I’ll admit right off that this wasn’t one of my favorite challenges from 52 Frames so far this year. I just didn’t “get it.” You were supposed to create a cool background for your subject. I’m not much for studio shoots, so I went with the idea of nature providing the best backgrounds.
I went out to Sweetwater Wetlands Park here in Gainesville, aiming to see what I could do with the plethora of water lilies that are currently in bloom. The weather cooperated and for two mornings last week, it was actually below 70F at 8AM, so I had two chances to get something for the weekly challenge shot.
I liked this image overall, but the foreground was too busy for the background to be noticed at all. Still, I like the shot, which used the full extent of my Sony’s 24-240mm zoom lens. I wished I had a bigger zoom because the light on the petals was simply gorgeous.
The next image has a better background, mostly because it was a more simple composition. That one water lily in the foreground emphasized the lily pads fading off into the distance (and, yes, I focused specifically to have the depth of field on the water lily and slight defocusing towards the rear).
In the end, I picked this one as my submission. That blue water with slight ripples and the red beak of the duck made this image pop for me. It might be that the book I was reading last week on minimalism in art affected my shooting and my selection. I’m OK with that. The whole point of reading is to explore new things. Without that book, I might not have thought this was even a candidate for the week’s challenge.
There is a poetic nature to minimalism that is about striking a balance between full and empty.
Jennie C. Jones
Love it! You are always opening my eyes to see something from a different perspective. Taking a second and third look at your final selection helped me see beyond the blue.
Annie: Love your blog and your posts. Can’t wait until Laura and I get to meet you some day. Thanks for your content and your inspiration.
Hi Annie. Trust this comment finds you well and able to stay cool. I personally like the last photo (though all pleasing to the eye) …. the photo especially appealing because of the water rings as the background. Perhaps I am more of a minimalist than I thought 🙂
We (Bev, my sister and I) as a result of following your blog and 52 Frames challenge have been participating in our weekly state wide photo challenge since March. We r actively involved in a Nurture with Nature program for cancer thrivers here in Delaware and because of Covid19 restrictions we have had to cancel all of our gatherings, activities, events. As a result, our group is doing a state wide photo challenge each weekend with different subject matters pertaining to nature… clouds, sunsets, birds etc. Participants in each county submit their photo which then gets put into a collage shared electronically with each of us.
All this to say, thank you Annie for your blog; in various ways you are spurring us on and even giving us the courage to step up and participate in our own photo challenge. It’s been fun, humbling and enjoyable seeing what others see via their camera lens. Ours however are pretty low tech via our cell phone camera function… definitely minimalistic and low budget approach these days. I did the more transitional photography approach/ higher standards years ago with various camera equipment with specialized lenses which I really enjoyed but sold it all to help pay medical bills. All the more…. I as an appreciative reader of yours value seeing, reading your blog.
Keep it up. Sorry for another verbose comment 😉
Be well and stay cool.
BL (The2Sisters)
How much time did you spend on this? It looks amazing!!