weekly Mandy's 2016 52 challenge week 8 Topical week 9 Living world week 10 Spiky added

Glad you are feeling better Mandy :thumbs:

Nice catch up, both fit the theme well :)
 
Camouflage: superb simple take on the theme. Like this a lot. Detail in the fabric is shows up well.

Danger. Very minimalistic approach to a superb image. No crit from me.
 
Carl Ayling said:
Hi Mandy. Glad you're better - so many suffered and quite badly too. Anyway, ....
Camouflage: Quite a nice abstract - like the stitching tracks. I'm assuming it's your combats.
Dangerous: Yikes! that looks a very sharp instrument, photographically sharp too. Looks good on the angle. What's the significance of that line across the blade - a depth gauge of some sort?
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Carl my image for camouflage is a cropped part of my hat, I wear when I go fishing. As for the knife the line on the blade means nothing just a manufacturing defect I think. Thank you for the comments and taking the time to look.


Cobra said:
Glad you are feeling better Mandy (y)

Nice catch up, both fit the theme well :)
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Thanks Hissy

HeartandSoul said:
Camouflage: superb simple take on the theme. Like this a lot. Detail in the fabric is shows up well.

Danger. Very minimalistic approach to a superb image. No crit from me.
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Thanks for the kind comments and for taking the time to look.

susiejb said:
Hi Mandy ....glad you're feeling better .....good choice for the themes I like the simplicity of the craft knife shot.
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Thanks very much Susie, thanks for taking the time to look.
 
Camo - certainly on theme, nothing to be damned about, it does the job

Dangerous, very good clean, sharp, clinical shot. As Carl says the angle is good and you have controlled the light well and kept the details.
 
Hi Mandy, liking your camouflaged image, good colours. I really like your dangerous images, sharp and good details too. I bet a B&W conversion would looks good.
 
sirch said:
Camo - certainly on theme, nothing to be damned about, it does the job

Dangerous, very good clean, sharp, clinical shot. As Carl says the angle is good and you have controlled the light well and kept the details.
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d00d said:
:agree:

good catch up
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alsjazzera said:
Hi Mandy well done for catching up a little, craft knife works best
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purplepleaser said:
Hi Mandy, liking your camouflaged image, good colours. I really like your dangerous images, sharp and good details too. I bet a B&W conversion would looks good.
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Thank you all for dropping by.
 
Hi Mandy - glad you're on the mend :)

Camouflage - bit of a middling image for me, but it was a very difficult week so allows you to move on and get to a more interesting image. Different lighting (more side-on?) might have given you a more interesting image with shadow coming into play on the material a bit more, perhaps.
Dangerous - works better for me. The lighting is complimentary to the image and it screams sharp and dangerous. I like the angular composition. Add a tiny bit more depth into the image (throwing the handle OOF perhaps) and it'd be an absolute belter but as is, it's still a really good capture.

Looking forward to more!
 
Just catching up Mandy - so much activity its taking some time !

Happy - definitely a happy Welsh chappy (dragon :P) - nice colurs - the lettering may be slightly OOF but I think it helps focus on the Dragon :)

Abandoned - like the juxtaposition of the ruins against the modern house behind and somehow makes it more poignant ....

Camo - nice, simple and bang on theme :)

Dangerous - definitely looks it and have had the misfortune of a few sliced fingers from these in the past - ouch !
 
Hi Mandy, a quick catch-up from me as this is my first visit to your thread. I'm still catching up with my themes but thanks for dropping into my thread and I'll try to keep up to date with yours in future!

Metal - a really strong image to start your 52. The bright metal and shallow DOF make the skull really pop from the background :thumbs:
Old - he's not so old, but the guitar really shows the knocks and bumps of a long career. Would probably make a good subject for a photo in its own right.
Captive - simple and effective, and the reflections on the metal chain draw the eye immediately. Great use of the model, too - I have one of these little fellas and keep forgetting to put him to use.
Miniature - a perfect choice of subject, and the focus and lighting is spot on.
Happy - bold, colourful and definitely happy :) I echo the other comments about controlling the reflections well, and the square crop works well for this.
Abandoned - looks like an interesting site, and well preserved too. A nice contrast with the modern buildings so nearby.
Camouflage - well done for keeping going while you were ill. It's so close-up it's almost abstract, and I think works well. Good idea.
Dangerous - no need for an explanations here; it looks like an incredibly sharp blade, nicely lit and I like the composition.

I've enjoyed catching up with your thread and will be following in future :thumbs: Hope you're soon back to full health!
 
Camo makes a good abstract.

Dangerous.....Well yes!!

Glad you're feeling better :-)
 
Camouflage - is certainly on theme
Danger - very crisp image simple and to the "point"(sorry)
 
pjm1 said:
Hi Mandy - glad you're on the mend :)

Camouflage - bit of a middling image for me, but it was a very difficult week so allows you to move on and get to a more interesting image. Different lighting (more side-on?) might have given you a more interesting image with shadow coming into play on the material a bit more, perhaps.
Dangerous - works better for me. The lighting is complimentary to the image and it screams sharp and dangerous. I like the angular composition. Add a tiny bit more depth into the image (throwing the handle OOF perhaps) and it'd be an absolute belter but as is, it's still a really good capture.

Looking forward to more!
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Jon.P.73 said:
Just catching up Mandy - so much activity its taking some time !

Happy - definitely a happy Welsh chappy (dragon :p) - nice colurs - the lettering may be slightly OOF but I think it helps focus on the Dragon :)

Abandoned - like the juxtaposition of the ruins against the modern house behind and somehow makes it more poignant ....

Camo - nice, simple and bang on theme :)

Dangerous - definitely looks it and have had the misfortune of a few sliced fingers from these in the past - ouch !
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Toothie said:
Camo - spot on for the theme and nice textures :)

Dangerous - striking composion and very sharp :clap:
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Manxmaid said:
Hi Mandy, a quick catch-up from me as this is my first visit to your thread. I'm still catching up with my themes but thanks for dropping into my thread and I'll try to keep up to date with yours in future!

Metal - a really strong image to start your 52. The bright metal and shallow DOF make the skull really pop from the background (y)
Old - he's not so old, but the guitar really shows the knocks and bumps of a long career. Would probably make a good subject for a photo in its own right.
Captive - simple and effective, and the reflections on the metal chain draw the eye immediately. Great use of the model, too - I have one of these little fellas and keep forgetting to put him to use.
Miniature - a perfect choice of subject, and the focus and lighting is spot on.
Happy - bold, colourful and definitely happy :) I echo the other comments about controlling the reflections well, and the square crop works well for this.
Abandoned - looks like an interesting site, and well preserved too. A nice contrast with the modern buildings so nearby.
Camouflage - well done for keeping going while you were ill. It's so close-up it's almost abstract, and I think works well. Good idea.
Dangerous - no need for an explanations here; it looks like an incredibly sharp blade, nicely lit and I like the composition.

I've enjoyed catching up with your thread and will be following in future (y) Hope you're soon back to full health!
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viv1969 said:
Camo makes a good abstract.

Dangerous.....Well yes!!

Glad you're feeling better :)
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minx said:
Camouflage - is certainly on theme
Danger - very crisp image simple and to the "point"(sorry)
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Thanks all for dropping by and leaving me good comments, means a lot to me.
 
Well I am massively behind on my images and my comments, but I have found some spare time and motivation. So it is the start of a catch up from me, the theme topical I really struggled with. I had no idea what to do for it so this is just a PABD shot, just to keep me in the game.

Week 8 Topical


Topical by Mandy Miles, on Flickr
 
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Doing a bit more on my mega catch up, with week 9 " living world " theme, As the weather was a little bit better I took the camera and went for a walk. I really wanted a nice bright outdoors image after all this wet weather we have been having, So my idea was to find some nice spring daffodils, and grab a shot or 2 as to me they mark the beginning of spring and a sign of new life.

Week 9 Living world

Living world by Mandy Miles, on Flickr

Moving onto week 10, I wasn't really sure what to do for this theme. I had thought about doing something at work, but I figured I would get odd looks from my work colleagues. So while I was out on a walk I came across this and thought it would fit the theme, as I still have plenty to catch up on I have decided to opt out of doing the re shoot as well.

Week 10 Spiky

Spiky by Mandy Miles, on Flickr
 
Welcome back, Mandy! Those are three very fitting images for the themes; no question that Topical meets that one, and a modern and immediate feel with it being on a tablet. The daffs are lovely with that warm light and the complementary colours, while the DOF makes the central flower really stand out well, and the Spiky branch is beautifuly backlit and isolated from the background. Nice comeback :clap:
 
Hi Mandy.
Nothing wrong with PABD, as you say it helps you to keep up sometimes, especially if you're drawing a blank (mind you, I had one that was 20 weeks late last year).

  • Topical - As you say, it is what it is. It could perhaps have done with some tweaking of the perspective as the top of the tablet is slightly larger than the bottom.
  • Living World - I like the yellows of the daffs against the oof green background. Defo worth waiting a few weeks to get daffs :)
  • Spiky - Again, nice use of shallow DoF. I think it works even though it is central. I also like the bokeh in the background.
 
Hi Mandy - glad you're back... we missed you!

Topical is something to keep you on track, so good to get it done. Photographing a flat object on a flat surface is always going to be hard - maybe look at setting it at an angle next time to give yourself an easier time?

Living world works well. The composition is really good, the colours are spot on and lighting etc. just right - well done :)

Spiky - I love the rim/back lighting on the needles. It brings that shot alive and you have enough of them perfectly in focus. Really effective shot for me so another big :clap:
 
Hi Mandy. Well done with the catch-up. Hard when motivation goes AWOL but it does eventually return in it's own sweet time. All three are good shots for the theme but I particularly like Living World. The daffodils are a really lovely image - the composition is great and the DoF makes that primary flower stand out nicely. :clap:
 
Week 9 is a great shot although to me (could be my iPad) it looks a tad "soft". Spiky is bang on theme but it's not leaping out at me tbh, perhaps a closer shot would have worked too?
 
Hi Mandy

Well done on catching up

Topical - A nice image with some nice details

Living World - Really like this the yellows really stand out form the off background lively lighting

Spiky - Love the DOF and lighting very nice
 
Like the gentle feel of the daffodil photo and spiky certainly is, good use of shallow DoF
 
Manxmaid said:
Welcome back, Mandy! Those are three very fitting images for the themes; no question that Topical meets that one, and a modern and immediate feel with it being on a tablet. The daffs are lovely with that warm light and the complementary colours, while the DOF makes the central flower really stand out well, and the Spiky branch is beautifuly backlit and isolated from the background. Nice comeback :clap:
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LC2 said:
Hi Mandy.
Nothing wrong with PABD, as you say it helps you to keep up sometimes, especially if you're drawing a blank (mind you, I had one that was 20 weeks late last year).

  • Topical - As you say, it is what it is. It could perhaps have done with some tweaking of the perspective as the top of the tablet is slightly larger than the bottom.
  • Living World - I like the yellows of the daffs against the oof green background. Defo worth waiting a few weeks to get daffs :)
  • Spiky - Again, nice use of shallow DoF. I think it works even though it is central. I also like the bokeh in the background.
Click to expand...

pjm1 said:
Hi Mandy - glad you're back... we missed you!

Topical is something to keep you on track, so good to get it done. Photographing a flat object on a flat surface is always going to be hard - maybe look at setting it at an angle next time to give yourself an easier time?

Living world works well. The composition is really good, the colours are spot on and lighting etc. just right - well done :)

Spiky - I love the rim/back lighting on the needles. It brings that shot alive and you have enough of them perfectly in focus. Really effective shot for me so another big :clap:
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Carl Ayling said:
Hi Mandy. Well done with the catch-up. Hard when motivation goes AWOL but it does eventually return in it's own sweet time. All three are good shots for the theme but I particularly like Living World. The daffodils are a really lovely image - the composition is great and the DoF makes that primary flower stand out nicely. :clap:
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siblingchris said:
Week 9 is a great shot although to me (could be my iPad) it looks a tad "soft". Spiky is bang on theme but it's not leaping out at me tbh, perhaps a closer shot would have worked too?
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Downton Mini said:
Hi Mandy

Well done on catching up

Topical - A nice image with some nice details

Living World - Really like this the yellows really stand out form the off background lively lighting

Spiky - Love the DOF and lighting very nice
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sirch said:
Like the gentle feel of the daffodil photo and spiky certainly is, good use of shallow DoF
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Thank you to everyone for commenting, it's good to be back in the game.
 
I seem to have totally miss out your thread this year for some reason. :thinking:

Topical; very indeed. The EU in or out referendum. I'll be glad when that's over, that'll be the forth time I vote in two years. The Scottish Independence, General Election, Scottish Parliament and finally EU.

Living World; nice colour, good use of DoF with spot on focus.

Spiky; love the bokeh in the background. Nice composition and spot on focus.
 
Hi Mandy

Sharp DOFery in your last two ... I like.
 
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Nice catch up Mandy, with Topical, Living World and Spiky.

My favourite has to be Topical.
Simple, great colours, and bang on theme.
 
Topical - right on theme
living world - lovely spring picture
Spiky - great dof and great for the theme.
 
Topical - right on theme, super lighting and good sharpness.
living world - good bold colours and Daffodils are nice
Spiky - great dof and great for the theme.
 
CliveNX said:
Nice catch up with Topical, living world and spiky. Spiky is my favourite.
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d00d said:
Hi Mandy

Sharp DoFery in your last two ... I like.
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viv1969 said:
Nice catch up Mandy, with Topical, Living World and Spiky.

My favourite has to be Topical.
Simple, great colours, and bang on theme.
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minx said:
Topical - right on theme
living world - lovely spring picture
Spiky - great dof and great for the theme.
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purplepleaser said:
Topical - right on theme, super lighting and good sharpness.
living world - good bold colours and Daffodils are nice
Spiky - great dof and great for the theme.
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Dark Knight said:
:tumbleweed:
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Thanks for all the comments and for dropping in on my thread.
 
hi mandy.... another thread i am yet to venture through... some images i recall from the main thread so im sorry i didnt comment sooner....great images for the start of the year, love metal and spiky esp.. but you said you wanted to improve your processing skills..so i want to see more evidence of processing, and not just a bit of fake blur.. so whack up the contrast and really sharpen that dangerous scalpel ...

... you know what though....a nice little photo24 would do you a world of good.. ;) ... just saying... (y)
 
Hi Mandy, Ive not commented on yours for a while, sorry life been really busy.

Topical - It certainly is, cool idea with the iPad ned image and well taken.

Living World- lovely colours and the oof background works well with the sharp foreground

Spiky - again well on brief and the oof background really makes the branch stand out.
 
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