GEMMA PEANUT PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE
GEMMA PEANUT PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE
Last year I took part in an Instagram photography challenge set by Gemma Pranita (or Gemma Peanut!). Every day for 7 days I received an email with the daily challenge, accompanied by examples by Gemma and tips on how to think creatively about the brief.
This was a global challenge, so it was great to see how everyone else interpreted the challenge and see the results popping up on Instagram. The challenge is running again at the moment (I missed the first day unfortunately) with the same hashtag #peanutphotochallenge
The themes in my challenge were:
Day 01 : Close Up
Day 02: Flat Lay
Day 03: Shoot Through Your Sunglasses
Day 04: Blurred Foreground
Day 05: The Power Of Lines
Day 06: Landscape Lux
Day 07: Black & White
CLOSE UP
The first brief was to get up close and personal, so I tried something I haven't done before with my kit. I added a KOOD close up filter on to my 50mm fixed 1.4f lens on my Canon EOS 550D. This way I could get really close but also get very tight focus on my subject.
The first photo I took was of my daughter's hand around my thumb, it really captured a beautiful moment, one that I probably wouldn't have taken if I hadn't had the brief - something I can look back on in years to come with great joy.
SHOOT THROUGH YOUR SUNGLASSES
This is something I have experimented with before, I used to have a pair of retro graduated sunglasses that gave a real 1970's feel when shooting landscapes - it's a handy hint that you can use with your mobile phone camera.
LANDSCAPE LUX
Day 6's brief was to take a Landscape photograph and take it further utilising the 'Lux' option on Instagram, which increases contrast and details.
The weather wasn't great, and I had limited time, so I popped into the city to The Shrine of Remembrance to capture the greens of the botanical gardens, with a view of the city. The black and white treatment gives a sombre feel, fitting for the subject matter.
BLACK & WHITE
The last day of the challenge was to take a Black & White photograph, thinking of contrast, by using light and shadow.
I took my wife a baby daughter into the city and we went to the Royal Exhibition building and Melbourne Museum. Architecture is a great subject matter for black & white photography, especially with detailed features like the Royal Exhibition building.
