If your goal is to take your photography to a whole new level, then you’re going to love this post. Just in time for the weekend comes another wonderful learning tool from the Craft & Vision library.
Chasing Reflections is simply an inspirational gem when it comes to appreciating great photography and a unique “case-study” explanation of each image. A quote from the book intro does the most justice in describing this masterpiece:

Reflections not only give an image more longevity, as the viewer has to look carefully in order to interpret them, they also give you more chance of creating something unique.

This is the third in a new series from Craft & Vision which will be covering the “Print and Process” when it comes to the craft and vision of photography. I’ve said it before, and since it continues proving to be true, I’ll say it again… I personally find this series to be the most helpful in my growth as a photographer. Even if you are or are not yet comfortable with all of your camera settings, it doesn’t matter in this case. This eBook takes you through the camera settings used along with the most important insights into the image – the how and the why.

Inspired Learning

If you are the type of photographer who learns through inspiration (of work you admire), then this is going to be right up your alley. These aren’t your usual snapshots in here, not that any of the books in the Print and Process series are. While going through this book and looking at each photograph, I could really feel a sense of the mood and story. This is something I have become more aware of when I am composing my own photographs, largely thanks to this series.

The photos in this eBook are more akin to “fine photography” if there is such a genre. You can see there was careful thought behind the compositions of the photos, even though some of them were taken in the blink of an eye. This is the type of collection of works which make you think while you look at them. If you take a look at the cover image, or these preview images, you’ll see what I mean.

Exploring the reflected world gives you the sense of a whole new style of photography to think about. Focusing is different, composition is certainly different, and you instantly become more aware of background elements and more importantly, how background elements integrate with foreground elements. If that’s not enough to inspire you, there is an explanation of how and why each photo was captured.

What you have to gain…

At a whopping 72 pages of remarkable imagery coupled with the thought provoking explanations behind each photo, I’ve found new life in my own work. If you shoot portraitures, still life, urban, or even landscapes, this one will inject a new dose of creativity to consider in your own work.

What David Has to Say…

“Chasing Reflections is the third in the series The Print & The Process. Eli Reinholdtsen is a creative photographer who, through her unique and skillful approach to reflections, captures moments and juxtapositions that are truly an art form at its finest. Reinholdtsen digs deep and shares tangible ways to scout, setup, and shoot complex and magical photographs that push the envelope of visual poetry. Her playful descriptions aren’t shy of digging deep into the techniques required to capture movement, timing, and contrast.

Chasing Reflections is an inspiring collection of 37 photographs that stand on their own a pieces of pure art (The Print) followed by a discussion of the creation of those visual moments (The Process). Chasing Reflections is a available now for $5.”

And, there’s a special offer as you can imagine: For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code REFLECT4 when you checkout, you can have Chasing Reflections for only $4 OR use the code REFLECT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST AUGUST 1st, 2010.

Visit the Craft and Vision photography library here.

The C Word

I’ve said it over and over, and I firmly believe this to be true: Photography is a form of communication. The vast majority of photographers (be it beginners or professionals) are interested in creating or capturing a moment and sharing it with others. It doesn’t matter what skill level the particular photographer is at; we are all trying to capture a mood, convey a feeling, or better still – tell a story. This applies to all types of photographers too, from nature to landscape, portraiture’s to pets, photographers of all disciplines are communicating to their views through their photos. The ability to communicate with our images comes with experience, knowing yourself, and knowing exactly who/what/when/where/and how to make photos which speak to our viewers. With all this communication going on, social media is the perfect fit for us photographers. Not only because it’s 100% free, here’s why…

Amateurs and Hobbyists

Here’s a group of photographers who I feel have the most to gain from social media. Some of you are in the learning stages, some of you are in the ‘finding yourself’ stages, and some of you are taking photos as your creative outlet as a hobby. While professionals and aspiring pros love photography, I believe it’s the hobbyists and beginners that enjoy photography the most at a more personal level – because you’re doing it for the enjoyment of it. Here are some of the ways that social networking can benefit you:

Share, Learn, Grow: Through sites like flickr, Facebook, MySpace, and forums like the PhotographyBB Forums (ok, a shameless plug), you as photographers are able to share your photography, ask questions, and receive feedback or constructive criticism. You become part of a community of friends who grow together. I love learning through books, but the personal interaction with peers offers a more interactive approach to learning and ultimately improving – or even just enjoying a nice chat with others about their photos.

Meet ‘Real’ People: Did you know that by doing a simple search on any of the websites I just mentioned above, amateurs and hobbyists can find local photography clubs and associations to get involved with, local photo-walks, and meet like minded people who share the same interests you do. Through social media, we now have ways of connecting with others almost instantly both online and in the real world. These are some of the true benefits of how you can use social networking to gain more experience and enjoyment from your craft.

New or Aspiring Pros

This is probably the category I would place myself in at this stage. Social media has some HUGE benefits for people in this category, and using myself as an example, here’s how I have gotten the most out of social networking. I don’t shoot for money, but PhotographyBB is my business. Everyone who works with me on the magazine and website, I have met through social media (forums, Twitter, Facebook, and flickr). We work together as a team because we are like-minded and share the same passions. So here’s why the new or aspiring pros should embrace social media:

Form Partnerships: Social media gives us a platform for meeting each other. All it takes is a very short time investment, and regardless of which social networking site you use, you can quickly and easily find your peers and people who’s work you admire. Since the whole point of social media is to be social, connecting with others (even people you’ve never met) is acceptable and encouraged, and it’s how we all meet each other. From that stems deeper interaction, learning, and partnerships in professional projects. Opportunities are created rather than discovered.

Connecting with Industry Professionals: Since maintaining an active online social presence has become the in-thing to do (remember, not because it’s cool, but because there are lasting benefits), many professionals and companies are active in social media. It offers two-way communication between a large company and their end consumers. But, I’m going to let you in on a cool little secret here (for sticking with me this far). Since social media is a relatively new arena, the people who are hired to maintain an online social networking profile for their organization are often a company’s “head-office” or marketing staff. For aspiring and new professionals seeking future partnerships with larger companies, connecting with these ‘insiders’ is a more personal way (and sometimes the only way) to build a better relationship with a company whom you may see yourself working together with.

Self-Promotion and Reputation Building: If you haven’t quite caught on by now, social networking is the easiest way to put yourself and your work “out there.” Not only is it free, but it gives millions of people access to you and your photography, which simply wasn’t easy or even possible before the advent of social media. Through social networking, photographers are building their own reputations for their work and the type of person they are, which leads to partnerships with others, sales of their photography, and even being hired for freelance and contract work. How’s that for benefits!

The “Pros”

Why would professional photographers who already make a living at doing what they love, want to participate in social networking? What could they possibly have to gain? This puts professionals on the other end of the social networking interaction – it affords them an easy way for their clients, customers, and even fans to interact with them.

Keeping Customers In the Loop: They say that the word on the street travels faster than the news, and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to social media. Now, things like firmware updates, product releases, conventions, tips and tutorials, viral videos, etc… spreads across the internet like wildfire. Professionals do what they do for a living, and the marketing potential of reaching millions instantly is too large a benefit to simply ignore.

Branching Out: Professionals who have been honing their craft as a business for years have already built their following and their reputations. Many pros are brilliant in their work; busy photographers who earn their living doing what they love to do. But photographers are creative people first, and photographers second. Social media allows professionals a chance to interact with their following to “test the waters” so to speak, for new products, workshops, and courses which they may consider creating. Many professionals have now taken to writing eBooks which have become widely popular, and are now part-time authors on the side!

It is what you want it to be…

In the end, social media is going to be exactly what you want it to be. If you see it as useless, it’s going to be nothing but that for you. If you choose to see the positive potential, then you are going to experience the benefits and growth that comes along with it. It takes only a small amount of effort to become involved and regardless of what stage photographer you are, the results of your involvement can be life changing. Just as photography is a form of communication between us and the viewers of our photos, social media offers a more literal way of communicating ourselves rather than just our images. If you are not already “socially active” on line, here’s my challenge to you:

Head on over to flickr.com and sign up an account. It’s free, requires minimal effort, and is extremely easy to use. Search the flickr groups for ” [Your City] Photo Club ” and see what comes up. Introduce yourself, post a couple of comments, and maybe even see when/where their next meetup is. You may just wind up meeting some nice people, learning something new, and having a great time in the process.

The edition features a tutorial on how to master the art of wildlife photography. Additionally, readers will learn how to turn their digital photos into artistic illustrations in Photoshop. This release also explores a technique photographers can use when facing a lack of creativity to boost their inspiration and get back to making stunning photos.

Editor in Chief, Dave Seeram had these comments regarding this recent release:

I’m pleased to announce the release of this 30th edition along with some exciting upcoming changes to the magazine. We are now asking our readers to ‘subscribe’ to the magazine which will continue to always remain free. This new delivery system will allow us to better connect with our readers and provide everyone with an equal opportunity to win some fantastic photography prizes!

As for this edition of the magazine, we’ve got another superb issue filled with photography tips for the nature photographer, a thought provoking look at where digital art sits in the world of ‘art’, and a tutorial on how photographers can make use of some cool Facebook automation features to better share their photos with the world. Additionally, we’ve included a brief tutorial on how you can now import the PhotographyBB Online Magazine into iBooks for the Apple iPad!

By way of download in PDF format, PhotographyBB continues its trend through the future of free downloadable magazine distribution. Each edition contains informative and educational tutorials for amateur and intermediate level photographers. In addition, the PhotographyBB Online Magazine also features useful and practical tutorials on how to use image processing tools such as Photoshop and Lightroom to build on digital photography post-processing skills.

PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB Website at: http://www.photographyBB.com/magazine

PhotographyBB was founded in Oct, 2006, and is a division of PowerButton Central (2004).
For more information, visit the PhotographyBB website at: http://www.photographybb.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/photographybb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/photographybb

Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Forums. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, so feel free to join our community of photographers where we participate in assignments, share photos, and discuss photography all day long! Now, onto your next photo assignment…

Assignment #40 Theme: Cups
Timeframe: July 16th to July 28th, 2010
The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW showing the them: Cups
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment 40: Cups (PhotographyBB Forums)

The real challenge with this assignment will be for you to decide how you will photograph such an everyday object in such a way that it becomes an interesting photograph for the viewer. Pay close attention to things like the lighting, the environment and background of the scene, and also your shooting angles and tell us the story behind your “cups” photo. We will accept any type of cup in the shot including mugs, glasses, etc…

Important: With all of our photo assignments, the object (besides having fun) is to learn something new, even if that means learning how to see the world around you in a different way. Therefore, we only accept entries for new photos which have been taken during the assignment time frame (see above). You may submit up to 3 entries in total, and the top 3 photos will be selected and published (with image acknowledgments) in an upcoming issue of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine.

Everyone is welcome to participate. We have a supportive and friendly community of photographers and beginners, and this is a great way to get to know one another. Have fun, and happy photographing!

Sure, there are many factors to consider, especially when learning to shoot with a DSLR. For many, the thought process goes something like this:

Set and/or check white-balance settings > set camera to manual mode > check metering mode > point camera at subject > set aperture and shutter speed > compose shot > fire!

That’s how I did things when I was first getting started, it seemed right at the time. The problem with this is that most of your shots can end up looking like uninteresting snapshots which have no lasting viewing value. Until I learned that photography is more about seeing creatively and telling a story, that’s when my photos improved drastically. So how exactly do you tell a story through the  instantaneous capture of a moment? Through primary emphasis on composition.

Improving Composition Before You Even Shoot

While you want to make sure your creative juices are flowing strongly, by asking yourself a few quick questions prior to shooting you will give yourself an advantage over the scene before you. Like most new techniques, this takes some practice. You may find that it slightly numbs your creativity in the beginning, but as you learn to ask yourself a few simple questions mentally, they will start to become second nature. When you first learned to ride a bike, there were so many things to consider to stay upright, including reminding yourself to keep your head up! Once you learned how and practiced riding, you didn’t even have to think about the little things anymore, and the same goes for learning photographic composition. Learn these techniques, and your composition will improve even before you put your camera to your eye.

Remember that photography is a communicative art. Our photos are meant to communicate something to the viewer, and the most interesting photos provoke our viewers’ thought processes. Ask yourself these questions before taking your next photo and you’ll find a dramatic improvement in your photos as well as some hints as to what camera settings are most appropriate:

What or Who is the main subject of this photo?

If your subject is a person or people, what are they doing that is important to the scene? Remember, you are going to attempt to tell the story of the moment with your photo. Is the person’s expression the most important factor in this story? Or perhaps it is their placement in the scene as a whole? If you are shooting an object, why is it important and what does it represent? Would a different shooting angle help to better represent the subject’s purpose in the scene? Once you start to figure out the answers to these questions, you will find that you draw more importance to the subject and will capture it more effectively. Is the subject of your photo moving or in action? If motion (or stopping motion) is important to the subject in the photo, that’s a good indication of what camera mode you could be using. Though manual mode offers the most flexibility and control over your shots, it is not always the best or most necessary shooting mode to use, especially when you need to shoot a photo quickly. If motion/action is important to your subject, consider shooting in Shutter Priority Mode.

Is the background important?

This is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of photographic composition. It may sound a bit silly, but remember that the background is… the background, not the main subject. While backgrounds may or may not hold importance to the overall scene, your story is about the subject, and the background is secondary. So, is the background important in relation to the main subject of your photo? Whether it is or not, you will want to consider the angle you are shooting from so that it can be featured appropriately without being a distraction to the main subject. Discovering the answer to this question can also help you decide if shooting in Aperture Priority Mode may work best. You will have control over the depth of field, either keeping your background in focus, or blurring it out completely in relation to your main subject.

Where is the light?

Since you are the artist and your camera is your tool, it is important to remember that all your camera does is capture the light which enters it. Photography is all about capturing light, and doing it effectively. Be aware of the angle of the light you are working with, and if shadows are present or not. You may need to employ the use of a flash to “fill in” shadow areas if they appear distracting in your photo. Also, some subjects (landscapes especially) can look dramatically different depending on the position of the light. If you are shooting outdoors and sunlight is your main source of light, consider the position of your subject as well as the time of day you are shooting. While you can’t change the position of the sun, you can change the time of day which you elect to shoot your scene, or you can manipulate the light through the use of flashes and reflectors. Light is important, so make sure it is flattering to your main subject! By considering the lighting and how it affects your subject, this can also help you determine which metering mode is best for you. Evaluative metering takes into consideration the lighting of the whole scene, where as spot or center-weighted metering measures the light in the center of your photo (which you can use to determine the best settings based on your subject).

Do I have time to compose the subject?

Are you shooting a subject which you are able to pose or position in a certain way? If so, you can take a moment to figure out the best position for your subject based on the answers to the previous questions. If you have no control over the positioning of your subject (or if it is moving), you still have control over yourself! Find the best vantage point possible based on the type of lens you are shooting with (wide angle or zoom) and shoot your photos from that location.

What is the mood/atmosphere of the moment?

This is actually a two-part question. Ask yourself: What is the mood of the moment and what is the mood am I trying to create? Which is the more important of the two? If the two are synchronous then you have the recipe for a brilliant photo. If the mood or atmosphere of your scene is not the vision you want to create, it can be a tough choice in deciding what to do next. It is much more difficult to create a mood that is not present in an image, since you are altering the true story of the subject. This is more of an artistic decision and it is important to remember that manipulating the mood of your main subject can also require a lot of time spent in post processing!

While there are plenty of questions to explore in realizing your photographic vision, I have found these to be the most important and effective in my own work as a photographer. The answers should come to you quickly based on your intentions and given scenes, but being aware of them puts you in the driver’s seat for controlling your composition. Once you have that figured out, the camera settings are secondary and they too become second nature as you gain experience. Through asking yourself some basic questions you uncover a true meaning behind each photo and create a stronger connection with your viewer. I hope these tips can help you as they have helped me. Keep practicing, and happy photographing!

SAFARI: A Monograph is not only a photo-exploration, it is filled with the valuable insight into the “whys” of photography as well as the “how.”

This is the second in a new series from David which will be covering the “Print and Process” when it comes to the craft and vision of photography. I personally find this series to be the most helpful in my growth as a photographer. Now that I am more comfortable with the technical side and camera settings, examining the techniques and the reasons for capturing the images shown in this book are what I found the be most valuable when reading through.

Inspired Learning

If you’ve never been on a safari before, you’re in for a real treat. The wildlife photography in here is fantastic; you’ll see these majestic animals and landscapes in a beautiful light. Now when I look at photography, I find the things that help me the most are viewing other inspiring photos and figuring out just why they are so compelling. When you look at the composition of the photos in this book, these are the types of hidden lessons you will learn. David also has this incredible talent for portraiture work, especially when it comes to culture and photographing people in their natural environment. Studying the photography of an experienced and passionate (that’s the key!) photographer will help you to improve in some (or dare I say many) aspects of your own photography. In fact, there’s a bit of everything in this eBook, which I found refreshing. Portraiture, landscape, and nature photographers will especially enjoy SAFARI.

And That’s Not All…

This one is a GREAT value at over 62 pages of remarkable imagery, including what I found to be an unexpected bonus: The Adobe Lightroom settings for the duo-tone signature look in this book is also included. That alone to me is worth the $5 cover price!

What David Has to Say…

“SAFARI, A Monograph is the second in the series The Print & The Process. David duChemin unpacks the images from a 10-day safari in Kenya, first letting the images speak for themselves then diving deep into the process behind the photographs. This eBook offers an honest discussion about the issues connected to the creation of duChemin’s SAFARI monograph, including the gear used, the techniques employed, and the lessons learned. It’s a 62-page PDF eBook that will provide you with inspiration amidst the details of the Why and the How. This is not so much about how to photograph your first safari, though you’ll learn that too; it’s a look at the lessons learned, and re-learned, by a photographer who is now 25 years into his craft. Also included are the Adobe Lightroom settings used for Serengeti Chocolate, the duo-tone look in which much of his SAFARI monograph has been styled, and a downloadable Lightroom Preset. SAFARI, A Monograph is a available now for $5.”

And, there’s a special offer as you can imagine (but it’s shorter than previous promotions): For the first three days only, if you use the promotional code SAFARI4 when you checkout, you can have SAFARI: A Monograph for only $4 OR use the code SAFARI20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST JULY 11th, 2010.

Visit the Craft and Vision photography library here.

Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Forums. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, so feel free to join our community of photographers where we participate in assignments, share photos, and discuss photography all day long! Now, onto your next photo assignment…

Assignment #39 Theme: Affirmative!
Timeframe: July 2nd to July 14th, 2010
The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW photo which depicts the “Affirmative!”
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment 39: Affirmative! (PhotographyBB Forums)

This should be a fun challenge, as you have complete creative liberty to photograph any subject which demonstrates “the affirmative” such as Go, Enter, Positive, Yes, Open, On, etc… It’s all up to you, so grab those cameras and show us what you’ve got!

Important: With all of our photo assignments, the object (besides having fun) is to learn something new, even if that means learning how to see the world around you in a different way. Therefore, we only accept entries for new photos which have been taken during the assignment time frame (see above). You may submit up to 3 entries in total, and the top 3 photos will be selected and published (with image acknowledgments) in an upcoming issue of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine.

Everyone is welcome to participate. We have a supportive and friendly community of photographers and beginners, and this is a great way to get to know one another. Have fun, and happy photographing!

Feedback

Whether it is positive or negative, feedback is a wonderful tool to help the willing photographer learn to improve, but should however, be taken with a grain of salt. Feedback is a way to gauge the popularity of your efforts as either a learning or established photographer, but like any tool, you must learn how to use it effectively if your purpose is growth. I say this because feedback is most often a mixture of advice and opinions, those of which may not mean very much unless you know exactly who they are coming from. If you put your work out there amongst your peers in the hopes of receiving feedback, be prepared to receive all types. There are plenty of strong viewpoints amongst our peers (one of the natural characteristics of being an artist/photographer). Keep in mind that positive feedback shows you what you are doing well, and negative feedback gives you an opportunity for improvement.

Advice

Advice is a whole different ballgame, one which should be taken more seriously. Personally, my belief is that advice should only be sought from those who are in a valid position of giving it. For me, that means someone more successful, who has walked in my shoes, and who has more experience than I do in my field. Sometimes we ask the advice of others who are in no position to be handing it out, which can actually be quite damaging to your future as a photographer. This is why getting good advice is so difficult – because you need to first find the right person to ask.

People in general are quick to give their thoughts on what you should be doing better, but that is usually largely based on their outlook for their own lives, not yours. When you find an appropriate person to ask for advice, you should listen both carefully and cautiously too. Although we are all photographers, we are not all the same type of photographer with the same vision. Adapt and apply important advice to your situation, and you’ll have gained a step up from where you were once sitting. Of course, it isn’t as easy as it may sound, but believe it or not, the effort is worth it!

Opinions – The Ugly Children

I divert this part of the posting into rant mode as I present my ugly child to you… Opinions are what make us individuals. Some would say we are entitled to them and I suppose that we are, as long as we are not using them to belittle or degrade each other with them. Opinions should not be confused with feedback or advice, since opinions are quite often based on feeling rather than fact; a product of our upbringing, our environment, and our individual beliefs. Opinions are often just individual emotional reactions to a situation (or in our case, to photographs, articles, etc…) and like it or not, they are self-serving.

Be both accepting and cautious when receiving advice; it must be taken in a way that applies to your individual creative vision. Feedback is a fantastic tool which can help you gauge the effectiveness of your efforts. There are very few perfect things in this world, which leaves plenty of room for opinions on improvement.

Ultimately, when it comes to your work there is only one opinion that truly matters – how do YOU feel about your work, and how would YOU like to improve? We are all capable of learning anything we want or need to in order to grow as photographers. Keep an open mind and stick with your vision, be mindful of true advice and the feedback on your efforts, and you’ll find yourself consistently reaching new heights in your photography.

The edition features a tutorial on how to create dramatic landscape photos. Additionally, readers will learn about the differences between small flash units and studio strobe, along with the practical applications of each option. This release also examines the relationship between sensor sizes vs megapixels (in digital cameras), and how both of these factors combined affect overall image quality.

Editor in Chief, Dave Seeram had these comments regarding this recent release:

“The theme of this edition is Learn, Practice, and Grow. The team has put together a great issue with plenty of tutorials and tips to learn from, put into practice, and ultimately grow as a photographer (be it amateur or aspiring professional). This month we look at how to time-manage your social media efforts from a photographer’s standpoint. We also take a peek at the latest new features in the official Lightroom 3 release from Adobe, and how to manage your workspace in Photoshop CS5.

In our Photography Around the World series, we are off to Hawaii for a look at my own little adventure on the island of Oahu, including touring the filming locations from the TV series, LOST.”

By way of download in PDF format, PhotographyBB continues its trend through the future of free downloadable magazine distribution. Each edition contains informative and educational tutorials for amateur and intermediate level photographers. In addition, the PhotographyBB Online Magazine also features useful and practical tutorials on how to use image processing tools such as Photoshop and Lightroom to build on digital photography post-processing skills.

PhotographyBB Online Magazine is available for free download through the PhotographyBB Website at: http://www.photographyBB.com/magazine

PhotographyBB was founded in Oct, 2006, and is a division of PowerButton Central (2004).
For more information, visit the PhotographyBB website at: http://www.photographybb.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/photographybb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/photographybb

Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Forums. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, so feel free to join our community of photographers where we participate in assignments, share photos, and discuss photography all day long! Now, onto your next photo assignment…

Assignment #38 Theme: Your Hobbies
Timeframe: June 18th to June 30th, 2010
The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW photo which shows us “Your Hobbies” (besides photography)
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment 38: Hobbies (PhotographyBB Forums)

That’s right – no photos of lenses or cameras here! Show us one (or more) of the other joys in your lives which make us all passionate individuals. Be it a hobby/activity that you currently do, or one you used to love doing, find a way to photograph it and show us! Also, feel free to include a brief description of why you enjoy your particular hobby, or even the how and why of what got you started in the first place.

Important: With all of our photo assignments, the object (besides having fun) is to learn something new, even if that means learning how to see the world around you in a different way. Therefore, we only accept entries for new photos which have been taken during the assignment time frame (see above). You may submit up to 3 entries in total, and the top 3 photos will be selected and published (with image acknowledgments) in an upcoming issue of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine.

Everyone is welcome to participate. We have a supportive and friendly community of photographers and beginners, and this is a great way to get to know one another. Have fun, and happy photographing!