Shot of the Week March 2020 - Iggy Tavares

[Iggy]

S9 - Extreme Contrast - Sailing Boats

Checking the brief, in extreme contrast photography also referred to as high contrast photography, there is an extreme difference between the light and dark parts of the photo.
I already had a go at this when I did “Rule of Thirds” not knowing that the extreme contrast topic was coming up.

To cover this task, I resorted to water and sky for high contrast when shooting toward the sun that made a few fleeting appearances from behind the clouds.
I preferred the images from the opposite bank though, letting the sun light up the shot, where there was also more action to capture.

[Iggy]

S10 - Abandoned - Mausoleum in a Cemetery

The photographic topic for this SOTW was “Abandoned”.
I immediately had in mind what I wanted to photograph.
The only day I could do this was Thursday lunchtime.
I drove into the cemetery in spite of the rain.
In the dark, foreboding atmosphere, I found an abandoned looking mausoleum.
I took a few hurried shots, as the rain turned into a monsoon.
My Lumix FZ1000 workhorse suddenly shorted out and the battery went dead.
Hopefully I had got the dramatic shot I was after.
Down hearted, I mopped the camera dry, took the battery out and drove home.
I left the camera in a warm room to dry out for the next 6 hours.
Then, I popped a newly charged battery into my FZ1000 and hoped for the best.
Everything worked. Even the dead battery charged up again. Thank goodness!

I was pleasantly surprised by one of the images that I had shot.
After brightening the image, it contained much more than I had seen in the dim light and had a big story to tell.

The mausoleum dating back to 1847 apparently has 13 shelves and many of the Grissell family were interred here.
The heavily galvanised tomb was built in “the fashionable Gothic style with fine detailing, including pilasters and colonnades
with small angels and blind Gothic windows in-filled with inscribed pink granite panels.”

This listed monument with lots of flaking plaster and paint has seen better days but could and should be restored to its former glory!

It doesn’t deserve to be abandoned.

Check out https://www.fownc.org/pdf/newsletter72.pdf

I must show my five-year-old Lumix FZ1000 much more respect and not treat it just as a workhorse.
It is much, much more. It is my trusted friend as it has proved in my time at the CCC!

PS: Decided to crop out some of the brighter area.

[Iggy]

S11-Triangular Composition - Angular configurations

This week’s task was Triangular Composition
I had noted that the front of my blue car had lots of angular configurations.
So I photographed it. All too easy though.
I needed to be more creative.
Perhaps I could add the triangles of a bicycle to my car.
So found a bicycle to photography on a hazy afternoon.
Removing number plate and chrome from the car helped the image.
Still a little busy but more interesting than a car or bicycle on their own.

Yes, my FZ1000 is still working fine.
I need to get a transparent plastic cover for the camera.
Any suggestions?

[Iggy]

S12-Books - Musical Composition

This week's challenge was BOOKS.
With so much to choose from, Musical Composition was the obvious choice,
with a few angles thrown in for good measure.
How does that work???

[Mike Farley]

Hi Iggy

Glad to see that you are continuing with the project. From here on in it is going to be a challenging year and I am glad that I did not opt for a 365.

[Iggy]

Hi Mike,
Yes I am going to keep with the set topic challenge system, working in the home and garden.
I guess I will have to be fairly creative.

It would be nice if more members joined in SOTW.
It does not have to be a set topic.
Consider starting this week. Its not too late.

Keep Safe.
All the best,
Iggy

[davidb]

Iggy

The Musical Composition shot looks good but, personally, I would have left the corner of the manuscript above the fingerboard rather than tucked in below it.

Keep up the great work and stay well.

[Iggy]

Good to hear from you David, which also tells me that you are well!
This week's star is supposed to be the music book, but I like the strings of the violin more.
So you have a good point there.

How about joining in POTW where the next image is due by Sunday 29 March.
It does not have to be a set topic. Just anything that takes your fancy.

Best wishes,
Iggy

[Iggy]

S13: Line from a song - Imagine - Above us only sky

Week 13 already. A quarter of the year gone by! Hard to believe.

In this difficult time that the peoples of the world are enduring, an idea immediately popped into my head that I thought was rather relevant.
I tried hard to come up with other ideas but could not get past my first thoughts.

The song I have chosen is Imagine by John Lennon.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

I thought long and hard on how to capture a suitable image in the constraints of my isolation.
Certainly not just a patch of blue sky, that fortunately we have enjoyed most of this week.

I wanted something that took me beyond Lennon’s thoughts implied in the first verse.
Fortunately, the front of our home offered some opportunities.
The trees lining the road were covered in white blossom.
The blossom could be an offering of hope and joy with spring in the air.
Decided to use the roof tops with some chimneys to limit the bottom of the sky.

Perhaps my image offers hope beyond the corona virus pandemic.
Take care, stay safe, stay isolated to help yourself and the NHS.

Enjoy: Skip Ad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8