weekly NickD's Photo52 Challenge - 2013 - Completed!

Hi Nick

Connection......good 'ole earth ....your description of how you got the shot had me giggling , the lengths we go to for our hobby :lol: On theme , maybe a closer shots though...or crop a little from the lhs ?

Beginning......now....unless you randomly came a cross a woman doing a pregnancy test I'm guessing congratulations are order :thumbs: Like the DOf on this one , focus ion the right place , the harsh bg light doesn't distract at all for me :-)
 
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Bloody hell , the things people do to get the shot they want. :D

Excellent use of DOF here Nick, I like the way you have told the story. :thumbs:
 
JohnN said:
Now there's dedication to the craft ;)
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Hey, it's tough sometimes, but if a job's worth doing... :D

blondie606 said:
Hi Nick

Connection......good 'ole earth ....your description of how you got the shot had me giggling , the lengths we go to for our hobby :lol: On theme , maybe a closer shots though...or crop a little from the lhs ?

Beginning......now....unless you randomly came a cross a woman doing a pregnancy test I'm guessing congratulations are order :thumbs: Like the DOf on this one , focus ion the right place , the harsh bg light doesn't distract at all for me :-)
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Thanks!

I was desperate with connection. I'd allowed myself to fall behind for the first time this year, and when I saw that power supply I was having a shot from it no matter what was going on around me.

Yup... looks like we've a new little photographic model on the way :). The DOF is pretty much as intended, it's just the lighting that I wish I'd had more control over... This is unlikely to be a selection for the next re-shoot though!

Brian_of_Bozeat said:
Bloody hell , the things people do to get the shot they want. :D

Excellent use of DOF here Nick, I like the way you have told the story. :thumbs:
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Cheers!

You know what it's like, some shots it's the setting up that's most fun! :D

I had the idea as soon as I read the theme, but the hardest part was getting security clearance, as we'd not really told anyone. That's where the idea of adding anonymity with DOF, and the finger on the lips evolved from.
 
blakester said:
Hi Nick,
Bit of a comment catch up :D

Steps, I must say when I first saw it, I thought yes, bang on, my kind of image :thumbs:
The B&W conversion really nails it though, great work.

Mono, perfect subject for the theme, you've technically very good, the composition of the zebra looking into the frame really works.

Connection, again bang on, I too find the lighter blades of grass a little distracting but not overly so, I can see beyond them to the subject matter.

Beginning :lol: a cracking take on the theme, I didn't notice any distractions on the lighting, my eye was immediately drawn to the subject matter.

All round good work Nick :thumbs:
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Cheers.

I do wish I'd have submitted the B&W in a way, it brought out a mood in the shot that I never even noticed. Having said that, if I had submitted a conversion it wouldn't have been as good as that one anyway!

HWest said:
Nice Depth of Field on the Beginning shot. Good luck with it!
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Many thanks!
 
Week 34 - Still.

Way behind this week, my apologies to those to whom I owe crit, I will get some time soon... I'm either away on holiday, or covering work for holidaying colleagues at the moment.

I had one lunchtime to shoot this week, and I have to submit something from then, as we're off away again in the morning (hopefully with some nice opportunities for next weeks theme, and something for TP day)

I knew what I wanted, as it was the first idea upon reading the theme, and I knew where to find it. I'd not bargained for both of my potential subjects to have such strong light behind them. Spot metering helped, but not as much as I'd have liked. I also made the mistake of only having my 50mm with me, oblivious to the fact that on the south bank it's practically impossible to get sufficient distance between camera and subject without at least 20 people getting in the way... another lesson learned. A further lesson learned is that the 50mm 1.8D is an absolute bastard for purple fringeing. I tried a B&W conversion, but found I missed the blue in her eyes, so I've tried to minimise it as best I can.


Living Statue by NickD71, on Flickr

Thanks for looking. :)
 
Nice subject - spot on - dof of as great, separation spot on too :thumbs:
 
Makes a nice change from the gold cowboy we get in Swindon. Your lady look much more classy.

The 50mm is a great lens for street work..:-)
 
Hi, Beginning..is it real....clap...clap..if so. Like it. Good focus and DOF works well. Just the clipped LH side of the gizmo.

Still, great eye contact and well exposed. Just the RHS BG distracts a tad.

Good show.
 
hi Nick - congrats mate... as for the shot, pretty much wot Andy said!! ;)

Still is great - love these living statues.... shots a good 'un, liking the blown background behind her - really draws attention back to her.... I've noticed the tiny bit of blue by her right elbow, and now can't stop seeing it, the stuff to the right I don;t have a problem with......

Purple fringing not really noticable for me, so it's either not that bad or you've done a good job reducing it.
 
NickD said:
the hardest part was getting security clearance, as we'd not really told anyone. That's where the idea of adding anonymity with DOF, and the finger on the lips evolved from.
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It really worked well. :thumbs:

Still: quite attractive for a statue! I know you were struggling but the crop is a bit tight for my liking, she had lots of detail in her clothes and hair and you have captured it well, I particularly like that you caught her eyes. As Graham said the bit of blue behind her is an eye magnet, perhaps you can clone it out?
 
JohnN said:
Nice subject - spot on - dof of as great, separation spot on too :thumbs:
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Thanks!

greenoak said:
Makes a nice change from the gold cowboy we get in Swindon. Your lady look much more classy.

The 50mm is a great lens for street work..:-)
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Cheers!

It's a cracking little lens, but you really need to know how to get the best from it. I work with a guy who pretty much exclusively does street photography, and he's always at 50mm. I find myself getting frustrated at the lack of width sometimes, but it's great for portraits. I did have the 35mm, and hated it... It was never wide enough and never long enough.

posiview said:
Hi, Beginning..is it real....clap...clap..if so. Like it. Good focus and DOF works well. Just the clipped LH side of the gizmo.

Still, great eye contact and well exposed. Just the RHS BG distracts a tad.

Good show.
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Thanks!

Yup, it's real. faking that would be way beyond my PP skills.:)

I did do a closer crop of still and cloned the remaining background out, but it was pretty rough, and I kinda felt it lost context.

overbez said:
hi Nick - congrats mate... as for the shot, pretty much wot Andy said!! ;)

Still is great - love these living statues.... shots a good 'un, liking the blown background behind her - really draws attention back to her.... I've noticed the tiny bit of blue by her right elbow, and now can't stop seeing it, the stuff to the right I don;t have a problem with......

Purple fringing not really noticable for me, so it's either not that bad or you've done a good job reducing it.
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Cheers!

I did notice the bit of blue fence, and the one on the right, but couldn't figure out how to take it down. Now you've mentioned it, it sticks out like a sore thumb... Thanks for that!:D

I managed to get the purple fringing down to greyish/purple fringing, and it's not so bad at this size.

Brian_of_Bozeat said:
It really worked well. :thumbs:

Still: quite attractive for a statue! I know you were struggling but the crop is a bit tight for my liking, she had lots of detail in her clothes and hair and you have captured it well, I particularly like that you caught her eyes. As Graham said the bit of blue behind her is an eye magnet, perhaps you can clone it out?
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Thank you!

It is a bit tight, and to be honest, were it not for the eye contact, and something I find really engaging in her expression I'd have binned it and tried to think of something else. Her face carries the shot for me. I need to spend more time with the 50mm, or accept it's not for me and move on I think.

As above, I did mess with removing things from the background, but PP isn't really my strong point, particularly not on this laptop.

blondie606 said:
Hi Nick

I've never seen a living statue for real ! Love the DOF ,the detail & color of her plus the eye contact with a hint of blue :thumbs:
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Cheers!

Really?... I thought they were everywhere.

The colours really helped me. I tried a few B&W versions, but kept coming back to the colour version. Once that hint of blue had gone, the shot had gone.
 
Hi Nick

Beginning - excellent take on the idea. Lighting did not bother me as it is such a as strong image of the gizmo and just enough detail in the face and the finger and pursed lips. Congratulations.

Still - better class of statue than I see. Good capture of the pose, eye contact and colours. B/g a bit distracting but to my mind it would lose a lot if converted to mono.
 
superpippo said:
Hi Nick

Beginning - excellent take on the idea. Lighting did not bother me as it is such a as strong image of the gizmo and just enough detail in the face and the finger and pursed lips. Congratulations.

Still - better class of statue than I see. Good capture of the pose, eye contact and colours. B/g a bit distracting but to my mind it would lose a lot if converted to mono.
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Thanks!:)

A tough couple of weeks and another late entry. I've been caught up in a few family trips, so it's been a case of grabbing what I can that will link to the theme, however tenuously.

Two similar shots, not intentionally, that's just how it worked out. I did have a couple of ideas, but couldn't make time to attempt them properly, so in the interest of keeping up to date -

Whimsical - I'm going for the 'fanciful', 'playful' end of things.


Sundown at Sundown by NickD71, on Flickr

Curve - ... well it's an arch... and that's curved. Those familiar with the location of the end of project meet will probably already have this shot. This was my first ever visit, and now I have mine!


Hunstanton Lighthouse by NickD71, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!:)
 
Hi, Whimsical, took me a while to see it.... but, yeah, fits the theme. Has a Hansel and Gretel feel to it.

Curve, on theme and cracking lighthouse.

Cheers.
 
hi Nick


Whimisical....Hansel & Gretal is exactly what I thought when I saw the shot , you've caught some great detail & colors & framed it really well :thumbs:

Curve.....another really well framed shot with good whites the lighthouse , possibly push the blue sky a bit further maybe ?

Looking forward to the meet in February :thumbs:
 
Whimsical: spot on theme - all that's missing is the line of dwarves - HI HO! :thumbs:

Curve: Looks good enough for a travel brochure. Perhaps you can show me the spot at the meet and then I will have one too! ;)
 
superpippo said:
Whimsical - made me smile. Looks like plasticine or marzipan, all those sweet bright colours. Brilliant catch

Curve - like the comp. Nice colours - maybe a touch more saturation of blue in the sky :thinking:
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Thanks!

Whimsical was taken at a kid's adventure park, 'Sundown'. Some lovely scenes to be had if you could get rid of the anklebiters!

Agree about the sky, tried but couldn't get it right.

posiview said:
Hi, Whimsical, took me a while to see it.... but, yeah, fits the theme. Has a Hansel and Gretel feel to it.

Curve, on theme and cracking lighthouse.

Cheers.
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Cheers!

It's a lovely little lighthouse, and the arch is a gift. There's also a carved wooden wolf in line with it too which makes for few nice shots. There's one over on my Flickr.

blondie606 said:
hi Nick


Whimisical....Hansel & Gretal is exactly what I thought when I saw the shot , you've caught some great detail & colors & framed it really well :thumbs:

Curve.....another really well framed shot with good whites the lighthouse , possibly push the blue sky a bit further maybe ?

Looking forward to the meet in February :thumbs:
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Thanks!

As above, I would have liked a little more blue but it didn't work out.

I'm looking forward to the meet too. It was my first time in the area, and there's some nice stuff around there. I reckon in the right winter weather there's some lovely coastal shot to be had... just need people to tell me how to shoot it properly!

Brian_of_Bozeat said:
Whimsical: spot on theme - all that's missing is the line of dwarves - HI HO! :thumbs:

Curve: Looks good enough for a travel brochure. Perhaps you can show me the spot at the meet and then I will have one too! ;)
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Cheers!

We took out own dwarves, and there seemed to be hundreds of others. God knows how long I had to wait for a clear shot!

Can't miss the spot... there's a bloody great big lighthouse there!:D
Happy to head back there though. I'm guessing it's a bit of a Hunstanton standard.
 
Whimsical's lovely, amazingly well to get no people in shot...... Were you not temptede to have that for curve as well (2 for the price of 1)...

your curve shot is also nice, lighthouse well framed by the arch, odd choice of settings... 1/2000 and f/3.5?? Focus point on the lighthouse itself??
 
overbez said:
Whimsical's lovely, amazingly well to get no people in shot...... Were you not temptede to have that for curve as well (2 for the price of 1)...

your curve shot is also nice, lighthouse well framed by the arch, odd choice of settings... 1/2000 and f/3.5?? Focus point on the lighthouse itself??
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Thanks!

I grabbed a few shots of the lighthouse with different settings, all with the focus on the lighthouse, but with different apertures (in aperture priority). Oddly this one came out the best. I would have expected less definition in the wall... Not sure how that happened really.
 
Week 37 - Power.

Shoehorn time, but there's no way I'm not putting this one up in a slow ideas week!

After a failed lunchtime sortie, largely due to flat skies and lack of imagination, I decided to console myself with a bit of a moonshot session. Grabbed this, handheld just as I was setting up. It's not perfect, as it was a bit of a panic burst, and I ended up with a central composition as I couldn't get an off centre crop that felt right, but for me it's one of those right place, right time shots.

This weeks shoehorn rationale is tidal power and jet power.


Ticket to the Moon by NickD71, on Flickr

Thanks for looking! :)
 
That is super duper Nick... (As long as it's real that is........).

It's a nice feeling to know that when it comes to it, and you have one chance to get a shot, you're comfortable enough with your kit, that you can get something. You've done a cracking job here.

In an ideal world, ISO could have been higher which would have benefitted your SS. But It's a really good 'un. :thumbs:

Thinking about it, possibly one of my fave shots of the whole 52 so far... (As long as it's real... :nuts:)
 
Hi
Great shot have to agree with everything Graham said nothing more to add :clap:
 
Catchup in two goes, Nick. I like the post and its connecting cable in Connection, although it is a bit central, and the LHS doesn't seem to have much interest. I wondered if a crop might work out, keeping most of the RHS?

Beginning, that's a cracker, extremely good shot, and very exciting. I'm surprised you were allowed to post it, but definitely one to treasure.
 
Still: sounds like it was tough to get, but I love it. Very well posed, and you've clearly fought and won over the purple fringing demons.

Whimsical and Curve: both excellent shots, lovely colour and texture.

Power: good concept, slightly odd something just top right of the plane, at the edge of the moon, but a really pwerful image. Great stuff!
 
overbez said:
That is super duper Nick... (As long as it's real that is........).

It's a nice feeling to know that when it comes to it, and you have one chance to get a shot, you're comfortable enough with your kit, that you can get something. You've done a cracking job here.

In an ideal world, ISO could have been higher which would have benefitted your SS. But It's a really good 'un. :thumbs:

Thinking about it, possibly one of my fave shots of the whole 52 so far... (As long as it's real... :nuts:)
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Praise indeed... many thanks!

It is real, just a lucky break. Faking anything similar would be beyond my PP skills. It's something I'd love to look at, but just don't have the time to read/watch tutorials/etc, at the moment. God knows I've barely time for the 52 as it is.

alsjazzera said:
Hi
Great shot have to agree with everything Graham said nothing more to add :clap:
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Cheers... Thanks!

ChrisR said:
Catchup in two goes, Nick. I like the post and its connecting cable in Connection, although it is a bit central, and the LHS doesn't seem to have much interest. I wondered if a crop might work out, keeping most of the RHS?

Beginning, that's a cracker, extremely good shot, and very exciting. I'm surprised you were allowed to post it, but definitely one to treasure.
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Thanks!

Connection was a bit of a desperate shot to be honest. I really liked the crudeness of the actual earth rod, but couldn't really make a decent image out of it.

My wife had no problem with the idea for beginning, it was a good few weeks in, but I knew a test would still work. I wasn't allowed to post until we'd told a few people first though. I think we're going fully public after a scan on Thursday, and that pic will be the facebook announcement!

ChrisR said:
Still: sounds like it was tough to get, but I love it. Very well posed, and you've clearly fought and won over the purple fringing demons.

Whimsical and Curve: both excellent shots, lovely colour and texture.

Power: good concept, slightly odd something just top right of the plane, at the edge of the moon, but a really pwerful image. Great stuff!
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Cheers!

I think the oddness around the moon edge is the heat/vapour from the plane. The image is probably better with that than with the mess I'd make trying to fix it!
 
Hi Nick,

Not much to say about power except perfect :thumbs:

Timing, composition, execution, everything spot on. Great work.
 
Power, shoehorn, maybe but works for me. I'd agree with all said.

Crit, well, it would be nice to have had mor detail in the moon, but not sure how much time you had to plan the photograph.

I'd be tempted to get this one printed.

Cheers,
 
blakester said:
Hi Nick,

Not much to say about power except perfect :thumbs:

Timing, composition, execution, everything spot on. Great work.
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Thanks!

For the record, I'm pretending I planned it like that.:D

posiview said:
Power, shoehorn, maybe but works for me. I'd agree with all said.

Crit, well, it would be nice to have had mor detail in the moon, but not sure how much time you had to plan the photograph.

I'd be tempted to get this one printed.

Cheers,
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Cheers!

I've never had a full moon shot that I'm happy with, I just can't seem to get the level of detail I can get with a partial moon. I'll figure it out eventually.

posiview said:
Power, shoehorn, maybe but works for me. I'd agree with all said.

Crit, well, it would be nice to have had mor detail in the moon, but not sure how much time you had to plan the photograph.

I'd be tempted to get this one printed.

Cheers,
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blondie606 said:
Hi Nick


Power.....Perfect timing & totally awesome shot...superb....that definitely needs to be printed framed mister :clap::clap:
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Dark Knight said:
Hey Nick :)

Power - That's excellent mate... nothing to add from me:clap:

(already said by others and I'm trying to catch up :D)
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Thanks a lot people! :)

This week's been mental, and I'm torn between over-running or sticking up a 'post and be damned' shot from last Saturday... We'll see how I feel tomorrow!
 
Power - that's a cracker! No crit from me either - fits the theme, certainly seems sharp enough - especially shooting hand held. Love the slight 'smudge' from the vapour trails too. :thumbs:
 
Many thanks chaps! :)

Apologies for my recent tardiness, but a trip away, followed by a bereavement, followed by the Mrs being diagnosed with twins (I'm pretty sure 'diagnosed' isn't the right word), followed by family holiday time have conspired against me. I'm back with a partial catch up (shoehorning and rule bending may be involved), and shall endeavour to fix the rest and catch up with my crit rounds as soon as time allows... Here goes...

Solitude -

This was actually taken in the correct week, but I never had chance to submit. It may be a shoehorn, but it's a very real solitude to me. From the moment the 'Men tsuki' command is given, and you tie on your headgear, the feeling of aloneness is overwhelming. Your pheripheral vision and hearing are restricted, and the help and advice of your team-mates stops. The wait until you're called onto the shiaijo in front of your opponent is a long and lonely time, just you and your thoughts.


Men Tsuke by NickD71, on Flickr

Sweet -

Another shoehorn - but sweet to me. My little man being like Daddy down at the Ace Cafe.


Just like Daddy by NickD71, on Flickr

Reshoot - Vertical -

Now this is blatant rule bending... Sorry!

Not so much a re-shoot, but the alternative shot from the original week. Ever since then, I was convinced I chose the wrong shot. So I'm taking this opportunity to fix that.


Windsor House & Sky by NickD71, on Flickr

Thanks for looking! :)
 
NickD said:
followed by the Mrs being diagnosed with twins
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hey - congrats on the twins Nick, life gonna get busy for you next year....

Love the Kendo shot - couldn't have been a lot of light in there - love the grain adding to the shot and the figures in the BG really add to the mood too. Nicely processed :thumbs:

Your shot for sweet is certainly that, works well too with the tight crop on the two BG bikes, but not too tight, and the juxtaposition of the older with the newer, and the bravery of the little lad heading off on his own, but still with the backward glance for reassurance. :clap:

Vertical reshoot - I think tbh I actually prefer the original, I'm struggling with the tree in this one, and the original has a stronger reflection of the clouds in the lower window. Nothing wrong with this "reshoot", viewed on it's own.
 
overbez said:
hey - congrats on the twins Nick, life gonna get busy for you next year....

Love the Kendo shot - couldn't have been a lot of light in there - love the grain adding to the shot and the figures in the BG really add to the mood too. Nicely processed :thumbs:

Your shot for sweet is certainly that, works well too with the tight crop on the two BG bikes, but not too tight, and the juxtaposition of the older with the newer, and the bravery of the little lad heading off on his own, but still with the backward glance for reassurance. :clap:

Vertical reshoot - I think tbh I actually prefer the original, I'm struggling with the tree in this one, and the original has a stronger reflection of the clouds in the lower window. Nothing wrong with this "reshoot", viewed on it's own.
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Thanks!... I Guess that's me resigned to the next 20 years of grabbed shots on m4/3 kit, in Jpeg of course... no time for processing! :)

As Kendo events go, that hall is one of the better ones. Still no natural light, and a horrible green cast from the floor (hence the conversion), but at least there's some light.

Gutted about vertical... I would have sworn that this one would go down better! :bonk:
 
Right - Lets get up to date!

A little uninspired, but I'm away for the weekend again, and I don't want to get further behind.

Cut -

Pretty self explanatory, a hurried shot of what was around.


Razor by NickD71, on Flickr

Live -

Unsure as to whether it should have been live to rhyme with hive, or live to rhyme with give, but I went with an idea around 'live view'.


Live View by NickD71, on Flickr

Thanks for looking! :)
 
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