyeuristic look to it, sort of spying on his routine, clever :)
Of the three, Routine 1 is my favourite.

Hi Tim

Nail on the head re Routine 1, exactly what I was going for.

For structure, the towers are all there I believe with plenty of space afforded at the top of the shot. I think they probably just appear short or cut off due to the angle perhaps?

John Dory is the name of the fish (type), which just had to be shot in colour :)

Thanks for stopping by as always guys.

Ian
 
The 2 B&W shots work really well, great structure and perspective and a nice simple peaceful image for a daily routine.

(y)
 
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Hi Ian ... the fish has good colour and detail, I like that.

The three mono shots:- You seem have a good eye for perspectives .... all pretty good in that respect. My favourite being Structure. (y)
 
Hi Ian ..your little Danbo and the Himalayan salt look really good for Mineral.
That John Dory fish is perfect for Whole, you've really captured some excellent detail in there.
Brilliant quirky angle for Structure ...I love that one.
Same with the organ ...a great angle and perfect in the b&W.
 
Good catch up really like the Kelvingrove picture don't mind the converging verticals a bit less maybe :thinking: or a closer crop of the middle part, very imposing either way

the second shot of the organ again impressive structure and nice black and white conversion slightly askew though
 
Three good catch up shots.

Whole - Nice sharp shot and a good shine on the fish, would maybe have cloned or removed the tail above it but that's minor.
Structure - I don't mind the converging verticals, a very strong shot.
Routine - #1 for me, like the framing although it is a shame about losing some of the lights.
 
Yet another catch up from me following a few days up in Glen Coe with some fellow TP'ers!

Week 9 - Number (of TP members): Taken at silly o'clock on Saturday morning after a group of TP members on the Glen Coe meet decided to head up a hill, in the dark. I captured a number of them in this shot :)

A Popular View
by Ian Williams, on Flickr

Week 11 - Dark: Taken at even sillier o'clock on Saturday morning whilst waiting for the other TP'ers to catch us up. This was shot before sunrise, whilst it was still dark!

Buachaille Etive Mor
by Ian Williams, on Flickr
 
Numbers, a lovely shot like the colours. Unfortunately all I can look at is those bends in the road and dream of taking the bike through them.:D Heathen that I am.
Dark, like this shot, it looks cold and dark and the light in the tent looks contrasts well looking very warm and inviting. The shot really works for me.
 
Both very fitting for the themes particularly like dark for the blue of the sky
 
Two nice shots to catch up with, the numbers shot is good with nice lines from the road and river and the scale is emphasised by the group of photographers. Dark is a great photo, I like the blue in the sky matching with the blue of the tent and the two light sources of the light in the tent and the moon balancing each other very well.
 
OOoohh, me in a photograph and it's not a selfie :)

Looks like I'm precariously perched there.

Well composed, exposed, great scenery and.....I'm in it ;)

Dark, always good to have been there when the photograph was taken. Almost missed Paul in there. I'll be camping up there at some point.

Cheers.
 
Really like your dark photo, well composed with good light in the tent and the moon behind the clouds, nice clouds rolling over the mountains.
 
Hi Ian,
Number - haha, excellent take on the theme, you lot are nuts climbing up hills at ungodly hours of the morning.
Works well as a shot, Adds human interest into a landscape.
Dark - Definitely on theme. That's on hell of a softbox you've pitched.
 
What dedication to be up before dawn and the results are worth it. My fave is the perch of photographers, they give the whole thing perspective and the colours are fab too.
 
That old bloke with the tripod ....

Brilliantly composed and captured. :clap:
 
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