So I've started my 90 day photo bucket list. What is a photo bucket list? Well, it's something that keeps my camera from feeling neglected during the winter months :). It's also a learning tool, a challenge, a way to really test my skills. You may have heard of photo challenges, I have seen them from a "1 photo per week" challenge to "1 photo a day" challenge. People usually do this for an entire year. You can find lists online to follow. I started a "1 photo per week" challenge last year in January. I think I made it to week 3 (oops).
I found a "challenge" group online and decided to join. I thought it was going to be great, I would follow their theme each week and then post it in this group for critique...hoping to really put my skills to use over the year.
However, it may seem really easy to take 1 photo a week...I mean "duh", sometimes I take 100 pictures in 1 DAY. Well think about this for a minute...you're given the theme "empty" for week 1. Sounds simple, right? I will take a photo of the empty bean can after lunch...or maybe a photo of the rain gauge..or maybe this, or maybe that. My fellow challengers (not all challenges are full of professional hopefuls, you can find a snapshot group if you want to try it) started posting on January 1. The first picture was of a really sad old person. I don't know who she was or where she was found, but it was a striking picture. She looked more empty than any can of beans I have ever eaten. I started to look at this challenge in a whole new way.
While I enjoyed it the concept, trying to create a photo based off of a broad theme, a photo that is both striking physically and emotionally, yet a photo that is surrounded by the perfect lighting and captured in perfect exposure drained me. I quit after week three.
So this year, I decided that I am going to "dink around" with this for 90 days. I pulled 56 ideas off of other challenges and put them into a box. Anytime I find the time to work on one of my bucket list items, I draw one out of the box. Today was day 1. Here was my instructions:
Photo Type: Self Portrait (Oh great)
Theme: View from a Mouse's House
Number of Final Photos: 3
Concept: All photos must be taken from ground level (mouse view). One book of 1" or less can be placed under your camera for protection. No tripod, stands, or other items may be used to prop camera higher than ground level. Photos must be taken by a wireless remote or camera timer. Entire length of body must be visible in photos (both feet and head have to be in the picture, cannot be "feet only" or "head only" shots). Student needs to capture the following 3 self portraits:
1. Photo of student that is ALL in focus.
2. Photo of student that is partially in focus and partially out of focus.
3. Photo of student in which ALL of student is blurry but other subject is in focus.
YIKES. So imagine you're on a walk in a park on a beautiful winter Saturday. You are looking at some lovely dried up plants when all of the sudden you see some kook off in the distance, by herself, sitting on the ground and smiling at a camera placed feet away. You watch her for almost an hour, smiling, laughing to herself, rolling around on the ground. Why doesn't she get a tripod for that? Or maybe an actual photographer? Why doesn't she just take a picture of herself in the mirror? Not only did this project really make me think in terms of body part logistics, I was a little worried that people had their binoculars out from afar..I hope I'm not on the news tomorrow morning. So here we go!
This photo is my ALL in focus photo....there is a reason why I like to stay BEHIND the camera. But I completed photo 1. Technically, this one was pretty easy.
Here is me, partially out of focus, partially in focus. This was difficult at first. I really had to think outside the box to fill all of the guidelines for this one!
Now this was difficult...If only there were a pine cone or something nearby that I could place in front of me for the "in focus" item. If you look at the bottom, the ground is in focus...I, am not. Photo 3 complete. I've never had such a hard time throwing a photo out of focus as I did on command.
This was a very interesting project. I am really looking forward to #2!!!
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