Confusion and Clumsiness = Colourful Chaos

Today's challenge was to communicate chaos, disorganization or messiness in a photograph. Find some beauty in it.

Guess where this was taken? Did you say work? Ding! Ding! Ding! Give that man (or woman) a prize! Feeling over-tired, I wan't really paying attention and pulled out my drawer containing these push-pins all the way and ended up with the pins all over the floor, my desk, my lap and even into my cold cup of coffee. After sitting there for a few seconds feeling dumbfounded (have I mentioned how tired I am?), I grabbed the 'ole point and shoot and started snapping away at the colourful chaos that surrounded me. After a few minutes though, reality set in and I started cursing away as I had to clean up the prickly mess......

Mags.

Mirror Mirror On The Wall.....

Today's assignment was to use a mirror as part of a composition in a photograph today. Show yourself in the image if you'd like!

Over the past few weeks, I've been living, eating, breathing and, pretty soon, will be sleeping in the "beige cage" as I've been pulling some ridiculous 11, 12 and sometimes even 14 hour work days. I've lost touch with the outside world. I'm exhausted, and don't have the time when I get home to pull out the DSLR and shoot wonderful pictures. Thank darwin I always have my point and shoot with me at all times. I was able to capture a shot of my little "spy mirror" I've got hooked up on the top corner of my computer at work. As you can see, my desk was in total disarray at the time this shot was taken.....

Mags.

Colourful Indoor Water Fun....

Water sustains life. Colour enhances life. Today's challenge was to make a photo combining colour and water.

With the weather being cold and yucky today, I needed to figure out a creative way to combine colour and water together in an indoor environment. Rooting through my kitchen cabinets, I came across some bottles of food colouring and began to experiment by adding a drop or two into a container of water. I realized I needed to move fast as the food colouring sank quickly to the bottom. I played around with different shots stirring the food colour until the water became solid colours of blue, yellow and red. I even took it one step further by combing the primary colours into solid secondary colours ( orange, purple and green). I eventually settled for this shot. I liked the way the movement of the food colouring in the water took on a ribbon-like appearance.

Mags.

In The Gutter....

Today's daily challenge was to make a photograph featuring a diagonal line of series of diagonal lines.

Feeling a bit under the weather with seasonal allergies today, I really wasn't in the mood to be photographing much. I came across this sewer cover and was instantly attracted to it because of the diagonal lines and, with a few adjustments, really highlighted the lines to make them the focal point of the photo. Little did I know, one can be arrested for taking photos of sewers. I came across an article about a man in the UK who was arrested for allegedly taking such a picture......check it out: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x54hqTVtM78&feature=player_embedded

Crazy!

Mags.

Strikes, Spares and Gutter Balls.........

It was an early morning call as my butt was dragged out to watch Guy bowl with his friends. While I do bowl from time to time, I chose not to participate as I need new bowling shoes (I REFUSE to rent them...my princess feet don't get squeezed into shoes that smell like stinky cheese or are masked by the smell of disinfectant.....I'm kinda germaphobic that way). So, I brought my camera and decided to play around with it and learn how to create some motion shots. I eventually figured out the best way to capture motion is by using a tripod. I took over 100 shots today and settled on this one. I liked how the pin in the middle remained in focus while the rest of the pins surrounding it became a blurry chaos.

Mags.

Sometimes I Have Some "Grate" Ideas....

Today's challenge was to find a repeating pattern and make a photo of it.

Feeling quite disappointed with the work I've turned out the past few days, I really wanted to create an interesting photo today. I knew I wanted to keep it simple and to the point but yet artistic and interesting. I was shredding cheese while preparing dinner this evening and thought that the cheese grater was an excellent example of repeated patterns and would make a simple yet interesting shot. I tried to create a bit of drama with the lighting to keep the focus on the cheese grater. After 100 or so shots, I decided to use this one as I was able to capture the repetitive patterns effectively on two sides of the shredder. What a "grate" idea this was, no?

Mags.

With Deepest Sympathy

Sympathy can be difficult to express in words.Today's challenge was to make an image suitable for the cover of a condolence card.

Not feeling really energetic for a photo shoot today after last night's festivities, I decided to shoot the blooms on a Gerbera plant that was given to me as a gift. I wanted to try out the Macro feature on my new point and shoot that I purchased yesterday and followed up with some editing to soften the photo and tone down the bright hues.

Mags.

Stirred, NOT Shaken......

It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere (whoo hoo!). Today's assignment was to make a photo of a cool, refreshing drink. To me, nothing says summer like a great martini. In this photo, I've captured a shot of todays apres work beverage: The Apple Martin.

Nothing matches the mystique of the martini. It's the ultimate cocktail for cool cats and lounge lizards alike. The classic martini is made with gin and vermouth. Although nowadays martinis are often made with vodka, purists still insist on gin. The "dryness" of the martini depends on the amount of vermouth used; less vermouth results in a "drier" martini. Back in the swanky 1960's, people were accustomed to a lower ratio of gin to vermouth, sometimes a 1:1 ratio. The modern trend is for drier martinis-often an 8:1 ratio. Experimentation will help you discover your own "perfect martini". Chic variations on the classic martinis use flavoured vodkas--orange, vanilla and even hot pepper for a spicy alternative. But remember, martinis should always be stirred, NOT shaken, so that the molecules lie sensuously on top of one another.

CHEERS!

Mags.

I like it Hard and Soft, Rough and Smooth......

Today's challenge was to create a photograph that emphasizes a change in texture.

I chose to photograph this small floral arrangement that I keep next to my kitchen sink. I thought that the softness of the flowers and foliage contrasted nicely with the hard glass container that the arrangement sits in. The glass container has a striped combination of clear glass and frosted glass which is an excellent example of rough and smooth.

Mags.

Crinkled, Wrinkled and Folded

Ads promote removing wrinkles, but they often add character. Today's challenge was to shoot a photo of something crinkled, wrinkled or folded.

This photo captures all three of those elements. I wanted the bowl of the crinkled-styled potato chips to be the focal point of this photo so I made sure that my backdrop was dark so that the light coloured chips would stand out. I found some folded up black tissue paper, wrinkled it and unfolded it . The afternoon sun was streaming through the window and provided the only source of lighting I used for this shot. 

I also thought it would make an interesting entry into this week's theme of "Look But Don't Touch" here on 365 project since some of us may be watching what we eat and consuming a whole bowl of greasy chips would certainly be detrimental to our healthy eating lifestyles we are attempting to follow..........

Mags.

Abstracted with Abstraction

Today's assignment was to get creative with abstraction by taking a photo of patterns and/or shapes that aren't recognizable objects.

I spent most of my day trying to find an interesting object to shoot. After clicking photos of this and that, I settled for this object. To add an "abstract" feel to it, I cropped it and enhanced the colouring to this everyday object. 

Can you guess what this is?

Mags.

The View From Down Here.....

Today's challenge was to take a photo from a low point of view.

I have to be honest... today I was not feeling very motivated to take photos (and it shows from this shot). Feeling sore from an intense class at the gym tonight and tired from lack of sleep over the last week or so, my creative energy is running very low. I wandered into my backyard, laid down on my patio and shot up capturing my Astilbe shrub and fence trying to make them appear more elongated than they really are. Original? No. Creative? Far from it. But, it's the best I could l do for today.

Mags.

Light vs. Dark

Today's assignment was to search for an area with a big difference in light. I took a photo of the bright blue sky with it's billowy clouds. While the shot was nice, it appeared very "pedestrian" to me so I goofed around with photoshop and came up with this instead. I love how the "dark" clouds look so ominous while the sky itself takes on more of a sunset feel.

Mags.

I spy with my little eye something that is.........BLUE

Today's challenge was to take a photo of something blue. I went for a short walk this evening to see if I could capture something exciting. Sadly, this was the best I could do. These metal blue benches are found throughout the city I live in. these particular two are located in a community park right around the corner from my house. I shot many photographs of the benches at various heights and angles and ended up with this photo.as my chosen shot of the day.

Mags.

Fireworks Gone Amiss

Ok, so technically this was taken last night, not today. Yesterday being Canada Day, there were many displays of fireworks going off in our neighbourhood. It's my first attempt to photograph the light show using my big-girl camera. It's not a classic textbook photo by anymeans. I know what I did wrong......I should have used my tripod and I should have used a faster shutter speed. I thought the way the light trails in the sky was still pretty cool though.

Mags.

Circles and Squares

Today's inspiration came from The Daily Shoot .....the object was to photograph a circle and crop it to fit inside a square frame. I loved the texture on the back of my yoga towel and thought that the little nubby thing that prevents it from slipping on my mat would make a cool circle. I then framed it with a floral frog (an item that holds floral stems in place in a vase) to add some demension to the shot. Finally I edited the picture by cropping it into a square frame. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Mags.

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Bright On White

Came across the siteThe Daily Shoot today and ended up finding inspiration for today's picture. Each morning, the site publishes a new "daily assignment". Today's assignment was to make a photograph that's all bright tones or dominated by white......I came across these bright binder clips and thought that they would be a great way to convey that "bright" theme. What do you think?  

Mags.

Industrial

Turned out to be a beautiful evening and since I didn't go to the gym today and hadn't taken any pictures, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by going for a stroll (hauling the camera along of course!!). I live near a local brick producing factory and have always been intrigued by the gianormous stacks that tower over the factory. I really like how the trees frame and soften up this otherwise cold, industrial looking structure.

Mags.

Texture

Texture is perceived surface quality. There are two types of texture: tactile and implied. Tactile texture (real texture) is what we are most familiar with. It is the way the surface of an object actually feels. Examples of this include sandpaper, cotton balls, tree bark, animal fur, etc. Implied texture is the way the surface on an object looks like it feels. The texture may look rough, fizzy, gritty, but cannot actually be felt. This type of texture is commonly used by artists when drawing or painting.

I liked this photo because it depicts a few different textures from the roughness (and smoothness) of some of the river rocks and also shows the prickly leaves of the weeds growing through the rocks.
 
Mags.

Form

Form is any three demensional object. Form can be measured , from top to bottom (height), side to side (width), and from back to front (depth). Form is also defined by light and dark. There are two types of form, geometric (man-made) and natural (organic form). Form may be created by the combining of two or more shapes and may be enhanced by tone, texture and colour.

This shot was taken from a bouquet of roses that I received from my college graduation ceremony earlier today.

Mags.