POTW: Shadows

It's been a long while since I had the time to shoot and submit a "Photo of the Week" assignment for the Colorado 4X4 Shutterbug Forum. But a great shot presented itself during my night photography outting on Saturday.

I took this shot at the Denver Skate Park in LoDo. Capturing the boarders and bikers in mid air while their shadows played along the pavement was exciting. But this was my favorite of the bunch. I like the symmetry of the curves in the image, the good use of Rule of Thirds with the main subject in the upper left hand side of the frame and the usage of highlights and shadows. A commenter on Flickr said it looked almost organic, as if the boarder was in the womb....so I changed my initial title of "Solitary Rush" to "In the Womb."

POTW: Fire

Here is my entry for this week's Colorado 4X4 Shutterbug forum "Photo of the Week" Contest. The theme was "Fire" and I immediately knew that I was going to interpret this concept by not having any fire in the image at all! Come on, that would have been too obvious, right? ;) (OK, I admit that I did take a pic of the first lit fireplace I could find, but when I saw the images, none of them inspired me, plus I thought other submitters might have the same thing).

What I like about participating in these weekly or monthly challenges is the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and try to reimagine concepts or ideals through photography. During my weekend getaway with my boyfriend (we were celebrating my first year as a photographer) we drove through parts of Colorado that had been overcome with forest fire. Our conversation drained away into silence when we saw the devastation of the 2002 Hayman Fire, a senseless wildfire caused by arson (reputedly started by former federal forestry officer, Terry Barton, who claimed she was attempting to burn a letter from her estranged husband in a no-fire designated area). The fire torched over 138,000 acres and burned across four different counties. Six people died.

I tried to capture some of what was lost when I took this image where dead trees now stand charred and stark. My wide angle 16-35mm was a great choice for encompassing the vastness of the destruction. I'm probably just seeing too much into this, but I like how the curving road appears to lead to the snowcapped mountains and parts untouched by the fire. Seems like hope to me, maybe even forgiveness and rebirth.

POTW: Exteriors

Here is my entry for this week's Colorado 4X4 Shutterbug forum "Photo of the Week" Contest. The theme was "Exteriors," so I interpreted that concept by taking a picture of the steps leading up to my boyfriend's mountain cabin in Pine Junction, CO. I love texture in images, so I wanted to try to capture the wonderful carvings in the stone steps and the hand chopped logs used to construct the cabin built in the 1920s. I tried some versions where I cloned out the metal railing, but I decided to leave it in because none of my editings looked natural, and I hate that awful repeated pattern that can develop from unsuccessful cloning attempts. I waited until close to sunset to get this image so I could get the last rays of sunlight playing near the steps.

While I like this picture, I honestly think I prefer another shot taken by my friend and fellow shooter Chester Bullock. Instead of voting for my image, I think I will vote for his because of its simplicity and impact, given that Denver is known as "The Mile High City."

POTW: Color

Here is an image from my portfolio that I am turning in today as my entry for the Colorado 4x4 Shutterbug forum's Photo of the Week. I took this over the weekend during a Flickr Colorado Strobist meetup. I can't tell you enough how great it has been working and learning from this terrific group of people. Strobist enjoy using lighting techniques with off-camera flash. The members of this particular group are very knowledgeable and willing to share their expertise as we all learn together.

This photo was achieved by taping a Canon flash with a purple gel onto the back of a motorcycle. Another flash was mounted on a stand camera right and triggered by a Pocket Wizard to create the silhouette. What's really cool about this is that I totally understood what I just said right now and a month ago I wouldn't have been able too. ;) It has been so much fun learning and mastering new techniques. If you haven't already done so, check out Flickr to see if there is a group operating in your area that can help you progress as well. Here is another image I took that weekend at the meetup.

I am also entering it in the monthly assignment contest, "It's All About the Light!" hosted by the Digital Photo Academy. (FYI folks, the DPA's contest is open to all shooters, so submit something already! And remember, the winner who is selected will be part of the 12 assignment images that will be on display in museums, galleries and studios around the country. Yours truly won the first month's assignment, "The Allure of Water" with the following image:

An Aside: POTW -- Traditions

This week's POTW assignment is really wracking my brain. I have until Wednesday night to come up with a photo depicting a tradition. I think the hardest part of this is trying to figure out what a tradition is and what it means to the photographer. Then you've got to find or recreate the tradition to take pictures of it.

What immediately sprang to my mind was a family sitting down to eat dinner (a long lost tradition all in itself) and maybe stopping to have prayer before they eat. I also thought about blowing out candles on a birthday cake, quinceaneras, or placing flowers at a tombstone. I've gotten some of my friends to discuss the issue with me on the Digital Photo School blog.

What do you think I should try to photograph?

Get Connected: POTW - Graffiti

Whenever time permits, I stay connected with photography enthusiasts I've met online by participating in weekly or monthly competitions. Most of these contests are designed to keep photogs shooting regularly by requiring all submissions be shot during a specified week. I'm not sure the friendly competitions would be as beneficial if they allowed us to pull previously taken photographs from our portfolios that just happen to fit that week's theme. I always keep a camera with me, in my case a compact Canon G9 when the XTi stays home, so I can be ready for a shot that matches a chosen theme.

The picture above is my entry for the Colorado 4X4 Shutterbug forum "POTW" (Photo of the Week). The topic was GRAFFITI, and submissions had to be turned in no later than 8 p.m. tonight. I think shooting graffiti is a double-edged sword because there is so much of it that it can be hard to find a different way of photographing it. When I spotted these guys while driving into work this week, I immediately pulled over and asked for their permission to snap their picture. I think the human element adds depth to the assignment, while placing them off-center adds an extra compositional element and draws the viewer's eyes across the frame.