Daveb99's '52' Project for 2010 - Week 11 (Candid) & 12 (Produce) added

Thanks for all your comments - really helpful. I definitely agree about the 'main' leek being out of focus.

Here is my take on Week 4 - Street. We were in Yorkshire at the weekend visiting my parents and I had envisaged this exact shot before we went (it's in an unspoilt seaside town called Filey). I was trying to capture a gritty, cold, empty street - the fact that they had about 2 inches of snow on Friday night just added to the wintry feel.

The light was difficult - most of the street was in the shade, but I think it has turned out OK in the end.

Fortunately, as I was hoping, parking isn't allowed on the street until further up towards the top!

Taken with 5D Mark II, 17-40L, 17mm, F8, 1/60th, ISO200.

IMG_1823-Week4-Street.jpg
 
Great shot Dave. I love the composition and the lead line, also think the splash of slushy snow at the front left adds some nice depth to the shot.

Cheers, Rob
 
I like it too. The lines are pleasing to my simple mind. :D
 
Agreed. Excellent curve taking you all the way through the image and you've retained great detail in the cobbles and snow. I'd be tempted to clone out that fence at the top of the hill.
 
Thats a good take Dave,great lead lines, ideal for B&W on days like that. Lovely traditional seaside town is Filey you did well....Mick
 
Thanks for all your comments on Week 4...

dlh - I agree that perhaps cloning out the fence would be a good idea. Funnily enough, I toyed with the idea of doing it but felt it was quite minor. However, the more I look at it...
 
Excellent image Dave. wonderful curve through there and good lines.
 
I like that Dave.
Nice simple image, but it really doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. Good detail in the cobbles and the slushy snow really does make it.
I agree that cloning the fence out would help, but that’s a minor niggle really.

Is it maybe a touch dark? I think that since nobody else has mentioned it, it may just be my monitor.
I’d quite like to see a very desaturated colour version to see how that looks and if it gives it a bit of a lift.
 
SarahLee said:
I like that Dave.
Nice simple image, but it really doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that. Good detail in the cobbles and the slushy snow really does make it.
I agree that cloning the fence out would help, but that’s a minor niggle really.

Is it maybe a touch dark? I think that since nobody else has mentioned it, it may just be my monitor.
I’d quite like to see a very desaturated colour version to see how that looks and if it gives it a bit of a lift.
Click to expand...

Thanks Sarah. Guess it could be a touch dark, I found the exposure a bit difficult because the street was in the shade, but of course there was bright snow bathed in sunlight in the shot as well. It looks OK on my monitor but I think I might have it set a little on the bright side.

I'll try to upload a desaturated colour version soon (and a slightly brighter B&W version) to see how it compares.
 
Right, I've been rather busy for the last week or so, but I've finally got round to having a go at my idea for Week 5 - Speed.

It's not exactly stunning I know - but I would really welcome people's comments. I desaturated the colours in Lightroom (except red/orange) to try to draw attention to the Alfa. I think the only thing I'd have done extra (time permitting) is to clone out the Issue numbers.

Taken with 5D Mark II, 24-105mm lens, 80mm, 1/30th, f4.5, ISO800

IMG_1915.jpg
 
Love the very cool look you have given to this Dave:clap:

The contrast between the B+W and the Alfa "popped" works really well, clean and effective. Did you shoot at ISO800 to give it a slightly grittier look?


Cheers, Rob
 
Rob Bartley said:
Love the very cool look you have given to this Dave:clap:

The contrast between the B+W and the Alfa "popped" works really well, clean and effective. Did you shoot at ISO800 to give it a slightly grittier look?


Cheers, Rob
Click to expand...

Thanks Rob - the shot was handheld, so I had to shoot at ISO800 to get a reasonable shutter speed (I'd have to go up to about 6400 to get a slightly gritty look at that size!). I had the magazines arranged on the floor of my office, and had to shut the blinds to stop any unwanted reflections off the covers!
 
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Dave. Apologies for missing this thread. Trying to get round as many as I can this week as I know I'll be out most of next week.

Curved: This shot prompted me to go through the rest of your shots. Such a strong image. Oddly I prefer the colour version over the B&W one - and I'm a big B&W fan.

Poetry: Another excellent shot. Love the composition, and the texture. The cheeky cutlery makes me smile too as do the words and the thought behind "jam-side-down". The good news is that things only get worse as they move into teenage-hood.

Chopped: Not a bad shot, but it didn't excite me like the others did. Maybe a crop of the top half of the shot to add more green stalks, with the DoF opened as mentioned in some of the reply comments.

Street: OK, so I've been trying to figure out how to convince the wife I need to upgrade to a 5D2 when my 50D is only a year old and this shot is making me think harder. Admittedly, most of the things I like about this shot are more to do with your composition which is spot on once again, but boy does the lens/body pairing look good. I really like this shot Dave and think it's your best so far.

Speed: This is another cracker. The colour pop works well, and you have a nice even lighting over the whole frame considering they were glossy mags. You've really got some great compositional skills and make taking good pictures look so easy.

Very nice work so far.

Ian.
 
Nice one Dave, a different take that would work well as a poster.The one coloured shot really makes it.Its a :thumbs:from me....Mick
 
I like that Dave - perfect for the theme, 'Speed' and visually appealing - well done!

Phil
 
Thanks for all your kind comments so far, much appreciated.

Ian - I agree about the Street one perhaps being my best so far, and the 5D Mark II & 17-40 certainly do work very well together. If you want to discuss anything about the 5D2, feel free to PM me. I love it (and the GF1 makes a very portable backup). I also agree about the leeks, it could be so much better.

Micky - never thought of it as a poster - now you've got me thinking!
 
:clap: :clap: :clap:

Really well done with this one. Personally, it's my favourite so far from your 52. Nicely composed and the colour popping has worked brilliantly.
I agree with you that cloning out the issue numbers would finish it off perfectly . . . and IMO it's worth going back and revisiting to do that. A really good shot.
 
I like it Dave, an excellent image.
 
Thanks for all your comments everyone. I've been a bit busy in the last couple of weeks with work and a trip to France, so haven't been able to comment on other people's photos, so apologies for that, but I'll soon put that right!

It is catch up time for me - starting with Week 6 - Present. Originally I had a completely different idea for this one but when I was on holiday in France last week, we went for a walk around our friend's village (Cuvergnon) and I spotted this - apparently it's traditional in France to hang presents out of the window at Christmas, it seems that the owner of this house hadn't got round to taking down all the decorations!

Initially I thought it was way too 'cheesy' and obvious for the theme - but decided to shoot it anyway, and with a little PP (mostly just desaturating and slight cropping) I have come up with this. Hope you like it, comments welcome!

Taken with GF1, 14-45mm lens, 45mm, F6.3, 1/80th, ISO200

P1010625-5.jpg


And now on to Week 7 - People. This was taken at Disneyland Paris, in Sleeping Beauty's castle. I'm glad my daughter wanted me to go inside with her - it was stunning and I have a couple of other shots which I'll post on the GF1 thread in the Equipment forum. The people in the windows are all characters from Sleeping Beauty. I had to crop it slightly as it was packed in there, and there were some (human) people who kindly stuck their heads into the photo on the left hand side - why do people do that?! I don't think the crop spoils it but would welcome your opinions.

Taken with GF1, 20mm 1.7 lens, F2.8, 1/50th, ISO320

P1010839.jpg
 
The present shot is not too cheesy at all Dave. At 1st glance you look at the shot and think "what?" but overall works really well. The contrast of shiny paper against the gritty backdrop sets it off.

Love the colours in the people shot. Certainly looks dark in there and your little GF1 has done a great job with the environment. It is a shame about the crop, but does not spoil it.

Cheers, Rob
 
Dave, I agree with Rob... Present works very well... It took me a moment to work out what the shot was about.

People... nicely done... It's always busy in there and dark too. I think you've handled it well. Not much you can do about the peoples heads other than what you've done...
 
Hi Dave,

People is great. It is a shame about the heads, as the composition would have worked better with a wider crop. Was it possible to clone them out, or was the only option to cut it?

Ian.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Hi Dave,

People is great. It is a shame about the heads, as the composition would have worked better with a wider crop. Was it possible to clone them out, or was the only option to cut it?

Ian.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately with my fairly limited PP skills, I couldn't clone them out - it wouldn't be straightforward at all !

Thanks for the comments so far.
 
It's called a 52... not a 4, or even a 6... a 52. :D
 
Sorry, I thought you'd given up on week 4... just realised there's a couple more shots that I somehow missed. My mistake... sorry. Ignore me... I think DLH might be right. :D
 
What a strange tradition you've captured for "present" :cuckoo: :lol:
I did a bit of a double take when I first saw it - so it's got to be a good thing if it made me look twice.

You can see how dark it was in your people shot, but TBH that just serves to emphasise the colours in the windows for me.

Hope you had a good holiday and looking forward to your next 2 shots.
 
Thanks for everyone's comments. I'm finding it difficult to find the time to keep up, here is my take on Week 8 - Mechanical.

We went to a children's farm at the weekend and there was some ancient machinery there!

Taken with 5D II, 50mm 1.8 lens, 1/60th, F4, ISO 400.

I'll do my best to catch up with Weeks 9 and 10 as soon as possible!

IMG_2017.jpg
 
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Dave, you managed to get some really nice detail from that rusty old cog. Quite like the muted tones too. Spot on the theme:thumbs:

Cheers, Rob
 
:agree: Dave... I like it :thumbs:
 
Hiya Dave, glad to see your back on with the '52 - I really like the mechanical shot - simple & very appealing,

Phil
 
Rob, John, Sarah, Phil - many thanks for your comments on my Mechanical effort. I'm quite pleased with it, although it's a simple take on the theme it seems to grow on me every time I look at it.

I've managed to catch up again with the next couple of weeks (I'm stuggling a bit with candid, but at least I've done the others now!).

Firstly, Week 9 - Play. I had all sorts of ideas for this and in the end settled on a simple shot of the lone duck on the side of the bath. My thinking was that it escaped from the water and the bubbles are keeping it warm - in the same way you wrap your kids in towels the second they step out of the bath! I also think the expression on it's face is quite cheeky / playful - that wasn't planned but it maybe helps a bit with the theme. I wanted the out of focus tiles etc in the background to add to the 'bathtime' feel.

Probably not my best shot I know, but again, I think it's a grower (hopefully!).

Taken with 5D Mark II, 24-105mm lens, 58mm, F4, 1/200th, ISO800

IMG_2070.jpg

Now for Week 10 - Chemistry. I tried to recreate a shot I took 2 years ago on my 40D, I got all set up, tripod, extension tubes, remote release etc. I wanted something vibrant so shook up some mouthwash and poured it into a glass. But.....I just couldn't recreate the look of this one - which is basically an extreme close up of the head on a pint of beer.

So, I can only apologise for using a shot taken 2 years ago - but I did try VERY hard to recreate it (with a different liquid), I just couldn't get it right. I've included my 'Mouthwash' shot as well so you can see why I chose the old shot instead.

Taken with 40D, 50mm 1.8 lens + Extension tubes, F8, 0.8 secs, ISO100

IMG_2983.jpg

Here's the attempt with mouthwash (the bubbles really were that colour!). Cropping in tighter doesn't really work because the bubbles were absolutely tiny (approx half a millimetre), whereas the 'beer bubbles' were much, much bigger.

5D Mark II, 50mm 1.8 lens + Extension tubes, F9, 1/250th, ISO400

IMG_2091_4.jpg

Sorry for using an old one - but I hope you agree that it's a much better shot.
 
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Your catch up shots work well, mate. I actually really like the simplicity and humour of Play, but the best shot on your 52 for me is the one I missed - Curves. The original shot works GREAT.
 
Play made me smile... great take on the theme. the bubbles look almost like a flowing cloak.

Chemistry, I can see why you chose the old image, the bubbels are really good in that. I like it, I'm not sure it says Chemistry per se... but it's still good. I have to agree with you on the mouthwash though Dave... the bubbles are a bit small and therefore don't have the impact.
 
Certainly got a chuckle from the cheeky ducky. Only thing that might improve on it would be having someone in the bath. The look on the duck's face is as if he's looking away from something.

Can understand why you went for the old shot for chemistry, it's a cracker. Colour, tone and bubbles all make it rather special. Mouthwash doesn't quite have the same impact :D
 
Wow - I've missed so much in ytour thread - sorry Dave, it's hard to keep up.

Going back a bit - Street: I really, really love this - there's so much in what at first galnce appears to be a fairly simple shot - even to the slushy snow in the foreground when just the cobbles would have kept me happy. :)


Mechanical: Those cogs look as though they mean business. Great texture and spot on for the theme. :thumbs:

Play: Awww - cute! Yep, he looks playful and I like the idea of him being wrapped in bubbles to keep warm. :)

Chemistry: I can think of lots of reasons for preferring beer bubbles to mouthwash bubbles. :lol: And getting better bubbles for photos is included. ;)

There must be a chemical reaction when beer is poured - bubbles of air forming and rising to the surface. :D Mmmm ... perhaps I should go and check that out. :D

Jean
 
Aww - I love the duck! Definitely says play to me. :thumbs: Great expression.

Chemistry - the beer bubbles are amazing! The mouthwash is interesting too, but your right that the small bubbles are not nearly so arresting.

Well done.
 
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