Tag: fpj-photo-challenge

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Color Contrast

Coloring your world!

Welcome to episode 29 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!  Seeing all the great entries to last week’s theme of Nature’s Beauty gave me the idea to take a look at what makes nature photography stand out, particularly color photography: Color Contrast.

A lot of what makes for a good photograph, especially when Nature is the subject, is derived from the work of Ansel Adams.  In his writings about photography, Adams talks about the zone system as a means for correlating what the photographer visualizes and the final print product.  A key aspect is the amount of contrast that exists between parts of the image.  While the system was developed for black and white photography, its principles can be applied to color photography.

In color photography, we have the additional luxury of using color to create additional contrast between the various components of the image.  This week’s challenge is to use color contrast in your photos to its best advantage.  These can be complementary colors, or subtle tonal gradations; I’ll leave the choices to you…

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Reaching for the Sky

This image is from a recent trip to the Iceland where I had the opportunity explore the geothermal area in Hverir; this area has steam vents, hot water welling up from the ground and generally a great look to it.  In this shot I wanted to use the coloring of the ground and contrast it against the blue sky; additional the blue of the sky is reflected in the hot water run-off to create additional interest.

For those who’d like to participate in this weekly challenge, the rules are the following:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

I’m counting on all of you to come up with some really cool choices; keep in mind that color is everywhere and not just in Nature!  Have fun and start sharing!

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D MkIII using an EF24-105mm f/4L lens. Exposure settings were at 1/400 second with f/11 and 200 ISO.

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round-Up 28

Nature’s beauty and bounty!

The response to the past week’s theme of Nature’s Beauty was even better than the one we had for Candy!  Just goes to show that many of you have a sweet-tooth, but even more appreciate the lasting beauty that Nature provides for us.

This week’s prompt has received the largest number of responses to date, for which I am grateful to all of you.  Your posts to this challenge showcase some truly stunning photography!

A bit less showy than the Bird of Paradise flower, the simple Tulip is nonetheless beautiful!

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Simple Beauty

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  • Michelle’s post in Southern by Design highlights the beauty of the Hibiscus with great aplomb!
  • Xenia writes Whippetwisdom, a wonderful blog chronicling the beauty she encounters with her dogs; she found so much beauty in Nature this week that she posted a second entry on Whippetwisdom!
  • Micks Blog is full of stunning photography, and his photo of the Robber Fly that he shared for this challenge is simply outstanding!
  • Miriam’s post in Shower of Blessing shows us a bubbling cauldron of hot springs in Yellowstone; it’s just lovely!
  • Natalia’s post in Caboosemama Little Pleasures has a great photo of a snail making a meal of a Hibiscus; yummy!
  • The entry from Leaking Ink, a beautiful blog, shows us a gorgeous Hanging Lobster Claw.
  • Ladyleemanilla stuns us with an array of Nature photography that is wondrous to behold!
  • Marie’s post in The New 3 Rs: Retire, Recharge, Reconnect shows us edible beauty in Zucchini flowers.
  • Miriam’s entry from Out an’ About shows us Nature across the seasons with beautiful images.
  • Judith’s post in  Nature Knows Best has some beautiful photos of the area, in which she lives, including an irresistible cat!
  • Debbie posted about her visit with her family in her blog Forgiving Connects, and shared Nature’s Beauty with us!

Thanks to each of you for wonderful contributions to this week’s theme.  You definitely have me charged up for creating something new tomorrow!!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Nature’s Beauty

Beauty surrounds us!

Welcome to episode 28 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! From the very sweet theme of last week, I thought it might be a good week to turn back to Nature and share some of what you find to be Nature’s Beauty!

Nature flaunts her beauty all around us, so that it is entirely up to us individually to recognize it and capture it with our cameras.  Therefore the challenge to you is to find some examples of the beauty that you find in Nature and present it in such a way that it cannot help but convince each of us that it is truly beautiful!

This image is from a recent trip to the Netherlands when I found this natural beauty just outside the Botanical Garden of the Technical University in Delft.

Bird of Paradise

This is one of the showiest flowers out there, and it never fails to make me stand in awe of the astonishing constructs that come from nature.

For those who’d like to participate in this weekly challenge, the rules are the following:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

For those who’d like to participate in this weekly challenge, the rules are the following:

I’m confident that there will be lots of fun images that truly show off the best of Nature!  Remember to have fun and use your creativity!!

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 1D MkIII using an EF24-105mm f/4L lens. Exposure settings were at 1/200 second with f/6.3 and 400 ISO.

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 27

It’s been a sweet week!

This week’s theme of Candy was received with an admirable level of sweet-tooth by a number of you!

Staying within our seasonal drive towards kids getting way more candy than they need during any time of the year, it was no surprise that many folks across the entire planet love their sweets.  After all, who can resist some colorful, creative shaped delicacy that you know is not good for your diet?

Interesting enough, while mass quantities of sweets are consumed around this time of year in the United States, it is not the biggest candy day of the year.  That honor belongs to Valentine’s Day!

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The Sweetest Day!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  • Ladyleemanilla share a post with delicious candy that she professed to enjoying very much!
  • Emily’s post in her blog, Zombie Flamingoes, combined two components: candy and alcohol!  Yummie!!
  • Joanne’s post in Velissima, a fantastic travel experiences blog, is stunning in both the candy design and the colors, as she shows the candy in Mexico!
  • Marga’s blog, The Photographer Smiled…, focuses on one of my favorite candies: licorice!  I bet you can’t have just one piece!
  • Judith’s shares her love of chocolate in  Nature Knows Best.  I’m confident that she’s not the only one who is a fan!
  • Debbie is getting ready for a big move in her post for Forgiving Connects, and shares her thoughts on the sweetest sweet of them all: Love!

From reading these magnificent posts, I think that there’s many a love of all things sweet among my readers.  I’ll be challenged to find a sweeter topic for next week…

Thanks to everyone for contributing and reading!!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Candy

Welcome to episode 27 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!  After last week’s Halloween theme, I thought it might be appropriate to go to the sweet side of things: Candy!

Of course, everyone has their favorite candy, or maybe even more than one type of candy…  Therefore, I’d like to challenge each of you to share your favorite candy and make it look irresistible to each of your readers!  After all, what fun is candy, if it’s not the best things out there?  Of course, you’re always allowed to use a bit of poetic license in your choice of candy; for me, strawberries are also a form of candy!

From about 6 years ago, when I was taking a course in food photography, I’d like to share these delicious M&M’s with you (yes, they may be out of date, but they still look good 🙂 ).

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It won’t melt in your hand!

The bright colors of each of these little wonders just jumps up at you, yelling ‘pick me!’, so you know that you want one of them…

For those who’d like to participate in this weekly challenge, the rules are the following:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

This should be a fun week and we may even learn about some exotic candies!

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 1D MkIII using an EF24-105mm f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were at 1/160 second with f/11 and 100 ISO with studio lights; you might notice that with studio lights, I’ll often dial them in to get around 1/160 second at 100 ISO, as it works well for lots of subjects.

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 26

Scary or funny?

My choice of theme for this past week’s challenge may have been just a little bit early for many, as Halloween is not out in full force everywhere.  I will try to make it up to you with tomorrow’s topic.

In the United States, Halloween has become a great excuse for many adults to dress up and express their wicked selves; some of the costumes and make-up can be very elaborate, ranging from the silly to the scary.  The other staple of Halloween is the pumpkin, which is often carved, so that a candle can be put inside it to light up the face or scene that has been created; in the original Irish version, a turnip or rutabaga was carved to the same effect.

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Pumpkins Everywhere!

The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:

  • Judith’s post in Nature Knows Best includes both a broom and a black cat, which is a good indication that sleepy Dorking, UK may be in for some spooky fun in the weeks to come!
  • Steve put the feeling of Halloween into the image in the Steve Newcomb Photography post; the photo of the house really makes me wonder, if kids will dare to cry out ‘Trick or Treat‘ at this residence for fear of being tricked…

 

With a promise to provide something more applicable across the entire planet, I do want to thank both contributors and readers for the first 26 weeks of Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Tomorrow’s topic is in the works….

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Halloween

Spirit of the Season!

Welcome to episode 26 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!  After a wonderful week of Art photography with awesome posts, as can be seen in the Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 25; if you haven’t seen them yet, please go check them out.

In keeping with the season, as it is getting a little colder in New England and the leaves are turning beautiful colors, this week’s challenge theme is Halloween!

 

Celebrating Halloween in all its forms has become a larger phenomenon over the past couple of decades; it has grown from an opportunity for young children to go from door to door to proclaim ‘trick or treat!’ and get some candy to a not-so-serious excuse adults to throw a party.  From its Celtic origins and integration with Christian beliefs, this holiday has become a lot of fun for many, regardless of its origins; many of us will decorate for the season and even dress up in either an silly or scary costume.

My challenge to you is to share how Halloween, or Dia de las Brujas, is celebrated in your part of the world.  Bring your creative minds to the forefront and share your photos and stories!

Here’s a taste from a decoration in front of our house from about six years ago…

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The Great Pumpkin!

A happy pumpkin and some fog make for an inviting twist to the season.

For those who’d like to participate in this weekly challenge, the rules are the following:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

This should be a fun week and we might even learn some new things from each other!

Technical Details

This image was captured with a Canon EOS 1D MkIII using an EF24-105mm f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were at 1/160 second with f/8 and 400 ISO.