2016 PHOTOCHALLENGE WEEK 7: PORTRAITS – YOUR LOVE - The 2022 Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenge

Now right away, you introverts are going to immediately decide to photograph your dog or cat, or something other than your one true love on this planet. There is a chance that your love isn’t available all week, maybe out of town for something, etc. That’s fine, work your way down the list.

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Yet I deeply want you to consider creating a wonderful portrait of your loved one. The goal here is for you to work hard enough that you can frame this photograph and display it for at least you to enjoy. (Let’s try to keep it tame enough to share with the rest of us too.) 🙂

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I want to remind you that photography is not just about a snapshot of something in time. It should tell a story, or have some deeper meaning. This is your opportunity to express that. So, search around on Google Images or Flickr for portraits that strike you as a loving creation.

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I’d encourage you to get in closer than you might normally. Closer than a bust shot, but a clean head shot. Don’t forget that the eyes speak the whole message, and the burden is on you to capture them just right.

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As far as lighting is concerned, you could do what we did last time, stick with natural, primarily light coming through a window, etc. However, don’t be afraid to add some additional light. Whatever you do, DO NOT SHOOT A PORTRAIT WITH AN ON-CAMERA FLASH! I’d rather you use another lamp, or a speed light that can be triggered from you camera, off-camera. In fact, make that a personal rule from now, do not shoot portraits with on-camera flash, ever.

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I plan to photograph my wife, sitting near a window, and I’ll use a bounce to reflect in a little diffused light from the opposite side. If you don’t have deflectors or diffusers, don’t worry. Hit a craft store or crafts section at Walmart or Target, and get a piece of foam core board. Stand it up in a chair, or get another person to hold it. Then just bounce the light from the window into the shaded side of your subject.

Oh, and one more thing…I’m adding one guideline for my themes only. Each portrait you shoot must be a new subject, all year. That’ll only end up being 12 or 13 portraits, so sniveling won’t be tolerated.

The rules are pretty simple:

Post one original photograph (Your Image) shot each week per theme posted on this blog to Google+, Facebook, or Flickr (or all three). Tag the photo #photochallenge.org or #photochallenge2015.
The shot should be a new shot you took for the current weekly theme, not something from your back catalog or someone else’s image.
The posted image should be a photograph, not a video.
Don’t leave home without your camera. Participating in the 2016 PhotoChallenge is fun and easy.
Each portrait subject must be a new one, over the course of the 2016 PhotoChallenge.