Ian's 52: Week 21: Isolation (pg 12)

I really like your poetry shot - the HDR conversion gives a great ethereal quality!

Phil
 
Hi Ian,

Your week 3 image is very well executed and processed, but there's nothing that really catches my eye about it. Sorry. :-(

Your week 2 is great though, I love the processing and the atmosphere it generates. :-)
 
I like the arm chop thing, partly because it's done what a 52 is supposed to, got you trying something new. The shot itself isn't quite doing anything for me but I can't put my finger on why. Hopefully it leads to a few attempts at similar shots.
 
I like the detail of the saw marks on the tree trunk but my eye keeps getting drawn to the empty lighter bit just above the tree stump.
 
Hi Ian.
Sorry to have missed your poetry first time round, but I'm catching up now!

The arm chop shot is OK, but sort of neither here nor there for me. I think with this type of shot to really work you need to go all the way with fake blood and as you said a lot of effort if it's not your sort of thing.

Both your tree shots (poetry and chopped) are fantastic though!!! :love:
The poetry one has a real other-worldly feel. I've never been a big HDR fan, but I'm finding I'm more and more drawn to B&W HDR conversions.
PP on the second one is spot-on and again a dreamy feel to it :thumbs:
 
Thanks for all the new comments.

I am surprised no one has said they think the poetry shot was over-cooked in Photoshop. I do :)

I can't find one single comment I disagree with either. Nice to have constructive feedback rather than just "great shot" or no comment at all.

Anyway, onto week four, and thanks everyone!

Ian.
 
Hi Ian,

Thanks for C&C on my 52.
Your 52
Week 2 Curves: nice and clear ,better in B&W than colour good choice.
Week 3 chopped: Love the chopped hand, and like the large trunk been chopped but would have been nice to see the rings in the tree as its so big I think, but im only a novice at this so dont take my word.

Regards
Chris
 
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Shots are looking good... I like your first attempt at week 3... I do wonder whether a bit of tomato ketchup may have made the shot more interesting?

Your second attempt is good too, I'm a fan of Delamere but don't have time to get there very often these days... take a look at my week 3 for a similar effect ;o)
 
I really like the idea behind your 1st week 3 shot even if it didn't quite work out.
 
Ian, love the tree shots, both for Poem and Chopped. The processing on Poem is excellent, and I keep expecting to see something horrible and lovecraftian shamble out of the trees... Not so keen on the chopped arm though...
 
I'm pretty much in the same boat with everyone else here, i.e. love, love, love the poetry shot, it has a wonderful ethereal quality to it. Week 3 isn't a bad shot, much like everyone else has commented, it just doesn't leap at me.

Good luck with the remaining 49!
 
I like both your tree shots - the processing is excellent, giving an other-worldly effect. :clap:
 
Street... Oh dear, and Great! all at the same time. Grab a cuppa.

Last year I did an NCFE level1 at college in the evening and we had a "The Crunch" project which I grabbed with both hands. Because we had four weeks to do it, I had plenty of time to get out. One of my favourites was the guitar man in Chester.

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After seeing philthejuggler's week 4 I was determined to do something similar, but I failed, and here's my list of excuses....

The weather was rubbish, I didn't have time, the weather was rubbish, I didn't have time... (repeat ad nauseum)

So today, I set the time aside to go out and get my shot. But the weather was really really awful. I parked up, got out of the car. Walked around in a hurricane, got soaked in a typhoon, then went back to the car dejected. (I'd add more excuses but my wrist is tired and I can't think of any more exaggerations).

So I sat in the car. I had a McDonalds. I worried about my waistline.

Then I looked in the rearview mirror.

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Now ordinarily, I'd say this was desperation. However, I actually quite like the shot. I wouldn't put it on the wall, but I like the way the wing mirror has blurred that right hand part of the image, and also I like the way the letters are all reversed.

I considered processing it with a film neg look, but that looked stupid and I'm tired of over-processed shots.

Anyway (bored yet?), I had a cig, and contemplated forcing an elderly lady (who looked utterly lost) to pose for me, but in the rain, I thought she might not see the funny side. Then, the magical moment appeared!

At this point in this lengthy story (which is beginning to sound like one of foodpoison's excellent tales -click the link - you know you want to), please forgive my relative use of the word magical.

This dog looked as depressed as I was. Is it street? Probably not, but I don't care. It got me out with the camera, and this made me smile.

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I'm off to see what others have been up to now.

Thanks for looking!

Ian.
 
Great series of pictures, Ian. Love the wing mirror one, but the dog one works great too.
 
Morning Ian,

Just had a good look through this thread and as usual I'm impressed. Love the egg shot and the poetry one, the chopped arm is an interesting idea but like you its not my type of thing but the Delamere shot is great. I like both the street shots but the dog made me laugh so thats me fave.:thumbs:

Cheers

Andy
 
foodpoison said:
Your tales are nearly up to par with mine :D
Liking it so far, keep up the good work! It's great fun, isn't it!
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It's a bit mental and hard work too. Doubt I'd try a 365

The23rdman said:
Great series of pictures, Ian. Love the wing mirror one, but the dog one works great too.
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Thanks Dean. Made a bit more of an effort this week, and it shows I think.

Andysnap said:
Morning Ian,
Just had a good look through this thread and as usual I'm impressed. Love the egg shot and the poetry one, the chopped arm is an interesting idea but like you its not my type of thing but the Delamere shot is great. I like both the street shots but the dog made me laugh so thats me fave.:thumbs:
Cheers

Andy
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Thanks Andy - you should have got on board with this. Missing your lovely landscapes at the moment!

Ian.
 
Catch up time.

Week 2 Love the shot, lots of atmosphere.

Week 3 Nice bit of PP, I like to see a bit of humour/gore in a theme.

Week 4 The first shot works best for me as to the theme, the dog shots a cracker reminds me of my first German Shepherd who would always jump into the drivers seat if I got out of the car.
 
that is one cool pooch..! I like the shot, I just wish the last little bit of wheel was in the frame. What did it look like in colour?
 
Pretty much the same as in B&W. Grey car, grey sky, grey stone walls, grey portacabin.

Exciting eh?

Ian.
 
Guy with teh guitar is great, I was hoping for someone like that, but it was 1 degree in York today and anyone playing a guitar would likely have ended up with frostbite. Actually not quite true, a band sparked up just before dark, but nowhere near enough light for me to capture them.

The dog in car is pure comedy gold, nice concept and well spotted. I'm with you on the mirror shot too, I like it but couldn't identify why.

Guitar is the winner though.
 
All good, but the wing mirror shot does it for me, definitely.
 
The first shot is the best, but then it is much easier when you have plenty of time. I had hope to catch a busker but it was really cold and they were packing up by the time I found them.

The mirror shot is rather interesting - I like it. The dog in the car is not great technically but made me laugh - well spotted.
 
well done battling the weather and the lack of time ! The dog mad me laugh but I thik my favourite is the wing mirror one.
 
Love the final shot for 'Street' but for me the better one is the 1st one
 
Catch up time...

week 3 - That must have hurt, nice PP and great interpretation of the theme.
week 4 - Loving week 4 considering the weather. The busker is very good like this one lots, I am assuming the reflection of the boy is watching or is he waiting in the studio (minds playing tricks). Looks a bit like Griff Rhys Jones :lol:.

Nice spot with wing mirror. The dog in car is simply a classic capture, never seen one driving before :lol:

nice work Ian.
 
Guitar man is great, can see why you liked it, mirror's cool as well but it's the dog for me all that way - storytime again!

Arthur
 
Hmmmm . . . those hurricanes and typhoons in Cheshire somehow failed to make the national news . . . I wonder why that was :thinking: maybe they were just localised over that retail park :lol:

TBH I'm glad that you didn't go down the obvious street photography route - it's one aspect of photography that just doesn't appeal to me. So while I can see that your earlier guitar man is a good shot, it just doesn't draw me in :shrug:

Love the idea of the wing mirror - took me a while to work out and realise that the signs were backwards.
What would have been great is if you could have positioned the car so that the signs were reflected again the right way up in the puddles.
But I do like it. The PP is good and reflects the dull miserable (hurricane and typhoon) day.

:thumbs: The dog photo made me smile too :)

Harlequin565 said:
Is it street? Probably not, but I don't care. It got me out with the camera, and this made me smile.
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And that's what the 52 is all about . . . I really like that attitude :clap:
 
foggy4ever said:
Catch up time.

Week 2 Love the shot, lots of atmosphere.

Week 3 Nice bit of PP, I like to see a bit of humour/gore in a theme.

Week 4 The first shot works best for me as to the theme, the dog shots a cracker reminds me of my first German Shepherd who would always jump into the drivers seat if I got out of the car.
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And that's exactly what this fella did. Must be a dog thing :)

jollyjack said:
#1 week 4 m8 for me
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Rob Bartley said:
I love Streets number 1 and number 3 made me LOL:lol:
Cheers, Rob
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Squawk said:
Guy with teh guitar is great, I was hoping for someone like that, but it was 1 degree in York today and anyone playing a guitar would likely have ended up with frostbite. Actually not quite true, a band sparked up just before dark, but nowhere near enough light for me to capture them.
The dog in car is pure comedy gold, nice concept and well spotted. I'm with you on the mirror shot too, I like it but couldn't identify why.
Guitar is the winner though.
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Ian_Wilson said:
All good, but the wing mirror shot does it for me, definitely.
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Tracer said:
The first shot is the best, but then it is much easier when you have plenty of time. I had hope to catch a busker but it was really cold and they were packing up by the time I found them.
The mirror shot is rather interesting - I like it. The dog in the car is not great technically but made me laugh - well spotted.
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justlooking said:
well done battling the weather and the lack of time ! The dog mad me laugh but I thik my favourite is the wing mirror one.
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DC2Z said:
Love the final shot for 'Street' but for me the better one is the 1st one
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Thanks folks.

uniquegardens said:
Catch up time...
week 3 - That must have hurt, nice PP and great interpretation of the theme.
week 4 - Loving week 4 considering the weather. The busker is very good like this one lots, I am assuming the reflection of the boy is watching or is he waiting in the studio (minds playing tricks). Looks a bit like Griff Rhys Jones :lol:.

Nice spot with wing mirror. The dog in car is simply a classic capture, never seen one driving before :lol:

nice work Ian.
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Thanks! Playing catchup on all these 52s takes a while doesn't it? :)

coohullin said:
the busker shot is really good and like the mirror view too....well done!
(and the story of your efforts was entertaining too!)
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Cheers. I took inspiration from foodpoison as well as a couple of 52ers who's stories just involve you a bit more with the pics.

Ambermile said:
Guitar man is great, can see why you liked it, mirror's cool as well but it's the dog for me all that way - storytime again!

Arthur
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SarahLee said:
Hmmmm . . . those hurricanes and typhoons in Cheshire somehow failed to make the national news . . . I wonder why that was :thinking: maybe they were just localised over that retail park :lol:

TBH I'm glad that you didn't go down the obvious street photography route - it's one aspect of photography that just doesn't appeal to me. So while I can see that your earlier guitar man is a good shot, it just doesn't draw me in :shrug:

Love the idea of the wing mirror - took me a while to work out and realise that the signs were backwards.
What would have been great is if you could have positioned the car so that the signs were reflected again the right way up in the puddles.
But I do like it. The PP is good and reflects the dull miserable (hurricane and typhoon) day.

:thumbs: The dog photo made me smile too :)
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Thanks Sarah. I didn't think to move the car and catch the reflections. That's one step up from where I am now I think.

Ian.
 
The first one wins on the theme for me. I like it. There's something about the second shot I quite like, but I'm not sure what it is... And what a cool dog ;) well spotted and taken.
 
Hi Ian,

Catch-up time!

Week 2 - I have to admit to almost hating HDR. But I think with this picture you've managed to convert me - it works beautifully! :clap:

Week 3 - I can tell that the first picture isn't your cup of tea as you put it, it lacks that special something .. can't put my finger on it. Second one is much better, although personally I would have liked to see more of the trunk and less of the trees in the background. Like the processing on this one, I'm not that keen on noise so it works well for me as it is.

Week 4 - great picture of the busker! Your story of how you got the pictures made me laugh, and the dog shot is very funny :) The car mirror picture doesn't do it for me though, mostly because the reversed writing annoys me! But that's just me being weird.

Looking forward to Speed! :thumbs:
 
Nick T said:
Hah love the doggie driver, but I think my preference is for #1 this week. A nice set :thumbs:
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Shame that was an old one... Oh well :(

jgs001 said:
The first one wins on the theme for me. I like it. There's something about the second shot I quite like, but I'm not sure what it is... And what a cool dog ;) well spotted and taken.
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Thanks!

Glass Books said:
Hi Ian,

Catch-up time!

Week 2 - I have to admit to almost hating HDR. But I think with this picture you've managed to convert me - it works beautifully! :clap:

Week 3 - I can tell that the first picture isn't your cup of tea as you put it, it lacks that special something .. can't put my finger on it. Second one is much better, although personally I would have liked to see more of the trunk and less of the trees in the background. Like the processing on this one, I'm not that keen on noise so it works well for me as it is.

Week 4 - great picture of the busker! Your story of how you got the pictures made me laugh, and the dog shot is very funny :) The car mirror picture doesn't do it for me though, mostly because the reversed writing annoys me! But that's just me being weird.

Looking forward to Speed! :thumbs:
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Thanks for the critique! I actually find that more useful than positive feedback!

Cheers,

Ian.
 
My first visit here but I hope not my last :)

Curved: Oh thats nice :) Very bummy and caused a double take for me :) Good idea nicely lit!

Poem: Thats one spooky shot and matches the Lovecraft poem nicely - shot is wonderful!

Chopped: Both good - the arm one for me for the inventiveness and execution (pardon the pun) Some one doesnt like marmite :)

Street: The first for me - great B&Ws and good and sharp and a character to boot! Nice! :clap:
 
Week 5: Speed

OK. After messing about outside with sparklers in the freezing cold for the High Speed monthly comp (which seems to be a failure anyway) I decided against doing something outside this week.

I have just replaced my old guitar after an accident, and haven't had a chance to get any shots of it yet, so speed for me this week = fast strumming.

Well... Sort of.

Thinking about the shot first: This was a set up shot, so I had to try and get it right in camera as much as possible. I wanted the guitar logo to be in focus, so I knew that a long exposure would mean keeping the neck as still as possible.
Self-checklist:
Long exposure to capture the movement.
Low ISO (125) and high aperture (f13) both to allow as much to be in focus as possible, as well as give me a nice long shutter speed and plenty of time to much about with the shutter open.
Background. I.e. be aware of it.

So I set the shot up, fired the remote trigger, dropped the cord quick, and started picking out duelling banjos (it's fast and easy).

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Headstock blurred, doesn't look very fast, but it's worked.

Tried again with fleece off (grey background) and a simple bridged chord up and down the fretboard very quickly.
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Not so happy about this. All the movement has blurred everything and it looks like I was falling over as the shot was taken.

Then, Mrs Ian asked if she wanted me to play the piano. My wife is a wonderful pianist, so I sat her down and asked for lots of running up and down the keys in a tune as fast as she could. Cue "'Aint Misbehavin'"
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Didn't work quite as well as I liked, and more shots from different angles didn't work mainly due to space constraints (the piano is at the bottom of the stairs) forcing me to shoot long rather than catch bannisters, curtains, doormats, half-painted kitchen doors and the like. I like the fact it looks like her fingers aren't pressing any notes due to the long shutter, apart from C & E which get hammered by the looks of things.

Processing:
White Balanced the RAW file
Levels & Curves. Some selective sharpening on the piano keys. Pointless sharpening anything else.
Black & White conversion using channel mixer.
Noise added
Soft focus on the guitar shots to make the blur look arty.
Crop to remove bits of background that couldn't be moved due to space issues.


Lessons learned this week:
If you picture a shot in your head, you can make it work. I'm not sure if the image is aesthetically pleasing, but I managed to output what was inside my head, so I'm quite pleased with that. Shot number one - the first of the session, is probably my favourite.
Health & safety: Extended tripod legs in a closed space with remote trigger cords and musical expensive instruments could be a recipe for disaster if you're not careful. Of if your teenage daughter needs to suddenly rush past everything at high speed to answer the phone to her odious boyfriend.

Finally! Now I can go and respond to some of these lovely comments on some other 52's. Although I might leave it to tomorrow. Pretty tired and full of cold at the moment.

Ian.
 
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