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 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. 

52Frames Rule of Thirds Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “rule of thirds.” So we drove in to town to see what we could find in the White House neighborhood. We parked at the end of the National mall and started walking past the Smithsonian American History Museum, and down to Freedom Square along Pennsylvania Avenue. As we approached the White House there was a group of Asian visitors that looked dazzling - it looked like a fashion show. I really liked this photo and turned the background black and white but kept the actual color of the girls for a bit of contrast. But there was also a couple - full of tattoos - that passed by us on our way back to the car. I immediately turned around and got a photo of them - walking in sync - next to the commerce building. The blue toned background matched their jeans and they stuck out like sore thumbs against it. My husband loved this photo but I didn’t. But I submitted it anyway with a simple edit - there was no composite or interesting editing like I usually do. We rarely agree on which image to submit. We will find out if I should have overruled him!

52Frames Door Photo Trending With a Poem

This is such a wonderful streak. Ever since April my 52Frames photo for the week has trended. That means on their website a carousel of images appears and switches up every few hours. My photo usually shows up on the day after the album opens. It’s really something that I look forward to seeing every week - especially when there are over 2500 entries from all over the world! The subject this week was “door” and I had so many choices after visiting Old Town Alexandria. The selection was a very old crooked house with blue and green doors. But a composite was created to make the scene black and white except for the colorful doors. What was really nice this week was a comment about the photo made by a fellow framer from California. He submits very quirky images that make me laugh. He also has a way with words and could create a children’s book with his unique commentary and photos. This week he wrote a poem about this very crooked house and doors. I really appreciate all of the comments my photos receive every week and I also enjoy commenting on their photos. All along the way new things are learned and friends are made. It’s really such a nice hobby and the interactions make it so much more meaningful. Thanks T for the kind words!

52Frames Door Weekly Photo Challenge

It was really hard to make a choice for this week’s 52Frames weekly photo challenge. The subject was “door” so that meant a trip to Old Town Alexandria where there are doors of every size and shape. The problem was is that my husband had a favorite and so did I. I was also experimenting with black and white with a pop of color. He liked the old grungy door in front of a shop on King Street; I liked the blue and green doors on a very crooked and old house in the neighborhood. In between were so many other beautiful doors and colors and backdrops including a fire boat on the Potomac River and so many others that we found while strolling along the sidewalks of a town established in the 1700’s. Old town is one of our favorite places to visit because there is always something to see. I ended up submitting the old crooked house. It was a composite image made up of three layers - the original image in black and white and two more layers for each color door. The sign post was edited out of the front to make it less distracting. It would be nice to get selected this week. But I won’t hold my breath. It was quite a project. My husband is such a good sport about helping me not only take the photos by driving and walking to all of these places, but also critiquing them. We usually don’t agree and this time I overruled him. It usually doesn’t work to my advantage.