2016 Project 52, Forth Quarter by Adam

Terrific images !!!!! :)

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Originally Posted by Wavelength

Terrific images !!!!! :)

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Thank you very much Nandakumar

OK 2 more efforts

They're actually from a different file, but taken seconds apart, so a muchness really!

http://i63.tinypic.com/70e3hh.jpg

And a colour one, just 'cos!

The colour actually sucked, because his glove is quite yellow, and it didn't look right (just looked real :D) so I had to **** about with it!!

http://i66.tinypic.com/5mej6a.jpg

The colour's not without charm (IMO, YMMV) but I do feel it's a BW image at heart

That 56 F1.2 has gone back to Fuji now (did I say that already?) I'm going to miss it.

I don't want to stir up a crap storm (as FF v APS can do), but this is F1.2 on a APS camera, and I'm happy with that subject isolation YMMV...

FYI: the camera (X-Pro2) and lens together weighed about 1kg, which is not to be sniffed at either :)

Thanks for looking

Hi everyone!

Time to get this closer to the end, seeing as it's nearly at the end of the year!

I decided that the street performer would be my #46, I know I've posted it already, and even tried it in colour.. which personally I didn't think was without charm (YMMV OBV)

But I actually like the original version best, so to recap on that...

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5511/3...c32ca0ce_b.jpgThe Street Performer by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

For #47

I've selected a another shot taken with the XF56 APD that Fujifilm Portugal lent me.

(When people lend you quality glass it's like Christmas came early :D)

I took a lot of shots with it, many of which I'm quite happy with... but I only had the glass for 10 days and the 2016:52 project means that I can only really squeeze 2 into the 'one per week' time frame

So after deliberation - I've chosen this one

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5805/3...c42f5901_b.jpgThe Proposition (No, not it's that ;) by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

The busyness of a living street scene can always be a challenge... But the charm of a lens like the 56 (85 FF Eqv) is that you can generally still pick out your subject, even in a busy scene.

I do wish that the 2 people on the left weren't there... but I waited a while for a better frame and this is as good as it got (you wait too long in 'street' and what you DO want in frame tends to bugger off too)

For #48 I was back to shooting the glass I actually own !!

After 10 solid days with that 56 APD 1.2, I dug out my 60 2.4

That slow old Fuji 60 carries itself well - but it's no APD ;)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/398/31...7c512c4a_b.jpgPlaytime Over? by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

I was drawn to this scene as I liked how the surfers were leaving the water and the sun was going down.

For the next two shots, well...

Each has a special place and a special message (personally I mean) that I would do well to remind myself of :D

I was back in the UK for a couple of weeks, and I went to a lake I know, and grabbed this shot of 2 swans

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5661/3...e0239039_b.jpgSwimming in Ice by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

This shot wasn't that well received on the various social media outlets I use...

But that's not really important as I personally like it.

But what is important is that I've managed to sell it as a print :D

So thank you swans :)

Now this next shot also has an important message (from me too me!!)

I mean I quite like it...

It's a little moody and eerie and the colours are interesting (IMO)

But basically it's ISO 12800 (on a APSC camera) so I thought I'd Flickr host it, in case I ever write about ISO on my website

Well....

In less than 3 days, this shot has far surpassed all the attention all my other shots has ever received!

I'm not reading too much into that (sincerely - I'm not) I mean attention is always nice even if you feel it's a little misplaced :)

But I do wish my most popular ever shot (on Flickr) was one I didn't just shoot as an ISO test :D :D :D

Goes to show - don't overthink about what others think huh?

https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/611/31...4fe283c0_b.jpgTender is the Night by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

A wonderfully lovely pair of swans...and the night scene is equally attractive :)

With Week 47, I'm not bothered by the people on the left; in fact, they help to connect the main subjects with the wider street scene. If they had been walking forwards it would have been a different matter. But I would clone out that small white spot on the back of the dark coat. Maybe a button or something similar, but it does create a distraction.

Week 48 is one of those virtually impossible situations so you have done well to bring out this much detail.

Week 49 has good feather detail and no over exposure but possibly the right side bird is at an unappealing angle. I suspect if it had been more of a side view position, like the left hand bird or facing partially forwards instead of backwards, you would have encountered a more positive response. Nothing wrong with your photography technique.

With Week 50, I can see a bit of noise in the distant background sky, but nothing serious; so considering the shooting settings this has certainly worked well. I normally give up if I have to increase my Iso beyond 1,200.

#47, nicely captured.

48-50, rounding out the year very nicely. Nice shots.

47 and 49 look very nice :)

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Originally Posted by Wavelength

A wonderfully lovely pair of swans...and the night scene is equally attractive :)

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Thank you very much!

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Originally Posted by Shadowman

48-50, rounding out the year very nicely. Nice shots.

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Thank you - there's two more to go yet, it should only be one...As I started in the final week of 2015.. But I think I've missed a week somewhere or at least played too fast and loose with the weeks (eg mon-sun, sometimes you got a picture from Sunday then very next Monday & I've been confused with the dates :D)

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Originally Posted by bnnrcn

47 and 49 look very nice :)

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Thank you Binnur

The swan one was waaaaay more PP than I normally do!

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Originally Posted by Geoff F

With Week 47, I'm not bothered by the people on the left; in fact, they help to connect the main subjects with the wider street scene. If they had been walking forwards it would have been a different matter. But I would clone out that small white spot on the back of the dark coat. Maybe a button or something similar, but it does create a distraction.

Week 48 is one of those virtually impossible situations so you have done well to bring out this much detail.

Week 49 has good feather detail and no over exposure but possibly the right side bird is at an unappealing angle. I suspect if it had been more of a side view position, like the left hand bird or facing partially forwards instead of backwards, you would have encountered a more positive response. Nothing wrong with your photography technique.

With Week 50, I can see a bit of noise in the distant background sky, but nothing serious; so considering the shooting settings this has certainly worked well. I normally give up if I have to increase my Iso beyond 1,200.

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Thank you very much Geoff, I appreciate your precise eye, targeted comments and most of all the kind words

I'll take you advice on the cloning on wk47!

I did hope one of the swans would bugger off, or at least both look at me or not have one with it's head under water and the other not... Still the lady that bought it commented 'swans mate for life' so she saw something in it...

After getting over 15k hits (on Flickr) on a ISO test shot, I've stopped trying to figure out why people like what they like :D

I did work hard on the PP of the swans though.. Not so much in 'repairing' bad exposure, but there's a bit of cloning out of distractions (you'd be pleased ;) ) and a couple of layers to separate the bits I wanted white and sharp, and dark and blurry

I re-sized wk50 to about 60% of original, it looks a little gnarly at 24mp, of course the colour noise slider could up a lot more, but then it starts to suffer from the side effects of that... I'm far from anal about sharpness and noise, if it looks ok at a reasonable view size, then I'm happy enough

Week 47 was a 'ops I don't really have a shot' week (well some lovely ones of my kid, but I tend to keep them off the 'net) so that was the pick of the bunch... I chased highlight recovery into a rabbit hole, then decided that shadow detail was the way to go!

Thanks again

As I normally do...

Here are the shots from the same period that for whatever reason didn't make the 2016:52 thing!!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5555/3...1f616872_b.jpgAll Aboard! by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

I'm going to miss that 56 APD - let's hope I keep managing to sell prints, then maybe one day.. :D

https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5574/3...3c43b73a_b.jpgThe Old Grave by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

Still I am defo happier at 35 (50ish FF eqv) and with a bit of PP you can ALMOST get something similar, and at least I actually own this lens :D

https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5802/3...88bd5ea6_b.jpgSense of Occasion by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

I took a trip to the NHM whilst visiting the UK. Love that place!

https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5609/3...91d236f8_b.jpgImagining by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

I could go on and on with NHM pics... But I'll stop after the next one!!

https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5748/3...3e3877cd_b.jpgFeathered Friends? by Adam Bonn, on Flickr

They didn't have animatronics when I can here as a kid in the 1980s!!!

On a unrelated note...

Having now shot the X-Pro2 exclusively for about 5 months, I am really am happy with it and I'm glad I got it - I mean I never thought, 'oh-no what have I done' but I did hope it wasn't just GAS, and it's enabled me to get many shots that I'd have struggled with on the X-Pro1... It's shoots faster, and in darker places and I've really noticed the increased res & better ISO whilst also enjoying the improved functions.

(which is just as well as I had to sell off a lot of stuff to be able to afford it)

Fujifilm does seem to make good gear, I went the micro 4/3rds route with the Olympus Pen but only for the compactness of the system; not to replace my DSLR. There are just certain events (street fairs, events where pro cameras are banned) that make the smaller cameras a must to have; at least for me.

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Originally Posted by Shadowman

Fujifilm does seem to make good gear, I went the micro 4/3rds route with the Olympus Pen but only for the compactness of the system; not to replace my DSLR. There are just certain events (street fairs, events where pro cameras are banned) that make the smaller cameras a must to have; at least for me.

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I think they all do (make good gear) these days, and most CMOS sensors can be made to look similar to each other in post, also "today's" M43 is a better sensor than "yesterday's" APSC, and the same for APSC v FF

So it pays to get the camera you enjoy using :)

I like mirrorless and having a OVF, so that meant a Fuji or the expensive German brand :D which wasn't going to happen

I was worried that the X-Pro2 would just be the X-Pro1 with bells and whistles (which it is really) and that ultimately I'd just have a newer version of what I had before with a load of features I wasn't that fussed about (which is about the strength of it), but the improved ISO, better manual focusing aids, 1/8000 shutter and the better viewfinder were enough to make me want it!

BUT, damn - those bells and whistles turned out to be really worth having (for me anyway) and the newer bits make it easier for me to take pictures and the pictures from the newer Fuji sensor are nicer than the older one

So I haven't regretted it all... which is just as well as I had to sell pretty much everything that wasn't bolted down to buy it :D

I definitely find that people react differently to my Fuji than they did my Nikon DSLR, I wouldn't say it's 'under the radar' but it doesn't seem to freak anyone out - and one of the new features is a 100% silent electronic shutter, which is one of the things I was a little ambivalent about until I realised just how useful it could be (some limitations with it RE certain artificial light, flash, fast moving subjects, but not things I often shoot)

I would like a FF body one day... But I love the size of APSC glass and if I'm completely honest with myself, for what I shoot and how big I print (A3) APSC is fine, and cheaper too :)