weekly pjm1's 52 in 2015... 8 (Relax) added

Nice floor

and OMG that was quick ... you must be flavour of the month!
 
Blimey ! another one quick off the mark!
I like the idea, but the bottle position is bothering me for some reason, and
I'm not really sure why.

Maybe if it was up-right, or totally upside down, wedged between a couple of pillows, to prove it was empty?
Just my thoughts that's all :)
 
I like the idea Paul, but why did you go for f2.8 given your concern about over exposure. I can see the attraction of the pillows being out of focus but would have preferred all of the bottle and bra to be sharp. Additionally some of the sheets at about the same depth as the neck of the bottle appear to be burned out.
Just my opinion - and probably out on my own. I will want the same level of objectivity from anyone who looks at my image - when I have worked out how to convey Bliss.
Once again, well done Paul on the imagination and also for being so quick!
 
Black and white suits the image well. The least said the better me thinks;)
 
d00d said:
Nice floor
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Thanks David... it's not particularly, but it does make for an ok photo! :)

d00d said:
and OMG that was quick ...
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Oi... don't you know it's rude to say such things about a bloke's... erm... bliss?

Cobra said:
Blimey ! another one quick off the mark!
I like the idea, but the bottle position is bothering me for some reason, and
I'm not really sure why.

Maybe if it was up-right, or totally upside down, wedged between a couple of pillows, to prove it was empty?
Just my thoughts that's all :)
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Yeah, I had the same issue Sarah but couldn't quite put my finger on it... I'll have a think!
 
pjm1 said:
Yeah, I had the same issue Sarah but couldn't quite put my finger on it... I'll have a think!
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Sarah? Sarah? :p
 
Oh very James Bond-esque! Love the feel of the scene overall, and the dof fits nicely with the image for me. The angle of the bottle bugs me slightly though, it's a bit too nicely triangled with the bra to let you believe fully in the scenario - maybe if it were just slightly higher with neck not quite so angled at the bra end?..... Otherwise I think it's another great pic! [emoji16]
 
I like that you've covered what all of us were thinking but tastefully. (Trust me, I was thinking a lot worse lol)
I really like the composition. I like that the bed isn't tidy and I think b&w really makes this image work. You've still got detail in the bedding too. Well done!
 
Well Mr your quick off the mark with bliss, a great idea for the theme I love the composition for this image, but I feel I'd like a coloured version not sure why I think that at the moment.
 
Good start to the 52, like your thinking to the Bliss theme
 
pjm1 said:
...
Thanks Dean, glad it works for you. Sharpening is usually on by default in LR and the big issue for me is it is set to a reasonably high value (25) but with no Masking - meaning everything gets sharpened including any ISO noise. First thing I do is drag the Masking slider pressing Alt to pick out just the edges I want to sharpen - anything from about 50/55 to 95 (I used Masking of 95 in this image). Once I've selected what parts of the image I want to sharpen with this Masking slider I then choose the sharpening Amount (a very high level in this case: 60). I also applied 20 Noise Reduction to try to plasticise the look a very small amount....
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Crikey Paul... thanks, I'll have to read this again and play on LR at the same time to understand how that works in practice :thumbs:
 
Great idea and nicely shot.
And thank you again for your edit on my shot.
 
Hi, Paul, quick off the mark. Interesting take on the theme. I like the POV and you've handed the whites quite well, although parts do appear to have lost detail.

I have to agree with others in the composition. For me it's the Inverted V that the bra and bottle have made. Your wife might not have been willing bit including her might have taken it to a different level; tastefully incorporated, though.

Anyway, you can sit back and scoff at the rest of us :thumbs:

Cheers.
 
Hi Paul, good start to your new 52 (y)
The B&W conversion works well with the subject matter, it gives it a classy advertorial feel.

Good work!
 
Good to see you back for 2015 Paul :) I'm glad you explained what the first one was - I was trying to work out where you'd got mega-giant-sized waffles from :D No explanation necessary for the Bliss shot - super use of mono and I like the oof pillows, but I'm not quite sure about the bottle - it just looks a bit big and unwieldy next to the delicate lace. Maybe an elegant champagne glass or two might have provided a more balanced image?

With 68 starters for the year, I don’t think any of us have a chance of commenting on every entry every week, but I hope to keep popping in to each thread at least once in a while. Good luck for the rest of the year.
 
I'm finding the shine of the bottle distracting in comparison to the bra, there's not anything quite as bright as the really shiny bits of the bottle on that side.
Other than that I think it's a great photograph and bang on theme.
I'm finding the inclusion of the SOOC shots helpful as well.
 
Love the bliss picture, brings back memories (wink, wink).
 
A great start to the year Paul!

Pattern - Well spotted, its surprising how many patterns are around us every day that we don't normally notice. I like that its in black and white and the graduation from light to dark helps lead your eye through it!

Bliss - don't let Peter (Delta Skies, hubby) see this or he'll be getting ideas!!
I keep going back to look at this one, I wonder what it would be like with a glass or 2 added or slightly different angle of the bottle. I do like the dof and also the conversion to black and white!
 
Plumtreelad said:
I like the idea Paul, but why did you go for f2.8 given your concern about over exposure. I can see the attraction of the pillows being out of focus but would have preferred all of the bottle and bra to be sharp. Additionally some of the sheets at about the same depth as the neck of the bottle appear to be burned out.
Just my opinion - and probably out on my own. I will want the same level of objectivity from anyone who looks at my image - when I have worked out how to convey Bliss.
Once again, well done Paul on the imagination and also for being so quick!
Click to expand...

Hiya David, thank you for taking the time to comment... you raise a number of valid points. I'll happily confess that my ideas in my head don't always translate how I'd want to the image... that's a big part of the learning experience I want to develop over the coming year. In this case, I wanted very shallow DOF and also wanted the end of the bottle and bra to be OOF... in my mind the bliss idea is supposed to be hazy/ethereal so the less which is sharp, the better. Obviously some of the bottle and bra need to be identifiable (and it would be a slightly odd picture to have everything OOF!)

So this led to the choice of aperture and from there it was simply a matter of controlling the lighting intensity - I was right at the bottom of the strobe's output range so didn't have much leeway but had just enough this time.

I'm not sure if the flickr upload / JPG conversion has done something with the levels as everything was below 255 both in camera and post processing when I checked the blinkies. My monitor has a slightly odd artefact that whites of around 250-253 tend to be shown with a hint of yellow colour cast (imperfect display I guess) before the highlights then below... the only upside is it's actually quite useful for me making sure I get whites in the right zone and not blown. I think the SOOC shows a histogram even further over to the left and the only 255-255-255 areas are the specular highlights on the bottle?

The great thing about this challenge, especially with so many contributing at the beginning is we all get a range of views on our images... which is brilliant. It's rare for an image to tick absolutely everyone's boxes, but that's usually what I aim for, so critique like yours is always very helpful and very much appreciated.

Cheers!
 
HeartandSoul said:
Black and white suits the image well. The least said the better me thinks;)
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Thanks Mandy... a gentleman never discusses such matters publicly anyway :)

ferg007 said:
Oh very James Bond-esque! Love the feel of the scene overall, and the dof fits nicely with the image for me. The angle of the bottle bugs me slightly though, it's a bit too nicely triangled with the bra to let you believe fully in the scenario - maybe if it were just slightly higher with neck not quite so angled at the bra end?..... Otherwise I think it's another great pic! [emoji16]
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Hey, thanks Ferg. Yes, the composition needs to be improved... as you say, it's all a bit too "perfect" with the angles and positions. Hmmm... at least it gives me something specific to work on :)

Raptor Mike said:
I like that you've covered what all of us were thinking but tastefully. (Trust me, I was thinking a lot worse lol)
I really like the composition. I like that the bed isn't tidy and I think b&w really makes this image work. You've still got detail in the bedding too. Well done!
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Thanks Mike... I can't claim it too that long to compose: most of the setup time was getting the lighting right (that was before my new lightmeter arrived in the post!) - fun to do though. Cheers for looking (y)
 
Pinkbikerbabe said:
Well Mr your quick off the mark with bliss, a great idea for the theme I love the composition for this image, but I feel I'd like a coloured version not sure why I think that at the moment.
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Hiya Mandy 1... thanks for looking and glad you like it :) A coloured version (totally unprocessed) is linked in the SOOC version - I don't think it works as well but you/others may disagree!

p3ryg said:
Good start to the 52, like your thinking to the Bliss theme
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Hi Perry, thanks for looking - glad you like it.

Manc Man said:
Great thinking. Love the DoF.
Bottle is distracting, wonder if a couple of glasses thrown in would fix it.

Darren
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Hi Darren... I had a few more props I was planning to include, but I found it just became a bit cluttered. You might well be right though: perhaps a glass or two would strengthen it? Cheers for looking
 
susiejb said:
Hi Paul ...well done to you :clap:...spot on idea for the theme ...just not sure about the bottle, maybe its that chopped off bit ...but I love the DOF, the rumpled sheets, and the B&W ...I haven't the faintest idea what to do this week !
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Hiya Susie... I tried the bottle all in frame and it looked even more contrived... I did struggle a bit to get the composition quite right and I'm still not delighted with it. It's probably better than some of the images I posted last year though, so it's still forward progress :) You'll come up with something, don't worry...

Phil Bennett said:
Bliss indeed :), nice work.

Phil
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Cheers Phil!

sr1867 said:
Great idea and nicely shot.
And thank you again for your edit on my shot.
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Thanks Simon - glad it worked for you. No worries re: my edit - it took a couple of minutes in PS!

posiview said:
Hi, Paul, quick off the mark. Interesting take on the theme. I like the POV and you've handed the whites quite well, although parts do appear to have lost detail.

I have to agree with others in the composition. For me it's the Inverted V that the bra and bottle have made. Your wife might not have been willing bit including her might have taken it to a different level; tastefully incorporated, though.

Anyway, you can sit back and scoff at the rest of us (y)

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy... insightful comments as always (y) I think this has been useful as an exercise in composition for me: that too much order doesn't work for some shots. Also still a bit confused with the whites - the only thing I can think of is that the tonal range captured was pretty narrow: from nearly pure white to only very slightly less white white... meaning that when I increased the contrast it banded a little? Not quite sure how to fix that though!!

Thanks for looking :)

blakester said:
Hi Paul, good start to your new 52 (y)
The B&W conversion works well with the subject matter, it gives it a classy advertorial feel.

Good work!
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Cheers Iain... glad to see you popping into this year's 52! I think the processing worked ok, apart from possible issues with whites for some reason?
 
XenosElaine said:
Good to see you back for 2015 Paul :) I'm glad you explained what the first one was - I was trying to work out where you'd got mega-giant-sized waffles from :D No explanation necessary for the Bliss shot - super use of mono and I like the oof pillows, but I'm not quite sure about the bottle - it just looks a bit big and unwieldy next to the delicate lace. Maybe an elegant champagne glass or two might have provided a more balanced image?

With 68 starters for the year, I don’t think any of us have a chance of commenting on every entry every week, but I hope to keep popping in to each thread at least once in a while. Good luck for the rest of the year.
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Thanks Elaine... plenty of crit received along the lines you mention so your photographic eye is certainly working well :) Cheers for commenting and when I do come across mega-giant-sized waffles I'll be sure to let you know!

alxndr said:
I'm finding the shine of the bottle distracting in comparison to the bra, there's not anything quite as bright as the really shiny bits of the bottle on that side.
Other than that I think it's a great photograph and bang on theme.
I'm finding the inclusion of the SOOC shots helpful as well.
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Hi Alex - thanks for commenting and I agree with you re: balance and composition. I'm glad you find the SOOC shots helpful... if anything it's actually forcing me to retake shots a bit more and try to get them even closer in camera - a sort of honesty box rather than the gratuitous free-for-all of "fix it in post" that I reverted too occasionally last year :)

-aurorae- said:
Ha, nice idea for this week :)
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Thanks aurorae, glad you liked it!

ShinySideUp said:
Love the bliss picture, brings back memories (wink, wink).
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Those James Bond days, eh? Glad you liked it!

*Sarah* said:
A great start to the year Paul!

Pattern - Well spotted, its surprising how many patterns are around us every day that we don't normally notice. I like that its in black and white and the graduation from light to dark helps lead your eye through it!

Bliss - don't let Peter (Delta Skies, hubby) see this or he'll be getting ideas!!
I keep going back to look at this one, I wonder what it would be like with a glass or 2 added or slightly different angle of the bottle. I do like the dof and also the conversion to black and white!
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Thanks Sarah (or maybe I should call you Cobra since I appear to be getting you two confused!)

Pattern was a very simple shot which seemed to work better than I expected! I think Bliss is a bit more of a work-in-progress but it's helpful for me to refine my photographic eye... which is one of the purposes of this challenge for me! Cheers for looking at always.
 
pjm1 said:
Hiya David, thank you for taking the time to comment... you raise a number of valid points. I'll happily confess that my ideas in my head don't always translate how I'd want to the image... that's a big part of the learning experience I want to develop over the coming year. In this case, I wanted very shallow DOF and also wanted the end of the bottle and bra to be OOF... in my mind the bliss idea is supposed to be hazy/ethereal so the less which is sharp, the better. Obviously some of the bottle and bra need to be identifiable (and it would be a slightly odd picture to have everything OOF!)

So this led to the choice of aperture and from there it was simply a matter of controlling the lighting intensity - I was right at the bottom of the strobe's output range so didn't have much leeway but had just enough this time.

I'm not sure if the flickr upload / JPG conversion has done something with the levels as everything was below 255 both in camera and post processing when I checked the blinkies. My monitor has a slightly odd artefact that whites of around 250-253 tend to be shown with a hint of yellow colour cast (imperfect display I guess) before the highlights then below... the only upside is it's actually quite useful for me making sure I get whites in the right zone and not blown. I think the SOOC shows a histogram even further over to the left and the only 255-255-255 areas are the specular highlights on the bottle?

The great thing about this challenge, especially with so many contributing at the beginning is we all get a range of views on our images... which is brilliant. It's rare for an image to tick absolutely everyone's boxes, but that's usually what I aim for, so critique like yours is always very helpful and very much appreciated.

Cheers!
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Paul, thanks for the background information and for the justification for the shallow DoF which is entirely logical. I am just pleased that people of this site are so willing to receive objective opinions that are varied and usually construcutve. There are some photography web sites that are populated by people who are offended if anyone dares to challenge their images.

Having read a number of comments on your image, i can see that I am perhaps a little off beam but it is a learning curve for me as well.
Thanks again for your helpful reply and good luck as we progress through the year
 
Plumtreelad said:
Paul, thanks for the background information and for the justification for the shallow DoF which is entirely logical. I am just pleased that people of this site are so willing to receive objective opinions that are varied and usually construcutve. There are some photography web sites that are populated by people who are offended if anyone dares to challenge their images.

Having read a number of comments on your image, i can see that I am perhaps a little off beam but it is a learning curve for me as well.
Thanks again for your helpful reply and good luck as we progress through the year
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No such thing as off beam David - even if others have different views, I like to understand the variety of opinions because they're all valid. We're not debating the science of photography (where there might legitimately be more of a "right" or "wrong" answer), but instead the art of photography - at least our own attempts to create something vaguely artful. So there are no rights or wrongs, just views. Your comments were particularly helpful, in part because you provided the reasoning behind them and they were detailed, so thank you! (y)
 
Can't add anything that hasn't already been said. Great take on the theme and the mono works well.
 
That's a nice shot for a difficult theme Paul - and I'm very impressed that you just happened to have a bottle of Krug to hand (even an empty one!). I like the black and white too
 
Great idea and matches the theme perfectly. I understand keeping the slight haziness in the image that you mention but I can't help thinking that the sharp areas look a little harsh maybe? One other small thing (but I am nit picking), the zig zag stitching on the bra is a little distracting. Would having the bra the other way up hidden that?

pjm1 said:
...Sharpening is usually on by default in LR and the big issue for me is it is set to a reasonably high value (25) but with no Masking - meaning everything gets sharpened including any ISO noise. First thing I do is drag the Masking slider pressing Alt to pick out just the edges I want to sharpen - anything from about 50/55 to 95 (I used Masking of 95 in this image). Once I've selected what parts of the image I want to sharpen with this Masking slider I then choose the sharpening Amount (a very high level in this case: 60). I also applied 20 Noise Reduction to try to plasticise the look a very small amount.
Click to expand...
I learnt something today - thank you (y)
 
Paul

Yes this shot 1stly (from a male perspective anyway defo say's Bliss!!!

I was thinking something sexual for my own shot but have decided not to after the fact you've done it! And so well! I've not read all the comments above, but if i'm repeating anything i'm sorry!

I really love the shot and the B n W works perfectly. I love the crispness of the front with the rest of the background quickly disappearing! I do think this image would suit colour too and actually may increase the sexuality of the image… but maybe not i'd need to see it. If I had one crit i'd say it looks too set up?!?! I hope that makes sense…. rather than a natural sexual mess on a bed. I'm not sure what the fluffy thing to the top right is but I think it would be better removed? The fold looks too neat at the bottom of the bed… U generally fold the covers back from the top. Maybe taken in portrait looking up the bed with a little move angle but the elevation is the perfect angle. But that's just my observation… Hope it makes sense?

That said it is a cracking image as is … And could easily be a book cover for Mad Men or 50 Shades of Grey! It's an image that tells a story which is something I really want to explore in my own 52 this year. I also need to learn a lot more about how to use a flash as I have one but don't really have a clue where to start. I guess I should buy a book and read the lighting section on here.

Mark
 
:naughty: I was wondering if anyone would come up with this interpretation and a damn good concept around it too!

Can't add much more to what's already been said in terms of crit really.
As said, I'd definitely have liked the bottle and bra to look a little more random rather than deliberately placed (the angles and leading lines are just a little too perfect) and maybe having the bedding in a little more disarray would add a touch more authenticity to it.

I keep coming back to the discussion between you and David further up the page though.
For me, the dreamy look from the shallow DoF really contributes to the shot and I wouldn't want to see it changed, but that niggle about the OOF bedding is there for me as well. I don't think it's that the whites are a little over (the exposure looks very well handled on this monitor anyway) but more something about the absence of detail due to the shallow DoF combined with all that white . . . and for me it seems to contrast too harshly against the dark headboard at the back.
I wonder whether darker coloured bedding may have worked better if you had any - or possibly some darker / patterned / heavily textured scatter cushions thrown around the back of the shot to break up the white and give a better transition to the background.

Hmmmmm . . . Not sure

p.s. That's Sarah - not Cobra this time :p
 
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Catching up! Pattern is a winner - a simple and very strong composition with enough tonal variation to keep the eye interested.

Not so sure on bliss - nice idea, agree it looks contrived and the composition makes my eyes run up the bra and champagne but the route doesn't go anywhere if that makes sense? The black and white conversion is pretty good - you've managed to avoid blowing too many highlights, although I would like more grey in the image overall for balance.
 
Happysnapper79 said:
Can't add anything that hasn't already been said. Great take on the theme and the mono works well.
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Thanks John

Dem55 said:
That's a nice shot for a difficult theme Paul - and I'm very impressed that you just happened to have a bottle of Krug to hand (even an empty one!). I like the black and white too
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Hi Lorraine... well that's how we roll in this house ;) (it was to celebrate the birth of our first child so a few years old!)

Leebert said:
Great idea and matches the theme perfectly. I understand keeping the slight haziness in the image that you mention but I can't help thinking that the sharp areas look a little harsh maybe? One other small thing (but I am nit picking), the zig zag stitching on the bra is a little distracting. Would having the bra the other way up hidden that?


I learnt something today - thank you (y)
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Hi Lee, I think you've picked up on some compositional weakness re: the OOF/very white areas that others have mentioned as well. Completely agree with you as well re: the zigzags - I only noticed that about an hour after posting it! Cheers for looking and commenting - it's appreciated.
markelliot said:
Paul

Yes this shot 1stly (from a male perspective anyway defo say's Bliss!!!

I was thinking something sexual for my own shot but have decided not to after the fact you've done it! And so well! I've not read all the comments above, but if i'm repeating anything i'm sorry!

I really love the shot and the B n W works perfectly. I love the crispness of the front with the rest of the background quickly disappearing! I do think this image would suit colour too and actually may increase the sexuality of the image… but maybe not i'd need to see it. If I had one crit i'd say it looks too set up?!?! I hope that makes sense…. rather than a natural sexual mess on a bed. I'm not sure what the fluffy thing to the top right is but I think it would be better removed? The fold looks too neat at the bottom of the bed… U generally fold the covers back from the top. Maybe taken in portrait looking up the bed with a little move angle but the elevation is the perfect angle. But that's just my observation… Hope it makes sense?

That said it is a cracking image as is … And could easily be a book cover for Mad Men or 50 Shades of Grey! It's an image that tells a story which is something I really want to explore in my own 52 this year. I also need to learn a lot more about how to use a flash as I have one but don't really have a clue where to start. I guess I should buy a book and read the lighting section on here.

Mark
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Thanks Mark, think you're spot on with your crit: it was contrived but I couldn't work out how to make it less so. I think your ideas are excellent and would have led to a stronger image... next time!
 
SarahLee said:
:naughty: I was wondering if anyone would come up with this interpretation and a damn good concept around it too!

Can't add much more to what's already been said in terms of crit really.
As said, I'd definitely have liked the bottle and bra to look a little more random rather than deliberately placed (the angles and leading lines are just a little too perfect) and maybe having the bedding in a little more disarray would add a touch more authenticity to it.

I keep coming back to the discussion between you and David further up the page though.
For me, the dreamy look from the shallow DoF really contributes to the shot and I wouldn't want to see it changed, but that niggle about the OOF bedding is there for me as well. I don't think it's that the whites are a little over (the exposure looks very well handled on this monitor anyway) but more something about the absence of detail due to the shallow DoF combined with all that white . . . and for me it seems to contrast too harshly against the dark headboard at the back.
I wonder whether darker coloured bedding may have worked better if you had any - or possibly some darker / patterned / heavily textured scatter cushions thrown around the back of the shot to break up the white and give a better transition to the background.

Hmmmmm . . . Not sure

p.s. That's Sarah - not Cobra this time :p
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Hiya Sarah, thanks for looking and commenting... yes, probably a bit too much white throughout the picture. It's definitely made more challenging because of the shallow DOF (compared with say a wedding photo where the bride's dress is typically pin sharp, so you can make out the detail even though it's all white)... not sure how to fix?

I wanted a genuine monotone (i.e. B&W rather than grey) look to it, but agree with you and Phil, below, that it does leave the histogram a bit unbalanced? Hmmm... lots of thoughts for next time, definitely!

philthejuggler said:
Catching up! Pattern is a winner - a simple and very strong composition with enough tonal variation to keep the eye interested.

Not so sure on bliss - nice idea, agree it looks contrived and the composition makes my eyes run up the bra and champagne but the route doesn't go anywhere if that makes sense? The black and white conversion is pretty good - you've managed to avoid blowing too many highlights, although I would like more grey in the image overall for balance.
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Hi Phil, thanks for looking - those comments are helpful, thank you. Agree with your points entirely and even though the harsh B&W was what I was after I can see it's a bit "unnatural" perhaps? Hmmm... all helpful learning material though :) Cheers!
 
I agree with the comments about the champagne bottle, it just doesn't feel right and, from a girlie point of view I find it distracting that the bra is inside out as you cab see the 'gripper tape' and my eye is drawn to that. I do appreciate that a man would not notice the finer points once a bra has actually been removed however :rolleyes::naughty::naughty:
 
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