Leokull's 52 for 2011. Week 14 - Object

Hi Liam

What a great shot for Clutter & another different take on the theme :thumbs:

Delicate : Macro is addictive ! Love the color & that you can see bits of pollen on the 1st shot, well done :)
Love the clarity of color in the white flower ,looks like you can reach in & touch the petals .Not sure about the front petals being oof , maybe just me but would have prefered all the petals in focus .Still miles ahead of what I could have done though ,great work :thumbs:
 
WOW

You have some serious skills on show here. I love your clutter shot and the expression on your face in the chair :thumbs:

i like your delicate flowers and for me '1 has the better look; the white one looks a bit flat, maybe different lighting would have helped? More from under the flower through the petals?
 
Like both photos but number 1 is my favourite. Like Lynne i'm not too sure about the front petals in your second image being oof.
 
2nd flower is wonderful. Really like the subtle green and you're really done well with the whites.

OOF front has been mentioned, but nevertheless, great delicate photograph.

Cheers.
 
Wow. Some high praise which I really wasn't expecting. Thank you all for your kind words and Criticism. As always it's very much appreciated.
 
Hi Liam! Your 'Clutter' shot is great, nicely done, and what a fun idea! :D Your macros are lovely. I really like the colours and crop of #1 - it's my favourite of the two! :)
 
Very nice flower shots there, I much prefer the second shot for focus and composition.
 
1st shot is great... I'd be happy with that for this weeks theme... I'm really strugling... I really need a macro lens for this 52!

Great work once more!
 
Hi Liam, great pair of shots for week 7. I like them both, but if forced to choose I'd go for the 1st one.

The first shot has wonderful colour and the focus and detail is excellent. I think I would prefer a bit more depth of field (more light / smaller aperture).

The second pic is good but looks a tad OOF, or perhaps it's that there is a very narrow DOF. I also feel there's a bit too much black around it. Just IMHO.
 
Hiya Liam,

How on earth I have missed your thread I don't know, but think it may be because I am still trying to catch up on all those taking part, so I do apologise.

Wow, you have really got off to a fantastic start for your first 7 weeks and I have read through all the comments made so will not repeat what has already been said, other than to say well done!

I especially like your clutter image, that is so clever and you have executed it very well.

Onto week 7 and I think you have captured the beauty and delicateness of these lovely flowers perfectly. Especially like the first for the way you have captured the pollen.

I have really enjoyed looking through your project and now that I have it tagged I won't miss future weeks.

Keep up the good work and looking forward to watching your progress throught this project.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
onlyme said:
Hi Liam! Your 'Clutter' shot is great, nicely done, and what a fun idea! :D Your macros are lovely. I really like the colours and crop of #1 - it's my favourite of the two! :)
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Barrysprout said:
Very nice flower shots there, I much prefer the second shot for focus and composition.
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markelliot said:
1st shot is great... I'd be happy with that for this weeks theme... I'm really strugling... I really need a macro lens for this 52!

Great work once more!
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PatrickO said:
Hi Liam, great pair of shots for week 7. I like them both, but if forced to choose I'd go for the 1st one.

The first shot has wonderful colour and the focus and detail is excellent. I think I would prefer a bit more depth of field (more light / smaller aperture).

The second pic is good but looks a tad OOF, or perhaps it's that there is a very narrow DOF. I also feel there's a bit too much black around it. Just IMHO.
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Thanks everyone. All these nice comments have made me mega-chuffed.
Seems opinion has really been divided as to which is the better of the two, but I think the first just has it.
Personally it's difficult for me which of the two I prefer. I like the first one because the colour is much more vivid. There's a lot more detail in the photo and I really like the way it's more in focus the closer your eyes move to the centre of the flower.
With the second flower, I really like the white on black (purple if the raise the shadow in curves)! I also prefer the composition of this photo. But yes, if it's not filling the frame I should have made the whole flower in focus.
My girlfriend loves the second picture. So much in fact the she has made it a screensaver on one of my monitors. Before you ask, the other monitor has a similar multiplicity photo to my clutter theme. :thumbs:

miffsmith said:
Nice idea with style, but you look like you're sat on the bog.
Really liked your take on clutter. Very cool.
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:lol::lol::lol: Thanks! I wanted to capture the straight, almost rigid and unrelaxed pose you quite often notice in some geeks.

drodd said:
Hiya Liam,

How on earth I have missed your thread I don't know, but think it may be because I am still trying to catch up on all those taking part, so I do apologise.

Wow, you have really got off to a fantastic start for your first 7 weeks and I have read through all the comments made so will not repeat what has already been said, other than to say well done!

I especially like your clutter image, that is so clever and you have executed it very well.

Onto week 7 and I think you have captured the beauty and delicateness of these lovely flowers perfectly. Especially like the first for the way you have captured the pollen.

I have really enjoyed looking through your project and now that I have it tagged I won't miss future weeks.

Keep up the good work and looking forward to watching your progress throught this project.

Cheers

Dawn :)
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No need to apologize Dawn. If anyone has put there heart and commitment into this years 52, it's you. I don't think I've had a chance to look at a fifth of what other people have done.
Thanks for your kind words as well. :D
 
Week 8 - Chaos
Have to admit, I Haven't put much effort into it this week as I'm really having a hard time trying to think of an idea for this theme.
This is the best I could come up with. The idea behind the picture being that chaos comes from anarchy and graffiti tends to be the way anarchists express themselves. Also the artwork itself is pretty chaotic. :D


Week 8 - Chaos by Leokull31, on Flickr

Decided to make the rest of the picture black and white as it was pretty uninteresting in colour compared to the graffiti. Looks a bit rushed aswell because it was raining heavily and I didn't want to stand around waiting for too long. Overall. Not terrible in my mind but room for loads of improvement.

EDIT: Following peoples suggestions I've saturated the colours a touch.
 
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Hi Liam, I quite like your image for chaos, the selective colouring does work well, it might be improved if the graffiti was a little more vibrant, but I think considering it was raining and dull it has come out very well.
 
Hiya Liam,

Yes, I like this photo too. Agree with Michael about the selective colouring working for this image and if the graffiti was a bit more vibrant (perhaps you could pop the saturation slightly to see if it brings it out more).

Well done, considering the weather conditions you had to contend with.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Love your week 8 shot I did something sort of similar but I have no idea how to do the selective colouring on PS. Well done. :D
 
Hi Liam,

Realy drawn in by your first delicate photo - the detail is incredible.

Also really like the shot of the graffiti, especially all the different colours (and the drainpipe coming down the wall).

Good work !

Will :D
 
Lissa said:
Love your week 8 shot I did something sort of similar but I have no idea how to do the selective colouring on PS. Well done. :D
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Will James said:
Hi Liam,

Realy drawn in by your first delicate photo - the detail is incredible.

Also really like the shot of the graffiti, especially all the different colours (and the drainpipe coming down the wall).

Good work !

Will :D
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TinaC said:
I like the graffiti and by taking the colour out of the surrounding we concentrate on it. The riot of colours and shapes certainly reflect the theme :thumbs:
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Thank you for the comments everyone.

THE MEGA CATCH UP

I went on a bit of a road trip not too long ago, so it disrupted my efforts on the 52 a bit, but I am now back and will hopefully stay on course and on time with a photo a week.
I've been keeping myself busy this week though by building a mini tabletop studio which leads me to...

Week 9 Finish

The finished mini studio by Leokull31, on Flickr

Scuse the crap pic. It was taken with my phone. I've been wanting to take better product photos for a while, and now I have a means to do so. Not bad for a tenner and an hours work if I say so myself. All of the catch up pictures were taken using my mini studio aswell. I wanted a good excuse to use it. :D

Week 10 Trio

Does 2 and a half count? by Leokull31, on Flickr

The name of the picture says it all really.

Week 11 Knowledge

Keepers of knowledge by Leokull31, on Flickr

In my mind Books are the ultimate places where you can find all sorts of knowledge. (what's an Ipad?)

Week 12 Moderation

Lack of moderation by Leokull31, on Flickr

I'm in a bit of a healthy phase at the moment, so a complete lack of moderation is what I don't want right now. (chocolates and jaffa cakes helpfully disposed off by my girlfriend) :lol:
 
Hi Liam

you're certainley putting the light box to good use & well done on making such an effective one :thumbs:

Love all your catch up shots but the Trio & Moderation ones really stand out :clap: Both the jaffa cakes & the chocolate jump out at you ,great colors & focus , looks as though you can reach out & pick them up to eat ,really excellent shots:thumbs:
Really interested to know what lens , settings etc you used to get such a fantastic end result on those shots? Any pp at all ?
 
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:LOL:

Enjoying your moderate studio? ;) Jaffa cakes look good enough to eat but the chocolate looks a little off in tone...but I think I get plain chocolate ones...

Your pile of knowledge is nicely lit, but the selection of books is a little random...sounds a bit peevish that but I can't really express myself any better...is it the wine?

NO, Galaxy is not chocolate...but I get the idea and agree it is well presented and realistic ;)
 
Love the Trio pic. The light is fantastic, so full marks on your DIY light box. The image is so clear, excellent.
 
blondie606 said:
Hi Liam

you're certainley putting the light box to good use & well done on making such en effective one :thumbs:

Love all your catch up shots but the Trio & Moderation ones really stand out :clap: Both the jaffa cakes & the chocolate jump out at you ,great colors & focus , looks as though you can reach out & pick them up to eat ,really excellent shots:thumbs:
Really interested to know what lens , settings etc you used to get such a fantastic end result on those shots? Any pp at all ?
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Thanks Lynne. It was quite easy to make and I highly recommend giving it a go if you haven't already.
For these pics I just used the standard 18-55mm kit lens that came with the camera. With the jaffa cakes and chocolate photos, I used a narrow aperture and a wide angle to try and get all of picture in focus and then cropped in a bit to bring them closer to the edge. In PP I saturated the jaffa cakes to make the orange more orangey and added some contrast as it seemed to darken the chocolate a little bit. With the galaxy I sharpened the picture a touch and then used a grain removal tool. I didn't use a high ISO for this picture but it seemed to make the chocolate look a bit smoother.

TinaC said:
:LOL:

Enjoying your moderate studio? ;) Jaffa cakes look good enough to eat but the chocolate looks a little off in tone...but I think I get plain chocolate ones...

Your pile of knowledge is nicely lit, but the selection of books is a little random...sounds a bit peevish that but I can't really express myself any better...is it the wine?

NO, Galaxy is not chocolate...but I get the idea and agree it is well presented and realistic ;)
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Thanks Tina. I certainly am enjoying my teeny tiny studio :D. I agree with the tone of the Jaffa cakes. I'm not 100% happy with the white background in the photo. It just looks a little off-white and I guess whatever I did in PP has translated that over to the cakes.
At first I couldn't get the books lit properly as they were to big for my studio. But then I discovered that the bits I cut out of the foamboard made great reflectors if I positioned them either side of the lens.
Galaxy isn't chocolate? I am allowed to eat it then! :D:D

weirdfish said:
Love the Trio pic. The light is fantastic, so full marks on your DIY light box. The image is so clear, excellent.
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Thanks Darren. It's good to know the lightbox is doing a good job! :D

Sterling Archer said:
Great pics, particularly Trio and Moderation. Love the mini studio too!!
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Thanks Mark. My girlfriend and I are really enjoying the same two pictures aswell. Nothing to do with all the sugary sweetness I'd imagine :D
 
Hiya Liam,

Well done on you catch up, you have a great set of shots there. I love your little mini studio, very inventive indeed.

The background colour for your moderation shot works well with the colour of the choc.

All your photos are right on theme, so well done for that too.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
drodd said:
Hiya Liam,

Well done on you catch up, you have a great set of shots there. I love your little mini studio, very inventive indeed.

The background colour for your moderation shot works well with the colour of the choc.

All your photos are right on theme, so well done for that too.

Cheers

Dawn :)
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Thanks Dawn. That background colour for the chocolate is nothing more than the wrapper it came in turned upside down. Quite proud of myself for that little achievement.:D
 
Leokull said:
Thanks Dawn. That background colour for the chocolate is nothing more than the wrapper it came in turned upside down. Quite proud of myself for that little achievement.:D
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Hiya Liam,

Hey pat on your back for being inventive with the wrapper, brilliant idea :thumbs:

Onto your week 'Empty' and WOW! I absolutely love this photo and the b&w conversion works very well.

Now where is that palmistry book I used to have, loads of lines there to read :p

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Mentalblock said:
Good idea for the theme, it really works.
The composition is good, lighting/ shadows are nice, and I like that all of the hand is in focus.

All round a nice shot.
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Thanks Neil. The setup for this was a homemade snoot using a desklamp and a roll of black paper. Simples. You must have sharper eyes than me because I thought it was slightly soft around the wrist.

drodd said:
Hiya Liam,

Hey pat on your back for being inventive with the wrapper, brilliant idea :thumbs:

Onto your week 'Empty' and WOW! I absolutely love this photo and the b&w conversion works very well.

Now where is that palmistry book I used to have, loads of lines there to read :p

Cheers

Dawn :)
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Thank you Dawn. That's a very kind comment :D
 
Hi Liam,
I don't know how I have neglected your 52 till now. I have just had a quick catch up. This is a very impressive start to the 52 and I love your home-made studio. I really like your "Empty" shot. Great processing on it. Very nice. I will be watching now for your future posts :clap::clap:
 
Leokull said:
Thanks Neil. The setup for this was a homemade snoot using a desklamp and a roll of black paper. Simples. You must have sharper eyes than me because I thought it was slightly soft around the wrist.
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Now that you mention the wrist, it does look a little soft.
However, I did say hand which is what my eyes went to, which is a good sign that the image worked. Looking at the index finger, it appears to still be in focus, but could so easily have been OOF.

As for the DIY snoot - I've got three Pringle snoots and finding them very useful.
 
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