weekly blakester's 52 for 2012, Week 52 "Busy (Beach Party)" Post 1215 FINISHED

Hi Iain :wave: I should have known when the theme mineral was announced what you would shoot :lol: I prefer number one, love the colours:clap: I particularly like how you have got the stone on the right with the two strips lined up in two of the circles :thumbs:

Dark, cheating? :rules::naughty: But it's such a cracker I'll let you off :D
 
michael23 said:
Dark is super! Well done!
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Thanks Michael :thumbs:

The goblin said:
Hi Iain :wave: I should have known when the theme mineral was announced what you would shoot :lol: I prefer number one, love the colours:clap: I particularly like how you have got the stone on the right with the two strips lined up in two of the circles :thumbs:

Dark, cheating? :rules::naughty: But it's such a cracker I'll let you off :D
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I am a wee bit predictable Marsha :lol:
Yes I was lucky in finding that particular stone and it fitting quite well with my set up.
Rules is such a strong word, don't you think? ;)
I prefer to think of them more as guidelines :lol:

My initial thought for mineral is posted below, a wee bit late but I was away in Scotland all last week and the scene is along the road from my home so had to wait on my return.
 
As mentioned above, I had a different thought for mineral but couldn't shoot it as I wasn't at home. I post this up so as you can have a look. Processed in a vintage feel to try and match the subject. C&C welcome but notexpected as I know it is out of sequence.

Affordable Classics


Affordable Classics by iain blake, on Flickr
 
Iain,

Mineral - I have a minor preference for the monochrome version, because the white lines / spiral stand out more here.

Dark - Great idea. I really like this. I wonder, did you try playing around with the saturation? I think maybe the greens could do with being a tad stronger.
 
Dark I like the processing but don't really get "dark" from the pic
 
Nathalie said:
Iain,

Mineral - I have a minor preference for the monochrome version, because the white lines / spiral stand out more here.

Dark - Great idea. I really like this. I wonder, did you try playing around with the saturation? I think maybe the greens could do with being a tad stronger.
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Thanks Nathalie, i wasn't sure about the colours in dark, I didn't want to make them too strong but I will have a play with it and try your suggestion.

alsjazzera said:
Dark I like the processing but don't really get "dark" from the pic
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Cheers Alan, my thinking was silhouette/shadow as being dark. ;)
 
The goblin said:
Oooo I love that processing, everything fits from the run down pumps/ building to the old nets:thumbs:
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Thanks Marsha, I had this idea on the processing from the start and am happy with how its turned out :D
 
Week 33, below is my take on this weeks theme "Time"
A literal take on the theme I know but it keeps me up to date and current. C&C welcome as always.


Time by iain blake, on Flickr
 
michael23 said:
I like it, nice movement inside the egg timer, liking the tight crop, the only thing which is bugging me is the black on the rhs.
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Cheers Michael, I deliberately left the dark bit on the rhs to balance with the lhs. I can see where you are coming from though as I tried it with and without and chose the former. Thanks for looking/commenting, much appreciated.
 
Like the image of Time. Have to agree with Michael about the black strip. A bit of feathering so the line is not so abrupt? although I can see your thought process.
 
Hi Iain, I think the most obvious approach is sometimes the best, plus it means you get sand in your shot;) I like the DOF and composition.

I hadn't noticed that black strip, I just thought it was the border on my phone:bonk: I would maybe crop it or as suggested soften the edge a little.
 
Hi, #843 is a cracker, I assume it's Mineral? Great processing and one of the few occasions where central placement really works. I saw an old book a while ago where a guy spent a considerable amount of time photographing old gas stations, it was a fascinating anthology.

Time, I can see where you were going with the framing, it adds a certain balance and they add an sense of depth but they seem to constrain the glass part, if you know what I mean.

Cheers.
 
fazer said:
Like the image of Time. Have to agree with Michael about the black strip. A bit of feathering so the line is not so abrupt? although I can see your thought process.
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Thanks John, a bit of feathering would certainly soften the edge I agree.

The goblin said:
Hi Iain, I think the most obvious approach is sometimes the best, plus it means you get sand in your shot;) I like the DOF and composition.

I hadn't noticed that black strip, I just thought it was the border on my phone:bonk: I would maybe crop it or as suggested soften the edge a little.
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Cheers Marsha, I never thought about the significance of the sand but I see what you mean :lol: It wasn't intentional BTW ;)

posiview said:
Hi, #843 is a cracker, I assume it's Mineral? Great processing and one of the few occasions where central placement really works. I saw an old book a while ago where a guy spent a considerable amount of time photographing old gas stations, it was a fascinating anthology.

Time, I can see where you were going with the framing, it adds a certain balance and they add an sense of depth but they seem to constrain the glass part, if you know what I mean.

Cheers.
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Cheers Andy, yes #843 is for mineral just posted out of sequence. It was my intention to centralise the building and pumps. On a side note, I had a chat with the guy whose house is beside this building and pumps. He told me a little of the history of the place among other things, really quite interesting. I am not sure if the pumps will be there for much longer as they are beside a relatively busy road and he said that various bits have been stolen off the pumps. The fuel tanks have long since been filled with concrete.
 
blakester said:
On a side note, I had a chat with the guy whose house is beside this building and pumps. He told me a little of the history of the place among other things, really quite interesting. I am not sure if the pumps will be there for much longer as they are beside a relatively busy road and he said that various bits have been stolen off the pumps. The fuel tanks have long since been filled with concrete.
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For me, that's the essence of photography, social documentary. On a recent meet in Sheffield I had a great chat with a guy who lived next to some derelict houses. He told me loads about the history of the place, going back decades, it was great.

We then proceeded to light paint the abandoned buildings and I feel chatting to him aided our light painting, so to speak :D
 
posiview said:
For me, that's the essence of photography, social documentary. On a recent meet in Sheffield I had a great chat with a guy who lived next to some derelict houses. He told me loads about the history of the place, going back decades, it was great.

We then proceeded to light paint the abandoned buildings and I feel chatting to him aided our light painting, so to speak :D
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I agree Andy, the fella was selling cars here a wee while back but the local council priced him out of the market by raising the rates on the site considerably. I did enjoy taking the photographs here and its only made me keener to search for similar places and properties around my area. i feel a little project coming on ;)
 
Hi ya Iain


Loving those Stones....for me #1 wins , great colors , you can almost feel the textures, the central stone doesn't bug me too much so just a :thumbs: from me . I do like the Mono version as well but don't get such a good feeling from it , think the color one just shows the textures better

#843....had a blonde moment when I saw this , took a while for the penny to drop on the connection to the theme :bonk: Great pp , really suits the image...nice find :thumbs:

Time.... , think this is the 1st image I've seen of yours that hasn't grabbed me , sorry :( I like the idea & the framing , would have like to see the sand coming out of the tight bit of glass in focus ( if that makes sense ?) though I do like the bit of motion blur in the sand in the top of the time. The reflection in the lower part , of a window , I also find distracting ( not that I could have done any better ) . Not wishing to sound harsh but I'm sooo used to seeing images from you that really grab me :thumbs:
 
blondie606 said:
Hi ya Iain


Loving those Stones....for me #1 wins , great colors , you can almost feel the textures, the central stone doesn't bug me too much so just a :thumbs: from me . I do like the Mono version as well but don't get such a good feeling from it , think the color one just shows the textures better

#843....had a blonde moment when I saw this , took a while for the penny to drop on the connection to the theme :bonk: Great pp , really suits the image...nice find :thumbs:

Time.... , think this is the 1st image I've seen of yours that hasn't grabbed me , sorry :( I like the idea & the framing , would have like to see the sand coming out of the tight bit of glass in focus ( if that makes sense ?) though I do like the bit of motion blur in the sand in the top of the time. The reflection in the lower part , of a window , I also find distracting ( not that I could have done any better ) . Not wishing to sound harsh but I'm sooo used to seeing images from you that really grab me :thumbs:
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Thanks Lynne my preference too is for the colour version of mineral.
#843 glad you got it in the end :lol:

Absolutely no apologies needed for giving your honest feedback and opinion I pretty much feel the same way about it too :lol:
Sometimes these themes just seem to click into place for me, others not so and this was one of them. The sand egg timer is quite small so I was using my newly acquired macro lens on a long exposure to capture the sand falling through.......epic fail on that score. I am hanging in there with the 52 as I don't want to quit but sometimes its a struggle to apply enough effort and enthusiasm. Thanks again for stopping by and commenting, it is very much appreciated.
 
blakester said:
Thanks Lynne my preference too is for the colour version of mineral.
#843 glad you got it in the end :lol:

Absolutely no apologies needed for giving your honest feedback and opinion I pretty much feel the same way about it too :lol:
Sometimes these themes just seem to click into place for me, others not so and this was one of them. The sand egg timer is quite small so I was using my newly acquired macro lens on a long exposure to capture the sand falling through.......epic fail on that score. I am hanging in there with the 52 as I don't want to quit but sometimes its a struggle to apply enough effort and enthusiasm. Thanks again for stopping by and commenting, it is very much appreciated.
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Glad you're still talking to me matey , I do feel bad for being honest sometimes:'( I'm with you some of the theme's...but my stubborn streak won't let me quit....though I fear a joker is coming on for this weeks theme :shrug: Over half way now.....& a meet to look forward to....once we get it planned :thumbs:
 
Hi

Why not take part in our annual TP Day coming up soon 9th September,as part of your 52, Where you take a photo on that day and post it on the forum, then all the Photos are made into a slideshow, Click the logo for more details, it's lots of fun to be a part of it:thumbs:
 
Sorry it's brief - I'm lagging behind again! :(

Dark - Yummy. Really love that one, can't fault it!
Time - Love the idea but I feel that the framing is a little off and I'd have liked more detail in the sand.
 
blondie606 said:
Glad you're still talking to me matey , I do feel bad for being honest sometimes:'( I'm with you some of the theme's...but my stubborn streak won't let me quit....though I fear a joker is coming on for this weeks theme :shrug: Over half way now.....& a meet to look forward to....once we get it planned :thumbs:
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:lol: No worries there Lynne!
I too won't quit, so must just get on with it and see what transpires.

Just Dave said:
Hi

Why not take part in our annual TP Day coming up soon 9th September,as part of your 52, Where you take a photo on that day and post it on the forum, then all the Photos are made into a slideshow, Click the logo for more details, it's lots of fun to be a part of it:thumbs:
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Cheers Dave, I will have a go at that :thumbs:

Arlandria said:
Sorry it's brief - I'm lagging behind again! :(

Dark - Yummy. Really love that one, can't fault it!
Time - Love the idea but I feel that the framing is a little off and I'd have liked more detail in the sand.
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Thanks Vicky, time, you and me both would have liked more detail in the sand ;)
 
Week 34 Body and I am pleased to get an early entry for once.
I work in London but often visit outside of work for a wander around and this weeks subject was spotted some weeks ago. It is outside the Tate Modern. I don't think it is permanent, there only whilst an exhibition is at the Tate.
I decided on this view as I like the people (bodies) on the balcony overlooking the subject. C&C welcome as always.


Week 34 - Body by iain blake, on Flickr
 
Good find Iain. The people looking down certainly add to the shot. The only small crit I could make is the wall far right would be better straight or cropped. Does not detract from the overall image.
 
Hi Iain
Catching up
Mineral - your usual pebbles :D . Good composition and the colour version is far better because the subtleties in the stones comes out better in colour. Not sure about the vignette. Mneral #2 is good. I like the pp but would like to see the blue of the sky more saturated. Right hand side is a bit uninteresting. Overall a good comp and i like the subject

Dark - vry good. On theme and good colours altho that grey bit a the top left is a bit strange

time - I agree with other comments about the sand being sharper and the right hand side being a bit distracting.

Body - excellent take for the theme. Super capture of colour with the vibrancy at the front and the muted colours at the rear. Like the juxtaposition of the bodies. Right hand brick column is a bit bothering but overall I think that this is a super capture for the theme
 
fazer said:
Good find Iain. The people looking down certainly add to the shot. The only small crit I could make is the wall far right would be better straight or cropped. Does not detract from the overall image.
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Thanks John, I tried altering the perspective of the wall but I didn't like the outcome, similarly cropping had the end of the balcony too close to the edge of frame for my liking. I do agree about the wall but decided to leave it as is. Thanks for your comments, much appreciated.

superpippo said:
Hi Iain
Catching up
Mineral - your usual pebbles :D . Good composition and the colour version is far better because the subtleties in the stones comes out better in colour. Not sure about the vignette. Mneral #2 is good. I like the pp but would like to see the blue of the sky more saturated. Right hand side is a bit uninteresting. Overall a good comp and i like the subject

Dark - vry good. On theme and good colours altho that grey bit a the top left is a bit strange

time - I agree with other comments about the sand being sharper and the right hand side being a bit distracting.

Body - excellent take for the theme. Super capture of colour with the vibrancy at the front and the muted colours at the rear. Like the juxtaposition of the bodies. Right hand brick column is a bit bothering but overall I think that this is a super capture for the theme
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Thankyou too Alan for looking in/commenting.
The grey bit on dark I think is reflection from the light source, a bit annoying but I thought it beyond my pp skills to remove it.
 
I post this version of body so as there is a better idea of perspective and context (as if a massive plastic body can have context in the centre of London) :lol:


Body 2 by iain blake, on Flickr
 
superpippo said:
#2 for body is good enough but #1 is far more subtle and well thought out and the sense of scale comes thro to me without the direct comparison with bodies nearby.
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Thanks again Alan :thumbs:
#2 was one of my choices for this weeks theme but my thinking was much like yours in that a sense of scale does come through in #1 as the building behind is a reference. I thought I'd post #2 anyway, just to show the body overall.
 
I like them both though i think 2 would be better without the people in it
 
Hi, Iain, #1 for me. Cracking perspective and depth. Have to say must be great living in London, when I read AP magazine there are always cracking exhibitions on...:(

I did a quick edit and do prefer the RH walk perpendicular.

Cheers.
 
alsjazzera said:
I like them both though i think 2 would be better without the people in it
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Cheers Alan, I hear what you are saying about the people but short of editing them out or going there about 3 o'clock in the morning its unavoidable ;)

BobBCN said:
Great shots for body! Right on the theme.

Cheers
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Cheers Bob :thumbs:

posiview said:
Hi, Iain, #1 for me. Cracking perspective and depth. Have to say must be great living in London, when I read AP magazine there are always cracking exhibitions on...:(

I did a quick edit and do prefer the RH walk perpendicular.

Cheers.
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Cheers Andy, I work in London and you would think i see enough of it through that but I still love going in there for a walkabout with my camera. Yes, there is always something going on down there, I have been to a few galleries but have only scratched the surface.
I do agree with you on the wall but decided not to change it. Cheers :thumbs:

michael23 said:
Hi Iain, number 1 for me. It's a super picture and I like the people at the top looking down. It gives a great perspective. Number 2 I like, but think I would prefer it with no people in.
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Cheers Michael, re the people I do agree but they are unavoidable :lol:
 
much prefer the 2nd body shot and the guy posing just adds to it :clap:
 
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