2022 Monthly Themes
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Theme assignments are designed to move you out of your comfort zone to try something new. Some themes are selected to be relatively easy while others are more challenging and may require special equipment (e.g. neutral density filters) or familiarity with editing software. Ideally, members should bring showcase quality theme photos to club meetings, but quality is less important than demonstrating you have learned from the challenges. Theme images should be recent, taken within the past year, as they are meant to reflect our growth in the art and craft of photography.
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Jan "Buried treasures" Feb "Inorganic textures"
Mar "Circles" Apr "Macro" May "Nature" Jun "What's on your plate" Jul "Long Exposure Aug "Rain" Sep "From the top down" Oct "Local architecture" Nov "Environmental Dec "Slide show" Portraits / Hands at work / Play" |
Please note: To share theme and other photos, please read How to Submit Images
January: Buried Treasures |
You won’t need a treasure map nor be required to take new pictures for January’s theme. This treasure hunt entails searching for hidden gems among the image files already stored on your computer.
Photographers often overlook really good images when hurrying to go through processing a lot of images from a photoshoot or trip. At other times an image is under-appreciated because it fails to live up to the photographer’s expectations at the time it was created, or his aesthetic values have changed. Finally, an image may have had some exposure or compositional issues that can now be overcome by newer software or by acquiring better image editing skills. In any case, you probably have lots of older images that would benefit from a fresh view to yield a bounty of hidden gems. Immense satisfaction lies in finding good pictures that you never developed or only partially worked on and abandoned for whatever reason; make these images your first priority. Then look for images that immediately strike you as poorly processed and have the potential to jump off the screen when processed with a new eye. |
February: Inorganic textures
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In art theory, texture is considered one of the elements of art, along with line, color, shape, form, and space. We use some (or all) of these elements each time we capture a photograph or create a piece of two- or three-dimensional art. This month we will focus on photographing inorganic textures; the nonliving parts of our environment. Suitable inorganic subjects are limitless but include rocks and stones (including gardens, on buildings) rusty metal, or broken pieces of glass. Although fossils are transformed from originally living things, their organic parts are replaced with inorganic material, so include them if you wish.
Camera angle as well as direction and properties of light (hard/soft) can increase or subdue the intensity of texture. Texture can be lit to create a sense of depth within a scene. Adding depth can help to draw the viewer in to an otherwise flat, two-dimensional photographic image. |
March: Circles
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Circles are embedded in our minds as a fundamental experience and symbol. They represent unity, wholeness, completion, fullness, connectedness, perfection, the sign of movement, mobility, repetition, cycles, and revolution. Because the circle encloses what is inside, it conveys the feeling of boundary, focus, and centering.
Given the variety of meanings we associate with the circle, it becomes a powerful device in photographic composition. Circular compositions have been popular throughout the history of art and photography. They take at least three different forms: (1) a circular object as the primary subject of an image, (2) objects or people in circular formation, and (3) elements in a photo positioned to encourage the eye to move in a circle around an image. Circles are all around us. Hat are present bokeh, star trails, light painting, rocks, car and bicycle wheels, spiral staircases, patterns and shadows, fruit, kitchenware, etc. There are also implied circles, such as the center of flowers, an overhead shot of a cactus, or an abstract formation of a still life. So, finding circles to photograph will be easy. However, the challenge will be in using your imagination and creativity to create compositions that engage the viewer. |
April: Macro
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Originally developed for scientific research, macro photography is a form of close-up photography strictly defined by the subject photographed at 1:1 magnification, or life-sized in the photo. However, most people use the term “macro photography” to refer to any photograph that depicts an extremely detailed close-up image of a small subject or portion of a larger object. Macro images often show a subject in an unnatural or unfamiliar perspective because we rarely see something that close.
Flowers and insects are among the most common subjects for macro photography, but objects of any size that possess intricate details should provide interesting macro images. Remember, you don’t need a macro lens to take extreme close-up images. Relatively inexpensive close-up “filters” and extension tube sets can be attached to almost any lens to decrease focusing distance and increase magnification potential. |
May: Nature
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Nature photography refers to images of a wide range of subjects taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to put a stronger emphasis on the aesthetic value of the photo than other photography genres, such as photojournalism and documentary photography.
Nature photography overlaps the fields of wildlife, landscape, and garden photography. Wildlife photography is all about capturing animals in their natural habitats. Animals are often photographed in action, such as eating, fighting, or in flight. Alternatively, more static portraits may be used to show detail of the animal or to depict it in its environment. Captive or controlled animals are often photographed instead of true wild specimens, although it is arguable as to whether this constitutes true wildlife photography. Don’t forget to consider landscape photographs featuring dramatic cloud formations or abstract nature images where subject details are isolated and out of context. However, remember that in nature photography it is usually expected that subjects will be realistically depicted. However, this doesn't mean you can't use artistic approaches in nature photography such as blurring techniques, for example, to portray an animal’s motion. |
June: What's on your plate
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This theme sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Well, it is and there are many ways that you might approach it. You could: Take a nice photo of an amazing, beautifully plated meal; show off a fabulously fancy plate; or give your image a bit of your own special ‘magic’ recipe.
You may find the following link helpful: https://neufutur.com/2018/12/food-photography-tips-for-capturing-whats-on-your-plate/ |
July: Long Exposure |
Long-exposure photography involves using slow shutter speeds to blur, smear, or obscure moving elements of a composition while stationary elements remain sharp. Exposure times may range from a little under a second to blur fast moving objects, such as rapidly flowing water, to many minutes or hours to capture cloud movement or star trails.
Unless shooting in low light, taking long exposures usually requires neutral density (ND) filters to reduce light striking the sensor. ND filters from 2 to 10 f-stops, or more, may be needed to achieve the desired effect, and sometimes it may even be necessary to stack ND filters. Long exposures normally require a stable camera mounted on a tripod or placed on a stable surface; an exposure calculator is useful to calculate exposure times greater than 30 seconds. For night sky images it is often necessary to take two exposures, one for the sky and another illuminating the foreground. Painterly impressionistic images can also be achieved with a long exposure by deliberately moving or shaking the camera in various ways while the shutter is open (Intentional Camera Movement). |
August: Rain |
Shooting on rainy days can lead to some amazing images that are different from everyday shots taken in good weather. Rainy days add drama and a sense of moodiness to your images, transforming ordinary landscapes and urban settings into something mysterious and unique.
A few ideas of things to photograph on a rainy day are reflections, raindrops, plashing water, mist and fog, stormy skies, and shooting through a rainy window. When getting caught in a sudden rain shower without your normal camera, take advantage of the turn of events by not forgetting about your cell phone. Google Rain Photography to find websites with good tips and ideas for rain photography. |
September: From the top down |
This month’s theme is all about changing your perspective.
Viewing a subject from all sides, far, near, overhead, and beneath is a great way to explore light, angles, composition, and qualities of your subject you might otherwise have missed. This month, however, we are going to focus strictly on overhead shooting, from the extreme birds-eye view from a drone to a simple standing position with the camera pointed downward. Subjects and scenes take on a remarkably geometric view – often reduced to circles, squares, and lines when you shoot directly from overhead with the film plane parallel to the surface where your subjects are arranged. It can be a challenge to photograph from an overhead perspective with precision, though; try shooting a cup or bowl from directly overhead and see if you can position your camera to be both centered and perfectly parallel to the surface in order to shoot the mouth of mug/bowl as a perfect circle. Experiment further with different materials that add texture, with different color/types of background, and different lighting. Remember food (What’s on your plate, June 22) can look really great from above. For this “flat lay” approach it is better to use a tripod but you may have to get creative to avoid getting the legs in the frame; light weight phone cameras are often easier to work with. Viewing what you have in the frame can be difficult, but many cameras can be tethered to a laptop so you can see what you are doing without climbing above the camera! But, if you are up a ladder or dangling by a rope from the side of a mountain, it’s best to use a wide angle lens for a deeper depth of field. |
October: Local Architecture |
Local architecture can be an exciting and challenging photo opportunity. While there is not a lot of breathtaking architecture locally, it is still possible to create great architectural compositions if we work hard at finding them. You can explore and Isolate shapes, colors, and repetitive and unique features in almost any building you find; or take a long view and photograph a building and its surroundings. You might also like to photograph examples of local architecture in decline. Urban decay is everywhere and can be looked at with a revealing or nostalgic vision.
There are lots of architecture opportunities on the UF campus; best explored on weekends or holidays when parking is open and fewer people milling around. |
November: Environmental portraits / Hands at Work / Play |
An Environmental Portrait is an image of someone in their environment. It might be their home, workplace or some other location that is important to them. Their surroundings say something of who they are, and what is important to them. The ‘Portrait’ can be staged or candid. Your subject’s surroundings will tell their story.
Another variation on this theme is to show just a person’s hands, as they work or play. Perhaps a photo of their hands as they play a musical instrument, participate in a favorite hobby or maybe play with a small child or beloved pet. You may find the following link helpful: https://photographycourse.net/environmental-portraits/ |