Darkslinger's 52 Week Challenge - 2022

[NickD]

The Zumba shots are great, the reflections work really well.

I love the bike shot though. The added interest of the face in the mirror and the little model bicycle in the window really add to it.

 

[Simonbrown16]

You’ve captured a great picture she looks like she’s having a great time! I like the lower angle too. The other pictures are good as well and your reasoning for not using them makes sense.

 

[Darkslinger]

I really like the reflections in the dance shots.
If the theme was "seating" then that chair would be a fantastic shot. It's quirky.
Wonderful expression in the last image.

Thanks Donal, the chair in the plaza really grabbed my attention and I probably took 30 or 40 shots of it from different angles. Having the skateboarders to add interest was just a bonus.

The Zumba images are great, I like the way you've used the reflection in the puddle. I also like the bicycle image, but agree that the skateboarders image seems to be more about the chair. Nice set all round.

Thanks Jim, Sunday was miserable and I was soaked through. The stage was in an area that wouldn't allow me to walk around and shoot from different angles (as I usually would) so I was almost forced to be where I ended up being...on my knees, kneeling in a puddle with my camera hand mostly resting on the edge of the stage.

I had scouted the stage earlier and had hoped to be able to use the puddle that was at the front end so I guess everything turned out in the end.

Zumba images are all great.

Can't explain why, but I sort of prefer the one with the girl in the rainbow-striped leggings.

Having said that, I do like the expression on the face of your chosen performer.

LOL, that was the only one that I cheated on! I used a digital graduated filter in LightRoom and booted the clarity and the saturation in the reflection to bring out the coloured stripe in her tights.

Great idea and the reflections add to the interest.
You've captured her intensity very well.

Thanks Peter!

The Zumba shots are great, the reflections work really well.

I love the bike shot though. The added interest of the face in the mirror and the little model bicycle in the window really add to it.

Thanks Nick, I had seen the face in the mirror but I didn't even see the little bike in the window. I was more focused in the Portuguese Consular sign.

You’ve captured a great picture she looks like she’s having a great time! I like the lower angle too. The other pictures are good as well and your reasoning for not using them makes sense.

Thanks Simon, I appreciate your comments!

 

[SimonH]

All nice images Bill, but so much energy in the dance shots

 

[Darkslinger]

All nice images Bill, but so much energy in the dance shots

Thanks Simon, the Zumba performers all give me good images. I probably took in excess of 1,000 shots. I'll edit about 200 of them and give them to the performers to use however they see fit (my way of giving back for allowing me to pursue my hobby)

 

[Cloudforest]

Great set Bill and I really like the bike shot. The Zumba one you’ve chosen though, is full of action and works wonderfully for the theme.

 

[Fuji Dave]

Great set of images really like them all.

 

[Bebop]

I enjoyed seeing all of these. My faves are the one you chose and the 3rd one. Agree about the red chair - might make a nice shot on its own.

Loving the colours and you've captured the energy well.

 

[Darkslinger]

Great set Bill and I really like the bike shot. The Zumba one you’ve chosen though, is full of action and works wonderfully for the theme.

Thanks Pete.

Great set of images really like them all.

Thank you Dave.

I enjoyed seeing all of these. My faves are the one you chose and the 3rd one. Agree about the red chair - might make a nice shot on its own.

Loving the colours and you've captured the energy well.

Thanks Bebop, I used a different preset than I usually use but liked how it de-emphasized some colours but made other colours just pop!

 

[Scots_quine]

Super shot catching the dancer off the ground and with a fantastic expression.

 

[Darkslinger]

Super shot catching the dancer off the ground and with a fantastic expression.

Thanks Scot, that's the beauty of digital cameras with the ability to take a 1,000 plus shots of a 20 minute performance...I'm usually able to at least one shot that has a bit of WOW factor...

 

[Darkslinger]

Week #20 - Parallel (and tech)

Went for a walk along False Creek last night looking for all things parallel (and monotone).
The first thing that grabbed my attention was this row of rental bikes and parked parallel to one-another


I got to the old Expo site and thought that this made a good image with the old flagpoles standing parallel to each other and the leading lines of parallel bricks pointing to he parallel lines of the building (with the biker thrown in for as a bonus).


I got to Robson Square (a favourite place to shoot) and thought aha! This art installation would work as both parallel and monotone:



But, kept going because I knew that the other art installation might work as well, especially when coupled with some ICM:



As I was taking this shot, I noticed this young man sitting on the steps of the Art Gallery and thought that made a good shot with the parallel lines of the steps leading the viewer to the subject:


But ultimately I went with this close-up shot of the Vancouver House because of the abstract nature of the image with the short parallel lines. It required very little PP as it already had a slight blue hue to the building. I boosted the blues slightly and desaturated a couple of spots that were showing an orange cast:

 

[rpn]

Nice set of shots with plenty of parallel themes. You are spot-on to pick the last one for your main image. Very abstract with good viewpoint.

 

[Darkslinger]

Nice set of shots with plenty of parallel themes. You are spot-on to pick the last one for your main image. Very abstract with good viewpoint.

Thanks Stan.

 

[inView]

Some lovely shots there, love the Robson Square art installation but your chosen pic has a nice quality to it

 

[Darkslinger]

Some lovely shots there, love the Robson Square art installation but your chosen pic has a nice quality to it

Thanks Scott, to be honest my favourite shot is the one of the young man sitting on the steps of the art gallery.

 

[Don153]

The last one would be my choice. I want to be able to take photos like that.
I also like the red one a lot.

 

[Darkslinger]

The last one would be my choice. I want to be able to take photos like that.
I also like the red one a lot.

Thanks Donal, I'm lucky to have a some exceptional building to shoot. Just keep trying to see things in different ways. I did shoot the image wider, knowing fully well that I wanted space to crop it a different ways. I taken a number of images of this building as it's always presenting me with new things. I took this one as I was walking below it:

 

[-Oy-]

Good set you have there. The rted one would have been my choice for theme and tech.

 

[Darkslinger]

Good set you have there. The rted one would have been my choice for theme and tech.

Thanks Dave, I was considering it.

 

[wornish]

Great set. The last one is my favourite.

 

[Darkslinger]

Great set. The last one is my favourite.

Thanks David!

 

[Cloudforest]

Lovely set Bill. I really like the one you’ve chosen and the way you’ve processed it.

 

[Darkslinger]

Lovely set Bill. I really like the one you’ve chosen and the way you’ve processed it.

Thanks Pete!

 

[Peter123]

A image with impact. Well processed. I agree you made the right choice.

 

[Darkslinger]

A image with impact. Well processed. I agree you made the right choice.

Thank you Peter!

 

[SimonH]

Cracking set Bill. Any would fit the bill nicely, but I'm drawn to No.4 with the ICM (odd because I'm not usually a fan of ICM, but this shot works really well with it).

 

[Darkslinger]

Thanks Simon, glad to see that I'm slowly converting you to the world of ICM Once you start to like it, there's no turning back

 

[seaodyssey]

All very good for the theme Bill and I relly like the Steps shot.

Pete

 

[Darkslinger]

All very good for the theme Bill and I relly like the Steps shot.

Pete

Thanks Pete, that really is my favourite of the set.

 

[Darkslinger]

Week #21 - Metal (not heavy... )

I decided to keep things simple and try for some close-up shots of metal subjects in my neighbourhood. So with that in mind I ventured out with the dogs to see what I could see.

This is just the back of a street sign:


As I got to the mall I saw this bike rack and thought that this made a good image with the young man waking past in the frame:


Walking down the boulevard, I spotted this aluminum can sitting on top of a metal trash receptacle:


I got to city hall and saw these metal posts next to the reflecting pool. I liked the image after I processed it and really struggled between it and the one I posted:


And then there were more bike racks:


Right behind these bike racks was this window and I could see the metal table leg and the metal base to the rolling chair. I liked the colours and reflections:


That was the end of my walk but I was at a different location the next day and saw this art installation of a rusty front-end loader and thought that these to close-up shots were kind of cool:

The back of the seat:


The interpretation of gear shifters:

 

[Simonbrown16]

Quite enjoyed reading about your walk, you had plenty of good pictures to chose from and I think you picked the right one. Simple is best in this case. Would your submitted picture not meet the tech. too unless I’m interpreting the tech incorrectly.

 

[Darkslinger]

Quite enjoyed reading about your walk, you had plenty of good pictures to chose from and I think you picked the right one. Simple is best in this case. Would your submitted picture not meet the tech. too unless I’m interpreting the tech incorrectly.

Thanks Simon, yes it would meet the tech but I've already submitted a tech shot (last week). I appreciate your comments.

 

[Fuji Dave]

Well you got some very cool shots there Bill, liking the bike racks shot the most but all are bang on nicely.

 

[SimonH]

A nice selection of shots Bill. I like the circular bike racks, but love the reflection of the metal poles in the water

 

[NickD]

The circular bike rack shot is lovely, but I really like the low shot of the rack with the figure walking by.

 

[Cloudforest]

Well Bill, you’ve come up with yet another series of very different shots. My favourite is the one of the metal posts reflecting in the pool and I really like the processing on it. I really like the front loader pics too.

 

[Peter123]

Lots of metal and all good Bill.
My choice is the second, I like a sense of scale.

 

[Darkslinger]

Well you got some very cool shots there Bill, liking the bike racks shot the most but all are bang on nicely.

Thanks Dave.

A nice selection of shots Bill. I like the circular bike racks, but love the reflection of the metal poles in the water

Thanks Simon, I really liked that shot as well and almost used it as my chosen shot.

The circular bike rack shot is lovely, but I really like the low shot of the rack with the figure walking by.

Thanks Nick, I always like having some other movement or interest in a street shot. I was lucky that the person happened to walk by at that time.

Well Bill, you’ve come up with yet another series of very different shots. My favourite is the one of the metal posts reflecting in the pool and I really like the processing on it. I really like the front loader pics too.

Thanks Pete, the front end loader shots were interesting. The art installation itself is huge but I thought that trying to get some close-ups of texture and patina might make for interesting images. They just didn't end up capturing what I was going for in my mind. I think that the next time I'm in the area I'll try again.

Lots of metal and all good Bill.
My choice is the second, I like a sense of scale.

Thanks Pete!

 

[catclick]

My favourite is the bike racks - lovely