Photo's ive taken over the last month C+C

dazftw

This is 5 out of 18 shots from the last month I just uploaded to flickr. I didn't wanna overload the thread, but I would be very greatful for some C+C. Its all good liking your own work but do other people like it?

The rest can be found on flickr if you want to take a look

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dazftw/

I sometimes pick up the courage to ask a total stranger can I take their photo. It's hard but the results are always pleasing.



Next two are from an abandoned hotel here in Waterford City. Im going make a mini series out of it before its gone. A lot of opportunities up there.





These two are going to form part of the series im going do throughout the year. 10 portraits & 10 streetish(maybe something more broad) shots within Waterford City.

Borderfox

Some great shots in there, such variety its hard to pin anything down but the portrait of the Butcher is perfect. The abandoned hotel looks like a gold mine for shots

Zillah

I really like the butcher. It's quite grainy though, did you have to pump up the ISO or was this HP5 or something?

The coffee shop guy is a very nice concept, but I would love to be a good bit closer to him. You still need some of the crowds but right now he's just a bit too far.

dazftw

Borderfox wrote: »

Some great shots in there, such variety its hard to pin anything down but the portrait of the Butcher is perfect. The abandoned hotel looks like a gold mine for shots

Its a mixed bag alright.. Its kinda all over the place. Yeah the hotel is great im heading back up there tomorrow, going spend a few hours shooting.

Zillah wrote: »

I really like the butcher. It's quite grainy though, did you have to pump up the ISO or was this HP5 or something?

The coffee shop guy is a very nice concept, but I would love to be a good bit closer to him. You still need some of the crowds but right now he's just a bit too far.

The butcher was developed in Rodinal developer which is gives it a really strong grain. The shop itself is very old so I wanted to get a lot of grain out of it. Yeah I wish I was closer for the coffee shop one, viewing it larger helps a bit though.

sprinkles

My fav is the last one. Very good shot. Possibly needs a slight straighten? although it's not that big an issue.

As for the rest;

The background in the first shot is maybe a little too distracting... a shallower dof might have worked better? Dunno...

The second and third shots are a little meh if I'm honest. Not really sure what the focus is in either.

Fourth shot is v good, nice dof and I like the slight grain too. Great addition to your series!

I'm liking your Flikr too!

The other shots of the hotel are great! Love the mattress, burn and parking lot. Great shots!

dazftw

sprinkles wrote: »

My fav is the last one. Very good shot. Possibly needs a slight straighten? although it's not that big an issue.

As for the rest;

The background in the first shot is maybe a little too distracting... a shallower dof might have worked better? Dunno...

The second and third shots are a little meh if I'm honest. Not really sure what the focus is in either.

Fourth shot is v good, nice dof and I like the slight grain too. Great addition to your series!

I'm liking your Flikr too!

The other shots of the hotel are great! Love the mattress, burn and parking lot. Great shots!

Agree with the straighten but its kinda one of this times where it wont go fully straight if you get me?

The background doesn't really bother me, its just a raw photo of a person. I like it to be as natural as possible..

The 2nd and 3rd shots are documenting the surroundings of the hotel. Ive got a "soft spot" for straight on photo's like these.

Thanks for the comments sprinkles

stabo

The butcher shot is great. Is that the hotel on the hill looking over Waterford city?

jpb1974

I quite like #1 - nice environmental portrait, simple, simple, simple... liking the colours too.

Not keen on the abandoned hotel photos at all... maybe as a larger/completed set they might tell a better story but as they are presented here they're lacking depth in terms of actually documenting anything or telling a story.

Thecageyone

First one I think would've been a lot better if he'd been sitting on the bike, not so central. Too much overblown sky, was there a need to keep the lamp post in?

I like the 3 B&W images, very nice.

bullpost

I like the last one - reminds me of some of Robert Frank's images and I think there is great potential in these kind of impressionistic street photos where there is a lot going on at different levels within the image - well done.

dinneenp

Hi,
I want to add watermarks to my photos for my website.
Nothing in-your-face, just something simple that doesn't distract too much.
I have CS 5 and Lightroom 3 but haven't used them yet. Picass 3 has a simple watermarking tool but it's no good.

Ideally I'd like to be able to batch watermark as well.

Any suggestions for where I can get a tool/software/programme to do the job? Ideally free or can CS5/LIghtroom3 do it?

cheers,
Pa.

Thecageyone

Wrong thread Pa?

I made up one yesterday using Photoshop. create a blank backdrop, do your text, use 'blending options' for shadows/effects/opacity and save it as a .psd file somewhere handy, open it each time your processing a batch in PS and drag and drop it over to each image. that's how I did it anyhow.

dinneenp

Thecageyone wrote: »

Wrong thread Pa?

I made up one yesterday using Photoshop. create a blank backdrop, do your text, use 'blending options' for shadows/effects/opacity and save it as a .psd file somewhere handy, open it each time your processing a batch in PS and drag and drop it over to each image. that's how I did it anyhow.

LOL, wrong thread indeed; thanks.
When you say 'drag and drop it over to each image' do I have to do that to each image individually?



@Dazftw- I've look at your website (Windows 7, IE 8) and I see the menu on the l.h.side but all content loads a bit down the page so I have to scroll to view anything. At first I though nothing was loading....

Nice photos, same comments as others- blur background more for biker guy.

Thecageyone

Pa: You can run an automated batch on all images, {I literally only learned how to do batch processes the other day, it's not as hard as I imagined] I only had a few to do so drag and drop wasn't a prob.

xshayx

Love the last 2

magicbastarder

the two portraits are easily the standout shots.

KylieWyley

^ second this.

The focus in the last one is brilliant, as is the pose you've captured. Fair play on plucking up the confidence to do these candids. Its something I can't bring myself to do yet!

hoganpoly

love the last one .. thought provoking stuff well done

serjical_strike

really like the observed portrait stuff of the butcher and guy in the coffee shop, been shooting a lot of this myself for college, i better get scanning my prints. great shots on your flickr too.

dazftw

stabo wrote: »

The butcher shot is great. Is that the hotel on the hill looking over Waterford city?

Yeah it's Jurys or the Ard Ri hotel on the hill.

jpb1974 wrote: »

I quite like #1 - nice environmental portrait, simple, simple, simple... liking the colours too.

Not keen on the abandoned hotel photos at all... maybe as a larger/completed set they might tell a better story but as they are presented here they're lacking depth in terms of actually documenting anything or telling a story.

Yeah I like going simple in my photos. Simple but effective and technically correct. I dont mind having a small distraction especially when out on the street as its to be expected. I may be the only one who thinks this though haha. Some comments are saying blur the background but I wouldnt do that ever. Like add in blur? Its kinda cheating if you ask me. Im going to go back to the hotel and make a mini-series, I already have some idea's floating around show more of the actual hotel to give it some sort of scale instead of just photos of rubbish .

Also the colours on kodak portra are lovely. It represents the real colours well.

Thecageyone wrote: »

First one I think would've been a lot better if he'd been sitting on the bike, not so central. Too much overblown sky, was there a need to keep the lamp post in?

I like the 3 B&W images, very nice.

Yeah it was a lovely sky, kinda bluey yellow as the sun was setting behind the house's, but yer man was in the shade so I had to expose for him in the shade.. You don't wanna take up too much time when its a complete stranger..

Never thought about him sitting on the bike.. hmm I have him on facebook I might ask him for a little re-shoot.

Thanks!

bullpost wrote: »

I like the last one - reminds me of some of Robert Frank's images and I think there is great potential in these kind of impressionistic street photos where there is a lot going on at different levels within the image - well done.

Thanks when I developed the film it was the best feeling ever that I got it.

KylieWyley wrote: »

^ second this.

The focus in the last one is brilliant, as is the pose you've captured. Fair play on plucking up the confidence to do these candids. Its something I can't bring myself to do yet!

Shops and the such are easy enough to go in and ask.. My tip for people on the street ask someone who looks like you could have a grand chat with. I still miss a lot of good opportunities from time to time. Its hard.



Thanks very much for all the great comments! Wasn't expecting this much

mehfesto

These are some of my favourite images from Boards.
Really, really like the first one and the butcher one is fantastic too.

NooSixty

Amazing photos! I keep coming back to them!!

Especially love 2, 4 & 5.

Thecageyone

dazftw wrote: »

Yeah it was a lovely sky, kinda bluey yellow as the sun was setting behind the house's, but yer man was in the shade so I had to expose for him in the shade.. You don't wanna take up too much time when its a complete stranger..

Never thought about him sitting on the bike.. hmm I have him on facebook I might ask him for a little re-shoot.

Thanks!

Nice one, if you got him in a wheelie stance, even better.

Just like to see him do something with the bike

artyeva

i like something different in them all. but the bike dude and the butcher stand out. maybe the bike dude more so cause it looks like you just stopped him in the street, and that's pretty cool. him in his natural environment etc..

i look forward to more

NooSixty

Thecageyone wrote: »

Nice one, if you got him in a wheelie stance, even better.

Just like to see him do something with the bike

Check out the Flickr link. Even more deadly pics

Thecageyone

I did, and there is.

Still no wheelie though, just saying

NooSixty

Well he is on the back wheel at least......

(albeit balancing to one side, on one leg, on the back peg)

dazftw

mehfesto wrote: »

These are some of my favourite images from Boards.
Really, really like the first one and the butcher one is fantastic too.

haha sound thanks Sean

NooSixty wrote: »

Amazing photos! I keep coming back to them!!

Especially love 2, 4 & 5.

Thanks Vanessa

artyeva wrote: »

i like something different in them all. but the bike dude and the butcher stand out. maybe the bike dude more so cause it looks like you just stopped him in the street, and that's pretty cool. him in his natural environment etc..

i look forward to more

Yeah natural is the way I like to keep it. Keep it raw. Asking random people though is a pain I love/hate doing it.. but in like 20 years time when I look at the photo's it'll be cool.

Thanks

dinneenp

I like that he's just standing there with his bike as well. If he was doing a wheelie or similar it'd be 'posing' or playing up to the camera.

bullpost

I agree and think its a great shot and gives a completely different perspective to an action shot. As OP pointed out this will look great in 20 years time and will stand out from the action images.

dinneenp wrote: »

I like that he's just standing there with his bike as well. If he was doing a wheelie or similar it'd be 'posing' or playing up to the camera.

dazftw

dinneenp wrote: »

I like that he's just standing there with his bike as well. If he was doing a wheelie or similar it'd be 'posing' or playing up to the camera.

Exactly what I told him.. DONT POSE! Just stand there as you normally would.