weekly Dark Star's 52 '09ers: Week 16/17 Poverty/Self

jeangenie said:
Nicely composed, John - I like the red b/g and the dof. Each item gets a fair share of attention, but somehow they don't compete to outdo each other.

I good take on the theme, too - very individual.

Jean
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Thanks so much Jean :)

michael23 said:
quitelike that too, the red back ground sets it off very nicely.
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Ta Michael!

jgs001 said:
Spot on... great idea John... love the way the medallion takes centre stage (in the dof kind of way )... the others sit very nicely and complement it though. A very personal Identity
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Thanks John that was my aim really to get the medal as the in focus subject - I seem to have succeeded :)

Bruja said:
I seem to remember you shooting some BS memorabilia first time aroud but maybe it was for a different theme :shrug:

As ever you have done it justice :clap:
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Thanks Jill - as Sarah says below it was jackets from the aborted 2010 52!

SarahLee said:
iirc it was a jacket that you shot for 2009 :thinking:
I love seeing this stuff though, and if your boy ever contemplates getting rid of or selling it, tell him a firm "no" and store it away safely. It's stuff that he'll really treasure in years to come.

Lovely shot, strong composition and great colours. My only niggle, if you can even call it that, is that the oof herringbone pattern on the cap is playing havoc with my eyes :lol:

:thumbs: for fresh start too. That's a typical John style shot and you've carried it off well.
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Thanks Sarah - spot on re the jackets! Sorry 'bout the cap lol!

'Typical John' well I guess its nice to be identified by a style :)

Miss Cupcake said:
Catching up....
Fresh start. Great shot.....so simple. Love the way the showerhead fills the frame. Blown bit though, you can sort that out!
Identity. Good idea and well executed. nicely filling the frame too. Vibrant, sharp
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Cheers Miss C - in fact I had toned down that shine...may be not enough!

Toothie said:
Fits the theme nicely and things stand out nicely against the red :)
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Thanks Ruth :)
 
Simple....I'm behind as ever

I think this is simple - bloody hard to balance one on top of t'other though :)

Simple

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You'll get Jill and Jean telling you off if you're not careful :rules:... :D...

It's a very simple image, simple composition and I love it... the stones textures have come through superbly, and if Contrast comes out... it'd fit that perfectly too a big :thumbs:

I'm not sure something as hard as balancing too curved objects on top of each other can be technically described as simple mind you :D...
 
jgs001 said:
You'll get Jill and Jean telling you off if you're not careful :rules:... :D...

It's a very simple image, simple composition and I love it... the stones textures have come through superbly, and if Contrast comes out... it'd fit that perfectly too a big :thumbs:

I'm not sure something as hard as balancing too curved objects on top of each other can be technically described as simple mind you :D...
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Thank you so much John....I cheated slightly (no cut and paste though what you see is what is was!)

I owe comments all over - I'll catch up with yours soon! :)
 
jgs001 said:
You'll get Jill and Jean telling you off if you're not careful :rules:... :D...
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Indeed you will! :rules: :bat: :bat: (That's Jill and me, in case you're wondering.)

This is stunning! Of all the pebbles in all the world - you've chosen two that look perfect together. :love: Composition, colour, lighting - everything - f a n t a s t i c !!

:clap::clap::clap:

Jean
 
Well....what can I say! Really great shot fitting the theme perfectly. How exactly did you do it then? what was the set up
 
Jean and Miss C....what can I say but thank you :)

Of the shots I've taken this year this is definitely the one I am most pleased with and once again my thanks to Jill for giving me the kick in the arse I needed to get this 52 revisited going again

My creative juices are flowing again :D

Miss C the set up was simple - a light box (home made - with a length of white card running from the base upon which the stones sit curving up behind them to provide a 'seamless' background.

The lighting was from an anglepoise lamp directly above the stones filtered through tracing paper to soften it a little but to still retain some shadow.

Shot using the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro tripod mounted.

I used a little bit of E45 cream (of all things) to persuade the top stone to stay put :)

And voila....there is the shot :) I took about 6 in all changing the height of the camera and switching between Landscape and Portrait but that was the version that worked for me in the end :)
 
I don't know where this rumour has come from suggesting I go around threatening people :boxer::annoyed: :whistling:


Simple is as simple does and this does the job brilliantly. Well composed and has been said the two pebbles are perfect for this shot. The sort of relaxing canvas you see on the wall of a therapy room :thumbs:

Not get your finger out and show some Passion for Linear :rules: :bat:

PS - yet another use for E45 :naughty:
 
I'd never have thought E45 would be sufficiently sticky to hold two stones like this ... you learn something everyday :D... I'd been expecting something like Bluetack or similar.

:lol: @ Jill's comments..
 
Bruja said:
I don't know where this rumour has come from suggesting I go around threatening people :boxer::annoyed: :whistling:


Simple is as simple does and this does the job brilliantly. Well composed and has been said the two pebbles are perfect for this shot. The sort of relaxing canvas you see on the wall of a therapy room :thumbs:

Not get your finger out and show some Passion for Linear

PS - yet another use for E45 :naughty:
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Thanks so much Jill :) That canvas image is what I have too :) Zen! :D

jgs001 said:
I'd never have thought E45 would be sufficiently sticky to hold two stones like this ... you learn something everyday :D... I'd been expecting something like Bluetack or similar.

:lol: @ Jill's comments..
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Well it just provided a bit of necessary grip John :) Blu-tack might have been wiser :)
 
Linear

Well this is one of two I shot....Linear? Well its a line :)

Its been an odd week or two and this is the best I could manage :)

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And Passion....

A night in Soho....well an evening wander at least and I found this...some kind of Passion there I think :)

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John - first of all, very well done for keeping up with this 52 at the moment.

Wk 8 Linear: A classic DS shot - simple, but brilliantly executed. I love it. Good to see your whites are Persil white! ;):D

Wk 9 Passion: Good take on the theme, and you've kept the neon light nicely under control. It's a pity about the road works on the corner, but out of your control, so you're excused. :) :thumbs:

Jean
 
I agree with Jean, well done for keeping going and dishing out the themes too.

Linear ... a classic DS DOF shot ... spot on for the theme too.

Passion .. As Jean said, well controlled lighting, I rather like the reflection of the neon on the backplate, and I reckon it fits the theme well.
 
Definitely shouts Passion (or Lust :naughty:) to me.

Not much more to say that hasn't already been said other than have you tried a crop to get rid of the roadworks that are lurking there.
 
jeangenie said:
John - first of all, very well done for keeping up with this 52 at the moment.

Wk 8 Linear: A classic DS shot - simple, but brilliantly executed. I love it. Good to see your whites are Persil white! ;):D

Wk 9 Passion: Good take on the theme, and you've kept the neon light nicely under control. It's a pity about the road works on the corner, but out of your control, so you're excused. :) :thumbs:

Jean
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Thanks Jean...I kind of think the roadworks add to the general seediness, busy-ness, ordinariness of the scene the 'shop of naughty stuff' smack in the middle :) Glad you like Linear too :)


jgs001 said:
I agree with Jean, well done for keeping going and dishing out the themes too.

Linear ... a classic DS DOF shot ... spot on for the theme too.

Passion .. As Jean said, well controlled lighting, I rather like the reflection of the neon on the backplate, and I reckon it fits the theme well.
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Ta John..'A Classic DS shot' praise indeed - once upon a time that would have been a HDR architecture shot :)

Bruja said:
Definitely shouts Passion (or Lust :naughty:) to me.

Not much more to say that hasn't already been said other than have you tried a crop to get rid of the roadworks that are lurking there.
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Yeah its more lust than passion I suppose Jill....for reasons above I didn't trim it up :) Thanks for the comments :)

We seem to be dropping members like flies :) the hard core left I see :D
 
And here's Hands...taken on a recent London walkabout at Covent Garden with my trusty Canon 70-200 f2.8

Hope you like it :)

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Clear, Clean, Sharp, well composed and spot on for the theme... Good job John.
 
John, Michael, Jean thanks very much - I am sooo behind!

Anyway here is reflection...I had a few goes at this but time has been against me!

Hope this doesn't mess with your heads too much :)

Reflection

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Excellent... and head messy... now I've got my eye tuned in, it's clear... I like it. Very nicely done.
 
Emotion....I was naively trying to get a 'teardrop' harder than you imagine :) We used contact lens solution...best I got was a wet eye :) But time is against me and, well, you get the gist :)

The model is my very patient daughter April :)

Emotion

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Spot on focus, spot on composition. Superb eye shot. Just enough wetness to get the intent across, so on theme to. Very nicely done. I bet a teardrop was really hard to catch.
 
Thanks Mike and John...I'm lagging badly this year! Eeek

This shot for Out Of Context was not staged....I bought the Peace sign for 50p with a view for using it for Doom and Gloom (sticking in a rubbish bin or similar :) ) however it was idea I binned rather than the Peace sign. And I saw it last week just placed in front of the books like that...naturally out of context. The books by the way are a terrific partwork published throughout the Second World War and collected and bound by my Dad and Grandad - a fascibating read.

Out Of Context

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I thought this might be for History when I saw it on Flickr John, but the Peace sign puzzled me :).

It works for the theme, and I think it's a great idea, love the textures in those old books.

One minor thing, and I'm not sure how it's happened, but the text on the top edge of Volumes 1 and 2 and sharp, but the Volume at the bottom is not, yet it is on 10... and actually on 10, the text doesn't look quite so sharp... how did you do that ?? I was gonna say, I think they should all be sharp... given the top to bottom... (oh... f/2 on a 50...)
 
jgs001 said:
I thought this might be for History when I saw it on Flickr John, but the Peace sign puzzled me :).

It works for the theme, and I think it's a great idea, love the textures in those old books.

One minor thing, and I'm not sure how it's happened, but the text on the top edge of Volumes 1 and 2 and sharp, but the Volume at the bottom is not, yet it is on 10... and actually on 10, the text doesn't look quite so sharp... how did you do that ?? I was gonna say, I think they should all be sharp... given the top to bottom... (oh... f/2 on a 50...)
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Cheers John....sloppy work on my part....I've retaken, increased the depth of field and tripod mounted the camera....

Two for the porice of one here - a reshoot of OOC and History, once again indepted to my old dad who use to collect medals...these ones go back a bit :)

Out of Context (again :)

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And History

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:D... that's better... works great now.

History, An interesting little collection, nicely composed, good strong colours and sharp details, and well loved too by the look of it. The backdrop works great too (worktop ??). Bang on theme, nice one John.
 
Sorry its taken me soooo long to comment :)

Linear - Youve done pegs before :D Only just fits the theme :razz: Nice shot though and typical DS image :)

Passion - Funny eh? If youd of stayed the night there youd of bumped into me the next morning! Your shot of soho at night is great. My daytime ones were lifeless.

Hands - Fab :) and I love red in a shot. Ticks all the boxes

Reflection - Oh I love this!! And its got red too!!

Emotion - errrr, not your best. Fits the theme yes but dare I say it, its not obvious shes crying :shrug: I always find eyes shots unnerving too. Dont know why!

Out of Context - reshoot is 100% better. Nice and sharp throughout. Fits the theme :)

History - Nice medals,colour and composition
 
John, Michael, Miss C - thanks for the comments...although the last two shots of mine I am not really chuffed with, they lack invention and interest in my eyes....

John - the backdrop on the medal shot was a large tile leftover from our bathroom :) very handy!

Thanks for the catch up Miss C - no worries about being late! :) There's some red in the next shot....hope you like!
 
Complex....well this week I've been in a rainy Aberdeen at a conference for Neurosurgeons (I'm not one but my better half runs their society and is the conference organiser so I get to bag-carry and drive and take photos :))

Part of the conference is a trade exhibition and whilst getting some shots of that I came across this fellow :) Now as far as I'm concerned there's not much in this world more complex than the human brain so I'm damn sure this one's on topic :)

Complex

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Gotta agree, on topic indeed... nice DOF, works great... good shot John. Now... about that hook....
 
Was expecting to see a few more on here John!
Liking your complex shot. Fits the theme, great DOF but it kind of make me feel sick looking at it, expecially with the hook it in! LOL
 
Thanks John and Miss C - I have never been so far behind - life got in the way - but.....here I come again :) A burst of a few weeks worth :)

Poverty (week 16)

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and Self (week 17)

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Now to find the other 09'ers and makes some well overdue comments :(
 
Welcome back John... I know it's been tough, glad you got through it.

Poverty - Clear, sharp, good strong colours, and the lines and DOF work brilliantly. Excellent

Self - I see what you mean ;).. very similar, although your's has more interest with all those other reflections. nicely framed within a frame, I'm guessing that's a 70-200 f/2.8 (based on the tripod collar and barrel size) ?? I think it's a great image, the only thing that I'm not sure on, is the sleeve and watch, lower left, behind the glass.
 
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