With the onset of this sudden winter, getting outside to photograph may not be everyone’s first choice — so let’s take things inside for this assignment and try our hand at still life.

Still life can be an exploration of color, contrast, texture and light. It is a quiet, reflective kind of photography that lets you work a shot over and over – without a whining or tiring subject. Even if this type of photography is not your ‘cup of tea’ – the assignment is worth the effort, as it will force you to think outside of your comfort zone, and likely teach you something new about your camera and maybe even about yourself.

I challenge you to “make” not “take” this shot. Found still life is a blast, and a lot of wonderful still lives are all around us waiting to be photographed. Not this one. Gather the props, find a suitable surface, bring in your light (if not using natural light, be aware of your white balance under artificial lights) and work the shot like crazy. Experiment with aperture, shadows, reflectors and anything else you can find to work the photograph out of the props in front of you.

Assignment Photos—Cast Your Vote!

Each image below is assigned a number – choose your 5 favorites and check the corresponding image number shown in the right side bar.

You can only vote for 5….if you select more than 5, you’ll get an error message and you’ll have to uncheck those above the limit. Each computer can only vote one time – so for those members that share a computer – feel free to email me with your votes, or use a friend’s computer to cast your vote. PLEASE NOTE: Voting is a privilege for camera club members only. 

DEADLINE TO VOTE is Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 11:59 pm

Be sure to note the “Image #” shown UNDER the slide show when casting vote.

[portfolio_slideshow include=”6967,6968,6969,6970,6971,6972,6973,6974,6975,6976,6977,6978,6979,6980,6981,6982,6983,6984,6985,6986,6987,6988,6989,6990,6991,6992,6993,6994,6995,6996,6997,6998,6999,7000,7001,7002,7003,7004,7005,7006,7007,7008,7009,7010,7011″]