This month’s Picture This! assignment was “Bokeh,” the character of out-of-focus parts of the frame. Bokeh, Japanese for “fuzzy,” has been interpreted photographically (and philosophically) in many ways, but our take is how circles of confusion can be an enhancement when used to highlight and reinforce the main subject. Some claim that lenses with more blades form a...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Interiors.” We asked readers to submit images that show the unique ways in which we arrange the space between four walls. The response brought all sorts of images, ranging from the grandiose to the humble, from a painter’s studio to the grand churches and temples of the world. What is perhaps most interesting about these shots is the...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Just Black and White (No Grays),” and readers have responded with a wide range of high-contrast black and white images, from architecture to portraits to dreamlike scenes that add a heightened sense of mystery to an already abstract form. Many of the images resemble pen and ink drawings, with others playing into the line and form potential...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was Macro World, and readers responded with a dazzling host of images that revealed a colorful, delightful, and often surprising look at a world most folks do not take the time to observe. Photography is a reminder of the moments we often pass by in the rush of daily events, and nowhere is that more evident than when viewing these looks at a close-up world.
Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Monochrome Tone,” images made with black-and-white film or converted into black and white using a variety of routes, from in camera digital conversion to software programs for creating everything from toned to neutral black-and-white images. While we sought monochrome with a bit of color tone, we did not limit submissions to just sepia...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was "On the Beach," images made where the land meets the sea. Readers responded with images from around the world showing a sense of color and design that the areas inspired. Quality of light, form, and line and shadow all play their parts in these locales, and images showed the grand and macro, the simple and complex, and most of...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was Red Rock, and we were treated to wonderful images from all around the great American West. If you’ve traveled the many roads and trails through Red Rock Country you know what a photographic treasure it is; if you haven’t, plan a road trip soon! Readers sent in photographs from the Southwest and parts north that showed the amazing shapes...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was Sacred Spaces, places that inspire us to consider the less material and more spiritual side of life. Readers responded with many images of awe-inspiring landscapes with special meaning, places of worship, of pure light and color, and, in some cases, of places that have special meaning for the photographer. All this could go to prove that the divine can...
Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Soft Effects,” using various techniques to get an ethereal look that matches and enhances subject matter. While members of the f/64 club might wince at the thought, adding soft effects through filters (lens or computer) is part of a long-standing tradition among a certain romantic tradition of the craft. Readers sent in a wide variety of...
To use an old phrase: “Far Out.” That was our reaction to this month’s Picture This! assignment, Special Effects. Readers sent us images made in camera and post-processed to change reality in unique and wonderful ways. While some readers shared their recipes some didn’t, which led us to some interesting discussions on how some of the images we received were created.