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 with Jasmine, Tuberose, and Neroli 1 oz/ 30 mL 

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

[Samtian]

@mantia Not just makeup! 

[makeitup305]

A picture I took of the Summer Gratis with my birthday flowers this week! 

[Samtian]

@makeitup305 Pretty! Happy late birthday!

[itsfi]

@makeitup305, what a beautiful bouquet! Happy birthday!

[Mellmars1185]

@makeitup305 Beautiful photo

[makeitup305]

thanks @Mellmars1185 !

[Samtian]

I had an eye injury at work and my flash wasn't firing so I'm going to have to catch up on the flash one. New challenge posted!

[Buootiful]

Oh no, I  hope you are doing well now that some time has passed. 🤗 @Samtian 

[Samtian]

@Buootiful Thank you, I am!

[sister13]

Thanks for updating @Samtian and sorry about your eye, I sure hope it’s feeling better! It’s so distressing when your eyes give you problems! I didn’t get a lighting one in but hoping for June challenge! @Samtian 

[Samtian]

@sister13 Thank you! You can always add previous ones! Can't wait to see what you come up with this month! Eye is better. 

[Margalee]

@Samtian love the idea of this challenge! I'll have to give one of these a try! 

[Samtian]

@Margalee We'd love to have you!

[Buootiful]

May- Flash/Artificial Light!

Flash: I like how it covers up the reflections on  the mirror like surfaces of the products.

I usually take a test picture to see what points the flash will bounce off of unflatteringly.  Then I start moving the phone around to get the best shot. I think I avoided the harshness of this light so that it didnt cover the Rare Beauty lettering. I know its not the best tone but it makes the objects clearer. What do you think? @Samtian 

Flash

Artificial light from several feet away: It gives a true color of the composition but  you can see other objects in the caps of the bronzer and blush. Also, the font on the packaging isn't as sharp as in the flash photo. 

 

[sister13]

Nice job! I like the lighting on the lettering! @Buootiful 

[Buootiful]

Thank you! @sister13 

[itsfi]

Nice show of the contrast in these photos @Buootiful. 📸 That’s a smart approach to taking photos.

[Buootiful]

Awww, thanks! 😘 @itsfi 

[Samtian]

@Buootiful I think you did great! I love how you tried different angles and really thought about it. I love that glow it gives on the reflective surfaces!

[Buootiful]

Thank you, Master! 😘 @Samtian 

[itsfi]

Flash / Artificial Light - May 2023 Photography Challenge

I’ve been out of town, primarily for work, but on one recent trip, I tacked on an additional day to play. Decided to try another shot with artificial lighting in my hotel room. This time with some of my travel skincare beauties. 💜 

Natural light (blinds open, morning) 

Artificial Lighting (from lamp) (blinds drawn, early evening)

I love shooting with natural light. In the winter months when it gets dark earlier, I don’t have many opportunities to take photos when it’s light outside so this winter, I had the chance to learn more about shooting with artificial lights. It took me a while to get the hang of it, how shadows interplay with the lighting, etc. 

Here, the lighting from the lamp helped to illuminate and make more clear the brand name on the cream cleanser and the cream, but made the writing on the cleansing oil (white bottle) less easy to read.