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20/20 Photo Challenge : Composition

 

Last year my blogging, and photography, took a back seat as I concentrated more on my art and renovating the garden. But the garden is, more or less, finished (never really finished though, as I am always deciding to change and titivate another area…) Now I’m feeling the urge to get back to blogging. A new challenge from my “blogging buddy” Jude has rekindled my interest in photography. Here is how Jude describes the challenge…

20/20 Photo Challenge  

“I decided to challenge myself (and possibly you) by trying out various photographic techniques, skills or concepts. If you would like to join in then I have a 2020 Photo Challenge page set up to explain the simple guidelines and proposed monthly assignments.”

So today is my first contribution…

I go out into the garden at 6am to do the watering in the early morning before the heat of the day strikes. And strike it does now that it is mid summer. Often into the mid 30’s by lunchtime. The sun was still low in the eastern sky at that time and with Jude’s new challenge in mind I was noticing the way the back lighting was highlighting the foliage and creating halo effects. I started to look for compositions. untitled-10_4000x3000Back in 2015 (it certainly doesn’t seem that long ago) Jude ran a very popular bench challenge. So with that in mind I took this shot of one of our benches framed by geraniums, agave and a Murraya shrub. But I wasn’t happy with the composition, so I moved around.untitled-11_3000x4000By adding some of Jack’s Desert Rose foliage in the front, repositioning to get the dark foliage of the Poinciana tree in the back it gives more impact and the red of the Poinciana flowers balances the red of the geranium. Or is that a Pelargonium?untitled-2_3669x2661Finally I moved further back so I could frame the top with the leaves of the Frangipani. I think the house is a bit of a distraction. Maybe I could crop it into a portrait format.untitled-2_3669x2661 cropped

Here it is cropped… Finally here they all are in a group for comparison. Do you have a favourite?

Couldn’t resist adding this cheeky chappy…untitled-1_3016x2890These are night flowering cactus and they are superb. I missed them last night when they were flaunting their gorgeous display, but have seen and photographed them other years, but never had such a large number of them flowering all at once. I just loved how Jack’s sculpture is framed and peeping out from behind them.

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Each Sunday Jude will add a new post and on the first Sunday of each month she will change the subject and give you some tips and hints to help you with your photography. Go over here to see the first interesting composition of the Godrevy Lighthouse. You may like to join in…

58 comments

  1. You have a good way of explaining it and tie it all together in a story.
    Giving your thoughts on the way you compose your photos.
    I think the last photo captured it but their is nothing like the real experience.
    With the sounds of the birds and the scent of the Frangipani in the air.

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  3. Loved hack’s comment Pauline- you’re a great team. I too liked the last best as well as the commentary. Thanks for the link to Jude’s challenge. Hopefully you’ll join ours one of these days🤞

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  7. My garden is very sad, Pauline. It’s a big garden and my conscience won’t let me keep pouring water on it, so I am nearly at the stage of deciding which plants to save and which to let go. Some things are dying anyway as the temps have been ferocious.
    I’m glad you’ve had some rain!

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  10. Phew! Finally got here again. Started doing some work on the challenge pages and got a bit carried away! Great to have you join me PP. And I love your chosen subject 😍 How fitting to choose a bench! I should have thought of that myself. You had some challenging light there in the garden, contrasts of light and shade and lots of distractions.

    I love your narrative showing the thought process, that’s what I am aiming for, to record the decision-making that goes into composing a shot not just point and click. I am waffling on a bit, so I’ll cut to the chase and say I like all the shots, with #3 being my favourite I think despite the house in the background, the cropped one at the end works best I feel with the colours and the light, though perhaps in this one the bench itself as a subject has got a bit lost? Your garden is so gorgeous. I could do with you waving your magic green-fingers over mine. I’m feeling somewhat despondent about it at the moment and not sure what I can do to alter it.

    Love to you and Jack and a Happy 2020 🥰

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    • Couldn’t resist choosing the bench for this first contribution. Thanks for your interesting comments as to why you chose the 3rd one. I did actually like that one best as I thought when cropped it became a bit squashed looking. It is always a challenge to get compositions in my garden as so many plants do photo bomb into shots…I have a confession too… I used the auto button! I will try to wean myself away from that in future challenges. I should’ve put the camera make too it is a Cannon powershot sx 50. I haven’t used it much lately, tending to grab the small Cannon point and shoot that I carry with me most of the time. So this challenge is going to get me going again. Thanks Jude for coming up with it. I may not post every week but will certainly be contributing when I can.
      Winter is always a dismal time in the garden, I’m sure it will all change when spring arrives and the sun comes out. What you have shown us of your garden looks delightful

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      • Auto settings are fine! I use them all the time, except with the macro lens when I might use manual focus. I have a few assignments in mind though to challenge myself to try aperture settings. It just feels good to think more about what I am photographing. And posting whenever you want is fine by me. I am happy to see you at any time.

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  11. Hooray! Last time I popped into Jude’s no-one had taken up the challenge so I’m pleased to find you here, Pauline. 🙂 🙂 I use similar thought processes but don’t find it particularly easy to make into an interesting post. Maybe I should stick to wandering 🙂 I love the last 2. The flowering cacti must have loved the heat this year.

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    • G’day Jo, I’m looking forward to seeing more bloggers take up Jude’s challenge I think it is a good one. I love your beautifully descriptive wanders around your new adopted country Jo. I must try not to get drawn into to many challenges though, they are very time consuming…

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  12. Hi, Pauline. I’m glad to see that you’re back to blogging! You explain your composition/framing process very well. I think experimenting is the way to go. Your last shot with the statue peering through the leaves is my favorite!

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  15. Hi Pauline, How nice to see a post from you. Your garden is beautiful as ever. Love that last shot especially with the face peeking through. So sorry about the fires…hope it isn’t too bad where you are. Wishing you a terrific new year!

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    • G’day Jane, Lovely to hear from you. This is a fun and interesting challenge, got me interested in photography again. Fortunately the horrendous bushfires are down south and a long way from us, but we do occasionally get the smoke haze when the wind is from that direction. I loved that last shot too. Pity I missed all those flowers in full bloom, but being in the night would be hard to photograph

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  17. So full of colour and variety Pauline and all yours and Jacks work . In the climate you have I think you’ve worked wonders . It’s great this new challenge set by Jude has stirred your interest once more in your photography It’s interesting to hear your thoughts and then see the favourite choices of others . I really like the last picture with the overhanging backlit leaves the framing the top 🙂 There’s a sense of intimacy .. as though you yourself have just stumbled across a little secret nook . Jack’s sculpture is very cheeky indeed 😉

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