Round can simple described as a “Circle”. Circles are simple closed curves which divide the plane into two regions, an interior and an exterior.

OK…that’s the technical jargon. We all know what Round is and can identify objects that are round in shape. Your challenge couldn’t be much easier. Locate something that is “Round” and turn it into a creative photograph. We must clearly be able to determine which object you’ve chosen as your round subject.

Yeah, yeah this is pretty basic, but time has not been on my side the past couple of months. I wanted to make the challenge and it was cold outside, so I decided to look for round objects around the house. This was the most obvious.

Exposure:      0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture:     f/25.0
Focal Length:     17 mm
Focal Length:     17.3 mm
ISO Speed:     320
Exposure Bias:     +1/3 EV
Flash:     No Flash

A silhouette is a view of a object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. The term has been extended to describe the sight or image of a person, object or scene that is back lit, and appears dark against a lighter background.

Many photographers use the technique of photographing people, objects or landscape elements against the light, to achieve an image in silhouette. The light might be natural, such as a sunset or an open doorway, a technique known as contre-jour or it might be contrived in a studio.

Quite simply, your challenge this time is to take a photo where your main subject is a silhouette with no discernible features visible. It should be black and outlined by the light situated behind it. The subject and post processing is up to each individual.

I think this was one of the firsts challenges that I’d gotten a decent number of votes in. I knew what I needed to do to get a silhouette, but I needed a subject. Well, once again I got my little model to help out.

He had just gotten ready for bed and I asked him to put an ornament on the Christmas tree. While he was busy finding a spot, I shot a couple of photos for the challenge.

I added a black faded border around the picture and played around with the levels to enhance the glow from the lights. I think I got a decent shot. View the image at flickr to see the camera settings.

The Rule of Thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to photograph a subject of your choosing while keeping in mind the challenge topic.

Any new photo where the Rule of Thirds is used properly in your photographs composition is welcome. The manner in which you create your photo and the post processing is entirely up to the individual.

Once again I needed something at the last minute to make the challenge deadline, so I looked out of my office window and took a picture. That night I processed it and met the deadline. I wasn’t looking for anything special. It was a rainy day and kind of dreary outside. I’m not even sure if I have got the concept correct (the car was part of the subject). I guess you win some and you lose some.

“The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space.

This challenge couldn’t be more simple…find an item or object that is orange in colour and create something interesting enough to impress your fellow photographers.

Any new photo where the colour Orange is featured in the composition is welcome. The manner in which you create your photo and the post processing is entirely up to the individual.”

It usually takes me a week to come up with an idea for these challenges. Sometimes I just come up blank and it’s those times when I’m not thinking about it that I see something I like. On the day I took the picture, it was a nice sunny day with very little cloud cover. While the sign was warning drivers of the work ahead, I looked at it from another angle.

Romans 7:14-25 in the Bible that reads “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”.

This verse talks about the constant struggle we have when it comes to sin. I like this verse because it acknowledges the constant evil and tempations that are all around us. But it also reminds us that there is victory in Christ and that we do have the power to through Him to win the battle. One of the goals in life of a Christian is to live a life pleasing to God. It’s not easy, but it is possible. People may think you’re weird and call you names, but that’s all a part of being “set apart”.

Now, I’m sure the million dollar question is how did I get this from a picture? I don’t know, but that was my intention when taking the photo. I even created a motivational poster out of it. Enjoy.

The objective of this challenge was as follows:

If you enjoy music and photography, here is a chance to combine both of those subjects into one fun challenge.

Once again it’s time to put your creative talents to the test. In this challenge you must create a photo that is based on a Band Name.

Any new photo where a Band Name is clearly identifiable in the finished product is welcome. The manner in which you create your photo and the post processing is entirely up to the individual.

NOTE: The Band Name must be internationally known or at the very least extremely popular in its country of origin. Provide a link under your submission to information on the band if you’re not sure.

This was an interesting challenge and there were a lot of great submissions. But I did want to represent the greatest band to walk the face of the planet. Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Earth, Wind & Fire. I got the opportunity to meet them in Houston a couple of years ago and I’m still pretty giddy about it.

I’m not sure if I got my message across because it’s hard to show “wind”, but I gave it a shot anyway.

One photography trick that will help your subject stand out is selective focus. With this technique, we can choose one part of the image to be sharp and in focus, while the rest of the image is kept out of focus.

Using a larger aperture, say 2.8 or 5.0, can leave the background out of focus while keeping the main subject sharp and force the eye to it. Of course the distance between the subject and the background will impact what aperture you use.

For this contest show me selective focus by blurring out the background to draw more attention to the main subject.

While Macro lenses may give some people an unfair advantage in this challenge, I encourage everyone to give it a try even if they don’t own a macro lens….like me.

Any new photo where Selective Focus is achieved is welcome. The subject and the post processing is entirely up to the individual.

It was a last minute idea for me to take this shot. I’d been busy that week and didn’t want to miss another challenge, so I took a picture of the item I use the most. I used my 20mm Kenko Extension Tube and 18-55mm lens.

This challenge focuses more on composition rather than technique.

Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features.

Too often a photo can be inundated with too many objects and the crowded frame detracts from the intended subject. Your task, for this contest, is to enter an image that is distilled to the essence of what you want to say. No elements should be included that do not directly support your subject or theme.

This was another one of those photos where I had no idea what I was going to do. One afternoon while driving, I decided to take a back route and saw this tractor parked under a tree.

It caught my attention because there weren’t many trees left and I wanted to get a picture before “progress” came. I don’t know what’s going to take the place of the trees, but I’m sure whatever it is will be another sign of growth in our community. More homes, more stores, more restaurants means more stuff for us to buy. We are a country of consumers and spenders because he who has the most toys at the end wins…or do they?

My son had just recently drawn a picture of a monster in school. He wanted us to put it on the refrigerator, so I used it as the subject of my challenge entry. The only real editing was a crop and a little extra contrast.

Afterwards, I started eating the props. I like Skittles. Feel free to leave comments or questions.

Original Photo

Final Photo