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 

[fatimamummy]

I very rarely wear nail polishes so this one is gonna be a bit hard but I think I can pull some photos from archive. 
These are old photos, I think from the time when I was using iPhone 8plus and was doing it just for fun. Just now before posting I realized how over exposed actual photos were so I did a little adjustment in Lightroom to make them presentable. 

[CynthieLu]

These are pretty polishes and picturesque 😍 @fatimamummy  you laid them out so nice, they made very good shots ❤

[Saradestin]

Gorgeous pictures and nails @fatimamummy ! 😍

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Saradestin 

[itsfi]

Beautiful photos @fatimamummy! I love ♥️ that you shared these archive photos - knowing that these shots were taken when you were just doing this for fun and seeing your phenomenal photos now, it really demonstrates what a gift and eye you have always had and it’s awesome to see how you developed that even more. 🥰 

P.S. I have a couple of polishes from this brand in my cart and have taken your posting these photos as a sign I need to purchase them. 😉 

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @itsfi  It is pretty interesting for me to see my own old photos that I was so proud of at that time and now looking at them I can immediately tell what’s not right there. We learn and evolve that’s the beauty 🙌🏼

Did you end up buying these polishes? 

[itsfi]

Yes, indeed @fatimamummy! That's a true sign of how you've grown and developed your photography skills.

I did purchase a few (let's just say "a few" okay? 😆) polishes. After seeing your photo, I went back to my cart and saw it was the last hour of a sale they were having so I didn't waste any more time and went for it. I'm excited to try them out myself. I first heard of them when I was helping a friend look for a gift and have meant to try their polishes. The hardest part is narrowing down which shades to buy. 

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy Those are really pretty colors and placement!

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Samtian 

[Titian06]

Very pretty, @fatimamummy !  I can tell you used a different camera for these, but the nail polish is the star of the pics so they still look great!  💖💖💖

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Titian06  Difference in photo quality is amazing

[fatimamummy]

When you are about to sleep and remember you were to post a new photo here, yup that’s me. Here it is @Samtian 
Last entry to the perfume challenge. Looking forward to see December’s theme

Photo taken with Cannon Rebel EOS T7 

[CynthieLu]

This set up is fantastic! This is so professional looking 👌 @fatimamummy Your eye for this stuff is spot on!

[Saradestin]

Wow @fatimamummy ! Spectacular! 😍

[Kim888]

Such a pretty set up @fatimamummy !!!

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy I'm so glad you shared it! You should make a coffee table book ❤️ I love this one so so much!

[itsfi]

This is a work of art @fatimamummy! 😍 The placement of all the pieces in this frame works beautifully together; the fragrances of course are the stars of the photo - gorgeous! At the same time, the supporting pieces, like the books and the pretty (floral shaped?) dish with the blue gradient capture your attention as well but without taking away from the lovely collection of fragrances. 

[fatimamummy]

Thank you so much @itsfi  I am glad how well it all worked out and yes it is a bluish black flower shaped dish that I mostly use to keep small jewelry

[itsfi]

Last but not least for the November Photograph Challenge - Fragrance

Photo Details:

Spoiler

Product(s):	Tom Ford Private Blend Eau de Parfum Mini Decanter Discovery Gift Set (consists of 0.4 oz. decanters of  TOM FORD Bitter Peach Eau De Parfum TOM FORD Rose Prick TOM FORD Lost Cherry)
Camera:	iPhoneX
Background:	Table
Prop(s):	Used the box for the trio as a prop, along with cream colored knit throw, journal with a black & white herringbone print
Other Material:	Faux sprig of greenery with individual blooms sprinkled about
Lighting:	Natural, indirect lighting
Editing:	None

This is one of my favorite purchases of the year and shot. Thank you @Samtian for this challenge. To say it's amazing is an understatement. I've learned and continue to learn so much here. 💖

[Saradestin]

You always amaze me with your gorgeous pictures @itsfi ! ❤️❤️❤️

[itsfi]

@Saradestin, thank you for your always kind and encouraging words. 😘 I'm getting to combine two things I'm interested in through BIC and this thread - beauty products and photography! It's a definite win-win for me. 💖