Its my 52 - Week 48 & 49: MECHANICAL & DISTANT

OK folks so im WAY behind at the mo. I have a lot going on personally that is really affecting my mojo and ability to keep on top. Im struggling through regardless (what else is there to do)

For this weeks theme I had SUMMER, but typical for the UK, I have yet to see anything 'summery' at all, except constant rain and showers. I took some shots of some folks on deck chairs in a park, but I wasn't happy with them, so I went scouting in the woods for something better.
I managed to get some images, but again not really feeling them, but rather than fall behind even further, I have chosen the ones I consider to be OK and submitted them

runners up
4864912206_e740a2586b.jpg


4864282057_782c3697f7.jpg


4864904864_980dc7593d.jpg



The next theme I had was FEAR. Now this was better as it is very abstract. I went through a process of what is scary, what do people fear etc. I then started taking my shots, wondered around a graveyard and I finally found some inspiration to get creative for the winning shot.

runners up
4864924692_133c0a2ab6.jpg


4864303023_78a87cbe53.jpg


4864299763_87c425b8fb.jpg
 
Catching up here...

I think you are too hard on yourself - there are a lot of really good shots here. I think however that I agree with your first choices. The ?hoverfly one really does convey the idea of summer so that I can almost smell the flowers. "Fear" is most uncomfortable!! The lighting is perfect, and either your PP is really skillful or you have a very steady hand with a nail :lol:.
 
For this weeks challenge in had RAILWAY. Not as simple as I first thought. Having gone to some local stations I left uninspired. Then a friend came over and we went down to Welshpool and there is an Olde Worlde train station - PERFECT!
So I snapped away getting the shots I wanted and feeling much happier with the challenge.
Runners up
4895645631_0fe206ceb5.jpg


4895650777_02e252957b.jpg


4896267342_4e688af054.jpg


Winning shot - RAILWAY
4895638301_d7efbce4de.jpg
 
Finally back up-to-date! It is really hard to keep on top of a 52 project, once one week slips its easy to quickly fall behind. So for the past month I have been making a more valid effort, whilst trying to sort out other things too, lifes never simple.

Anyhoo, the theme for this was Scenic, and again whilst in Wales I managed to get the shots I wanted and them some. I forget the name of the actual lake - but it is around 20 miles away from Welshpool.
Whilst I was busy snapping away, my battery died - I had forgotten to charge it after the wedding!!! SH**! So the day shooting ended abruptly.
Jets were constantly flying overhead and as we left I cursed myself as one flew so low and dipped his wings I could see the pilot clearly!!!
When I got home I went to switch batteries only to realise I had the spare with me all along - there was some words said I couldn't begin to type ;)
runners up
4895831937_3a805899b8.jpg


4896414846_842629b2ca.jpg


4895848771_1be3080973.jpg


4896433368_a0de449b7d.jpg


Winning shot - SCENIC
4895857663_1668938fd7.jpg
 
Some cracking shots in this thread Dade. I love the way you come up with so many ideas when most of us struggle for one each week. The railway clock stands out as a favourite for me, but I'd have to pick Nelson as a close runner up in my eyes.

Do you come up with your themes in advance of shooting or pick your theme to fit whatever you might have shot? Whichever it is it works :thumbs:
 
Cheers Darren ;)

To be honest chap, I made a list of about 80 subjects and I try where possible to choose a theme then find the subjects, but sometimes it works the other way around, Im out shooting and when I get back I realise I have some which fit perfectly into another theme and what I was after I never got.
For example Summer, was going to be In-flight, but I wasnt happy with the shots of the hoverflys, bees and what not. So rather than waste the afternoon I decided to get shots of Summer instead.
 
Makes a lot of sense and I'm sure it prevents a few headaches :)
 
Talk about you getting behind, Dade - I haven't commented on your thread for ages. So sorry :'(

I've been struggling to keep up with my threads just lately and I'm blown away by the number and quality of images you produce week in week out - alongside what sounds like a very hectic time in your life.

I could quite easily spend the whole evening commenting on each shot, but there's so little I can say other than 'excellent' so I decided to try and pick my own personal winner out of the last few week. The criteria were simple - a technically sound shot that fits the particular theme and has a certain extra 'something' ....

and my winner is ....

Authority: the Downing Street/Whitehall shot. :clap::clap::clap:

The extra 'something' imo, is the clear reference to the seat(s) of power in the country highlighting Blair's 'sofa' style of presedential government and the coalition's 'let's include everybody' approach.

I hope your mojo and life are feeling better. :)

Jean
 
Hi Dade, I don't know how I have missed it but I am another one who has not commented on your thread recently. Sorry.

Going back as far as your wedding shots - they are all exquisite but your winner is definitely a winner.

Authority - I really liked your chosen winner, very apt for the theme. personally, my favourite was Nelson's Column.

Summer - love the winner but also really like the corn shot.

Fear - all really excellent but the winning shot is very clever indeed.

Station - the clock is superb.

Scenic - all really good but my favourite is the river gorge with the trees.

I hope things will start to go better for you soon, but it does not seem to be affecting your photography.

Jenny
 
Hey Jean and Jenny - thanks for the comments, much appreciated :)

Life is a little challenging right now - I have left my home, Girlfriend and baby in Spain to come back to the UK to setup a business and life here - so lots to do and nothing going quite to plan, my plans are usually like the A-Team make something from nothing, but not this time.
But this is life - I am hoping them will join me here in October, home and business setup or not. Im trying thats the main thing ;)
 
The last two railway shots and the second scenic shot are my favourites, but viewing this thread is too immerse oneself in quality photos!

Phil
 
Well done for catching up. The last two railway shots for me, too. I think my preferred scenic shot is potentially the first, if you reduced the heavy vignetting and rotated it a little clockwise to straighten it. I find the composition more interesting than the last one in spite of its better lighting and the dinghy. :shrug:

Bad luck about the battery muddle - it's called a senior moment!
 
Phil: you certainly know how to make a guy feel good ;)
thanks for the support, really appreciated - being new to the game I think I may strive too far sometimes then get disappointed when I fall short.

Tracer: I know what your saying about the vignetting, it was something I intentionally chosen, due to the similarity of the other shot. I too was undecided which I preferred but my eye kept going to this shot.
I was hoping not to have senior moments for a few years yet :S
 
This week I set myself the challenge of only shooting one scene! The theme I had was OBJECT. So I had to shoot one object and make it interesting, well as can be.
I went to the toy store and bought myself a slinky!!! That object I thought would be great because of its abstract nature, colour and variety.

So I set about shooting it in a variety of ways, hope you like it ;)
runners up
4917626240_12dd3f69a9.jpg


4917041279_27306fd741.jpg


4917049905_cba1782124.jpg


4917633206_2b2d2a5d6b.jpg


Winning Shot - OBJECT
4917664176_1f441a4fe9.jpg
 
Hi Dade.

Been a while since I popped in here and there are some more amazing shots as always.
Love the idea of using the slinky for your object shots . . . it's been years since I've seen one of those.

I agree with your chosen version - I just love the rainbow effect, but there's something very intriguing about the more abstract nature of the others. I think there's a great triptych to be had in there somewhere.

Summer : Like Jenny, I'm torn between your chosen shot and the corn. Both very different but beautiful in their own ways.

Fear : :thumbs: You said that you'd been playing with ketchup, but I wasn't expecting this. Simple but really quite sinister.
How did you get the nail through the egg without shattering it?

I also like your cemetery shots from that week. My only niggle with these is the stone with "sacred" written across it. With these type of things I much prefer the DoF and angle running from left to right, so that the beginning of the word is closer to my eye, if you see what I mean.
(Although in this case the angle that you've chosen has the interesting effect of making the word almost appear to be "scared" at a quick glance . . . very much in keeping with your fear theme.)

Railways as a subject don't really do much for me, but I do like the chosen shot of the clock against that sky.

And finally scenic : I could see any of these printed as a scenic postcard. My favourite though is the view through the arch (No.4)
It's just that little bit different to the usual landscape and I like the way that the arch frames the view.
 
I dont know if im getting better or more indecisive as it seems to be harder to pick chosen shots each.
Appreciate your comments, missed you not dropping by, but I totally understand, its hard keeping track.
Glad you like the shots, and yeah I see your point on the ones you highlighted.
As for the egg, well first thing was to pierce the bottom, blow out the yolk, then in the same hole fill it with ketchup (slightly watered down), then take a screw and begin to pierce the top and where I wanted the bottom hole to be, then push the nail through until it pierced each side, then let gravity take over ;)
 
What is it about slinkies - they're fascinating! :)

I'm torn between your winner and #1 runner up. I like the composition of the winner, but I would have liked the focus to be on, say, one of the purple spirals rather than the blue one, which looks too cramped to be the main focus. The sharp focus on the one spiral in #1 gives the eye somewhere to rest and the colours work well.

Looking at them again, I'm starting to 'get' #3 with its 'rythym' and subdued colours. I usually think of slinky colours as being sharp, shiny and in your face so this gives it a different twist (pun intended!) :)

Jean
 
Some really nice colours in this week's selection. Given what you have here I'd also find it tricky to choose once again, but agree with Jean that #1 and #3 are strong contenders :)
 
Great idea. I agree with your chosen shot but they are all good - I really like the first with its more subdued, mysterious colours and just the one coil in focus. :thumbs:
 
Cheers for the comments folks, I reckon I did choose well, on my Flickr it got 'Explored' which has bumped my viewers and comments up dramatically, they seem to like it too!
 
For this weeks challenge I had a brain storm whilst messing about with our Hi-lite. I decided I wanted to do the 100 faces of Dade. No easy task, fun, but not easy.

I sat down and went through a range of faces, expressions and emotions. I then worked on a flow and decided I didn't want to use props as that was too easy. So limited to just facial expressions and hand gestures I started my project.
I got friend and business partner Huss to take the actual shots save me running back and forth from my spot, he also offered creative ideas as we went along.

All in all it was fun and a great opportunity to see just how our clients feel in front of the camera when asked to do crazy things - not that im shy of course ;)

There are no runners up this week as its a completed project, so hope you enjoy it.
Theme - POSED
4934484262_cf2bf204aa_z.jpg
 
Brilliant. So much going on to look at. The b&w processing works nicely as well. Perhaps a little scary for hanging on the wall, but a crazy idea that's worked a treat. Must have taken an absolute age to line everything up (if anyone needs help with a triptych they can come to you) :)
 
Simply fantastic Dade! Very creative, funny and original. Iain
 
:lol: Brilliant !

One of those images that you could spend hours looking at and analysing.
I'm absolutely amazed that you managed to come up with 100 completely different expressions and poses, but the finished piece really works. Tons of visual impact there.

My one and only criticism is that I would have liked them to be in a more random arrangement.
As it is the top half is purely facial expressions, while the bottom half has all of the hand gestures coming in (I'm guessing that they're arranged in the order that they were shot)

I would have liked to see them mixed up a bit more - although you have to keep the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" together. I particularly like that bit!!!
 
Thanks folks,
it was a labour of love (at first), lol. 100 faces was easy, believe it or not - 100 good faces is a different story, lol.

Sarah: I take your point and at first I did exactly that, a mixed order but it appeared too haphazard - so I went for the progression, faces, one hand then two hands.

I would say it was easier than I thought and far easier than going and shooting 100 random portraits - although to my mind I dont really like the two hand images so much as it does clutter the bottom a bit too much.
Thanks to you all for the input - and god NO, have that, huge, hanging a wall looking at me ;)
 
Classic - what a great idea - it's fun to visually explore the grid and smile at all the poses!

Phil
 
Very clever! It reminds me of the Polyphotos that they used to do of us as children. It was a cheap way of getting fairly pro photos - you were sat in a chair, perhaps with a toy, and then lots of pics were taken. There was a photographer around but I can't now remember if he used an interval timer. You ended up with a large sheet of lots of small square photos about the size of a stamp, and could choose which ones to have enlarged.
 
Summer, the winner looks great and well defined, just seems rather cool to me...

Fear, very clever and very well shot

Scenic, another lovely set, but the winner I really like.

Object, brilliant. Really clever idea and it's worked so well. The winner is my fave.

Poses is just amazing. A lot of work, and time has gone into that, and it shows. :clap::clap:
 
OK so this weeks theme is AUTUMN, yes, I chose this one rather than a random one. I headed off into the woods I used to play in, some 20 years ago and decided to get lost, just to get some different shots rather than that of from the footpath.

I rambled around in and out of fields and through swampy marshes to find things that stood out to me and it was a nice little trek to be honest. One thing I did noticed how fit I am... ...NOT! Wowsa, its been a while.

anyway below are some of the shots I took, enjoy ;)
4979425927_175af84685.jpg


4979384165_aea2cde716.jpg


4979966558_f571a3fbd3.jpg


4980016052_024588c6d3.jpg


4979363451_9c0ce4fcde.jpg


Theme - AUTUMN
4979416677_8cf65cbea9.jpg
 
A great set Dade. I was heading out this morning planning to look for something similar but thought I'd have another coffee first. Also realise no woods that close to me :)

Finding it difficult to have a favourite out of these. The first mushroom shot is so simple and shiny moist. And the last leaf shot is crisp with great light and colours and bokeh. But to pick one it would be the yellow flower. Beautiful colours and processing, the other flowers in the background are perfectly out of focus. Love it :thumbs:

My only niggle is that these need to be viewed bigger, then they look even better!
 
Cheers Darren :)
I had a tough time picking one to be honest and I went with the one that said Autumn to me, the leaf just epitomised what Autumn looks like.

Of course you're welcome to visit my Flickr page for larger versions
 
Hi Dade, this is a great set depicting autumn very nicely. Difficult to choose a winner but I think maybe the leaf is my favourite. I have yet to photograph dead leaves for my 52 but it is on my to do list. I know I won't get one as good as this. The colours are beautiful.

Jenny
 
dade_f said:
Sarah: I take your point and at first I did exactly that, a mixed order but it appeared too haphazard - so I went for the progression, faces, one hand then two hands.
Click to expand...

Yes. I can see how it could look a bit jumbled . . . and I'm really impressed that you tried it a couple of ways before deciding on the final version. I would have lost patience after the first attempt at putting these together :lol:

Autumn is another beautiful set.
Your chosen shot really stands out. Perfect DoF and balance of colour in it. But I find myself drawn to the B&W fungus. Lots of fungi shots on here lately, but this is the first B&W one that I've seen and it really brings out the texture and shapes in the gills.
 
Wow, another great set of images Dade. Jenny has a bit of competition in the fungi photograph stakes :lol:.
The dead leaf and the yellow flower are for me the stand out images from what are all well seen, taken and processed shots. Another interesting and creative week Dade. Iain
 
A great variety of shots from one outing. The last is my favourite - great colours and composition.

Phil
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top