A Year of Beauty- Photography Challenge- Year 2

[Samtian]

September/October is here so break time is over!

Time to start with some fundamentals. Photography has it's own set of "rules". Which of course are meant to be broken, but it's really helpful to know some basics. Starting with the rule of 3rds in composition. What you do is place your subject on one of the "imaginary" lines that cut a photo into thirds ( 9 sections). I do this rule often, but sometimes parents don't like it in their pictures and want the subjects centered. Included is images with the lines showing. Just basic set up so you can see it. One of the easiest ways to get something on one of the lines is to crop it down. When you crop an image you usually get the lines that show up, using those lines tells you where the "thirds" are, and just line your subject up with one of them. 

If you want to get really technical I encourage you to look up the Golden Ratio and learn about it. It has many names and it is way too mathematical for my brain to comprehend. To my knowledge I don't think I have ever taken a golden ratio image. I have golden triangle but not ratio. Check it out! photoworkout dot com/golden-ratio-photography/  

Hopefully you can see the lines...I should have thought it out and used a dark background. 

What a great first year we had!! Even if I dropped the ball sometimes! I decided to change things up this year with the themes. They will be a little more challenging this year.

2023-

April- DOF 2 images.

May- Flash/Artificial Light.

June- What you see vs. What I see

July- Break

August- Break

September/October- Rule of 3rds.

2022 challenges-

April- Lipstick

May- Eye Shadow

June- Primer/Foundation/Concealer/CC/BB

July- Highlighters

August- Brushes

September- Sheet Masks

October- Hair Care

November- Fragrance

December- Nail Polish

January- Blush/Bronzer

February- Candles/Wax Melts/ Diffusers

The challenge and "rules"-

1. Flat lays and staged photos only. I'll post examples below. But no faces or people allowed in your photos. (Though you can include photographs).

2. All photos you take must be your own. 

3. Post as many images as you want, you have a whole month to get creative with each theme. Post one, post everyday, doesn't matter.

4. Let's talk gear and products! Tell us about your image. List the products and colors, talk to us about your concept and how it came to be, taken with your phone or DSLR? 

Here are some helpful reads- digital-photography-school dot com/flat-lay-photography/  and digital-photography-school dot com/tips-for-getting-started-with-still-life-photography/

Here are some of my example images I've taken in the past-

Gucci Bloom Eau De Toilette 1 oz/ 30 mL 

Floral Street Sunflower Pop Eau De Parfum Travel Spray 0.34 oz/ 10 mL 

[danielledanielle]

Sounds good 🙂 @Samtian  📸

[Samtian]

@danielledanielle Yes!!!

[CookieGirl1]

@Samtian I'm terrible at flatlays but maybe THIS will inspire me to make some skill improvements 🤔.  This is a fun idea for a challenge!

[Samtian]

@CookieGirl1 This is me and my patience trying to do flat lays! 

[eshoe]

@Samtian @CookieGirl1 this might be me, too.

[CookieGirl1]

@Samtian I feel this 😂.

[Guessgal]

@Samtian Ooo fun! I love taking flat lays! Plus, I’m sure this will spark the inner photographer a lot of us wouldn’t have known we had! 😁

[Samtian]

@Guessgal I love hearing that!!!!

[fatimamummy]

@Samtian  Now this is a challenge after my own heart. You know I love product photography so you may end up seeing my whole Insta feed here 😂

Can’t wait to see what the first theme is going to be. 

[itsfi]

@fatimamummy, I love your photographs. It puts a smile on my face whenever I see them on BIC. Very artistic. ♥️

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy Haha that makes me excited because I love your pictures and your insta feed! 

[eshoe]

@Samtian what an absolutely fabulous idea. I love it and hope to stash a little time aside to join in. What a great way to join together two of your favorite things, photography & beauty!!

[Samtian]

@eshoe Thank you! I know of at least one category you'll definitely like and do already 😄

[eshoe]

I have plenty of room for improvement, @Samtian.…this is a great place to start!

[Samtian]

@eshoe That makes me so happy to hear!

[Buootiful]

@Samtian  what a wonderful idea! I love that you mention Unicorn mail/Gratis, that is a great way to get more people involved in the BIC!

I would love to participate! I used to take absolutely terrible pictures until I realized you need some props to enhance it. My problem is, there are so many products to snap that you will accumulate a lot of props.  I am running out storage space, lol.  I like how you said no faces or people. Pets should be exempt 🤣.

[Samtian]

@Buootiful 🤔 I do have a weakness for cats...and they are jerks who have to insert themselves into photos... 😈 Lol as for the gifts I needed a way to encourage people. And I see the how do I get free gifts or involved in unicorn mail posted often so...🙊

[eshoe]

Ha ha yes on the pet exemption, @Buootiful @Samtian 😂 

[heavyhedon]

@Samtian 

What a great idea! I'm always drawn to art produced using makeup as the model when I'm trolling pinterest. Sign me up!

[Samtian]

@heavyhedon YES!!!

[Kim888]

What a fun idea @Samtian !!! It seems like a really cool way to see not only new makeup but some older products people have in their collection! I love seeing palettes past people have !!!