John's Photo 52 PtII - Week 52 (28th Dec) - Texture

Hi John

Out of Context fits the theme and considering it was your first ND grad outing (I haven't even got an ND Grad filter) I think you coped ok but the picture as a whole suffers from the conditions it was taken in I think, and as I've just said to someone else, I too would have got a better picture for this theme if I could have moved the geography around a bit. :D

Reshoot knocks it out of the ballpark.I really love this shot and my only crit would be you cropped it a bit tight by making it square, a little bit more space at the the top and it's perfect :love:

And you don't half take on board what people say and repost where you can :notworthy:
 
I like the idea behind out of context, but I think the scene was against you. prefer the 2nd version of the two
 
Bruja said:
Hi John

Out of Context fits the theme and considering it was your first ND grad outing (I haven't even got an ND Grad filter) I think you coped ok but the picture as a whole suffers from the conditions it was taken in I think, and as I've just said to someone else, I too would have got a better picture for this theme if I could have moved the geography around a bit. :D

Reshoot knocks it out of the ballpark.I really love this shot and my only crit would be you cropped it a bit tight by making it square, a little bit more space at the the top and it's perfect :love:

And you don't half take on board what people say and repost where you can :notworthy:
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Thanks very much Jean... The position of the sun really didn't help, I will do it again at some point... maybe see about shifting the sun around... although, I don't think the tower will ever get golden hour... not that I ever have a camera with me during golden hour...

As for the reshoot... just for you ;)

IMG_9245-Version21.jpg


corky said:
I like the idea behind out of context, but I think the scene was against you. prefer the 2nd version of the two
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Thanks Jon, I'll get it right at some point promise...
 
My inspiration has gone on holiday and didn't take me with it...

Anyway.... after much puzzling I came up with an idea, which didn't work that well

Bubbles 1

then as I was rinsing the bowl...

Bubbles 2

I decided to try an experiment with a glass of fizzy water... and this is it for this week

IMG_9367.jpg


I'm not particularly happy with any of them... but, maybe next week will be better ;)
 
Great effort John...not to keen on the first two...but the one you went with was the best of them. It's not a bad shot but it lacks a little sparkle for me...but on the good side it fits the theme and we are all one step closer to the end of the 52s...:D
 
I agree. Definitely picked the best one. It is missing that little something or other, but spot on theme. :thumbs:
 
Well done John, No3 is indeed the best of the bunch. It is a bit "flat" though
Jon
 
Spartacus said:
Great effort John...not to keen on the first two...but the one you went with was the best of them. It's not a bad shot but it lacks a little sparkle for me...but on the good side it fits the theme and we are all one step closer to the end of the 52s...:D
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Thanks Marcus... it's sparkling water... ;) best I can manage... Yeah not long now... but... I was thinking the other week of doing this again next year... I must be :nuts:

karmagarda said:
I agree. Definitely picked the best one. It is missing that little something or other, but spot on theme. :thumbs:
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Thanks KG... Yeah... but I don't know what

corky said:
Well done John, No3 is indeed the best of the bunch. It is a bit "flat" though
Jon
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Thanks Jon... it was defo gassy ;)... but yeah I know what you mean... I can't work out what it needs though... more light, higher shutter speed... just not sure....
 
Thanks for the reshoot John, the composition is much better now IMHO (and it's Jill, not Jean ;))

As for Bubbles I think you've suffered from the same fate as me, great representation of the theme but it's lacking that je ne sais quoi. And I agree with Marcus, only 10 more to go :woot:
 
SarahLee said:
I'm going to disagree with everyone else.

I like the shot that you picked, but it's lacking something for me.
Now No.1 . . . I really, really like :thumbs:
Lovely abstract and that green colour is great. It's something I could see people using as a screen-saver.
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Thanks very much Sara... It's not just you it's lacking something.. believe it or not...it's just... nah..

Bruja said:
Thanks for the reshoot John, the composition is much better now IMHO (and it's Jill, not Jean ;))

As for Bubbles I think you've suffered from the same fate as me, great representation of the theme but it's lacking that je ne sais quoi. And I agree with Marcus, only 10 more to go :woot:
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Thanks Jill, and I'm really sorry I got you confused... (must try harder not to get muddled on the names :nuts:)... yeah... I can't figure it out... but yes only 10 more... I dread to think what Simon has saved up in his bag...
 
I didn't get time to try what I wanted, and I'm therefore just having to put this in...

Bit of a quick snap really...

IMG_9468.jpg
 
Bubles, sorry I am going against everyone else, love the first one, and not really keen on the last two. Sorry.

Low Down - is on theme :) and I can see what you were aiming for too, a :thumbs: from me
 
Thanks Leanne... I can't help thinking that a pair of legs jutting from the shoes would just help make it better... nut finding the time, a volunteer, or suitably gaudy trousers (black jeans just aren't going to cut it) just wasn't going to happen...
 
Not a bad effort for a snapshot :thumbs: I can see what you were aiming for
 
Not a bad fill in shot...:clap:

Fits the theme, so works ok for me...:thumbs:
 
Thanks guys... I've a couple of ideas for doom and gloom... but... anyway, hopefully I'll be able to get something proper
 
Thanks Jeff... but it could have been so much better... damn it ... ;) :lol: ah well...
 
We've all had weeks like this John so don't sweat it. I'm having one this week :(

Just getting a shot in can be challenge enough and while this one isn't up to your usual standard it's well composed, DoF is good and definitely fits the theme :thumbs:
 
Thanks very much Jill... I'm not sure I've done any better this week... and just when I'd thought the themes ought to be getting easier :lol:
 
What a theme... still... after some thinking I had an idea... just the one...

Anyway... In an attempt to add a little humour, I recruited Monkey

Monkey, after getting his latest credit card bill, could feel the sword of Damocles hanging over his head

IMG_9529.jpg


I'm still struggling with creating my own lighting... this was shot with 2 flashes... the onboard popup, and my Jessops 300, handheld and pointed at the wall behind to blow it out (there's no control like this...).. It's also not easy, holding the prop and the flash during a 2.5sec exposure... This could be better if I could work out how to handle the lighting...
 
jgs001 said:
Thanks Fiona... Yeah not good for OOC...



Thanks Sarah



Thanks Jean... Hmmm...:thinking: well... what do you think ?

IMG_9277-Version2.jpg


I'm still not convinced with it... If only I'd had more time

[Excuse-SobStory on]
I really didn't leave myself enough time for this... By the time I'd got to it (after taking some shots of the ducks in the park for the birds group shot challenge), I had 15 minutes to walk 1.5 miles to get back to work for a conference call... I managed to grab 2 shots, with a huge amount of guessing with the ND Grads (first outing and absolutely no clue) before I had to leg it... needless to say I was a few minutes late, but got away with it :bonk:
[/Excuse-SobStory off]

Still I feel it deserves a reshoot... Not sure when I'll get the chance.. but..

And just for you

Square...

IMG_9245-Version2.jpg
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John I'm sorry I've only just seen this to reply. I do definitely prefer the mono version, even though the light was totally against you. Well done for braving the land of ND grads. I can't comment, since I've never used them :$ except to say well done for giving it a go when you were really up against it. btw - you must walk fast to have got back to your conference call in time. :D

Awww - thank you for the 'square' rosebuds. Yes, yes, yes - for me that works perfectly. :love:

Jean
 
Still trying to catch up on your thread - you've been very busy in my absence, John. :)

Bubbles: I actually really like the first one. As Sarah said, the colours are great and it's got a contempory abstract feel to it. It could easily become a pattern for fabric, sunblinds, etc. The only tiny niggle for me is that it hasn't got a definite pocal point, but if it did have such a thing it wouldn't work so well as a designer pattern. :clap:

Bubbles #2 could be a bit punchier, but still has the same potential as #1.

Bubbles #3 The bubbles look good and I like the colours with the olive (?) giving a bit of contrast. The flash reflections on the glass are a bit distracting, but tbh, if this is what you produce when you're not inspired then you should be well pleased. :thumbs:

Low Down: This is no snap! The angle, composition and lighting all work really well. And it's bang on theme. :thumbs:

Doom and Gloom: Poor Monkeh! Was the £20 credit his modelling fee for the shot? :lol:

Excellent take on the theme and made me laugh out loud. :clap::clap::clap:

Wow - I seem to have caught up. :D

Jean
 
That's a fantastic shot John, such a fun shot and still works for Doom and Gloom...:clap::clap::clap:

I love it...:love:
 
I've been working away a bit this week and I seem to have missed out on a few shots for Low Down . . . so sorry for being so late catching up.

That is definitely NOT a quick snapshot.
I really like the angle on this - I think it's the lowest low down we've had. You've even got part of the soles in.
And I can see your thinking. A volunteer in gaudy trousers would have just finished it off perfectly.

Doom and Gloom : :lol: Fantastic!!!!
Another one that made me smile (I thought these doom and glooms were supposed to make me miserable??????)

Very inventive. I absolutely love this idea and it's brilliantly executed (excuse the pun) too.
You may have struggled with the lighting, but the finished product makes it look effortless. Working really well for me.
 
Thanks Conor

jeangenie said:
Still trying to catch up on your thread - you've been very busy in my absence, John. :)

Bubbles: I actually really like the first one. As Sarah said, the colours are great and it's got a contempory abstract feel to it. It could easily become a pattern for fabric, sunblinds, etc. The only tiny niggle for me is that it hasn't got a definite pocal point, but if it did have such a thing it wouldn't work so well as a designer pattern. :clap:

Bubbles #2 could be a bit punchier, but still has the same potential as #1.

Bubbles #3 The bubbles look good and I like the colours with the olive (?) giving a bit of contrast. The flash reflections on the glass are a bit distracting, but tbh, if this is what you produce when you're not inspired then you should be well pleased. :thumbs:

Low Down: This is no snap! The angle, composition and lighting all work really well. And it's bang on theme. :thumbs:

Doom and Gloom: Poor Monkeh! Was the £20 credit his modelling fee for the shot? :lol:

Excellent take on the theme and made me laugh out loud. :clap:

Wow - I seem to have caught up. :D

Jean
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Thanks very much Jean, glad you liked the square crop buds;) Bubbles 3 is a grape... it was to hand (in a bowl, with it's friends, just out of shot). The £20 might have been his modelling fee, but he works for peanuts :D...

Thanks Marcus :thumbs:

No worries Sarah ;).. Thank you, it really was just a snapshot... honest... ok, I did adjust the shoes to try and make it a little more interesting... if that makes it not a snapshot... then... ok... As for Doom and Gloom, there's more than enough of that around at the moment, without us adding to it by taking dark and gloomy pictures... besides this was my only idea ;)... Thank you

Thanks Jeff... I've had issues with having too much of the wall show, and I wanted to make sure it didn't... I stopped down a bit to allow me to get a longer shutter speed, and delberatly underexposed a little, then about 1.5-2 seconds into the shot, manually triggered the Jessops flash from a bit lower then monkeh at the wall to white it out, and used second curtain flash on the popup to provide a bit of fill light to counter the flash on the wall. In hindsight, I could probably have done with a bit of +ve flash exposure comp to boost the lighting on monkeh a bit more... I guess this was a foray into off camera flash... although somewhat uncontrolled...
 
Thanks very much Ruth... but you're monkeh shots are always very good
 
jgs001 said:
I've had issues with having too much of the wall show, and I wanted to make sure it didn't... I stopped down a bit to allow me to get a longer shutter speed, and delberatly underexposed a little, then about 1.5-2 seconds into the shot, manually triggered the Jessops flash from a bit lower then monkeh at the wall to white it out, and used second curtain flash on the popup to provide a bit of fill light to counter the flash on the wall. In hindsight, I could probably have done with a bit of +ve flash exposure comp to boost the lighting on monkeh a bit more... I guess this was a foray into off camera flash... although somewhat uncontrolled...
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Wow - that sounds complicated.
It makes me realise why I haven't gone down the off camera flash route yet :lol:
 
love it....go to the top of the class! :clap::clap:
 
Full marks for originality and creativity! You've managed to pull off the lighting well - it sounds distinctly complicated. :clap::clap:
 
Thanks :thumbs:

the lighting sounds more complicated than it was, although there was a huge amount of point, shoot and hope involved with the second flash :D
 
Well, this ought to have been an easier week, but I've had another one of those weeks... At one point this week, I was even thinking about selling all my kit... ( that's both Astro and photo as they just aren't getting any use)

So whilst it took a bit of doing, my flash didn't want to behave, and I had to get it off camera, as the angles for anything else, and a non rotating flash head meant it was the only way to get even light, even then I had to use my AP free reflector... I also couldn't work out how to do Monkeh's "Hanging on the Telephone"...

So this is it...

Let's Communicate - Old and New...

IMG_95801.jpg
 
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jgs001 said:
Well, this ought to have been an easier week, but I've had another one of those weeks... At one point this week, I was even thinking about selling all my kit... ( that's both Astro and photo as they just aren't getting any use)
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:nono: tut tut, you know that being down on yourself like that isn't allowed on these 52s.
I've had a few bad weeks myself and I know what it's like, but despite not getting the shot that you'd planned this is still a very good interpretation :thumbs:

Love the contrast between the new and old. It looks deceptively simple, but getting the exposure and clarity right on both the screen and the sheet of paper must have been a complete nightmare.

p.s. PLEASE don't give up your Astro stuff. I love looking at it and your Andromeda shot in the POTY last month was absolutely fantastic!
 
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jgs001 said:
Well, this ought to have been an easier week, but I've had another one of those weeks... At one point this week, I was even thinking about selling all my kit... ( that's both Astro and photo as they just aren't getting any use)
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Nooooo, John - Don't do it! :eek:

You'd regret selling your stuff the very next day, or next time there was an interesting sky. Like Sarah says, we all have bad spells, and you've encouraged lots of us through them. I hope next week gives you a bit more time to yourself.

It might have been a bad week, timewise, but your Communication shot works really well imho. All those shiny surfaces must have been a nightmare, but you've tamed them well, and it's a good, well-composed shot with a clear message. I like the way you've resolved the shadows issues and the almost monotone colours work well together. Definitely a big :thumbs: from me. :)

Jean
 
We're all taking a beating because of these 52s! Just look at my crowbar last week for heavens sake :lol:

Spot on theme, and keep it up :thumbs:
 
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