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• December 2010

Photo Challenges:
December 2010

Pets

Chelli-chat
© Andrew Park

This month, let’s honor the pets that make our lives better. Please share an image of your BFF (best furry friend!) — or not so furry, if you keep goldfish! I’m away from home at the moment, without access to my photo archive, so my good friend Andrew has agreed to share some images of his menagerie as inspiration. Thanks, Andrew!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

One entry only each month per person, please!

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

Andrew’s Menagerie of Pets

Maurizio
© Andrew Park

 

Puppy in Motion!
© Andrew Park

 

Lucas Makes a Friend
© Andrew Park

 

Lights, Camera, Action!
© Andrew Park

 

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• Home
• Photo Challenges
• December 2011

Photo Challenges:
December 2011

Sunsets

Now that the weather has turned cold, and the snow is finally on the ground in my home town, I’m craving sunshine! I decided that this month, I’d make the topic “sunsets” so I could get my fill of warm rays! Sunsets are always a favorite for photographers, so let’s see your best!

Sunsets can be a challenge to shoot, since they typically results in an image with a large dynamic range. The foreground is often quite dark, while the sky is very bright. A graduated neutral density filter can help reduce the dynamic range, and bring out the rich colors in the sky. It’s one of the few filters I carry in my camera bag in the digital age.

Tips: Look for interesting foreground shapes, as they will turn into silhouettes if you are shooting into the sun. Consider using a longer focal length lens if you want the sun to be a feature in the shot. A wide angle lens will make it appear as only a small dot. You may want to use a white balance setting of cloudy or shady to keep the colors looking nice and warm. Also think about using a tripod to keep your camera steady. Finally, experiment with different exposures to make sure you get the one that works best.

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

Into the Sunset

My Images

Sunset over Lake Huron, The Pinery Provincial Park, ON, Canada
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Quebec Sunset
© Julie Waterhouse

 

A Pale Winter Sunset
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Sunset Shadows
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Sunset over Lake Huron, The Pinery Provincial Park, ON, Canada
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Playing! Pan Through a Moving Car Window at Sunset
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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• Home
• Photo Challenges
• February 2011

Photo Challenges:
February 2011

Winter

Brrr! Here in Toronto, Canada, we’re in the middle of a deep freeze. As I type this, it’s -19C, with a windchill of -26C, and twenty-plus centimeters of snow on the way tomorrow. That means winter is on my mind! Let’s see some images of what winter looks like in your part of the world. To me, it means snow, ice, bare trees, and cold. But it also means the fun of winter sports like skiing and skating! What does it mean to you?

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

One entry only each month per person, please!

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

A Canadian Winter

The Gate
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Mushing in Algonquin Park
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Leaf Trapped in Ice
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Winter Waterfall
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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• February 2012

Photo Challenges:
February 2012

Curves

No straight lines here! This month, we’re all about curves.

Lines do two things in your image. First of all, they lead your viewer’s eye around your photograph. The human brain is hard-wired to follow lines with our eyes. This means that the placement of the main lines of your image is extremely important, since it directs your viewer as they look at your photo. You can lead them toward your main subject — or, if you’re not careful you can lead them straight out of the picture! Using curved lines directs your viewer slowly around your image, as opposed to straight lines that rush directly to their destination.

Lines also convey emotion. Horizontal lines are calm, vertical lines are strong, and diagonal lines imply change. What about curved lines? They can convey hope or melancholy, depending on whether they curve up or down. Curves can also be sensual or graceful. They are slow and meandering, not in a hurry.

Learn more about the visual design elements of lines.

This month, we’re looking for photos with no straight lines. The main lines in the image should be curves. You can submit photos of winding roads, your child’s slinky (or your own :), curls of smoke, a spiral staircase, a seashell… the possibilities are endless!

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

Curvaceous Examples…

Looking down on two glasses and their shadows.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

I couldn’t resist including this shot of the curved buildings
in Mississauga, ON, Canada
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Beetroot
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Calla Lily Curves
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Ice
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Eggs
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Scanography of the end of a toilet paper roll.
Images are everywhere 🙂
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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• Home
• Photo Challenges
• January 2011

Photo Challenges:
January 2011

Water

Over 70% of our Earth’s surface is covered in water. This month, let’s see some pictures of water – in all its forms, liquid or solid. Show us snow, ice, or water, or even steam; running water or still; lakes, waterfalls, rain, or bathtubs! Get creative! Just make sure that water is the main element of your photo.

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

One entry only each month per person, please!

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

My Take on Water

Ice
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Lake Ontario through a pinhole lens
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Algonquin Park, ON, Canada
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Making Waves
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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• Home
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• August 2011

Photo Challenges:
August 2011

Elevating the Ordinary

A good part of photography is about making the ordinary into the extraordinary. That’s what we’ll concentrate on for this month’s challenge. Look for ordinary objects in your everyday world, around home or your neighborhood. See if you can photograph them in such a way that you turn them into something a little more.

Try looking at objects from a different perspective, or getting close up and shooting just a portion of them. Look for ordinary objects in extraordinary light. There’s beauty to be found all around us every day. This is a great exercise to train your photographic eye to really observe the world. Once you start paying attention, you’ll begin to see your surroundings in a new way.

Get out there and start shooting, and engage your viewers so that they take a second look at something they would normally take for granted.

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

My Ordinary World

Water flowing down the drain in my bathroom sink.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Another shot from my bathroom: the bottom of the shower curtain.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Grocery cart conga line
© Julie Waterhouse

 

The side of my neighbor’s house
© Julie Waterhouse

 

My guest room lamp
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Reflections of a street lamp in the parking lot.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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• Home
• Photo Challenges
• June 2010

Photo Challenges:
June 2010

Did you ever watch Sesame Street as a child? This month’s photo contest is brought to you by

The Letter "D"

This month, you can shoot anything that starts with the letter "D!" A deer, a donkey, or your pet dog! Dinosaurs? (Great Aunt Doris?) It could be anything from disaster and devastation, to dolls, dimples, or dessert! Try desert dunes or a landmark in Denmark! Dazzle and delight us!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.
Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

My Delightful Demonstrations!

 

Gone to the Dogs!
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

Dressed up Donkey
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

The Duomo, Florence
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

 

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• June 2011

Photo Challenges:
June 2011

It’s All About the Light

We all know that photography is about the light. This month, we’re looking for those images where the magic of the light made it all come together. This one’s wide open! It could be a sunset, a long exposure of vehicle lights, patterns of light and shadow, or even a rainbow. All photographs depend on light to be made; this month we want the ones where the light is what makes the image special. As photographers, we must train our eyes to seek out the good light. What are you waiting for? Let’s see those images!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

Seeking Out the Magic Light

Shefford Sunset
Don’t look through the lens while you shoot directly into the sun!

© Julie Waterhouse

 

My street, late one foggy night.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Light coming through the shutters created a pattern on the doors.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Light through cut glass in my front window created a rainbow on the leather couch.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Istanbul Mosque
Beautiful natural light, just after sunset, combined with the artificial lights.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Sunrise at the Bain Farm
Mist and sunrise are my favorite combination.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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• Home
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• June 2012

Photo Challenges:
June 2012

Roads

Once again, this month, I chose a topic from the pool of reader submissions on our Ultimate Photo Tips Facebook Page. This month’s challenge topic is Roads.

Roads make great subjects because they usually form a line in the image that you can use to guide your viewer’s eye through the picture space. Read more about how lines can be used as visual design elements to make a more compelling composition.

Roads lead us figuratively, as well as literally. They pull our imaginations along, as we mentally travel down them to the end. A road can leave the viewer wondering, "What’s around the corner?" A straight road is a direct route, and can instill a sense of speed, or a fast pace. A meandering road is the scenic route; viewers can take their time to explore along the way. There’s no right or wrong to the road you choose. It’s all about the story that you want to tell!

Stay on the straight and narrow, or venture on the long and winding. Take the high road, or the low road. Photograph a cart track or a super-highway! Look for a fork in the road, and the road not taken. Have fun, and show us your best shot of a road!

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

Following My Own Road…

Track through the Orchard
© Julie Waterhouse

 

The Long and Winding Road
© Julie Waterhouse

 

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it" — Yogi Berra
© Julie Waterhouse

 

A Foggy Night in Markham, ON, Canada
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Road through the Forest
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Texas Highway
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Country Road
© Julie Waterhouse

 

 

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• Home
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• January 2012

Photo Challenges:
January 2012

Clouds

Photographers may be the only crazy folk who love bad weather and cloudy days! Clouds can act as a giant softbox, softening harsh shadows and extending your shooting time into the middle of the day.

Clouds can add drama and interest to the sky. Cloud formations may be compelling enough to form the main subject of your image. Clouds can also play a supporting role by adding important compositional elements to your photo. They can echo lines and shapes that are in your subject matter, and they can add texture to an image by filling in an otherwise blank sky, or reflective surface.

This month, we’re looking for photos where clouds are either the main subject, or they significantly add to the story of the image. In other words, if there were no clouds, there would be no image!

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

My Cloudy Days…

This one is my favorite!
The cloud adds an important compositional element to the image.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

I waited until the single, puffy cloud was in the center.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Cloud Drama
© Julie Waterhouse

 

The clouds aren’t the main subject here,
but the image would be nothing without them.
© Julie Waterhouse

 

More Cloud Drama
© Julie Waterhouse

 

Dancing Clouds
© Julie Waterhouse

 

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