Florida Mel 52 for 2010 - Week Eight added

Florida Mel

Florida Mel

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Name
Mel
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No
Weeks 3 - 8

A bit about me

I am a late thirty something keen but struggling photographer. I recently completed the Open University T189 Photography Course in Oct 2009 and my addiction has continued from there on. I met Mich66 on the course too - Hi Michelle :wave:

I work for a very well known department store as a part time journalist producing their weekly instore magazine. I have been doing this for the past 1 1/2 years and love it as it gives me the opportunity to photograph people for a living :clap:

My photographic style

I don't think I have one yet but I do love macro shots and photographing architecture. I love the buildings in Manchester and whenever I can I try to get down there with my camera. I also love photographing my daughter and my Boxer dog, Joe.

2010 Challenges

I am so chuffed to be starting this 52 challenge and I am hoping it will run nicely alongside my OU 365 challenge on Flickr My 365 either that or it will turn me completely doolally tap. Bring it on :nuts:
 
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Here is my very late contribution for Week One - Curves. This is actually taken from my 365 challenge as I am a week behind I thought it best to submit something and the curves of the rose seem to fit the criteria. I also have a poorly Nikon at the moment so I am using my p&s Casio - luckily I grabbed this one before the trouble began :gag:

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Better late than never, nice subject to start with the drops of water really add to the shot.

:thumbs:
 
welcome on board mel.. should have let you know about this!

anyway.. great start, love that shot.. very delicate and the drops are spot on..

hope you get your camera sorted soon
 
foggy4ever said:
Better late than never, nice subject to start with the drops of water really add to the shot.

:thumbs:
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Thank you so much and yes I have no more excuses now :D

mich66 said:
welcome on board mel.. should have let you know about this!

anyway.. great start, love that shot.. very delicate and the drops are spot on..

hope you get your camera sorted soon
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Thanks Michelle and it's great to have another challenge for 2010 - we must be mad :cuckoo:
 
I like it Mel, the drops certainly add to it, delicate colour too. Not sure a little more DOF wouldn't have helped but it's curved and fits the theme :thumbs:
 
Think you've done a lovely job there Mel. A nice tight crop on the curves of the petals and the water droplets really give it that something extra. Great start :thumbs:
 
Photgraphy

As the camera slides into my hand,
feeling, warmth and remembrance of it.
sometime i find myself wandering the land,
and i tend to get every little bit.

And the pictures to me are like a ryhme,
they show me all of natures Passive beauty.
that carry me on forward through out time.
For me it is almost like a duty.

Once you have seen every little detail,
you find the window thats never been opened.
And now somehow they never seem to fail,
With every second i seem to be with it.

My camera means so much to me
It's something i cherish for lifes eternity!

Patricia Wiley

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I thought this poem was very apt as it is a wonderful tribute to my hobby and to my poorly Nikon. I am really not happy with the quality of this image as my Nikon is poorly and I am using a Casio Exilim P&S which I can barely get to focus properly - this will explain the tight crop and poor quality but I am trying to carry on with this challenge regardless :nuts:
 
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I really like the rose shot - fits the theme well, with lovely colours and the water droplets really add to it :thumbs:

Very apt choice of poem! I quite like the angle and the lighting on this :)
 
Very sad, hope you get your lens replaced soon. :'(
 
Nice angle and lighting on this, not sure about the background though. Biggest niggles for me are the crop and the lens cap being on upside down :)
 
Oo - a nikon. Gotta be a great shot :D Nicely taken, nice poem too, not many poems about photography!

Curved pic looks like it was taken in the dark and pushed a bit - maybe a light blur would get rid of that speckling due to the narrow curve you are left with? Love the shot though, looks very fresh.

Arthur
 
MagicMynx said:
Stunning rose! It's beautiful!

Nikon shot is a little too tight but still great none the less
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Yeah I see what you mean - I was struggling with the focus on my P&S so that was as good as I could get :thumbs:

SpidersEye said:
I really like the rose shot - fits the theme well, with lovely colours and the water droplets really add to it :thumbs:

Very apt choice of poem! I quite like the angle and the lighting on this :)
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Thank you :thankyou:

foggy4ever said:
Very sad, hope you get your lens replaced soon. :'(
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Thank you :thumbs:

Darkmage said:
Crop's a little too tight for me, nice idea though :)
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Yeah again I agree with the tight crop I am really struggling with the camera I have at the mo :bang:

dlh said:
Nice angle and lighting on this, not sure about the background though. Biggest niggles for me are the crop and the lens cap being on upside down :)
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Thanks for the comment and i agree about the crop and Oopps didn't notice the lens cap :coat:

Ambermile said:
Oo - a nikon. Gotta be a great shot :D Nicely taken, nice poem too, not many poems about photography!

Curved pic looks like it was taken in the dark and pushed a bit - maybe a light blur would get rid of that speckling due to the narrow curve you are left with? Love the shot though, looks very fresh.

Arthur
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I liked the poem too. I have no idea what 'curved' means and I am sure the camera I am using at the mo wouldn't be upto such technical capalities. I will look into it when my Nikon is back to normal - Thanks for the comments :thumbs:
 
Hi Mel and welcome to the challenge.
Full marks to you for carrying on regardless of the camera problems. . . and for a P&S both of these images are fab.

Would like a bit more DOF on the Rose (although the water drops are beautiful) and the shadows are a bit harsh on the camera . . . considering your limitations at the moment I think that they're brilliant though.
It just goes to show that you can still get good images with basic tools and I can't wait to see what you do when he camera's fixed.
 
SarahLee said:
Hi Mel and welcome to the challenge.
Full marks to you for carrying on regardless of the camera problems. . . and for a P&S both of these images are fab.

Would like a bit more DOF on the Rose (although the water drops are beautiful) and the shadows are a bit harsh on the camera . . . considering your limitations at the moment I think that they're brilliant though.
It just goes to show that you can still get good images with basic tools and I can't wait to see what you do when he camera's fixed.
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Thank you for your comments - very encouraging :clap:

The rose was actually taken using my SLR prior to it developing problems and I agree about the dof I will try again on another flower shot. Thanks again :thumbs:
 
1. curves - I love the delicate colours and the water drops. I'd like to see just a touch more DOF to get the centre petals in better focus.

2. poetry - I rather like this (apart from the lens cap ;)). If it were absolutely sharp it would be more like a product shot, whereas the slight softness and distortion adds an air of mystery and magic entirely appropriate to the subject. Look what a following the Holga has!

I like the tight crop and don't mind the harsh shadows but find the lightness of the top left corner a bit distracting. I would be tempted to burn it in slightly and then add a 5-10 pixel black border to frame it all.

:clap::clap:
 
Hi Mel.. like that!.. i've got a pretty good compact but even with that I dont get the results I want so well done for producing the shots you are... here and on your 365!

like the tight crop personally.. I think a border would work but I never know how far to go with them.. think tracers suggestion sounds spot on!

dont get disheartened.. hope your camera is fixed soon x
 
your no 1 shot is really beautiful - gorgeous crisp colours, lovely dof, and great lighting :)

I'm not so sure about no 2 - but delighted you've got a Nikon!!! :thumbs:
 
Tracer said:
1. curves - I love the delicate colours and the water drops. I'd like to see just a touch more DOF to get the centre petals in better focus.

2. poetry - I rather like this (apart from the lens cap ;)). If it were absolutely sharp it would be more like a product shot, whereas the slight softness and distortion adds an air of mystery and magic entirely appropriate to the subject. Look what a following the Holga has!

I like the tight crop and don't mind the harsh shadows but find the lightness of the top left corner a bit distracting. I would be tempted to burn it in slightly and then add a 5-10 pixel black border to frame it all.

:clap::clap:
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Some great comments and tips there - lots to work on thank you :thumbs:

mich66 said:
Hi Mel.. like that!.. i've got a pretty good compact but even with that I dont get the results I want so well done for producing the shots you are... here and on your 365!

like the tight crop personally.. I think a border would work but I never know how far to go with them.. think tracers suggestion sounds spot on!

dont get disheartened.. hope your camera is fixed soon x
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Thanks Michelle - it has been difficult but i'm determined to keep going :cuckoo: I agree with the border suggestion too - thanks honey :thumbs:

HopefulM said:
your no 1 shot is really beautiful - gorgeous crisp colours, lovely dof, and great lighting :)

I'm not so sure about no 2 - but delighted you've got a Nikon!!! :thumbs:
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I agree about the dof on the rose - thanks for your comments :thumbs:
 
The rose looks good and I like the shallow depth of field. Week 2 is great, but then I'm biased :)
 
mowse73 said:
Hi Mel, good luck with your 52. I realy liked the shot of the rose. I definitely want to get a macro lens at some point in my life. Not too sure about the second image. A very tight composition but what do i know.
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Thank for the comments - you must get a macro lens but you will get addicted to macros shots :thumbs:

D_Ninety said:
The rose looks good and I like the shallow depth of field. Week 2 is great, but then I'm biased :)
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Great comments thank you - very encouraging :D
 
A really good Poem and a good shot from the P&S to go with it.. Hope it's better soon
 
love the rose with the water droplets nicely done ,i like the idea behind the poetry theme but as said lens cap is the thing that lets it down for me eye is drawn to it ,looking forward to seeing some more though atb andy
 
Two weeks... yay, didn't you do well?!
 
I hope you jump back in soon, no need to catch up if you don't want to. :)
 
foggy4ever said:
I hope you jump back in soon, no need to catch up if you don't want to. :)
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I have my list of missed weeks to catch up on so i will be back in the running very soon. My new job has taken my eye of the ball a little but I will be back :D

Thanks for checking in on me and your post of support it is very much appreciated :thumbs:
 
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Week Three - Chopped (Yes, I know it's very late :bonk:)

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Thanks for bearing with me :thumbs:

Apologies for the size of some of my images. I have no idea why Flickr won't give me the large option in all sizes!
 
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Week Four - Street (Yes, I know it's very late :bang:)

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Thanks for bearing with me :thumbs:

Apologies for the size of some of my images. I have no idea why Flickr won't give me the large option in all sizes!
 
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Welcome back Mel... It's clearly chopped, so on theme... not sure on this... it's a bit small to see clearly. The textures look ok in the apple itself... Not sure on the curved corners...

I think that shot for street has worked well.. I like the mono conversion. The highlights on the well end seem a bit bright... it's more station that street though ;)
 
Week Five - Speed and I am trying to catch up on the 6 weeks I have missed. Sorry everyone but thanks for bearing with me :thumbs:

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Apologies for the size of some of my images. I have no idea why Flickr won't give me the large option in all sizes!
 
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Week Seven - People

People entering Main Street, Disneyland Paris

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Apologies for the size of some of my images. I have no idea why Flickr won't give me the large option in all sizes!
 
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jgs001 said:
Welcome back Mel... It's clearly chopped, so on theme... not sure on this... it's a bit small to see clearly. The textures look ok in the apple itself... Not sure on the curved corners...

I think that shot for street has worked well.. I like the mono conversion. The highlights on the well end seem a bit bright... it's more station that street though ;)
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Thanks John for your comments and yes it is glad to be back :thumbs:

I thought I would have a play with the curved edges but yes I'm not too sure myself either! :shrug:

I also agree about the 'Street' I did improvise with this one as it was on a street but it is a station! :nono: I will update it when I get a chance to get out and about :thumbs:

Thanks again :wave:
 
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