Ratfinkz's 52 -Art and Isolation added :)
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Sorry dosen't work for me.
Also I would bring in a extra light from the left and move her away from the wall to eliminate the shaddow.
I do like her expression and as a head only type shot.
Also I would bring in a extra light from the left and move her away from the wall to eliminate the shaddow.
I do like her expression and as a head only type shot.
Week 6 - present
a bit of back story to this one. Our dog Tizer has just started learning competitive obedience. One of the tasks he needs to do is 'present' where he sits as close to us as possible with his head up (eventually he'll have something in his mouth - generally the dumbbell on retrieve) so - this is Tizer practising present
a bit of back story to this one. Our dog Tizer has just started learning competitive obedience. One of the tasks he needs to do is 'present' where he sits as close to us as possible with his head up (eventually he'll have something in his mouth - generally the dumbbell on retrieve) so - this is Tizer practising present
Thanks for the feedback
Yep, I can see what you mean re: the shadow. and you're right.
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Hi Sarah, welcome to the 52's. Well done for catching up... nearly there... 
..
1) I tend to avoid people shots, so I'm not really qualified to comment... it does seem to be lacking something though... Sorry... I think Stuart is probably right.
2) It's nicely composed with the foreground daffs, and fits the theme nicely. It seems to be a little dark on my screen, perhaps a little lighten... also it might work with a slightly lower camera position to move the oof daffs in the background out of shot.
3) An unusual angle on the chopped branches, but it works well, good definition in the bark and the chopped areas.
4) Street works well. I like it. I'd be tempted to crop in the left to just inside the telegraph pole, the chopped sign and pole don't really add anything to the image, but that's quite minor.
5) Speed, I like it. It's on theme... I like the high red lights sweeping outward through the curve, and the way the curve has lit up the edge of the road too.
6) Present, I think the person and Tizer are too far to the left of the frame, I think I can see why, to include all of the shadow, but I think that whilst they are the focal point, they need to be more into the frame... I can't think of a way of achieving that and including the shadow... it might work from a different angle, showing more of Tizer too...
7) People, it's a nice little shot of them (is it you and Tizer ??)... The DOF seems rather large, but using f/16 it would be, you've used a shutter speed of 1/13 which is a bit slow for people, as even the slightest movement will be picked up and cause a loss of definition thanks to the blur. Also, it's often better to go for a much wider aperture to throw the background out of focus more, as this helps concentrate on the people.
11) Candid, works well and fits the theme... I can't help but smile looking at it, the pair in the middle look like they are about to butt heads.
I'm sorry Sarah... reading that back it all sounds rather negative... please don't take it that way... I've been in the position where people are posting what read as negative comments, but were really just trying to be helpful, and I hope I have been.
..1) I tend to avoid people shots, so I'm not really qualified to comment... it does seem to be lacking something though... Sorry... I think Stuart is probably right.
2) It's nicely composed with the foreground daffs, and fits the theme nicely. It seems to be a little dark on my screen, perhaps a little lighten... also it might work with a slightly lower camera position to move the oof daffs in the background out of shot.
3) An unusual angle on the chopped branches, but it works well, good definition in the bark and the chopped areas.
4) Street works well. I like it. I'd be tempted to crop in the left to just inside the telegraph pole, the chopped sign and pole don't really add anything to the image, but that's quite minor.
5) Speed, I like it. It's on theme... I like the high red lights sweeping outward through the curve, and the way the curve has lit up the edge of the road too.
6) Present, I think the person and Tizer are too far to the left of the frame, I think I can see why, to include all of the shadow, but I think that whilst they are the focal point, they need to be more into the frame... I can't think of a way of achieving that and including the shadow... it might work from a different angle, showing more of Tizer too...
7) People, it's a nice little shot of them (is it you and Tizer ??)... The DOF seems rather large, but using f/16 it would be, you've used a shutter speed of 1/13 which is a bit slow for people, as even the slightest movement will be picked up and cause a loss of definition thanks to the blur. Also, it's often better to go for a much wider aperture to throw the background out of focus more, as this helps concentrate on the people.
11) Candid, works well and fits the theme... I can't help but smile looking at it, the pair in the middle look like they are about to butt heads.
I'm sorry Sarah... reading that back it all sounds rather negative... please don't take it that way...
I've been in the position where people are posting what read as negative comments, but were really just trying to be helpful, and I hope I have been.Firstly - thank you for taking the time to comment - please dont apologise for offering creative criticism, that is, after all, how we learn!!!
re: curved - I avoid people photography too - but thought I would challenge myself - obviously it didnt work too well - and I should stick to wildlife - at least until I get a stand alone flash!
re: Daffodils - I'd have had trouble getting a 'lower' camera shot - as I was lying on the floor already!!!
I think the problem is they were on a bit of a hill - so were above me,
branches: the tree was taller than I was - but that was the bit with the most detail and curving of the trunk etc - am glad it works
Steet - having looked at it again, I agree a crop would be benefical
Speed - my first attempt at light trails - and I have to say, I was pleased with this one!
Present - again, having looked at it again - I totally agree, way too much open space!!!!
People - yep its me my fiance and Tizer - as above, Im not good at taking people shots but will play with setting more next time
Candid - I was so happy to see that little scene as I was walking - personally I feel it could have been closer - but only had kit lens until yesterday - now I have a better one I can hopefully get closer to subjects
As I say - thank you so much for your critiques - it is much appreciated!
re: curved - I avoid people photography too - but thought I would challenge myself - obviously it didnt work too well - and I should stick to wildlife - at least until I get a stand alone flash!
re: Daffodils - I'd have had trouble getting a 'lower' camera shot - as I was lying on the floor already!!!
I think the problem is they were on a bit of a hill - so were above me,branches: the tree was taller than I was - but that was the bit with the most detail and curving of the trunk etc - am glad it works
Steet - having looked at it again, I agree a crop would be benefical
Speed - my first attempt at light trails - and I have to say, I was pleased with this one!
Present - again, having looked at it again - I totally agree, way too much open space!!!!
People - yep its me my fiance and Tizer - as above, Im not good at taking people shots but will play with setting more next time
Candid - I was so happy to see that little scene as I was walking - personally I feel it could have been closer - but only had kit lens until yesterday - now I have a better one I can hopefully get closer to subjects
As I say - thank you so much for your critiques - it is much appreciated!
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Another Sarah!!!!Welcome on board and well done on your mammoth catch up!
Curved : Not quite there for me either, sorry. But I'm another one that doesn't really "do" people shots, so take any of my suggestions on this with a pinch of salt
I'm sure Stuart is spot on with the lighting and shadows, however, the composition is what's letting it down the most for me.
It feels very tight to the LHS of the frame and I don't like the way that the bottom edge cuts through the seat of the chair.
There is a nice head and shoulder shot there though if you cropped just below the elbow . . . but you start to lose connection to the theme then.
Poetry : I really like this. The background is a touch dark but IMO that contrasts well with the yellow daffs. Definitely a happy, smiley Spring image
Chopped : This one works well too. Lovely textures in the bark and just the right amount of blur in the background.
Street : Lovely quaint looking street. Nice angle and good detail in the buildings. The church on the left is the star of the show IMO.
I agree with John's suggestion for cropping some off the left. I'd also be tempted to lose a bit of foreground. There's not much of interest there and cropping it a bit tighter would give some more impact to the rest of the shot.
Speed : Something I keep meaning to try and just not getting around to
It's worked very well and I really like the spill of light onto the LHS verge.
Present : Sorry - this is incredibly lazy of me, but John has already said exactly what I would have on this one
People : Well it's lovely to see Tizer making another appearance. I hope we get to see lots of him in the 52 because I have a real soft spot for dog photos.
I also LOVE your cardie and wellies !!!!!!
As with your first shot though, the composition isn't quite right for me with the chopped feet at the bottom. I think you either need a full length shot with the feet in - or make a deliberate decision not to include feet and crop higher (obviously that wouldn't work with Tizer in this particular shot)
I agree with John too on the DoF too. Looking at the background that you have in chopped and imagining it in this shot, you can really see how much it would bring it to life.
Candid :
Love it.Is this some new sport? Synchronised golfing or something?
It definitely made me smile.
Pheeeewwwww!!!!! Feeling all typed out after that lot
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I like Weeks 2, 3 and 4.
Althought the dafodil in Wk2 looks a little soft.
Wk 5 - good like trails although may be if the exposure time was less the would be more distinct.
Wk 6 nice image.
Wk 7 natural looking and good strong colours.
Althought the dafodil in Wk2 looks a little soft.
Wk 5 - good like trails although may be if the exposure time was less the would be more distinct.
Wk 6 nice image.
Wk 7 natural looking and good strong colours.
Sarah - thanks so much for suggestions - I love getting critiques on my work - as it encourages me to improve / tells me how to change things next time!
Thanks also Stuart!
In this challenge, are we allowed to edit pics after receiving critique - or do we have to stick with what we posted originally?
Just Chemisty, Produce, and this weeks to do now - i'm getting there
Thanks also Stuart!
In this challenge, are we allowed to edit pics after receiving critique - or do we have to stick with what we posted originally?
Just Chemisty, Produce, and this weeks to do now - i'm getting there
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It's a personal challenge, so it's entirely up to you how you interpret (read "bend") the rules
But a lot of people do go back and re-edit after receiving critique to see how the shots look.
I do like your take on quad.The four gulls(?) and the way that they're sat out remind me of the 4 spots on a die.
Do I spot a bit of a cheat with the top one though?
It looks to me like it may have been cloned from the one at the bottom.
A few things that give it away.
1) There's a bit of smudging on the surface of the water where it's been cloned in. IMO the best way around that is to use a small clone brush with only about 40% opacity and build it up gradually.
2) The perspective isn't quite right. Although it's further away, it's still the same size as the gull in the foreground.
3) It's an identical image of the gull in the foreground.
To address points 2 and 3, I'd take a copy of the original shot and flip it so that the gull I wanted to clone was at least facing in the opposite direction and looked a little different. I'd also resize the copied image to make the gull smaller.
Then I'd clone from the "tweaked" copy back into the original image.
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It's a very well caught moment... I'm not familiar enough with this sort of thing to know quite what's going on, so I'm not sure where the ball came from, nor how the dog might catch it from that position. However, the dog looks nicely exposed.
he's not gonna catch it from that position - hence thinking 'shoot' as it sails above him. basically he presses a lever on front of the blue thing (side facing the jumps) and the ball shoots out from behind it (the lever towards left of image) over top of box, and if all goes right - dog catches it from in front of box!
Thanks for comments
Thanks for comments
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Loads better on those re-edits 
I also like the mechanical shot that you've added.
Shoot : I think you've done really well to catch the ball midair like that.
It's a good fun photo and lots of interest - I've never seen anything like this either. Technically, it would have been nice if you could have got into a position to give yourself a cleaner background, but I know that's not always possible and the DoF has helped to reduce the distractions.
(p.s. from what I can see I think "he" is actually a "she")
I also like the mechanical shot that you've added.
Shoot : I think you've done really well to catch the ball midair like that.
It's a good fun photo and lots of interest - I've never seen anything like this either. Technically, it would have been nice if you could have got into a position to give yourself a cleaner background, but I know that's not always possible and the DoF has helped to reduce the distractions.
(p.s. from what I can see I think "he" is actually a "she"
)Week 15 - single
Sorry this is late, I was away for the weekend unexpectedly. I actually took two shots for this week - but this is the one I decided to go with, as I think it's a better picture - and the Jelly babies used in the second, didnt look like jelly babies to me (serve me right for buying cheap!)
This was the other one I took - I wasnt happy with the jelly babies, or the fact that no matter how much I fiddled - I couldnt get them lined up straight!
thanks for the comments on my other pics! Ohh - I will pop up produce in a min too!
Sorry this is late, I was away for the weekend unexpectedly. I actually took two shots for this week - but this is the one I decided to go with, as I think it's a better picture - and the Jelly babies used in the second, didnt look like jelly babies to me (serve me right for buying cheap!)
This was the other one I took - I wasnt happy with the jelly babies, or the fact that no matter how much I fiddled - I couldnt get them lined up straight!
thanks for the comments on my other pics! Ohh - I will pop up produce in a min too!
I like the colours and arrangement of the egg cups. Perhaps it could do with just a little more room at the top - the egg is very close to the edge of the pic. The lighting is good, but it is all just a little soft, as if you have missed the focus slightly or got a bit of camera shake. It would be worth having another go at this sometime.
I've never seen jelly babies like those! I can see what you are trying to do but I much prefer your chosen picture.
I've never seen jelly babies like those! I can see what you are trying to do but I much prefer your chosen picture.
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Lovely colours in the egg shot Sarah and I love the waterdrops on the eggcups. It's a nice detail and shows that you've put some real thought into setting it up.
With the background, it really helps if you can pull the fabric as taught as possible to avoid creases - moving the subject a bit further forward (so there's more space between it and the background) will give you a smoother finish too.
I've never tried shooting jellybabies, but I'd imagine that they're not an easy subject.
I think it's a great interpretation of the theme, but the execution just hasn't worked quite as well as your chosen shot.
With the background, it really helps if you can pull the fabric as taught as possible to avoid creases - moving the subject a bit further forward (so there's more space between it and the background) will give you a smoother finish too.
I've never tried shooting jellybabies, but I'd imagine that they're not an easy subject.
I think it's a great interpretation of the theme, but the execution just hasn't worked quite as well as your chosen shot.
Thanks - glad I made right choice with chosen pic! Yep - you're right re: lack of space at top - I think I will reshoot this when we get some more eggs!
Thanks Sarah - yep I think next time I do it, not only will I pull the fabric taught - but iron it too! :bonk:
Clud - I still like the jelly baby idea too - I think at some stage I will have another play with it - and see if I can improve!
Week 16 - Stare.
This weeks is a bit of a cheat - in that I took the picture on Saturday, before the theme had been announced. When I saw the theme though - it just fit so well, so I processed it with the thought of entering it in the 52.
The dog is JD - my best friends dog - he's a GSD X Collie - and yep he's as mad as he looks
This weeks is a bit of a cheat - in that I took the picture on Saturday, before the theme had been announced. When I saw the theme though - it just fit so well, so I processed it with the thought of entering it in the 52.
The dog is JD - my best friends dog - he's a GSD X Collie - and yep he's as mad as he looks
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Definitely fits the theme Sarah.
Well lit and good composition. He is looking into the frame and certainly staring at something. Who was teasing him with a biscuit?
Andy
Well lit and good composition. He is looking into the frame and certainly staring at something. Who was teasing him with a biscuit?
Andy