Posiview's Photo 52 'Nature' added FINISHED!!

posiview · 8 Jan 2011

I'm determined for finish this project.

I'm looking forward to looking back in 52 weeks to see what improvements I've made.

Here's my first attempt and I'll be looking to improve.

Cheers.

drodd · 8 Jan 2011

Hiya Andy,

Teeheee, I like that a lot, very original

Cheers

Dawn

PatrickO · 8 Jan 2011

Very cute pic.
The bunny looks very relaxed in it's home.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your 52. Cheers, Patrick

..MD.. · 8 Jan 2011

Andy in 52weeks you will look back on this image and crindge imho " Because you will have progressed so much in that time...."

IMHO

MD

posiview · 9 Jan 2011

..MD.. said:
Andy in 52weeks you will look back on this image and crindge imho " Because you will have progressed so much in that time...."
IMHO
MD

Cheers, 52 weeks...?? I'm already saying to myself "You could've done sssooo much better!", which is good I guess...

posiview · 10 Jan 2011

Made a big mistake of looking at other 52s.....

Anyway, I've been wrecking my brains for ideas and then may daughter laughted and I saw her new tooth coming through.

She was in bed having brushed her teeth, hence the toothpaste on her face and she wasn't too happy at me telling her to smile when she was tired....

So, here are 2 shots: one cropped and processed in Topaz Adjust and the other uncropped with a basic curves adjust.

I don't have a macro lens that would enable me to get a much closer shot, which is what I wanted.

Now, I know the composition isn't too good but it's the best I could get.

C&C would be welcome.

#1.

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#2.

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posiview · 12 Jan 2011

Shameless bump for C&C..... :help:

Thanks.

drodd · 12 Jan 2011

Hiya Andy,

Apologies for not getting to view your week 2 till now. It has been a busy couple of days doing the 52 members list and trying to catch up with my 365 and get week 2's photo done. But finally I am up to date.

My son has his first wobbly tooth and think it should be out in the next day or two. I'm not sure which order they come out, so from your photo I can't see which tooth it is that is the new one.

I'm not very clued up on portrait photography, even though I have tried a few so I hope to learn more about them through this 52 and may even attempt a couple at some time. So I can't offer much advice from a technical aspect. Hopefully someone will be along to give you more constructive feedback.

However, I am not too taken with the processed image. Your daughter has beautiful big eyes and I don't think the processing does them justice.

I think wiping the toothpaste away would have been best before taking the photo. Did you try to clone out the toothpaste in the processed image? It looks very smudged in the processed image, i.e., where the paste was.

Sorry if this hasn't been much helpful crit.

Good luck with the next theme.

Cheers

Dawn

posiview · 12 Jan 2011

Thanks Dawn.

Im going to take some advice from another post and really take my time for the next one..

Cheers and thanks for the comp about her eyes

onform · 12 Jan 2011

The PP is a little too obvious, it doesn't matter how much work you do to a photo as long as the final result looks natural. I find lots of small changes works best..

posiview · 15 Jan 2011

onform said:
The PP is a little too obvious, it doesn't matter how much work you do to a photo as long as the final result looks natural. I find lots of small changes works best..

Thanks, Matt, I'm still learning and appreciate all the c&c I can get.

posiview · 17 Jan 2011

I was sat on the bed and told my wife what this week's topic was and before she could open her mouth, I said, the 'style' doesn't have to be good style...

So I thought, sock...hole in it...why? I have no idea.

I tried the shot with each of my 3 lenses and settled on this one.

I did minimal pp, overall, I'm fairly happy with it. Dof looks OK, a little too much space to the top right, but I couldn't seem to get a better composition.

Having uploaded it from Flickr, it's lost some of the colour and if a touch darker.

I was hard as hell doing it myself.

Anyway, here's looking forward to + or - C&C.

Thanks.

ryanyboy · 22 Jan 2011

Hi Andy. Just read ** other thread so thought i'd pass on a few thoughts.....

Week 1 I'm not a fan of adding writing to the scene in order to deliver the message. Ideally we should be able to work out the feeling of home (accommodation) without the speech bubble.

Week 2. Great idea and well shot but I'm afraid it's spoilt for me by the processing. It's way overdone and the child looks plastic. Sorry

week 3. I like this but think it would have been better shot in natural light.

Hope you'll take the comments in the good spirit meant. Will keep an eye out for more.

drodd · 22 Jan 2011

Hi Andy,

Looks to me like you need some new socks

I can see your take on the theme, although the image doesn't appeal to me, perhaps because I don't find feet appealing, sorry.

But looking past that and focusing on the image itself, I like the DOF and like the way you have composed the image with the boot in the background.

I agree with what has been said about shooting in natural light, as the flash seems to have reflected off your toenail.

Good luck for week 4.

Cheers

Dawn

posiview · 22 Jan 2011

Thanks, Dawn and Ryan.

I agree with your comments and I'm already cringing at my attempts so far, which is good, I guess.

I didn't think about natural light as I was rushing, as usual, and realise that this will spoil my photography.

The pp on my daughter is, viewing it now, terrible. Wish I had a macro lens, as I said to have been able to get closer, weak excuse, I know :nono:.

The speech bubble, yeah, well explained and I agree.

Thanks for the feedback.

ryanyboy · 22 Jan 2011

Andy - I just realised that in the post of your daughter there is the heavily processed image AND the original. When I viewed earlier I could only see the heavily processed one.

So - assuming we stick with the original, I think if you just clean up the camera-right hand side of her mouth you'll have a decent picture.

posiview · 22 Jan 2011

Thanks, Ryan.

I'm determined to wait until at least Tuesday before I post my next 52......

I need to sssslllooooowww dddoooowwwnnn.

Cheers for your feedback.

cw318is · 22 Jan 2011

Hi Andy,

Wk 3 - I think the idea is very good and unique. Did you shoot in raw? It looks slightly underexposed to me so if its in raw you could salvage it. Failing it could work how it is but I think it needs something else to lift and balance fg and bg, maybe a bit of selective guassian blur or a slight desaturation on the background? Natural light would have been good, but the light you had used differently could also work - with a bit of the harshness taken off it would have probably been fine.

posiview · 22 Jan 2011

Had another attempt at my #2.

Might be a bit red now though

Really wish I'd have taken time and got the left side of her face in...

Thanks.

LauraJ23 · 22 Jan 2011

Hi Andy, I too like your take on the theme. As you have highlighted yourself, its a shame you didn't get all of the face in, I think it would have made a difference. It looks like the lighting wasn't very favourable for you, I would think its worth redoing. Good luck with the rest!

Michael.

luckless · 22 Jan 2011

Hi there! I really like your week 2 photo and your daughters eyes really drew me in. I think on the re-processing it is a little red but that wouldn't need much toning down so it would be well worth doing. I think you are right in that it was a shame that not all of her face was in the picture and this would have been ideal but i still really like the shot

SarahLee · 23 Jan 2011

posiview said:
I'm looking forward to looking back in 52 weeks to see what improvements I've made.

Hi Andy . . . believe me you'll see a huge improvement over the next 49 weeks if you stick at it. And this is really not a bad starting point. You've clearly got a creative streak and from your self-critique you know exactly where you need to put in more work. It's just a case of practice until you get those things sorted out.
One useful tip for this challenge is not to post your image the day that you shoot / process it. When you think you're finished, leave it alone for 24 hours and then go back to it with a fresh pair of eyes. You'll probably spot all kinds of niggles that you missed the first time round that you'll want to fix before posting.

Week 1 : is a cute idea and cuddly toys always make willing models. However, the composition really needed more thought to make the most of space available in the frame and to get your concept across. Think about where your focus point is too. Should it have been on the hippo's paw or would the bunny's eye / face have been better?

Week 2 : Please don't be offended but the Topaz processed shot really doesn't work at all. The eyes look painted on and it's a shame because she has such pretty eyes. The one with the basic adjustment is better and the last version you posted is the best of the 3. I think you're right that it's a little on the red side though - you could do with tweaking the white balance to make the colour temp cooler.

Week 3 : :lol:

made me smile!
Again you're spot on with your self critique in that there feels like a bit too much space upper right, but shooting your own toe isn't easy!

Looking forward to your week 4, and hopefully when we get a reshoot week you'll revisit one of these ideas and see how much you've learned.

captures.in.time · 23 Jan 2011

Posiview...

Like all your shots... although find the style one hard to look at... I have a thing about feet... dont really like them!

Im not sure it actually shouts Style to me... more good pic of holly sock... Im finding it tricky with a lot of peoples photos to instantly think the theme... it's possibly that my views are to rigid... I guess I endeavour to think if I gave the photo to a non togging mate... they would be able to say... "style"

posiview · 23 Jan 2011

All great and very helpful comments, especially waiting a day or so before posting. But in general, I really need to slow down before, during and after I take my photographs.

Much appreciated.

Mark, thanks for the feedback and I'm with you on the feet thing...

Thanks all.

PatrickO · 24 Jan 2011

Hi Andy, your pics have really moved on since week 1.

The unprocessed portrait is nice. Not keen on the processed eyes. Better lighting would help with the portrait. Maybe try in window light?
I agree with what you've said about getting the whole face in the shot.

The foot shot made me laugh. That's about my level of style :lol:

. Nicely exposed and sharp. Probably needs something else to make it a really interesting shot.

sparrow · 29 Jan 2011

Hi Andy,
Lovely shot of your daughter, she has beautiful eyes and you have captured them really well. Number 2 is my favourite - I prefer the natural look, the colours in the last one look a little bit too intense to me.
Your sock shot made me smile

- the composition and the colours are spot on - really like it.

posiview · 29 Jan 2011

PatrickO said:
Hi Andy, your pics have really moved on since week 1.

The unprocessed portrait is nice. Not keen on the processed eyes. Better lighting would help with the portrait. Maybe try in window light?
I agree with what you've said about getting the whole face in the shot.

The foot shot made me laugh. That's about my level of style. Nicely exposed and sharp. Probably needs something else to make it a really interesting shot.

sparrow said:
Hi Andy,
Lovely shot of your daughter, she has beautiful eyes and you have captured them really well. Number 2 is my favourite - I prefer the natural look, the colours in the last one look a little bit too intense to me.
Your sock shot made me smile - the composition and the colours are spot on - really like it.

Thanks a lot for the comments.

I shiver when I look at the butchered shot of her...but I guess it's a learning experience...

posiview · 29 Jan 2011

I've taken quite a few photographs this week for my 'Open' week, but they were all, I feel, predictable.

So I had an idea on Wednesday and wanted to photograph it in natural light, which meant the weekend.

Anyway, from the outset things conspired against me, namely my daughter: her immediate sense of boredom when I picked up my camera and said, "Isabelle, darling, daddy needs your help!".

I couldnt' get her to stay still, keep her arm up. I used my popup backgroud and in my (mild) frustration, used the white side instead of black.

I couldn't reshoot after reviewing them because she had filled the Costa cup up with stones...:bang:

I used my 50mm and left it on 1.8, when I feel a higher f stop would have worked better. The dof is way too shallow.

Anyway, here's my offering for week 4.

drodd · 29 Jan 2011

Hiya Andy,

You know what ..... I really like this image!

It shouts creative ingenuity to me. Compared to your first three weeks I think you are making fantastic progress ..... I am well impressed

You have just raised the bar as to what you can produce, and I may just have some competition here

Isabelle is such a cutie and an absolute STAR for helping daddy with his project. Credit to her and a big hug for being so co-operative (how old is Isabelle? my son Reuben will be 6 on Monday, perhaps I need to recruit him to some of my interpretations of the themes, although I have drawn many of my inspirations from him - kids are fantastic when it comes to finding motivation).

Fortunately you didn't need to do a re-shoot, and if it is any consolation, Roo would have found a similar use for the cup too

I actually like the shallow DOF, and the way you have got the 'STA' on the cup, if you hadn't had mentioned the company I would have known straight away what it was.

I love the background, which suits the image well. The whole image speaks of OPEN to me, i.e., wake up, grab a coffee, open your eyes, it is a new day.

Well done, now I am really looking forward to what you come up for the next theme ... don't let me down (no pressure

)

Cheers

Dawn

posiview · 29 Jan 2011

drodd said:
Hiya Andy,

You know what ..... I really like this image! It shouts creative ingenuity to me. Compared to your first three weeks I think you are making fantastic progress ..... I am well impressed You have just raised the bar as to what you can produce, and I may just have some competition here

Isabelle is such a cutie and an absolute STAR for helping daddy with his project. Credit to her and a big hug for being so co-operative (how old is Isabelle? my son Reuben will be 6 on Monday, perhaps I need to recruit him to some of my interpretations of the themes, although I have drawn many of my inspirations from him - kids are fantastic when it comes to finding motivation).

Fortunately you didn't need to do a re-shoot, and if it is any consolation, Roo would have found a similar use for the cup too

I actually like the shallow DOF, and the way you have got the 'STA' on the cup, if you hadn't had mentioned the company I would have known straight away what it was.

I love the background, which suits the image well. The whole image speaks of OPEN to me, i.e., wake up, grab a coffee, open your eyes, it is a new day.

Well done, now I am really looking forward to what you come up for the next theme ... don't let me down (no pressure )

Cheers

Dawn

Wow, thanks for the comments.

I think the big change is the thought I put into this one.

Isabelle's 7 tomorrow and I can't believe how quick she's grown up...!

Cheers.

blondie606 · 29 Jan 2011

Hi Andy

what a brilliant idea ,cracking shot & as per Drodd's comment ,think it works well as it is :clap:

Can't wait to see your take on weeks theme

drodd · 29 Jan 2011

posiview said:
Wow, thanks for the comments.

I think the big change is the thought I put into this one.

Isabelle's 7 tomorrow and I can't believe how quick she's grown up...!

Cheers.

You are welcome and deserve the praise as you have excelled on this one

Happy Birthday to Isabelle for tomorrow. My little Reuben is 6 on Monday and his party is tomorrow afternoon, so what a coincidence.

Indeed they grow up so quick and are at such a wonderful age now. I guess your Isabelle is at the enquiring stage as is my Roo, and it is fantastic that he can hold an intelligent conversation now. He comes up with the most amazing phrases and I can learn so much from him, as I am sure you do from your Isabelle.

Oh the joys of life

Big hug for Isabelle for her birthday tomoz.

Cheers

Dawn

Marts · 29 Jan 2011

Thats a great image Andy. Dare I say I wasn't too taken with your previous weeks. This one is awesome though. The dof is fine, a very good image that grabs attention. Nice one.

(where in Leeds are you?there seems to be quite a few of us on here)

Mike Jackson · 29 Jan 2011

Great take on the theme. definitely no need to do anything else.

posiview · 30 Jan 2011

Thanks, all.

I'll be looking at the themes, thinking about them, thinking more, taking photographs, editing and posting. Most of all, I'll be thinking about them.

Looking forward to week 5...

billybob99 · 30 Jan 2011

Great idea and well shot

SarahLee · 30 Jan 2011

Well done Andy.

The amount of thought that went into this one is obvious.
The white background works very well (IMO better than black would have), it's well lit, the composition is excellent and the concept is spot on. As Dawn said it's "open" in so many interpretations of the word.

Personally, I think you're right about needing some more DoF, I would have liked to have seen it sharper throughout the whole image but it's a huge step forwards from your earlier weeks - plus you've nailed it with your self-critique and you know exactly where you could have improved it if you took it again :clap:

LauraJ23 · 31 Jan 2011

A superb photo, very well executed indeed.

posiview · 31 Jan 2011

Marts said:
Thats a great image Andy. Dare I say I wasn't too taken with your previous weeks. This one is awesome though. The dof is fine, a very good image that grabs attention. Nice one.

(where in Leeds are you?there seems to be quite a few of us on here)

Hi, I'm from Oakwood and I agree, there's been a surge of Leeds folk recently - I'm sure someone...

will be arranging another Leeds photoshoot in the near future so come along.

billybob99 said:
Great idea and well shot

Thanks a lot.

SarahLee said:
Well done Andy.

The amount of thought that went into this one is obvious.
The white background works very well (IMO better than black would have), it's well lit, the composition is excellent and the concept is spot on. As Dawn said it's "open" in so many interpretations of the word.

Personally, I think you're right about needing some more DoF, I would have liked to have seen it sharper throughout the whole image but it's a huge step forwards from your earlier weeks - plus you've nailed it with your self-critique and you know exactly where you could have improved it if you took it again

Thanks, Sarah, my mind is racing with 'hard' ideas for week 5!

michael23 said:
A superb photo, very well executed indeed.

Thanks, Michael.

McNyat · 31 Jan 2011

Hi Andy,
Like the thinking about this one. I agree with the dof too.... maybe a little more would be better.

Different though, which is good

Posiview's Photo 52 'Nature' added **FINISHED!!**

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Posiview's Photo 52 'Nature' added FINISHED!!