Shaky's '52' - Added Week 38 (Dirty) & 39 (Rage)

ShakyUK

ShakyUK

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Rick
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Technically not 52 as I'm starting now... at 35!

I got my DSLR on Tuesday (31/08/10) and have been playing around with it since then. I've also been trying photoshop and reading a few helpful threads on here.
I stumbled across the Photo 52 and thought it would be good at getting me to constantly be using my camera, improve my picture taking ability and get me to try things I haven't done before (I haven't done much so that won't be hard!).

My rules:

1. Post my contribution on time.
2. Try and not look at others contributions before I post.
3. Comment on at least 3 others threads.
4. Try and play catch up for the other 34 weeks.

This is actually strangely daunting...But I appreciate any constructive comments as I just want to improve.

Here's my first attempt and some comments on my thoughts behind it.

Week 35 - Light

I tried a few things with light but all were around lighting. When in the front room I noticed the light casting in from the door. I used photoshop to PP as I wanted a brighter purer light coming from the door but I'm still learning and it was quite a bit of trial and error to be honest. I also cloned out some plug sockets and blemishes on the walls. I placed a phone on the floor as when taking the photos in the dark it reminded me of something you'd see in a horror film but thought it also allows people to interpret it in their own way.

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I also did a B&W version, I am not sure which I prefer.

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Week 36 - Project

I am a week behind as I spent last week revising for the worst exam in the world... EVER.

I knew the shot I wanted for project, it was a shot of a building under renovation/reconstruction. The sandpiper pub near my mums had burned down and so I actually wanted a shot of that. I wasn't able to get close enough to get the shot I wanted, so what started out as my intention to photograph the project of renovating the burnt pub ended up with the image focussing more on the sky. As the weather has been miserable and the sky has been pretty plain with 100% cloud cover I had to do quite a bit of processing to get what I wanted. I did a HDR shot and played around... I mean.. learned some more in photoshop.

My own critique: There is some discolouration around the trees, I believe this was caused when merging the images as the trees were moving in the wind and I don't have a tripod the images were all slightly out of sync. I tried but failed to remove the phone line, more practise needed but it would have been nice to not have it there. If my photoshop skills haven't improved by next time... I'll be sure to take a step ladder and some sheers haha!

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I will hopefully post film up tomorrow, I have the shots but need to process. At which point I will be commenting on every ones threads as I've been holding back on opening any of them to prevent my subconcious from stealing your ideas..! :)

Week 37 - Film

I am still a week behind. Here is my attempt at film, I had a couple of ideas, I tried them... they were bad ideas. I ended up trying to apply film grain to this image. I can see some people not really feeling this image as it isn't sharp in places, the grass area is overexposed and there is too much grain, but for me it is exactly how I wanted it. I wanted old, weather and cold looking. Feel free to critique and offer me tips for free :)

Cheers for looking.

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Week 38 - Dirty

I am a week behind on dirty, I have been out a few nights but I have never been able to get what I wanted. After a walk out tonight my girlfriend spotted this on the floor and I thought it went quite well with dirty. I noticed when home I have quite got the focus. Critique welcome. Thank you for viewing.

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Week 39 - Rage

Rage is a powerful word and this image is perhaps not as powerful as the word but I think it relates to the theme. This is my thai boxing gum shield - controlled rage... :thumbs:
Again the focus could be better. Critique welcome, thanks for viewing.

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Hi Rick - Welcome to the 52. It's never too late to join, and you can always continue through into next year if you want to. :)

Getting your first DSLR is a great reason for joining in the fun - I hope you enjoy it and get lots of useful feedback.

Light: I think this is a stunning start to your thread. The picture tells a story (always a good thing) and you've composed the shot very well. I'm glad you cloned out extraneous bits like sockets - it's that attention to detail which makes a good shot an excellent one.

Colour or b&w? On this occasion, I think they both work really well and I'd be hard pushed to cast a vote. :)

Well done on a great start - I'll follow your thread with interest. :)

Jean
 
What a great start to your 52 18 ;) Close encounters sprang to mind for me and the golden light you've achieved on the colour version makes it a clear winner for me. Really good job and if we consider you've only had your camera a couple of days I'm actually going to go :razz: for picking things up far too quickly :D
 
like them both
my first thought was he's try to get Mobile and Light into the same picture!:naughty:
 
Thank you for the positive comments, its a real confidence boost as I haven't done anything like this before and was in two minds whether or not to post.

I think in this single photo I learned a lot and it was good fun!

Project is the next theme, this should be interesting..! So open to interpretation!
 
Well Rick, a superb start. The first shot is my favourite. Love it. Could see that as a movie poster. :thumbs:
 
Welcome aboard Rick and please don't feel daunted about joining in. We're a friendly bunch here - honestly !!!

And what a great start to your 52 . . . errrrm 18 ;)
Seriously, I think this is very, very good. Hard to believe that you're new to this :clap:

Great concept, brilliant set up and very well executed.
Your attention to detail is spot on. I would never have known that you'd cloned out unnecessary distractions so that's a credit to your PP work. And the fact that you've added the phone to tell a story elevates it beyond just a nicely executed picture of light flooding through a door.

I can't help wondering how it would have looked if you'd chosen something other than a phone . . . something a bit taller so that you could have made more of the shadows cast in that pool of light. But I'm struggling to think of what else could have worked and the phone definitely fits with the mood :thinking:

Well done on your first week and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do for project.
 
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Reading Sarah's thoughts on something taller to use, first thing that sprang to my mind was a toy robot. Maybe that was from close encounters too :)
 
Hi Rick, that's a really strong start to your project mate, simple imagery often speaks so much stronger. I think im drawn to the colour version as the light burns stronger with it. However it works very well in mono too. Ill look forward to seeing more from your thread.
 
Thank you for the kind words everyone.

Sarah - I agree something larger would have cast a nice long shadow down the light, something I can try in the future!

DLH A toy robot ha, that could look quite surreal, although obviously I don't own a toy robot being a grown man and all... atleast not one that big! ;)

Clud/Jenny - I am actually quite nervous about my next shot now haha, I know what I have in mind but I may put it up late. I have an exam on Monday so I'm revising like mad! I also want to tackle curves soon, I know what I want to photograph, but I haven't been there since I was a kid and so I'm not quite sure I know the way... It could be eventful!

Thanks again for the input :)
 
yep - not a bad start........... the bar is now set though........:lol::lol:

personally I prefer the top image (though noting wrong with either)........... think it;s because so used to seeing a more tungsten / halogen light that has the yellowish tone that makes it look more natural......... (in a weird kind of way as its very un-natural!)

I am planning a mahoosive catchup sometime soonish!..........
 
ShakyUK said:
DLH A toy robot ha, that could look quite surreal, although obviously I don't own a toy robot being a grown man and all... atleast not one that big! ;)
Click to expand...

You might get away with a Danbo :naughty:
 
dlh said:
You might get away with a Danbo :naughty:
Click to expand...

I had no idea what one was... checked it out.. I want one! haha. You could get some comical pictures with one of those!
 
ShakyUK said:
DLH A toy robot ha, that could look quite surreal, although obviously I don't own a toy robot being a grown man and all... atleast not one that big! ;)
Click to expand...

Are you seriously trying to tell me that men ever grow out of their toys - especially if they have flashing lights and make noises ? ;)

Actually I reckon a Danbo would have been a great idea, although it would have given the photo a totally different mood to what you have now.
 
Updated with week 36. Image and blurb in my original post. Thanks for viewing.
 
I do like the look and feel of project Rick. The lighting and colouring work a treat. I would like to see the right hand side (to the right of the tree) cropped out and also some of the top with it. Also clone out the wire running across the frame which is a little distracting.
 
Hi Rick. I hope that the exam went OK in the end.

I think you've pretty much nailed this with your own critique.
I also agree with Darren about the crop from the top. The only other thing I'd look at is cloning out that bit of tree poking in on the right (once you've perfected your cloning skills on that phone line that is ;) )

Considering that you didn't use a tripod to get all the images perfectly aligned, this is very impressive though :thumbs:

ps: If you edit your thread title in the first post we can all see that you've updated for the current week ;)
 
Thank you for the comments and advice. I will try the crop and attempt to clone out the wire. I had a go but couldn't quite get it right but its an image I can use to practise on.

I have an order in with the girlfriend for a tripod at Christmas, I'd rather just go out and buy one but then she wouldn't have anything to buy me!

I still need to do Film, I took the shots but don't like them now so I am trying something else. I've only done 2 themes and already recognise this is actually quite a challenge. Thinking of the idea of 1 thing, but then getting the right conditions for what you want is another challenge!

I also hope the exam went alright, I am an engineer but it was mainly chemistry and so its not exactly my strong point!
 
Hi Rick, welcome to the 52's.

I really like Light, an unusual image. I prefer the first, the golden warm colour wins it for me.

Project, a very moody and dark image, I really like it. It just needs to not have that cable... it's a pain removing that kind of thing, but a graphics tablet can really help...
 
Hi - just checking out your '52! I really like light - prefer the B&W. The project shot is strong, but as others have mentioned, it wants the cable cloning.

Phil
 
Cheers for the comments guys, I am going to have to improve my cloning skills!

I have now added the Film shot. I am still a week behind!
 
I can see what you are aiming for here Rick, i tried to stick some film grain on a shot and its pretty difficult to get it right. Im not sure the original image does enough to make it in this shot and it looks a bit overdone.
 
It looks old and cold... the grass looks snowy or icy... I do agree with Chris though, it's not really working for me... I'm not sure I can explain why
 
Cheers for the feedback guys.

Clud, looking at the image I know what you mean, the picture doesn't really show anything and so it isn't strong enough. When I did this I did suspect it may be over the top, but I think it is further let down by the weakness of the original shot. I think this effect would have been better placed over an image of an old barn or traditional village scene.

I appreciate constructive criticism, as it is this that allows me to get better, I am pretty new to this and most of what I have learned has been reading critiques of other works on this website. Feel free to tell me exactly what you don't like about anything I post as this is what I want. I want to know what isn't working, what people do and don't like and how to get better. I won't be offended if you give me a list of 10 things that you don't like, in fact I'd appreciate it!
 
Not sure about film Rick, it's not really doing much for me either.
Personally I don't think that the original image is a bad starting point for this sort of thing - it has a convincingly old, rustic feel to it.
But I'm finding the film grain effect too OTT. It just looks too contrived to be convincing, particularly on the b/g trees. I think toning it down would help a lot - sometimes subtle is better.

I'm also finding that the top of the sign is getting lost in the b/g - maybe a symptom of the film grain being added or just due to the tones in the B&W conversion.
What software are you using? Photoshop gives you a choice of sliders for BW conversions and you can get quite a bit of control over the feel of the end product by playing with them.
 
Hi Rick - welcome aboard the 52's! :wave: Sorry I haven't caught up with your thread till now.

Light: Really like the first version - I'm a great fan of B&W but here the colour definitely adds to the effect. Composition works really well.

Project: I have to say that I am generally not a fan of HDR and this feels overcooked for my taste. I quite like the composition, though. You might find the free Wireworm plugin helpful in getting rid of the wire.

Film: Again I like this in principal but as others have said the 'grain' is overdone. Having used film myself for many years I have to say that none of the digital 'grain' looks natural to me, so I think you need to be quite careful when you apply it.

Keep up the good work - I look forward to seeing your next shots!
 
Thanks for the comments, critique is appreciated.
I have never used film and so I don't really know what the reality looks like, I just had an image in my mind. Its all a learning experience and I will continue to play until I get something more realistic.

I have added the Dirty and Rage pictures. Critique welcomed. I will work through every ones efforts tomorrow as it's late now. I know there are going to be some fantastic interpretations for rage!
 
Dirty, i like the idea, its a unique take on the theme. Im not sure what is dirty about a condom though, surley it is a barrier and therefore clean:lol: maybe a used one would be better:D I like the low light look and im not sure if the focus effects the overall shot that much.

Rage another unique idea and interesting processing although i would like to see a picture of you kicking someone in the head (in a controlled manner:D) I think the shield could do with a touch more exposure but i like the vignette.
 
Bit of a catch up from me, Rick. (The sotry of my life this year on the 52!) :)

Project: I'm not a great fan of HDR, but I've never tried it, so I don't feel I can knock those who have done what I have not! I think the dramatic sky would have looked better without HDR, but I quite like the effect on the trees around the burnt out pub. I think the composition would have been stronger if the pub had been more prominent in the shot and/or the name was fully visible. On the other hand, I like the way the road sweeps round the picture. :)

Film: I'd have like to see the original, before the added film grain. To be honest, when I first looked at it, before I'd read your comments, I thought it was infrared. I presume you shot in colour and the converted to mono? If so, I think I'd have boosted the contrast before converting, to give a bit more definition, and then applied a very fine film grain. I agree you have to try these things out - it's the way to learn, and if you've never used 'real' film it's much harder. God! that makes me feel ancient! :eek: :)

Dirty: This was a difficult theme, and you did well to find a 'subject'. :) The packet looks a bit lost in the frame. A different angle, or something to lead the eye into and out of the picutre would have made it more interesting. It fits the theme, but doesn't really do much for me, I'm afraid. Sorry. :)

Rage: Another difficult theme - it goes like that sometimes - often, in fact. :D I think you could have done with a bit more light on this, and again, the subject is a bit 'lost' in the frame. Perhaps a lower angle would have given more impact (sorry, pun not intended!) and emphasised the Rage theme. :)

I hope this doesn't sound critical - it's not meant that way - I think it's really great that you're trying different things and learning to make full use of ps. All this - and exams! :eek: I hope they've gone well. :thumbs:

Jean
 
Dirty.. I'm afraid it seems a little lost... this wasn't an easy theme at all. I like the tones and processing on it... but...

Rage.. an Interesting take on the theme, I think you've got the main thing yourself... although it does seem a little dark... Not sure it quite shots rage to me though...
 
Rick, I'm with John on these two:

Dirty - it's a little dark. The main subject needs just a little more light to bring out the focus.

Rage: Glad you mentioned what it was - I would have had no idea. Again it's just a little dark.
 
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