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 

[LCResz]

The rare and gorgeous Guerlain Glamourwing!

Part bee, part butterfly, all beautiful 😉😍

[Buootiful]

What a great layout and such beautiful makeup objet d'art @LCResz 😍

[Samtian]

@LCResz That is so creative! I love it. 

[itsfi]

Love your creativity @LCResz. 💖 Beautiful photo.

[blackkitty2014]

Your photo makes my heart sings. Truly beautiful ♥️🥰🌹❤️ @LCResz 

[curlychiquita]

This is gorgeous, @LCResz!

[Titian06]

I love the Glamourwing, @LCResz ! 😍🦋🐝  Very creative!

[fatimamummy]

Trying to jump back in the posting rhythm. Another photo from Archieve.

Nest Candles shot with iPhone 12 Pro Max and colour corrected in Lightroom. Light if I remember correctly is a combination of natural light from window and a ring light. For props I used my most favourite medium aka books and there is a little white vase on the corner.

[Buootiful]

Wow, makes me want to have a philosophical conversation in front of this candle @fatimamummy 😍

[Samtian]

@fatimamummy So beautiful! I love the mix of lighting. 

[itsfi]

Exquisite @fatimamummy. I'm always so in awe of the elegance in your compositions. 😍 The candles NESTled against the books and vase creates such a beautiful mood. Thank you for sharing about the lighting; I have a small ring light that I don't really use but am adding your lighting combination to my list of techniques to try. 

[Titian06]

Very pretty, @fatimamummy ! 🥰

[itsfi]

Time got away from me this month and I didn't get a chance to try a shot I had worked out in my head for this month's theme @Samtian but I've added it to my list of homework / photos to work on for another day. 📸 I did take this shot the other day and liked how it turned out in black and white. 

Spoiler

Product(s):	Voluspa Magnolia Grapefruit candle
Camera:	iPhone X
Background:	Table
Prop(s):	Journal and pen
Other Material:	lid to candle jar
Lighting:	Artificial light, indoors - black & white lens
Editing:	Zoomed in & cropped

The candle has a very pleasant sense (and scent lol) to it. Hoping to see this available at Sephora at some point.

[fatimamummy]

It is beautiful @itsfi , I love black & White photos, They have a timeless feel.

[itsfi]

Thank you @fatimamummy! I agree, there's something so beautiful about black & white photos that I love. 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Looks fantastic! A little birdie told me next month is a free for all/catch up month. 😉

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! Ahhhh, thank you to the little birdie for the intel. I have a few things I want to catch up on and some things I want to try again. Going to go through my notes this weekend and then try to plan time for some photo shoots. 😉 

[Samtian]

@itsfi I cannot wait to see!

[Titian06]

Nice pic, @itsfi ! 🙂  Love the butterflies on your journal.  Where did you find that?

[itsfi]

Thank you @Titian06! 🙂 The journal is a nice one; has a small pocket in the back and the paper has some weight to it. 👍🏼 I got it on amazon. If you do a search “Keegood dotted bullet journals notebook” it should show up in the results. 

[itsfi]

I decided to do something a little more lighthearted and went into my archived photos for this one, which was originally a post I made to the mask thread. Did some minor editing to focus the frame just a little more on the candle. 

Photo Details:

Spoiler

Product(s):	Cereal Candle (brand unknown)
Camera:	iPhone X
Background:	Kitchen counter
Prop(s):	Plate of mochi donuts and a sheet mask
Other Material:	Chopping board
Lighting:	Indoor, natural light & the lit candle
Editing:	Cropped at right and bottom to reduce the space in the frame taken up by the props to try to focus the shot more on the candle