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Weekly Photography Challenge, Week 14

April 6th 2011 20:46

Hey Everyone! This is the 14th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was CIRCLE.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.

And if you want to join or look at the other amazing photos taken this week, check out the Flickr group here.

This week's theme was CIRCLE and I feel like I'm in a rut. Again this week, my camera laid mostly dormant as I only happened upon a circle shot while out for the weekend. I'm hoping to really break out of my rut this following week and hope I have a photo I'm more proud to submit.

Here's my submitted photo for this week and the only circle I shot all week, although I know circles are all around us.

Photo Credit - KristiVPhoto

I like that it's not a normal "pretty" subject, but I think the rust and the yellow-color paired with the brick cobblestone pattern is fairly interesting. I just wish I had more circle shots to compete against it, because I know I could have had a better shot than this.

Know who did have better shots than this? My FAVs from the Flickr Group this week, here they are:

slapshots - Colorful Bubbles - He paired some colorful construction paper, some water and oil and shot it in macro. It's just a really fun, dramatic shot that was eye-catching even in a thumbnail.

misfitexplorer - Hole in the Wall - Literally shot through a hole in the wall, I like the central framing and the skewed path you're seeing. It's different, and I like it.

milemarkerzero - Bowl Circles - It's a circle made out of white circular bowls of different sizes. It uses the rule of thirds, and I like the simplicity of the white bowls with the neutral backdrop. I thought it was really well done.

Honorable Mentions - mafaldafcpb's Basketball on the Court, larkin2285's Circular Quilt and 3dogmom29's Circle in a Circle

I promise more effort next week for the theme... MOVEMENT!

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photography Challenge, Week 13

March 30th 2011 15:03

Hey Everyone! This is the 13th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was PURPLE.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.

And if you want to join or look at the other amazing photos taken this week, check out the Flickr group here.

This week's theme was PURPLE and I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot: Verbena Flowers. They've been blooming like crazy and have taken over the bed in our back-yard. I love them because they spread so wonderfully and bloom all spring and summer long. It's not the most creative subject for a color-themed week, but I couldn't help myself.

And because I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot, I didn't shoot anything else that was PURPLE all week (even though I LOVE purple!).

I did shoot other things though. My dad had his first art show this past weekend at Rosewood Garden Nursery in Calabash/Ocean Isle Beach, NC. He does acrylic paintings and pencil sketches and he had a good turn-out selling about 13 of his paintings. I'll try and put some photos up of it later.

So with that said, I visited my parents this past weekend to support his first art show and so did my sister (the model in last week's submission) and my grand-parents.

My computer-savvy step-grandfather has been watching my photography progress via facebook (yes, my step-grandfather is on facebook!) and decided to pass down one of his DSLRs to me, an Olympus E-1, plus the kit lens and a nifty 50mm/macro lens. He's also going to round up the flash and a telephoto lens for me the next time I see him. Considering I've just been using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with it's kit lens, you can probably tell I'm elated to have more camera/lens options.

The only thing is the Olympus E-1 is much less operator-friendly and I'll definitely have to get better at actually deciphering shutter speed, focal length, aperture and ISO instead of letting my camera do all the work. But that'll be one more thing that will push my photography hobby to new lengths, so I'm excited for the challenge.

But with all that said, the photo I submitted this week was taken with the new-to-me Olympus with the 50mm/Macro lens. I barely had to do any editing to this photo. I think I cropped it a bit and barely tweeked the color balance since the purple was so vibrant from the get-go. Here's my submission:

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

Here's the runner-up photo, again taken with the Olympus E-1 with the 50mm/Macro lens. With this one I drained the color out to give it a softer feel.

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

There were others taken, ones that showcased the vast amount of verbenas actually taken over the bed, but I just didn't love the way they turned out.

But, I shot a few more things in my yard with the new-to-me Olympus:

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

It's a single Dogwood Bloom in Sepia.

And here's a couple photos of spring blooms I took while at the art show at Rosewood:

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

With the next two, I caught a little insect resting on a bloom and I wish I could put these two photos together...

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

I love the POV of this photo: I love the insect in profile and I think the bokeh affect is pretty and the flower is in great focus, but the insect isn't as focused as I would have liked.

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

I love the fact that the insect is in focus, but I kind of find the background a bit busy and the actual flowers not as interesting...

Okay, since I'm going off-topic, let's get back to some PURPLE with my FAVORITES from the Flickr group this week:

the dSLR newbie - Purple Peeps - It's Easter-ready, with some purple Peeps coming out of their box with some fun purple fill she shot in a light box (I really got to get on making myself one of those!). I think it was a really fun and timely subject and done really well.

klubbers - Purple Stones - It's a shot of lit-from-under purple stones (gel caps?) and the lighting really works. It makes the stones glisten and there's also a reflective glow coming from them too (being reflected?) It's just a really cool shot.

RiseWithTheSun - Purple Horizon - She took things literally by light-writing the word purple against a purple and orange horizon shot. I think the light-writing was beautifully done (it looks as if it has star-bursts at the points!) and I love the deep purple sky with the orange street lights.

Honorable Mentions - rebeccavoy's Purple Lace and shutterboo's Purple Tie

Next week's theme is CIRCLE and considering my last day of work is tomorrow, I might just have too much time on my hands and there may be many more shots to chose from in these next few weeks. Anyone looking for someone to employ?!

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photography Challenge, Week 12

March 23rd 2011 14:43

Hey Everyone! This is the 12th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was PAST.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.

And if you want to join or look at the other amazing photos taken this week, check out the Flickr group here.

This week's theme was PAST. And although tons of ideas came to mind (antique cars, antique stores, historic buildings, abandoned buildings, etc.) I was too busy with my first attempt of Natural Light / Outdoor Portrait Photography to do anything else.

And so, my submission is a total cop-out. I'm using one of my favorite photos from my session with my gorgeous sister that I shot this PAST weekend. See how I loosely tied in the theme there? I know... it's kind of lame. However, I'm really proud of my first attempt at this style of portrait photography. I learned a lot and I would love to get more critiques, comments and suggestions on my shots from it and I can't wait to try it again soon.

So here's the shot I submitted:

Natural Light Portrait Photography Outdoor Weekly Photography Challenge

Photo Credit - Kristi V. Photography

If you want to see more shots or just read more about the photo session, please check out my Natural Light Portraiture post.

But let's get to my FAVs from the Flickr Group this week:

flip_jones - Memory & Marker of the Past - It's a photo of a bench with a memorial plaque overlooking an estuary, in memory of her grandparents. The shallow DOF on the plaque and the deep, rich tones of the photo really add to it, and give it a very emotionally-charged feel.

Kimyjo - Past Memories - It's a tight shot of several old handwritten letters, postcards, pictures and a book. It makes me think of the time where computers (emails) and phones (texts) weren't even a thought, and someone actually had to sit down with a pen and paper to communicate. I like how there's nothing in particular to focus on which has me appreciating all the things in the picture.

rattyree - Past Meets Present - It's a photo of the Harbour Board Wharf Office building (1896) opposite a row of modern concrete, steel and glass office buildings in New Zealand. I really like the contrast between old and new in the photo and think it speaks to the theme really well.

Honorable Mentions - Whitnickle's Past Gravestone, slapshot's Spanish Eight Reale Coin and CraftyCripple's Remembering the Past

Next week's theme is PURPLE. And I'll try not to be so lame. That shouldn't be a problem, considering the beautiful purple flowers blooming in my flower beds and a trip to my father's first art show this weekend! Til then folks!

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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First Attempt at Natural Light Portraiture

March 22nd 2011 18:10

Hey everyone! As a break from my Weekly Photography Challenge posts, I wanted to show you all my first attempt at Natural Light Portraiture.

I've been reading a lot about the subject and have seen a lot of photographs that I absolutely love using natural light in outdoor photography, so I wanted to try it out for myself. I convinced my sister to be my model and we headed off to her school where she teaches this past weekend to try out all the different styles I had been reading about.
[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Models

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Weekly Photography Challenge, Week 11

March 16th 2011 16:01

Hey Everyone! This is the 11th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was CURVES.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out by scrolling down the page.
[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photo Challange, Week 10

March 9th 2011 17:45

Hey Everyone! This is the 9th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was MESS.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN, REPETITION, FEAR, WHITE and LARGE) here

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photo Challenge, Week 9

March 2nd 2011 19:50

Hey Everyone! This is the 9th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was LARGE.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN, REPETITION, FEAR and WHITE) here.
[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photo Challenge, Week 8

February 23rd 2011 15:00

Hey Everyone! This is the 8th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was WHITE.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN, REPETITION, FEAR) here

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photo Challenge, Week 7

February 17th 2011 22:01

Hey Everyone! This is the 7th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was FEAR.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN, REPETITION) here

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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Weekly Photo Challenge, Week 6

February 9th 2011 14:56

Hey Everyone! This is the 6th week of Shutterboo's 52 week photography challenge, and the theme was REPETITION.

If you missed the previous weeks, check them out (ELECTRICITY, JOY, CONTROL, COLORFUL, SIGN) here

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Kristi - Category: Personal Progress

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April 2011

1 Posts

March 2011

6 Posts

February 2011

4 Posts