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 

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Buootiful 

[lmaster]

Stunning photo @fatimamummy 

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @lmaster 

[missjeanie]

@fatimamummy I LOVE that the white background makes the photo feel 'clean' just like the product.  The packaging of the case also feels clean.  It's a perfect item to photograph this way.

[fatimamummy]

Thank you so much @missjeanie 

[Titian06]

Gorgeous, @fatimamummy !  I'd love to hang this in my bedroom! 💋💄❤

[fatimamummy]

Aww thank you so much @Titian06  You just made my day!

[Saradestin]

Sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful @fatimamummy  Gorgeous!

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Saradestin , I agree!

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy Oh wow! You really do blow me away with your skills!

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Samtian , I am enjoying this thread so much.

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy ❤️ I'm so glad!!

[Skunk12puzzola]

@fatimamummy minimal and cute 👍

[fatimamummy]

@Skunk12puzzola Thank you!

[itsfi]

Props:	note card and a few blooms from an orchid plant
Camera:	iPhone X
Lighting:	natural sunlight
Editing:	I cropped the photo for size (and so that my toes were out of the frame 😉)

[Buootiful]

This is so pretty, I want to frame it @itsfi ❤️

[itsfi]

Oh @Buootiful, thank you so much for you very kind words. 🤗

[missjeanie]

Okay @itsfi I'm so happy to hear you say you had to edit out your toes!!  I have to do this every photo I swear!   The Gucci lipsticks bring me joy every time I see them.  How do you feel about the liquid version?  I've heard great things about the Merit as well!  I love the card... This may be my mantra for tomorrow! lol

[itsfi]

Hahaha @missjeanie! Rarely is there ever a photo that I don't have to crop out my toes, especially the flat lays. 😂🤣😂 

Oh, I love the Gucci liquid matte lipsticks. Which, first of all, let's just pause and take a deep breath there. Who would have thought I would gravitate toward a liquid matte lipstick?!!! The consistency is thin which I like, and while it does dry down, it feels comfortable and not drying like other liquid lipsticks. I will be (wait for it...) buying another liquid matte lipstick - though maybe a little while later. I have a few to keep me busy. 😀 

[missjeanie]

@itsfi Okay.... I'm also quite anti liquid lipstick over here.  Drying, matte, makes my lips look kinda shrivel-ish.  I really only even looked at these because of how much I love the other Gucci lip products.  Dang it... if you love em maaaaaybe I'll need to see if I spy a shade I enjoy.  

[Saradestin]

So beautiful @itsfi! The note gives the picture a beautiful touch