weekly pjm1's TP52 in 2016 - week 31 Fauna

Downton Mini said:
Captive - I love this brilliant take and thank you for explain how you did it
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Thanks Mark - it was fun to do. Not perfect by any stretch, but got the old creative muscles moving a bit.

sirch said:
Sorry, catching up...

Metal - good photo, nice and "clean" with well controlled light on the karabiner

Happy - great photo of your daughter she looks really happy and content, nice that you didn't scrub her up, if my kids are anything to go by I don't think yo would have got anything like that if you had.

Captive, really good take on the theme, well executed, works for me
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No probs Chris... me too. Thanks for the very positive comments and glad the photos worked for you. I did have to shoot quite a few of my daughter before I got the "happy" one. If the theme had been cheeky, I'd have been done by shot #2!
 
Hi Paul, thats a very good picture of your daughter it shows a lot of her personality, i'm finding it hard to put in words but you have captured her as she is, it doesn't look posed in any way
nice even lighting across the frame, i would be very proud of that (y)

As for captured it's got lego in it, don't get me wrong I have used lego twice i think to get me out of a hole but i have hated myself :LOL:
it's very well done by the way I admire your PP, well apart from the floaty nature of it, there would be a bit of light spill from the filament surely :thinking: thats just being really picky though
 
Lightbulb, very imaginative, Paul. Thanks for the tips, I should give that a try sometime :)
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi Paul, thats a very good picture of your daughter it shows a lot of her personality, i'm finding it hard to put in words but you have captured her as she is, it doesn't look posed in any way
nice even lighting across the frame, i would be very proud of that (y)

As for captured it's got lego in it, don't get me wrong I have used lego twice i think to get me out of a hole but i have hated myself :LOL:
it's very well done by the way I admire your PP, well apart from the floaty nature of it, there would be a bit of light spill from the filament surely :thinking: thats just being really picky though
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Thanks Allan - really appreciate the positive and helpful comments. Captive isn't perfect, you're quite right... all good fun in learning something new though. Thanks for looking and taking the time :)

Cobra said:
Lightbulb, very imaginative, Paul. Thanks for the tips, I should give that a try sometime :)
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Cheers Cobra. With a bit more care and prep I reckon it'd be quite easy to improve on this one - definitely give it a shot... I challenge you to get a zoo animal inside it!
 
Sod it again. Weak-willed, me. There I am thinking I'll just do the ones which grab me and I can't resist having a play.

So, here's week 3's submission: "Miniature".

I don't do subtle. And sorry it's another backgrounded shot. Once the weather is better I'll get outside and shoot away from the "setup" :)


Week 3: Miniature by Paul M, on Flickr

Lighting is probably slightly more convoluted than it might first look (and is strictly necessary). Obviously a snooted flash aiming down, to give the ring of light on the ground. But the majority of the lighting for the bottle is coming from my favourite large gridded softbox, which is angled very very slightly upwards (so as not to light the backdrop floor), frame right. There's also a reflector frame left which adds a bit of extra lighting to the left shoulder of the bottle (not very much, mind - barely worth the effort of setting it up). Almost the same as the SOOC shot, although I've boosted the contrast, clarity etc. just because you can in post :p

It was fun, anyway... and that's me caught up!
 
Well done on the catch up Paul. Well worth all the effort setting up the lighting. Like the off-centre composition with all that empty space around the bottle - definitely exudes Miniature.
 
Such a simply image yet such a strong image. Love the lighting and composition
 
Phil Bennett said:
I like it, simple and effective

Phil
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Thanks Phil - not much going on, which lets the mind wander.

Carl Ayling said:
Well done on the catch up Paul. Well worth all the effort setting up the lighting. Like the off-centre composition with all that empty space around the bottle - definitely exudes Miniature.
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Glad you liked it Carl. I had such a simple idea for the lighting - just a spotlight. But once I looked at it I decided it needed tweaking... and tweaking... and, well, it took longer than I thought!

Downton Mini said:
Such a simply image yet such a strong image. Love the lighting and composition
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Thanks Mark. I shot another image with three miniatures and a glass full of ice. It just didn't work which goes to show that sometimes more is definitely less!
 
Cool shots Paul. Love how you can light things so "apparently" easy. Like you say I would not have had a clue how to light that miniature image.
Fab stuff.

Gaz
 
cargo said:
Cool shots Paul. Love how you can light things so "apparently" easy. Like you say I would not have had a clue how to light that miniature image.
Fab stuff.

Gaz
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Thanks Gary... and looking at your flickr pages, I think you're being very generous as the lighting on your shots is exemplary (and I'd like some tips on portrait lighting from you, in particular!)

To be fair, the lighting self-selects the images I go with... I tried to do a different composition which wasn't as strong but I couldn't get the lighting right, which ruled out that image for me. It was a toughie: cut crystal glass with ice cubes in and I simply couldn't get the lighting to work how I wanted it, so I stopped trying.

So, the images I show tend to have easier lighting by default :) Also, this one wasn't too complicated when I broke it down into its parts: it's glass, so I wanted a big soft light (softbox) and then I wanted a smaller, focused light for the spot. The only surprise was adding in a reflector. I typically cheat by using a softbox (gridded or ungridded) for most of my shots - it's so versatile and delivers a very consistent look. And the difference the grid makes is pretty remarkable as well. One day I may graduate onto a beauty dish, but I'm not there yet...

posiview said:
Yeah, nice spotlight effect there and all it needs is a miniature microphone :)

Cheers.
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Thanks Andy, glad you liked it. Good thinking - my daughter has a small microphone which I should have used instead of the gin!
 
pjm1 said:
Thanks Gary... and looking at your flickr pages, I think you're being very generous as the lighting on your shots is exemplary (and I'd like some tips on portrait lighting from you, in particular!)
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Hi paul.
Thats very kind of you to say so.
Fab description of how you think about creating the lighting for your shots. I generally find the idea then think how I could try light it as just taking the image as seen is often very dull. Some are just a non starter as I wouldnt have a clue :-( So I guess we do a similiar thing.

Gaz
 
I have really enjoyed all your shots so far, and the commentary behind them is really useful for someone whose idea of 'lighting' is dotting reading lamps around, waving torches (sometimes wrapped in bandages) and hoping for the best! Photoshop is something I'd like to be able to use - so maybe a learning project for this year - your captive is very clever. I especially like the shot of your daughter - you've definitely retained some of the 'cheeky' whilst exuding 'happy' and your miniature - great composition and very effective lighting, for me.
 
Emja said:
I have really enjoyed all your shots so far, and the commentary behind them is really useful for someone whose idea of 'lighting' is dotting reading lamps around, waving torches (sometimes wrapped in bandages) and hoping for the best! Photoshop is something I'd like to be able to use - so maybe a learning project for this year - your captive is very clever. I especially like the shot of your daughter - you've definitely retained some of the 'cheeky' whilst exuding 'happy' and your miniature - great composition and very effective lighting, for me.
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Thanks Emma, I really appreciate your comments and feedback. To be honest, when I bought my camera two years ago, I was expecting to be shooting mostly outdoor stuff. The whole idea of a studio setup seemed daft - that's what professionals do and this is always just a hobby. But, the more I've got into taking pictures of my kids, the more I've come to realise whether you're shooting indoors or outdoors, it all boils down to the same thing: controlling (or making the most of available) light. Which is why when we're outdoors we'll usually seek kinder light in golden hours or a cloudier sky. Indoors it's easier because we can add and remove light to our heart's content. As long as we can do one of those without limit then you can take pretty much any shot you want.

So then it's just about mucking around and learning what does and doesn't work and taking it from there. I'm very much a beginner in terms of setting up lighting but by adding each light source one by one, I find I can get the result I'm after from time to time. Some complicated shots are beyond my knowledge (the cut crystal shot) but simpler stuff is just about adding and subtracting light at fairly "obvious" places.

And it's all good fun... until your strobe falls over and breaks :(
 
Hi, just catching up on commenting on threads before I have a think about this weeks theme.

Metal - Good choice for metal, love the colours against the black background. I like the use of the shallow DOF to focus on front.
Captive - Very clever idea and very well done. Only little thing I'm not so keen on is the reflection of the lights over where the body of the lego character would be.
Happy - A gorgeous shot of your daughter, no crit from me. Thanks for the info on lighting which is very helpful as I would love to be able to do something like this with my kids one day, could I ask if she was stood on a backdrop of some kind?
Miniature - A very simple idea but very well done. Again, thanks for the lighting info. Just a small comment, when I first looked at it, due to the shape of the bottle I wasn't sure if it was just the top of a larger bottle that was in shadow (hope that makes sense), not really a critique, just a comment on how I saw it.

Looking forward to your future 52 submissions, however many you manage this year.
 
Hi Paul

Metal ... nice bit of kit, good lighting & BG, not sure about the DOF.

Happy ... another first rate child portrait.

Captive ... oh what fun.

Miniature ... not familiar with that shape of miniature bottle, and I can barely read the one word on the label, but I can understand your reason for distancing it like that, under the spotlight too.

(y)
 
Hi Paul ....I really love the composition ....I just want to zoom in and see the bottle really clearly, I wonder if it would work to do the original shot with the lighting but 'fill in' the surrounding blackness PP or does that defeat the object....as I know absolutely nothing, I'm probably talking rubbish :)
 
SamTD said:
Minature - i really like it, great shot :)
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Thanks Sam!

Pinkbikerbabe said:
Miniature - I like this another cracking shot from you, simple but yet very effective. I think you have captured the essence of the theme nicely with this set up.
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Thanks Mandy - glad it worked for you :)

SteveSc said:
Hi, just catching up on commenting on threads before I have a think about this weeks theme.

Metal - Good choice for metal, love the colours against the black background. I like the use of the shallow DOF to focus on front.
Captive - Very clever idea and very well done. Only little thing I'm not so keen on is the reflection of the lights over where the body of the lego character would be.
Happy - A gorgeous shot of your daughter, no crit from me. Thanks for the info on lighting which is very helpful as I would love to be able to do something like this with my kids one day, could I ask if she was stood on a backdrop of some kind?
Miniature - A very simple idea but very well done. Again, thanks for the lighting info. Just a small comment, when I first looked at it, due to the shape of the bottle I wasn't sure if it was just the top of a larger bottle that was in shadow (hope that makes sense), not really a critique, just a comment on how I saw it.

Looking forward to your future 52 submissions, however many you manage this year.
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Thanks for the great catch-up Steve (y)

Captive could definitely be improved - so a nice (not too hard) challenge to anyone to do a better version of the illuminated bulb for another theme!
Thanks for the positive comments on Happy - she was in front of (and on) a white background, but I don't usually light it to bright white, just a very light grey. The backdrop isn't always recommended to start off with because it requires more lights and attention, but I treat it a bit like not having a background and leave it grey (just to be contrarian!)
Miniature - thanks again and it definitely qualifies as simple! The bottle is an odd one so I wouldn't expect many to recognise it...

Who knows how many I'll manage this year, eh?! :D
 
susiejb said:
Hi Paul ....I really love the composition ....I just want to zoom in and see the bottle really clearly, I wonder if it would work to do the original shot with the lighting but 'fill in' the surrounding blackness PP or does that defeat the object....as I know absolutely nothing, I'm probably talking rubbish :)
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Hi Susie, thanks for looking at my tardy catch up :) Good point and a great idea about "faking it" - I could end up with a really high res 50MP or something image by just shooting the bottle closer in at full frame. I'd need to be a bit careful about the perspective (I was shooting at 24mm so could have increased f/l to maybe 100 to fill the frame). Nice idea which I might use next time!
 
Nice miniature Paul, and the "write up" was interesting, as always too :thumbs:
 
Hi Paul
Bit of a catch up on comments as I seem to have missed this thread so far.
Metal - Strong image, love the black background and subtle use of DoF to slightly blur the rear of the carabiner. The colours of both the carabiner and the climbing rope are nice and vibrant too.
Happy - She certainly looks happy. Make the most of your willing model, as she gets older the willingness to pose will disappear. I think you've got the lighting set up well. I must look into backdrops.
Captive - That's a really clever composition :clap:
Miniature - Another well lit shot and seems spot on theme to me (y)
 
Cobra said:
Nice miniature Paul, and the "write up" was interesting, as always too (y)
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Thanks Cobra - doing the write-up helps reinforce what I've done in my mind, so I find it useful too!

LC2 said:
Hi Paul
Bit of a catch up on comments as I seem to have missed this thread so far.
Metal - Strong image, love the black background and subtle use of DoF to slightly blur the rear of the carabiner. The colours of both the carabiner and the climbing rope are nice and vibrant too.
Happy - She certainly looks happy. Make the most of your willing model, as she gets older the willingness to pose will disappear. I think you've got the lighting set up well. I must look into backdrops.
Captive - That's a really clever composition :clap:
Miniature - Another well lit shot and seems spot on theme to me (y)
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Hi Tim, thanks for catching up and commenting, it's appreciated.

Glad you liked them all (captive was slightly more mixed from others' feedback and I could have done it better, but appreciate your comments). Backdrops are good, but white ones do require lighting themselves, so it throws some extra complication into the mix. Mid grey backdrops are often recommended as the single backdrop can be lit to nearly white or darkened to nearly black. Think about whether you want paper or vinyl - the latter is "disposable" whereas the vinyl is very heavy and does require heavy duty stands (do no scrimp on this else you risk collapse!) I use a vinyl two sided (black one side, white the other) which I reckon weights just shy of 10kg. And it needs a good clean!

Cheers again
 
Hi there Paul,

Great shot for metal. Super sharp and clean (y)
Captive is very clever and bang on theme. Like :)
Very nice portrait which really works for Happy. Nice lighting.
Great minimal shot for miniature. Thanks for all your explanations and thoughts behind the photos too.
 
ianm2k4 said:
Nice lighting on Miniature.
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Thanks Ian :)

Leebert said:
Hi there Paul,

Great shot for metal. Super sharp and clean (y)
Captive is very clever and bang on theme. Like :)
Very nice portrait which really works for Happy. Nice lighting.
Great minimal shot for miniature. Thanks for all your explanations and thoughts behind the photos too.
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Hi Lee, thanks for commenting - glad they all hit the mark!

I'm a bit stumped for Abandoned though. I have some good ideas but can't find the right shot or light (outdoors) to capture it. We went up to Loch Lomond today (about half an hour away) and if we'd had more time, I would have driven a bit further up to Glencoe - I know I can get the scene I'm looking for there, but with tired kids in tow, it wasn't an option. If only the weather would improve so I can get some decent sunrise/sunset light!
 
Metal - nice bright colours spot on for the theme
Captive - Clever composition very well done
Miniature - right on theme well staged
Happy - beautiful picture I love the soft tones.
 
minx said:
Metal - nice bright colours spot on for the theme
Captive - Clever composition very well done
Miniature - right on theme well staged
Happy - beautiful picture I love the soft tones.
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Hi Minx

Thanks very much for looking. Glad they hit the mark for you - I'm slowly getting around to catching up with everyones' threads so sorry if I haven't had a chance to get to yours yet... I will!
 
Hi Paul, nicely lit bottle and well placed in the frame, you have made it look small and avoided the trap some have fallen into where they know its small but it doesn't come across in the pic
love the little splash of red, catches your eye well and makes me want to see what it actually is
 
alsjazzera said:
Hi Paul, nicely lit bottle and well placed in the frame, you have made it look small and avoided the trap some have fallen into where they know its small but it doesn't come across in the pic
love the little splash of red, catches your eye well and makes me want to see what it actually is
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Thanks Allan - your comments are always very balanced so I appreciate the positive ones all the more! :)
 
Hello Paul, brilliant ideas and execution. four really good images and I haven't the technical knowledge know how these were done.

Metal is a rally good image and one that catches my eye, simple but incrediable affectibe.

Captive is so good and perfect for the theme.

Miniature, is possiable my favorite of yours, wicked shot and realy love the lighting.

Happy, love this perectly done and cracking expressiion
 
Captive - very cleverly done and thanks for showing your workflow as well, I particularly like the subtlety of the Lego man, it's almost ghost like (y)

Miniature - very nicely taken and I like the way you framed the bottle in the pool of light (reminds me, I must get a boom stand :) )
 
purplepleaser said:
Hello Paul, brilliant ideas and execution. four really good images and I haven't the technical knowledge know how these were done.

Metal is a rally good image and one that catches my eye, simple but incrediable affectibe.

Captive is so good and perfect for the theme.

Miniature, is possiable my favorite of yours, wicked shot and realy love the lighting.

Happy, love this perectly done and cracking expressiion
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Thanks Lee - glad you liked them. Not a huge amount of technical knowhow on display from me - just patience, trial and error and plenty of chimping! I think miniature is one of my favourite as well :)

ChrisHeathcote said:
Captive - very cleverly done and thanks for showing your workflow as well, I particularly like the subtlety of the Lego man, it's almost ghost like (y)

Miniature - very nicely taken and I like the way you framed the bottle in the pool of light (reminds me, I must get a boom stand :) )
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Thanks Chris - that was what I was hoping to catch on captive, but I was a bit concerned the highlights on the bulb distracted too much. It's not perfect, but I'm quite pleased as a first attempt at this sort of thing. Glad miniature worked for you too :)

No boom stand required - just a snooted flash on a normal lightweight light stand! If you get a boom arm, make sure you have a light stand with a wide enough and heavy base otherwise it risks tipping over... expensive mistake I've made!
 
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Yay! Inspiration returned :)

I was driving to a client meeting this afternoon and came across a whole host of "abandoned"s. I shot an abandoned cottage - managed to get it on the way there at 2pm-ish and on the way back at sunset. There were some highland cattle in the road who looked a bit abandoned. And there was an abandoned factory site. But, my favourite shot was of a desolate road - abandoned by the masses who were stuck in congestion on the dual carriageways no doubt. So, my submission for this week is Road to Nowhere:


Week 5: Abandoned by Paul M, on Flickr

I wanted to get out and shoot something which wasn't staged. The weather has been horrific up here in Scotland, but a brief respite is all we need and it duly obliged, briefly, today. Hurrah!

Crit and comments always welcome - I'm particularly looking to improve my landscape shots.

Thanks for looking.
 
No crit from me, I think that is very well done, you have controlled the light really well for a shot into the sun, good clouds and details all the way into the distance.
 
Looks absolutely spot on to me Paul, it looks like an idyllic location ....love those rays reaching down from he sun they give a lovely glow, excellent choice for the theme....it's good to see lots of different ideas.

Did you get close to the Highland cattle, I imagine they're very photogenic.
 
sirch said:
No crit from me, I think that is very well done, you have controlled the light really well for a shot into the sun, good clouds and details all the way into the distance.
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Thanks Chris. It was when I saw the sun breaking through the clouds I thought, "I wonder if that'll come out in camera" and it did, for a change!

susiejb said:
Looks absolutely spot on to me Paul, it looks like an idyllic location ....love those rays reaching down from he sun they give a lovely glow, excellent choice for the theme....it's good to see lots of different ideas.

Did you get close to the Highland cattle, I imagine they're very photogenic.
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Yes - although here's one of the little short-haired ones. Sorry for the poor focus - I was trying to steer around the rather bendy road and take a picture from out of the window at the same time! The one time when back button focus isn't such a good idea...

9IlJ1XR.jpg


Edited to add - thanks for the kind words Susie... I was distracted by your need to see the cow!! :)
 
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