52Frames A Quiet Moment Photo Challenge

The subject for the 52Frames photo challenge this week was “a quiet moment.” Since we have been inundated with rain for the last ten days I wasn’t in the mood to go outside for photos. But in spite of the rain we did continue to do our morning walks in the neighborhood park where the tree canopy protects us from the elements. Luckily for me there was a mom and daughter in the path in front of us. The little girl had a cute duck rain outfit on and was holding her mother’s hand. They looked so tiny against the huge tree backdrop, but the yellow outfit stood out against it. I took three photos of them together as mom was pointing something out. Upon editing, the three images were layered on top of each other creating a sort of vortex calling them both towards the trees. But I kept their image solid so the subjects stood out. Between the sound of the light rain and the falling leaves it felt all so serene. This image worked well for the challenge but I really didn’t spend a lot of time on it this week. And wouldn’t you know this photo was selected to be reviewed by the master photographer himself. I hope the critique is positive. 

52Frames Modes of Transportation Photo Trending

The photo challenge this week was all about modes of transportation. I was really happy with the composite image that was created using three photos of flying carpets from a mobile, a photo of the sunset from our balcony, and a photo of an old photo we took when we visited Isfahan fifteen years ago. The photos were all layered together and it was an interesting view of the city below. So it was nice to see my photo was trending on the 52Frames website yesterday evening on in the day the album opened. It generally stays up for around an eight hour period. It’s also nice to see when names of fellow framers that are unfamiliar to me comment on the image. The fun part about 52Frames is that there are people from all over the world commenting on your submission. It’s also lovely to see shots taken by people who live in places that I have only heard about - from people actually lives there. I really enjoy the editing process and never really was a photographer per se - I always loved to take photos. So I use my digital art app to help create these projects. I’m hoping one of these days one of my images will be selected on instagram or as a 52 favorite out of about 2500 or so. If not I’ll look forward to next week’s challenge. 

52Frames Modes of Transportation Weekly Photo Challenge

The 52Frames photo challenge subject this week was “modes of transportation.” The little flying carpet mobile that I gave to my husband almost fifty years ago immediately came to mind. It started off with three individual photos of the carpet riders, a photo of the sunset from our balcony, and a photo of a photo that I took in Isfahan of Naghsh-e Jahan Square fifteen years ago. The finished product is a composite image. The sunset image was flipped, the Isfahan photo was cleaned up to eliminate the cars and light poles and also made transparent so that the orange sunset shined through to the magic carpets that overlooked the beautiful city below. I really liked the overall vibe. We were lucky to visit Isfahan twice - once with my husband’s family 28 years ago and then again with some of our American friends who made the trip with us to Iran fifteen years ago. I don’t have any idea what my fellow framers will think about my image. I so much enjoyed piecing it all together. 

52Frames Levitation Weekly Photo Trending

I was rather disappointed last week when my weekly photo entry was not trending. The only reason is because my photos have been trending every week since April - when I first learned such a thing existed. I believe it may have something to do with the number of likes the photo received from fellow framers from all over the world. So I was nervous about this week’s entry… would it trend or not? The album always opens on Tuesday and my photo has been trending on Tuesday night or the following day. I was somewhat relieved to see that it was trending beginning last night and it lasted until this morning - usually around an eight hour period or so?  I’ve had somewhat of a dry spell of making the 52Frames best cuts that come out on Thursday, and haven’t been showcased on the instagram site either for quite a while. They say this isn’t a contest but it really is. I guess it’s really all about the attitude. It’s a hobby where you get to meet people from all over the world and it gives me an opportunity to be as creative as possible using the tools that I have. I’m not really a photographer anyway. That’s why so many really great photographers had a problem with the subject this week because it requires more than point and shoot. It was more of a project of layering several images to create “levitation” that goes beyond a simple edit. I actually love the editing process more than taking the photos. Let’s see what happens this week! 

52Frames Levitation Weekly Photo Challenge

It was a very difficult decision to post either the miniature roses or the Capitol building. The subject for the 52Frames weekly photo challenge this week was “levitation.” I knew there would be several floating watering can entries but there would be only one Capitol dome floating unattached to the massive structure below. But my husband loved the thirsty and spent roses with the whole vibe of the sweltering sun over the controversial Capitol building and the negative impression of DC. He didn’t like the original background I selected so I worked on it to make him happy. I also tried some levitating rocks in the neighborhood park, my husband floating magically in the circular structure at the gardens in DC, my husband levitating above the sidewalk in the park, and a white cat walking above the fence line. Then there were the floating berries and the yellow flowers. All of these were composites of sorts, but the roses required a lot of work and several layers as it was composed of six photos and a bit of painting in of a sun burst and water drops. I haven’t had a lot of luck lately in getting selected as a top 52 for many weeks. Even though it’s not a contest, who doesn’t love getting selected? 

52frames Beautiful View Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “beautiful view.” We went three different places and I really wasn’t happy with the end result. Everything is so green at this time of the year I wasn’t thrilled. We went to the Smithsonian Gardens, Theodore Roosevelt Island, and then to Constitution Pond. It wasn’t until we walked over to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that something caught my eye. There were a lot of very happy colorfully outfitted visitors taking photos of a beautiful view. A candid image of a group of them checking the group selfie just made me smile. We were asked to take a few photos of them too. It was such a pleasant sight to see the animated happy friends. A few of the other photos taken during the week were okay - but the group of travelers just told a better story. No, it’s not photographically the best image out there and I don’t expect a lot of comments. I just liked the overall vibe. It needed a bit of editing to eliminate the interlopers and was cropped down to size. In the end the colors and beautiful view just made me happy! 

52Frames Blue Hour Photo Trending

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “blue hour.” That meant you needed to take a photo either very early in the morning before the sun came up or later in the evening after the sun set. Neither one of those scenarios works for our morning walk schedule that usually starts around 9:30. So I submitted a cotton candy cloud image that was a simple edited photo rather than the composites that I love to create. On the 52Frames website they show photos trending and they switch out about every eight hours or so. I usually keep an eye out for it ever since a fellow framer told me my photo was trending back in April. And ever since then my weekly photo has shown up in the trending spot. It usually happens the day after the album opens. My only explanation is that my photos get a good number of likes. I haven’t had a 52pick for quite some time. So my view on the subject is that I need to be happy with whatever I submit. If the image gets a nod now and then that’s all that matters. And if it doesn’t get a nod that’s fine too. I was never a photographer anyway - I just enjoy taking pictures. 

52Frames Blue Hour Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “blue hour.” I don’t care for subjects that are for a specific time period - especially in the early morning or late evening or night. I never get up before 8:30 AM and we rarely go out at night. We like using the subjects to help us decide where we will be taking our morning walk. So this challenge basically kept me on our balcony because it is west facing and would be the only place to take pictures right after sunset - without having to go anywhere. Luckily the clouds and colors cooperated. Every evening there was something a little bit different. We decided the cotton candy clouds with a bit of a balcony in the scene was most appealing. The colors were like nothing we have ever seen. I also did two other options of layering the same scene of pictures that were taken over a period of thirty minutes. I actually preferred one of those because everyone will be submitting sky images of which mine will be one of many. I suppose not every subject will be my cup of tea. I just don’t get very enthusiastic about it. 

52Frames Rule of Thirds Photo Trending

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “rule of thirds.” My photos have not been selected in the top 52 for quite some time - even though many the comments are most complimentary - it doesn’t seem to matter. After all, it is a contest of sorts and it is nice to get selected. However, since about April of this year when a fellow framer pointed out to me that my photo was trending on the main page website, my photos have consistently trended since then. It usually occurs on the day after the album opens, sometimes sooner. And it stays trending for about 8 hours or so. I think it has a lot to do with the number of likes it gets. I’ve spent a lot of time building up a base of fellow framers who live all over the world. Additionally this is a great hobby that keeps me occupied in so many ways. The subject matter dictates where we will go on a morning walk in search of something that might work. This subject took us to downtown DC near the White House. This image of the tattooed couple was my husband’s favorite. Sometimes I should overrule his choice even though it is usually right. Several people said they preferred the alternate to this one. Maybe that would have made the difference? Probably not.