focus52|2012 {week eight} february 19 to 25

posted by on February 19, 2012 · 8 Comments

Welcome to week eight, 52'rs! Are you all Valentine'd out from last week's prompt? I didn't have time this past week to get around and comment to everybody (and I'm already late with this post!) but I did have time to browse. I thoroughly enjoyed all of your photos and I've loved all of the red showing up in our flickr pool. Great work!

I don't know about you, but around this time of year I've just about had my fill of winter. I'm done with the cold, damp days and the sun setting at noon. Okay, exaggeration there, but you get my point. So this week, we're going to give the February blahs a little shot in the arm (or kick in the butt if you prefer).

I can hear you right now ... "omg Janice, where are we going to find light in February, dammit!"

Stop cursing me out :)

This week, spend some time searching out the light. Take notice of your surroundings and perhaps the way some beautiful window light is falling on an object nearby or creating an inviting pattern on the floor or wall. It doesn't have to be a blinding ray of sunshine or overly obvious.  And you could also try your hand at creating your own light as well, maybe have some fun playing with shadows and highlights. Turn on a small lamp and take note of the way it lights it's surroundings. Light a candle. Play with portrait lighting. Anything to do with light - that's your goal.

Maybe you'll get lucky and enjoy a day of sunshine (but try to stay away from shooting in direct sunlight - it's not your friend). You never know - it could happen.

At the very least, try to have some fun this week and kick the February blahs to the curb.

Whatever you choose to do for week eight, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! And don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Have a great week!




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focus52|2012 {week seven} february 12 to 18

posted by on February 12, 2012 · 8 Comments

Welcome to Week Seven, 52'rs! How did you enjoy our still life prompt last week? Browsing through your blogs and flickr, I noticed a lot of you mentioning that you had to step outside of your comfort zone for the prompt and that's GOOD! Growing and learning, that's what it's all about. You need to step outside of your box and try something new every now and then.

Now, unless you've been hiding under a rock (and some of us would like to!) you're well aware what's going on this week. Love is in the air, people.

Apparently.

February 14th. You either love it or you hate it. And to that end, you have two choices for your prompt this week (because I'm a little afraid of you anti-Valentine peoples) ...

Love. How would you capture it this week? You could choose to go the Valentine route, or choose to portray love in an entirely different manner. Perhaps a scene you spy on the street or at the mall (there's plenty of discombobulated men running around trying to find the perfect Valentine - that could be fun!), maybe an expression of love, a symbol of love, a person/place/thing you love ... so many possibilities.

And then there's Red. Yummy, scrumptious red. My friend, Katrina Kennedy, introduced me to the Red Rule some time ago. It's simple really ... if you see red, shoot it! Red adds that punch of interest and draws your eye. It can add that something special to your composition and take it from 'good' to 'WOW'. And if you're looking for a bit of photo inspiration this week, there's an entire flickr group dedicated to the Red Rule.

A few tips when photographing the color red:

  • Watch your exposure. Red tones are easy to blow out and you don't want to lose detail in your shot.
  • Watch your white balance. Orange is not red. Likewise, don't go too cold and end up with a purple toned red and a blue background. Or? Shoot in RAW format and be happy :)
  • Lighting - I find red easiest to capture in it's truest form using natural lighting, but that's just a personal preference. If you're using artificial lighting, get your white balance right (or again, shoot in RAW format)

That's about it, I think. Fun topics this week and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Whatever you choose to do this week, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! And don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Have fun and have a LOVEly week (sorry ... couldn't resist)




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focus52|2012 {week six} february 5 to 11

posted by on February 5, 2012 · 9 Comments

Welcome to week six! Before we jump into it, I want to say a few things about our previous week. Quite a few 52'rs were disappointed or confused with the prompt 'cold'. Some were unsure how to go about completing their project for the week when they were having such warm temperatures.

One of the great things about having a weekly prompt is that it is just that ... a prompt. Prompts, by their very definition serve to suggest, inspire, motivate. The word or idea given does not have to have such a literal meaning. On weeks where we have a simple word prompt, I encourage you to think outside of the box, stretch your imagination, be creative. Have some fun with it. It's your project and yours alone, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

And you know what? At the end of the week, you guys totally rocked the cold prompt! I saw some truly inspired work and a lot of gorgeous ice and snow. The whole week was great.

So stop stressing :)

Okay, onto week six!

Still life photography is an art unto itself. Much thought must be given to composition and lighting. But, YOU are in control of the entire scene and for that reason, it's one of my favorite forms of photography. Total control ... how often can you say you have that? heh.

A still life composition comes with it's own challenges though. I've often spent well over an hour arranging and rearranging a composition, only to scrap it all and go right back to the way I had everything set out to begin with. It's important to rearrange and adjust, try different perspectives, angles, depth of field. Not liking what you see? Move around your setup and come at it from a different point of view.

Any subject is fair game for a still life composition (even mundane makeup!). A few tips to keep in mind:

  • Look for pleasing arrangements of objects that look like they belong with each other.
  • Choose a good background or surface that compliments your subject matter.
  • Use the Rule of Thirds. Always.
  • Keep it simple.
  • Experiment with your lighting.

Don't worry about creating the next masterpiece and spend endless time searching out the perfect subject for your focus. The most ordinary, every day object can be a thing of beauty if you take the time to compose your photograph properly.

Whatever you choose to do this week, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! And don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Have fun and have a wonderful week :)




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focus52|2012 {week five} january 29 to february 4

posted by on January 29, 2012 · 21 Comments

Here we are at week five and heading into February. Honestly, is it just me or did the month of January fly right by? You know, by the end of this week, you'll already have one full month (and then some!) of your focus52 project under your belt.

One full month!

See? You can do this. You are doing it.

So let's get right to week five. This week, our focus52 prompt is ...


Plenty of ideas to choose from, just from that brief description. You don't have to be up here in Canada with me, freezing key body parts, in order to have some fun with the word 'cold'. Choose a literal presentation or use your imagination. Get creative.

And if you're looking for snow, I'm happy to share ;)

Whatever you choose to do this week, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! And don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Enjoy your week, 52'rs! Stay warm ;)




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focus52|2012 {week four} january 22 to 28

posted by on January 22, 2012 · 9 Comments

We're at Week Four, 52'rs! Congratulations! By now you should be quite comfortable here in the group and hopefully forming some sort of weekly routine with your photography project. If not, don't despair. You'll be in the swing of things in no time.

I was happy to see so many of you rise to the Black & White challenge. I saw some truly stunning images both here and in the flickr pool. I wasn't able to comment on everybody's work this week, but I've seen them all! Great work, group!

This week, Week Four, our prompt is ...

By definition, leading lines are lines within a composition which lead the viewer's eye to the subject, to another point in the image, or occasionally, out of the image.

Sometimes, the lines are obvious as in the case of roads, pathways, etc. Other times, your eyes are drawn into the photo with subtle lines as is the case in the lake above.

When you look at any given photo, your eye is naturally drawn towards and along lines. Effectively using these lines, you can pull the viewer into your photo and towards your subject, or through your photo (think winding roads, paths, etc). Leading lines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, converging or even a lovely curved line. Learning to correctly use leading lines will lend more depth to your photos and make for an overall pleasing composition. And just as importantly, improper use of leading lines can cause viewer confusion and a skewed perception of what you are trying to present.

Been there, done that :)

Have some fun this week hunting down some leading lines! Once you get the hang of it, I guarantee you'll be seeing them everywhere.

Whatever you choose to do this week, follow the prompt or no, come back here and link up your work when you're done (weeks run Sunday to Saturday, don't forget!). Links must be to the direct URL of your actual work, not just to the site it's posted in, and may be a link to your blog post or to your flickr photo. Also, please don't link and run - try to find some time to visit at least a few of your fellow 52'ers. That's half the fun! And don't forget the flickr pool!

Remember, you do not need to use the prompt in order to come back here and share.

Enjoy your week!




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