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P52.2: Framed {Week 16}

This week at p52.2 we continue to focus on perspective and lens choice for telling our stories. Wide angle lenses are not always a photographer's choice for portraits, because of the distortion they lend to the frame. However, there are always exceptions to this rule and sometimes the wide angle perspective is just what you need to highlight a feature or matters of scale.

I always have fun using the wide angle on my kiddo because he already has pretty big eyes and a super-wide shot gives him almost a cartoonish look that cracks me up.

But I ended up going to the archives this week as well - a ton of vacation photos from last summer sit ignored on my computer but I knew I had used my wide angle lens to try and capture my son under the canopy of the giant redwood trees in Northern California. This shot seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Please head over to Who We Become to see everyone else's work this week!

P52.2: Framed {Week 15}

It is week 15 for P52.2: Framed and we continue our exploration of perspective and how our technical choices impact the viewpoint we present in our images. Our goal this week was subject isolation, either through the use of a telephoto lens or strategic shooting with a wide angle to render the subject front and center without a lot of context for storytelling. The first image is probably a more successful example of this strategy - it is a telephoto shot with minimal distortion, and the viewer can intuit much about my vantage point with only the evening sky as additional context. The second image was taken with a wide angle lens, but all that is in focus is the shallow foreground - his face and his breath. The image does not need the background to tell its chilly narrative.

Please head over to Who We Become to see how everyone else interpreted this week's theme.

P52.2: Framed {Week 14}

Welcome back to P52.2: Framed! It's a new year and with it, some new goals. We are delving extra deep into our topics, and for now, this means expanding our thematic explorations from one month to two.

We are kicking off 2014 with a study of perspective. The first four weeks will focus on the impact of lens choice on the photographer's viewpoint. For today's post, we embraced the wide angle perspective and the concept of inclusion. So even if not everyone has a true wide angle lens. we each shot with the intention of including a fair amount of context in order to tell our story. For a better description, please click on over to Who We Become and see how everyone met the challenge.

My images were taken on a New Year's Day drive home, just after sunset. I had a play with context using the magnificent George Washington Bridge as a subject. These were taken from a moving car, so it was fun to see what I got without much control over my framing.

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 13}

This week on P52.2: Framed, we bid adieu to 2013 with a Photographer's Choice image. While I debated going through the archives for a true favorite, I decided to stick with the holiday season and share a shot of the illustrious Empire State Building I took on our drive home Christmas night. It is not a perfect "wow" shot to round out the year, but with all of the red stop lights and tail lights, not to mention a touch of traffic, it felt like the city was wishing us a merry Christmas in its own special way.

I wish you all a safe and fun end to the holidays as you ring in 2014, and may wonderful things come your way throughout the coming year. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Please head on over to Who We Become and see what the rest of our group chose as they head into January!

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 12}

It is week 12 here at Photo 52.2: Framed and the end of our month-long study of lines. This week we are looking for the curved variety. I had an image that fit the literal notion of curves a bit more closely, but I loved that the rounded tops of the water here gave me curves in an unexpected way. As you can see, I wasn't the only one entranced.

Please click on over to Who We Become to see what everyone has found this week!

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 11}

We continue our pursuit of lines on P.52.2 this week, this time with a focus on diagonals. I love to use diagonals as leading lines, but had fun experimenting with what other implied or less obvious diagonals I could find that fit the bill. Here are a few seasonal favorites. Please pop over to Who We Become to check out what everyone else has found this week! For anyone new to the project, this year's introductory post can be found here.

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 10}

What a week it has been! Thank you to everyone who made it up to the Oresman Gallery for our photography reception this weekend. We had a great time. The exhibit is up until December 30th for any interested locals.

Turning to the task at hand, our focus at P52 this week was in using horizontal or vertical lines, either alone or in a repetitive pattern, in our composition. I found my image during a trip to Grand Central to look at the trains. We ran across the holiday window light show while we were there.

Please head over to Who We Become to see everyone's work this week!

Photo 52.2: Framed {Week 9}

For the month of December, we at P52.2: Framed will be concentrating on lines. Leading lines, lines that are horizontal, vertical and diagonal, lines that are real and implied - our goal is to use these lines to effectively lead the eye to our subjects, or into, out of or simply around the frame.

I am a big fan of lines and try to incorporate them into my photography often. Our theme this week was leading lines, and I chose to take a step away from the big drama available in the city's architecture and instead turn my lens on a slightly smaller operation. Please pop over to our collective website, Who We Become, to see everyone's beautiful work. I can already see that December will not be a month to miss!

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 8}

This week is something of a free for all as we wrap up our study on balance. Our goal is to balance objects, people, negative space or any combination thereof. This image lacks much in the way of negative space, but I liked the triangle created by the kids, the train worker and the incoming train and how the subjects span the depth of the frame. Please click over to Who We Become to see what my talented friends found this week.

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 7}

This week on Photo 52.2 we went in search of negative space as a balancing element in our images. This could mean using negative space as the subject, or using the space in an image to otherwise balance the subject. Really, I think we all just had fun taking a step back and getting some extra room into the frame.

My shots this week were taken on a trip up to East Aurora, NY - the soon-to-be permanent residence of certain grandparents we happen to be quite fond of. Small boy + big dog + nature = what's not to love? Here are a few of my favorites shot with negative space in mind. Please click over to Who We Become and see what the rest of my wonderful friends have found this week!

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 6}

It's week 6 at P52.2 and we continue our pursuit of balance, this time between our subject and an object. Though in this case, my subject and my object are one and the same, and the people simply balance out the frame. This is no masterpiece, but some members of our household regularly give high fives to the doorman of this neighborhood fixture (est. 1933) so it pleases me to have a reason to feature Rudy's Pig.

Please continue over to Who We Become, and see what the rest of P 52.2 found this week!

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 5}

It's a balancing act over here in week 5 of P52.2: Framed. Our goal this week was to create balance in our images using people. In the first image below, part of the balance is simply the sense of symmetry of the image whereas the second uses the figures in the background as a counterweight to my son and all of his "en route to a birthday party" trappings in the very immediate foreground. It would work better without the scooter but so it goes. This was a challenging topic and one I intend to practice more thoughtfully in the future.

To see what balance everyone struck this week, please head over to Who We Become, our collective blog.

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 4}

In our final week of geometric study, we at P.52.2 attempted to bring together as many of the techniques we have been practicing this month as possible: geometric framing, repeating elements and balance. So it was with these goals in mind that I grabbed a few shots during our whirlwind weekend in D.C. Or "Washington, DeeDeeSee" as it was called by our small backseat driver. With a handful of others thrown in, just because. To see everyone's work this week, please click over to our collective blog, Who We Become.

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 3}

This week's P52.2 theme: geometry and balance. Our goal was to balance the frame of our image using geometric shapes as opposing forces to our main subject. This week was a bit of a bust until today, when my family headed up to the Storm King Art Center - an annual pilgrimage to celebrate my mom's birthday. The warm, high sun was not ideal for photos, especially since I forgot my polarizer - but an abundance of geometric sculptures and a whole day spent with my favorite subjects most certainly made up for the challenging light. Below, my take on balance. To see everyone's work this week, please visit Who We Become!

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 2}

In week 2 of P52.2, we continue our investigation of geometric shapes. This week, our goal was to find repeating shapes or patterns within the frame rather than use the shape as a framing element for a subject. Please head over to our collective site, Who We Become, to see everyone's work.

Photo 52.2: Framed {week 1}

Photo 52 is back! After a month's hiatus, I am excited to announce that our talented group is kicking off a new 52 week project that I am calling Photo 52.2: Framed. There are a few more participants this time around, so rather than require a pass through a circle in order to see everyone's work, I invite you to visit our new collective website: Who We Become.

Last year we embarked on a study of light. This year, we are focusing on composition. What do we choose to include in the frame? Where do we put it and why? Geometry, colors, lines, positioning....the list goes on and we can't wait to begin.

For our first week, we used geometric shapes as a framing element. I can't say I'm leaping with joy at my inaugural efforts but I look forward to wherever this project will take me. Please click here to check out everyone's work in this first week of Photo 52.2!