dlh's 52 for 2010 - Week 16 Stare

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dlh

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Darren
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Well looks like this is going to be a marathon with every other person on the forum signing up to do one. Good luck to you all.

I've spent the last few weeks trying to do a picture a day in the countdown to my 40th. Whilst it's got the camera in my hand again after a long break, sometimes I've been inspired and sometimes I've just taken something because I have to. I shall of course be completing that with 11 or is it 12 to go.

This 52 will be a chance to breath a little whilst taking inspiration from everyone else and hopefully pulling in some decent C&C to help me improve now I've got the bug again.

I will be following the rules Simon suggested, with one addition.

1) New photos will be taken each week specifically for the theme and only 1 photo will be selected as the shot for the week as this forces me to get out there take photos and pick the image I like best.
2) I may show any other shots taken in the week but if I do I will explain why I selected the shot I did (i.e. what I like about the image and what I don’t like).
3) I will share what I have learned that week and how I might approach it differently next time (or if I had more time).
4) No photos posted as my shot for the week will be posted as an entry in to the TP Monthly Competition.
5) I will limit myself to 1 JOKER during the entire year and if I decide to play it I will still post a new photo.
6) Once I post my image I will provide meaningful feedback on at least 3 other 52ers shots for that week (I’d like to comment on everyone’s images but due to the sheer numbers of you now I can’t as I don’t want to spend my life on here posting comments).
7) It's my 52 and my rules can change whenever I like :)

Good luck to all of us. Now to get my thinking cap on :geek:
 
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Best of luck with it, and with the 40-40 thing.
 
​

So many ideas for this week, mostly centering around the female form. Even managed to get a willing victim to agree to model for me. Then I came down with flue and have since been quarantined :'(

So I had to think of something i could get my hands on without venturing anywhere, which I've been finding hard enough to do for my 40 to 40. Didn't think pictures of my own butt would really work. Then considered spoons, but couldn't get them arranged in any way which I was happy with and then for some reason an egg popped into my head.

Managing to break two before I even started (there was going to be a nice row of egg heads), my options were starting to dwindle. When I dropped this one from 6 inches I thought it was all over, but the lucky little b****r survived :clap:

Finding it hard to light as I'm in a dingy one bed first floor flat and have no lighting other than natural, tungsten or onboard flash. Severe lack of decent white backgrounds too (which I intended to try originally).

In the end I settled for shooting with flash with the egg placed on the bottom of an upturned measuring jug.

Have had to crop as at 105mm, I still couldn't get in close enough to fill the frame. Added some effects and vignette in PP to kill the background and accentuate the texture of the egg.

Am I happy with it? Yes and no. The reflection of the flash on the front of the egg is disappointing but unavoidable with the onboard. I've also missed the focus slightly at the front of the egg, but the way the rest of the egg looks I'm very happy with.
 
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Have avoided all the other 52 threads until I got this posted. Now I get a chance to look at everyone else's offerings. Looks like a daunting task!
 
I think you've already mentioned what I can see, so I won't... A good curve and I like how you've shot it, is it stood on the bottom of an upturned bowl ?
 
treeman said:
I like the processing and the sense of texture you've managed to achieve. I think it's nable effort :thumbs:
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Thanks. I'm almost happy with it.

jgs001 said:
I think you've already mentioned what I can see, so I won't... A good curve and I like how you've shot it, is it stood on the bottom of an upturned bowl ?
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It's an upturned measuring jug (no bowls here, that would infer I baked!). Gives it an added curve.
 
70 odd comments left. Still only half way through all the threads that have started. If I don't get to anyone's then apologies but it's nothing personal :)
 
I like that, good take on the theme and I too like the textures on the egg :)
 
SpidersEye said:
I like that, good take on the theme and I too like the textures on the egg :)
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Thanks Kay. If only I'd nailed that focus. The egg was the nobbliest in the box :)

kimo said:
good start Darren Considering your conditions and sickness. I like it.:clap: I wonder it the model curves would have been better:naughty:
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Thanks Kim. Feeling almost human again now, which unfortunately means work on monday. I will still have to get the model in to test this theory. How could I sneak that one into poems?

Nick T said:
I really like that - I love the lighting of the egg, and the upturned jug really sets it off nicely - a corker to be fair :clap:
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Thanks Nick. Not perfect (even by my own low standards) but then we're here to improve I guess :thumbs:
 
Clean, simple but very effective I like it. Works very well Darren, good start. :thumbs:



ps: Thats a big Egg, Ostrich - :lol:


Graham
______
 
That has come out pretty well, particularly in your difficult circumstances. Well done! :thumbs:
 
I also like the processing which emphasis's the texture well, i would like to have seen the edges of the upturned bowl as the straight lines of the cropped edge slightly detracts from the picture.
 
uniquegardens said:
Clean, simple but very effective I like it. Works very well Darren, good start. :thumbs:

ps: Thats a big Egg, Ostrich
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Thanks. I think it was just a very big chicken or if not, one that's in a lot of pain right now.

Tracer said:
That has come out pretty well, particularly in your difficult circumstances. Well done! :thumbs:
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Thank you.

Dogfish_magnet said:
I also like the processing which emphasis's the texture well, i would like to have seen the edges of the upturned bowl as the straight lines of the cropped edge slightly detracts from the picture.
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This was cropped pretty close to the edges as it drops down vertically after that.

mowse73 said:
well done. i like this a lot:thumbs:
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Thank you.

jeangenie said:
Well done, Darren. In the face of escalating problems you've cracked it! (Sorry :coat: :exit:)

A good shot of a good egg. :)
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The jokes get worse, but thank you anyway.

rosario144 said:
I like the lighting of the egg and black background works well
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Thank you.
 
Hi Darren,
I hope that the flu's getting better.

This is a cracking (sorry :coat:) first shot!

Considering what you had to work with it's worked brilliantly (says she who improvises on almost all her shots)
The harsh light from the flash has actually worked in its favour by emphasising the texture and giving a really contrasty, moody feel to the whole thing. I like it :thumbs:
On the downside it's left a couple of slightly irritating niggles.
The first one being the bit of reflection on the black background just above the RHS of the egg. That could easily be fixed with a bit of selective burning in PP.
The reflection on the front of the egg really doesn't detract from it too much though IMO.

The only other thing I'd look at addressing if you were to reshoot would be the shadow of the egg to the front of the frame. I'd like to either see no shadow at all or the entire shadow in shot (probably impossibly given the size of the surface that you arranged it on)

Please don't lose the measuring jug though - that was absolutely inspired!
It works so well and I would never have guessed that was what it was.

Very good start though - looking forward to seeing more.

dlh said:
70 odd comments left. Still only half way through all the threads that have started. If I don't get to anyone's then apologies but it's nothing personal :)
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It's a daunting task isn't it?
Every time I think I've looked at almost all of them, a few more spring up :lol::lol::lol:

I'm really enjoying seeing all the different takes on the theme though.
 
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Thanks for your comments Sarah. I hadn't even noticed the lighter background top right of the egg. I usually change my viewing angle to see if there are problems like this but I missed it. I might give that a quick edit :)

As you say, my reflective surface was a little small to fit the whole thing in. I must start hording things that may come in use in the future for such times.

Edit: Changes made ;)
 
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Love the colour, the detail, the idea and the execution! Top stuff

Only minor niggle is at certain angles on this screen I can see 4 or 5 lighter processing patches in the blackness...no big deal though in what is a great shot :)
 
staffitaxi said:
Brilliant idea. I also like the curves in the measuring jug.
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Thanks Andrea. I orginally set this up with a glass and the reflection looked a lot like it was sitting on the top of water, but the glass was too small so had to use the plastic jug which hasn't given the same effect quite. Might have to invest in a large glass object.

Dark Star said:
Love the colour, the detail, the idea and the execution! Top stuff

Only minor niggle is at certain angles on this screen I can see 4 or 5 lighter processing patches in the blackness...no big deal though in what is a great shot :)
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Thanks Richard John. You must have far better eyes than me, thought I'd caught them all now although think I just spotted a dust bunny in the lower left quarter.

Edit: And by left I mean right of course.
 
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I really like this Darren. It has an almost spooky / ethereal feel to it.................

Is somebody watching me??

Cheers, Rob.
 
A pity about the missed focus on the front of the egg but I really like the juxtaposition between the curves of the egg and the curve of the measuring jug!
 
i can't comment technically but i really like this well done
 
Rob Bartley said:
I really like this Darren. It has an almost spooky / ethereal feel to it.................

Is somebody watching me??

Cheers, Rob.
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Thanks Rob.

EdBray said:
A pity about the missed focus on the front of the egg but I really like the juxtaposition between the curves of the egg and the curve of the measuring jug!
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Thanks Ed. I was too lazy to go back and shoot it again :bang:

Is juxtaposition the TP word of the day by any chance?

andybod said:
i can't comment technically but i really like this well done
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Thanks Andy. I know it's easier to know you like something than to know why :)
 
dlh said:
Thanks Rob.



Thanks Ed. I was too lazy to go back and shoot it again :bang:

Is juxtaposition the TP word of the day by any chance?



Thanks Andy. I know it's easier to know you like something than to know why :)
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I don't know, there are so many 52 threads I am running out of clichés, how many different ways can you say nice image? ;)
 
I love it, honestly. When I saw it gave a little "wow" to a family member in the room. I think you nailed the lighting and composition, as you say only issue might be a bit of focus. Would never have guessed what it was on.

Really like this one, one of my 1st week favourites I think.
 
Thank you very much Squawk. I'm glad it gave you that wow factor. My head just got that incy wincy bit bigger :D

Edit: After feedback I went back and reshot to try and get the bubbles of action whilst keeping his head above water. This has resulted in a tighter frame as I had to get closer to keep him held in the right place without getting my hand in view. I much prefer this new shot :)

Moving onto week 2 and I have my poem. Well it's the only one I can remember from school but I always found it quite meaningful, which is probably why it stuck with me.

I have taken some shots tonight but I'm not sure I'm happy with them. They reflect the literal rather than the metaphorical, but then I guess that's the job of the poem and not the image. I have three to pick from ranging from action to tranquil to laughable. You'll have to guess which one I picked :)

So here it is - (drum roll)...

Stevie Smith - Not Waving But Drowning

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

My reshoot -

​


My original choice

And my two runners up -

The one that caused me to reshoot

and

One for giggles
 
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I like the idea but I think #2 would suit the poem more IMO. I Do like #1 but think it needs lightening a little bit.

Great idea and poem although a tad morbid it strikes my sense of humour.!
 
Week 1 hope you are feeling better, nice improvised shot good colour and texture.

Week 2 the first one for me fits the poem better but Istill like the second too.

:thumbs:
 
Without wanting to sound like a ballerina... I prefer two too. :)
 
I like #2 as well over the others, goes better with the poem, I'm not usually a fan of vignetting, but I think it works well in this, giving a sort of voyeuristic feel to it
 
Well done, when reading the poem I wondered what the photo was going to look like and I have to say I like your take on it. Personally I think I prefer the 2nd shot but both work really well.
 
I don't know much about the technical aspects so I my opinion is based on whether I would have like the shot had I taken it. I think I would have been quite pleased with myself with number 1, but as someone else said, 2 would have been the better shot had his head stayed about the water. A little bleak but a good image.
 
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