weekly blakesters 52 for 2013 Finally Complete! Last 3 weeks added

I think you have pulled another clever trick here mr Iain. Superb composition and lovely detail in the wood and on the latch. lovely. (y)

Can't wait to see your whimsical... oooo that sounds rude! :D
 
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I think you have pulled another clever trick here mr Iain. Superb composition and lovely detail in the wood and on the latch. lovely. (y)

Can't wait to see your whimsical... oooo that sounds rude! :D

Thanks Brian (y)

I will show you my whimsical maybe tomorrow as I haven't shot/made it yet.
 
Hi matey...sorry it's taken me so long to pop in !

Yet again you come up with a different take on the theme....& yet again I have no crit to offer......really cracking position to frame everything just right , great detail in both the wood & handle :clap::clap:
 
Hi matey...sorry it's taken me so long to pop in !

Yet again you come up with a different take on the theme....& yet again I have no crit to offer......really cracking position to frame everything just right , great detail in both the wood & handle :clap::clap:

No worries at all Lynne, I have been so slack in commenting, I don't expect others to drop into my thread. So thankyou for popping in (y)

Thanks for your kind comments too.

I will get this show back on the road, it's just struggling a little at the moment.

I have my subject for whimsical ready to shoot but didn't have time to shoot it on account of having to be up for work at 0345 tomorrow :puke:

Lovely framing there; I also love the fact that it looks both mono and colour due to the grey wood.

Great shot.

Thank you Tony (y)

It is my intention to get around others threads hopefully Sunday depending on how tomorrow goes.
 
I like that a lot. The texture and random assembly of the gate, the shape of the aperture, the hint of the stones, and the path for the eye to follow past them. Very well thought out, and beautifully done.
 
I like that a lot. The texture and random assembly of the gate, the shape of the aperture, the hint of the stones, and the path for the eye to follow past them. Very well thought out, and beautifully done.

Thanks Nick (y)
 
Week 35 - Whimsical, I am a little late with this but hey, got there in the end.

Another of my default type images/subjects but I can't help it ;)

C&C welcome as always.


Stick Men by iain blake, on Flickr
 
Week 36 - Curve
I am on a bit of a roll today, that will be two weeks taken and submitted on the same day :D

C&C welcome as always.


Coastal Curve by iain blake, on Flickr
 
Hi Iain
Whimsical I can tell its definitely one of yours, the thing I really like about the shot is although there is no expression to the faces of the figures you can still tell what they are thinking, if that makes any sense, I am not sure it does :thinking:
Curve also :clap: love the way the curve leads to the marker, my only little crit is the concrete pillars to the left of the curve did you not have time to dig them out :LOL: it doesn't spoil the pic it just takes your eye away a little.
 
Hi Iain
Whimsical I can tell its definitely one of yours, the thing I really like about the shot is although there is no expression to the faces of the figures you can still tell what they are thinking, if that makes any sense, I am not sure it does :thinking:
Curve also :clap: love the way the curve leads to the marker, my only little crit is the concrete pillars to the left of the curve did you not have time to dig them out :LOL: it doesn't spoil the pic it just takes your eye away a little.

Whimsical, your interpretation makes perfect sense Allan, it was what I hoped would be others understanding of the scene.

I know what you mean about the other pillars Allan ;)
 
Hi, Iain, Whimsical, cracking high key lighting. Slight reflection works to me as well. Nice and sharp, too.

Curve :clap: like this. I'm a sucker for long exposure B&Ws . Well composed and good contrast in the ground. Again, good detail and I like how the post if almost, but not, too close to the RH side. I'd like to see a tad more contrast in the sky, and maybe a little crop off the bottom to loose the bit of land between the lower right two pillars, IYSHIM.

Good show.

Cheers and feet up :clap:
 
Hi, Iain, Whimsical, cracking high key lighting. Slight reflection works to me as well. Nice and sharp, too.

Curve :clap: like this. I'm a sucker for long exposure B&Ws . Well composed and good contrast in the ground. Again, good detail and I like how the post if almost, but not, too close to the RH side. I'd like to see a tad more contrast in the sky, and maybe a little crop off the bottom to loose the bit of land between the lower right two pillars, IYSHIM.

Good show.

Cheers and feet up :clap:

Cheers Andy (y)

Curve, your points are all very valid but unfortunately, I can't do much about pp'ing at the moment.
My laptop died on me, I went to replace it, intending to get a PC and ended up buying a mac. Long story short, I no longer have photoshop and am making do with the mac's editing program until such times as I can get photoshop or lightroom.
 
Hey Iain :)

Whimsical - It may be a default but it always impresses mate, nice bit of humor again, I really like the small reflection (y)

Curve - Ooooo very nice mate, that sky is wonderful, the sea like so smooth and the curve leading into the pointy thing is excellent :clap:
 
Hey Iain :)

Whimsical - It may be a default but it always impresses mate, nice bit of humor again, I really like the small reflection (y)

Curve - Ooooo very nice mate, that sky is wonderful, the sea like so smooth and the curve leading into the pointy thing is excellent :clap:

Thanks Dean (y)

I will mark this up as quite a successful day 52-wise :D
Its brought me back up to date, I daren't get behind otherwise i fear I'd never get the enthusiasm to catch up.

I am putting my feet up for the rest of the week :LOL:
 
Thanks Dean (y)

I will mark this up as quite a successful day 52-wise :D
Its brought me back up to date, I daren't get behind otherwise i fear I'd never get the enthusiasm to catch up.

I am putting my feet up for the rest of the week :LOL:
I don't blame you mate... Where did you spot this one ??
 
As usual - can't fault the wire men technically... and the expressions and poses convey exactly what they are saying to me.. not very PC, but humorous nonetheless (y)

love the long exposure curve.. (you haven;t said what filters give you this), love the post at the end of the curve, agree it could take a bit off the bottom to decentralise the horizon and loose the odd bit to the left.

Apart from that LOVE it, (y)
 
As usual - can't fault the wire men technically... and the expressions and poses convey exactly what they are saying to me.. not very PC, but humorous nonetheless (y)

love the long exposure curve.. (you haven;t said what filters give you this), love the post at the end of the curve, agree it could take a bit off the bottom to decentralise the horizon and loose the odd bit to the left.

Apart from that LOVE it, (y)

Thanks Graham (y)

i thought i'd let viewers make their own minds up about what the stickmen are thinking ;)

On curve, I used an 10 stopper with two ND grads 0.6 & 0.9 I think for the sky. I thought about cropping the bit on the left but felt there wouldn't be much remaining of the curve if I took that part away. I do see your point however, thanks (y)
 
Cheers Andy (y)

Curve, your points are all very valid but unfortunately, I can't do much about pp'ing at the moment.
My laptop died on me, I went to replace it, intending to get a PC and ended up buying a mac. Long story short, I no longer have photoshop and am making do with the mac's editing program until such times as I can get photoshop or lightroom.

Not read the small print but this might be a temporary option

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/383989/adobe-throws-cheap-creative-cloud-package-to-photographers

Cheers.
 
Hi ya Iain :wave:

I need to check the dictionary for more adjectives.........

Whimisical....love it...the set up , the poses ....the slight reflections.......yup ,love it :clap:


Curve.....simply stunning....nuff said :clap::clap:

Thanks Lynne (y)

Whimsical, bit of a default subject for me but I can't help it ;)
 
Hi Iain

Beginning - very clever and patient for finding the stones. Good colour. Not sure about the mixed stones left and right

Still - good detail , really like the capture of the grey weathered wood. good somp and balance between the 2 elements.

Whimsical - excellent - fits the theme perfectly (y) it tells a story but allows that story may be different for diff viewers. Nice high key and shadows add dimension

curve - another beautiful shot. Suits the mono treatment too.
 
Hi Iain

Beginning - very clever and patient for finding the stones. Good colour. Not sure about the mixed stones left and right

Still - good detail , really like the capture of the grey weathered wood. good somp and balance between the 2 elements.

Whimsical - excellent - fits the theme perfectly (y) it tells a story but allows that story may be different for diff viewers. Nice high key and shadows add dimension

curve - another beautiful shot. Suits the mono treatment too.

Thanks Alan (y)

Searching for the stones for beginning was a pleasure in itself.


that's a cracker. b&w I have a bit of a thing for at the moment. I think this is my favourite of all the curve shots posted so far :clap:

Thanks Chris, good of you to say :D
 
Excellent Iain.
I wouldn't change a thing on either of them, a great combination of imagination and technically skills, wonderful. (y)
 
Week 37 - Power, last minute again and a literal take to boot.

Another long exposure B&W I'm afraid.

Don't think this needs much explanation but it is Battersea Power Station.


Week 37 - Power by iain blake, on Flickr

C&C welcome as always
 
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Hi, Iain, London :bat:

Leeds has plenty but London, sheesh :D

I hoped someone would post Battersea and I'm glad you did. It's a cracking building.

The b&w works really with the subject matter, the contras works for me as do the reflections of the towers.

For me, thought, it's the wispy clouds, especially the behind the top of the towers.

Crit, well, none....apart from the dust spot at the top, in the centre left :D

Cheers.
 
Hi, Iain, London :bat:

Leeds has plenty but London, sheesh :D

I hoped someone would post Battersea and I'm glad you did. It's a cracking building.

The b&w works really with the subject matter, the contras works for me as do the reflections of the towers.

For me, thought, it's the wispy clouds, especially the behind the top of the towers.

Crit, well, none....apart from the dust spot at the top, in the centre left :D

Cheers.

Thanks Andy, yes London has such a wealth of photographic opportunities :D

I thought I'd got all the dust spots :bang:

Thats the thing with long exposures, they do show up a manky camera sensor :LOL:
 
I'm not sure I 'get' whimsical as a connection... but then again, I'm not sure I get what the word actually means. I like the shot though, so clear a story with so little material, and really nicely done. Given the whiteout background, the lower leg reflections really anchor the characters too.

I love curve, a great spot, and just beautiful. The stumps outside the curve are the only thing that stand between it and perfection in my eyes, but I bet that's a hell of a cloning job!

A really nice crack at BPS too, it had to come up didn't it? The square on view is something that people don't often do, and it works really well, gives it a nice sense of scale. Nice tones, and the subtle reflections in the water add something.
 
I'm not sure I 'get' whimsical as a connection... but then again, I'm not sure I get what the word actually means. I like the shot though, so clear a story with so little material, and really nicely done. Given the whiteout background, the lower leg reflections really anchor the characters too.

I love curve, a great spot, and just beautiful. The stumps outside the curve are the only thing that stand between it and perfection in my eyes, but I bet that's a hell of a cloning job!

A really nice crack at BPS too, it had to come up didn't it? The square on view is something that people don't often do, and it works really well, gives it a nice sense of scale. Nice tones, and the subtle reflections in the water add something.

Thanks Nick (y)

I wasn't too sure of whimsical as a theme either :LOL:

Yes, cloning the left hand bits would be way beyond my skillset so they have to stay ;)

A literal take on the power theme but it had to be done ;)

Its such a fantastic structure and one which I will visit again. I think a more dramatic sky would be on my wish list for photographing it again.
 
Hi Iain
Nowt wrong with literal, nice clouds and river. I am sure a lot of people wouldn't have gone with the crop you have and would have cropped a lot of the river out maybe including more sky but I think it works really well,
top work as usual :clap:
 
On curve, I used an 10 stopper with two ND grads 0.6 & 0.9.................

Thanks.. (y)

I thought about cropping the bit on the left

I've no problem with the bits to the left, its the tiny edge of the rocks right at the bottom I were referring to.

POWER - couldnt really be more on theme, love the way the river has turned out, the subtle reflection of the towers working really well. Looks like great detail in the cranes too... One I'd love to see bigger - which is a good compliment!
 
Thanks.. (y)



I've no problem with the bits to the left, its the tiny edge of the rocks right at the bottom I were referring to.

POWER - couldnt really be more on theme, love the way the river has turned out, the subtle reflection of the towers working really well. Looks like great detail in the cranes too... One I'd love to see bigger - which is a good compliment!

Thanks Graham (y)
I went back and had a look at curve, I see what you mean.

Power, a literal take on the theme but one I was drawn to do, its a fantastic building and will go back to capture it in different light too.

One of the things I'd like to change is the view point, its not quite symmetrical but I couldn't get in the exact position because there was a tree which was overhanging and I didnt have anything with me, like a monopod to push the branch out of frame :LOL:
 
Following a walkabout today in London with Marsha, I chose this as this weeks submission for solitude.
Not sure if its a bit of a crowbar into theme and may try for something else if I get time in the week.

C&C welcome as always.


As People Rush By by iain blake, on Flickr
 
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