Photo Assignment - 6/16 - 6/22

We're starting something new here at Pix-N-Pens. Each Tuesday, I'll post a photo assignment. During the week, try to photograph the assignment, and then look through your photos and pick ONE that you think represents the assignment best, and post it over at our special Pix-N-Pens group folder at Photobucket. I set up the group so that readers of Pix-N-Pens can view it, but not anyone else and no one can copy your work when you post it. You'll need the password - inspired - to login.

The purpose of these writing prompts (on Mondays) and photo assignments on Tuesdays is to help us CREATE. I'll be using the prompts and participating in the assignments myself - as a way to spur my own creativity, and pull me out of any ruts I might be in during any given week. I hope you'll join me.

This week's assignment:

Turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Choose an ordinary, everyday item around your house, and photograph it in such a way that it becomes an extraordinary piece of art.

Sometime during this week - June 16-22 - select ONE of your photos, and post over in our special Pix-N-Pens group folder at Photobucket. The password is inspired. Then, leave a comment letting us know you've posted your photo.

Have fun. I can't wait to see your work. And figure out what I'm going to shoot, too!

Something New - Writing and Photo Prompts

We're starting something new this week here at Pix-N-Pens - for writers and photographers.

Each Monday, I'll post two writing prompts. One here at Pix-N-Pens, and one over at Christian Writing Examiner. With the writing prompts, apply them to one fiction and one nonfiction project - of any length. Based on the prompt, you could write a poem or a novel, a blog post or a nonfiction book. Don't share the words you write based on the prompt, but feel free to share your experience - was the prompt helpful? Did you write an article from it? Or get through a difficult scene of your WIP? Or was the prompt not helpful at all? Post your comments about the writing prompts in the comment section for that prompt.

If you end up submitting your creation for publication - share your successes with us!

On Tuesdays, I'll post a photography assignment here at Pix-N-Pens. During the week, try to photograph the assignment, and then look through your photos and pick ONE that you think represents the assignment best, and post it over at our special Pix-N-Pens group folder at Photobucket. I set up the group so that readers of Pix-N-Pens can view it, but not anyone else and no one can copy your work when you post it. You'll need the password - inspired - to login.

The purpose of these prompts and assignments is to help us CREATE. I'll be using the prompts and participating in the assignments myself - as a way to spur my creativity, and pull me out of any ruts I might be in during any given week. I hope you'll join me.

Today's Prompt:

It's August 10, 2035. What does your schedule look like for the day?

And remember, I post a second prompt each week over at CWE, too.

Exciting News from our own Debbie Roome!

I'm so excited to announce that Pix-N-Pens Columnist Debbie Roome has won the Rose and Crowns New Novel Competition for her novel Embracing Change.

For her First Place win, Debbie receives a monetary prize and a contract for PUBLICATION of her novel! Details are still coming, so we don't yet know when the book will be published, but as soon as Debbie has the information, she'll let us know.

Congratulations, Debbie! We're rejoicing with you!

The 2 Most Important Factors, Part 2

I believe the two most important factors in creating a good photograph are light and composition. The first most important factor for me is light. We talked about this previously. Having the correct light, the right exposure, in an image is not dependent on what camera equipment you use. Instead, it is the result of knowing how to use aperture, shutter speed, and ISO effectively, and knowing their affect on each other. Good exposure in an image comes from practice making the right decisions with your particular camera based on the available light.

COMPOSITION

Composition is a general term referring to the placement of objects within the photograph. "Good" composition is the result of placing these objects in a location that best "draws" the viewers eye. This is called visualization. Famed photographer Ansel Adams referred to visualization as "seeing it in your mind's eye". (To hear it in his own words, visit this link.) In other words, before I snap the shutter, I ask myself a number of questions. "What do I want the viewer to see? What is the subject of this photograph?" I might then ask other questions like, "At what angle will my camera best capture the scene? If I shift myself left or right, forward or backward, what will that bring into or eliminate from this photograph?" "Seeing" the answer to these questions, "seeing" the photograph as it will be in its finished state before you have snapped the shutter is visualization.

It all comes back to making the right decisions based on knowledge you have practiced and acquired. In the following photograph, I used the "S" curve of the pathway to draw the viewer's eye deeper into the image. In effect, this causes the surrounding elements, the flora, to disappear. I "saw" the pathway and "saw" the effect I wanted before I took the picture.

Walkway, Gatorland, Orlando, Florida

In that image, I had to ask myself what did I want people to focus on? And in that case, I chose the pathway and then adjusted my composition accordingly. The purpose of this next image was to give the viewer an idea of the thickness of the forest. Using the rules of thirds, I broke the image up horizontally into 3 pieces and placed the trees in the upper thirds. The dark trunks provide a strong vertical element, and despite their limited vertical distance in the photograph, you still get the idea they are much stronger and taller. I then gave most of the image, the bottom 2/3rds, to the palmettos. I purposefully adjusted my footing to place the strongest fronds in the foreground.

Now, at the same time I was visualizing the image horizontally, I watched for vertical elements as well. Where I finally stood for this image placed the largest pine to the left-side of the photograph, next to some larger taller palmettos, thus creating depth.

Pines and palmettos

I have found it to be a great exercise to spend time just composing images in my head. Even without a camera in my hand, or any intent to take an image, I think about what I would do to create the best photograph. Continued use of this technique has made it easier to compose images where the subject is not as stationary as a flower or a tree.

The green anole lizard below was only at this location with his head at that angle for a brief second in time. I actually ignored a lot of opportunities to click the shutter, in effect missing a lot of shots, as I waited for him to do something more "compositionally" correct. This does mean that sometimes I miss a picture of something I would otherwise have captured. But for me, I would rather have 1 visually pleasing image than 50 poor ones any day.

Green Anole on Pindo Palm Leaf

---------------------------------------------

Suzanne Williams Photography
Florida, USA

Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.

How to Cultivate a Fertile Imagination

Learning to Seek Inspiration

God has given us a wonderful gift in our imagination. Our modern world has developed from people imagining outrageous things like flying, surgery in the womb, space travel and so much more. We are surrounded by creativity; the chairs we sit on, the malls we shop at, the cars we drive, all started in someone’s imagination. Imagining is also a vital part of story-telling and there are ways we can develop this skill.

Become an Observer
I love watching people – it doesn’t matter where I am. Everyday locations such as coffee shops, trains, buses, airports, sport arenas and banks are wonderful places to observe people’s behavior. Look for mannerisms, emotions and reactions as well as unusual dress styles and appearance. Many people that I’ve brushed shoulders with for a brief moment, have appeared in my stories.

What if
This is a great question to get your imagination going and can be asked in any situation. What if my brakes failed on this hill? What if this letter contained news of a sister I never knew I had? What if my flight was diverted to Africa? What if I inherited a toy shop? Ask yourself this type of question as you go about daily life.

Feed your Imagination
An idle mind is an unimaginative mind. Feed it by reading a cross section of books and playing games or doing puzzles. The idea is to get used to thinking about different topics and stretching your abilities. I’ve just completed four hours of instruction in New Zealand Sign Language. It was an amazing experience and I learnt so much more than the signs themselves. I now have a basic understanding of Deaf Culture and what it means to be deaf in a hearing world. I’ve a feeling a deaf character may pop up in one of my future stories.

Engage the Five Senses
Writing is a product of what we feel, experience and imagine with our five senses. I was in Wellington last week, walking down the main street towards the train station. I had a looming deadline for a short story competition and was trying to think of an idea – with little success. It was an icy day and as I passed a large book store, I paused in the doorway, enjoying the warmth that spilled out. As I did so, one line popped into my mind – the aroma of paper and new books. (Don’t you just love that smell?) The whole story followed a few minutes later and I wrote it out while traveling on the train.

New Textures and Tastes
In a similar fashion, I’ve found that exposing myself to a variety of different experiences helps my imagination. We have several fair-trade type shops where I live, and I love to wander through them. The sight and feel of wooden carvings, stone chess sets, woven rugs, silk scarves and jasmine soap always brings pictures to mind.

These are a few simple ways to develop imagination skills, but the most important way is by prayer. Ask God to drop thoughts, scenes and stories into your mind as you go about daily life. He longs to use us and I know by experience that He answers these prayers and inspires imaginations.

Have a wonderful creative week and come back and leave a comment if you have an inspired moment you’d like to share with us.


Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Read some of her work at Suite 101 , Take Root and Write and Faithwriters.