weekly WMD's 52 for 2018 - Weeks 13 through 17 + 18 now added!

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So I've done a 52 in 2013, skipped 2014, signed up for one in 2015 but never posted, got 95% of the way through 2016 and then skipped 2017 - now I'm here for another go in 2018.
My trusty Macbook died at the end of 2017 so I haven't had computer access until now - so although this might seem like I'm late to 2018, I have still been taking the photos!

One thing that has changed for 2018 is that I sold up all of my Nikon gear and switched over to Fuji. I have to say I've loved every minute of learning the ins & outs of this new camera. The downside is the time and £££ it takes to rebuild my lens collection!
So I'm now using a XT-2 with the excellent 'kit' lens (18-55), the 16mm f1.4 and the beast that is the 100-400mm with a 1.4tc.

I've also ditched my flickr and switched to a new image host - so will see how that goes.
I'll be putting all my photos here

Cheers everybody!
- Matt
 
Week 1 - Gate - And so it begins...The first theme for 2018 is "gate" and fortunately, living in the beautiful walled city of Chester - it's full of them. I drive through this one - Newgate - every day and have often thought there's a photo to be had. It's nicely up-lit in the evenings, which certainly adds some interest. Slow shutter for some nice light trails and week 1 is in the bag. On to week 2!

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Welcome back to the 52s Matt. Nice shot for an opener. Good luck with the catch up; you'll be busy
 
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Week 2 - Second week in and the theme was a great excuse to get out into the city and take some more photos. The theme was people - and on a rare sunny day in January, there were lots of subjects to choose from. I ventured to a bit of Chester I don't typically go to and happened to spot this chap heading home. Granted people suggests plural (not person), but I couldn't resist this one. If only he'd have been a foot to the left for symmetry's sake. Taken on my Fuji 100-400mm & XT-2.

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Week 3 - I decided to try something more abstract for this week's theme; Stark. So why is this stark you may ask? I liked the way this shot allowed 3 types of contrasting water, especially the choppy, frothy water contrasting starkly with the the smooth water flowing over the weir.Stark contrast...see what I did there?
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Week 4 - Another week in the bag and this one was taken about 3 mins walk from where last week's shot was snapped. The theme this week was Over - which hopefully doesn't need too much explanation. The (rare) sunshine beaming through the willow trees by the shore of the river Dee was a welcome bit of interest.

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Week 5 - Age is a well suited theme for the historical city of Chester - so much history (read: old, age-d stuff) crammed into 10mins walk from my front door. For the first time this 52, I actually took this on my iPhone (+7) - a capable camera, but it's true that the best camera is the one you have with you. This building seemed to fit well with the theme as it specifically mentions the build year (1274 AD) - the Three Arches being known as the oldest store front in England.
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Week 6 - A flying trip to the beautiful city of Belfast presented this opportunity to cross Sharp off the list. Much like last week, this was taken on the best camera I had with me - my iPhone. The sharp angles of the stunning architecture at the Titanic Quarter was ideal for the theme - I used the low angle to emphasise the angular shape of the building. As you might've guessed, I'm loving the black & white treatment at the moment, we'll see how long it lasts!

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Week 7 - This week's theme was Guard(ed), which I had an idea for when taking photos for week 2. One thing I have already discovered is a liking of street photography. Chester is a beautiful city, one which regularly has bus loads of tourists wandering through, cameras in hand. So feeling camera conscious isn't much of an issue. I concede that this Guard rail shot sacrifices theme relevance for a more interesting photo...but to me, that's much more important.

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Week 8 - Much like last week, this week's shot is maybe a bit weak on the Thick theme, but bare with me. This ginger fella has featured in previous 52 projects, so it was only a matter of time before he showed up again. The idea was to capture Dave's (yes - the cat is called Dave) thick winter coat. That and the fact that as cute as he is, he is a bit "thick" too. We wouldn't have him any other way. Taken on my XT-2 with 16mm f1.4 lens.

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Week 9 - Time flies when you're out taking photos. This theme, abundance, was a challenging one - with nothing obvious coming to mind. I was enjoying a night out with the missus to see Elbow in Manchester Arena and inspiration hit - an abundance of Elbow fans were bopping away below me. iPhone out - a bit of exposure adjustment for the funky lighting and job done. On to week 10!

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Matt

I like your use of Colour and even the Black & White gives a striking appearance. It must be nice to live in a City like Chester with all that goes on and has gone on over the many years it has existed. I have not been there for far too long a time, my mum comes from birkenhead and we used to go to the zoo and the city within the walls.
Week 8, Thick, I think Dave has you exactly where he wants you.

Good catch up.

Pete
 
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Some very familiar places to me, the one taken on Abbey Street the guy is level with a house I am working in at the moment, a really good catch up
 
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Stark is for me the outstanding shot of your 52 so far, indeed anyone's! Just love it, couldn't care less if it is taken on an iphone or a Hasselblad, a stonking image it is.:)

Oh yeah excellent catch up, did I mention how much I liked Stark!(y)
 
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Of all the pictures SHARP has to be my favourite. It's has simple but elegant lines and is sooo sharp too. Excellent stuff.
 
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Gate(d) - A good start to your challenge with that image, its nicely lit, got some lovely colours and i love the light trails.
People - a well taken image, but as mentioned more person than people.
Stark - it works for the theme for me, but not the most exciting image for me.
Over - a good image and I dont mind the car being on the bridge.
Age(ing) - I think that is a brilliant shot, not crit needed.
Sharp - I love this, good angles in the image and crisp detail and the B&W suits the image.
Guard(ed) - I see what you were trying to achieve for the image, for my tastes i would of much prefered the guard to be in focus and the scene below oof.
Thick - a good image of your cat, lovely colours, I like it.
Abundance - I love the colours from the lighting, but the crowd seems to be a bit lost in the darkness of the bottom of the image.

Welcome back to the 52 nutty corner, and well done on your epic catch up with the themes your off to a strong start with that lot.
 
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Welcome back to the 52s Matt. Nice shot for an opener. Good luck with the catch up; you'll be busy

Thanks John!

Matt
I like your use of Colour and even the Black & White gives a striking appearance. It must be nice to live in a City like Chester with all that goes on and has gone on over the many years it has existed. I have not been there for far too long a time, my mum comes from birkenhead and we used to go to the zoo and the city within the walls.
Week 8, Thick, I think Dave has you exactly where he wants you.

Thanks Pete - yes, I'm very fortunate to live where I do, it's such a photogenic city with lots of character. It certainly provides lots of source material for a photo project! Glad you like!

Some very familiar places to me, the one taken on Abbey Street the guy is level with a house I am working in at the moment, a really good catch up

Thanks Allan! Yes, I've seen in previous years you've posted images that look very familiar to me too, a fellow Cestrian!

Stark is for me the outstanding shot of your 52 so far, indeed anyone's! Just love it, couldn't care less if it is taken on an iphone or a Hasselblad, a stonking image it is.:)
Oh yeah excellent catch up, did I mention how much I liked Stark!(y)

Thank you very much! :D It seems these abstract shots can be a bit marmite, but glad you like it!

Gate(d) - A good start to your challenge with that image, its nicely lit, got some lovely colours and i love the light trails.
People - a well taken image, but as mentioned more person than people.
Stark - it works for the theme for me, but not the most exciting image for me.
Over - a good image and I dont mind the car being on the bridge.
Age(ing) - I think that is a brilliant shot, not crit needed.
Sharp - I love this, good angles in the image and crisp detail and the B&W suits the image.
Guard(ed) - I see what you were trying to achieve for the image, for my tastes i would of much prefered the guard to be in focus and the scene below oof.
Thick - a good image of your cat, lovely colours, I like it.
Abundance - I love the colours from the lighting, but the crowd seems to be a bit lost in the darkness of the bottom of the image.

Welcome back to the 52 nutty corner, and well done on your epic catch up with the themes your off to a strong start with that lot.

Thanks for all the feedback - much appreciated! (y) I guess I frequently sacrifice theme relevance for a better* photograph, so I know some shots are a bit weak theme wise!
*better in my eyes at least!
 
Week 6 - A flying trip to the beautiful city of Belfast presented this opportunity to cross Sharp off the list. Much like last week, this was taken on the best camera I had with me - my iPhone. The sharp angles of the stunning architecture at the Titanic Quarter was ideal for the theme - I used the low angle to emphasise the angular shape of the building. As you might've guessed, I'm loving the black & white treatment at the moment, we'll see how long it lasts!

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Think this one's great. Very sharp sharp bits and great to have the statue in the rounded form to play against the sharp lines
 
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Week 8 - Much like last week, this week's shot is maybe a bit weak on the Thick theme, but bare with me. This ginger fella has featured in previous 52 projects, so it was only a matter of time before he showed up again. The idea was to capture Dave's (yes - the cat is called Dave) thick winter coat. That and the fact that as cute as he is, he is a bit "thick" too. We wouldn't have him any other way. Taken on my XT-2 with 16mm f1.4 lens.

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Two thicks for the price of one then! Well done. Love his colour. We used to have two cats but sadly no more - one was very intelligent and a master tactician - the other was just a huge great thick animal!
 
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Hey Matt,
Welcome back to the 52, I do remember your posts in 2016.
The X-T2 is a fun little camera isn't it. I'm using mine with the 18-55 and 35mm f/2. Lusting after the 50-140 f2.8, but will probably keep the Canon for anything needing a long lens.

Gate - it is nicely lit, as you say, you are lucky to have this sort of thing around. The trails defo add to it.
People - Not sure about this one. it doesn't really do it for me, and it feels a bit soft overall.
Stark - Very interesting combination of the 3 types of water. Some kind of weir maybe?
Over - Nice image, with the sun front and centre. Some good god rays there too. Mono suits it.
Age - Bang on for the theme. Not sure if it needs the whole building, especially as the sky is a bit rubbish. I might have gone for a landscape shot concentrating on the arches?
Sharp - Really like this one Matt. Great silhouette, interesting background, what's not to like (y)
Guard(ed) - Not feeling this one either Matt. For me, Street needs to be closer to the people.
Thick - Works for me for the theme, and cats are always good subjects (as long as they co-operate). Loving how he's looking at you, seemingly wondering what on earth you're doing :)
Abundance - A bit of a shoe horn this one. Gig photos are hard if you're not right at the front, but I like the contrasting colours you've captured.
 
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Gate(d) - A good start to your challenge with that image, its nicely lit, got some lovely colours and i love the light trails.
People - a well taken image, but as mentioned more person than people.
Stark - it works for the theme for me, but not the most exciting image for me.
Over - a good image and I dont mind the car being on the bridge.
Age(ing) - I think that is a brilliant shot, not crit needed.
Sharp - I love this, good angles in the image and crisp detail and the B&W suits the image.
Guard(ed) - I see what you were trying to achieve for the image, for my tastes i would of much prefered the guard to be in focus and the scene below oof.
Thick - a good image of your cat, lovely colours, I like it.
Abundance - I love the colours from the lighting, but the crowd seems to be a bit lost in the darkness of the bottom of the image.

Welcome back to the 52 nutty corner, and well done on your epic catch up with the themes your off to a strong start with that lot.

Agree with all of this, especially the comment re the crowd in Abundant - needed to be more visible...but hey, you are up to date and look forward to seeing more from you.

Your Sharp image is absolutely brilliant, I love everything about it, easily the best of your 52 so far.....
 
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High there Matt

You're off to a good start this year. (y)

Love your Gate long exposure, but the standout shot for me is Sharp, a beaut, with the true shape of the building a mystery due to your PoV.
 
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Week 10 - 10 weeks into 2018 already, time flies. Very busy week this week coupled with some lousy weather meant this shot was likely to be what I could cobble together indoors. So here it is - heavy. Nothing special, but there's always going to be weeks where life gets in the way. I'm looking forward to getting down to the NEC for the Photography Show at the weekend. Although I'm not looking for any new gear, I'm sure it'll kick start my motivation to get out there again!

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Week 11 - Just when I thought spring had sprung, we're hit with another round of snow. Kind of fitting that this weeks theme is wet. I took this shot on my Fuji 16mm f1.4 which actually makes for a pretty decent macro lens. Keen to get back outside with my camera, but I thought these droplets of water presented a good photo opportunity; got to love a bit of water beading!

The threat of snow might quash plans to go to the NEC tomorrow, but hopefully that still happens.

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I like your take on wet Matt, nice colour and beading
 
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I think your scales are broken, does the job for the theme. Did you photoshop the text in? If you did it is well done, looks like LCD text.
Wet is great, must be a new jacket I don't think the water sits on mine like that.
 
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lots of photos for me to catch up on my comments so I have missed a few out.
Gate - I like the purple lighting of the gateway and the light trails add something to it..
Age - a lovely old building I think a crop to below the window to just have the arches and the writing might be better.
Sharp - I particularly like the sharp silhouette against the pointy triangles of the building behind its a stunning shot.
Thick - A Daft cat - he looks like he want to know what your up to.
Heavy - Right on theme and good work on the digital display.
Wet - I really like this one, The colour and the water beading really work well.
 
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Wet
Well done on catching up all of those weeks.
Wet, it's nice and simple, I like that you got the logo in and there's good detail in the water drops.
 
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Heavy ... excellent! The diagonals, the sharp silvery B&W, the touch of humor. :clap:

Wet ... water droplets on water resistant coat ... simple, works a treat. (y)
 
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Matt

Heavy, different take on the scales, love the angle of the flooring, makes the image much more dynamic.
Wet, Nice simple Image, but hard to take, the focus on the fabric in the water beads and the light is really good as is the colour.

Pete
 
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Week 12 - This wasn't the shot I had in mind when I set out with my camera this morning to check off Juxtaposition. I've seen shots like this on instagram and always liked them. In this case it was one of those moments where everything aligned perfectly and I knew there was the shot. I really like how the shadowy concrete of the bridge contrasts with the bright blue sky and foliage.

Side note - I've seen a Kingfisher on 2 occasions in that foliage on the right, but it's always evaded me when I've had my 100-400mm. I will capture it one day!

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Welcome back, Matt, and well done on getting your 52 thread off to such a strong start. As another very recent convert from Nikon to Fuji, your thread has additional interest on the technical front, too :)

You've posed some excellent images and my favourites so far are Gate for the low viewpoint, colours under the bridge and the added motion blur, Sharp for the contrast, the angle and the B&W treatment, Guard for the composition and the 'slices' of life below, and Wet for the striking blue and the defined beads of water. Looking forward to the rest of your images :)
 
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An unusual composition, that works. It looks like the light's reflecting off the water onto the underside of the bridge (?)
 
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Hi Matt,

I quite like the simplicity of your shot for Heavy. The B&W suits it.
Wet - Must be a wax jacket the way the droplets are just sitting there. Works nicely for the theme. Did you go to the NEC then, as it did snow (he says having done the drive from London to the NEX and back twice that weekend).
Juxtaposition - There certainly is a contrast between the light and dark, so it fits the theme :)
 
Hi Matt,

I quite like the simplicity of your shot for Heavy. The B&W suits it.
Wet - Must be a wax jacket the way the droplets are just sitting there. Works nicely for the theme. Did you go to the NEC then, as it did snow (he says having done the drive from London to the NEX and back twice that weekend).
Juxtaposition - There certainly is a contrast between the light and dark, so it fits the theme :)

Hi Tim,
Yeah - I made it, managed to get out of there without bankrupting myself with new lenses too! Glad you like the shots, appreciate the feedback!
 
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