The TP 52 - 2025 Cuthbert's 52 for 2025

A good start and nice use of the gradiated background vs the subject :)
Nicely

Could I ask that you put the week and title (and tech is appropriate) on the main thread too going forward, as that makes it easier to keep the records up to date (not a problem on week 1, but later on with different weeks being interspersed it really helps).
 
Ah sorry about that, done!
 
Nice shot, I like the concept and the execution.
 
Love the background effect you've achieved there.
 
I like that.

My only (hopefully constructive) critique would be that it feels odd to have if off-centre in a shot like this. I think I'd have either made it more off-centre and put it on a third or angled it.

But probably I'd have cropped it so it was bang-on in the middle.
 
Hello Kell, thank you, yes, it did annoy me I didn't get it dead centre, despite lining up the middle of the fork handle with the centre focus point... now the reason is the space i did my photo in was very tight so I was literally laying with my face on the carpet with a soft box behind me to get the shot and I didn't quite get it lined up. But, I didn't want to crop it because I didn't want to alter the size as that was exactly what I wanted, so really, what I needed to do is move the canvas and content fill the gap to balance the composition, which I have gone back and done.
 

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Adamcski said:
Your chosen image is fantastic.
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ncf15 said:
Agree nice composition and looks cold
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Thank you! We’ve been spoilt here in east anglia - a beautiful frost covering every surface- everywhere i pointed the camera it turned ordinary scenery you wouldn’t even look twice at into something quite magical. I walked 8 miles snapping away today, had to make the most of it!
 
A good set, but I really love your chosen shot. Great composition!

Shame about the drain brush, but there was nothing you could do about that.
 
A nice selection for cold :)
 
Boots said:
Shame about the drain brush, but there was nothing you could do about that.
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You know, just a couple of years ago I wouldn't have even taken that pic.

Something happened in my own photographer journey that really hit me. It was actually my daughters leaving presentation at primary school - the school asked for 10 pics of her growing up. I sent in my 10 favourite pics. They were all ones that I was proud of - exactly what I intended to create at the time I took them - you could describe them as '"perfect" within my own framework of evaluation - and technically - they were better than every other photo in the presentation sent in by the other parents (which were all mobile phone pics, blurry, wonky, smudges on the lens, background full dirty washing etc) - but none of mine got a single ooo, ahh or laugh. Their photos, captured real moments in time, with all their imperfections. And it made think - why am I doing this? Am I trying to create a million images that are perfect within some measurement? and if so, why?

There is a place for both of these streams, of course - real moments, flawed, and those manufactured with a kind of intent to create perfection.

I looked a photographs by Martin Parr and also other street photographers photographing messy scenes near bins and I just didn't get it.

And then, I did.

I am at peace with imperfection, I seek it out. I hope that one day I can master the craft of capturing imperfection, perfectly. I'm really looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone with this challenge - and gaining inspiration from all the other contributions.
 
The food shot is so striking - amazing effect!!

All your cold shots are beautiful and the boat is really stunning - I love the angle, the light and i think the utilitarian bits onbaord are a great contrast to the beauty of the rest of the shot
 
The boat just made me shiver!

You’re so right about not every picture needing to be perfect, but every picture has to capture the moment.
 
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A lovely set of cold pics and I think you've chosen well for the theme. I rather like the fourth too.
 
Great shot, but your second shot of the ones that didn't "make the cut" is a belter. Maybe the lone pine could be a bit further to the right?
 
Love your chosen shot - great composition and it looks stupidly cold!
 
Great shots Mark, I really like the one you've chosen but the "lone pine" shot really caught my eye as well.

Love the compositions of all the shots
 
Rusty Bucyrus by Sparkling Pictures, on Flickr

Thorny path by Sparkling Pictures, on Flickr

I first discovered this old abandoned crane a couple of years back and remembered all the interesting graffiti would be perfect for this challenge, but today, it's very hard to get to and some of the most interesting parts of it visually are now inaccessible.

As you can see from the other pic, it's surrounded by gorse and even when you try to tread it out of the way, it jumps up and gives you a spiking so I couldn't quite get in the right place. Also didn't help the light was so dull - it would have looked much better if there were some shadows, but that's January weather for you, but I like how the pic turned out - and I love how mother nature has taken the crane back.
 
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I like the shot and the backstory, too bad that the graffiti wasn't more visible. It was the same with mine. Some of the most interesting parts were inaccessible due to blackberry bushes.
 
Shame about the sky, but I like the first shot very much and the moody processing adds to it.
 
Well that's a cool thing.
New battery and a bit of tinkering and it'll start ;)

The close in shot is obviously the better one, but the other shot places it in the environment, which is interesting too.
 
Thank you everyone for your kind comments-

Darkslinger said:
I like the shot and the backstory, too bad that the graffiti wasn't more visible. It was the same with mine. Some of the most interesting parts were inaccessible due to blackberry bushes.
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I double checked and I last went here in August 2023, so in that time it's completely over grown with gorse - back then, I would have been able to frame it so the graffiti was more dominant in the frame and that side closer to the camera - but as you can see from the wide shot, that area is covered now.

The photo was taken at Roydon Common, and this crane is behind a gate that is fenced off from the public (you used to be able to walk it, but the notice says it's now 'too dangerous' - I took my chances - but because of this, the area isn't maintained.

I can't find out any more information about why that was left -I assume it was too complicated to remove, but it still does seem to be leaking oil or something- around the base I could see the bog had all the oily rainbowing on the surface.

Shugpug said:
Shame about the sky, but I like the first shot very much and the moody processing adds to it.
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Yep, really dull, dreary weather all day. Forecast, initially said that there would be a bit of sun later which I timed my visit for, but that never appeared. I can live with the white sky, but it's the lack of late afternoon winter sun that would have really helped give it the pop and separate all the layers of gorse, there are also some trees around it which would have given some lovely dappled light on it, but alas not when I was there.

Boots said:
Interesting shot, well found!
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thank you - I didn't want something that was all urban, i wanted some kind of contrast to set it apart. Sadly, a lot of interesting things like this have become a lot harder to get to.

Boots said:
Good picture and interesting location.
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Thank you!

LC2 said:
Well that's a cool thing.
New battery and a bit of tinkering and it'll start ;)

The close in shot is obviously the better one, but the other shot places it in the environment, which is interesting too.
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It really is - inside it - and I did climb inside the cab - a lot of it still remains fairly in tact, but I love how nature has taken it back - back part, just inside the little window that you can see in the shot, there was there little boxed out section that would have perhaps been used for storage originally, is full of what appear to be mouse heads and little bones, and other bits that look like it's also the home to an owl. When I'm out that way again, I will re-revisit in the better weather I will try and grab the shot I actually wanted to before it becomes totally inaccessible.
 
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BobBCN said:
Great shot, but your second shot of the ones that didn't "make the cut" is a belter. Maybe the lone pine could be a bit further to the right?
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I did actually take a better balanced shot of that tree, but I needed to clone out some foreground bushes that intersected the path and some other bits bottom left that made it look a bit distracting so I did go with the one that I didn't need to edit - I have swapped that one out and as you can see it does visually flow a bit better.
 
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