Project52 - Me update

[CarolF]

Finally got my botty in gear for this year 52. I feel I need to stretch myself this year, and I think this is going to be one way to help me.

My rules :rules:
1. I'll only miss a week if I'm on holiday, but will catch up. If I play catch up, I will not allow any jokers as self punishment!
2. I will try not to get disappointed if I think everyone else's shots look better than mine. I know I will improve and find my own sweet spot one day.
3. I want to have fun and learn to think out of the box a bit more.
4. I will comment on at least 3 other 52 threads a week. I've been here just over a year and probably don't comment as much as I should. It's about time I started giving something back to something I enjoy.
5. These are my rules and I can change them if I want!

I want to wish everyone else doing a 52 this year the best of luck and may ideas come easily each week.

 

[CarolF]

Week One - Curves

After discounting a number of curvy items around the house, I settled on a couple of bottles of bubble bath.

The things I've strugged with are light (because I still don't understand it) and backgrounds. I ended up with a piece of white glossy card this week, so I'm on the lookout for some ideas. Taken with the on-board flash, hence the big white spots!

 

[dlh]

What fantastic colours Carol. I like the focus there at the front but you're suffering the same as me with the light smack bang in the middle (I have the same with my head now too!). You might be able to give it a heal to lessen it somewhat in your PP software of choice.

 

[Sparkles33]

beautiful, viberabnt and modern, very cool, I likey!

 

[bigsteve]

Love the composition and colours, and it certainly fits the theme.
The light hotspots bother me though.
Great pic otherwise.

 

[wilmorh]

Love the shape and colours

 

[Lufbrarunner]

Good shot, simple and effective, good colour and shape. Good composition and fills the frame well.

 

[CarolF]

I like the focus there at the front but you're suffering the same as me with the light smack bang in the middle (I have the same with my head now too!). You might be able to give it a heal to lessen it somewhat in your PP software of choice.

The light hotspots bother me though.
Great pic otherwise.

The light bothers me too. My PP skills are rubbish, it's one of my many things to try and learn this year. I'll have a go and and I get any better, I'll repost.

 

[CarolF]

What fantastic colours Carol.

beautiful, viberabnt and modern, very cool, I likey!

Love the composition and colours, and it certainly fits the theme.

Love the shape and colours

Good shot, simple and effective, good colour and shape. Good composition and fills the frame well.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm looking forward to the next 51 weeks now I've started and got something under my belt. I had plenty of ideas for this week, so I might try a few of them when I get some spare time.

 

[bigsteve]

If I may be so bold, I'm learning loads from Dave Hobby's blog.
One of the best things I learned last year is how to move the flash off camera, helping to avoid this very issue.
Maybe worth a look if you have the time and inclination?

 

[CarolF]

You can be as bold as you want Steve. I'll wander over and have a look. Thanks for the link

 

[SarahLee]

Carol.

I absolutely love the colours in this. I've got a real soft spot for purple, so this shot's right up my street
If you hadn't said, I would never have guessed that they were bubble bath bottles. My money would have been on marbles or something like that, so it just goes to show how creative you can be with just everyday objects.

As far as backgrounds go I think you need to look for something bigger for this type of shot. The reflection shows the sharp edge of the piece of card which spoils the smoothness of the shapes a bit.

I've got an old white bedsheet and a metre of black fabric (£2 from the local market) that work well - so it doesn't have to be anything extravagant.
And if you don't want to invest in expensive lighting a cut out piece of plastic milk carton or a sheet of white tissue paper over the top of the pop-up flash will diffuse the light ans help eliminate those white hotspots.

Can't you tell that I like improvising?
Because I'm so new to this I'm still really finding my way with the type of photography I like doing, so I'm reluctant to spend too much on any one aspect of it just yet.
Plus I'm finding that the low tech route is really making me think about things more which only helps with learning.

 

[mowse73]

Like the colours..i'm the same about understanding lighting:bonk:

 

[SpidersEye]

I like the bright colours too and the simplicity of the shot

 

[dade_f]

Too be fair I still struggle with reflections, and when I get them right I have issue with light - its always something (especially when starting out) - the point is you're giving it a go, and from that learning

 

[jeangenie]

Hi and welcome to the 52, Carol.

Oooh those are curvy curves! I love the colours, the dof and composition. I agree with Sarah about the card reflections, and I aim for the low-tech solutions too. I've gone from hating my tripod to (almost) loving it because it means I can mainly use natural light and control it with the exposure. For backdrops I've got 2 large (about 30" x 40") pieces of mountboard - one black and one white - which I prop up into a curve, like a mini infinity cove. I intend to get some black velvet fabric though, to make my blacks more black!

Any way, sorry for rambling, I love your first week and look forward to seeing more.

Jean

 

[Davie]

Wow! high impact, beautiful colours and dof. spot on

 

[jgs001]

Carol, welcome. A cracking start that. Really liking the strong colours and simple curves

 

[daddy day care]

A good start Carol.

You have already mentioned the hotspot yourself. You need to look at some way of getting the flash off camera to start with. After that there are all sorts of cheap methods/ bodges for modifying the output and harshness.

The colours and composition are superb.

 

[CarolF]

I absolutely love the colours in this. I've got a real soft spot for purple, so this shot's right up my street
If you hadn't said, I would never have guessed that they were bubble bath bottles. My money would have been on marbles or something like that, so it just goes to show how creative you can be with just everyday objects.

Like the colours..i'm the same about understanding lighting:bonk:

I like the bright colours too and the simplicity of the shot

Oooh those are curvy curves! I love the colours, the dof and composition.
Jean

Wow! high impact, beautiful colours and dof. spot on

Carol, welcome. A cracking start that. Really liking the strong colours and simple curves

A good start Carol.

The colours and composition are superb.

Thanks for all your comments guys (and gals). I'm glad you all like it (although I think I'm going to have to widen the door frames a bit if I let all the comments go to my head!). I hope I can continue the early good form throughout the year now that I've set myself a platform to work on.

 

[CarolF]

As far as backgrounds go I think you need to look for something bigger for this type of shot. The reflection shows the sharp edge of the piece of card which spoils the smoothness of the shapes a bit.

I've got an old white bedsheet and a metre of black fabric (£2 from the local market) that work well - so it doesn't have to be anything extravagant.
And if you don't want to invest in expensive lighting a cut out piece of plastic milk carton or a sheet of white tissue paper over the top of the pop-up flash will diffuse the light ans help eliminate those white hotspots.

Too be fair I still struggle with reflections, and when I get them right I have issue with light - its always something (especially when starting out) - the point is you're giving it a go, and from that learning

I agree with Sarah about the card reflections, and I aim for the low-tech solutions too. I've gone from hating my tripod to (almost) loving it because it means I can mainly use natural light and control it with the exposure. For backdrops I've got 2 large (about 30" x 40") pieces of mountboard - one black and one white - which I prop up into a curve, like a mini infinity cove. I intend to get some black velvet fabric though, to make my blacks more black!

You have already mentioned the hotspot yourself. You need to look at some way of getting the flash off camera to start with. After that there are all sorts of cheap methods/ bodges for modifying the output and harshness.

These are the two big problems I've had this week. I'm fairly housebound at the moment, not only because of the weather, but I've hurt my knee quite a bit to the extent that I can't drive or walk very far at the moment. I'm mostly an outdoorsy photographer preferring buildings and landscapes (especially trees), so having to shoot indoors is a challenge for me.

But my 52 is meant to stretch me, and that means I have to learn and shoot stuff that's outside my comfort zone. For the indoorsy stuff I think I'm going to need somewhere to shoot that's not going to get in the way / I can tidy away afterwards, something for a background and maybe a pair of desk lamps. I've got one already, so I may have a play with that for next week. I think I've got some reading to do! (why do we find we need two lights for a start?)

 

[hepburn]

good luck with this Carol. I'm sure the stretch will help

 

[Dark Star]

Love the colours and the composition Carol - there is a great line of symmetry through the centre here...I guess the reflections have already been mentioned....but this one jumped out at me when I opened your thread in a great way! Looking forward to more !

 

[EdBray]

Week One - Curves

After discounting a number of curvy items around the house, I settled on a couple of bottles of bubble bath.

The things I've strugged with are light (because I still don't understand it) and backgrounds. I ended up with a piece of white glossy card this week, so I'm on the lookout for some ideas. Taken with the on-board flash, hence the big white spots!

Great colours and it shows you have an eye for an image if not the experience yet to utilise it fully. try to find a copy of Light, Science & Magic which will help you learn how to use light.

A1 sheets of mounting board make good backgrounds and can be curved to make a small infinity curve for smaller objects. White ones can also be used as reflectors and black ones as absorbers.

 

[CarolF]

High Flight
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of; wheeled and soared and swung
Hign in the sun-lit silence. Hovering there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air;
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
Where never lark nor even eagle flew;
And while, with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee (Jr)
9 June 1922 - 11 December 1941



I hope I've managed to do the poem some justice. Managed to get the light off the camera this week, which I think has made some difference. Trying to get rid of shadows was fun though. It's been an interesting week for me and I want to try and learn a little bit more about lighting indoor shots over the next month or so.

My main problem this week was trying to get the plane to stay still, it just wanted to spin around on its wire and not point towards me! :bang:

On another note, why do I see everything with curves in it now? :bonk:

 

[ccsnet]

Week 1 - Cracking colours

Week 2 - I like the subject but it needs some thing else.... just cant put my fingure on it. Too much free space IMHAO.

Terran

 

[SarahLee]

Well done Carol!
Not a shadow in sight.

Great interpretation of the poem and what a brilliant plane! Is it hand made?
I really like the DOF (it's got that tilt shift feel to it) and the red works very well against the blue background - although I think I'd like a bit more saturation in it to bring the colours out even more.

p.s. I'm over curved now. I just keep thinking about poems and song lyrics in everything this week

 

[Tracer]

1. curves - I love the colours, shapes and composition. In time you'll learn to control the lighting to avoid hotspots.

2. Poetry - a great idea, and you have done very well with it. A little more colour saturation and contrast might make it even better. Well done!

 

[Darkmage]

Week 1 - Cracking colours

Week 2 - I like the subject but it needs some thing else.... just cant put my fingure on it. Too much free space IMHAO.

Terran

I think a little more free space would do it for me Kind of panorama-esque with black borders top and bottom..

Lovely Idea though Carol!

 

[CarolF]

Week 1 - Cracking colours

Week 2 - I like the subject but it needs some thing else.... just cant put my fingure on it. Too much free space IMHAO.

Terran

Well done Carol!
Not a shadow in sight.

Great interpretation of the poem and what a brilliant plane! Is it hand made?
I really like the DOF (it's got that tilt shift feel to it) and the red works very well against the blue background - although I think I'd like a bit more saturation in it to bring the colours out even more.

1. curves - I love the colours, shapes and composition. In time you'll learn to control the lighting to avoid hotspots.

2. Poetry - a great idea, and you have done very well with it. A little more colour saturation and contrast might make it even better. Well done!

I think a little more free space would do it for me Kind of panorama-esque with black borders top and bottom..

Lovely Idea though Carol!

Thanks for all your comments. I've not been around much this week, and failed miserably on commenting on other threads, so I'm off to catch up once I've uploaded week three.

I learnt a lot last week about moving light around to move shadows. I couldn't eliminate them completely, but managed to move them around enough to stay out of the shot. My bedroom wall provided the backdrop to the plane which is made (apprently) entirely out of drinks cans and has a wingspan of a foot. It just caught my eye in a gift shop one day and normally hangs over my desk.

I'll try increasing the saturation later to see whether it improves the image or not. Generally when I try and up the saturation, it just looks pants, so I'm weary of doing such processing, but I'll give it a go.

 

[CarolF]

I thought I was really going to struggle with this and was getting to the point of having to resort to the chopping board with some food. My only other ideas centered around cropping images, which isn't really in keeping with this weeks theme. I even thought of chomping on a piece of food (chopped by my teeth). In the end I enjoyed a visit to the Bafta's in London this week. A great meal and this was our table decoration. Light was diabolical in the bar and at the table, so I ended up with my nifty f1.8, which I've only had a couple of months and am starting to . It's probably not the best shot I could have taken, but the alcohol was freely flowing and I was getting merry. I did try to eliminate as much of the reflections in the bowl as possible, but when alcohol kicks in, the one thing that shows is how much I've learnt otherwise this would have just ended up as a P&S image.

I'm enjoying my 52 so far (the novelty hasn't worn off yet), but I still want to enter the POTY every round and I have no idea what to do for that!

 

[SarahLee]

Sounds like you had a fab evening Carol, and I for one am green with envy
I liked this shot straight away and after reading that it was shot after the alcohol started flowing I'm even more impressed.

The DOF has really helped isolate the table decoration from the rest of the clutter on the table and some lovely colours in it.
Shame that none of the flower heads are facing the camera, but I'm sure that moving the decor around was the last thing you were thinking of.

I'm enjoying my 52 so far (the novelty hasn't worn off yet), but I still want to enter the POTY every round and I have no idea what to do for that!

Tell me about it!
I intended trying to complete a full 12 POTYs this year, but haven't got anything in for January yet - and time is running out

 

[dlh]

You've done well to isolate the flowers as best you can and keep the reflections to a minimum here. It's a shame that cup and saucer are right behind it though. Certainly an interesting subject to photograph, don't suppose you managed to fit it in your handbag?

 

[jgs001]

I love the plane and it fits the poem, the shot does seem to be lacking something, but well done on the lighting.

Excellent image for chopped, I like it, a shame you can't see the heads but ...

 

[mowse73]

Hi Carol. I like your idea for the poetry theme. ayaour chopped image lokks good although i agree about the cup. Well done

 

[Harlequin565]

As others have said - it's impressive that you have managed to avoid reflections on the glass.

Also like your poetry shot with a very coold subject.

Keep up the good work!

Ian.

 

[D_Fivehundred]

All three shots are looking good, you should be pleased with your efforts so far!

I like week 3... the way that the stems send your eyeline wizzing around the bowl

 

[68lbs]

the novelty hasn't worn off yet

PMSL

 

[CarolF]

Guys and Gals,
Thanks for all your comments so far. I've not been online for a while, I'm going to give this a bash at catch-up. Not sure how well it will go, but I'll try.

A few days after my last post I finally saw a consultant for my knee, and to cut a long story short ended up in surgery less than 4 days later. I've ended up with micro-fracture surgery on my femur if anyone wants to look it up (but it ain't pretty!)

I picked the camera up for the first time since the operation yesterday, after looking at its bag rather forlornly every now and then and having no real appetite for even wanting to charge the battery. Recovery from surgery has been pretty mentally challenging and my mind has been places I'd much rather it hadn't. I'm now having far more positive days than bad ones, and am looking to try and catch-up. I know I can't climb mountains, but I can at least try and make it up a hill!

Thanks for following so far!
Carol

 

[SarahLee]

Welcome back Carol!
Hope you're recovering from the surgery . . . it sounds nasty

If all those missing weeks feel a bit daunting, why don't you just jump back in on week 13 - you can always catch up a bit at a time as you go along.

(p.s. I don't care how well you think you can fit it into the theme, please keep any photos of your knee to yourself )