Project 52(late start!) by Gary (oldgreygary)

[oldgreygary]

Thanks Terri and Dave for your thoughts. Abstract style images are not to everyone's taste so, I am pleased that the image does work for some.

Below is taking it another stage further. In Lightroom I created 4 virtual copies. Switched them round so I had one vertical, one upside down, one pointing to the left and finally one pointing to the right. I then used Enfuse to blend these together and below is the result. More 'computer wizardry' than photographic skill but the result is quite pleasing.

Cheers for now

Gary

[oldgreygary]

With this early morning image of the local park I was trying to capture some of the Autumnal colours. I also wanted to get the early morning mist in th image. Hand-held so, not the sharpest. But hopefully the composition makes up for any technical deficiences.

The mix of shadows, early sunlight, mist and colours works for me anyway!

Thoughts and comments welcomed.

Cheers for now

Gary

[Geoff F]

Not sure what that black area is amongst the grass (bottom left corner) but I think I would clone it out.

I'm wondering about cropping slightly closer to remove the left hand tree and a similar amount from the bottom so as to concentrate more on the main subject of the line of trees and misty distance.

Overall though, I like the scene.

[oldgreygary]

Thanks for your reply Geoff. I think the black area is a drain cover. For some obscure reason they are dotted around the park. I will look at the image with the suggestions made. Thanks.

** Addition **

The more I look at it the less convinced I become that it works at conveying what I was trying to get. It's a problem with not having a tripod and working at low shutter speeds which results in not taking several shots to see what works best. Underexposed images are very difficult to drag back from the abyss!!!

Cheers for now

Gary

[oldgreygary]

I am trying out some still life compositions at the moment. I had the idea of sketchbook with pencils, notebook, sharpener and sharpener shavings in the same image. So, this is one variation. The setup is not perfect so, I would be interested to get feedback on whether the subject and composition work? Does it work as a still life subject? What about the composition, lighting, should the background be plain or does a pattern work etc.

Cheers for now

Gary

[FrankMi]

Hi Gary, you are definitely improving IMHO.

I would consider removing the object in the top left to simplify the composition and because there is not enough showing to allow our imaginations to fill in the remainder of the object.

[oldgreygary]

As always, thanks for your comments Frank. I agree with you about the top left part. I will be re-trying with the same subject and try different lighting/positions to see how they work!

Cheers for now

Gary

[Donald]

.... should the background be plain or does a pattern work ....

My first reaction, before reading the questions, such as above, that you asked, was - 'A plain background would make it stronger'. I think the inclusion of the background as is, presents us with too much information to try and process and our attention is not allowed to fix on what is in front to us.

Need to watch the edges as well. You have the bottom left of the pad hard up against the edge of the frame.

[oldgreygary]

Thanks for your input Donald. Yes, I think that I need to get a plain 'portable' background that I can use for indoor shots. Preferably with changeable colours?! Otherwise as you have said the background becomes to distracting. I can also see what you mean about the edge as well. These indoor shots need a lot more thought than I am giving them!

Cheers for now

Gary

[Geoff F]

For me, Gary, having an object as a background would work OK if there was less of it.

For example reducing the background height by half, which produces a 5 x 4 ratio image, totally alters the scene. But in this case, the top of the jar is then a little too close to the top edge.

However, when I try this sort of shot, I keep rearranging things and deleting shots until I eventually get bored with the whole process and go outside to photograph a 'real scene'.

[oldgreygary]

Thanks for your reply Geoff. I think that can be one of the problems with still life is that you can spend a lot of time re-arranging the objects to get a 'perfect' setup. I might try reducing the size of the container it might make it more balanced. I do think that a 'neutral' background would also dramatically alter the setup. The process is part of a project were I am trying to do about 12 set subjects which takes me out of my comfort zone and trying new ways to take photographs. Subjects such as fashion????!, Fine art????! etc.
It can be useful in that a lot of the techniques can spillover into all areas. e.g. still life type photography can also be done outdoors. So, in theory building up a 'databank' of ideas and techniques should improve skills and technique. Does all that sound a bit pompous? As it's not meant to!

Cheers for now

Gary

[FrankMi]

What works well in in a composition, regardless of the subject and what really tickles your fancy takes time to discover. The most important thing is to keep on having the fun of discovery, which you are!

For me, learning composition isn't like most subjects where your simply learn the rules. In composition, the 'rules' are just a starting point to help you to keep from falling off the edge. It is more about the feeling of what works with any particular image. Eventually you will occasionally jump off the edge and fly!

The more you rearrange the jar and pad and try different visual patterns, the more you will discover what really works for you as you develop your own style.

[oldgreygary]

Carrying on from last weeks still life theme. I simplified the subject and put some coloured pencils in the jar. I used a sheet of white (well, ok off-white then!) paper as a backdrop and used the available light from a nearby window. Hand-held so not the sharpest. But from last weeks effort it has de-cluttered and put the focus on the subject. I quite like this. Although, I guess a criticism could be that it's a bit clinical? But, I think that being a bit 'cleaner' it makes it more pleasing to the eye? I wanted to get a bit more tonal variation as I thought that it might make a B+W image. I guess that is probably down to a different way of lighting?

Anyway, what do you think? Improvement from last week? Too clinical? B+W possibilities?
Your thoughts and comments welcomed.

Cheers for now

Gary

[oldgreygary]

An early post for the next week. Carrying on with the still life theme but trying to make an abstract style of image.

It's a combination of indoor setup, artificial light and using Enfuse software to create this. I guess you could say that Enfuse is a 'poor mans' way of getting a 'layers' type effect without having layers. There is no real control over what it does. Really, it is more for merging multiple images of the same subject with different exposures i.e. psuedo HDR.

I use Lightroom for initial procesiing of the original image. Only thing changed was the Lens correction option. Then I created a 'virtual copy' of this and rotated that round. These two images were then fed into Enfuse. All you can do is present images to it and let it work away. So, its more down to the software but it can come up with some interesting results.

I know abstract style images are not up everyones's street but comments always welcomed.

Cheers for now

Gary

[FrankMi]

Anyway, what do you think? Improvement from last week? Too clinical? B+W possibilities?
Your thoughts and comments welcomed.

I thought for sure I had posted a reply to this offering but I seem to not hit all the buttons just right sometimes.

Yes, I do see an improvement Gary and I particularly like the subtleness of the shadow.

[oldgreygary]

I thought for sure I had posted a reply to this offering but I seem to not hit all the buttons just right sometimes.

Yes, I do see an improvement Gary and I particularly like the subtleness of the shadow.

No worries Frank, the Project 52 can be a bit of a graveyard for getting feedback. Therefore any that comes is most welcome and appreciated. I too think that it is an improvement. The main light source was from a window which had a fine net curtain over it. Opposite side was a small rectangular white plasticy/nylon sheet which seemed to soften the shadow and even the light out. That gave the subtle shadow effect.

Cheers for now

Gary

[Geoff F]

I had a quick look at those pencils and meant to come back when I had more time; but everything moves past a bit quickly sometimes here.

My thoughts were; would it be better if that shadow was going in a different direction. Maybe towards the top left corner and away from the viewer? Did you experiment with different numbers of pencils?

Or perhaps, position the jar a little further to the right which would give slightly more importance to the shadow, but without increasing it's intensity?

I assume the effects used on the forks are similar to using two layers but varying the blend mode between them. Perhaps something like Multiply Blend. I've played around with these more extreme layer blends on the odd occasion but have never really spent enough time with them.

[oldgreygary]

Thanks for your reply Geoff. Yes, I had some experimentation with the pencils and jar. With my 'DIY' setup options can be limited but I will certainly look at other compositions. I guess that if I had some lighting which was specific for this then I could be more flexible with the positioning. It is most definitely something that you need a tripod for. As for most of the time you want a pin sharp result. Balancing the camera on a cushion works but there is no flexibility with it. I use the macro, spot metering and aperture priority on the Canon G2 which seem to yield reasonable results.

Yes, Geoff, I think you are correct about the blending. It only works with Enfuse because of using the image rotated in two positions. So, there is little control over the final image. I think the main purpose of Enfuse is to create a 'psuedo HDR effect'. It is described, I think as a blending software. It does some wizzo mathematics to work out what pixels to use. It's Open source software and created by one person and it does a pretty good job!

I think that within layers you would be able to have more control over the final image (I would try Gimp but I don't find it the friendliest software). However, considering Enfuse is not being used for its purpose I can achieve some interesting results. I did try it with another image and I ended up with a totally black square which occupied about 40mm of bottom right-hand side! So, it will not work on every image!

Cheers for now

Gary

[oldgreygary]

Here's this weeks effort. The pp work has been about getting the right crop. Basically, it's a security mirror in a tunnel. I guess the view that it gives is one you would get with a fish-eye lens? It just happens that the edge of it provides a frame and the white brick wall provides a nice background. It's a way of looking at things from a different perspective. It sort of reminds me of old vinyl album covers. That's one view of it. How about you? Do you think the subject, composition and edit work?

Cheers for now

Gary

[oldgreygary]

Interesting, in another post I think it was Geoff who mentioned about Project 52 being a bit isolated. I have to agree with that comment. I think that it has become a bit 'rudderless' and would probably be more suited as a project to a group who met up on a regular basis and commented on there images. As that in effect is what has happened to the project on the forum. Only, the feedback comes through postings by other Project 52 contributors which by the way are always welcome.

So, why do I still post? Well, its so close to the line now, it seems pointless to stop. But, I have to say that for me anyway, it has become more of a routine rather than something that I feel engaged with.

Anyway, here's this weeks image. I had an old work colleague round this week and well, these are the empties!

Cheers for now

Gary