Dave78 - 52 - Week 2 - Poetry

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Dave78

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Hi all... I'm new here (first post!) and new to photography, and i have to say this looks like a great community! The 52 idea is great, and should help keep me motivated and thinking of new ideas for the themes

Ok, here's my 'curved' attempt:





4251880541_ba016f7d06_o.jpg



Pretty boring i know, but all i could think of tonight.

One thing i learned was using Live View on my camera helped me use the manual focus much better. Looking through the viewfinder showed the image as really blurred for some reason (probably to do with the fact the lens (a canon 50mm 1.8) was at the closest i could get and still be in focus.
), and auto-focus refused to work at such close-up range.

Postprocessing-wise i lowered the contrast a bit. There seems like a bit of noise in the pic... Not sure why that is exactly

I'd appreciate any comments you might have (good or bad!)
 
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Welcome to the forum! What a start - straight in with a 52!!

A simple and interesting composition, looks a fraction soft & dark to me - both could be improved with a little tweaking!

Phil
 
Welcome to the forum :) Great place to better yourself!
I like your first entry, perhaps could of done with wiping the dust before you shot?

I came across the same problem as you earlier on this evening, the 50mm just wouldnt focus for me, so tried manual but it still looked blurred. Never thought about trying liveview. May have a play with this tomorrow.

Good luck with the rest of your 52 :thumbs: and if you are bored, feel free to check out mine ;)
 
Thanks for the welcome guys!

philthejuggler said:
A simple and interesting composition, looks a fraction soft & dark to me - both could be improved with a little tweaking!

Phil
Click to expand...
You're right, it's too dark....


4252023787_01cec5aa11_o.jpg




I turned the brightness up in photoshop, but how do i go about changing the softness? Or are they basically the same things?

mtracerz said:
perhaps could of done with wiping the dust before you shot?
Click to expand...
Yeah i thought about that (the mini-speakers were placed on top of a metallic bin), but then i thought ach just leave it there - it adds a bit of detail.
 
Dave78 said:
Thanks for the welcome guys!


You're right, it's too dark....


I turned the brightness up in photoshop, but how do i go about changing the softness? Or are they basically the same things?


Yeah i thought about that (the mini-speakers were placed on top of a metallic bin), but then i thought ach just leave it there - it adds a bit of detail.
Click to expand...


Speakers?!... I thought it was an airfreshner... :help::lol:

As for it looking soft, you will need to sharpen it a bit. Have a look through these... There isnt one good way of doing it, so have a play and see what you prefer. High pass filters are a quick and easy way of doing things.
 
Hi Dave,

Welcome to the site and to the 52.
I almost missed this one - slipped down the page :bonk:
Very nice interpretation for curved and I had no idea that they were speakers!

I agree with the comments about the dust and looking a little soft, but I won't rehash what's already been said.

Good composition and use of DOF to give it some more interest. I'm not too sure that the toning you've used really adds anything to it though. I find that those sepia type tones work better when the subject matter is aged - I'd prefer something a bit lighter for a modern subject like this.

Looking forward to seeing more from you!
 
Nice set of speakers, the second is better on lighting, but I think the colour is a little odd. I suspect that the softness, might be a slight miss on the focus, f1.8 on the nifty at point blank is a very shallow DOF. I think a quick dust would have been good... Might be worth making it Mono, increasing the brightness and contrast, and giving it a sharpen and see how it looks.
 
Dave78 said:
Hi all... I'm new here (first post!) Welcome and new to photography, and i have to say this looks like a great community! The 52 idea is great, and should help keep me motivated and thinking of new ideas for the themes

Ok, here's my 'curved' attempt:

Pretty boring i know, but all i could think of tonight.

One thing i learned was using Live View on my camera helped me use the manual focus much better. Looking through the viewfinder showed the image as really blurred for some reason (probably to do with the fact the lens (a canon 50mm 1.8) was at the closest i could get and still be in focus.
), and auto-focus refused to work at such close-up range.

Postprocessing-wise i lowered the contrast a bit. There seems like a bit of noise in the pic... Not sure why that is exactly

It's coming from the speakers BOOM BOOM! Unfortunately, this is due to your image being underexposed.

I'd appreciate any comments you might have (good or bad!)
Click to expand...

The composition is good and it's a reasonable attempt although I suspect the colour balance is way out.

These themes are all about learning so anything that you learn this week will help next week and so on, at the end of the year hopefully you will be a very competent photographer.

Quick edit, not sure how this compares with the actual scene though!

speakers.jpg
 
A very brave man - starting out in photography and with a 52!

Composition is good and good use of DOF to isolate the main subject. I am guessing the ISO is quite high as it looks a little noisy and the Nifty 50 takes a bit of getting used to the very narrow DOF.

I'm looking forward to following your 52 - it's certainly going to be a great way to see your personal improvement.


DB
 
Thanks for all the comments so far - very helpful! Though i think i still have problems with lighting in my latest 'Poetry' attempt... What do you think? Again i used the 50mm.


It's coming up to Burns Night (where we Scots celebrate our national poet Robert Burns), so i thought i'd use one of Rabbie's most famous poems: 'Address To A Haggis'! :)




davids004.jpg




Address To A Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn,
they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,
Are bent lyke drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
"Bethankit!" 'hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,
As ****less as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a haggis!
 
Interesting, a bit sepia but I guess that's on purpose from ambient light. Simple, yet not sure about the space around the table at the top. Still like it though :D

Arthur
 
I like it, the composition and DOF works well and it fits with the Poem and theme. The colour works very well with the image
 
Canned Haggis is a completely new one on me too ! :lol:

:thumbs: Lovely idea and good poem to go with it.
I like the way that you've laid it all out and the warm, sepia tint fits perfectly this week.
I was just wondering whether that tint was deliberate . . . only because it looks similar to the colouring in week 1. You might want to check your WB settings if it was accidental. It works in this shot, but it might detract from some of your future ones.
 
Thanks for the helpful feedback everyone! Much appreciated

SarahLee said:
Canned Haggis is a completely new one on me too ! :lol:

:thumbs: Lovely idea and good poem to go with it.
I like the way that you've laid it all out and the warm, sepia tint fits perfectly this week.
I was just wondering whether that tint was deliberate . . . only because it looks similar to the colouring in week 1. You might want to check your WB settings if it was accidental. It works in this shot, but it might detract from some of your future ones.
Click to expand...
The sepia isn't deliberate, no.

I think you're right in that there's something up with the white balance. Will check that now. Thanks Sarah!
 
Hi there! Welcome (sorry - that's a bit late) to TP and the 52!

I've only just found your thread, so I won't go over Week 1 - I can't add anything to the comments other people have made. :)

Week 2: Oooh Haggis - yum, yum. Ooh Haggis 'Gravy' - big yum, yum :D

It's an excellent and topical take on the theme and I like the added touches of the tartan place mat and coaster. You've done well with the dof, too.

I always find it difficult to compose shots like this without leaving an empty space that doesn't add anything to the shot. I think to avoid this you could try out a few different angles. The decanter is a great colour with lots of opportunities to bounce light around.

I think I'd try taking a lower angle, so the tin is at or below eye level (ie you can't see much of the lid) and cropping in closer so the frame is more filled by those 2 objects. I hope that makes sense. You've got the ingredients for a really stunning shot.

On the subject of lighting - I like the yellow tones because they suit the subject, but I wonder what ISO you're using. Is this handheld? Do you have a tripod, or something you can rest your camera on, so you can get a slower shutter speed if necessary?

I'll stop rambling on and say well done - and thanks for the timely reminder about Burns Night! :)

Jean
 
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