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 

[itsfi]

Oooh, I love brushes @Samtian and have an idea for a shot I'd like to try. Excited to see everyone's photos, though I have a feeling they may enable some more brush purchases! 😂 Here are some brush pics from past hauls. I'll fill in details about the shots another day.

Wayne Goss The Artist Collection

Hermes Blush Brush

Sonia G. The Lotus Set

Sonia G. Hinoki Set

[BlondeCafe]

These Wayne goss brushes look divine! What is the face feel like? Are they soft and spreadable on the skin, or more stiff and good for chiseling? Thanks! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @BlondeCafe! Most of the brushes are soft and easily spreadable; the Wayne Goss brushes feel wonderful on the skin. The contour brush from the Sonia G Lotus set has a little more stiffness to it; it doesn't feel scratchy on the skin but it's more firm.

[missy94612]

@itsfi 

Your brush collection is beautiful. Great photos.

[itsfi]

@missy94612, thank you! Makeup brushes is a fabulous rabbit hole to fall into. 😂

[tsavorite]

@itsfi ,

It's so easy to love brushes!  Hard to resist!  Nice Photos.  😊

[itsfi]

That is so true @tsavorite! I've sorted been pulled in by brushes in the last few years. Like you said, so easy to love and hard to resist. These are soft, but not too soft. Thank you❣️

[Sunnysmom]

Your brush collection is so good @itsfi ! Love the pics! 💞

[itsfi]

@Sunnysmom, thank you. Brushes have been the fun, new rabbit hole I've found myself falling down. 🕳

[CookieGirl1]

I love all of your brush pics, @itsfi!  Definitely artistic placement and the brushes themselves are gorgeous.

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, thank you. That's very nice of you to say. It's been fun learning about brushes and the different brands. 

[curlychiquita]

I love these beautiful pictures, @itsfi! You own such gorgeous brushes.

[itsfi]

@curlychiquita, thank you so much for your kind words❣️ I started picking up brushes as a set a few years ago. Like so many other products in the beauty space, there's a lot of beautiful offerings; it can be a challenge to not pick 'em all up at once. 🤣

[Kim888]

The lotus handles are so so pretty @itsfi !

[itsfi]

@Kim888, 100% agree! They’re beautiful. They perform very well too. I’ve contemplated picking up a couple more brushes individually now that they’re available for purchase outside of the set. 

[Titian06]

They're all so pretty, @itsfi ! 😍

[itsfi]

Thank you @Titian06 ❣️ Posting these reminded me that I need to reach for that Wayne Goss set more often. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Oh my I want them all haha. Those are all so beautiful!

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! It’s hard for me to walk away from pretty brushes. ♥️ They’ve been my splurge for the last few years. 😬 

[Samtian]

For the month of August we are doing brushes!

[juliotani]

This is cool pic,  love the background you have chosen there 😀