A Year of Beauty- Photography Challenge- Year 2

[Samtian]

June- What you see vs. what I see- These are super fun things for photographers to share. Sometimes it is mindblowing! I'll update with images soon. Had a accident at work and it hurt one of my eyes. But anyways! What they like to do is take an image, like what a parent would take at their kids shoot (behind the scenes) or what is called a pullback. A pullback is where you show the whole area around where you are taking the picture. And then you compare the pullback vs what you actually captured. For now you can Google this phrase- what you see vs what i see photography and look at the images to get an idea of what the theme this month is. 

I was originally going to do another theme but with it not being as hot as July gets I figured best to do this one, in case anyone wants to try outdoor things! These are really fun to do because they make you think about your surroundings. From people portraits to landscapes and everything in between. You can take incredible images no matter where you are! One of my mentors recently captured senior images at a line of bushes on the outside of a small park/car chop shop and you never would have guessed it with how amazing they looked.

Your challenge this month is to think outside of the box, unless you are already doing that! Show your behind the scene (bts)/pullback and your final image. 

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

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

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 

[faeriegirl]

Nice photos @misslenax !

[SportyGirly125]

@misslenax So elegant and classy.

[fatimamummy]

They are both beautiful but if I have to pick just one, I’ll go with the first photo. I love how nicely lipstick colours and copper tones of your props compliment each other

[Saradestin]

I love them! I don’t think they are missing anything! 😍 Great job @misslenax !!!

[blackkitty2014]

Beautiful photos @misslenax 🌹

[lmaster]

Gorgeous photo!! @misslenax 

[eshoe]

I love your choice of accent objects, @misslenax. The smoothness of the compact and the sparkle of the stones lend interest. Your composition is beautiful, too! And I don’t think I could have picked one over the other; they are both stunning.

[AznAngelLiz]

@misslenax Oooh I like the accent pieces, and the lipsticks too 🙂

[Titian06]

Pretty, @misslenax ! 😍

[itsfi]

@misslenax, I can see how you had a hard time deciding between these two pics. Both shots are beautiful. 😍

[Samtian]

@misslenax Oooh I love love love it!!! Lipstick just needs to be in the photo is all 🙂 add all the props you want! 

[Samtian]

The first month will focus on Lipstick! Here's my first attempt. I'm not happy with it haha. But it'll be fun to see my progress ( I better progress!) throughout the challenge. The mono on mono trend has been really popular in the fashion/photography industry right now so I thought I'd give it a try. This is HUDA BEAUTY Power Bullet Matte Lipstick El Cinco De Mayo 

[faeriegirl]

I love it @Samtian !

[Samtian]

@faeriegirl Thank you!!

[SportyGirly125]

@Samtian Oh I love how powerful just this picture looks.

[Samtian]

@SportyGirly125 Thank you!!

[fatimamummy]

This is amazing @Samtian ! I wouldn’t have thought a monochrome photo can look this beautiful. Red on red is stunning ❤️

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy Awe thank you!!! 

[blackkitty2014]

This is just sooo good @Samtian . The red background and red lipstick… who would think they work together beautifully 🌹👍❤️🥰

[Samtian]

@blackkitty2014 Thank you!

[lmaster]

Love this!! @Samtian