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.”
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This month's final assignment - Simplify your image. What is it that you want the viewer to focus on?
(Jude gives tips and hints each week to help with the assignment.)
Trying to include too much in an image often spoils it. An image that is cluttered causes the eye of the viewer to dart around the image trying to make sense of it.
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- Less is more as the old saying goes.
- Eliminate anything that would distract the eye or is unnecessary to the memory you are attempting to create.
- Sometimes a photo becomes great because of what we choose to leave out.
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I have chosen the garden to focus on this month. It is a huge challenge to eliminate the photo bombing plants and leaves. So this time I scrolled through the hundreds of garden photos from 2019. This is what I found…It was the early morning light that caught my eye and made me rush inside for the camera. I did crop it slightly but decided to leave in the bromeliads cheekily hanging over the rocks and pointing toward the agave. Do you think the photo bombing geraniums take the focus away?
This is definitely “less is more”. This family of Magpies regularly sing their hearts out from the highest point of the tv aerial. I can almost hear them when I look at this photo. They inspired me to put them in my art journal…
Next month there will be a new theme “being creative with patterns”
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Jude’s final photo for this month is a stunning shot of the Godrevy lighthouse slowly emerging from the mist.Go over and have a look and maybe you would like to join in the challenge next month.
Those magpies are stunning, what a lovely shot you got there. And your study of them is wonderful; you are such a great artist. In the first photo I think it is the sun flares which are a distraction, but I can see why you wanted to capture that lovely light on the Agave. Thanks again for joining in PP.
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The magpie shot was quite tricky as I had the camera on full zoom and waiting for them to all sing together took patience.
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I bet it did, well worth the wait though.
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That makes my heart sing, Pauline. Love your drawing/painting too.
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Thanks Tracy I love the sound of the magpies. Are you still doing your mosaic work?
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It has been too smoky, too hot and too windy. My workspace is outside. The few nice days we’ve had (3), I’ve been desperate to walk or spend some quality time in the garden so I’ve done nothing. Mosaicing really helps me to slow my mind down, so you can imagine just how anxious I am at the moment.
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It has been a tough few months for so many. Hopefully you are getting rain, not storms, to settle the dust and put out the fires.
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None expected, Pauline. A serious situation is developing here. The weather will get worse through to the end of the weekend.
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Oh dear, it’s like a horror movie. Now central Queensland is in high flood alert. My thoughts will be with you
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Love your magpies Pauline, well-captured.
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Thanks Tina
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I might just join in here and there. Love the art journal!!
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I enjoy this challenge. I’ll watch for your contribution. It makes you think more of the photo process and not why you are taking it.
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A good reason to join.
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Yes, your art journal is just gorgeous. Love magpies especially when they sing in the mornings. I mowed yesterday and a family of four babies followed my trail gathering grubs as they poked their heads out of the lawn. Wish they’de eat the grubs on the spinach plants.
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This years crop of baby magpies have gone from squawking to singing, so we now have 4 of them serenading us each morning. Lawns are very green and growing fast. Raining here at the moment🌧☔️
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No rain here today, but boy, are we sweltering
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☀️🥵
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Fabulous to be able to create a journal like that, Pauline! 🙂 🙂 Hope your week is going well?
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I enjoy working in my journal and it is a great way of keeping memories. Week going very well I’ve spent a lot of time watching our Aussies at the Australian Open. Our volatile Kyrgios put up a tremendous fight against Nadal last night. I was on the edge of my seat urging him on. Sadly he just missed out.
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Not quite so sadly, from my point of view. 🙂 🙂 Can’t please all the people… But it was a great scrap!
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Ash Barty is another Aussie hero of the moment too.
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Yay! 🙂 🙂
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👍
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Great short of the. Magpies, and the art journal is great!
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Thanks Sue, I love keeping a journal. It is small enough to put in my bag
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Fantastic!
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I’m so envious of your drawings in your journal, Pauline. Lovely! And the photograph of the magpies is fabulous too. I love the quotes too!
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That journal is an A5 size so I have it in my bag most of the time. Usually start a drawing “plien air” then finish it at home. It’s a great hobby as I then have records of where I have been.
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Nice to know, Pauline. At least you have artistic ability. I need to practice more and see if any improvement is in the cards for me. I agree, it’s a great hobby and allows you to create fabulous memories. 🙂
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You know the old saying Cathy, (the one I prefer) “practice makes progress”… 🎨😊
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I like that, rather than practice makes perfect! 🙂
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Loved the photo and magpies singing.
Thank you!
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Thanks Del. Do you have magpies were you live? I love their singing
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I had to look them up to find out they’re native to the western and northern parts of this continent, so yours was definitely interesting! See wiki here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-billed_magpie
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Thanks for the link Del. I’ve visited the site, it is very interesting, I knew they were clever birds. I found it interesting that your magpies bury food (caches) made me wonder if ours do. They do have lots of other similar characteristics
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Am delighted you found the article useful! Bird watching is uncommon here, so I appreciate your occasionally including yours in posts.
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Magpies are one of my favourite birds and you have captured them so well in this post.
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I love how they join us for breakfast each morning
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If there’s one sound that sums up Australia for me and takes me back in flash to a wonderful trip some years ago Pauline it’s listening to that clip of the magpie singing .. marvellous ! I see from your earlier comment that to capture them in unison was quite tricky … I can well imagine that …
LOVE your sketch book / art journal complete with quotes AND rather nice calligraphy 🙂
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[…] Pauline has the most amazing photo of Magpies for her take on ‘Less is […]
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Thank you for sharing a page of your journal – you paint so lovingly and have captured the Magpies so well!
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I really enjoy keeping my journal. It reminds me of things we have done
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