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 

[Saradestin]

Aww... you are so nice @tsavorite !!! 🤗🤗🤗

[itsfi]

Absolutely gorgeous @Saradestin! 😍 As are the eye looks you've created with them. (Catching up on those threads is on my to do list).

[Saradestin]

Thank you so much, beautiful @itsfi!! You are so sweet! 😘🤗

[Sunnysmom]

So cool @Saradestin , a color explosion! 

[Saradestin]

Yes @Sunnysmom ! All the colors together look so beautiful! 😍😍😍

[Samtian]

@Saradestin Beautiful! I love how you have the view in the top one and with the mirrors standing up. 

[Saradestin]

Thank you @Samtian ! I needed the sun and at this time of the year it only shows up a few hours in the morning in the balcony, which is tiny, so there is not that much staging I could do, but I wanted to participate regardless ☺️

[CookieGirl1]

Love that, @Saradestin 🙂

[Saradestin]

Thank you so much @CookieGirl1 ! 😘😘

[Kim888]

Giving it a go with my Gucci lippies - the packaging on its own is basically a good photo for those - so elegant ! 

 

[tsavorite]

@Kim888 ,

This is just beautiful!  Love it!  💖

[itsfi]

@Kim888, it makes me smile to see all those pretty Gucci lippies. Lovely shot. 💞

[Sunnysmom]

I love love this @Kim888 ! Makes me smile!

[Samtian]

@Kim888 Beautiful! I cannot get over that packaging!

[Skunk12puzzola]

@Kim888 this is a pretty photo for sure, wow 💖💕

[Titian06]

Gorgeous, @Kim888 ! 😍🤍🌸

[Saradestin]

Wow! Those a absolutely gorgeous! Spectacular! Such a beautiful picture @Kim888!!

[itsfi]

It was all about the product and lighting. No props for this photo shoot. 

Hourglass Eyeshadow - Take 1🎬  

Spoiler

I tried to put together a look similar to one VBB used for the launch of one of her lid lustres, but I wasn't able to capture the right angles to get the look I was going after.

Product(s):	Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eye Shadow Reflect
Camera:	iPhone X
Background:	Nightstand
Prop(s):	None
Other Material:	Tape to keep the eyeshadow from falling off the lid
Lighting:	Natural - about 2 hours before sunset; light was coming from behind the product
Editing:	Rotated photo to make it right side up

Hourglass Eyeshadow - Take 2🎬  

Spoiler

I wasn't happy with the previous shot so I decided to go with a different look. Same room, different location, different set up. 

Product(s):	Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eye Shadow Reflect
Camera:	iPhone X
Background:	Desktop
Prop(s):	None
Other Material:	None
Lighting:	Natural - about 2 hours before sunset; light was coming from the side
Editing:	Cropped

[tsavorite]

Very cool Pics, @itsfi,  Balancing act!  I like both photos, too!

[itsfi]

Thank you so much @tsavorite! I had the darndest time trying to get it to stay in place. Then came the tape! 😂 It’s the little things. Hahaha! 

[Sunnysmom]

Simple = perfection  @itsfi !