WEEK 41: ELECTRIC

We’ve officially entered fall and there are only 10, 2020 Photo Challenges left after this one. I chose “ELECTRIC” for this week’s challenge and hopefully you watched the introduction video to hear it from my own spoken words. If you can, focus on CLEAN GREEN ELECTRIC ENERGY 🙂

Tesla Logo synonymous of Electric
Photo by Andreas Dress on Unsplash

As I mentioned, for me, no other brand is more synonymous with ELECTRIC than Tesla and their Electric Cars. Considering the incredible number of Electric Cars that have now entered the worldwide market, there’s no lack of subjects for car photography enthusiasts.

white and black power plug
Photo by Charlotte Stowe on Unsplash

Even if electric cars aren’t your thing, there’s an entire industry of charging stations and other paraphernalia growing around the electric car industry.

white and black train
Photo by Tania Mousinho on Unsplash

Modes of electric transportation have been around for a long time from trolleys, trains, buses, and metro links. A big difference is they were actually dependent on an infrastructure of electric cables and/or conductive tracks to power the vehicles.

white electric guitar
Photo by Caio Silva on Unsplash

I did bring up Vintage Guitars in our Antique, Vintage, and Historical PhotoChallenge, well electric guitars have been around for a long time, new or vintage, they make a great subject for this week’s Photo Challenge.

timelapse photography of red and orange light crossing on road near city during nighttime
Photo by Andreas Dress on Unsplash

For the few exceptions of gas-powered lamps as in the Historic District of Savannah, our cities, towns, and villages are lit with electric bulbs from LED to Tungsten with a wide array of other technology-based on gas-filled bulbs. This makes for a creative evening or early morning of long exposure photography

space gray Apple Watch beside space gray iPhone X
Photo by Andres Jasso on Unsplash

We are submerged in electric devices and gadgets in our daily lives from our home to city streets. It doesn’t matter what subject you chose, the emphasis is on creating a photograph and not just a snapshot.

man standing on road while holding camera
Photo by Izzy Gerosa on Unsplash

This doesn’t mean that only the big professional cameras can succeed in this challenge. Regardless of the type of camera you are using, a photograph is created when you apply yourself and use documented or your own techniques to create an image worthy of the title. Composition and lighting are the two most important elements of a photograph. Naturally, you can elaborate on this with aperture, speed, and ISO settings. Choosing the right lens / focal length for your photograph is also an important part of the photographic process.

silhouette of camera in tripod
Photo by Jack Chen on Unsplash

It doesn’t matter if you’re shooting with a smartphone, a pinhole camera, a polaroid, or a top of the line pro-setup, it’s the technique you use that make the image you produce a photograph. Using a tripod regardless of the camera setup will help you take your time, maintain your composition, and test different settings to get the image just right. In some cases when photographing moving subjects the tripod may be less helpful. I often use a monopod to get the best of both worlds.

electronic circuit boards near tester
Photo by Nicolas Thomas on Unsplash

The above image is in the category of a snapshot. Little definition of what is the subject with an array of distracting elements. Indoor or outdoors, clearly define your subject and attempt to isolate it in-camera. Be aware of your background. Try and have it as neutral and distraction-free as possible. Remember you’re photographing a specific subject.

Scroll through the past Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenges, there’s a ton of techniques that have been covered through the years.

COMPLETING YOUR CHALLENGE :

Identify a subject that is dependent on electricity to operate. I.E. an ELECTRIC device…

Determine the best way to photograph the subject. Attempt different angles and heights.

If necessary use reflectors, lights or flashes to better isolate or/and illuminate your subject.

Use a tripod when necessary even with smartphone photography.

Don’t be afraid to use vignettes and background treatments to better isolate your subject and reduce distracting elements.

Experiment with Color, desaturation techniques, color isolation, or B&W and see what better suits your subject.

Have fun with photography 🙂

The friendly community guidelines are pretty simple:

  • Take a new photo for the current weekly theme, not something from your back catalog or someone else’s image.
  • Post your photo each week to our active communities on Facebook or Flickr (or both). Tag the photo:  #2020photochallenge #photochallenge #tempusaura
  • Don’t leave home without your camera. Participating in the 2020 Trevor Carpenter Photo Challenge is fun and easy.

About Steve Troletti

I'm a Location Scout, Editorial, Nature, Wildlife and Environmental Photographer based in Malibu, California. I specialize in Nature and Urban Nature photography including Infrared Landscapes. The Bulk of my work takes place in the Los Angeles, California area, Greater Montreal Region, Canada, Switzerland, France and Varese in Northern Italy. Ethical wildlife photography is the main priority and focus of my work. A minimum disturbance of the animals, their habitat and the environment is my top priority. This applies as much to total wilderness areas as it does to urban nature environments. Ongoing education of environmental issues and building awareness for the protection of wildlife and wilderness areas around the world is what drives me to document the beauty that surrounds us.