A Year of Beauty- Photography Challenge

[Samtian]

Hello! March's Challenge!! Drumroll please...Free for all! Time to get caught up on anything you missed or forgot to do.

Previous 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

I've been thinking for a while now about creating a challenge. And why not mix my two favorite things in life!? Beauty and photography. As some of you know I am a photographer on the side. But my creativity for things like this are horrible! Each month we will have a different theme, and your challenge is to incorporate the theme into a creative photo!

This challenge is going to be a little different, because you won't be creating looks! Starting in April, but I'd love to get your input and if this is something you would be interested in participating in. I thought about doing prizes and voting, we can still vote for the best if you guys want. But with all the legal jargon needed for prizes I decided I didn't want to mess with that. I might send  unicorn mail throughout to those who participate often though 😼 PS- They make for great filler posts on your social media too. And active participation in the forum, reviews, and gallery ( don't forget to post your challenge photos there too!) can possibly help your chances of getting gratis...like those two beautiful perfumes I got as a gratis below *wink wink*.  

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 eau de toilette spray 

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

[itsfi]

@Samtian, I love seeing B&Ws; I really should do them more. It was fun to be able to do the same shot in color and then again in black and white. Seeing the photos next to each other when I scroll through the pics on my camera phone was great - made me look at the photographs in a more detailed way. Gave me a lot to think about (and work on for another day)! Thank you, thank you! Love this thread samtian ❣️

[Samtian]

@itsfi You can have so much fun with black and whites! There are so many different kinds to try.

[Samtian]

In February I was at a photography workshop/get together thing. And one of my all time favorite photographers was there. In his area of shooting he was over, he had us all switch our cameras to mono mode. He personally shoots it like that, so he isn't distracted by colors but just focuses on highlights, shadows, and tones. It threw so many people off. It was a challenge for sure! Of course when you upload them to your computer they are in color though. 

[itsfi]

Whoa! That sounds so cool @Samtian! I loved that you were able to take part in a session that one of your favorite photographers was leading / overseeing. How great was that?!!! So happy for you. What a fabulous challenge he had you do - I can see how that could throw people off. But what great lessons to be learned about all those things you mentioned - highlight, shadows, tones. I did start thinking more about those things when comparing these B&W shots with the color photos. Didn't necessarily think about those things before too much before; I'm usually just focused on getting a shot in before something rolls off the table or making sure the top part of my shoe doesn't end up in a place in the frame where I can't easily crop it out. hahaha! But now it'll be something I consider when setting up for a shot. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Haha I hear ya on something rolling off! It was a really great lesson. 

[CookieGirl1]

Oh wow, @itsfi, I love your Kilian collection.

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, it’s a beautiful discovery set. I was happy to see Sephora carrying it this year. 

[Sunnysmom]

These are wonderful @itsfi ! I’m crazy about B/W too. Good reminder. I never do it on my phone I don’t think!  

[itsfi]

@Sunnysmom, thank you. The effect of black and white photography can be stunning. 📷 

[Titian06]

I love the B&W pics, @itsfi ! 😍  I'm a fan of B&W photography. 📸

[itsfi]

A black and white photo creates such a beautiful look and feel @Titian06. 😍 I need to remember to turn on that feature on my phone camera more often. 📷 Along with turning the 'flash' feature from auto to 'on' from time to time. Ha!

[fatimamummy]

A bit of a festive touch with a perfume from last year’s holiday gratis,  photo taken with phone camera (iPhone 12 Pro Max)

[Saradestin]

Beautiful @fatimamummy! ❤️

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy Thats so cute!

[fatimamummy]

@Samtian  Thank you 🤍

[Titian06]

@fatimamummy - Another beautiful photo! 🥰  You have such a gift! 

[fatimamummy]

Thank you so much @Titian06  I really appreciate your kindness

[Sunnysmom]

You are so talented @fatimamummy , I also love to see your creative pics! 

[fatimamummy]

Thank you so much @Sunnysmom  Means a lot 🤍

[tsavorite]

@fatimamummy , This is beautiful!  Well done!

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @tsavorite