Briony's 52 2010 Week 34 SURFACES added 24/08

Nicki, I like them both, I think the processing on the first one has made it a little dark, and I think I'd be inclined to not darken it so much, but that may be my lappy. The second it better for me though, nicely done, and well done on getting out there to get them.
 
Thank you, it was a huge step for me to go and ask if I could take them and I did not feel at all comfortable doing so, but they have said I can go back anytime so I amy take them up on that.:thumbs:
 
Nicki, they're great, love the blacks and reds in your 'jumper' shot.

For me though your guy refuelling the plane is the winner. I really like the muted tones, the way the trees seem to dissolve into the sky and the 'leading lines' of the wing strut and fuel pump pipe pull me into the shot - it's truly terrific.
 
Thank you ;) there may be just that glimmer of hope for me yet then :lol:
 
Briony said:
Thank you ;) there may be just that glimmer of hope for me yet then :lol:
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More than a glimmer, don't put yourself down like that :bang: We're both aspiring wildlife and nature photographers so to go do something like this is waaaaaaaay outta our comfort zones. You done good girl, be pleased.

(I have to go and photograph RAF Upper Heyford for a website over the next few months - I'm poo-ing myself, how the hell do you make a series of buildings built of hardened concrete look good in a photograph?!)
 
Get a sexy model :thumbs: :lol::lol::lol:

Good luck rather you than me I will stick to my wildlife I think.:cool:
 
:lol::lol::lol:

Model maybe ................. sexy......... No :naughty:
 
i'm with you on being out of my comfort zone shooting random people.. like these, prefer the second of the guy refuelling.. well done for getting out there and asking.. very brave ;)
 
Briony said:
I said to my self I CAN do this and I DID do this therefore you have "candid" :lol::lol:
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:clap: :clap: :clap:
I LOVE your attitude this week. It's great to see you bouncing back with some fight after being so down a couple of weeks ago.
And you've done well, especially for something outside your comfort zone.

I don't think the sharpening has come out badly at all in the edit of the first one. You've lost a bit of the brightness and vibrance of the colours, but I think it's a really good attempt at rectifying the slightly missed focus.
(and TBH the original really wasn't that bad in its original form)

The second shot is the winner for me though.
Really well captured and nicely executed. :thumbs:

Looking forward to seeing how birds and produce mix next week.

p.s. I was wondering who this Nicki was and then saw your name under your profile pic . . . sorry for calling you Briony all this time :lol:
 
SarahLee said:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
I LOVE your attitude this week. It's great to see you bouncing back with some fight after being so down a couple of weeks ago.
And you've done well, especially for something outside your comfort zone.

I don't think the sharpening has come out badly at all in the edit of the first one. You've lost a bit of the brightness and vibrance of the colours, but I think it's a really good attempt at rectifying the slightly missed focus.
(and TBH the original really wasn't that bad in its original form)

The second shot is the winner for me though.
Really well captured and nicely executed. :thumbs:

Looking forward to seeing how birds and produce mix next week.

p.s. I was wondering who this Nicki was and then saw your name under your profile pic . . . sorry for calling you Briony all this time :lol:
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:plusone: Sarah's covered all the points I was going to make, including the one about your name. Sorry, Nicki. :bonk:


Jean
 
SarahLee said:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
I LOVE your attitude this week. It's great to see you bouncing back with some fight after being so down a couple of weeks ago.
And you've done well, especially for something outside your comfort zone.

I don't think the sharpening has come out badly at all in the edit of the first one. You've lost a bit of the brightness and vibrance of the colours, but I think it's a really good attempt at rectifying the slightly missed focus.
(and TBH the original really wasn't that bad in its original form)

The second shot is the winner for me though.
Really well captured and nicely executed. :thumbs:

Looking forward to seeing how birds and produce mix next week.

p.s. I was wondering who this Nicki was and then saw your name under your profile pic . . . sorry for calling you Briony all this time :lol:
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Your comments frustrate me and in the long term aren't very helpful... warm and fuzzy though they may be :bang:
 
Yep it is Nicki but could not register under that name as already taken so it was Briony and it seemed to stick :lol:

Having focussing probs with the long lens now and the aperture settings, now so will have to work on that this week.
 
jontucker said:
Your comments frustrate me and in the long term aren't very helpful... warm and fuzzy though they may be :bang:
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Well it's not often that I've been called warm and fuzzy :p
Sorry you feel like that, but I'm just saying what I see and expressing an honest opinion.

I genuinely think that Nicki's done well to get out of her comfort zone and try something new and IMO there's nothing wrong with a bit of encouragement.

It's already been pointed out that there are focus issues in the first shot, I think Nicki could see that too and I don't think that it's a bad attempt at correcting it :shrug:
Again, the second one is IMO a good spot for a shot, and in comparison to the people shot for week 6(?) I think it's a big improvement and executed well. It may not be perfect but given that people shots aren't her thing at all I genuinely think she has done well.

Sorry for the minor hijack Nicki. I just felt that I had to defend my position on this.

Briony said:
Yep it is Nicki but could not register under that name as already taken so it was Briony and it seemed to stick :lol:
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OK . . . "Briony" seems a bit random, but if that's the name you liked :lol:
 
No probs guys and I value everbodys opinions as it is going to be the only way I learn as I have no one here to ask or show me in person so totally on my own.:(

I am trying my best so bear with me and keep the comments coming and I will keep asking the questions and you have all been a great help to me;)

Focussing seems to be an issue with me at the moment so this week I am going to try with a different lens (god know what I am going to photograph but something will come up I am sure :lol:) so lets all hope to better outr efforts this week.

Thank you all and no hi jack just stating an opinion which we are all entitled to:thumbs:

BTW Briony was a fav pony I had so that is why I took that name: -)
 
I like the 'chute packer best - you have really caught the sense of concentration and also physical effort required. Excellent composition and it is only slightly soft. Ideally I would like something in between the edit and the original version, i.e. not darkened and sharpened so much - I don't think it needs very much pp TBH.

Well done! :thumbs:
 
Well this week was a week where I needed to work on my focussing as been having problems and also with my PP, so therefore I have decided to give you a little story about "Eggs" so I hope to "produce" some good views :lol::lol:

Hope you like it.

1. PRODUCE of today:

Eggs034.jpg


2. How they were PRODUCED:

Eggs042.jpg


Eggs043.jpg


Did actually try and get a chicken laying an egg but as they do it standing up and are very close to the ground I found it dam near impossible, so thought better of it, and you never know what "faceful" I might have got.:lol:

3. Anyone want some of my chickens "PRODUCE"

Eggs049.jpg


C & C most welcome
 
:D... more eggs... I really like the first one, it's a great idea showing the eggs in the straw like that. There's just something about it that's not quite working for me, I'm not sure what though... I think it might be the shadow in the top right possibly... (no use at all... I'm sorry)...

The second one, is almost there... I think that not clipping the tail feathers would have worked better, it's good though and better than the third, as the chicken stood in the box, almost looks perplexed about the eggs.
 
Hi Nicki,

It's the third shot for me all the way. That Bluebell looking down at the eggs as if to say "which one's mine dammit!!?" I like the composition, and I like the angle you've chosen.

Keeping chickens myself, I do tend to humanise them and Lavender (our Bluebell) always has to be in on the action.

Though you do have a lot of birds judging by those eggs!

Ian.
 
I actually like the towers of eggs and think it may help a tighter crop removing all the backdrop, a bit abstract. I do however, vote for you getting low down and dirty and getting the chuck laying:D, have you thought of laying under a glass sheet.
 
John,
The third picture, the big black bird looking is actually my Black Orpington Cockerell so no wonder he is looking a bit perplexed :lol::lol:

I see what you mean about the eggs in the straw but I tried to move them outside and they looked awful so put them back where i found them.

Harlequin,
Yes the bluebell is always there or there abouts and she actually treid to peck them as I was taking a photo of them so she was removed very quickly.

I did actually have a piccy of the cockerell having his "way" with the chicken by the eggs but I thought that was a bit risky on here :lol:

The eggs for sale belong to my B i Law and he has 300 free range over the other side of the yard, but mine here, I have nice Orpingtons and Bluebells and about 20 of them which are literally "free range" eat anything and everything.
 
clud17 said:
I actually like the towers of eggs and think it may help a tighter crop removing all the backdrop, a bit abstract. I do however, vote for you getting low down and dirty and getting the chuck laying:D, have you thought of laying under a glass sheet.
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I like photography but I am not that keen:lol::lol::lol: and a chicken lays where "it" wants to not where "I" want it to :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 
Briony said:
John,
The third picture, the big black bird looking is actually my Black Orpington Cockerell so no wonder he is looking a bit perplexed :lol::lol:
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:D... that'll be it then :lol:
 
I like number 3 best. I reckon number 1 would have been a cracker if you'ld used a narrower aperture and got the surrounding straw out of focus.

Mike
 
No 1 for me, I seem to be on a closeup minimal drive at the moment. Really nice composition and I like the different colour of the eggs...

Good shooting!
 
The first shot for me Nikki. Agree with Mike that it would have been improved from a shallower DoF to focus more on the eggs and less on the straw but still a very nice image and on theme twice with easter just around the corner.

Dan
 
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dan_yorkshire said:
The first shot for me Briony. Agree with Mike that it would have been improved from a shallower DoF to focus more on the eggs and less on the straw but still a very nice image and on theme twice with easter just around the corner.

Dan
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catch up dan her names NICKI :thumbs: nice egg shots nicki love the colours and focus in no1 your definatly getting better at this photo stuff :D
 
dinorock said:
catch up dan her names NICKI :thumbs: nice egg shots nicki love the colours and focus in no1 your definatly getting better at this photo stuff :D
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Ammended Mr Rock ;) And I thought your first name was Dino
 
I like the first shot of the eggs in the straw, and think the DOF is right as it is. What interesting colours.

The second chicken shot is really funny - well captured. You just need a caption competition now.
 
Wonderful colours and textures on the eggs. I like the follow on pics too proper story board photography.
 
I bet it was a relief not to have to shoot people again this week!!! :lol:

Of those, number 1 is definitely the best for me.
It looks like you cracked (:p) the focus issue on this one. The eggs are lovely and sharp and I like the viewpoint that you've chosen for the shot.
I can see where people are coming from with wanting a narrower DoF to blur some of the straw, but I actually like it just the way it is :thumbs:

I also enjoyed 2 and 3 - the poses of the chickens made me smile :D
Technically, it looks like the lighting was difficult for these two shots. Although the chickens are well exposed, the background is a bit overly bright in them both which lets them down a little.
I think you've suffered a bit from having moving subjects too. There's some motion blur and not quite ideal framing . . . that being one of the reasons I prefer doing still life photography (emphasis being on the "still" bit) :lol:

And No.4 tells the story well.
It's not the most exciting shot, but it is a nice finish to the set. I think there was an opportunity for a great abstract there - focusing on the pattern of the eggs and the boxes.
 
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Thanks guy and gals for last weeks comments, I have been having a bad week this week and nearly on the verge of selling the whole lot. :(

Today I spent nearly 3 hours in the hide, got freezing cold wanted to get a "quad" of pictures of the same theme, and this is all I came up with.

Again I am not at all happy with the results, focussing issues again which leads me to believe I iwll never crack this with this lens :shrug:

I have tried this week and as the these is "Reshoot" also may have the inclin to get out there and have another go but at this moment in time I am not wanting to - feel very down and feel that I am not improving the way I want to:help::'(

See what you think?

QUAD of Muntjac youngster.

1.
065.jpg


2.

052.jpg


3.

059.jpg


4.

056-1.jpg


also another one thrown in for good measure, but I have tried with the editing, so may have to put the camera down for a week or so and just concentrating on the editing side of things to see if that improves anything slightly.:shrug:

064-2.jpg



I know it is probably an unimaginative subject and you are saying - Oh no not again! I can hear you saying it but, sorry but trying to learn :bang:
 
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Hi Nicki - I like 3 & 4. 1 might have been a cracker but is slightly soft. I don't think the subject is unimaginative at all - hang on in there!

Phil
 
I'm jealous that you can get so close. Have you thought about meeting up with another close canon user so they can try the lens on their camera. It occurs to me that you may be beating yourself up when it's the lens at fault. My 100 - 400 was front focussing slightly but I'm lucky enough to have a body with micro adjustment so could rectify the fault myself.

Keep at it.

Mike
 
This is why I find it all so frustrating that I can get so close, I have a small permanent shooting hide in the middle of the woods and when I go there I put out the wheat for the pheasants and within 5 mins this little person appears then more and more follow throughout the day.

Trouble is there is only one small viewing hole so only enought room for one person:shrug:

I am hoping that someone will come in and have a go with the lens, I am thinking of hiring another one for th eweek to see what results that will bring, does anyone know which one I should go for.?
 
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