Tracer's 52 for 2010 (part 2) - FINAL Week 52 - "Together"

[SarahLee]

Looks like you had fun with electric and transform
Sometimes sitting in front of the PC and fiddling around with PP is incredibly therapeutic!

Electric : I think it's all been said already - Crazy and OTT but it put a great big on my face

Transform : It may be a bit cheesy, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with a bit of cheese and it looks like great fun to do (which is the important thing)
I think you've picked a perfect subject for it and applied the filters sensitively . . . it may not be photographic any more but for what it is I think you've pulled it off well.

Mobile : Where is Phil? I don't think I've seen his 52 for a while, but this instantly made me think of him too

And I also think you're being far too hard on yourself. I'm not a huge fan of street photography, but this is one of the best I've seen. This type of shot so often suffers from poor composition . . . the subject facing the wrong way, crowds getting into the shot and all sorts of other things. I think you've handled this really well. Helped by the fact that he was way up in the air away from the crowd, but you've caught him at just the right moment - batons mid throw, looking into the shot and just nicely framed all round. from me.

 

[Tracer]

My initial thought was the same - the background is a little too prominent and the windows at the bottom stand out too much, but if you desaturate them they blend away and the juggle stands out better.

I didn't think of desaturating the windows but I've done it now and it does help - thanks.

Nice take on the theme, mobile in many ways. Its a pity the bottom of the unicycle isnt in shot but i guess that would mean having people in it. Pity you couldn't ask for a personal performance. I think you have done pretty well with the sharpness.

Thank you Chris. I know what you mean but that unicycle was really tall and would have needed a wide-angle!

I did scroll down waiting to see the uni-cycle ! You caught juggling very well.

Thank you. I'd have loved to get a shot of the whole unicycle but not a chance with so many people about and that lens. When he finished his act by clinging on to a lamp post, his head and shoulders were above the top of the light.

 

[Tracer]

You did well with the composition - I can well imagine how difficult it was. You've caught a great expression, too and a good formation with the juggling thingies. Well done.

For some reason, I think he ought to be wearing blue socks. :shrug:

Jean

Thank you Jean. The motor drive helped! Blue socks? How about red to match his tie?

Looks like you had fun with electric and transform
Sometimes sitting in front of the PC and fiddling around with PP is incredibly therapeutic!

Electric : I think it's all been said already - Crazy and OTT but it put a great big on my face

Transform : It may be a bit cheesy, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with a bit of cheese and it looks like great fun to do (which is the important thing)
I think you've picked a perfect subject for it and applied the filters sensitively . . . it may not be photographic any more but for what it is I think you've pulled it off well.

Mobile : Where is Phil? I don't think I've seen his 52 for a while, but this instantly made me think of him too

And I also think you're being far too hard on yourself. I'm not a huge fan of street photography, but this is one of the best I've seen. This type of shot so often suffers from poor composition . . . the subject facing the wrong way, crowds getting into the shot and all sorts of other things. I think you've handled this really well. Helped by the fact that he was way up in the air away from the crowd, but you've caught him at just the right moment - batons mid throw, looking into the shot and just nicely framed all round. from me.

Thank you Sarah. For once I remembered to turn on the continuous drive which helped to get a good arrangement of batons.

 

[Tracer]

Part of a folded lampshade brought back from Denmark many years ago, shot from underneath and tinted a bit. It has had a few bashes over the years so is not entirely symmetrical, but I like the way it seems to turn inside out as you look at it.

I'm still pretty busy with work and will be away next weekend, so may be a bit late with the next theme unless it is something really easy...

 

[jeangenie]

I like this - it works very well as an abstract image. I certainly wouldn't have guessed it was a lampshade.

It was clever to get the ambiguity in perception - I think it's called multistable perception, but I'm not sure. It's similar to the Necker cube and some of Salvador Dali's paintings where the image seems to change as you look at it. btw - it doesn't look at all bashed about.

I hope we get an easy theme for you next week.

Jean

 

[ladysue]

This is an interesting abstract photo. I like the two colours

 

[blakester]

This is the first abstract image I have seen this week Tracer, its very interesting in that it is almost an optical illusion. This gets my for being a simple but effective and creative take on this weeks theme. Iain

 

[dade_f]

Cool, great abstract image and colours

 

[jennyb]

Well done, Tracer. I love it. Very clever take on the theme and I love the colours and the ambiguous perception. I have been taking fungi photos this afternoon with a similar perception problem. I must look up Jean's terminology.

I could hang that one on the wall.

Jenny

 

[justlooking]

Love the colours and the lighting and I think the frame works well

 

[dlh]

I like the lighting, colours and framing of your surfaces. I thought initially it was a couple of pastry cutters. Very nice abstract

 

[clud17]

oooh i like this one, nice colours and processing and a loverly abstract feel to it. I looked for a while before reading it to see if i could guess what it was. Cracking shot and well taken

 

[SarahLee]

Very clever. I'm surprised that we haven't had more abstracts this week.
This is one that I just want to keep looking at

Good colours, good lighting. I'm not entirely convinced by the b/g, but I don't know what to suggest that would have worked better . . . and :shrug: it really doesn't detract from the concept of the image at all.

 

[philthejuggler]

Week 33 - "Mobile: Edinburgh Festival Fringe"


One for philthejuggler to try?

Yay! A juggler in a '52 - fantastic!

I have a unicycle and can juggle clubs while cycling - mine is not a giraffe but I've used them in the past - actually they are easier (if scarier) to ride than shorter unicycles.

I ought to get a 'tog here to take some shots of me juggling - trouble is 7 balls look better when they are moving through the air than frozen in a photo. A photo doesn't show the movement unless it was a slow shutter speed affair ...... now there's an idea!

On a seperate note - I particularly like your abstract surfaces image - I've no idea why to be honest, but I find it very appealing and keeping wanting to look at it.

Phil

 

[Tracer]

I like this - it works very well as an abstract image. I certainly wouldn't have guessed it was a lampshade.

It was clever to get the ambiguity in perception - I think it's called multistable perception, but I'm not sure. It's similar to the Necker cube and some of Salvador Dali's paintings where the image seems to change as you look at it. btw - it doesn't look at all bashed about.

I hope we get an easy theme for you next week.

Jean

Thank you Jean. I had never heard of multistable perception but you are quite right - the Wiki article is very interesting.

This is an interesting abstract photo. I like the two colours

Thank you Sue. The lampshade is off-white but the lower edge, being folded under, is partly in shadow.

This is the first abstract image I have seen this week Tracer, its very interesting in that it is almost an optical illusion. This gets my for being a simple but effective and creative take on this weeks theme. Iain

Cool, great abstract image and colours

Thank you, Iain and Dade.

 

[Tracer]

Well done, Tracer. I love it. Very clever take on the theme and I love the colours and the ambiguous perception. I have been taking fungi photos this afternoon with a similar perception problem. I must look up Jean's terminology.

I could hang that one on the wall.

Jenny

Thank you Jenny. I hadn't heard of the term before but there is lots of interesting stuff in google about it.

Love the colours and the lighting and I think the frame works well

I like the lighting, colours and framing of your surfaces. I thought initially it was a couple of pastry cutters. Very nice abstract

Thnak you JL and Darren. I don't often bother with much of a frame but I felt that this one needed it. I was tempted not to identify it and leave you all guessing!

 

[Tracer]

Very clever. I'm surprised that we haven't had more abstracts this week.
This is one that I just want to keep looking at

Good colours, good lighting. I'm not entirely convinced by the b/g, but I don't know what to suggest that would have worked better . . . and :shrug: it really doesn't detract from the concept of the image at all.

Thank you Sarah. The lighting was straightforward - I just turned the light on and shot it from underneath. The rest of the room was dark, hence the black background. I ended up with a crick in my neck because the light is fixed to the wall too low to get the tripod under, but we have to suffer for our art!

Yay! A juggler in a '52 - fantastic!

I have a unicycle and can juggle clubs while cycling - mine is not a giraffe but I've used them in the past - actually they are easier (if scarier) to ride than shorter unicycles.

I ought to get a 'tog here to take some shots of me juggling - trouble is 7 balls look better when they are moving through the air than frozen in a photo. A photo doesn't show the movement unless it was a slow shutter speed affair ...... now there's an idea!

On a seperate note - I particularly like your abstract surfaces image - I've no idea why to be honest, but I find it very appealing and keeping wanting to look at it.

Phil

Thank you Phil. I have never tried a unicycle but I understand the theory that taller ones are easier to ride. I think I'll stick to two wheels myself, though...

You should try and set up a juggling shot - have you seen this one of a card-sharper by Scott Campbell in another thread here?

 

[philthejuggler]

Thank you Phil. I have never tried a unicycle but I understand the theory that taller ones are easier to ride. I think I'll stick to two wheels myself, though...

You should try and set up a juggling shot - have you seen this one of a card-sharper by Scott Campbell in another thread here?

Nice card shot!

The two really difficult things with unicycles are

1) Remembering that unlike a bike, you have to put pressure on the trailing pedal as well as the leading one else you go too fast and fall off!

2) Getting on without the help of a lamp post is very difficult - took me much longer to learn this that it took to learn to ride a unicycle.

Phil

 

[jgs001]

Electric, that's excellent, love the effect you've used there.

Transform, works very well, the effect has worked very well.

Mobile, good action shot, it looks tricky, but you've done a nice job. I didn't see the original, but I like it as it is.

Surfaces, very clever. Plenty of surfaces in there, the shot works well. I'd have had no clue without you saying what it was.

 

[holryn]

Great image for Surfaces. Colours are really good and the shot nicely framed.

 

[Tracer]

Nice card shot!

The two really difficult things with unicycles are

1) Remembering that unlike a bike, you have to put pressure on the trailing pedal as well as the leading one else you go too fast and fall off!

I hadn't thought of that

2) Getting on without the help of a lamp post is very difficult - took me much longer to learn this that it took to learn to ride a unicycle.

So how do you get on without a lamp post? I remember my grandfather telling me how at first he needed a post to get on a penny- farthing!

Phil

Electric, that's excellent, love the effect you've used there.

Transform, works very well, the effect has worked very well.

Mobile, good action shot, it looks tricky, but you've done a nice job. I didn't see the original, but I like it as it is.

Surfaces, very clever. Plenty of surfaces in there, the shot works well. I'd have had no clue without you saying what it was.

Great image for Surfaces. Colours are really good and the shot nicely framed.

Thank you, John and Paul.

 

[Tracer]

Urrrgh! I have had a manic couple of weeks again, working away from home a lot of the time. OTOH it took me to these interesting places.


Week 35 - "Light"

A vaulted storage room in the now ruined medieval Dunfermline Palace. I have a totally different idea for "light" but simply haven't had the chance to try it, so rather than fall further behind I am going with this one for the moment.





Week 36 - "Project"

Light from a stained glass window projected on to an old memorial plaque in St Mary's, Haddington. The church dates from the 14th century but was partially destroyed in the 16th C. It was finally restored in the 1970s but the wall and stone work here is pretty squiffy so please don't tell me to straighten the pic - I found it impossible to line everything up!

I'll catch up with the rest of you over the next couple of days.

 

[DC2Z]

2 great shots.
Light - Really like this photo and I was thinking of going for a similar shot from Lewes Castle

Project - what stunning effect the stained glass has created the colours are remarkable.

 

[ladysue]

You have captured the beautiful colours in Project really well and it fits the theme perfectly

 

[SarahLee]

Two beautiful shots.

I have a soft spot for vaulted ceilings and you've caught the architecture beautifully in no.1. The quality of the light pouring in is lovely, but it's the stonework that really catches my eye. Looks like a really stunning location.

The second shot, just wow!.
I've never seen anything like this before, and it's just gorgeous - it's got a really magical feel to it. It's a shame that we only have the RHS of the monument in the shot, but I'm guessing that's the only part that the light was falling on.

 

[dlh]

If I won the lottery my house would look like that first image. Well, with some glass in the windows maybe That stonework is fantastic.

Some lovely colours in project. Maybe I'd stick that window in my new house. The only thing I'm not keen on is the way it's been cropped. 3:2 or 1:1 or it just doesn't look right. In my ever so humble opinion of course

 

[justlooking]

amazing colours in your project image.

 

[philthejuggler]

Two good images. I love the clean simplicity of the first and the second is colourful and a clever take on the theme. If you could place the projection manually, a little to the right would be perfect, but that's an unrealistic expectation!

Phil

 

[jgs001]

Excellent.

Light works really well. Superb place. Given the exposure challenges there, you've done a great job on it too.

Project, an excellent idea, and it's worked really well. The effect is really amazing, and you've caught it brilliantly.

 

[jeangenie]

Busy or not, you've created two excellent shots.

Light: This is lovely - the light is well balanced, the stonework speaks for itself and the composition allows the eye to travel round the picture. There's a sense of pleasant coolness and calm about it, too - very atmospheric.

Project: That light is superb - well spotted and well captured. I like the fact that you can see right to the arched top of the stained glass window.

Jean

 

[Tracer]

2 great shots.
Light - Really like this photo and I was thinking of going for a similar shot from Lewes Castle

Project - what stunning effect the stained glass has created the colours are remarkable.

You have captured the beautiful colours in Project really well and it fits the theme perfectly

Thank you Darren and Sue. The window is modern and has some lovely deep colours

Two beautiful shots.

I have a soft spot for vaulted ceilings and you've caught the architecture beautifully in no.1. The quality of the light pouring in is lovely, but it's the stonework that really catches my eye. Looks like a really stunning location.

The second shot, just wow!.
I've never seen anything like this before, and it's just gorgeous - it's got a really magical feel to it. It's a shame that we only have the RHS of the monument in the shot, but I'm guessing that's the only part that the light was falling on.

Thank you Sarah. I had hoped to get the light falling on the middle of the monument, but at the right time a) I was working and b) the weather was fickle and the sun went in :bang:. Just as well really as it wouldn't have looked too good if I had suddenly abandoned what I was doing to grab my camera .

 

[Tracer]

If I won the lottery my house would look like that first image. Well, with some glass in the windows maybe That stonework is fantastic.

Some lovely colours in project. Maybe I'd stick that window in my new house. The only thing I'm not keen on is the way it's been cropped. 3:2 or 1:1 or it just doesn't look right. In my ever so humble opinion of course

Thank you Darren. I agree about the crop, but there is an awful lot of clutter and church furniture on each side - I had to make a virtue out of necessity .

amazing colours in your project image.

Thank you JL. The window is modern and has some gorgeous deep colours in it, while the stonework is a deep pink sandstone that sets it off well.

Two good images. I love the clean simplicity of the first and the second is colourful and a clever take on the theme. If you could place the projection manually, a little to the right would be perfect, but that's an unrealistic expectation!

Phil

Thank you Phil. I waited for the sun to move round a little more but it went behind a large cloud. :bang:

 

[Tracer]

Excellent.

Light works really well. Superb place. Given the exposure challenges there, you've done a great job on it too.

Project, an excellent idea, and it's worked really well. The effect is really amazing, and you've caught it brilliantly.

Thank you John. The VR was a great help in the vault. I was lucky on both days that the sun came out some of the time - our weather is so unreliable.

Busy or not, you've created two excellent shots.

Light: This is lovely - the light is well balanced, the stonework speaks for itself and the composition allows the eye to travel round the picture. There's a sense of pleasant coolness and calm about it, too - very atmospheric.

Project: That light is superb - well spotted and well captured. I like the fact that you can see right to the arched top of the stained glass window.

Jean

Thank you Jean. I was crossing my fingers for good weather as I knew that these two places would have possibilities. If it had been rainy or even just overcast all the time I would have been stuck!

 

[dade_f]

Week 36 could just as easily been perfect for week 35 too! Great shot, love the colour and mood of the image

 

[jennyb]

Well done with both of these, Tracer. You have done a great job with Light. Getting the exposure correct could not have been easy. The stonework is beautiful and it is light enough to pick out all the detail.

The colours on the project image are really stunning. What a clever idea. It really does have a magical feel to it. You have managed to capture the whole window which is great. I think you were lucky to avoid the clutter and with the weather!



Jenny

 

[Tracer]

Week 36 could just as easily been perfect for week 35 too! Great shot, love the colour and mood of the image

Well done with both of these, Tracer. You have done a great job with Light. Getting the exposure correct could not have been easy. The stonework is beautiful and it is light enough to pick out all the detail.

The colours on the project image are really stunning. What a clever idea. It really does have a magical feel to it. You have managed to capture the whole window which is great. I think you were lucky to avoid the clutter and with the weather!



Jenny

Thank you, Dade and Jenny. These two images and themes were almost interchangeable!

 

[Tracer]

For this theme I thought I would try a film strip effect. My pp skills aren't really up to it, though, and my PS Elements 3 lacks some of the controls described in the on-line tutorials that I found. That's my excuse, anyway! The original image files have lost quite a bit of sharpness in the process but I hope you get the idea.

Week 37 - "Film"

In continuous mode the camera shutter sounds like a machine gun so the poor coal tit took off promptly, dropping some grain as it went.

 

[clud17]

Thats a nice triptych and looks well put together, what were you missing on elements? Its difficult to critique the sharpness as the pictures are quite small once added to the frame. I had to laugh at your "machine gun" i bet the poor bugger left a blob of white on the floor too

 

[justlooking]

oh that's clever, I like it !

 

[jgs001]

A clever idea, and well put together, even if you did scare the poor thing in the process