52Frames
A weekly photo challenge where you have to at least meet a basic criteria for the week. Just found out about it at Week 13 so I started late.
Week 13: Line from a Song
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
I saw what the challenge was and I was thinking "there is a restaurant in my area that is literally called "Breakfast at Tiffany's" so I thought it was a bit hilarious but also a fitting work. As for the colors and tones of the photo itself, I'm hoping I did them accurately to make the colors pop.
Week 14: Curves
A Biker's Tunnel
I only kept thinking of a certain staircase in Japantown that was in a spiral curve to fit the Curves idea (and passed a bunch of windy road that would probably make better subjects). But when I came to the staircase, it was in rectangles and not the curves I wanted. So I roamed around through various walkways and designs that weren't in the idea I wanted of a curve but then saw these bike racks right here. So I took a look through them and tried to figure out how I would incorporate a curve. Then I set my aperture really small to draw everything into focus and after some Lightroom work, I came out with this.
Week 15: A Different Angle
A Mysterious Land
I was about to take a walk around my neighborhood for a good shot when my dad told me about this thing growing out of a plant right outside my door. What I saw was probably some form of weed blown in by the wind but it still gave off the vibe of a group of plants alongside a certain tree with giant roots and smaller ones sprouting out.
Week 16: Fast Shutter Speed (Extra Credit: Drip Water Photography)
Mysteries of the Garden
I really wanted to do the drip water challenge but with some sort of twist. So I used my backyard as a background and stored water in a clay pot to have a type of natural feel. While taking the shot, I didn't expect to be dark enough where I had to turn up my ISO while the shutter speed is so fast. But I am thankful my camera can make it come out nicely with little graininess. I also made the depth of field more deep to capture as much water in focus as possible.
Week 17: Soft
A Very Floof Bird
When a bird is relaxing or sleeping, they usually puff their feathers out to show how relaxed they are. This makes them appear more fluffy, or more "floof", by comparison. So I used this opportunity to show off my bird when he is at his most calm. Except he gets camera nervous so he's usually on guard with the camera. It's also tricky to pull off without any long distance telescopic lenses.
Week 18: Low Key
A Mysterious Fumo
I thought it would be really cute to do a low key picture of my Fumo (the type of plushie). But then I got something shadowy and a bit mysterious. Maybe because there aren't enough contours to emphasis shadows. Still gives off a nice feeling.
Week 19: Roll of Film
Shadow Sakura Saber
I decided to do this week with one of my personal favorite art styles, the silhouette, and chose to redo the first silhouette I've ever done using a figure of Sakura Saber from FGO. This was done in three takes: the first shot was done with a different subject to understand more on silhouette photography, the second was a little crooked, and this would be the third shot. I decided to name this Shadow Sakura Saber to be like the faceless form of Shadow Servants in the game.
Week 20: Not What You See
Holy Blade that Reaches the Sun
For this challenge, I tried using a prop sword (Excalibur from Fate/stay night) I got from one of my cons. Except this sword was much shorter and smaller than what an actual sword would be. So I decided to use two different methods to make this something "not what you would see": a different angle so the sword would appear longer and the glare from the sun (combined with some Photoshop for a glowing sword effect) to make it appear as endless as the distance to the sun.
Week 21: Symmetry
The Other Side to the Sword of Promised Victory
When I thought of symmetry, I was thinking of "reflection" or "two sides of the same coin". So I took the prop sword I had last week along with a similar model (called "Excalibur Morgan" which I happen to have) and placed them both next to a mirror with nice aesthetics to prop them up. Then a lasso tool to trim out the top layer to make them appear to reflect each other.
I got the idea from considering that both swords were (in Type-Moon lore) essentially the same sword. The main difference was the state of the user. While the silver blade was a sacred sword that embodies good and hope, the darkened blade embodies evil and corruption. This makes them a sort of inverted reflection of each other: both only a possibility until the user decides what it's for.
Week 22: 50 Feet From Home
Extra Credit: “Blue Hour”
Academics at Blue Hour
I have this beautiful view in my backyard and didn't expect to take such a nice shot during blue hour. I chose to make the college on the hill the main subject. Don't worry as the campus lights just stay on like that.
Week 23: Dancing
What Got Me Dancing
I have this beautiful view in my backyard and didn't expect to take such a nice shot during blue hour. I chose to make the college on the hill the main subject. Don't worry as the campus lights just stay on like that.
Week 24: Hands!
Extra Credit: Make a Statement
Always Connected
I didn't think about it before but our hands are practically always on our electronics, if not the phone. So the title holds a double meaning: we're always connected to the network and our hands are connected to our phones or electronics. The sunlight also makes for a natural privacy screen so you can't really see what's there through this photo.
Week 25: Make a Background
It’s Not Just a Game
I really like Yu-Gi-Oh! and one of the tins they released last year takes a strong resemblance to the gold box at the very beginning of the series. And in the early manga, the entire basis was having seemingly simple games with high stakes. So with using the tin I have along with some light reflected onto it, I placed a few game boards and game pieces as the background to show the origins leading into one of the more popular children's card game today.
As for the title, it's another reference to the idea of simple games with high stakes and how popular the series is.
Week 26: Flashlight
Idol’s Spotlight
I took one of my figures and used a flashlight as a kind of spotlight. At the angle I pointed the light at, it well illuminates the figure and casts a large shadow which could be convincing as full-size.
Week 27: Complementary Colors
A Residential Sunset
I got this idea when I was gazing outside as the sun was setting and realized there's a lovely shade of orange while part of the sky was still blue. So I tried to capture that without too much retouching. And from there we have a natural occurrence of complementary colors. I left the roofing seen as a silhouette so it would add a little more than just an exposed sky at sunset.
Week 28: Edited by Someone Else
A Good Time in the Old TIme
Took a few shots in an open area in my city before the fog set in. Then my friend took my photo of the theatre and gave it a vintage look. This reminds me of those disposable cameras I used to use.
Special thanks to my friend, Lilibelle Liang, for editing this.
Week 29: Details
Cobwebs on Black
I took a bit of idea from the example picture and was searching the area around my house for anything small. I came across some small cobwebs around a gate and placed a black card behind it to try and make the cobwebs more noticeable. A little tinkering with the brightness settings brought me to what you see now. Cobwebs this tiny sometimes go unnoticed and you can see how many small animals have gotten trapped over time.
Week 30: Negative Space
Post-Shutdown Lot
This challenge could not have come at a more interesting time where I interpreted negative space as the emptiness caused by COVID-19. And it also came just as the governor was shutting down all the malls so even this mall which still has a few cars parked in the back is now as barren as schools, theaters, and even churches. So I took a car and parked it in the back of a mall to show just how empty it is. This is practically the only car there short of the employee vehicles that are to the side. But this does give off a pretty empty time.
Week 31: Water
The Eternal View
I was roaming around for inspiration on this challenge and was thinking the coastline would have a nice view to photograph. It was quite windy and the waves were coming in symmetrical. And then I saw this view into the horizon. A view that just makes you think "the world is just huge".
Week 32: A New Experience
Lanterns in this Monochrome World
I've always wanted to try a single color type of photography: where everything is in B&W except for one subject. It puts an emphasis on that objects color. But everything in my general area is relatively bland so I went out and saw they had some lanterns hung up in Japantown.
Week 33: Night Photography
Residential Light Trails
Went wandering around to see how I could use the nightlife to my advantage. I saw I could lower my shutter speed to get a simple trailing effect of the cars that drive by. To fill up the image more, I combined two images (one of each side of the road) where cars were passing by.