52 from Gonetae (Tommy) Week 3 - Chopped

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HI folks, looking forward to this next year and this particular challenge of following a theme each week. Good luck to all taking part and can't wait to see everyones take on the theme. :thumbs:

Tommy.
 
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Best of luck Tommy. Will try to pop in and comment :thumbs:
 
Finally got to the location I had in mind for the curved challenge but not a single shot I took done it justice, I tried many different processes to try and get something like I had hoped and this is probably the closest I got but still unfortunately not what I had in mind.

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Looking forward to next weeks though and hopefully I'll manage something better.:thumbs:

Tommy.
 
Really interesting waterfall there Tommy, well thought out for the curve.
What were you hoping to achieve?
For some reason, it isnt jumping at me, there isnt really a focal point, and I think the waterfall almost creates a blanket of white, which runs round to the snow in the foreground.
I think it lacks a strong colour or subject somewhere in the shot.
I really like the subject though, and feel you have a good composition, just something needing tweaked slightly?

Good luck with the rest of your 52, il be sure to check back :)
 
Cheers Rikki, I'm just a bit disappointed with it and I don't think my processing has helped it any either tbh. I couoldnt get into the exact angle I wanted to for the shot due to the conditions at the time but possibly a loation I will revisit for another theme and try again.
 
Tommy, I like it, it's spot on for the theme, and is a good shot of a waterfall, well composed etc. I think Rikki is right in that it lacks something, but I've no clue as to what... A good start :thumbs:
 
Hi Tommy,

Good to see you on the 52 and despite it not being what you wanted from this shot I think it's a lovely image to start the project with :thumbs:
There's a beautiful shape to that waterfall and I think you've caught the perfect amount of blur in the water. I really hope that we do get to see some more shots of it in a future week if you can make it back there.

I agree that there's something not quite there with the composition, but it's so close to being spot-on that I'm struggling a bit to put my finger on exactly what it is.
I've spent quite a bit of time looking and I think it's the contrast between the foreground and background (rather than the angle of the shot itself) that's not quite working for me.

There's that lovely snowy curve in the foreground which I think would work beautifully if the opposite bank in the background was snowy white too.
But the other bank has those greeny coloured rocks instead, which actually grab my eye more than the foreground does.
Nothing wrong with the rocks on the other bank - in fact I think they would make a stunning background if there was maybe a similar coloured outcrop of rock as the foreground focal point.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that although I love both the foreground and background elements individually and I think either would complement the waterfall, they're not really working together for me (if that makes any sense at all)
 
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I think if this photo had been able to be shot from the opposite bank maybe? Do like it though.
 
I also really like this one Tommy. I also like many others have a soft spot for waterfalls. I don't think you should beat yourself up on this one as it is the first week and it looks like a great capture from my nice warm front room :)
 
Tommy, it's horrible when you know what you want to get but can't quite get to the position you need to be in. Safety comes first though as that looks bloody cold to be paddling in. Definitely somewhere to revisit when it's a little warmer I think.
 
Fits the theme but I do not like the processing I'm afraid, it seems somehow false!
 
Cheers all for the comments, and definitely agree with you Ed, I'm usually quite happy with my processing skills but something with this one just not sitting right with me. Good idea to get me back up again to it if another theme comes up where it would fit into though... now back to the poetry hehe....

Tommy.
 
Week 2 Poetry, Just in time for the end of the second week. I searched long and hard through my favourite poems but decided it would have be something from Rabbie Burns with Burns Night not too far off and it ties in nicely with the still life/product photography I am doing at the moment also.

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Robert Burns - Scotch Drink

Let other poets raise a fracas
"Bout vines, an' wines, an' drucken Bacchus,
An' crabbit names an'stories wrack us,
An' grate our lug:
I sing the juice Scotch bear can mak us,
In glass or jug.

O thou, my muse! guid auld Scotch drink!
Whether thro' wimplin worms thou jink,
Or, richly brown, ream owre the brink,
In glorious faem,
Inspire me, till I lisp an' wink,
To sing thy name!

Let husky wheat the haughs adorn,
An' aits set up their awnie horn,
An' pease and beans, at e'en or morn,
Perfume the plain:
Leeze me on thee, John Barleycorn,
Thou king o' grain!

On thee aft Scotland chows her cood,
In souple scones, the wale o'food!
Or tumblin in the boiling flood
Wi' kail an' beef;
But when thou pours thy strong heart's blood,
There thou shines chief.

Food fills the wame, an' keeps us leevin;
***' life's a gift no worth receivin,
When heavy-dragg'd wi' pine an' grievin;
But, oil'd by thee,
The wheels o' life gae down-hill, scrievin,
Wi' rattlin glee.

Thou clears the head o'doited Lear;
Thou cheers ahe heart o' drooping Care;
Thou strings the nerves o' Labour sair,
At's weary toil;
Though even brightens dark Despair
Wi' gloomy smile.

Aft, clad in massy siller weed,
Wi' gentles thou erects thy head;
Yet, humbly kind in time o' need,
The poor man's wine;
His weep drap parritch, or his bread,
Thou kitchens fine.

Thou art the life o' public haunts;
But thee, what were our fairs and rants?
Ev'n godly meetings o' the saunts,
By thee inspired,
When gaping they besiege the tents,
Are doubly fir'd.

That merry night we get the corn in,
O sweetly, then, thou reams the horn in!
Or reekin on a New-year mornin
In cog or bicker,
An' just a wee drap sp'ritual burn in,
An' gusty sucker!

When Vulcan gies his bellows breath,
An' ploughmen gather wi' their graith,
O rare! to see thee fizz an freath
I' th' luggit caup!
Then Burnewin comes on like death
At every chap.

Nae mercy then, for airn or steel;
The brawnie, banie, ploughman chiel,
Brings hard owrehip, wi' sturdy wheel,
The strong forehammer,
Till block an' studdie ring an reel,
Wi' dinsome clamour.

When skirling weanies see the light,
Though maks the gossips clatter bright,
How fumblin' cuiffs their dearies slight;
Wae worth the name!
Nae howdie gets a social night,
Or plack frae them.

When neibors anger at a plea,
An' just as *** as *** can be,
How easy can the barley brie
Cement the quarrel!
It's aye the cheapest lawyer's fee,
To taste the barrel.

Alake! that e'er my muse has reason,
To wyte her countrymen wi' treason!
But mony daily weet their weason
Wi' liquors nice,
An' hardly, in a winter season,
E'er Spier her price.

Wae worth that brandy, burnin trash!
Fell source o' mony a pain an' brash!
Twins mony a poor, doylt, drucken hash,
O' half his days;
An' sends, beside, auld Scotland's cash
To her warst faes.

Ye Scots, wha wish auld Scotland well!
Ye chief, to you my tale I tell,
Poor, plackless devils like mysel'!
It sets you ill,
Wi' bitter, dearthfu' wines to mell,
Or foreign gill.

May gravels round his blather wrench,
An' gouts torment him, inch by inch,
What twists his gruntle wi' a glunch
O' sour disdain,
Out owre a glass o' whisky-punch
Wi' honest men!

O Whisky! soul o' plays and pranks!
Accept a bardie's gratfu' thanks!
When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks
Are my poor verses!
Thou comes-they rattle in their ranks,
At ither's a-s!

Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost!
Scotland lament frae coast to coast!
Now colic grips, an' barkin hoast
May kill us a';
For loyal Forbes' charter'd boast
Is ta'en awa?

Thae curst horse-leeches o' the' Excise,
Wha mak the whisky stells their prize!
Haud up thy han', Deil! ance, twice, thrice!
There, seize the blinkers!
An' bake them up in brunstane pies
For poor damn'd drinkers.

Fortune! if thou'll but gie me still
Hale breeks, a scone, an' whisky gill,
An' rowth o' rhyme to rave at will,
Tak a' the rest,
An' deal't about as thy blind skill
Directs thee best.
 
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Your poem/poetry shot's a gem. Beautiful lighting!
You didn't have a bottle of a nice fiery Speyside single in the house though? ;-)
 
Cheers guys I'm not actually much of a whisky drinker myself to be honest, much prefer a nice pint of Guinness anyday :thumbs:

Steven001 said:
Excellent picture! Can I ask what the set-up was like?
Click to expand...

Hey Steve, I used 2 lights for it, both with snoots, one to light background and one to get some light on the bottle itself (this one was pointing through a double layer of tracing paper), also 2 or 3 various sized flags to kill reflections and a couple of very small reflectors to get some light on to the bottle cap.

Tommy
 
Cracker of a shot to, well lit & sharp.
It might just be my old eye, but is it leaning slightly to the left?

Good poem frae Rabbie too.
 
But..... how good did it taste ? :)
 
hmmm no sure Charlie, might be the shadow on left edge contrasting with highlight on the right creating an optical illusion..... or it could be wonky hehe
Click to expand...
.

At first I also thought it was leaning slightly to the left but I've had my spirit level out and I think that you're right and it is an optical illusion created by the shadow.

Nice lighting, thanks for sharing the set up.:thumbs:
 
Beautiful Tommy, and it really does look like an image out of a magazine :clap:
Really well lit, sharp and a wonderful warm glow to the whisky.

sawman said:
It might just be my old eye, but is it leaning slightly to the left?
Click to expand...

Gonetae said:
hmmm no sure Charlie, might be the shadow on left edge contrasting with highlight on the right creating an optical illusion..... or it could be wonky hehe. :D
Click to expand...

I'm afraid that I have to agree with there being a bit of a tilt there.
I've scrolled down so that the background horizontal is parallel to the bottom of my screen and it's definitely slightly off (or my laptop's wonky :lol:)
 
The lighting and colour tones on that is spot on.
Really professional looking shot :)
Well done!
 
Just checked the shot again and it does have a wee tilt to the left, more towards the botom of the image but seems less pronounced at the top by the looks of it. Good spot though guys. :thumbs:

tommy.
 
cracking product shot, only negative being that as mentioned it is very slightly askew, which is not a problem to fix.

Well done.
 
A wee abstract shot from me this week to try out my new off camera flashes also. Just a chopped up potato backlit with a single flash which was firing through a double layer of tracing paper. I think the texture of the tracing paper goes quite well with the potato where it is lit by the flash firing through the gaps in the wall.

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Tommy.
 
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Very inventive, Tommy, but I don't really get it. I think it would possibly have worked better if the potatoes filled the frame and you had a teensy bit of fill this side.

I hope you fried the spud afterwards. ;)
 
Not sure either, I think because it doesn't shout "potato" it's kind of hard to think of how it fits "chopped". Technically, it is very nice and as a standalone picture I like it alot.

Arthur
 
Lovely lighting! It is not immediately obvious what it is or that it fits the theme, but it is a very striking picture in its own right. :clap:
 
well lit and would also have never known it was potato!

there have been some very different interpretations to this theme :)
 
Very nice week 3 Tommy. I love the way the light peeks through between the pieces and glows through the cubes and the vignette effect frames it all nicely :thumbs: from me.
 
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