weekly Sheylara (DSLR Noob) 52 for 2016 - Week 19-22 added

[Winter]

Aw How sad - just look at that expression on his face. Nicely composed with people walking away. Lovely shot for the theme.

Good choice of subject, well captured and nicely rendered for the theme.

Excellent

Awww poor Ted ....how could anyone abandon him ....perfect choice Sheylara, and the people walking by and ignoring him just add to the shot.

Abandoned - perfect shot for the theme, nice find! I quite like the coldness of the de-saturation too, it adds to the bleakness and feel of the image!

Well done, the sense of people walking by really makes it work well, good angle.

Thank you so much, guys, for your kind comments. It sure is encouraging for a newbie and makes me less afraid to post my photos here! Thank you!

 

[Cobra]

Thanks for doing that! Yes, I think that works and I like that the distracting left side is gone, although I'm still not too keen on the weird aspect ratio. I notice that not only have you cloned the car away on the left of the pole, you've also done a bit on the right of the pole. (I believe that was a bin.) Nice job. I'm not sure about the extra sharpening and brightening, though. The blacks have become grey and I don't know if that changes the mood, somewhat, to be less bleak? Well, I can't really decide, lol, but it's nice seeing how someone else would process the photo.

No problem
The bin, you could also just take out the stripes and it would merge into the background
The sharpening is habit as I tend to shoot mostly animals, to bring out the fur, it also brightens the image as well, slightly.
The aspect remains pretty much as yours if you cut people off at the knee,. I'm not sure if that would work or not?

Anyway I'm glad its given you food for thought

 

[Winter]

No problem
The bin, you could also just take out the stripes and it would merge into the background
The sharpening is habit as I tend to shoot mostly animals, to bring out the fur, it also brightens the image as well, slightly.
The aspect remains pretty much as yours if you cut people off at the knee,. I'm not sure if that would work or not?

Anyway I'm glad its given you food for thought

Ah, yes, I can see how sharpening would help with animal pics and I suppose Lotso is an animal. (Not sure if people recognise the bear as a Toy Story character. I didn't myself. It was my husband who recognised him and I HAD actually watched the movie!)

Anyway, thanks again! I do appreciate all advice and opinions!

 

[Winter]

Week 4 - Happy


Happy by Sheylara, on Flickr

 

[nickbee]

Hello

Happy - great perspective, the camper looks right at home on the road surface. Lovely and sharp and the DOF really separates the subject from the background. I might personally have lost a little from the top.

Abandoned - loved this. I preferred the original version showing more of what's going on around him; to me, the more there is going on, the greater the sense of abandonment.

 

[Winter]

Hello

Happy - great perspective, the camper looks right at home on the road surface. Lovely and sharp and the DOF really separates the subject from the background. I might personally have lost a little from the top.

Abandoned - loved this. I preferred the original version showing more of what's going on around him; to me, the more there is going on, the greater the sense of abandonment.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments! Noted on losing the top off Happy. I wanted to have as much sky as possible in the shot because I thought all the greens in the background are so dull-looking (unfortunately, I couldn't find a better background where I was and it was a dull day, lol). But I can see it'd look quite nice with the top chopped off.

 

[Winter]

Does this look better? Or did I crop too much? I've also made it slightly brighter. I keep feeling that the original one looks too dark overall to look happy.

 

[nickbee]

I like the crop better (the very bright part at the top of the original always pulled my eye up and off the subject). I think I preferred the original's brightness as it brought out the texture of Tigger's fur and you might have lost some detail on the bus.

But you should probably wait for someone who knows what they're talking about before making any edits...

 

[Winter]

I like the crop better (the very bright part at the top of the original always pulled my eye up and off the subject). I think I preferred the original's brightness as it brought out the texture of Tigger's fur and you might have lost some detail on the bus.

But you should probably wait for someone who knows what they're talking about before making any edits...

Oh, yeah, didn't notice the loss of detail just now. That was probably why I didn't make it anymore brighter when I did the first one, lol. But I think you're right about the bright top part being a bit distracting. Damn backgrounds, they never make it easy for us, do they?

 

[cargo]

Happy ! It made me HAPPY

Great subject.

Gaz

 

[Emja]

Oh yes...tiggers and camper vans...who could fail to feel happy looking at that?! Great choice for the theme

Edit - just realised I missed your metal shot - it's really lovely! As has been said, you handled the exposure really well. A very stylish shade and shot.

 

[Winter]

Happy ! It made me HAPPY

Great subject.

Gaz

Thank you! Always happy to make someone happy!

Oh yes...tiggers and camper vans...who could fail to feel happy looking at that?! Great choice for the theme

Edit - just realised I missed your metal shot - it's really lovely! As has been said, you handled the exposure really well. A very stylish shade and shot.

Thanks, Emma!! Your comments make me happy!

 

[Deleted member 78683]

Brilliant Sheylara! Love it. Such a fun colourful composition - hippy overtones too. Edited crop is better ... marginally. Well thought out. Bravo

 

[d00d]

what fantastic props caught in the shallowest DOF ... proper tarmac I do believe ... and glorious dreamy BG.

 

[viv1969]

Well it certainly puts a smile on my face Sheylara.....fits the theme perfectly.
I can see it printed and hanging in a child's room.

 

[Winter]

Brilliant Sheylara! Love it. Such a fun colourful composition - hippy overtones too. Edited crop is better ... marginally. Well thought out. Bravo

Thanks, Carl, appreciate your comments and it's helpful to know your opinion on the crop.

what fantastic props caught in the shallowest DOF ... proper tarmac I do believe ... and glorious dreamy BG.

Thank you, David. Yes, it was shot on a real road at great risk. Thankfully, no photographer was harmed in the making.

Well it certainly puts a smile on my face Sheylara.....fits the theme perfectly.
I can see it printed and hanging in a child's room.

Wow, thanks, Ruth. I'm chuffed you think it could be on a wall.

 

[Cobra]

Happy, he certianly looks happy to me I think I prefer the pre-edit though

 

[Winter]

Happy, he certianly looks happy to me I think I prefer the pre-edit though

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[LC2]

Hi @Winter
Abandoned - There has been soo much cruelty to teddy bears this week... Certainly on theme and stands out with the rest of the shot looking somewhat desaturated.
Happy - At least Tigger is enjoying himself, but then that's one of the wonderful things about tigger I think the tighter crop is the stronger shot.

 

[Pads1980]

It works well as it is, people passing by, not taking any notice ... I wouldn't change a thing TBH.

And the de-saturation works well.

 

[SamTD]

Really nice shot, very sharp

 

[susiejb]

Love the choice of subject Sheylara ....a really happy chap, the camper van is really cute, and excellent location too, I think I prefer the original ....but not sure

 

[Winter]

Hi @Winter
Abandoned - There has been soo much cruelty to teddy bears this week... Certainly on theme and stands out with the rest of the shot looking somewhat desaturated.
Happy - At least Tigger is enjoying himself, but then that's one of the wonderful things about tigger I think the tighter crop is the stronger shot.

And the de-saturation works well.

Really nice shot, very sharp

Love the choice of subject Sheylara ....a really happy chap, the camper van is really cute, and excellent location too, I think I prefer the original ....but not sure

Thanks, guys! Appreciate all your comments and opinions on the different crops.

 

[jakeblu]

Thats gotta be my favourite happy shot so far, well posed and I love the bokah.

Have to confess though that I'm a big VDub fan and tigger is my favourite AA Milne character so bit of a no brainer really.

 

[purplepleaser]

Sheylara, Happy is such a brilliant image, nice and colourfull and superb DoF

 

[Winter]

Thats gotta be my favourite happy shot so far, well posed and I love the bokah.

Have to confess though that I'm a big VDub fan and tigger is my favourite AA Milne character so bit of a no brainer really.

Wow, favourite shot! Thanks for saying that; makes my day!

Sheylara, Happy is such a brilliant image, nice and colourfull and superb DoF

Thank you, Lee! Appreciate your comment!

 

[Winter]

Week 6 - Camouflage(d)

I found it a real challenge photographing these critters; they move around so fast and so much! (And my range was 120mm max so I had to get quite close, which startles them.)

It was hard trying to get the right composition and focus points within the second that they're actually still. (Never mind the settings, I just went with aperture priority and left it mostly at F/4). I was on single focus mode and tried to manually adjust the focus point but there was hardly enough time to adjust anything before the critters would bound off again. (So a lot of my shots just end up with my subjects smack bang in the middle.)

I would really appreciate some pointers on how to handle these shoots better. Thank you!


Camouflage by Sheylara, on Flickr

 

[Deleted member 78683]

Very hard to get them nice and sharp Sheylara but you've done better than I so no crits from me. Looks spot on lighting-wise and focus. Well done you.

 

[Winter]

Very hard to get them nice and sharp Sheylara but you've done better than I so no crits from me. Looks spot on lighting-wise and focus. Well done you.

Thank you, Carl! Crits are important for learning, but compliments are so good for a healthy self-esteem.

 

[SamTD]

Very nice sharp shot, good job

Squirrels will come right up to you if you put some monkey nuts on the floor next to you by the way

 

[Winter]

Very nice sharp shot, good job

Squirrels will come right up to you if you put some monkey nuts on the floor next to you by the way

Thank you for your comment, Sam. And thanks for the tip. I will definitely try that!

I actually had a couple of squirrels come right up to my foot but they didn't stay very long, and any slightest movement on my part set them running off, so I couldn't quite change my camera settings/angles/zoom on the spot. I managed to get this cute expression, but had to sharpen it in photoshop considerably, and I'm not sure the framing is the best.

 

[CliveH]

Happy and abandoned are great. Camouflage works really well, I didnt spot him at first glance.

 

[sirch]

Well done with camo, and the second squirrel photo is very good.

 

[WMD]

Camouflage - I think given your explanation, you've done well there Sheylara. As you mentioned, the squirrel is a little in the middle - but a crop from the top right would work quite well and place him in the top/right third, giving him space to jump in to (if you work to the rule of thirds!) Other than that, there's nice detail and the focus looks spot on!
I love the 2nd shot of the squirrel - not quite as fitting theme wise, but a lovely shot nonetheless!

 

[d00d]

As squirrel shots go, that's a good one ... nicely focused, good colour.

 

[Winter]

Happy and abandoned are great. Camouflage works really well, I didnt spot him at first glance.

Thanks for your comment! I wasn't too sure if it was camouflagey enough as the dof is very shallow and I thought the squirrel stood out a bit too much!

Well done with camo, and the second squirrel photo is very good.

Thank you, Chris!

Camouflage - I think given your explanation, you've done well there Sheylara. As you mentioned, the squirrel is a little in the middle - but a crop from the top right would work quite well and place him in the top/right third, giving him space to jump in to (if you work to the rule of thirds!) Other than that, there's nice detail and the focus looks spot on!
I love the 2nd shot of the squirrel - not quite as fitting theme wise, but a lovely shot nonetheless!

Yeah, I would have liked to frame it more to the left but didn't have much time! I'll need to practice more and figure out how frame and focus super quick! Thanks for your comments!

As squirrel shots go, that's a good one ... nicely focused, good colour.

Thanks, David!

 

[Winter]

Week 7 - Danger(ous)


Dangerous by Sheylara, on Flickr

(No figures were harmed during the production of this image but some marshmallows were eaten.)

 

[Toothie]

Lol love the comment [emoji3] the picture is nicely exposed imo balancing the highlights of the flame with the low light of the fireplace. Nice take on the theme too

 

[Dark Knight]

Hey Sheylara

Abandoned - A great find, liking the muted colours and the edit/crop works spot on for me

Happ - Another stuffed toy, but again works very well, again preferring the edit/crop, the shallow DoF has been worked perfectly, and a lovely vibrant image, the real low PoV rounds this off a treat

Camouflage - Took me a second to see that little b****r, well camouflaged indeed

Dangerous - Yet Yummy looking, nicely staged and the contrast dark and bright handled well, and the diagonal of the grate works nicely too... like it

 

[susiejb]

Hi Sheylara ....your squirrel suits the theme perfectly ....you've caught it really well too ....so annoying when something moves just as you're about to take it !

Love your Dangerous .....how cute is that .....brilliant idea