WCC #17 "Ring in the New Year"

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  • mmmattmmmatt Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited January 31, 2011
    Need more Bling!Last day!!
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  • AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited January 31, 2011
    mmmatt wrote: »
    Need more Bling!Last day!!

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  • AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited January 31, 2011
    Alright, alright .. I bit the bullet ... didn't submit my fav photos, BUT can't really preach that everybody should submit photos if I don't ... :o))))
    Matt, you got some beautiful entries. Good luck choosing your favorite. Give me a 1h heads-up and I'll open up the gallery for you, so you can see the original sizes :D (> uhm, sent me a PM about it please :D)
  • mmmattmmmatt Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2011
    Agnieszka wrote: »
    Alright, alright .. I bit the bullet ... didn't submit my fav photos, BUT can't really preach that everybody should submit photos if I don't ... :o))))
    Matt, you got some beautiful entries. Good luck choosing your favorite. Give me a 1h heads-up and I'll open up the gallery for you, so you can see the original sizes :D (> uhm, sent me a PM about it please :D)

    I'll PM tomorrow. Powers that be already called tomorrow as a snowday. Expecting 10-20" between this afternoon and tomorrow morning.

    Matt
    My Smugmug site

    Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
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  • Moogle PepperMoogle Pepper Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2011
    do.it.now! rolleyes1.gif
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  • mmmattmmmatt Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2011
    1st Qarik
    1146067210_z23fb-L.jpg

    2nd Matty S
    1170358681_UtrW7-L.jpg

    3rd Shima
    1145942000_YTwkn-L.jpg

    Congrats to the winners and everyone who posted. There were some really good images displayed in this round! This, as was expected, was very hard to judge.
    I will post my critique of all submitted images in the next day or two. If somebody would rather not hear my opinion of their image then feel free to PM or just ignore that particular post from me. Hopefully people enjoy that I do that but if not, then that is fine too.

    Matt
    My Smugmug site

    Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
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  • AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2011
    Wohooooo! Congrats guys!!! clap.gif

    Quarik - shoot me a quick PM with the new theme, thanks iloveyou.gif
  • QarikQarik Registered Users Posts: 4,959 Major grins
    edited February 3, 2011
    *blows on nails and polishes them on shirt* HA! Thanks Matt! Let me think of a devious idea for the next challenge Angie.
    D700, D600
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  • Matthew SavilleMatthew Saville Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,352 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    Congrats Qarik and Shima! Gorgeous images!

    And thanks, Matt!

    =Matt=
    My first thought is always of light.” – Galen Rowell
    My SmugMug PortfolioMy Astro-Landscape Photo BlogDgrin Weddings Forum
  • ShimaShima Registered Users Posts: 2,547 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    SWEET! I finally placed in a dgrin challenge!!!!!

    That is definitely one of my favorite ring shots of all time since it's got the Chicago sky line behind it, it was just too perfect an opportunity not to shoot it there :):)

    So excited! Congrats to Matt and Qarik too! Love your shots, super sharp :)
  • ShimaShima Registered Users Posts: 2,547 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    Oh and may I request one thing? The watermarks says 2010, but we're on 2011 challenges now. Any chance we can get that updated? :):)
  • chris5olsonchris5olson Registered Users Posts: 76 Big grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    @shima, yours was my favorite! the others were great too, but i just loved how unique yours was!
    In My Bag:
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  • ShimaShima Registered Users Posts: 2,547 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    @shima, yours was my favorite! the others were great too, but i just loved how unique yours was!

    <3 thanks!!!

    Now that I no longer live in the Chicago land area though, I gotta find something iconic out here to do with rings in the SF Bay Area next...that's going to be fun... :) (though I don't have a wedding out here until August, heh)
  • mmmattmmmatt Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    Hey guys. here are my thoughts on the images. My opinion... that's all this is. I found myself having to be super picky to pick the winners so this was kinda my worksheet as I went through them. These were all really nice images and it was easy to say something positive about every one and much harder to find flaws.


    Ted. A couple of nice images here! I like the first one best, though I’m not overly crazy about the hdr-ish processing. Just a little intense for me. I really like how you stopped down to get a little more dof. I really wish more people would think along these lines but you were one of the few. I’m not crazy about the comp… I don't get it, but I’m sure it has meaning to people who were at the event and that is far more important. Your second one was good also, but a little more contrasting subject matter in the background would have added some wow imo. Beautifully ornate rings though, and a great image as well.

    Shima, Shima Shima… LOVE your first one with the skyline. To my eye I would like to see a little bit more exposure, but as it is you are highlighting the late day sun and are properly exposed on the far side of the rings. Straight horizon, stone wall leading away from the subject line, obvious intent to interact with the skyline… this is a very nice image and a unique comp for a ring shot… me likey! The 2nd one not quite as much. I like the comp and the lighting. I like the straight forward angle of the rings. I like the rose just kissing the top corner. What I don’t like is all the busy jewelry around the ring that I can’t see. To me it is distracting not having a little more dof for a shot like this. If the surrounding detail was blurred into oblivion, or further away it would be fine. This shot to my eye would be astounding if I had good detail to see what is in the frame. All the tiny little metal bits around the image too look at… macro lovers dream right there!

    Qarik, Your first shot is very well done. Enough dof to read some of the text which I think is important for this kind of a shot. Great focus throughout the rings which are, after all, the main focus of the comp. The ring and text are crystal clear and this is what a ring shot should be if you are mostly trying to show off the rings. In addition you have a beautiful rose diffused in the back, nice reflection, and mostly polished rings although I would have worked on the dark top part of the bottom ring to get rid of the scratchy looking stuff. This is processed on the edge of my tolerance for black levels and contrast, but it really makes the text pop so I would say it is perfect in that regard. The comp is a wee-bit traditional for my tastes, but it is a great shot. Your second one is nice as well. I like the mist on the rose’s and the square crop, but the table ruins it for me. The scratches on the spot where you set this up just kills it for me. That is the first thing I saw and I just can’t get over that.

    Chris Olson. Hey Chris! I like your first one. Certainly this is well composed in a similar way as Qarik’s. I would like to have seen a little more contrast on the text like he showed on his. The heart shadow thing is a bit overused, a bit gimmicky, but this is a nice version of it and a great shot that your clients probably love. I like that you tilted and off centered your subject, but don’t really like the rock leaning left. Is that to get a good heart shape? The second is very tasteful, very traditional, but not a lot of wow. You could have squared her ring up before shooting this, but mostly a solid shot that will stand the test of time.

    Lynn. This was my daughter’s favorite! To me it looks dreamy and ethereal. Seems a little soft, but I couldn’t really say for sure. Lighting is nice. I really like the pano crop and the flow of the comp.

    April. Cute dog… good boy for sure. Comp is OK but would have liked to see the top of the ring case, but for a “get it quick” type of shot that certainly isn’t all that important. I don’t understand the processing however and that just ruins this one for me.

    Roy Salcedo. Hey Roy. This is a nice image! I like the up angle and the loss of the back sides of the rings in the back of the glass. The water droplets are nice and the lighting is really nice. Blurred glow in the background also adds nicely. What I don’t like is the centered comp, and the disregard for the form of the water goblet. To my eye it would have been best to show the curve of the glass and use that to draw the eye across the whole image. As it is now, it is rings in a glass at the first glance and never moves beyond that to me. A nice curve leading out or into the frame would add lots of interest and would make this a far better image in my book. Not bad by any means though!

    Sara Danyelle. Hello Sara, I like this first image a lot! Love the reflection. I even like the shallow dof in this case since there isn’t any detail on the bands to show anyways. You are bringing the most important part of the subject forward and adding interest with your oof and negative space. The tilt is appealing, the soft tones and low-ish contrast are all real nice additions to this image. Very well done!!! Your 2nd is nice too. I am having a hard time knowing if it is selective color processing with the rainbow flare and the grey fence! Interesting use of a fixed lens camera. The wide angle gave an interesting distortion to the rings and the shooting angle you chose was great using the diagonal line of the fence member. I don’t really care for the location though… the generic looking fence isn’t anything that anyone wants to remember most likely. A table runner or handrail leading to the church, or something of greater importance would be a better secondary subject in my opinion, but this is an attractive well shot image.

    Eberman. Nice shot my friend. I do this type of shot a lot myself. Only thing I don’t like in yours is the hand seems a little larger than life. Kinda hard to get away from that but the compression ability of a longer lens certainly helps. This isn’t bad in that regard… 70mm is good but to my eye a 135 or a 200 looks a little better. I would have cloned the blemishes at the end of her fingers and put into her contract that she not bite her nails ever again. Ha! Obviously can’t see her face clearly but seems to be a gorgeous little nail-biter so all is good! This shot is super sharp too, though that isn’t that big a deal on this type of shot. Off camera lightening is very smooth and natural (I saw her catchlights), though the vignette is a little strong for my taste.

    Suzanne. I like your first one best. This is a nice image. If I remember right you posted this with a set from the wedding, at least I think I have seen it before. I like the concept as it is… a ring displayed in a geometric pattern. However if I could understand what I am looking at I think there would be far more impact. OK, just read your comment in the gallery about this being a cut-out of the mountain range? If there was a way to show that, or some of that while still making the ring the focal point, then that would be the money shot for these rings. Not to take away from what you have… it is very nice, but that could have been epic! This to me lacks in personality somewhat. Actually I kinda felt that way about both, but they are both very nice images and well done technically. Both are utilizing elements from the event and that is always cool.

    Hey Liz K. Paint chips? Man, you could get lead poisoning just like that *snap*! Ha! This is a great image. This has lots of rich color to contrast with the reflective surface of the jewelry. I really would have liked to see some more dof for this shot. Not a lot but enough to get that 3rd ring into focus. Other than maybe a half stop or so of exposure (to my eye), this is the only flaw with this image. Great image for sure and one to be proud of. The middle ring slips by at first glance. I like your flower image also but it shows a little more strait forward. It is a good image but doesn’t have the wow factor of the paint chips. Maybe a little symmetrical for my taste and I think it would have been better bringing the ring into a corner and letting the shape of the rose fill out an opposite corner. It is nice though, don’t get me wrong!

    Lisa! I love E’s, 3’s & W’s!!! This is killing my ocd though! Left is all nice and symmetrical, and then BAM! The right is all goofed up! Then if that isn’t enough I start to look harder and see that the m&m’s aren’t perfectly centered in the rings! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Just shoot me now! Ha! Cute shot! Reds seem a little to “Ferrari” to me for m&m’s. I do like the shot though. It is very fun, and I wish I had done something similar at a wedding last year where the brides colors were matched to her m&m’s! Next time I will. As for the 2nd one, it is sharp on the face of the stone, but that is it. The dof is just too thin on this for my taste. It really doesn’t do justice to the ring as a whole imho. Like pulling the 20 out of the envelope and not even reading the card. Color’s are pretty and the texture I see looks nice, but there just isn’t enough of it for me. That being said, as more of an abstract art piece, it is great and the intention here is obviously not to be documentary, so it is a wonderful image in that regard. Reds look a little electric in this one too.

    Hey Kara! I liked your 2nd one the best. I would have liked to have seen it shot stopped down to f9 or so to get a little bit more of the shell. Actually it looks to me like the starfish arm is where your focus is hitting. Non-issue if you had shot at f9. Since you were at f2.8 1/8000, you had lots of room to move and still get your exposure. This is a nice shot though. The first one I like a little less mostly because of motion blur but also the depth of field is again very shallow. Again, I still like this shot regardless, but I think more dof would have been better.

    Matty S. I like the 2nd one far better than the first. They both show similar themes with the reflection beneath. The 2nd one stands out well above the first to my eye. Not just the fact that the details are visible, though that did make a difference to me. The big catch of this shot to my eye is the perfect circle in the oval-ish elfin ring. I like this a lot Matt. Existing light of course, long exposure, well done.

    Hey Angie!!! I like your first one best. I would prefer it in a pano crop though. This is a little too much negative space for my likeing. Maybe because the sand is such a tight repeating pattern? IDK, it is a great shot though! 2nd one has some motion blur and that takes away from the image imho. It has a certain abstract quality that may appeal to some, but that is not nearly as appealing to me as the first. It is hard for me to get past motion blur on non moving objects, though I know many see this as reall cool stuff. Oh, and I really don’t understand the 4th ring… I think Ted’s 2nd one had that also. Blue stone? Maybe if that is significant to be separated from the other rings for some reason?

    Thats it!

    Thanks to all who posted!!!

    Matt
    My Smugmug site

    Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
    Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
    Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes
  • ssimmonsphotossimmonsphoto Registered Users Posts: 424 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    mmmatt wrote: »
    Suzanne. I like your first one best. This is a nice image. If I remember right you posted this with a set from the wedding, at least I think I have seen it before. I like the concept as it is… a ring displayed in a geometric pattern. However if I could understand what I am looking at I think there would be far more impact. OK, just read your comment in the gallery about this being a cut-out of the mountain range? If there was a way to show that, or some of that while still making the ring the focal point, then that would be the money shot for these rings. Not to take away from what you have… it is very nice, but that could have been epic! This to me lacks in personality somewhat. Actually I kinda felt that way about both, but they are both very nice images and well done technically. Both are utilizing elements from the event and that is always cool.
    Thanks, Matt.
    The piece that the ring was on was really big, so I felt that the ring would have been lost in the shot as a whole. The couple knew what it was, so I was focusing more on their feelings than being able to tell the whole story to someone who wasn't there. This is a photo of what the railing looked like (not the best, but it's a quick one I could fine).
    927990633_M6p4y-M-1.jpg
    I will certainly take your comments to heart as the 2011 season gets under way. Thanks for taking the time!
    Website (hosted by Zenfolio after 6.5 years with SmugMug) | Blog (hosted by Zenfolio) | Tave User
  • mmmattmmmatt Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited February 4, 2011
    Thanks, Matt.
    The piece that the ring was on was really big, so I felt that the ring would have been lost in the shot as a whole. The couple knew what it was, so I was focusing more on their feelings than being able to tell the whole story to someone who wasn't there. This is a photo of what the railing looked like (not the best, but it's a quick one I could fine).
    927990633_M6p4y-M-1.jpg
    I will certainly take your comments to heart as the 2011 season gets under way. Thanks for taking the time!

    Yeah that is kinda big and busy... Ha! This was what popped into my mind when I looked that one over. If you are ever there again try a few different comps. You can shoot accross the railing instead of strait on and that will allow you to put more of the design into the comp. Also shooting wide and pulling the ring into the corner would make the ring enlarged yet still allow for a more complete view of the rail. Kinda sorta like Sarah did on her fence shot. Maybe squaring up a bit more on the fence plane but that is kinda what I am thinking. Again, either way this is a great shot.

    Matt
    My Smugmug site

    Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
    Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
    Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes
  • ShimaShima Registered Users Posts: 2,547 Major grins
    edited February 5, 2011
    Matt my second image wasn't on jewelry, it was on a shawl that went with the bride's Hindu clothing. She laid it down while she danced and so I placed the rings on it. No jewelry than the rings in that photo :)
  • ssimmonsphotossimmonsphoto Registered Users Posts: 424 Major grins
    edited February 5, 2011
    mmmatt wrote: »
    Yeah that is kinda big and busy... Ha! This was what popped into my mind when I looked that one over. If you are ever there again try a few different comps. You can shoot accross the railing instead of strait on and that will allow you to put more of the design into the comp. Also shooting wide and pulling the ring into the corner would make the ring enlarged yet still allow for a more complete view of the rail. Kinda sorta like Sarah did on her fence shot. Maybe squaring up a bit more on the fence plane but that is kinda what I am thinking. Again, either way this is a great shot.

    Matt
    I'm there again this fall, so I'll definitely experiment with it. It's a phenomenal place, so there are all kinds of opportunities.
    Website (hosted by Zenfolio after 6.5 years with SmugMug) | Blog (hosted by Zenfolio) | Tave User
  • mmmattmmmatt Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited February 5, 2011
    Shima wrote: »
    Matt my second image wasn't on jewelry, it was on a shawl that went with the bride's Hindu clothing. She laid it down while she danced and so I placed the rings on it. No jewelry than the rings in that photo :)
    Nice! I bet that shawl was beautiful.
    I'm there again this fall, so I'll definitely experiment with it. It's a phenomenal place, so there are all kinds of opportunities.
    dig this tread up when you do and show us what you get!
    My Smugmug site

    Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
    Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
    Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes
  • ShimaShima Registered Users Posts: 2,547 Major grins
    edited February 5, 2011
    mmmatt wrote: »
    Nice! I bet that shawl was beautiful.

    Yes it was! Matched her whole get up perfectly. BTW - that wedding was the one and only wedding I've ever second shot with Urbanaries :)

    388674656_U94PV-M.jpg
  • AgnieszkaAgnieszka Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,263 Major grins
    edited February 6, 2011
    I'm running behind!!! Sorry guys!

    Quarik already sent me the new theme, the gallery will be ready tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!
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