Our photo assignment themes are all about helping photographers to improve their craft and broaden their creative scope. By participating in these assignments, you will gain experience in practicing photography “rules”, composition, camera techniques, and many other creative exercises specifically designed to help you see differently. Break our of your own creative shells, and let’s have some fun!

Your Photography Assignment:

Assignment #6 Theme: Textured Photos
Timeframe: Apr 12th to Apr 26th, 2013
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment #6: Textured Photos (PhotographyBB Community)

The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW photo representing the given theme.

About This Assignment…

This is one assignment that I would encourage everyone to try out. Not only does it get you thinking about textures and surfaces, it also helps us to imagine which type of scenes would work well as a textured image. Textured photos fall more into the digital-art or fine-art photography realm than “natural” photos, but they do help us to explore our artistic side while learning more about layers and blending modes in post process.

In my example above, I used a simply flower shot as my base photograph, along with two different textures. One texture was a plain concrete wall, while the other was a shot through some tree branches.

Some tips to keep in mind for this assignment:

1. Textures are all about the light, not the surface.
2. Try shooting the same “textured” surface when lit from different angles (direct, side, etc…)
3. Almost any subject can make for an interesting texture overlay – experiment!

Here is a fantastic YouTube video from Matt Nicolosi on how to work with textures in Photoshop. He provides some easy tips and tricks for producing beautifully textured processing quickly and effortlessly:

Important (Please Read): 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.

Submit Your Image(s) Here

Why Should You Participate?

In our efforts to help photographers grow and improve, our photography assignments are designed to test and push your creativity to the limit. These photo assignments are intended to encourage our members to see the world in different ways, try new camera techniques, and photograph subject which you may normally shy away from. We feel that in doing this, you will ultimately find new challenges for yourself which will help us to all grow as photographers. Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Community. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, then do fun things such as sharing photos or discussing photography all day long. 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!

The driving force behind every photograph is a desire to create strong, compelling photographs that move our viewers emotionally. Whether we’re simply shooting a gorgeous landscape, or portraits of cherished people in our lives, the better equipped we are to create strong images, the more satisfying (and impressive) the results will be. What if you had mentors like David duChemin, Dave Delnea, Sean McCormack, Piet Van den Eynde, Martin Bailey, and Nicole S Young to guide you in your journey – for free? Today, you do.

FREE DOWNLOAD (PDF)

Hot off the press this morning is a brand new, FREE eBook from the outstanding team at Craft & Vision. This gorgeous 45-page PDF eBook includes 9 unique ways to improve your photography with topics such as:

• Making Sharper Images
• Learning to Shoot in Manual Mode
• Developing Smarter
• Balancing Flash with Ambient Light
• Learning to See Light
• Developing Style and Consistency
• Isolating Your Subjects
• Experimenting with B&W
• Coping Strategies for Challenging Light

FREE DOWNLOAD (PDF)

Enjoy this stunning free eBook and apply some of these techniques to your own photography. Be the talk of the town by sharing the love using any of the social links below. Enjoy!

Get the PDF eBook Now!

Imagine, for a moment, if you could travel through time… More precisely, think about traveling forwards through time, to watch something that has happened in the past. You can, and it’s something that is easily achievable through the magic of time-lapse photography.

Time-lapse photography allows us to watch long events in a matter of moments, or seconds even. Imagine watching a spider build a web in just a few minutes. Or the sky turning from day to night while the stars reveal themselves, only to quickly fade back into dawn as the sun rises. Or perhaps an icicle forming, or a flower blooming – within seconds. Time-lapse makes it possible to witness events such as these without having to actually experience them real-time. It gives us a deeper look into the beauty of the world around us, and it’s something that we can all create. This video demonstrates some of the stunning time-lapse sequences that you’ll be able to make:

TIMELAPSE: An Introduction to Still Photographs in Motion by Dave Delnea is an exciting new eBook that teaches us how to shoot and process the most stunning time-lapse sequences. Dave takes us through the gear from our cameras and lenses to filters and tripods, intervalometers, tethering (to a computer), and all of the settings you need to put it all together. Dave also covers the processing steps in Lightroom so that you can output gorgeous time-lapse sequences yourself.

Here’s what you’ll gain from this eBook:

• How to use your gear to produce time-lapse sequences
• Tethering your camera to your computer
• Processing techniques in Lightroom
• How to eliminate flicker and output brilliant sequences

But of course, there’s a discount!

Whether you are learning photography as a beginner, a hobbyist, or you are a professional, there’s no better investment in the continued growth of your photography for $5, although today thru March 22nd, 2013, you get it for only $4 with the discount code: TIME4 or us the code TIME20 to get 20% off if you are purchasing any 5 or more eBooks (codes expires at 11:59pm PST March 22nd, 2013).

View Additional Page Samples

The downloadable PDF is just $5USD. (or only $4 today if you use the discount code: TIME4)

You can view some page samples or download the ebook here:
TIMELAPSE: An Introduction to Still Photographs in Motion by Dave Delnea.

Happy Photographing folks!

Our photo assignment themes are all about helping photographers to improve their craft and broaden their creative scope. By participating in these assignments, you will gain experience in practicing photography “rules”, composition, camera techniques, and many other creative exercises specifically designed to help you see differently. Break our of your own creative shells, and let’s have some fun!

Your Photography Assignment:

Assignment #5 Theme: Reflected
Timeframe: Mar 7th to Mar 25th, 2013
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment #5: Reflected (PhotographyBB Community)

The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW representing the given theme.

About This Assignment…

This is one assignment theme that I always enjoy attempting on ANY shoot. Reflections are a completely different animal when making photographs because many of the typical compositional rules, and even things like focus and metering, get thrown out the metaphorical window. Shooting reflections truly forces you to look in places you may never have otherwise looked for inspiration, and makes you far more alert to the opportunities surrounding you.

Some tips to keep in mind for this assignment:

1. Not all reflections come from flat glossy surfaces. Explore reflections from curved or odd-shaped reflective materials to see what you can come up with.
2. Try being aware of not only the reflected “scene” that you are shooting, but also the texture underneath your reflective material (puddles on tiled surfaces or rugged pavement make for interesting depth-elements).
3. Shooting reflections off of windows or glass-framed artwork provide can provide an opportunity for a juxtaposition between the reflected and the pass-through scenes. Have fun with this one, and happy photographing!

Important (Please Read): 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.

Submit Your Image(s) Here

Why Should You Participate?

In our efforts to help photographers grow and improve, our photography assignments are designed to test and push your creativity to the limit. These photo assignments are intended to encourage our members to see the world in different ways, try new camera techniques, and photograph subject which you may normally shy away from. We feel that in doing this, you will ultimately find new challenges for yourself which will help us to all grow as photographers. Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Community. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, then do fun things such as sharing photos or discussing photography all day long. 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!

Our photo assignment themes are all about helping photographers to improve their craft and broaden their creative scope. By participating in these assignments, you will gain experience in practicing photography “rules”, composition, camera techniques, and many other creative exercises specifically designed to help you see differently. Break our of your own creative shells, and let’s have some fun!

Your Photography Assignment:

Assignment #4 Theme: One One-Thousandth (or faster)
Timeframe: Feb 17th to Mar 4th, 2013
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment #4: One One-Thousandth (or faster) (PhotographyBB Community)

The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW representing the given theme.

About This Assignment…

Last time it was all about long-exposures. This time, we want you to crank up that shutter-speed to a MINIMUM of 1/1000th of a second – or FASTER! To make things even more interesting, we want you to do it WITHOUT the use of flash. Just as with long-exposures, fast shutter-speeds freeze our world-in-motion and can yield some of the most surreal photographs. The challenge here is to think about what type of subject you could freeze in a thousandth of a second, then, find a creative way to photograph it. Some important points to consider are where you will set your focus, how fast you can push the shutter speed (and if it makes a difference), your ISO, and your ambient (or direct) lighting. Shooting high-speeds often requires many, many attempts – enjoy the process. Here are a couple of great videos (below) to provide inspiration for your challenge. Happy photographing!

Important (Please Read): 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.

Submit Your Image(s) Here

Why Should You Participate?

In our efforts to help photographers grow and improve, our photography assignments are designed to test and push your creativity to the limit. These photo assignments are intended to encourage our members to see the world in different ways, try new camera techniques, and photograph subject which you may normally shy away from. We feel that in doing this, you will ultimately find new challenges for yourself which will help us to all grow as photographers. Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Community. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, then do fun things such as sharing photos or discussing photography all day long. 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!

Our photo assignment themes are all about helping photographers to improve their craft and broaden their creative scope. By participating in these assignments, you will gain experience in practicing photography “rules”, composition, camera techniques, and many other creative exercises specifically designed to help you see differently. Break our of your own creative shells, and let’s have some fun!

Your Photography Assignment:

Assignment #3 Theme: One-Second Exposure
Timeframe: Jan 21st to Feb 5th, 2013
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment #3: One-Second Exposure (PhotographyBB Community)

The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW representing the given theme.

About This Assignment…

This time, it’s all about long exposures. There is no limit to where you can go with this assignment. Take a tack-sharp long-exposure photo, or use the opportunity to create motion-blur through either camera or subject movement. Will you make use of flash? The sky is the limit! The only condition here is that you use a 1-second shutter-speed. There’s sure to be an abundance of creativity from our members, and we’re looking forward to seeing what you do with this theme. Happy photographing!

Important (Please Read): 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.

Submit Your Image(s) Here

Why Should You Participate?

In our efforts to help photographers grow and improve, our photography assignments are designed to test and push your creativity to the limit. These photo assignments are intended to encourage our members to see the world in different ways, try new camera techniques, and photograph subject which you may normally shy away from. We feel that in doing this, you will ultimately find new challenges for yourself which will help us to all grow as photographers. Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Community. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, then do fun things such as sharing photos or discussing photography all day long. 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!

Our photo assignment themes are all about helping photographers to improve their craft and broaden their creative scope. By participating in these assignments, you will gain experience in practicing photography “rules”, composition, camera techniques, and many other creative exercises specifically designed to help you see differently. Break our of your own creative shells, and let’s have some fun!

Your Photography Assignment:

Assignment #2 Theme: Out Of Focus
Timeframe: Jan 2nd to Jan 15th, 2013
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment #2: Out Of Focus (PhotographyBB Community)

The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW representing the given theme.

About This Assignment…

Usually, the goal when taking photos is to produce the sharpest, most realistic representation of the “real life” scene you are photographing. So why on Earth would we want to take an intentionally blurred photo? By taking the details out of the equation, we can work on telling a story through the remaining elements of an image – light, form, and colour. I urge all of you to try this assignment, especially those who have never intentionally shot an image out-of-focus. Concentrate on those remaining elements and remember that details aren’t always part of the big picture. What story will your photo tell us?

Important (Please Read): 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.

Submit Your Image(s) Here

Why Should You Participate?

In our efforts to help photographers grow and improve, our photography assignments are designed to test and push your creativity to the limit. These photo assignments are intended to encourage our members to see the world in different ways, try new camera techniques, and photograph subject which you may normally shy away from. We feel that in doing this, you will ultimately find new challenges for yourself which will help us to all grow as photographers. Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Community. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, then do fun things such as sharing photos or discussing photography all day long. 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!

(Above Image: Song Title – “My Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews)

Photo Assignments Are Back!

Just as we relaunched our new Community, we’re relaunching our Photography Assignments starting today! Here’s how it works: We pick a theme, and you make photographs based on that theme. The only rule is that the photo you submit MUST BE A NEW PHOTO (no digging through archives).

We’re all about helping photographers to improve their craft and broaden their creative scope, and we feel that our photo assignments are a great way to do this. Through our assignments, you will practice things such as photography “rules”, composition, camera techniques, and creative exercises to help you see differently. With that being said, let’s get on with the show!

Your First Assignment Theme Is…

Assignment #1 Theme: Song Titles
Timeframe: Dec 21st to Dec 31st, 2012
Entries are to be submitted here: Assignment #1: Song Titles (PhotographyBB Community)

The challenge is to take a BRAND NEW representing the given theme.

One of the great challenges for all photographers is eliciting an emotional reaction from your viewers. Like photography, music is evocative on several levels. Your challenge is to think of any song, and then create a photograph around the title of that song. This is one of the more challenging creative exercises, but the intention is to give you creative liberty with your choice of song title, while providing focus to the subject once you’ve made your choice.

Important (Please Read): 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.

Submit Your Image(s) Here

Why Should You Participate?

In our efforts to help photographers grow and improve, our photography assignments are designed to test and push your creativity to the limit. These photo assignments are intended to encourage our members to see the world in different ways, try new camera techniques, and photograph subject which you may normally shy away from. We feel that in doing this, you will ultimately find new challenges for yourself which will help us to all grow as photographers. Our photography assignments are open to everyone at all skill levels and are to be submitted through our assignments section in the PhotographyBB Community. Membership is completely free and you can register in seconds, then do fun things such as sharing photos or discussing photography all day long. 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!

Are you just getting into photography? Or are you an experienced photographer who’s been doing this for a while? Either way, if you’re a beginner or an expert, it’s time to have some fun together. Our ultimate master-plan is to improve your photography experience, inspire you, and get you the answers that you need to take your photography to whole new levels.

THE CHALLENGE RUNS FROM NOW THROUGH DEC 15TH, 2012.

Here’s how it works:

We know that for beginners it can be difficult to find a positive, supportive environment to get you the answers you need to all of your photography-related questions. We were all beginners at some point, and that’s why we believe that EVERY question is a GREAT question.

For Beginners: If you have a question about learning photography, any question, post it in our “No Stupid Questions” room. We all started at the beginning, and we feel that NO question is a “stupid question”. For every brave soul who poses a question, there are thousands of folks who would benefit but were reluctant to come forward. Ask your questions. We want them!

For Experienced Photographers: You guys/girls already know your stuff! Help out a “beginner” by answering one of their questions. Provide a helpful answer, and you could be our next winner!

On December 16th, 2012, we’ll be choosing the best question from a “beginner” and the best answer provided by an “expert”. These two Community members will be the winners of a Drobo Mini plus carrying case.

Submit Your Questions or Answers Here

Help each other, learn what you’ve been aching to know, make new friends, and have fun!

Get them a Drobo for Christmas

If you’re a looking for the perfect Christmas or Holiday present for a photographer (or anyone) in your life who seems to have everything, get them a Drobo – the ultimate piece of mind for your precious digital photos, videos, and all of your files. Check out this great video to see what Drobo can do for you.

Contest ends on Dec 15th, 2012, Midnight – PST. Winners will be contacted by email, and upon confirmation of acceptance they will be added to our Winner’s List in the Community. Selected winners must reply within 7 days. Failure to reply within 7 days will result in a prize forfeit and a new winner will be selected. Good luck to all of our participants!

BONUS PRIZE: For those of you who have read this entire post, share it via Twitter or Facebook and you’ll be entered to win one of our 60 additional prizes!

Happy Holidays! We’ve just launched the brand new PhotographyBB Community (previously the forums), and we’re so excited that we’re giving away some awesome prizes to celebrate! Starting tomorrow (Dec 4th, 2012), for the next 12 days we’ll have a new giveaway each day, along with a few surprises.

How Do I Win?

It’s easy! Each day we’ll reveal a simple task (such as posting a photo, voting on a poll, commenting on someone’s image, etc…) and we’ll pick a random winner who participated. We think that a big source of photographic growth comes from positive and supportive interaction within the photographic community. You get to have fun, meet new friends, improve your photography experience, and win some awesome prizes in the process.

Stay tuned for our first giveaway to be announced on the blog tomorrow!