Chris's Photo52 2010 - Weeks 22 & 23 Post #200, Page 7

[SarahLee]

I don’t think there’s a crowbar big enough for candid Chris!!!
I absolutely love this shot though, so I’ll forgive you for it.
Stunning shot. The B&W conversion suits it brilliantly (not that colour was much of an option anyway with welding glass) and I love the way the long exposure has smoothed the sea.
I bought myself a piece of welding glass a while back, but not got round to trying it yet. This has really inspired me to dig it out and give it a go.

Hmmmm . . . not too sure about “produce”. The DoF is just so narrow that it’s really hard to work out what it is. It’s a nice abstract shot, but not really appealing to me very much, sorry.

Quad. That’s much more like it
On theme, well executed, pin sharp and good colours.
It may not be totally unique (although I personally haven’t seen that many shots of them) but it works. I like the simplicity and I really like the strong colours against the clean white.

 

[Briony]

Produce

Quad - I love anything with vibrant colours, clean lines etc and this is just what this is - Simples

 

[chris321]

I don’t think there’s a crowbar big enough for candid Chris!!!
I absolutely love this shot though, so I’ll forgive you for it.
Stunning shot. The B&W conversion suits it brilliantly (not that colour was much of an option anyway with welding glass) and I love the way the long exposure has smoothed the sea.
I bought myself a piece of welding glass a while back, but not got round to trying it yet. This has really inspired me to dig it out and give it a go.

Thanks . You can just about get the colour to work if you shoot raw, but it never quite looks right. I'd really suggest you give it a go, it's quite hard to avoid the clichéd shots at first but just do them anyway, and see where it takes you! It's great fun

Hmmmm . . . not too sure about “produce”. The DoF is just so narrow that it’s really hard to work out what it is. It’s a nice abstract shot, but not really appealing to me very much, sorry.

As I said, I hate it too, so you're in good company . It's only there because otherwise this would be a 51, not a 52. Total blank on 'produce', hopefully it won't happen again!

Quad. That’s much more like it
On theme, well executed, pin sharp and good colours.
It may not be totally unique (although I personally haven’t seen that many shots of them) but it works. I like the simplicity and I really like the strong colours against the clean white.

I was quite pleased with it too actually! Which made a very nice surprise after the previous attempt.

Produce

Quad - I love anything with vibrant colours, clean lines etc and this is just what this is - Simples

Produce - nasty, horrible shot, see above

Thanks so much for the compliments and criticisms

 

[foggy4ever]

The B&W and narrow DOF work very well for mechanical and I also like the Bok....background.

Another great action shot for Play.

Chemical, it's one of those strange shots that seems rushed and not one of your favourites but is very interesting to look at.

Can and did.... oh boy thats a stinker nice use of the welding glass though.

Produce..... I didn't know fruit had an asshole because that's what it looks like :nuts:

Your right about being done before for Quad but it is a very good shot, angle, lighting and DOF all work together.

 

[MadFrankie]

Liking the quad shot

Good DOF and angle of shot make the shot interesting although I've got to say those buttons look far to new, you're not really a student are you. My student time was spent on the xbox and I got through my fair share of controllers!

 

[jgs001]

Produce works and I was guessing at an apple, and it's good to see I was right . Quad is much better, lovely colours, and a crisp clean image.

 

[chris321]

The B&W and narrow DOF work very well for mechanical and I also like the Bok....background.

Another great action shot for Play.

Chemical, it's one of those strange shots that seems rushed and not one of your favourites but is very interesting to look at.

Can and did.... oh boy thats a stinker nice use of the welding glass though.

Produce..... I didn't know fruit had an asshole because that's what it looks like :nuts:

Your right about being done before for Quad but it is a very good shot, angle, lighting and DOF all work together.

Thanks for taking the time to root through the thread, it's tough going when there are so many pages . It's really appreciated

Liking the quad shot

Good DOF and angle of shot make the shot interesting although I've got to say those buttons look far to new, you're not really a student are you. My student time was spent on the xbox and I got through my fair share of controllers!

I'm actually a PS3 person, but I wore it out so I had to resort to the xbox temporarily. Is that more student-like

Produce works and I was guessing at an apple, and it's good to see I was right . Quad is much better, lovely colours, and a crisp clean image.

Cheers, produce is a non-shot as far as I'm concerned, but I have to say I really do like quad!

 

[chris321]

Week 14 - "Shoot"



I got back to uni this week to be met with this lovely sight.... Not so much a shoot as a fully grown triffid sprouting from a bag of potatoes. Lovely eh?

My first time playing with white backgrounds, another source of light would have gone a long way towards sorting out the shadows though! More PP on the background required I think, it only made my 52 shot on sheer gross value

 

[chris321]

Week 15 - "Single"



One. Single. Penny.

That's what's in my bank account currently! My student loan can't come quickly enough!

Taken with a 100mm macro, a full set of extension tubes, and some slightly different processing. The original was quiet washed out from the flash, so I got a bit carried away!

 

[chris321]

Week 16 - "Stare"



I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with this one. I go through phases of really liking it, and not being so sure.

I wanted to give it an almost uncomfortably close crop, I'd seen this kind of shot before and wanted to try it, and 'stare' seemed like a good opportunity! So please let me know what you think!

Chris

 

[clud17]

nice job of catching up Chris.
Shoot, ive seen many of those in my student years, maybe you should plant it to help save a few pennies.
Single, thats a cracking macro shot and i love the mono touch.
Stare, cracking portrait mate, it works for me. You have captured some fantastic detail in the eye and i like the crop too.

 

[chris321]

nice job of catching up Chris.
Shoot, ive seen many of those in my student years, maybe you should plant it to help save a few pennies.
Single, thats a cracking macro shot and i love the mono touch.
Stare, cracking portrait mate, it works for me. You have captured some fantastic detail in the eye and i like the crop too.

Thanks I'm really glad you like the processing on the last 2, I wasn't completely sold, so someone else's opinion is always good! As for the potato, I know they're hardy, but I don't think even they would grow in a 6 foot x 6 foot slab of concrete with what was left of our old kitchen in it

Chris

 

[jgs001]

Good job catching up Chris. All three are on theme. nicely done.. as for that spud...

 

[dade_f]

REALLY!??! Another one I missed?? Sorry

Quick run through:
Curved - Great colour and subject
Peotry - I would have liked the last candle extinguished with just smoke - but thats me
Street - its ok
Chopped - Nice PP
Speed - AHHH, I did comment, phew
Present - Nice rich colour
People - Nice captured action shot
Mechanical - Great shot, dont know if I get mechanical from it though
Play - nice work, good lighting and great capture of heat
Chemistry - erm, boiling water??!
Candid - great shot, but candid?
Produce - different take on it - its not as bad as you think
Quad - nice colour, works well
Shoot - nice idea on theme
Single - I like it, but would prefer it be copper rather than silver looking (unless they changed them since I have been gone!?)
Stare - Nice lighting works well

and breath.... ...well done on catching up its easy to let it slip and then give up

 

[DC2Z]

A really good catch up.
I really like the vibrant colours of your "quad" shot, and your "candid" shot is brilliant.
"shoot" interesting take on the theme - but how long did you leave that potato for?!
"single" cracking macro and really sharp and the pp you've done on it works well on it.
"Stare" really well lit portrait and a clever crop

 

[Harlequin565]

Good catch up, and some quality shots there.

That spud looks like ours will do in a few weeks except that ours are in the ground! Nice take on the topic though.

The macro shot is very good. Was thinking of getting a 100mm macro and a set of extension tubes myself.... If you're wondering why you only have 1p left, the answer is in your description of the shot

Finally, I really like Stare. I've been thinking about doing one of these half face portraits for a while. Don't have any willing models unfortunately, so self-portrait might be the way to go. You have a really good focus and some nice lighting going on there. Care to share the setup and camera details?

Ian.

 

[chris321]

Good job catching up Chris. All three are on theme. nicely done.. as for that spud...

I know, nasty isn't it

REALLY!??! Another one I missed?? Sorry

Quick run through:
Curved - Great colour and subject
Peotry - I would have liked the last candle extinguished with just smoke - but thats me
Street - its ok
Chopped - Nice PP
Speed - AHHH, I did comment, phew
Present - Nice rich colour
People - Nice captured action shot
Mechanical - Great shot, dont know if I get mechanical from it though
Play - nice work, good lighting and great capture of heat
Chemistry - erm, boiling water??!
Candid - great shot, but candid?
Produce - different take on it - its not as bad as you think
Quad - nice colour, works well
Shoot - nice idea on theme
Single - I like it, but would prefer it be copper rather than silver looking (unless they changed them since I have been gone!?)
Stare - Nice lighting works well

and breath.... ...well done on catching up its easy to let it slip and then give up

Wow, thanks so much for taking the time to go all the way through, I know these threads can be a bit of a minefield! To answer some of your questions, 'mechanical' are the machine heads on my guitar, chemistry is the bubbles from an alka-seltza tablet thing in a glass of water, candid is to show that I can and did use a welding glass filter properly! Thanks for the input on 'single', I may have a play with it with maybe just a bit unsaturated so it keeps the copper colour. Seriously, thanks so much

A really good catch up.
I really like the vibrant colours of your "quad" shot, and your "candid" shot is brilliant.
"shoot" interesting take on the theme - but how long did you leave that potato for?!
"single" cracking macro and really sharp and the pp you've done on it works well on it.
"Stare" really well lit portrait and a clever crop

Thanks! The potato was there since about March, there's a whole bag of them in the kitchen, that bad boy was the most impressive by far though

Good catch up, and some quality shots there.

That spud looks like ours will do in a few weeks except that ours are in the ground! Nice take on the topic though.

The macro shot is very good. Was thinking of getting a 100mm macro and a set of extension tubes myself.... If you're wondering why you only have 1p left, the answer is in your description of the shot

Finally, I really like Stare. I've been thinking about doing one of these half face portraits for a while. Don't have any willing models unfortunately, so self-portrait might be the way to go. You have a really good focus and some nice lighting going on there. Care to share the setup and camera details?

Ian.

I know I know, the spud is rank, we're students, it's allowed . Haha, the macro lens I bought last year when my loan had just come in, I'm still paying the price! I love it, I don't use it enough, but when I do I'm always surprised by just how good it is!

'Stare' was surprisingly easy! Mine's a self-portrait too, I shot it tethered on a mini tripod right in front of my computer screen so I could see what I was doing. 50D with Tamron 17-50, set at f/2.8. Flash on top, I think pointing right at me, and took the shot. The original photo is as dull as ditchwater, the white balance is terrible, composition shoddy, just a mess really!

Processing was a crop, obviously (I got my whole face in the original shot, cropping is much easier than wishing I had more of me in the photo). Sorted out the white balance, and made it a little cool I think. Then followed the tutorial for 'make those eyes pop' on here, and desaturated the rest of my face slightly. Give it a go, it's good fun!

Chris

 

[Harlequin565]

I shot it tethered on a mini tripod right in front of my computer screen so I could see what I was doing.

I may the only one realising this, but this, sir, is genius.

Without derailing the thread (i.e. PM me if you feel like it) how does one shoot tethered? Do I need to install something that came with the camera? (I also have a 50D)

Ian.

 

[Sonial]

Wow love your last two Chris!! Excellent Macro for Single and I really love the crop and processing for Stare! Must be handy having such a good looking model to hand all the time

 

[Tracer]

Stare is very good - I like the crop and the processing. Ideally I'd like it without the blob of shadow behind your left shoulder, but that is a minor niggle.

 

[chris321]

I may the only one realising this, but this, sir, is genius.

Without derailing the thread (i.e. PM me if you feel like it) how does one shoot tethered? Do I need to install something that came with the camera? (I also have a 50D)

Ian.

You plug your camera in via USB, go to 'EOS Utility' (it came with the camera, free unlike Nikon :razz: ), and select 'remote shooting'! Have fun with it!

Wow love your last two Chris!! Excellent Macro for Single and I really love the crop and processing for Stare! Must be handy having such a good looking model to hand all the time

Cheeky

Stare is very good - I like the crop and the processing. Ideally I'd like it without the blob of shadow behind your left shoulder, but that is a minor niggle.

Thanks a lot! I've just noticed that blob, now I can't stop looking at it! Grrrr, typical, I never watch my backgrounds, EVER! Cheers for pointing it out

Chris

 

[chris321]

Week 17 - "Peace"



I had the pleasure of shooting Nick Clegg this week!

This was taken during him talking about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his plans for PEACE, and thought there would be no chance of it being similar to other people's entries for the week!

 

[The23rdman]

Of the three your stare shot stands out, Chris. You've captured just the teensiest hint of humour (or at least that's what I pick up) and the composition works just great.

 

[The23rdman]

Your shot of Nick Clegg is just excellent. I just hope he does the right thing!

 

[chris321]

Of the three your stare shot stands out, Chris. You've captured just the teensiest hint of humour (or at least that's what I pick up) and the composition works just great.

Well I was trying to look serious, but when you're contorting yourself so you can look at a camera, the screen behind it, use a mouse, and with no glasses so you can't see anything, it's hard not to laugh at yourself a little

Your shot of Nick Clegg is just excellent. I just hope he does the right thing!

Thanks a lot! I won't comment on the politics, but it was good experience, press photography is cut-throat!!

Chris

 

[SarahLee]

Lost track of this one sorry Chris . . . I tend to search through for those with the current week's theme, so I haven't picked up on this for a couple of weeks.

Some genuinely great shots there though.

Shoot : Bang on theme, very well executed and made me smile.
I'm rubbish at white backgrounds, so I'm impressed that you pulled this off - agree with your self crit on the shadow though.

Single : Despite your comments about PP, this really doesn't look overdone at all. In fact I would have guessed that there was very little PP involved.
Just a lovely, sharp macro

Stare : Beautiful crisp portrait, but it's that crop that makes it for me. Yes, it's slightly uncomfortable but that hint of a smile stops it being intimidating.
I'm not a huge portrait fan, but I like this a lot.

Peace : Shooting politicians eh? I'm sure there are plenty that would like to indulge in that
Definitely a unique take on the theme and another well executed shot.
Was this for your student newspaper or something? It's definitely one of those opportunities that not many of us will ever get.

 

[chris321]

Lost track of this one sorry Chris . . . I tend to search through for those with the current week's theme, so I haven't picked up on this for a couple of weeks.

Some genuinely great shots there though.

Shoot : Bang on theme, very well executed and made me smile.
I'm rubbish at white backgrounds, so I'm impressed that you pulled this off - agree with your self crit on the shadow though.

Single : Despite your comments about PP, this really doesn't look overdone at all. In fact I would have guessed that there was very little PP involved.
Just a lovely, sharp macro

Stare : Beautiful crisp portrait, but it's that crop that makes it for me. Yes, it's slightly uncomfortable but that hint of a smile stops it being intimidating.
I'm not a huge portrait fan, but I like this a lot.

Peace : Shooting politicians eh? I'm sure there are plenty that would like to indulge in that
Definitely a unique take on the theme and another well executed shot.
Was this for your student newspaper or something? It's definitely one of those opportunities that not many of us will ever get.

No need to apologise, I'm behind on commenting on other people's too!

Thanks for your kind words! Yep, Nick Clegg came to my uni and I covered it, it was pretty daunting rubbing shoulders with the seasoned pros, but really good experience nonetheless. And I never thought he'd become deputy Prime Minister, but it makes me even happier I got it now! It was a bit of a hassle getting to shoot the event, but thought it was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime thing..... Thanks again, I'll drop in your 52 soon I promise

Chris

 

[jgs001]

Well done Chris, it's a great shot of Mr Clegg, and I bet that was some experience shooting that.

 

[chris321]

Well done Chris, it's a great shot of Mr Clegg, and I bet that was some experience shooting that.

Thanks a lot! It was an experience I won't be forgetting any time soon, great fun but I don't know if I could be a press photographer full-time!

Big update coming.....

Chris

 

[chris321]

Week 18 - "Indulgence"



Revision has started in earnest now! Which means demolishing entire packets of things that are bad for me, lots and lots of late nights, and minimal time for photography
I wanted to play more with white backgrounds, and thought I’d use my last 2 fruit pastilles as models.... I’d have liked some more contrasting colours, but I got a bit carried away and these were the only ones I had left.

 

[chris321]

Week 19 - "Ingredients"



Well, there’s no food in the house so I’m having to think out of the box! So these are my ‘revision ingredients’ (LAME ). How else can spend hours making colour coded notes in an effort not to actually have to learn anything?!

 

[chris321]

Week 20 - "Stop"



Hammer Time

 

[chris321]

Week 21 - "Isolation"



As you can see, exams are now over. Which means my attempts each week can hopefully move away from a macro shot of whatever happens to me on my desk and start being a little more creative! I had this idea in my head, but wasn’t really sure how to do it. Ideally I’d have used a nasty looking corridor or something, but I couldn’t find one so my room had to do. Used a home-made snoot (I think that’s what they’re called anyway?) from a piece of A4 paper and some trial and error. Though I’d desaturate it a little to make it seem more miserable, but it’s had the result of making it look like selective colouring as there’s not much else colourful in the shot. Comments/criticism greatly appreciated on this one!

 

[jgs001]

I hope the exams all went well Chris

Shame as you say on the colours of the pastilles left... but then I guess you were indulging yourself ... The background has worked as you wanted, but I think the pastilles are probably a bit small in the frame...

Ingredients, I like that, the colours and the fade to oof... nice

I'm not getting stop... sorry... as a shot though, it's clear, the composition works well. The reflections look a bit bright, but you know, it works and I like it.

Isolation, aha, someone else who made a snoot for the theme ... The desat works nicely on it, and the lighting also works well... I'm not 100% taken by the composition, but I can't think of how to have made it better... I wonder if not looking at the camera would have made it feel more isolated too..

 

[chris321]

I hope the exams all went well Chris

Thanks! Better than expected actually, a few of them should have been disastrous but weren't!

Shame as you say on the colours of the pastilles left... but then I guess you were indulging yourself ... The background has worked as you wanted, but I think the pastilles are probably a bit small in the frame...

Most of my emphasis was on the lighting, so composition took a bit of a nose-dive! I have a few where they fill up more of the frame, but I wasn't so keen.

Ingredients, I like that, the colours and the fade to oof... nice

I'm not getting stop... sorry... as a shot though, it's clear, the composition works well. The reflections look a bit bright, but you know, it works and I like it.

Oh come on, I was only 1 year old at the time of release but I still know the song !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo (go to 2:06 ish, or a few seconds earlier if you want to learn how to dance too )! May not be safe for work, plenty of gyrating and lycra?!

Isolation, aha, someone else who made a snoot for the theme ... The desat works nicely on it, and the lighting also works well... I'm not 100% taken by the composition, but I can't think of how to have made it better... I wonder if not looking at the camera would have made it feel more isolated too..

I did try a few not looking at the camera, but I quite liked the tiny catchlights (that you can't actually see in the small version). Composition wasn't really changeable, to the right of the shot is my washing bin and drying rack, and to the left my door, some cupboards etc. I'd zoomed out as much as possible, but I just didn't have enough room for much else unfortunately!

Thanks for taking the time

Chris

 

[jgs001]

Oh come on, I was only 1 year old at the time of release but I still know the song !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo (go to 2:06 ish, or a few seconds earlier if you want to learn how to dance too )! May not be safe for work, plenty of gyrating and lycra?!

Nope... still not really getting it ... I only ever heard this when it was inflicted on me by others or the radio.... I never saw the video... I'll try and watch the utube clip later...

 

[chris321]

Nope... still not really getting it ... I only ever heard this when it was inflicted on me by others or the radio.... I never saw the video... I'll try and watch the utube clip later...

I hope you were sufficiently entertained

I'm back from touring the country now, so time to crack on with my slightly belated entries!

 

[SarahLee]

Hi Chris,
Huge catch up time from me.

Indulgence : I can definitely relate to the eating / studying thing.
Good shot with a good clean background and the sweets look nice and sharp.
But I would have liked to see them larger in the frame and with a bit more variation in colour as John said.

Ingredients : Vibrant, nice composition and good DoF. Personally I'd have lost the pink - I think the spectrum of colours looks better starting at red, but that's being a bit fussy really.


Stop . . .

Oh come on, I was only 1 year old at the time of release but I still know the song !

. . . please don't say things like that. You're making me feel really old :shake:


Isolation : I get your point about a nasty looking corridor, but this works very well as is.
I find SPs very difficult so 10/10 for that.
The lighting and desat really suit it too. In fact I like this a lot.

Good to hear that the exams went better than expected
Just the long wait for the results now. Try to forget about it and enjoy your summer. . . and get catching up with this 52

 

[chris321]

Wow, thanks so much for taking all that time

. . . please don't say things like that. You're making me feel really old :shake:

Haha, sorry, not intentional I promise!

Isolation : I get your point about a nasty looking corridor, but this works very well as is.
I find SPs very difficult so 10/10 for that.
The lighting and desat really suit it too. In fact I like this a lot.

Thanks, that really means a lot! I'm trying to do new things, and move out of my comfort zone, so to be told that someone likes my experiments is really appreciated

Good to hear that the exams went better than expected
Just the long wait for the results now. Try to forget about it and enjoy your summer. . .

Thanks! Not a long wait at all, 7 days to go........

and get catching up with this 52

If you insist .....

 

[chris321]

Week 22 - "Quality"




This was taken at my first cricket match, and was apparently a 'quality' pull shot!

I felt a little limited at times, only having a 200mm lens which meant I struggled with length, but with a bit of cropping, wonders can be achieved!