Category 52 Frames

Two parts Hydrogen, One part Oxygen. Odorless, flavorless, and almost invisible, water is essential for life. Water is also a wonderful subject for a photographer, and this week we’re hoping your imagination is turned on and your camera is well protected in case you decide to make a splash!

There are so many ways to capture water. If you like a dreamy waterfall, slow shutter is your friend, but if you love the frozen-looking drops that go flying when you burst a water balloon, you’ll want a fast shutter speed, (and our Extra Challenge of 1/4000+ will be just the ticket!)

Life gets busy, and those plans for hiking to a waterfall have to be exchanged for something closer to home. Maybe someone splashing in a pool, if you’re in summer, or just the calm lake, if it’s a bit chilly still in your part of the world. 

Get creative! Water can be used as a prism to bend light and create fascinating reflections, or it can add to the scene of still life or food photography to add a whole new element of interest. Think outside the box of what your brain says water is. 

Please note, ice is not considered water for this challenge, so focus on capturing the liquid state in its many forms and moods. Dive in, experiment, and most importantly, have fun making a splash with your photography this week!

Balloons – a bane to my existence in that out of 60 balloon, about 30 failed to burst on first drop. I had to up the water from 200ml to 400 ml and the food coloring from 2ml to over 5ml to get any sort of color to appear in the photos. This was a challenge as water really does not like to be photographed.

Please make sure to click and open in new tab to see the full view.

Light. It’s literally what the word “photography” means. 

Throughout the history of art and photography, light has been a crucial element in defining and shaping subjects. From the dramatic chiaroscuro techniques of Caravaggio to the classic portrait lighting of early photographers, artists have long understood the power of light and shadow.

This week’s challenge focuses on intentionally using light to shape and define your subject. Experiment with different lighting techniques to create mood and drama. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Underlighting: Create a spooky or dramatic effect by lighting your subject from below.

Rembrandt Lighting: Achieve a classic, timeless look with a small triangle of light on the subject’s cheek.

Split Lighting: Give your subject an edgy and intense look by lighting one side and leaving the other in shadow.

This challenge isn’t limited to portraits. You can explore still life with dramatic lighting on fruit, or use edge lighting to highlight the contours of a product.

Natural Light Examples:

• Strong shadows during high noon
• A portrait in half shade
• A portrait with the sun illuminating one side
• Embrace studio lighting to create bold patterns and shapes. Get creative, and let the light guide your composition!
• Use simple artificial light in a dark setting, like a lamp, flashlight, or your phone!

Below are the various compositions I created and the one that was submitted. You do have to double click and open in new TAB to see the entire photo.

Week 28 saw the introduction of the subject: Spoons.

While a spoon is a typical item, the challenge was to view a spoons from various prospectives. They have a shiny surface that reflects light and the surrounding area, so one is to try different perspective to create a unique composition.

I took about 102 photos with different setups and lightening. Below are the ones adjusted and only one was submitted to 52 Frames as allowed.

In week 27, it is all about triangular composition in ones environment. This is NOT about finding triangles in the scene, or taking photos of triangles, or shooting things that are triangle-shaped. Rather, one is visualizing triangles in the scene that will shape the general composition. this may or may not include actual triangle shapes in the photo, but it comes to what is in the overall composition, not simply a triangle object in the scene. Below are the various photos taken in week 27 context. 52Frames is to encourage a photographer to actually get out and shoot something each week to enjoy an experience and begin using that expense camera gear!