August 2010 photography assignment - Minimalism

[Marko]

Wow August is barreling down already...where has the time gone?
Time to throw out ideas and pick another assignment theme for the month.

Here's some suggestions to start us off...... many have been suggested in past months by several members:

Beginnings and endings
Yellow
Minimalism
old and new
your interpretation of emotion
"just outside the front door"
bokeh

those are good. I like the 20 steps from the door idea.

another thought I had was 'travel/vacation photos'. Not so much photos taken while on vacation but those that show the beauty, places to see/things to do in various locations.

Whatever we do I'd like to narrow it down a bit and really make it a challenge. So far the topics have been so wide open that I don't think most of us have been "challenged" to break out of our molds and grow as photographers.

Not sure how to accomplish this, mind you, but I throw it out for discussion.

I hear ya iggy - on the opposite side of the coin, the more narrow the category, the fewer submissions we get...

I like these suggestions:
Beginnings and/or endings
Yellow
Minimalism

What about the "Dog Days of Summer" ???

Beginnings and endings it's too close to July assignment IMO, but minimalism should be very interesting.

I'll suggest

fire or heat

It is August after all

as I think about it, I do like minimalism

My :twocents: regarding seasonal themes are that while it may be "dog days" and "heat" up here north of the equator, it is winter for the members south of the equator. And we have many members who live south of the equator. It seems a better idea to offer suggestions/themes that all members can participate in...I'm just sayin'.
I would prefer something like weather or similar rather than a single season such as summer...that or offer summer vs winter or spring vs fall to make it eligible for everyone.


My :twocents: regarding seasonal themes are that while it may be "dog days" and "heat" up here north of the equator, it is winter for the members south of the equator. And we have many members who live south of the equator. It seems a better idea to offer suggestions/themes that all members can participate in...I'm just sayin'.

I would prefer something like weather or similar rather than a single season such as summer...that or offer summer vs winter or spring vs fall to make it eligible for everyone. :)

Sorry, I forget about that. I keep thinking the whole world revolves around me (slinks off to the corner to hang head in shame)

I have been in a minimalist sort of way lately so I am cool with that.
No worries Iggy...I have seen it before mentioned I just wanted to address my $.02 on it...I have no problem with doing a verses assignment...might be kinda fun to do a "dueling seasons" theme actually....lol. Autumn verses Spring might be kind of cool in Sept or Oct . come to think of it. :)

http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f8/master-class-assignment-10991.html


Jas this is a great suggestion so i gave it its own thread - thx - Marko

All I ask is that whatever the assignment, keep in mind it hasn't been less than 95 degrees in the last 2 1/2 weeks here. :wall-an: Nothing that involves chasing, climbing, or working up an additional sweat, please.

I do like the idea of minimalism since I have never done it before. It looks like a challenging project.

How about ...HOT!


How about ...HOT!

I can do HOT! It's going to above 100 degrees for the next 3 days, above 105 for the rest of the week.

Well, we don't have it quite that bad but we have the humidity here. Never been to Arizona but I hear it's beautiful.

How are you about the theme "summer collage"? But minimalism would be good too.

Ok, than if I'm not wrong the majority vote minimalism.

Now start working on this assignment

[Marko]

OK everyone by my count Minimalism has the most support and so it is the assignment of the month.

As mentioned in a previous suggestion thread (http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f8/assignment-forum-idea-10668.html), this month Casil403 will host the assignment. This means that she will likely comment on every post in the assignment. Other members OF COURSE SHOULD ALSO FEEL FREE TO COMMENT. Next month someone else can choose to host it or not.

This month we are also introducing a 'level 2' assignment (http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f34/90-degree-lighting-sidelight-create-texture-b-w-11049.html) and we'll see how that goes as well.

Ok then members, who will be posting first with something Minimalist?

[Iguanasan]

Looks like I'm first! :)

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[Marko]

Nice start Iggy! well done!

[edbayani11]

can this be considered "minimalism" ?

[casil403]

Nice one there Iggy...I like the cloud reflections on the glass.
Edbayani...this is definitely minimalism. I like how you have really good control of the whites here...very well done...worthy of a nomination actually.

[edbayani11]

glad you liked it. thanks, casil.

[Marko]

i agree - really nice shot there ED, definitely minimalist and great highlight control.

[Iguanasan]

Nice start Iggy! well done!

Thank you. :)

[Iguanasan]

Very cool shot, Ed. Nice work.

PS: You know until the discussion this month about this new "format" I always avoided commenting in this thread as I thought it would influence the voting. D'oh! :headslap:

[Richard]

I was going to do something with a cup, and then I saw Ed's brilliant image, and thought I better do something different.

Not sure if you would count this a minimal? I think my heads still in 'product photography mode', I've been lucky enough to shoot for a new product brochure at work this week.

[Mad Aussie]

Love it Ed!

[Mad Aussie]

Yours too Richard!!

[Michaelaw]

http://www.redzonefilms.com/pics3/maple leaf.jpg

[Marko]

AWESOME shot Richard - works for me.
Maw - lovely leaf shot as well!

[casil403]

I love your take on the assignment Richard, The reflection of the soother is very cool as is the processing. Well done!

MAW this is just stunning. The ripples of the water sold me when I saw it. Another excellent t submission.

Excellent start so far folks...keep 'em coming. :highfive:I will probably get something up by the weekend,

[Bambi]

having fun with the assignment :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4860427188_b01eee7349_z.jpg

[dazza17]

Very nice image..welldone the compersition in dead on

[Michaelaw]

http://www.redzonefilms.com/pics3/boatman.jpg

[Iguanasan]

Very cool, Michael. Wonderful shot! :thumbup:

[Michaelaw]

Thanks Iggy:)

[real mccoy]

Smoke Stack

[Bambi]

that is cool Mccoy!

[JAS_Photo]

Well the camera it was taken with is: :D

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4864196387_46d9b8fe6b_b.jpg
From my Blackberry.

[casil403]

Nice one there B! I like the sloping roof...leads the eye around the photo. Great example of minimalism with the 3 elements. the vane, the roof and the puffy clouds. The colours work well together too.
MAW this water beetle shot is striking and a friggen great example of a minimalist image. Excellent!!!! Love it!
rea lmccoy this is another superb example. I like the way the vertical stack contrasts with the clouds...works very well together. The shadow bonus in the stacks is awesome as well.
JAS Nice one with the contrasting shapes.


I found this while out on a ride today:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4864348299_464654b535_b.jpg

[edbayani11]

casil, beautiful colors and color contrast. love the selective focus and the effect of the diaphragm on the oof foliage!!!

[Iguanasan]

Bad title? I don't know, as soon as I saw this yesterday morning I thought of the default Windows wallpaper from Windows 95 and Windows XP. :headslap:
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[jdporto]

Oh to be back at the beach.
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[Greg_Nuspel]

I hope this fits, Lisa missed your company this morning.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4871625195_19184551a0_b.jpg

[Bambi]

Casil, love the crossed wires and the light. very well done.

Iggy: the title totally fits.

Jd: nice catch of the gull.

Greg: this shot is incredible! I love it.

here's another one from me: I am stealing a page from Casil:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4873363190_a1cd9b244d_b.jpg

[jdporto]

Hope these fit the theme :fingerscr

Who's woods these are...
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Bambi, you've inspired me :clap:
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[casil403]

Iggy...It does remind me of the wallpaper...I didn't get the title until you mentioned the reference. Love the lone wist[y cloud...adds lovely visual interest. Nicely done!

JDporto....Nice work on the gull reminds me of the book "Jonathon Livingston Seagull" Great example of minimalism.
I like the other two photos as well. Just a small note...usually the monthly assignment involves images taken within the month of the assignment. It is not a hard and fast rule but we do try to stick to it as much as we can. :)

Greg...striking sunrise...damn I can't believe I missed that due to stupid work! :wall-an: it is certainly a beauty though! I saw it on my way to work and thought Damn.....I'll just bet Greg is out there capturing this right now! :highfive:

Nice one there as well B...Glad I inspired you to see this because you captured it very well.:)

[asnow]

Whenever I see a picture like "Windows" or the actual windows wallpaper I keep expecting to see the teletubbies.

My hay rolls aren't teletubbies but I thought they were interesting.

[casil403]

Beautiful image asnow, and a great landscape shot, but it is not what I would think is an example of a minimalist image. The idea in this thread is to create images using a minimalist theme. :)
For those having trouble figuring out what minimalism is here''s an article I found on the net:
A good tutorial on minimalism found here:
Minimalism in Photography (http://digital-photography-school.com/minimalism-in-photography)
"How to work with minimalism:
One piece of advice I still remember from my high school photography teacher is this:
“make your subject the strongest point of your photo even though it might take up only a small part of the overall image”
When I’m attempting to take a show with a minimalist feel to it I keep those words in mind.

There are many ways to do it – here’s a few:
pick subjects wisely – obviously for a subject to dominate an image even when it’s relatively small in the scheme of the overall shot it will need to be a fairly striking or contrasting one.
experiment with color – contrasting colors between your subject and the rest of the shot are one way to make it stand out. Perhaps why I was stimulated to write this post was that the ‘blue assignment’ produced so many shots in which the majority of the image was one color with a contrasting subject. Alternatively making the subject the same color as your background can give a minimalist type feeling also. Another strategy that photographers use is to strip the color out of shots – often in post production.
use depth of field – another way to focus the eye on your subject is to strip out detail from the background of your shot by making it blurry. The best way to do this is to use your aperture settings (I’ve written more about this on this tutorial on backgrounds).
crop out distractions - perhaps the most effective way to rid your photos of distracting details and to leave shots with a feeling of space is to crop your shots in a way that edges out the details. This is not always possible of course if the details are in the middle of your images (in that case you might need to learn to use Photoshop) but can often be useful.
Zoom In - in framing your shots utilize your zoom to eliminate distractions
Zoom Out – alternatively zooming out to a wide angle can also give a feeling of space as it decreases the size of distracting elements.
I find that the key to getting great minimalist shots is to take a lot of shots at different exposures, different focal lengths and from different angles. It can sometimes take moving your position as the photographer or tweaking some of your camera’s settings to get things just right.

[JAS_Photo]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4881434958_39a9d26500_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jas_photos/4881434958/)

[Bandit]

He's looking for something or just looking.

[Greg_Nuspel]

JAS that's great, definitely on the theme :thumbup:

[JAS_Photo]

Thanks, Greg!

[Matt K.]

Could not help myself ....

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4887068870_25a2cc46ed_z.jpg

[Greg_Nuspel]

Could not help myself ....

That's egzactly what I'd expect from you Matt.

[casil403]

Nice one there Bandit.

Another egg-cellent photo and eggs-ample of minimalism Matt. :laughing: :headslap:

[Odyssey]

Here's my take on minimalism - a mare and foal I spotted on a short walk up to Great Mis Tor on Dartmoor.

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[Michaelaw]

Osprey


http://www.redzonefilms.com/pics3/osprey07.jpg

[Yisehaq]

I hope this fits here. C & C is also welcome.

[mbrager]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4899897263_a492d04822_b.jpg

[casil403]

WOW! You bunch are kicking butt on this assignment this month! So good to see!!! :clap: :clap:

Michaelaw....excellent crisp osprey capture I love the detail in the feathers you caught while in flight no less! I think they are probably my fave birds. Saw one today and wishing I had my camera but nonetheless it was a beauty.
Yisehag...another fine example of minimalism. Love the contrast of the window against the wall..with the bonus cool reflection.well done.
Mike...very well done and another fine take on minimalism. I love the punch of blue sky and white clouds in contrast with the tall stands of grain. Gorgeous.

Keep 'em coming folks...these are great shots!

[Bambi]

[QUOTE=casil403;79085

Keep 'em coming folks...these are great shots![/QUOTE]

okay, whatever you say: ;)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4905475919_34c4111ae0_b.jpg

[Michaelaw]

Kites

http://www.redzonefilms.com/pics3/kites.jpg

[Iguanasan]

I think this is minimalist...

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[casil403]

Bambi....beauty of a shot...nice close up! I am glad you are having fun with the dahlias!
Love the kites MAW...to me they just shout summer!
Iggy...I think it is a great example of a minimalist shot as well. Nice one!

[casil403]

Another one to add to the thread. I found grapes growing in Calgary(who knew:shrug:) and this is part of the vine.

[Bambi]

neat photo Casil

[AcadieLibre]

Such a great thread to peruse in the morning, wonderful interpretations of minimalism by all.

[JAS_Photo]

I have come back to this spot many times for a minimalist capture:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4677414395_2717561d76_b.jpg

[QuietOne]

I can see why, with the colors and lines.

[QuietOne]

Not a deliberate attempt at the subject (haven't had time), but I hope it fits.

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[Lion]

Here's my participation. Even though it's not the critique part, feel free to comment esp. if you think it's not fitting to the assignment

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24mm, 1/10sec, F/5.6 iso 800

[Iguanasan]

Acorn

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[Yisehaq]

The second one from me.

[Bambi]

here's another one for the assignment. We went sailing a couple weeks ago and this is a shot from the boat. No idea what it's for but I thought it was cool

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4921914314_7e24026042_b.jpg

[MoinMoin]

I'll give my simple Lotus leaf a try:


http://gallery.digicamclub.de/4images/data/media/208/seerosenblatt.jpg

[Bambi]

wondeful shot MM!

[casil403]

Another lovely set of submissions folks!

JAS...nice example. I like the lines.
Quiet one...Those look like quite the big sunflowers. I like it.
Lion...welcome to the forum. I like your take on the subject; 3 concentric cirles of different colours and lighting. Very well done.
Iggy...really good example. I like it!
Yisehaq...again this is great with the shadow and light play. Looks cool in BW too. Is it a handle or part of something? Looks hand carved.
Bambi....Interesting catch you found here. good yeye. I especially love the play of the clouds and sky in the background. Offsets the metal very nicely.
Moin Moin. What a great reflection! You could almost turn this upside down and it would be hard to tell it was not the right way.

So many more great ideas...:thankyou: for sharing them!

[light50]

Closed...

[Iguanasan]

Spire...

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[Iguanasan]

Very cool, light50!

[light50]

Very cool, light50!
Thank you Iguanasan...

[asnow]

I think i'm making this minialism too complicated. Trying to find the perfect picture before I take one and therefore hitting that mental block. I keep worrying that it isn't really mimimalism At that pace I wouldn't have anything to submit. Decided I'm getting something and here it is. A picture I took while walking through the park.

[jude01]

Hope this works as Minimalist
I kept the texture of the cement, I liked the contrast between that and the softness of the petals9041

[JAS_Photo]

Cool capture and excellent idea, Jude.

This is a photo of the supports of the old drugstore at 14th street which is now abandoned. The long lens compresses them and of course selects only a portion. Changed to pink in photoshop Elements.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4928146957_eecaaf8edd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jas_photos/4928146957/lightbox/)

[kat]

Pebble. Not to sure if this fits the theme. When I did a search most shots seemed almost "transparent" for the most part then a striking object. With three days left and the weekend calling my name, I won't be getting another shot in..but I will do some for me. I like this theme.

[Ernst-Ulrich Schafer]

When trying to reply all I get is the Quick Reply feature?

[turns]

small creek


http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx255/turns11/creek.jpg

[Michaelaw]

Hope this works as Minimalist
I kept the texture of the cement, I liked the contrast between that and the softness of the petals9041

I couldn't tell ya but I like it just the same

[Marko]

really nice creativity here!
Here's mine again from the finger cot series..The backstory is here (http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f34/90-degree-lighting-sidelight-create-texture-b-w-11049-3.html#post78554) just so people don't think i'm a perv. :)

[Iguanasan]

When trying to reply all I get is the Quick Reply feature?

After clicking "Reply" click the "Go Advanced" button - bottom right to get the full editor.

[JAS_Photo]

Lol, Marko, that kind of reminds me of ice cream. Ok, 'nuff said!

You have the whole side lighting thing going on here as well! cool shot. :)

[Mad Aussie]

Lol, Marko, that kind of reminds me of ice cream. Ok, 'nuff said!


Ice Cream is something you like JAS ... oh wait ... no ... never mind ..... :headslap:

[QuietOne]

Tail wheel of an AT-6D.

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[MoinMoin]

Here some garden decoration in the arboretum I've visited

http://www.fotoclub-luebeck.de/useralben/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=216035&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=1485b02374afd8f8fd50f96c9f3f4a8b

Don't know why - but the link won't work - so I'll make a attachment.9120

[Saltairdigital]

My attempt at minimalism.

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[Saltairdigital]

One more minimalism attempt.

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[Iguanasan]

Ocean

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[Greg_Nuspel]

Here goes a minimal sunrise at Writing on Stone Provincial Park with the Milk River

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4939910026_9f37e4b725_b.jpg

[Bambi]

oooh Greg, this is lovely!

[Iguanasan]

Yeah, Greg, that's a winner.

[casil403]

Sorry guys for the delay in posting comments...was out in Penticton for the last several days. :)

Light 50...striking shot and great assignment example. the selective colour so works and adds punch to this shot...very well done!

Iggy...love the light and shadows you caught here with the blue sky background...minimalist for sure.

asnow...yes...another definitely well done example. Try not to over think it too much and go with your gut. I like this shot and it works. I'll bet it would also be great in Black and white.:)

Nice lines there Jas and well captured minimalist example.

kat...I like the focus choice in this shot. It makes the pebble stand out along with the light and shadow...nicely done.

Turns....Nice work here with the sharp stones and soft flowing water. I also notice the green fern standing out at the top of the image. It all makes that one darker stone stand out which in my books fits the theme of the assignment.

Jude01...the punch of colour on the plain background is very striking. it certainly makes the petals stand out and works for the assignment most definitely.

Marko...Another great finger cot shot. It reminds me of a strawberry ice cream cone. I am glad you are having fun with the assignment and I love what you have chosen as your theme! :laughing:

Q1....excellent assignment example. great background with nifty refection of the wheel and cool lines as well. Awesome.

Moin moin...very cool almost abstract here with the stones and the blue. I would almost want to crop out some of the top background to bring attention to the vase and the mosaic but in any case I quite like the subject! :)

saltair...nicely chosen example. good angles and lines here and the bits of clouds in the add interest as well. I really like the crab shot as well and for me that works even better as an example with stellar composition chosen.

Iggy...it does not get much more minimalist than ocean and sky that go on forever. I like it and the fact that you chose to compose it right in half works for me with the image. The white streaks add visual interest also. I would almost want to see a lone bird or boat as I think it would add further interest but I quite like th starkness of the photo regardless...nice work. :)

Greg...what a stunner of a shot. The light and colour so work as well as the shadows...very nicely done and I think this one is getting a nomination this month!

I just want to say thanks again to everyone for participating. It was fun to see so many neat examples for this assignment. You are all a creative lot for sure! :thankyou:

[casil403]

Here is my last example for the month...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/4945259093_e5dcb88f93_b.jpg

[Marko]

Just wanted to say thanks to Casil for hosting (commenting on every post) this month's assignment. Well done :thumbup:

[casil403]

You're welcome Marko...anybody else wanna give this a go? I have to admit it was kind of fun and not as much work as one might think! :)