Give me a random photo assignment please!

Summer time one of my favorite subjects is anything involving water. Just seems so cool when it gets warm out. How about some people playing in the water or a pool at the park or boats in the water maybe?

I should do something like this too. I might head out tomorrow if it's as nice as today here. Very cold but pretty clear and sunny day today but I was busy.

Good luck and post up some of the results!

 

If you want to develop your eye, there is an exercise I always give students.

Take 26 pictures, each of a different letter of the alphabet... but there is a catch. It can't be a real (man made) letter, like a sign... it must occur naturally.

A crescent moon makes a C for example. A knothole in a piece of wood makes an O. Power lines and towers are always target rich.

If you're bold, do upper and lower can and never use the same object for more than one letter. I still do this exercise myself every few years.

good luck

 

Photograph a sheet of typing paper in a snowstorm on a sunny day - using slide film....

That was the "joke assignment" from my early days in the photog biz 25 years ago...



Jedi

 

Any examples, sounds really interesting but difficult for some letters.

 

urban gardens.

Something a 70-200 could capture quite nicely in a flat, but contrasted manner

Good luck!

 

I'll try to dig some up, I have not done it in a few years... heh maybe it is time for me to do it again. BTW my personal nemesis is Capital G.

 

The alphabet project is a good idea too. There are many great examples out there, here is just one http://www.pbase.com/abbarich/the_alphabet

There was an amazing one I saw about a year ago but I can't seem to find it right now. If I find it I'll post it.

 

+1 on that Alphabet project. That's just what I need to help out my eyes. I'm going to start that one

 

Thanks for the link John! That's amazing!

 

I was thinking of stuff like this...

But, take it as you will, its not wrong
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There are some really great ones out there. I just wish I could find the one I'm thinking of. It was a gal who basically took everyday things and posed them as letters. You really had to look at some to figure it out. They were great shots though.

This might be a good idea for a new thread actually.

 

Actually I finally found it. Look here under "editorial 1" and "WAD #39- Alphabets"

http://www.art-dept.com/artists/borsodi/

 

My problem with these is that they are set shots... nothing wrong with that but I like the idea of having to find them in nature and not make a set. That a different kettle of fish.

Since I was the OP that started us down the path, I'll type it up with the 'rules' etc. I'll take a Picture of an A today and post it this afternoon.

 

Yep I agree, her work was much different than just finding random shapes that look like letters. I still thought they were some great shots.

I've also seen it done just by using letters found on buildings or in public or wherever. One person even made the letters out of cooked strips of bacon. Lot's of ways to skin this cat but finding the shape in an unexpected way is really the most interesting to me.

 

people watching. Stay in one place, mall, fountain etc, and just photograph the sorts of people and daily activities that occur through x number of hours.

 

Since it's summer and you're in the middle of a heat wave(or at least a friend from Perth told me so) you may take pictures of the "heat distorsion".

With heat distortion I mean this sort of effect.

http://www.grobe-bilder.com/grobe-bilder-blog/files/_MG_0218.jpg

 

ok let's do this... if we have 3 people 'sign up' on this thread, I'll make a new thread just for this exercise. (and I guess since I am one, we need two more takers)

Here's what I am thinking. We'll start Sunday the 6th posting one letter per day. This will give us all a few days head start so we have a buffer of sorts if we run low on time later. (my advice try to get through G by the start.)

I picked the 6th because if we post 1 letter per day, my the end of the month we finish the alphabet.

Who's in?

 

I'd really like to but don't have the time to do one a day. I might be convinced to do one a week though. It doesn't have to be a contest though, maybe just start taking some and posting them up and see who joins in.

 

no contest... just an exercise. The only one you're competing against is yourself.

As for the time thing, that's why I wanted a 1 week (almost) delayed start. One per week is a half a year... my fear is people will lose interest. (???) Two per week?

 

I might even try that myself. Interesting idea...
Reminds me of one of my favorite films.