A Year of Beauty- Photography Challenge- Year 2

[Samtian]

September 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- 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 

[CynthieLu]

Lol It's funny how that works 😋

It's really pretty @itisfi it needs some time to shine 💖

[itsfi]

Yes, it does @CynthieLu. I've been better over the last 2 - 2-1/2 years l with hauls and with making more use of what I have, but there are a few handful from years past that could use a lot more attention and that should get a lot more love, like this Chanel tweed blush and the Givency bronze below. 😁

[Samtian]

@itsfi This is so fancy! I love it!

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! The blush was from a while back, when I wore blush more often and when I couldn't get enough of the fancy. I probably still can't get enough of the fancy but I've slowed my roll 😆 Well, I've slowed it down a little. Hahaha! 

[Kim888]

Ooh I’m jealous of your tweed blush @itsfi - it’s so pretty ! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @Kim888! I'm slowly going back through some of my products again and deciding whether to declutter or keep it for a shop my stash, or, if I've never used them, to donate or rehome them.

[itsfi]

A minimalist photo set up 

Photo Details:

Spoiler

Product(s):	Givenchy Les Saisons Healthy Glow Powder Floral Edition Bronzer
Camera:	iPhoneX
Background:	Table
Prop(s):	Parts of a floral decor piece
Other Material:	None
Lighting:	Artificial indoor lighting
Editing:	None

[Samtian]

@itsfi So pretty!

[itsfi]

@Samtian, taking this photo was a reminder that I need to actually put this product to use. 😬 Staring at it isn't going to do that. 😅 This is going in the shop my stash bin for makeup. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi That's why I can't shop for the fancy stuff, I'd have to get two of each. 

[JoSometimes]

I love the floral theme you’ve created with the vines and the bronzer’s pattern @itsfi!

[itsfi]

Thank you @JoSometimes! The detailing of the floral pattern on bronzer stands out beautifully on its own. I tried adding other florals with it but they clashed and eventually decided on just the bronzer and a little bit of leaves peeling out. 

[CynthieLu]

Lovely photography @itsfi ooh the shade and the branch, somehow make the bronzer stand out more 🤩 magic!

[itsfi]

Thank you @CynthieLu. It was hard to find a prop that didn’t compete with the design on the bronzer so I ended up just keeping it very simple.

[Titian06]

Your photo is so pretty, @itsfi !  I love the layout and the product itself is gorgeous! 😍

[itsfi]

@Titian06, thank you. The floral design on the bronzer is really pretty 😍

[JoSometimes]

I just picked up Sephora Favorites Year of the Water Rabbit Makeup Luxe Gift Set. Since this month is Bronzers/Blushes, I decided to just showcase NARS Blush Orgasm from the set. 

Photo was shot on my iPhone SE (3rd Gen) using the rear camera on portrait mode and ƒ set to 1.8. I used Snapseed for some post-editing.

[Samtian]

@JoSometimes So pretty!!! I love all that red!

[JoSometimes]

Thank you @Samtian! Red is a lucky colour! ❤️

[CynthieLu]

Beautiful photo 📸 @JoSometimes this looks great!

Side note, Oooh the #Sephora Favorites Year of the Water Rabbit Makeup Luxe Gift Set is sooo gorgeous! 😍

[JoSometimes]

Thank you @CynthieLu! And I agree! I really like the set! I’m a little sad that the reviews are bringing it down.