L'Chams 52's - Stare - p5

Well done with this one! My favourite is the last, cropped BW version which has greatly reduced distractions and just concentrates on the main subject. Although a more OOF background would be nice you can't expect to enjoy the kind of control that you have in a studio - as it is it has a certain authenticity about it.

:clap::clap:
 
Love the look on his face. Great capture!

Must admit that the tighter crop B+W version is my fave:thumbs:

Cheers, Rob
 
Thanks for all the comments everyone. Great to be on a forum where you get good constructive advice. I'll have to make sure I get around the threads and repay the favour.

Now to find out what's next.
 
Oh la, la, la, lar...

The cropped B&W conversion works for me Steve, you have captured the expression perfectly, :thumbs:. I find it so awkward to ask strangers to pose (not sure why) or even taking photos in the street.
 
Steve, Well done for getting out there... I prefer the colour shot. The crop of the B&W does work better than the uncropped though. You've caught the expression really well too.
 
Hmm I still think I prefer the colour one too. I might try a crop of it similar to the mono when I get home tonight. Would have been nice to have a shallower depth of field but I've only got the 18-55mm stock lens and a nifty. Probably would have dropped them both with the nerves.
 
Week 5 - SPEED
Well I had an idea, decided it was cliche, thought of something else, it snowed, thought of something else, the Mrs fell ill, so it got to Saturday and I ended up going to the football, having a few beers, going for more beers then getting the Mrs to drive me somewhere so I could to the cliche shot with a slight twist on my original idea.

So, I give you, errrr..... my half arsed effort.

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Cropped
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L'Cham said:
the Mrs fell ill, so it got to Saturday and I ended up going to the football, having a few beers, going for more beers then getting the Mrs to drive me somewhere
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So you had some beers, then some more beers, and then made your poor ill wife drive you around to get your shot for your 52? . . . you bad, bad man :bat: ;)

For a "half arsed effort", that's not bad at all.
You've got the speed camera as the main focal point and some nice light trails either side. If you'd got down a bit lower with the camera I think you might have got a bit more impact, with those trails flying past either side of you rather than being below eye level.

It's still worked well though.

p.s. Street made me smile and I think you were right with the mono crop :thumbs:
 
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I'll give you half a mark for a half arsed attempt then :lol:. I would crop the top of the nearest two street lights out as they are a bit destracting.
 
Thanks for the comments :thumbs:
Yeah I can see how a lower angle and a tighter crop may have given me a better shot. Two things I didn't mention;

1) I'd forgotted the head off of my tripod so the camera was balanced in it rather than fixed to it. :amstupid:

2) Then while taking the shot I decided to use the self timer with continious shooting because I couldn't time when the cars would be going past. When I set the timer running I could see the timer light from the front of my 500D reflecting back off the speed camera. Which meant all the cars coming towards me must have thought I looked very suspicious. :police:
 
It's a shame there aren't a few more trails to really add some impact. Maybe seek out a motorway bridge next time, or find somewhere where you've got a bit of scenery (like an 'S' curve going under a bridge or something) and use a landscape as the focal, with the trails just adding a bit of pizzaz to the whole affair...?

Just my thoughts though :)

But yeah - I've done this before, and the amount of 'what the fsck are you doing' looks you get really put you off and make you self conscious!
 
I like the basic set up though getting rid of the nearest lamps would improve it, I think. Just a shame there weren't more cars.
 
I agree, the basic setup works well, and it's a good image, crop of those lights... more cars would have helped...
 
I will trying to reshoot 'Speed' over the weekend me thinks. Haven't been able to spot another speed camera with a handy setup location with more traffic yet. Of course, the purpose of a speed camera is also to slow cars down as well. Might have to just go with a longer shutter time and hope for the best. Could get the Mrs to drive past as well I suppose. Or stand with the camera so I can set the timer then run to the car.

Still need to get 'Present' done. I fear that'll be another uncreative 'in the box' one too. :shake:
 
Hi Steve,

I liked your final B&W crop of Street. It seems to work much better (for me) than the other versions.

I also like Speed. Although until Sarah mentioned there was a speed camera I didn't see it (could be my laptop screen though). If you do a reshoot, that would make a good subject with the light trails either side.

Just thinking... It would be cool if the camera went off and flashed illuminating a car in as kind of "middle-curtain" speedlight...

Nice work!

Ian.
 
Harlequin565 said:
Hi Steve,

I liked your final B&W crop of Street. It seems to work much better (for me) than the other versions.

I also like Speed. Although until Sarah mentioned there was a speed camera I didn't see it (could be my laptop screen though). If you do a reshoot, that would make a good subject with the light trails either side.

Just thinking... It would be cool if the camera went off and flashed illuminating a car in as kind of "middle-curtain" speedlight...

Nice work!

Ian.
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Thanks Ian. I never did get around to psting the cropped colour shot. I prefer the croped mono over the full size on any day.

As nerve wracking as the Street picture was, the idea of my flash going off as a car passes a speed camera? No way, that's :cuckoo: I'll end up getting lynched unless I can time it so the car passing to be mine. :lol:
 
the idea of my flash going off as a car passes a speed camera? No way, that's I'll end up getting lynched unless I can time it so the car passing to be mine.
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Heh. I meant the speed camera going off during your long exposure... Must learn to type more coherently :)

Ian.
 
I quite like the speed shot purely because of the street lights. They look like fireworks being set off by the sides of the road :lol:
 
Harlequin565 said:
Heh. I meant the speed camera going off during your long exposure... Must learn to type more coherently :)

Ian.
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Oo, I see. Yes that would have looked pretty cool and result in a lot less punching.
 
Week 6 - PRESENT

Okay, this time I really struggled to think of something other than that I thought the obvious subject would be for the theme. So although this feels like a bit of a cheat I've gone for a very simple shot of a very simple subject. I tried different 'backgrounds' but in the end went with a simple black because of the pale colour of the clocks body. Well enough waffle here it is...

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I've posted two shots because I couldn't decide which one I preferred. Probably because I'm a bit :| about them both. For some reason I quite like the darkness of the base of the clock on the second one.

Here's hoping I can get creative with the next theme.
 
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Steve, my choice would be #1, I prefer the composition of that one. #2 seems a bit oof or it may be the dof,:thinking: I don't know:D

It was a difficult (for me) theme this week. It certainly makes one think how to be creative doesn't it?
 
I prefer the composition of the first but the lighting of the second. I found it difficult, too....I'm just wondering what they are going to spring on us next.
 
First one for composition definitely, although it's a shame you chopped off the bottom. Need to look out for those reflections too.
 
No1 works much better for me, the lighting and composition suits such an unusual looking clock.

:thumbs:
 
thats a great clock, I prefer the lighting and composition on the first one too.. :)
 
As already said, No.1 has the stronger composition but the lighting has worked better in No.2. You seem to have better control over the reflections on the face and I really like that dark area at the bottom.

It's an interesting clock and a very good colour. Is it a genuine 70's clock or a modern "vintage" one?

Don't worry, we're all going to have themes that we don't like through the 52. Here's hoping for a good one next week.
 
I'd have to agree with Sarah, the composition of no1 is stronger but the lighting is not as good as in no2. Also, in no1 there is a tiny bit of the clock cut off which I think would be better in the shot; and in no2 the focus seems to be off a bit. The reflections in both are a touch distracting.

I really like the darkness of no2, it seems to me that it makes it a much more dramatic image. I think if you combined the different bits of those two photos into one you'd have a very good photo.
 
Thanks for all the comments everyone, it's no where near the greatest shot I've taken but thanks to the input from here I can learn from it. I think I'll have to try this again maybe at night so I don't have the reflections coming through the window. Or pull the blinds up so it's a solid square of light. I do prefer natural light but it's a swine to manage.

Sarah, the clock is actually just something cheap we picked up when we redecorated the kitchen recently. Might of even just been from a supermarket for a few quid. Has a nice little bit of charm about it though.
 
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Steve, I'm thinking along the same lines as Sarah and Ben. The coposition of 1 is good, but the more dramatic lighting of the second works well on it. The reflection on the face is a real distraction for me. I'd go for night, so the window doesn't affect the image.
 
Unfortunately the reflections are killing this for me. I'm never too sure, but would a polarizer reduce them? I know I use one for landscapes to enable me to 'see through' water and reduce reflections.
 
PRESENT - RESHOOT

Right I decided to do this at night using fake light instead of natural to cut down on the reflections. Just couldn't get the lighting I really wanted in the end but I still think it looks better than the original. Oh well.

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Well I have my subject for People. I have my shooting time, forced on me by guests and social events. Just hope I've got the weather, damn snow.
 
Week 7 - PEOPLE

So I didn't really have time and didn't really fancy going back out onto the streets trying to get another shot of random people since it was nerve wracking the first time. Plus as soon as I saw this week’s theme my subject came to mind and I wanted to see it through. Funnily enough after spending around an hour taking shots of from different angles and some other interesting stuff in the area I bumped into a fellow photographer and made a new friend. I almost took a quick snap of old Jim but instead settled for telling him I might just pop in and see him and the other members of the South Shields Photography Club sometime soon for a coffee and chat.

Right as normal I fell I've waffled on for long enough, I give you Juan Munoz' Conversation Piece (well, part of it).

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C&C Welcome
 
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What a strange work of art! (The sculpture, not the photo! :lol:)

My only critique would have been maybe to get close and personal with one of the statues - isolate it, nice and sharp in focus, then try and work the others into the background with a nice DoF blur.

Other than that... :thumbs:
 
Nick T said:
What a strange work of art! (The sculpture, not the photo! :lol:)

My only critique would have been maybe to get close and personal with one of the statues - isolate it, nice and sharp in focus, then try and work the others into the background with a nice DoF blur.

Other than that... :thumbs:
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Christ you're keen. Two ticks I have just the shot.

Like this maybe?

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Agree with Nick. The second shot has made a much better job if it. Throwing the background out of focus makes a real difference. Now you need to find one facing you. Strange piece of art though but nice attempt.
 
With that latest one I think you need to isolate it a bit more from the background again... Try importing it into photoshop, select round the statue, invert the selection, feather it and then run a lens blur filter and see what that gives you :)
 
Not a lot more to add to Nick's posts above but this is a very interesting and different take on the theme. I like the ones where you have isolated a single figure. Iain
 
Nick T said:
With that latest one I think you need to isolate it a bit more from the background again... Try importing it into photoshop, select round the statue, invert the selection, feather it and then run a lens blur filter and see what that gives you :)
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Umm... I could just post this one. Is this what ^ would have resulted in?

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