Zuiko's 52 For 2011

[Guest]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Sounds like he was a very talented man. I take it you were not impressed with the English public transport!

On the contrary, I was most impressed with the English public transport, especially the fantastic London Underground. It was just that when Vernon gave us instructions as to which train to catch he didn't mention how far out it was. My English wife has just told me he lived at Chigwell, he met us at the station and drove us to his impressive home which his wife just had to mention was previously owned by another doctor!

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

On the contrary, I was most impressed with the English public transport, especially the fantastic London Underground. It was just that when Vernon gave us instructions as to which train to catch he didn't mention how far out it was. My English wife has just told me he lived at Chigwell, he met us at the station and drove us to his impressive home which his wife just had to mention was previously owned by another doctor!

Ah, Chigwell. I've been there a few times to visit friends, but they've moved now to Mersea Island (off the Essex coast).

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Technically I've missed the deadline for my 3rd week as it's past midnight, but as I haven't gone to bed yet I'm going to count it as still being Saturday. Been a bit rushed this week and must admit have spent the last hour seeing what I could cobble together.

I decided to go back to my photographic roots, back 38 years to when my Dad gave me his Zeiss Ikonta. No bells or whistles on this, it was photography by the seat of my pants, but a great way to learn the basics.

[Garrie]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

ah good shot, its great to see old cameras up close. This 52 has really got me thinking to be honest, its great

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Well, that's another week gone by, it's amazing how quick they come and go. Yet again I'm up against the deadline for my 52 and like last week I'm claiming it's still Saturday because I haven't been to bed yet.

Wanted to try something different this week and for a long time I've been eyeing up one of my wife's ornaments for a still life shot. I used crumpled tin foil for the background and wanted a blue cast so set the WB to 2000K and fitted a blue filter to the lens. It needed that amount of correction to get what I wanted because the ambient light was tungsten.

I dimmed the lights to get a long exposure and illuminated the figure with a small torch fitted with a red filter. I got more light spill onto the background than I planned but decided I liked the mingling of the reds and blues.



Don't know why, but it reminds me of my old boss........

[CaptainD]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Well done John for keeping up with the pace. It is amazing just how quickly a week can shoot by. I am glad I am on the viewing side, congrats on the standard so far, super.

Cheers

Chris

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Thanks Chris,

I'll try not to leave it until the last minute this week, in fact I got a couple that would be suitable today but I'll see what the rest of the week brings.

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

To keep track it occurs to me that I should start numbering my pictures, so here is 5/52



It was taken earlier in the week when I was returning from a sunset shoot. As I drove through our village I noticed the floodlights were on in the church yard and stopped to explore. I got one of the floodlit church, but to be honest the sky had become just a little too dark, I need to try again when there is still some ambient light remaining in the sky. However, I spotted this arrangement of floodlit gravestones and thought the harsh, directional lighting made for a rather spooky scene. Once again, hopefully, something a little different than I usually come up with.

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

6/52

Taken right at the start of the week, I've decided already to use as my pic of the week.



It features Mary, a guinea pig barely a week old. She was one of a litter of three born to a sickly mother who didn't have any milk. Hand-rearing guinea pigs is notoriously difficult but my wife tried. Within a couple of days two of the babies had died, but Mary was a fighter. She eagerly accepted her milk at every feed, dispensed slowly so she could lap it from a small syringe (no needle, of course).

She was a firendly, happy little pig who would chortle away, often snuggled up in my wife's pocket. Yesterday, however, she gulped one feed of milk a little too quickly and some went up her nose. This is a big risk with hand reared baby guinea pigs and is often fatal if the milk gets on their lungs.

Mary rapidly became weak and frail during the course of yesterday. She took her final feed at around midnight, but only a fraction of what she has been drinking and without much enthusiasm. We feared the worst and this morning she was gone, having died in her sleep.

RIP Mary, you had a short life but you brought hope and joy into our family as well as sadness. Goodbye little darling.

[Susan]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Hi John

Really enjoying following your 52
Some excellent photo's, looking forward to seeing what you have each week. Really liked the ornament photo, I hadn't realised at first glance it was an ornament, thought it was maybe someone dressed up.

So sorry to hear about Mary the wee fighter and her siblings. Have to admit to having a tear in my eye reading about her. Well done to your wife and yourself in hand rearing her, it must be pretty tiring and draining, but I applaud you for giving it a shot and making her few days the best they could be.

Sus x

[Zuiko]

Re: Zuiko's 52 For 2011

Thanks Susan. It's been a sad time. We expected to lose the first two, it was obvious from day one that they were very unlikely to survive. With Mary, however, we were starting to think she was going to make it. Right up until yesterday morning she seemed to be improving by leaps and bounds. Debbie, especially, couldn't have done any more for her and we can take comfort that we made her short life as comfortable as possible. I suspect we will be having a little burial service later for my daughter's benefit.