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Follow along on my 31 day challenge - Day 1&2

Day 30 of the challenge is EGG

day30egg.jpg
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
What an inspiring collection of photographs you have created Maggie - Bravo. And now we await the pièce de résistance on day 31
 
What an inspiring collection of photographs you have created Maggie - Bravo. And now we await the pièce de résistance on day 31

Thank you Robert. For the most part, I'm pretty proud of the images I have done. There are a couple of days I might like to forget but that is part of the challenge.. when it doesn't work today, tomorrow, you must pick up your boots and push onward. I hope tomorrow goes well so that I can make an image that finishes the month well. I so appreciate that you have stopped by to show your support and when I saw that you actually shared yesterday's image on Google+ I was very surprised and very touched. Thank you so much!
:)
Maggie
 

Andy brown

Well-known member
Maggie,
I've been watching this series with some interest and felt a little guilty for not giving you some feedback along the way (which I've wanted to but haven't managed to as yet).
Then I thought I might wait till the end then give a bit of an ovation.
Stripes is awesome however, so here's my appreciation.
 
Maggie,
I've been watching this series with some interest and felt a little guilty for not giving you some feedback along the way (which I've wanted to but haven't managed to as yet).
Then I thought I might wait till the end then give a bit of an ovation.
Stripes is awesome however, so here's my appreciation.

Thank you Andy, I'm glad you enjoyed some my images.

I posted them here in the layback café because I was not necessarily looking for critique but just wanted to share what I was doing. Of course there are things that could have been done better or differently, but there are only so many hours in a day and I have other things that I have to do also. And then you know that tomorrow you are on to another one.
I'm glad you liked at least one.
:)
Maggie
 
Day 31 of the 31 day challenge (YES, it's the last day)

Long Exposure. This is a shot I did with Light Painting.. using a small torch and a 10 second exposure. You are working in blackness when you do this and it is not as easy as I thought it would be.

day31longexposure.jpg
 
Day 31 of the 31 day challenge (YES, it's the last day)

Hi Maggie,

Congratulations on completing the challenge. The images you've created have both a high technical quality, but are also very creative interpretations of the task/subject.

Long Exposure. This is a shot I did with Light Painting.. using a small torch and a 10 second exposure. You are working in blackness when you do this and it is not as easy as I thought it would be.

Yes, light painting a scene is almost an art form in itself. I've seen that amazing work is possible, but it typically requires individually lighting the various elements of the scene in separate exposures, and composing/masking these partial scene exposures back together in post-processing. Trying to light the entire scene at once is often too difficult to achieve (due to shadows from one object interfering with other objects, and surface reflections that need specific lighting angles).

Anyway, thanks for sharing your month's creations. I've really enjoyed watching them.

Cheers,
Bart
 
Hi Maggie,

Congratulations on completing the challenge. The images you've created have both a high technical quality, but are also very creative interpretations of the task/subject.



Yes, light painting a scene is almost an art form in itself. I've seen that amazing work is possible, but it typically requires individually lighting the various elements of the scene in separate exposures, and composing/masking these partial scene exposures back together in post-processing. Trying to light the entire scene at once is often too difficult to achieve (due to shadows from one object interfering with other objects, and surface reflections that need specific lighting angles).

Anyway, thanks for sharing your month's creations. I've really enjoyed watching them.

Cheers,
Bart

Thank you, Bart. This scene is actually one shot but I had to add a bit of border to the left side as I had clipped the clock. I started the shoot just after midnight to be eligible to have done it the proper day as I didn't want to wait until late afternoon on the day itself to start.

This took me 3 hours to shoot. I started out with everything but the kitchen sink on my set and the only way to get it all in the shot was with a wide-angle. Not only did the wide angle distort everything way beyond what would be acceptable, but there were were also jjust too many items and I could never get them all the way I wanted.

So I started changing my composition and taking things away. This means, going to open lights, change the setup. Refocus again and do it over and over until you get it right. This time with the 50mm. The shot you see here was my last shot of the day (or middle of the night - ) It does have some unfortunate shadows from the teapot and the pear onto the violin.. I only had 2 other shots of this exact composition and one had the same shadows and the other was a bit blurry as I had not focused properly.

This challenge was not easy but a great kick-start for my year. Some people did their images like snapshots. Oh, apple.. here's an apple, but I tried to make each image truly mine and that is why I am so pleased to see some people follow along and encourage me along the way.

Thank you, Bart, for your very kind words. :)
Maggie
 
I thought I'd share a few more photos with those who have been following my challenge.

Everyday I would make take a separate shoot on the same theme as the day for my banner but different from my chosen images. Here are some of the ones I did.

banner31day.jpg

I also have many alternatives that were not chosen either because I preferred another shot or I thought another shot was closer to the them.

alt31day.jpg
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Day 15 of the 31 day challenge was fruit on the outside.........

here is that shot:
day15fruitoutsideA.jpg

Then I took many, many different shots and had a hard time deciding which to use as my shot for the day, but decided on this one:
day15fruitoutside.jpg

Hope you are enjoying my adventure! :)


Yes, Maggie, we're enjoying this a lot as you have a great following here!

I myself have been distracted with preparing images for delivery and so am always" catching up". This one is another display of you being inventive, even if you copied this trick for hanging fruit from a friend. The ability to draw on past experiences requires a constant openness to new experience and this is one of the essentials for creative people, and preceded imagination. One needs a library of ideas to put together in order to make new ones!

Good work once more....and it's interesting. It's compelling nature is so obvious in comparison to your perfectly nice still life below it. The former demands one lingers, the second is just pleasant and competent. The difference is the ideas you have placed in the hanging fruit, an investment of importance that comes through.

Asher
 
Yes, Maggie, we're enjoying this a lot as you have a great following here!

I myself have been distracted with preparing images for delivery and so am always" catching up". This one is another display of you being inventive, even if you copied this trick for hanging fruit from a friend. The ability to draw on past experiences requires a constant openness to new experience and this is one of the essentials for creative people, and preceded imagination. One needs a library of ideas to put together in order to make new ones!

Good work once more....and it's interesting. It's compelling nature is so obvious in comparison to your perfectly nice still life below it. The former demands one lingers, the second is just pleasant and competent. The difference is the ideas you have placed in the hanging fruit, an investment of importance that comes through.

Asher

Actually, the comic made by my friend was after he heard me say that I would hang fruit outside even though our winter is pretty horrendous... then he made the drawing, then I did the photo.

Thanks for your support. I'm so glad you enjoyed the brave hanging fruit!

Maggie
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Day 23 of the 31 day challenge: Button(s)

day23buttons.jpg

All comments are not only welcome but very appreciated. :)
Maggie

This is a classic and I'd love a small print for my 4 year old grandson! We watch together Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a picnic to be ruined by Roadrunner who plays all sorts of tricks on Mickey, including taking those buttons off his pants!

Perfect compositional placement and soft shadow!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Day 31 of the 31 day challenge (YES, it's the last day)

Long Exposure. This is a shot I did with Light Painting.. using a small torch and a 10 second exposure. You are working in blackness when you do this and it is not as easy as I thought it would be.

day31longexposure.jpg

Maggie,

Food This is a surprise and must have taken a lot of on the job learning. I have never tried light-painting, but I can see that you have gained a lot of control over light distribution. I guess one can't have live view working as it might itself out light in the wrong place. Is there an option on any camera for accumulative live view for a. LCD as for the sensor?

The result is so impressive. I hope you do more.

Asher
 
This is a classic and I'd love a small print for my 4 year old grandson! We watch together Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a picnic to be ruined by Roadrunner who plays all sorts of tricks on Mickey, including taking those buttons off his pants!

Perfect compositional placement and soft shadow!

Asher
I'll message you with a link to the .jpg file - I'll put it on my server.
:)
Maggie
 
Maggie,

This is a surprise and must have taken a lot of on the job learning. I have never tried light-painting, but I can see that you have gained a lot of control over light distribution. I guess one can't have live view working as it might itself out light in the wrong place. Is there an option on any camera for accumulative live view for a. LCD as for the sensor?

The result is so impressive. I hope you do more.

Asher

This was very difficult. You cannot use live view really because everything is so dark. I left a little light in an opposite room that gave me just enough indication where the objects were. Over and over. Once the photo is taken, you can then see the result. I did not realize that people did several photos and masked them together - if I did, I would have eliminated the shadow on the violin by the teapot - the pear etc.,
I just did it over and over trying to get it right. In the beginning, I had so much stuff in the setup it was ridiculous. Really, really bad. I would then open the light, take something away, redo the composition and start over. When you do the re=composing you then have to remember where everything has moved because for one composition, the violin is pointing to the right, in another, it is pointing to the left. I kept of missing out on the scroll.

If I were to do it over, I would nudge a few items just a bit but I really only noticed these the next day when it was daylight when I uploaded the files to my computer.

I may try this again, but setup the composition during the day, and do the shoot at night which would make the shoot easier.

:)

Maggie
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Day 31 of the 31 day challenge (YES, it's the last day)

Long Exposure. This is a shot I did with Light Painting.. using a small torch and a 10 second exposure. You are working in blackness when you do this and it is not as easy as I thought it would be.

day31longexposure.jpg


Maggie,

I must return to this light-painting again as I left out my thoughts on the food food you included! I have photographed many fine violins and violinists. I consider myself competent and even accomplished in this endeavor. Your light-painted still-life, however however is on an entirely new level. :)

You've introduced a brilliant idiom - that of a violin, itself, taking a break in playing!!! You may already know, but often during intermission there's food for the soloist and orchestra. Tangerines and the like are a popular quick refreshing delight. The colorful peel curved around the bow, (risky move), is a touch of genius. That extra move by you clinches the deal. It becomes so real and with the clock you do add the sense of time and everyone there, relaxing, has an eye on the clock.

What you have done is successfully constructed the experience of such a "relaxation and refreshment period" for the violin itself. I don't believe anyone has ever achieved this before.
 
Maggie,

I must return to this light-painting again as I left out my thoughts on the food food you included! I have photographed many fine violins and violinists. I consider myself competent and even accomplished in this endeavor. Your light-painted still-life, however however is on an entirely new level. :)

You've introduced a brilliant idiom - that of a violin, itself, taking a break in playing!!! You may already know, but often during intermission there's food for the soloist and orchestra. Tangerines and the like are a popular quick refreshing delight. The colorful peel curved around the bow, (risky move), is a touch of genius. That extra move by you clinches the deal. It becomes so real and with the clock you do add the sense of time and everyone there, relaxing, has an eye on the clock.

What you have done is successfully constructed the experience of such a "relaxation and refreshment period" for the violin itself. I don't believe anyone has ever achieved this before.

I think I just got lucky, as I was paring down the original concept, I brought it to this and I thought the clock would work as a way to say 'time to take a break". Without the clock, the fruit and violin together doesn't make much sense but hadn't actually thought out if anyone had done this combination before.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I think I just got lucky, as I was paring down the original concept, I brought it to this and I thought the clock would work as a way to say 'time to take a break". Without the clock, the fruit and violin together doesn't make much sense but hadn't actually thought out if anyone had done this combination before.

Lucky or not, it simply works perfectly! So, Maggie, one day I intend to purloin your motifs here for my own composition. Just love the fruit peal as a symbol for a quick snack!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Day 29 of the 31 day challenge: Lines




day29lines.jpg




This is especially interesting to me as I closely follow women's fabrics and fashions. Stripes have evolved these past two years and include variations such as these and more. One cannot go to a mall in the USA without seeing an array of stripes, notwithstanding some of the surprising girth of the dear lady! Theres no doubt that stripes are almost at the level of flashing red lights and never fail to get attention. Your creative reworking of the patterns by using water filled vases as lenses is perfect for this challenge: original, current and interesting.

Another kudos to you, Maggie.....and I am closing in but still not finished with your many pictures.

Thanks for bringing us so much entertainment and ideas we can use in our own work. You raise the bar in originality and use of whatever you have around to deliver the goods!

Asher
 
day29lines.jpg




This is especially interesting to me as I closely follow women's fabrics and fashions. Stripes have evolved these past two years and include variations such as these and more. One cannot go to a mall in the USA without seeing an array of stripes, notwithstanding some of the surprising girth of the dear lady! Theres no doubt that stripes are almost at the level of flashing red lights and never fail to get attention. Your creative reworking of the patterns by using water filled vases as lenses is perfect for this challenge: original, current and interesting.

Another kudos to you, Maggie.....and I am closing in but still not finished with your many pictures.

Thanks for bringing us so much entertainment and ideas we can use in our own work. You raise the bar in originality and use of whatever you have around to deliver the goods!

Asher

Thank you, Asher, for coming back and checking out other images I took as it may also give some an opportunity to perhaps pop in and take a look.

I had promised myself that I wouldn't go out and buy anything for my shoots for the entire month unless it would be something that we would consume anyways, such as fruit or vegetables. I'll admit I'm not the biggest pear lover when it comes to eating them, but bought them because I love their shape. I did however, manage to turn them into a pretty fantastic coffee cake with lots of cinnamon!

For this image, I used wrapping paper. It is not black and white, but blue on blue but playing with the clarity and curves, I was able to get good contrast. The other side of the paper is diamonds and I did that also (you can see that version in the collage I did of alternative shots) and I really liked it a lot but felt that lines were more on theme for what the challenge asked for.

Thank you for giving these images a little more love and attention; I appreciate it.
:)
Maggie
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
I thought I'd share a few more photos with those who have been following my challenge.

Everyday I would make take a separate shoot on the same theme as the day for my banner but different from my chosen images. Here are some of the ones I did.

banner31day.jpg

I also have many alternatives that were not chosen either because I preferred another shot or I thought another shot was closer to the them.

alt31day.jpg


Smart idea --- and I really like your collages too.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Day 24 of the 31 day challenge : Cardboard Carton

When I was a child the best things my mom brought home from the grocery store were the boxes. We got to play in them and they became cars, boats and even houses. In this image I wanted to show how that a box could become anything in a child's mind. Imagination - it can take us anywhere!

day24cardboardbox.jpg

Maggie,

This is a delight! A job of love and commitment. I like the little house! It acts as a metaphor for the little homes we build on our brief stay, laundry and all! Your work shows patience.

Here we are not merely assembling what already exists. I find myself falling short, sometimes in willingness to completely commit to the time and devotion to create something like this from scratch. So this is a good lesson for us all. Put in the effort, it's doable and yes it's worth it!



Asher
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Maggie.

I saw Asher's comment yesterday to this post. I went through it once again, after feb/15; and my original comment then and copied below still stands:

"
Maggie, what a treat for me!!

The vision and the execution are simply way up there.

Bravo.

"

Take care.
 
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