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.

Hideously Beautiful

Today's challenge was to make a beautiful photograph of something commonly thought of as ugly.

I decided to take a photo of this ugly gargoyle that is actual an incense burner. Not really a fan of the incense but had to light one up in order to obtain the smoking action.

The history of a gargoyle is quite interesting. According to Wikipedia, in architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building. Preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls is important because running water erodes the mortar between the stone blocks. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall. 

The term originates from the French gargouille, originally "throat" or "gullet" and similar words derived from the root gar, "to swallow", which represented the gurgling sound of water (e.g., Spanish garganta, "throat"; Spanish gárgola, "gargoyle"). It is also connected to the French verb gargariser, which means "to gargle." The Italian word for gargoyle is doccione o gronda sporgente, an architecturally precise phrase which means "protruding gutter." The German word for gargoyle is Wasserspeier, which means "water spitter." The Dutch word for gargoyle is waterspuwer, which means "water spitter" or "water vomiter." A building that has gargoyles on it is "gargoyled."

A grotesque figure is a sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function. These are also usually called gargoyles in layman's terminology,] although the field of architecture usually preserves the distinction between gargoyles (functional waterspouts) and non-waterspout grotesques.

Gargoyles are said to scare off and protect from any evil or harmful spirits.

Mags.

Putting the "Grrrrrrr" in Cougar.......

Triangles keep the viewer’s eyes on a photo. Follow a triangle, and you see other elements.  Today's challenge was to make a photo with triangles.

Ok, so I'm not sure if I'm pushing this or not but....I thought that the overall shape of the car reminded me of a wedge of cheese (which is triangular) and the leopard print has some triangular shapes in it's print and the open areas on the spokes of the wheels are shaped like triangles......truth be told...I was in love with this tiny little Smart car and it's unusual paint job and was desperately trying to figure out a way to use it as my picture today.  The upholstery is done in the exact same pattern as the exterior.  And since I am now an official "Cougar", I think I'd look great in one of these zipping around town perhaps even wearing that damned leopard print Snuggie that my friends bought me as a gag gift.....ok, drop the Snuggie idea and let's stick with my short skirts and stiletto heels....... :-)

Mags.

Tacky? You Be The Judge........

MAY 8, 2010

I was so anxious to get outside and  take some shots with my Nikon camera using a macro lens a friend had lent me but it seemed it wasn't meant to be.  Mother nature is acting up again ( I think I'll need to drag out the mittens and winter coat !) and the battery died on the Nikon...**sigh**

Putting on the ole' thinking cap trying to figure out a back up plan, I transformed the kitchen table into a makeshift "photo studio" and scoured the house trying to find something unique to shoot.  I was digging through my purse to find the standby digital camera and was pricked in the process with a red push pin that somehow made it's way onto the bottom of my bag.  BINGO!

I ran upstairs to the office and grabbed the clear, stackable container of office supplies and noticed that all of the push pins I had were clear!  My mind started racing as I thought of all of the creative possibilities there were.  After many different "poses", I settled for this one.  Tacky?  Perhaps.  But isn't beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Mags.