52Frames Negative Space Photo Trending

I’m really happy to see that my 52Frames photos keep trending! I don’t know how or why, but ever since one of my fellow frames told me my photo was trending on the 52frames website back in April, I have been checking the site routinely after each weekly album is released. It seems they usually appear on the second day. This week the subject was negative space and an image of the Capitol building with one lone young man sitting on the steps was submitted. I have had more comments on this image than most. I didn’t think it would be a negative space image because it’s rather “busy.” But after editing it to a high key and cropping it in along with maintaining the original light on the subject it seemed to work. It’s been a while since one of my entries has been selected as a top 52 out of the usual 2500 to 3000 images submitted every week. And I haven’t had any images selected on instagram lately and I would never expect seeing one in the top three. But I’ve come to enjoy the editing process more than the photo taking - and that might not always jive with the photography definition. I really like creating composite images. Hopefully this trend will continue. I really appreciate the thrill of it all every week and several comments include things like “I need to try that approach” or “you’ve inspired me to try that” or “I’ve never seen that technique before.” It’s a very uplifting experience! 

52Frames Negative Space Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject for this 52Frames photo challenge this week was “negative space.” We drove in to town thinking that the National Gallery of Art would have a lot of options. After we parked in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood we walked over to the Capitol grounds. Usually there are a lot of people milling around. But this time there was a solitary young man sitting on the steps. I didn’t think it would ever work for the subject and we moved on to the gallery. And I was right. There were a lot of great photo ops in the art gallery. I have more fun editing the images than taking pictures of them. So I went back to the Capitol steps and starting to change the original image. First it was cropped vertical rather than horizontal, edited to high key, the background layer was made more transparent, and the image of the boy was duplicated and placed on a second layer in the same spot so he would stand out. It was a difficult call this week because there were so many good ideas including a Gardner snake we saw in the neighborhood park! I changed my mind three times and ended up using the Capitol steps over my husband in the stairwell and another young boy painting at a kiosk in the gallery. I also try to gauge the reaction of Instagram followers and they liked the Capitol steps most. This one was a tough call. Sometimes it’s better just to have one choice! 

52Frames Negative Space Weekly Photo Challenge

This week’s subject for the 52Frames photo challenge was “negative space.”  I always look at the top 52 winners of the last negative space challenge to get some ideas about what might look good. In the end we always pick an image that we like more than what it probably should look like. It started out with a simple chair that was two floors below us on a balcony. I rather liked it but my husband didn’t. He likes things that emote something. I also tried a composite image that was also painted of a staircase from great falls. That didn’t work. Later in the week we took a ride in to town and started out at the American Indian museum pond. At the US Botanic Garden we found some interesting plants. I eventually used one of the pitcher plants for the image that was submitted. But first it was edited as a composite photo because I ended up adding in a black background and painting it a bit to add some dimension. Then we walked over to the Capitol where there were hoards of people being told to turn around from whatever was going on by the Supreme Court. So we headed over to the National Gallery of Art where there were a few good options on the stairwells and the main level. On our way back to the car we passed through the sculpture garden and took a few photos of the silver tree branches. So it was a successful week and we always have a good time figuring out where to go to take the pictures and eventually deciding which one would be the best option. 

52frames Negative Space Photo Challenge

This week’s photo challenge subject was negative space. It’s not one of my favorites. I was scratching my head to figure out some options. The spider “sculpture” crawling on the wall was one thought. But it looked staged. The image with the wooden bird also looked phony. So we took a ride in to DC and parked at the Tidal Basin. Then we walked over to Constitution Gardens - a very secluded and lovely park in the middle of the urban jungle. Along the way I got a couple photos of the Washington Monument. Walking along the path towards the island we came across a goose with her brood and a great blue heron hiding in the in greens. We see more wildlife in the city than the suburbs. What struck my fancy was the floating branch on the pond. That ended up being the entry for the week. But I also liked to two girls who were eating cupcakes while walking along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Each week brings a challenge that makes us get out of the house. Just for that reason and a morning walk it’s worth doing. Any change of scenery is needed these days. 

52Frames_negativespace

It was simply a gorgeous blue skied day and perfect for taking photos for the 52Frames weekly challenge. This week was “negative space.” Rather than park in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood - it’s too hard to get in to it with all the barbed wire fencing around the Capitol - we drove over to the National Mall and found a spot by the natural history museum. The mall itself was quite empty, but the parking spaces were filled with trucks and cars of construction workers. The Air and Space museum has been on the renovation timeline for much too long. After settling with the park mobile app, we headed out towards the Smithsonian Castle and gardens. It’s just the beginning of the fantastic magnolia display that is forthcoming. Only the buds are out now, but you can feel the energy of the new season. Compared to last year at this time, it’s such a wonderful difference. Then we walked over to the Hirshhorn and national gallery of art sculpture gardens that were open. We saw our first cherry blossoms. The Smithsonian buildings are still closed, but at least the gardens are available to walk through. Since my husband and I never agree on which photo to upload tothe website, I have been posting them on my Facebook business page and Instagram to see how many impressions are made. Rarely is the top contender something I or my husband would have selected. It’s a great diversion every week to seek and find a place that might meet the challenge. And with spring coming, it’s even more interesting.