weekly GarethB's 52 challenge for 2019 - Week 51 & 52 - CHRISTMASSY & OUTTAKES - FINISHED!

minx said:
Above - I like the first one great view over the stalls roofs very colourful against the grey stone building.
Hot - Right on theme would have been even better if the one on the plate was toasted and buttered.
Light - I love these shots keep meaning to have a go at this sort of thing myself.
Crowded - very crowded image well laid out works well,
Decay - lots of decay and neglect in the shots of the building I quite like the 2nd image but they all work. the Decaying log shots are great too and The little spider is a great shot.
Free Choice - great shot I love the pattern on the wall.
Whole - good arrangement very inviting.
Fragile - Wow great images I like the first 2 best.
Squash - great splash shot and lovely vibrant colours.
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Thank you very much for the detailed comments Alison, very much appreciated!(y)

Daniel_Paul said:
Squash - Wow! Great capture Gareth, really clean, to the point, you've captured the ice cubes perfectly and the amount of 'splash' is just right! Looks like an advert shot! Well done :D
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Thank you Daniel, that's very kind of you to say!!
(Keep it under your hat though....the cubes were 'photoshopped' in!! :giggle:)

LC2 said:
Hi Gareth,

Looks like I'm doing another mega catch-up...

Above - #2 for me, I love the castle. Though I kinda wish the banner wasn't in the shot, so I might have cropped up a little maybe.
I just read it's history on wikipedia, I guess it survived the C17 troubles due to it's main use being a prison rather than a castle after 1200 or so.
Hot - Works nicely for the theme and is making me suitably hungry.
Light - Loving these. #1 for me, though #4 runs it a very close second with the different colours. I would never have guessed what it was if you hadn't said.
Crowd(ed) - Someone has far too many Monopoly sets. I recall there only being 6 players usually ;)
Nicely thought out and set up and well taken without any nasty highlights.
Decay(ed) - Such a lot of choice considering you were getting desperate ;) For me, Decay-12 seems to sell the theme the most, it is obviously falling apart and overgrown.
Free Week - I think I might have gone with your original image, because I'm a sucker for bright colours and it's an interesting thing.
Whole - Liking the layout with the ever decreasing slices. Works well for the theme.
Fragile - Soap bubbles, blimey, I had them done as baubles. That must've taken a lot of effort to put together, fair play to you. I think #1 for me, having 3 bubbles as well as the smoke and those lovely star-burst reflections.
Squash(ed) - You're being too hard on yourself, I think that's fantastic. Loving the colours, the action, the contrast and no one would guess there was photoshopery in the mix too.
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Thank you so much for the great, catch-up comments Tim!(y)
Re the Monopoly, it's a fairly new set, since our old one practically fell to bits!
It does indeed have 10 player pieces in there, but I think you're right in that I seem to remember there being only 6 in the old one! That's progress I guess....or maybe it's a symbolic/metaphorical statement on world population!! Which, now that I think about it, plays into the whole 'crowded' theme too!:giggle:

mdpF2 said:
Squashed - that's another stunning shot, fantastic! I like the shadows, and the shiny white tile!
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Thank you most kindly Mark!
Indeed, now I have a matching big white shiny tile!
All I need now is a big, shiny, green tile....yellow tile....blue tile....etc....I'm beginning to think that I should have just bought a sheet of perspex and used coloured underlays!!!:facepalm::giggle:

BobBCN said:
To avoid repeating what has already been said, let me just say stunning!!! :clap::clap::clap::clap:
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Thank you very much Bob, your positive comment is appreciated....and I'm not complaining about repetition!
Thank you very much Bob, your positive comment is appreciated....and I'm not complaining about repetition!:giggle:

chrispp said:
Gareth, the orange against the blue background is great. I like the shadows on the tile and think they add to the composition. The splashes work and add movement towards the squash !
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Thank you most kindly Chris, for taking the time to look and comment, always appreciated!(y)

IanD said:
You win the internet this week and last Gareth.

What fantastic images - fragile is just superb. Very clever concept, fantasically composed and taken and so interesting to look at. Bravo

Squashed - again, very very clever. I am in awe. The colours, vibrancy, water droplets are just perfect. One day i'll up my game a bit and try and get something like this
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Thank you so very much Ian, very kind of you to say!(y)
You win the internet this week....
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MWAHAHAHA!! :naughty: Now to begin my evil plan for world domination...dammit!...the week is nearly over....bugger!:facepalm:
:LOL:
 
Week 24 - Time

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In keeping with this weeks theme, I thought I'd get mine in a timely fashion!
This is a very precious timepiece (to me), which has not been worn for many years, since it already has a few dings and scratches, and I didn't want to bash it about any more!
I spent quite a long time cleaning it up in photoshop (several hours in fact....pretty much since the theme was announced! :giggle:)

May I present my Tissot PR50 Chronograph (naturally, it's photographed on my big, black, shiny tile, and I am aware that it is showing the incorrect time!!:giggle: )


TP-52-2019 wk-24 - Time 1 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

These next two were entirely created within photoshop (not photographs) over a period of many weeks.
They were created around ten years ago and represent the same watch, and I wanted to see just how close I could get to the real thing - I think I did ok!
I hope you like them....they're not photos of course, but I thought I'd post them since I was posting an image of the 'real thing'!


Tissot PR50 Chronograph 2 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

....and with a snazzy 'bokeh-like' background!


Tissot PR50 Chronograph 1 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)
 
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Crush..... excellent image, I have to admire the effort you put in every week, great colour and PS skills :clap:

Time.....the last photo with the bokeh is superb it looks like a graphic image if you know what I mean brilliant :clap:
 
Wow! The watch photo is excellent - the photoshop skills VERY impressive too.

I used to call them TOSSIT :D
 
Great shot for time. The reflection is a kinda obvious choice but it works well. The photoshop stuff is excellent, too. Of course, I wouldn't know where to start, but I imagine they were quite tricky to pull off.
 
Dave70D said:
Well you took your TIME to get a shot in :p Just the sort of shot I might end up putting in for time, but wont be as great as yours.
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Many thanks Dave....makes a change for me to be first to submit!!:giggle:
Knew I had to get in there quick....before someone stole my idea!!;):giggle:

Allan.H said:
Crush..... excellent image, I have to admire the effort you put in every week, great colour and PS skills :clap:

Time.....the last photo with the bokeh is superb it looks like a graphic image if you know what I mean brilliant :clap:
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Thank you most kindly Allan! I know what you mean, it is indeed graphic....but not graphic!!:LOL:

-Oy- said:
Wow! The watch photo is excellent - the photoshop skills VERY impressive too.

I used to call them TOSSIT :D
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Thank you very much Dave for the kind comments!
I used to call them TOSSIT
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:LOL::LOL::LOL:
I do so enjoy a good roonerspism!!:giggle:

BobBCN said:
Great shot for time. The reflection is a kinda obvious choice but it works well. The photoshop stuff is excellent, too. Of course, I wouldn't know where to start, but I imagine they were quite tricky to pull off.
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Thank you most kindly Bob!(y)
It was a bit fiddly, but not too bad when you get into a rhythm....it's all just layers, shapes and gradients.
 
Love the squash shot - really well executed. The colours are strong and contrasty, and I think you have just the right ice cube to splashiness ratio!

The only thing I would have added is maybe some condensation / water droplets to the exterior of the glass, to give it that ice cold feel...

Not tried one of these shots myself, can I assume you need some sort of motion trigger, to fire the shutter and flashes at the right time?
 
Squashed is a lovely image Gareth - you have got the shot perfectly. Not sure how many you took but it is spot on! Love the vibrant colours.
 
Loving your time image. First watch shot of the week that i've seen, and sure won't be the last, but I think you've done a lovely job. Great all round sharpness, superb reflection - winner!
 
Turbo-G said:
Love the squash shot - really well executed. The colours are strong and contrasty, and I think you have just the right ice cube to splashiness ratio!

The only thing I would have added is maybe some condensation / water droplets to the exterior of the glass, to give it that ice cold feel...

Not tried one of these shots myself, can I assume you need some sort of motion trigger, to fire the shutter and flashes at the right time?
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Many thanks Grant!(y)
The only thing I would have added is maybe some condensation / water droplets to the exterior of the glass, to give it that ice cold feel...
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Blinking flip!! You're right!! I should have done this!!:facepalm:

No fancy equipment needed though, I did it 'the old fashioned way', with one hand on the cable trigger release and the other hand full of plastic ice cubes.

Nostromo said:
Squash
It looks wonderful. You've caught the moment just right.
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Thank you most kindly Dominic!(y)

Nostromo said:
Time
They all look superb as usual :)
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Thank you again Dominic, very kind of you to say...as usual!;)

Scots_quine said:
Squashed is a lovely image Gareth - you have got the shot perfectly. Not sure how many you took but it is spot on! Love the vibrant colours.
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Thank you very much Joan for your positive comment!(y)
Indeed it took a few tries before I achieved the 'perfect' shot....though I did end up resorting to an earlier shot from which I 'stole' an ice cube or two, since I didn't get it quite right in camera....a bit 'cheaty' I suppose!!:sorry:
The clean-up and reset after each shot is where the time really went - around 5 minutes clean-up for a ten second shot....in the end I took around twenty images, so I spent more then a couple of hours in the garage that evening!

IanD said:
Loving your time image. First watch shot of the week that i've seen, and sure won't be the last, but I think you've done a lovely job. Great all round sharpness, superb reflection - winner!
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Thank you most kindly Ian!!(y)
Yes, I knew that there would be others too, **cough** @Dave70D **cough** so I had to get mine in quickly!!:giggle:
 
Lovely watch, very nicely captured (as always with your shots). I like the way you've caught the light on the face of it too.
You wouldn't know that your PS images weren't promotional images from advertising, they are really good :)
 
LC2 said:
Lovely watch, very nicely captured (as always with your shots). I like the way you've caught the light on the face of it too.
You wouldn't know that your PS images weren't promotional images from advertising, they are really good :)
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Thank you Tim, for the kind and positive comments!
I have the old PSD files to prove that it isn't nicked from a promo image!!:LOL:
Seriously though, thank you very much for the kind words, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out - in fact I have another of a Victorinox penknife.
I must have had way too much spare time back then!!:giggle:
 
Nice shot of the watch, I always struggle to do mine justice.
 
Gareth your photoshop skill are excellent ! Wish I made use of my monthly Adobe subscription! Possibly one for the long winter nights. The watch shots are first class worthy of a magazine promotion shot ! Great !
 
Time - all really nice but I prefer the first one as it has those little details that make it 'real' such as the tiny scrathes on the strap etc. Great use of the reflective background.
 
rick448 said:
Nice shot of the watch, I always struggle to do mine justice.
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Thank you kindly Rick - appreciate the comment!(y)

chrispp said:
Gareth your photoshop skill are excellent ! Wish I made use of my monthly Adobe subscription! Possibly one for the long winter nights. The watch shots are first class worthy of a magazine promotion shot ! Great !
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Many thanks indeed Chris!(y)
Not sure I could do anything like this again however....memory isn't what it used to be!!:LOL:

FlyPhot said:
Time - all really nice but I prefer the first one as it has those little details that make it 'real' such as the tiny scrathes on the strap etc. Great use of the reflective background.
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Thank you for the positive comment Jim!(y)
Indeed, those little scratches etc. add some 'character'....though I did spend a considerable amount of time cleaning up the worst of them....shame on me!!:giggle:
 
Week 25 - Full

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Here is my entry for the Full theme.

No explanation necessary really....it's a Full House!

I tried some fancy flash techniques whilst throwing cards around - pop & blur etc. - but nothing really panned out, so I went back to basics.
This is natural light, wide open with a macro lens....simple stuff.


TP-52-2019 wk-25 - Full 1 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)
 
Sometimes the basics are all that’s required, it’s a good idea and very well executed
 
Nice, nice nice! Great concept and really well executed. Bang on for theme
 
Very good shot and fits the theme very well. I’d not have thought of that.
 
Allan.H said:
Sometimes the basics are all that’s required, it’s a good idea and very well executed
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Thank you Allan, kind of you to say.(y)

IanD said:
Nice, nice nice! Great concept and really well executed. Bang on for theme
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Many thanks Ian, most appreciated.(y)

rick448 said:
Very good shot and fits the theme very well. I’d not have thought of that.
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Thanks Rick for looking and commenting.(y)

mdpF2 said:
Very good idea and I think the dof is perfect for the cards
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Thank you kindly Mark for the positive comment.(y)
 
Dave70D said:
Full House is a very nice shot Gareth ( No cards here as would of tried it too ). Looking through your images for the 52 IMO you have got better and better with each image you put in, as the viewer can clearly see that you think and spend your time on how to take a great shot :clap:
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Thank you so much Dave for the positive, encouraging comments!(y)
I feel like I have gained so much knowledge from rubbing shoulders with so many talented and skilled photographers here at TP and especially in the 52.
Modesty being a virtue and all that, I would just like to say a big thank you to you Dave and all the other great toggers here on the 52 for being such a kind and supportive bunch!
:)
 
Week 26 - Drink

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Here is my entry for the Drink theme.
Yet another setup involving my favourite black, shiny tile, some water and some flashes!:giggle:
I liked the shape of this bottle, and with it being green, I thought a green gel flash would look nice.
It's an 'Appletiser' bottle, and I removed the labels so it wouldn't look too much like an advertisement!
(Not sure I managed this however....though it's tough to get any drink image to not look like an advert!)


TP-52-2019 wk-26 - Drink 1 by Gareth Bellamy, on Flickr

...as always, thanks for looking folks.:)
 
Superb!
 
-Oy- said:
Superb!
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Thank you most kindly Dave!(y)

Dave70D said:
WOW!!! Gareth this is a fantastic shot and really is one of your best to date for the theme.
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Many thanks indeed Dave, I certainly appreciate the positive comment!(y)

mdpF2 said:
That's a fantastic picture, I wish I could work out how you did it!
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Thank you Mark, very kind of you to say!
It was a pretty straightforward setup really.
Here is a pic I quickly put together....

full


The green gel flash was below the level of the tile and pointing upwards, fairly close to the diffuser.
I tried placing it behind the diffuser at first, but couldn't seem to get a nice gradient, so I went in front and took a chance that no splashes would fall onto it!

Once this was dialled in, it was just a matter of fiddling with the flash settings to get the right balance....and of course chucking many cupfuls of water at the bottle!
It took about 30 or so throws to get a good result.(y)
 
Week 22 - Fragile. Novel shoot. can't tell the focus issue you have, looks good to me (maybe my eyes not as good as yours!). like all the shots.
Week 23 - Squashed :p Could do with that to quench the thirst with the last few days sun we have had. Nice set up, have done some paint splashes before and the clean up is a pain..
Week 24 - Like the detail in the watch. Good lighting. Nice watch!
Week 25 - Nice DOF and focus on the cards. What macro lens are you using? Think I need to add one to the bag myself.
Week 26 - Good images, like the set up and the way you have got the different greens, even the black tile has hints of green. May try this myself one day
 
Many thanks for the positive comments Vince!
I use a Sigma 105mm F2.8 Macro lens for Canon, which I think is pretty decent and sharp, not to mention affordable - well worth it in my opinion, though the OS isn't terrific...and it's noisy! But it gets the results!
 
Excellent shot Gareth nice to see someone put some effort into getting the shot they want, top work as always :clap:
 
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