52Frames Abstract Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject for the 52Frames photo challenge this week was “abstract.” Apparently there are several types of abstract, but I always tend to go with my gut. And I have learned a lot of new techniques since joining this online group. So we drove in to town last week and I just started taking photos of things using the “live” option on my iPhone. That way, any of the photos could be turned in to long exposure while editing. The Capitol steps were one option. The waterfountain spray was another. Then there were all the ducks splashing about. The water sprays in front of the National gallery of art are always nice and with a great deal of editing the photo became even more interesting. I am not happy with a single photo so I spend a lot of time creating composites - using several images to make one. The coneflowers at the US botanic garden were a great subject too. But the rounded glass windows and faux stream and waterfalls at the Smithsonian American Indian Museum turned out the best. I used two layers and converted one in to a negative which created some lovely dramatic colors. Then a second layer was superimposed at a different level and crop. I liked the end result even though I’m not sure it meets the criteria. I guess I’ll find out this week if it was a good choice. 

52Frames Abstract Photo Challenge

We started at the Smithsonian American Indian Museum pond in search of an abstract image for the 52Frames photo challenge last week. A few of them were pretty decent. But another option appeared later in the week when we were leaving the neighborhood park from our morning walk. A dramatically dressed woman emerged walking down the sidewalk. She was wearing a pink and green coordinated outfit with matching hat, purse and shoes. We have seen her before in other interesting outfits. I knew I needed to use her images in this challenge. I don’t think I’ve spent this much time on any photo challenge yet after two plus years. Every time I work on a project like this I learn something new.  Before it was just a photo that was edited, but lately creating composite images are more to my liking. It’s a combination of photos and art and a lot of layering and playing around using my procreate app. That is the program I have been using to paint my custom pet portraits. I never realized I could also use it for photo challenges. By the end there were over twenty images to choose from so I left the final selection up to my husband. We rarely agree on which photo is the best and this was no exception. All I know is that I have more fun creating a project than just editing a photo. I wonder what the reaction will be?

52Frames Abstract

I think I should give up trying to be noticed in the weekly photo challenge. My skills are limited and my camera is an iPhone 8 Plus - not very good in the scheme of things. So until I finally get my hands on the next generation iPhone with a substantially better camera, the results will usually be mediocre. And that’s okay because the idea is to just get out of the house at least once a week and explore the possible options for a decent image based on a specific subject. And last week was “abstract.” It’s another topic that I didn’t really care for because I couldn’t focus on or figure out in my head what might work. So I tried a few shots around the house and nothing looked very impressive - water on the balcony glass table, and shooting underneath the glass top on the dining room table. So we drove in to town hoping to find something that would eventually turn in to something abstract. We started at the Hirshhorn museum of art and checked out the artwork draped around the building. In front of the Art and Industries building was a colorful “tree” of plastic pieces that were glimmering on to the sidewalk. Then we found some shriveled up magnolia leaves that looked interesting. But the prettiest place was in front of the Smithsonian American Indian Museum pond where a mom and her ducklings were having a delightful time in the safely enclosed pond. With the help of a filter all of the images improved, but the pond just looked pretty over the magnolia leaves that felt more like autumn than summer. So that’s the image that was selected this week. It looks more impressionistic, but the colors are delightful.