Sterling Archer's Photo 52 - Part 1 (1-26)

Hi Mark, 3 great photos there, the marmite shot is great, lighting and composition is excellent, I do love it myself though! Your empty reshoot is great, love the black and white conversion on there as well. Your paradox is a well taken photograph also. Good luck with the tropical theme. :thumbs:
 
Despite the tropical weather, I wasn't getting much in the way of inspiration for this. However, before going to the football on Thursday evening, I took Mrs Archer and her Mum to the garden centre, which happened to have an aquarium. The light wasn't great, so this is one for a potential reshoot next time one's drawn out.


Photo 52 - Week 17 - Tropical by MVS Photography, on Flickr
 
Tropical - It is always difficult to snap through the glass of an aquarium. The lighting might not have been great but you have avoided reflections and framed him well.

Paradox- Not only a great idea but very well thought out and shot. The dof is spot on. I really like that one.

Wrong - I am from the love it camp. Great shot
 
Cheers, Martin.

It was by pure chance that I took the Paradox one. I'd already spoken to Mrs Archer about it, but she wasn't too keen. Luckily, she decided to have a kip later that afternoon, so I took the opportunity, and with her being OOF she wasn't too fussed about me using it in the 52. :woot:
 
Week 18 - Power

With no football photography scheduled for today, I found myself wearing out my F5 key on the Challenges and Inspiration forum, and within an hour of the new theme being added, I was dragging Mrs Archer out for a recce at the nearby derelict Hartshead Power Station.

The light there wasn't great, but the part that is still in use had great light and a pylon over the canal path!

I couldn't decide on one image either...



Photo 52 - Week 18 - Power (1) by MVS Photography, on Flickr


Photo 52 - Week 18 - Power (2) by MVS Photography, on Flickr
 
Hi, Mark, I suspect this may be a popular subject for this theme, so well done for getting in there first.

I've taken #2 myself several times as there is something about pylons that make me want to photograph them...:D

The thing with such a subject, is the symmetry has to be perfect for it to really work and you've done a decent job.

If you could, a quick tweek to get the symmetry perfect and perhaps look at the beams (??) as they are slightly bowed outwards (barrel distortion ??).

Cheers and I'll look out for the repost, if you do one.

Now, what to do for my power :thinking::thinking:
 
Cheers for the comment, Andy.

Unfortunately, to get directly under the centre of this pylon I'd end up in the canal, so there won't be a reshoot of this. :lol:

I may try cropping though.
 
Quick work Mark, on Power. For me no 1 is spot on. The amount of components in the collage emphasises the power too . Good idea to have them all surrounding the Danger of Death sign, and each image is well shot. Great work :-)
 
yes well done and very quick ! no ones going to do pillons now (lol)
love the way you have arrange them instead of just one after another good montage :thumbs:
 
Hi ya

well thats a far safer shot than I envisage you coming up with :lol:

Great idea & bang on theme , love the montage layout & the sign in the middle .Even though you posted so quickly it's well thought out & presented :clap: fab work
 
Hiya Mark,

Brilliant take on the theme .... and our favourite chocolate too. I always seem to get a couple for the feastive seasons, but I'll give you one guess who gets to eat them :lol:

I love the bokeh in the photo, and the way you have presented it. The colour version is a :thumbs: for me (not sure the b&w works for this) :shrug:

Only nit-pick would be a bit more space in the fore may benefit the photo.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Hi, Mark, agree with Dawn on placement and bokeh.

I quite like the b&w, but the bokeh makes the colour for me...

Cheers.
 
Hi Mark,

Divided will have to be the rich colours of the 1st one.. the B&W simply doesn't look appealing, sorry... might be too close on the bottom edge... but the subject draws you away from that....mmmm the core...

Promise... well thought of :thumbs: wasn't written in perm ink was it... ??? :D
 
Mate... I love your promise shot... You have completely gazumped my idea... I have been involved in scouting since I was 10 and was going to use a photo I took much earlier this year of a similar vain... I may still use it actually... But well done on the shot. I really love the retro feel. We must be about the same age as the style of cub uniform is exactly the same as mine. I think mines is still at mums and the hats stop being used in the early 90s. Love it ... Well done and so swift!
 
Hiya Mark,

Drat :bang: you have beat me to the 'I promise to do my best ....', and I have already completed my photo, but I think I might still post it. I looked at my Girl Guide uniform and was thinking of taking a self portrait in it ('fat' chance, the former being the operative word :lol:) I was a thin as a stick back in those days and there is no way I will get into it now :'(

I love the way yo have the uniform hanging up with the writing to the side. Not sure what all the scout badges mean, maybe you can let us know what they are for?

Actually, I was recently given my brothers scout uniform as a keepsake, so I might do a similar sort of setup ... purely because the uniform is slightly different as he did scouts in South Africa. It could make an interesting little photo collection :D

My only little nit pick about the photo is that it is quite a tight crop and perhaps a bit more space above the cap would work better. I do like how you have framed it though, it brings out the subject well.

Very quick off the mark and well done.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Sterling Archer said:
Week 6 - Clutter.



Anyway, the contents of this cupboard are usually arranged in an almost obsessive fashion, but every now and then this happens...


Photo 52 - Week 6 - Clutter by MVS Photography, on Flickr
Click to expand...

ha ha is this a 'man thing '? my partner chucks everything into the cupboards without any organisation. me I automatically put the condiments seperate from the tinned stuff and the spices seperate from.......are we just anal ?

Its a good interpretation I think. We have a kitchen dressor drawer that takes all the stuff without a home that would probably be ideal.:lol:
 
Not sure if it needed the writing :shrug: Great idea for the shot and sounds like you were first off the mark with it. Maybe the others didn't take "the promise" as seriously as you :lol:;)
 
Barrysprout said:
Not sure if it needed the writing :shrug: Great idea for the shot and sounds like you were first off the mark with it. Maybe the others didn't take "the promise" as seriously as you :lol:;)
Click to expand...

I agree.

Nice take on the theme and I can tell my daughter to take of her Brownies uniform and tell her that a nasty man beat her to it...;)

Cheers.
 
Hi Mark

Divided.... scrummy , chocolate oranges , yum yum :thumbs: The color version gets 1st place from me , the background lighting works really well & the choclocate looks real enough to eat , maybe cropped just a touch to much along the bottom ? Fab shot :clap:

Sounds like you've been having a busy time with moving , well done on getting your shot done & posted ....great idea for Promise :thumbs:
 
Thanks all, and apologies for any upset children. At least now I have my 'making children cry' badge.

@Markelliot - I turned 30 last November. Glad I got one of the last caps!

We went through my badges last night, and managed to work out: Reading, First Aid, Cooking, Cleaning, Chemistry, Looking after animals, Acting, Camping, Cycling, DIY, Orienteering, and Running.

I'm not sure about the stars or arrows on the front though as these seem to have changed now.
 
drodd said:
Hiya Mark,

Brilliant take on the theme .... and our favourite chocolate too. I always seem to get a couple for the feastive seasons, but I'll give you one guess who gets to eat them :lol:

I love the bokeh in the photo, and the way you have presented it. The colour version is a :thumbs: for me (not sure the b&w works for this) :shrug:

Only nit-pick would be a bit more space in the fore may benefit the photo.

Cheers

Dawn :)
Click to expand...

:agree:
 
I cant say I had that many activity badges... did have my photography one though which is of noticable absence on your arm!
 
Hi Mark. Great work for divided. I saw the comments about the lack of space in front of the orange and had to go back to the picture to have another look. I had previously been drawn by the whole of the orange and the great bokeh so hadn't noticed. So not a problem for me. Deffo the colour version for me too just cos of the cheery nature of the subject.
Well done on being the first to get a scout promise up. Nice composition and lighting.

:thumbs:Nice Work

Martin
 
Nice shot and idea for promise. I was in the cubs and scouts briefly, and I seem to remember getting a badge for photography:lol:

Nicely lit and framed, and I like the writing. I agree with others about the too tight framing.
 
Photography wasn't even on my radar then. It was all about football, riding my bike and sneaking a peek at page 3 when my dad wasn't looking. :lol:
 
Well just to add to all the obstacles I've faced so far, the screen on my laptop has been playing up, and my laptop has been sent off to be fixed. :annoyed:

Luckily, I've been able to slum it on Mrs Archer's laptop (joke if you're reading this!) to get Twisted done.

Hidden will be going up after work later today.

Week 21 - Twisted


Photo 52 - Week 21 - Twisted by MVS Photography, on Flickr
 
Popular items them lego people...:D

Made me smile when I saw this one and on theme.

Bit tight for me, especially at the top. Some nice detail and depth retained, even with the bright flame.

Cheers.
 
Hiya Mark,

These lego figures are indeed very photographic subjects :D My son has this particular one, but I won't show him this photo because he may just get ideas to use it to toast marshmallows :lol:

Love the idea and with the twisted marshmallow is right on theme. I'm not sure about the Zippo lighter being visible in the background, or was that your intention for some reason?

I hope you managed to extinguish the flame before it got to the sword. Did you eat the marshmallow? I guess it would have tasted a bit like Zippo fluid :gag:

As for composition, I would have probably tried to get a darker background, removing the lighter and whatever it is propping the lego man to make the photo look more like he was walking around in a dark cave or sorts.

Otherwise great idea .... I definitely have to do some shots with these little characters some time.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Thanks both.

The Zippo is in shot as that's what he's using to toast his marshmallow. He was about an inch behind it so that he didn't get melted, and was held in position with some strategically placed blu tac under his left foot.

I felt that without the Zippo there'd be no flame, and without the flame it's just a lego man with a marshmallow on the end of his sword. Some would say that would be quite twisted, but I wanted the whole 'little man uses normal sized objects that appear giant to him' type thing.

:shrug:

Get what you mean about darker background though. that would definitely add to it.
 
posiview said:
Oh, my, I actually belly laughed at that responce...:lol: :lol: :lol:
Click to expand...

:lol: Andy I had a chuckle too :naughty:

Mark, I can see now what you were aiming for, i.e. Lego men using normal sized objects.

I obviously saw a different story in the image ... namely that the Ninja Lego man was walking in a dark cave .... a bit Indian Jones style, using the marshmallow as a torch :D

Still a great idea though.

Cheers

Dawn :)
 
Just found your 52. Some really good shots.

divided - the one in colour works better to my eyes.

Twisted... is. You could try ps ing out the zippo leaving a flame and darkening the background... might look a bit weird tho...

Nice shots over all - Empty (#1) looked good.

Keep it up



Edit:
Had a quick play, you need to use the unsharp mask on the lego man - slightly oof on the whole pic.
Looks better with the darker bg, more contrast, unsharp mask and a creative use of masking to hide the lighter. Not sure its what you were going for tho - so have a play and see whether it works for you :)
 
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