Nick T's 52 for 2010 - Week 26 - Beginnings on page 16

Bruja said:
That's a cracker of a shot Mr T :clap::clap::clap:

And, in my experience, the 'presents' we give ourselves are often the best too
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Thanks Jill - and I'm looking forward to getting a couple more presents like that next month :D

MC_Stoo said:
A great shot for present.. the use of Quality Street wrappers is inspired!
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Cheers Stoo -I'm pretty certain it was a trick I picked up on this fine forum. It's just lucky I did someone a photographic favour and they paid me in quality streets!

Lasagne said:
Love the present shot
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Appreciated :)
jennyb said:
I think the present shot is great. Really colourful, clever and bang on theme.

Jenny
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Thanks Jenny!

karmagarda said:
Wow, can't believe I haven't come across your 52 yet! Some cracking shots in there. Love the chopped photo! Some nifty PP in that (it better be PP :suspect: ). Really liking street too.
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There are far too many 52's going round - I'm sure I've missed plenty too! Thanks for your kind comments - and please come visit again!

jgs001 said:
Nick... I'm probably gonna be the last one to comment again :D... It's finding time to go through all the threads...

Anyway... the images...

A good first attempt at that for the Boom image...

That looks a lovely present... I thought the ring looked red even in that light. Very nice, and I love the light painting in it too...
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Aha! Not this week you weren't :D Thanks as always for visiting

mickyluv said:
That certainly looks like you wrapped the box,it's scruffy,us men can't wrap. I said, I said, I said wrap not rap.But the theme and photo are spot on, great colour and top marks for the effort you've put into this one....Mick
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That's where you're wrong Mr Mick! I got the wife to wrap it up for me whilst I was ****ing about outside doing the Pacman practice!

Harlequin565 said:
Another great shot Nick. Very nice work, and an excellent interpretation.

Ian.
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Thanks Ian

robp said:
Nick, let me begin by offering a swifty bit of advice for your speed shot#1which you referred to as a dirty cliche:
It'd be a lot less dirty if you removed that reference to London's second team ;)

Yes it is cliched - there have been quite a few of these and I bet a fair few of us (including myself) did consider such a shot, and that's the reason why I prefer speed#2. I think the dust squiggles in the beam work well within the theme.
Nice shot.

I loved your present. The colour of the gift wrapping, the overall composition and the colour/positioning of the light trails all make for a fabulous image.
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There's only one team in London ;) Thanks for stopping by - appreciate the comments!


Right - moving on to 'people'. If my main idea fails (due to the weather) then I may have to fall back onto one of the pictures I did at the charity do the other week. After all, the event was called 'Star People' :D

Keep 'em peeled!
 
Righto, here's my 'People' shot for this week.

Tried to think outside the box for this one - especially as I'm not really one to do the obvious thing of sticking a camera in someones face!

This week, my photo is called 'Dead People'.


(Click the photo for larger on flickr - and please feel free to leave a comment!)

This was taken at St Mary's Church in Barwell just after sunrise this morning. The original plan was to do it at night and have it all spooky etc. but I really didn't fancy walking around graves at night :shake:

Again, thanks for taking the time to come visit my thread :wave:
 
Nick, what a great shot. It is a really different take on the theme and you have captured it beautifully. It is spooky enough without having done it at night. I like the colours and the clouds and snow seem suitably sombre. Well done with this one.

Jenny
 
Loving you take on people! Great to think outside the box and use dead people! I love the colours in the photo, but fro some bizarre reason I :love: LOVE :love: the lines and angles!! works for me! :thumbs:
 
jennyb said:
Nick, what a great shot. It is a really different take on the theme and you have captured it beautifully. It is spooky enough without having done it at night. I like the colours and the clouds and snow seem suitably sombre. Well done with this one.

Jenny
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Thank you Jenny :)

Dave450 said:
Loving you take on people! Great to think outside the box and use dead people! I love the colours in the photo, but fro some bizarre reason I :love: LOVE :love: the lines and angles!! works for me! :thumbs:
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Cheers Dave - Ahh, the benefits of the wide end of a 17-40 on a full frame camera - lovely distortion! I was thinking of transforming out the weird angles but thought they added a nice surreal effect to the scene - kind of like your stereotypical funfair haunted house :)

For the rest of you - I almost forgot that I seem to be adding two pictures each week now - so, without further ado I present...

In memory of...


This was my 'backup' for the people theme (if the graves one didn't come out properly). This is the local cenotaph / memorial in the village where I live. Again it's the theme of 'Dead People'.

Thanks again for looking! :)
 
It would be a great shot. Lighting and processing look spot on. But (and this is a personal thing) I hate wide angle shots where the verticals are diverging this much. I guess straightening it would lose too much of the interesting foreground. Nice idea and very well taken, just not for me :)
 
dlh said:
I guess straightening it would lose too much of the interesting foreground.
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Not necessarily Darren...

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As with you, it's a personal thing and I prefer the skewy nature of the original. I can completely understand why some don't though :)
Appreciate the comments :thumbs:
 
That's pretty clever :) Much better lines for my preference now. The details you've captured are fantastic. Thanks for having a play :thumbs:
 
I prefer your first image Nick with the skewed verticals, it does add to the composition. I like your backup image too, particularly the processing. All round good week, with an alternative take on the theme. I can't offer anything else, I think you have nailed them.:thumbs: Iain
 
Another great week Nick :thumbs:
I think I prefer number 1 (wide version) of the two. Although number 2 would make a great cover shot for a gothic novel. I wouldn't have liked to have gone around graves myself around dusk but you've shown you can get equally great results going early rather than late.
 
blakester said:
I prefer your first image Nick with the skewed verticals, it does add to the composition. I like your backup image too, particularly the processing. All round good week, with an alternative take on the theme. I can't offer anything else, I think you have nailed them.:thumbs: Iain
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Cheers Iain :)

L'Cham said:
Another great week Nick :thumbs:
I think I prefer number 1 (wide version) of the two. Although number 2 would make a great cover shot for a gothic novel. I wouldn't have liked to have gone around graves myself around dusk but you've shown you can get equally great results going early rather than late.
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Thanks Steve - I really like sunrise - but just can't get up in time for them most of the time :lol:
 
Good idea, 1st one posted would be my pick, despite the skewedness.
 
both are fabulous.. like the quirky angles on the first shot, think they work well there.. great interpretaion of the theme!
 
Both shots are brilliant but I prefer your back-up shot. It has a moody feel which works better with the surroundings
 
Another early start Nick, make the most of them before sunrise becomes 04:30 :D. You have given me 2 very good shots to choose from, but I'm leaning toward the second but only just. I'm too nosey and would loved to have been able to read more on the grave stones. Althought in the second you have just cliped the left hand side of the cenotaph, I think it needs a little more room.

:thumbs:
 
coohullin said:
Well your back-up is my favourite - love the moody feel to it but both shots are excellent. Good take on the theme too!
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namllihs said:
Good idea, 1st one posted would be my pick, despite the skewedness.
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mich66 said:
both are fabulous.. like the quirky angles on the first shot, think they work well there.. great interpretaion of the theme!
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DC2Z said:
Both shots are brilliant but I prefer your back-up shot. It has a moody feel which works better with the surroundings
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Lasagne said:
Yup, I'm loving that first shot - excellent interpretation and really nice processing :thumbs:
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Cheers all - appreciate all your comments :thumbs:

foggy4ever said:
Another early start Nick, make the most of them before sunrise becomes 04:30 :D. You have given me 2 very good shots to choose from, but I'm leaning toward the second but only just. I'm too nosey and would loved to have been able to read more on the grave stones. Althought in the second you have just cliped the left hand side of the cenotaph, I think it needs a little more room.

:thumbs:
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Cheers Scott - I'm hopefully planning on doing an early one tomorrow too, but I think the weather will beat me :(

As for reading more of the gravestone, click this then look at the original sized, 21 megapixel, full frame, L glass goodness ;) Should let you read most of the inscriptions. :)
 
These are stunning shots Nick.

Out of the two, I think the first doesn't quite match up to the second. I'm guessing they're both HDR - and it looks like the first shot has a bit of halo'ing around the crenelations. The converging verticals also make it look a bit crammed in.

I tend to agree with Scott about the second one. I just want to see more. But then I'm just being greedy.

They really are spectacular shots though Nick, and a good idea for the theme.

Ian.
 
Pretty amazing Nick, you have a very good eye and your attention to detail
is excellent. gets my vote :thumbs:.

Your village looks steeped in history.
 
Harlequin565 said:
These are stunning shots Nick.

Out of the two, I think the first doesn't quite match up to the second. I'm guessing they're both HDR - and it looks like the first shot has a bit of halo'ing around the crenelations. The converging verticals also make it look a bit crammed in.

I tend to agree with Scott about the second one. I just want to see more. But then I'm just being greedy.

They really are spectacular shots though Nick, and a good idea for the theme.

Ian.
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Thanks Ian - you do raise an interesting point - that you're the first person who has mentioned HDR :lol:. You are correct - to an extent. They're not HDR in the traditional sense of taking bracketed exposures, but instead they are from a single raw, turned to five tiffs, each 1ev apart using Adobe Camera Raw, then tone mapped in Photomatix.
The effect I was going for was to increase the amount of detail, especially in the headstones but without taking it too far and making it ultra fake. The haloing was something I was mindful of, and I deliberately tried to minimise that for the 1st one.
The 2nd one - my backup - I decided to have a play with that one :lol:. Essentially it's the same pseudo-HDR process as the first, but then with a levels adjustment on the cenotaph (and touch up work to remove the haloing), a few localised brightness / contrast adjustments, some cloning/healing to bring some cloud texture into the bright spot by the church (which was pretty burnt out due to the sunrise) and then finally a Nik Color Efex Midnight Sepia filter to give it that dark look.

All good fun :)
 
uniquegardens said:
Pretty amazing Nick, you have a very good eye and your attention to detail
is excellent. gets my vote :thumbs:.

Your village looks steeped in history.
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Thanks Graham, I appreciate it.
The village where I live - unfortunately it isn't as idyllic as I may be implying by the photos. It's recently been in the national news from a mother who lives here taking her disabled daughter to a local layby and performing a murder/suicide to free her from the antisocial behaviour and bullying from the local youths. :( The case was highlighted as a breakdown in the social services.
And fairly recently there was a murder not too far from where I live...
And the flats I live opposite are notorious for drug dealing, and have been the subject of many a police raid...
I can't wait to get the money together to move :lol:

At least my photos can hide some of that :D

And thank you to whoever gave this thread 5 stars - really appreciated :D
 
Have to say this is one of my favourite people shots. Love the HDR type work as it really brings some depth into the scene. I'm jealous now and gonna have a little strop :p:dummy:

Cheers, Rob
 
Cracking stuff Nick, #1 for me, I have this 'thing' headstone shots should be skewy, it just works for me. I really like the processing too. Basically the image works really well and I like your sideways take on the theme.
 
stunning shots and processing Nick. Might not be full on HDR, but I was wondering if they might indeed be. I prefer the first church shot, I think the distortion of the lens in the context of the shot and the intent works well.
 
I prefer the straightened version of the picture (skewy angles aren't my thing). I really like this and think the composition is super. A great idea for the theme too :)
 
Simply stunning Nick! This is turning out to be one of my favourite 52s :clap:
I love this take on the theme – very original and very dark / moody.

My favourite is the edited version of shot 1 with the corrected verticals. Nothing at all wrong with the first one, just a matter of personal taste.
 
Karlos said:
two excellent shots, I think I actually prefer your second one although I cant quite put my finger on why
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SpidersEye said:
I prefer the straightened version of the picture (skewy angles aren't my thing). I really like this and think the composition is super. A great idea for the theme too :)
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Thanks Karl, Kay :)

SarahLee said:
Simply stunning Nick! This is turning out to be one of my favourite 52s :clap:
I love this take on the theme – very original and very dark / moody.

My favourite is the edited version of shot 1 with the corrected verticals. Nothing at all wrong with the first one, just a matter of personal taste.
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Sarah - you're far too kind with the praise! I have a feeling I'll be letting you down with my 'mechanical' shot, as I simply don't have the foggiest what I'm going to do!
 
Both excellent shots Nick. I'm very impressed :thumbs:

Can I be the first to make the obvious pun about icy dead people? :exit:
 
These are both rather fun - and I rather enjoy the skew. Generally I am not a fan of HDR but your processing suits these images well. :thumbs:
 
Both images are good but prefer the first one, no hang ups about the converging verticals seen a lot worse than that.:thumbs:
 
Have to confess that the processing on these is not to my taste at all. Mind you, I like marmite.
 
Excellent!!!

The care and work you have put into your images has certainly paid off.
I like the slightly surreal effect that the skewed verticals convey in your first image but also like the 'proper' appearance of the straightened image.

My favourite, just, is the third image, with its dark/moody atmosphere.

Very impressed:clap:
 
Tracer said:
These are both rather fun - and I rather enjoy the skew. Generally I am not a fan of HDR but your processing suits these images well. :thumbs:
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aztec said:
Both images are good but prefer the first one, no hang ups about the converging verticals seen a lot worse than that.:thumbs:
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robp said:
Excellent!!!

The care and work you have put into your images has certainly paid off.
I like the slightly surreal effect that the skewed verticals convey in your first image but also like the 'proper' appearance of the straightened image.

My favourite, just, is the third image, with its dark/moody atmosphere.

Very impressed:clap:
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Thanks everyone - much appreciated... but...

68lbs said:
Have to confess that the processing on these is not to my taste at all. Mind you, I like marmite.
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...you can't please all the people all of the time :D

And so, on to 'Mechanical'. No inspiration whatsoever for this week - I really hated this subject. I could have fallen back on the standard 'innards of a clock/watch etc.' theme, or done a surreal head & shoulders shot and superimposed a cog in my head. But I didn't want to.

So, today I went to Coventry Transport Museum for a look around. I lived in Cov for around 3 years, but never managed to go in there until today. If you're in the slightest bit a petrol head then you'll love it, and it's totally free to get in :)

So, for my mechanical shot this week, I chose a 'Superb Feat of Mechanical Engineering'

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Thrust SSC, currently the worlds fastest car, clocked at over 700mph. :notworthy:

And for my traditional second shot - quite possibly my most favourite car, ever, and one which I will own one day... I call this photo 'When this baby hits 88mph, you're going to see some serious shit!'

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Yeah, I know there's not really much to say on a technical aspect this week, but here's to the next topic :D

Thanks for looking :thumbs:
 
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