A Year of Beauty- Photography Challenge- Year 2

[Samtian]

May- Flash/Artificial Light! Pop-up flash, on camera, off camera, light boxes, flash from your cell phone, and on and on! There are so many ways to light an image beyond the natural sunlight. Flash can help you take pictures during anytime of day, even at night. Flash is something I've been trying to learn myself. Right now the pop-up/harsh/paparazzi type of flash is having it's moment in wedding/couples photography. 

For on and off camera flashes there are a lot of different things called modifiers that help control the light so to speak. You can also use things like reflectors (tin foil, those things you put in your car windshield during the day, a white paper board etc.) to help bounce light and make it more even, you can use sheets to diffuse the light to make it not so harsh as well. I know a lot just use cell phones, so you can also use like a lamp or flashlight to make light, and use a sheet of reflector to help. You can get really creative with this! I was reading that there does appear to be some flashes you can connect to your cell phone as well. 

So the task! Create your images with artificial light! No matter how you do it, or what you use, don't just depend on available light like the sun or your lighting in the house (though it's artificial that's too easy). I'll be posting mine shortly. backlightblog  dot com/flash-photography-on-iphone

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.

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 

[Saradestin]

It is such a pleasure to the senses to enjoy your art @itsfi ! 😍

[itsfi]

So well said @Saradestin! Thank you! 💗

[fatimamummy]

These are awesome @itsfi  I also love black & White and if it was upto me most of my photo would be some tone of grey or B&W

[itsfi]

Thank you @fatimamummy! 😀 I don't know what it is exactly, but there's something about the look and feel of B&Ws that grabs my attention from the start. Oh grey tones?! It would be fascinating to see how changes in the greyscale of a photo changes its overall ambiance of the frame. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi I love those black and whites! I want that discovery set lol. 

[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!