A thread with photos and things.

mrk

mrk

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Seems to be the in thing, thought why not? :p

Some say that a photo needs no description because the subject matter should do all the talking by itself. In some ways this is true but in other ways it's nice to have a line or two about how that picture came about.

I may have posted a couple of these in other threads but 'll try starting with fresh images and go from there. I didn't want just a thread about my wedding photos (although many will feature!) as I shoot more than that so something of a mixture of things I see on my travels I guess and I'll continue to update over the coming months as there are various adventures in planning.

Let's start with a few selections from the last couple of weeks.


Animals and kids I seem to get on quite well with. I don't know what it is but I'm not complaining I guess, makes photos more interesting :cool: This cat belongs to Space Monkey of these forums. I sold him a monitor and went to deliver it. Just so happens I had my camera with me for other work:



These were shot in the wooded walkway around a venue I shot a wedding at last week. The scenery was brilliant with the weather we had that day and allowed me to shoot a few photos that I've always wanted to given the right conditions:







This one is a first, always wanted to do a silhouette shot but the opportunity never fitted in timing schedule wise but that changed this week and hopefully over the next few months further shoots will allow for it too:



Kids are always up for doing fun stuff, is jumping up and down fun? Maybe not to your and I most of the time but kids, they love jumping and their faces show it:



Chilworth Manor is pretty a pretty awesome venue in Southampton. The interior of the main lobby especially:





Yeah cats again, this one seemed to want to be a part of the morning prep. Okay, you've got your screen time buddy:
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Cakes are never lies:
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Unfortunately no bubbles came out!
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Reviewing photos taken earlier:
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Amazingly well behaved kids, seem to just click with everyone:
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More to come ;)
 
Soldato
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Great shots as always mrk. Can I just ask: What is the background for the ring shot. I love that it isn't just plain white and has some pattern to it, but it's driving me mad trying to guess. Is it curtains? And there seems to be no edge to the surface the rings are on as well, which removes a distracting horizon line. So the curtains are hanging over the table edge? Either way, the simplicity of the shot really appeals to me. Great shot.
 

mrk

mrk

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Cheers it was actually curtain netting on the window itself. The surface is the windowsill of the hotel. It was shady outside so provided the perfect diffused light to make the shot work and an f2 aperture gave enough depth of field to keep things somewhat anonymous in the background :)
 
Soldato
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I'm a little disappointed in this thread tbh because I was led to believe there would be things here... Instead I just find photos :(

Anyway, good job with the photos :)

Fave is the bride on the stairs because that carpet is almost psychedelic! I like the whole symmetry of the room and that arch is pretty cool too.

You could almost say I'd like the pic just as much without the bride there lol :D
 

mrk

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Think 70s stripes and colours, that kind :D It looked vintage and cool as it fit in well with the decor!



"Fight me":
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Oliver:
 
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mrk

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Katherine:


And her eldest bridesmaid, she said "I hate having my photo taken because I just can't smile!":
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mrk

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It's one of my own presets that I've built over time and have since added the bits I've been fond of from other film presets from the VSCO packs. It gets me the base I like then each photo has individual tweaks done to get the final colour :)

Only thing I'm at two minds about is the bridesmaid's face has a hint of green from the surrounding foliage due to her skin being so pale. I've minimised it as best I can without making her look like a ghost or a star from Twilight saga :p

Edit*
Scratch that, sorted it somewhat now.
 
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Soldato
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It's one of my own presets that I've built over time and have since added the bits I've been fond of from other film presets from the VSCO packs. It gets me the base I like then each photo has individual tweaks done to get the final colour :)

Only thing I'm at two minds about is the bridesmaid's face has a hint of green from the surrounding foliage due to her skin being so pale. I've minimised it as best I can without making her look like a ghost or a star from Twilight saga :p

Edit*
Scratch that, sorted it somewhat now.

I've bought a couple of vsco packs. It's quite odd how they get the results in some cases. I like some of the old style processes that make a good photo look awful :D It's annoying how they've managed to split the style I like across about £500 worth of packs though, the little gits :D With my fascination of black and white, I've managed to work out most styles of B&W looks, but I truly suck at getting colour processing just right. I've got a great vsco pack for colour and in certain conditions they're perfect, but as soon as you move away from spot on lighting they seem to rapidly have an adverse effect. They are crafty with their packs in a way that you've got say 6 presets, grouped to two for a certain condition. Personally I'd like to buy a pack with my own selection to suit how I take/process things, and work around that.

I really have no idea why I have so much trouble with colour processing, but it's driving me nuts in certain conditions :D
 

mrk

mrk

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Hah sounds like the position I was in 18 months ago lol trying to get that retro film look that I've always been a fan of and only getting close but no cigar. Once I heard about VSCO I knew there would be a few presets in packs 01 and 04 especially that I liked the look of and incorporated some of their adjustments into my own and now have a look I'm happy with and feel in some way is unique for my style of shooting.

I'm sure it may change in 18 months time as I learn new things and evolve it but for now it's sticking around for the long run!

Wow great pictures

You must have a really good camera.

Phone camera :o
 
Soldato
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As I seem to be attracting some magazines with the way I do things, I've managed to get in my own head regarding how poor I am at some things. While people like what I do, I've suddenly stopped seeing anything good in what I'm doing. In 27 days I'm covering a well known band and as each day passes I'm more and more convinced that I suck.

I think I need more sleep. I also want them to let me into a secure venue ahead of time so I can scout the best spots :D
 
Soldato
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As I seem to be attracting some magazines with the way I do things, I've managed to get in my own head regarding how poor I am at some things. While people like what I do, I've suddenly stopped seeing anything good in what I'm doing. In 27 days I'm covering a well known band and as each day passes I'm more and more convinced that I suck.

I think I need more sleep. I also want them to let me into a secure venue ahead of time so I can scout the best spots :D

Your, your own worst critic.

I've stopped posting my shots as I seemed to have broke my photographers eye. I need to get out more and get it back
 

mrk

mrk

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Press passes are good things to acquire if you can! I still remember the Festival Of the Sea few years back in Portsmouth, got flown around in a Navy Sea King MK5 chopper, that was one of the best experiences ever!

Since then though I haven't really sought out such things as I've been kept busy with my own projects. In hindsight I could have marketed myself quite lucratively had I had the experience of today back then.

Maybe the next festival I guess :cool:

I used to do small gigs for local bands and clubs but really after a while it got very tedious and I didn't like walking around hot and stuffy venue halls full of young people pushing and shoving around. Much prefer gigs with stage side gangway just for staff and photography use so no chance of people getting in the way of work. Again, since the last one I did I haven't taken that further.

A growing trend of laziness on my part :(

I need a kick!

:DI should have known you wouldn't bite.........:D Or that you would see straight through my attempt:p

Saw it a mile off :D

Your, your own worst critic.

I've stopped posting my shots as I seemed to have broke my photographers eye
. I need to get out more and get it back

I find the more weddings I shoot the more hints of that I notice too. Weddings are a long shift and sometimes there's only so much you can do creatively and keeping the camera aimed throughout the entire day is taxing on your senses. You begin to think "wtf am I doing!" - I've found a workaround though, I don't shoot during the meals and instead take a long break myself. This gives me a couple of hours to recollect myself and review the photos I've taken, take a stroll around and scope out areas of interest or just find a quite area of the bar and just power nap, grab a meal (usually provided by b&g which is nice) or do something else other than think about the next shot because once I get back in there my mind is clearer.

I don't like to keep doing the same thing all the time either, one of the reasons I try to keep what I shoot varied from Urban Exploration to Street to Portraiture and Landscapes. Occasionally take a risk, climb a crane and whatnot, make sure I'm still alive :eek:

Am I still finding my way? Sure, I think we will always be doing that eh :)

Iris:
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^ Her mum told me she doesn't like having her photo taken and the last family shoot they had Iris kept hiding from the camera man. I find I get on well with animals and kids and hopefully their faces show their comfort levels!
 
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It's one of my own presets that I've built over time and have since added the bits I've been fond of from other film presets from the VSCO packs. It gets me the base I like then each photo has individual tweaks done to get the final colour :)

Only thing I'm at two minds about is the bridesmaid's face has a hint of green from the surrounding foliage due to her skin being so pale. I've minimised it as best I can without making her look like a ghost or a star from Twilight saga :p

Edit*
Scratch that, sorted it somewhat now.

She still looks pretty green on both of my monitors. Have you tried using a layer mask in PS to push the greens in her skin tone towards red/magenta? I did a quick edit and it seems to work, I won't post it though since I don't know if you'd be ok with that.
 
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mrk

mrk

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Hmm I didn't think of using masking, I'll give that a shot but if you could post your version so I can see the result you've achieved that would be helpful too :)
 
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