Our year-end competition obtains 3 judges from outside of our membership to assess our member's images and awarding medals, ribbons, and/or trophies to the winners. 

 

 

 

Additional information about the assigned subjects

 

September 2019:  Humor

 

Ideas on humor are: signs, art, actions, funny faces or outfits/costumes, decorations, sayings on T-shirts, or a humorously crafted item. It can be a set up or a situation where you were at the right place at the right time. Here are some ideas: https://digital-photography-school.com/23-examples-of-using-photography-to-convey-humor/

 

October 2019:  Animals in Action

 

Look for animals in motion, which is something other than standing still, lying down, or sitting. Catch animals playing, fighting, opening mouth, running, walking, interacting with people or other animals, cleaning itself, or eating. Choose whether to “freeze” the motion by using a higher shutter speed, pan with the movement, or have a lower shutter speed to allow motion blur. Remember to leave more space in front of the subject than behind it, so the subject is not moving out of the image. For tips on how to shoot moving animals, Google “photographing animals in motion”.

 

November 2019:  Backlighting

 

By definition, backlighting is when the subject is between the photographer and the light source. Generally speaking then, you are to shoot toward the light. This may or may not render the subject as a silhouette. Fill flash can be used to put more light on your subject, if desired. Backlighting gives a more dramatic effect and adds depth to an image or scene. It can create a glowing effect on the edges of the subject when other areas are darker. One place to go for tips on using backlight is: https://contrastly.com/introduction-to-backlight/

 

December 2019:  Sun Bursts/Sun Rays

 

For this subject, look for a mix of sun and clouds, or watch for it at a sunrise or sunset. It may take patience to wait for this effect to happen, although light rays can be seen indoors with light coming in from a window or door. The rays can also be seen as light comes through trees. A challenge is to find an interesting setting when the phenomenon takes place. Possibilities are: rays coming down over water, a field, in a forest, or over a city. The rays can happen just between clouds, not coming down or going up. F.Y.I.: The rays that radiate downward are called crepuscular rays, and the ones radiating upward are called anticrepuscular rays.  

 

January 2020:  Spider Webs

 

The webs can be with or without a spider or caught prey. You need a day with nearly zero wind to shoot these outside. Morning is usually a better time for less wind. One can use an umbrella, or set up another type of wind block if needed. Generally speaking, shoot with your camera on the same plane as the web for optimum focus. Look for a darker background to make the web stand out. If there is dew all over the web, the darker background is not as important. A tripod is recommended for this more intricate subject. Look for webs in corners of bridge constructions, in fences, between flowers, in weeds, or in bushes. For more information on how to get good web images, go to: https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-a-spiders-web/ or https://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/how-to-photograph-spider-webs

 

February 2020: Roads

 

Roads are ubiquitous, so finding a road isn’t the challenge here. Making the road interesting, or making it stand out, is the challenge. Some ideas here are: cobblestone roads, old brick roads, serpentine shapes, light, tree, or flower lined roads, reflections in water on roads, treacherous roads, roads that are engineering feats, angles, patterns, a bridge as part of a road-making sure the road is the main emphasis, roads as leading lines, country dirt roads, or interesting transportation on a road. Road photography tips: Use a tripod when ever possible, try using both a wide angle and telephoto lens, use F11-16 for maximum depth of field, include part of the road in the corner of your photograph, vary the angle if possible-consider positioning your wide angle lens low to the pavement. The tips were taken from the web site given below, which has examples to look at. www.canadiannaturephotographer.com/road_photography.html

 

March 2020: Fish

 

Those who requested this subject made reference to live fish, in aquariums, oceans, lakes, and streams. I am expanding that to include freshly caught fish, fish being caught, (in or out of water) and fish that have newly washed up on shore, but are not in a state of decay. A visit in September to the Fish Ladder downtown GR when the salmon run, and the river is lined with fishermen, is a suggestion for shooting this subject. Japanese koi fish are in man made ponds in various places, such as Frederick Meijer Gardens. Look for fishermen on Lake Michigan piers, or visit an ice fishing shanty in the winter months. If possible, visit an aquarium. One can do an abstract/close up of a part of a fish. A polarizer filter is a good idea when shooting into water. Google instructions for photographing fish in aquariums.

 

April 2020: Flowers Made Interesting

 

Go for that unusual perspective and lighting. It may take the form of backlighting, side lighting, shooting up from ground level, macro/abstract of a flower, or field of flowers such as seen during Tulip Time Festival. Insects, dew or raindrops on a flower, a well designed flower bed, things made out of flowers, or a unique flower arrangement are other ideas. For tips on flower photography visit: https://expertphotography.com/flower-photography/. See a creative light & flower video at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ2YVgg9aWs