September: B&W Minimalism An image devoid of any color, with the subjects extremely pared-down, usually more stark with a lack of grey tones. Elements should be strong enough to be capable of carrying the entire photo. Make use of lines, contrasts and composition.
October: Shallow Depth of Field: Only your primary subject is in focus, while the foreground and background are softly blurred. Some methods to create a shallow DOF include using a low F stop (wide aperture), having a shorter distance between the camera and the subject or using a telephoto lens to compress the image.
November: Unique Forest Park: We have seen lots of beautiful lotus
pictures from Forest Park, and our share of ducks as well. But
it might be fun if each of us goes there to find his/her own
unique perspective in this common photo venue. The idea
will be to slow down, look and see what others might not …
and capture an image in a way that others might not.
December: Leading Lines: This site explains it well. https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-leading-lines-for-better-compositions/
January: Mystery Topic: To be chosen at the December meeting
February: Textures: The image must contain some type of texture; the material where the texture is obvious is your choice
March: Ask a Stranger to Pose: The goal of this exercise is to
improve our ability to obtain the people pictures that many of
us want, but might be too timid to get. If we can break the ice
and find a few words that connect with a potential model, we
might greatly expand our photo libraries of people pictures.
This challenge excludes pictures of street performers or
anyone on a stage, pictures taken from a distance, pictures of
people already posing for friends, or getting a picture of
someone without first getting at least a tacit approval. To
support you in the exercise, Kevin Fay will lead at least one
trip, probably to Boston so we can work together to find
people who will pose for us. Perhaps we can work in teams
and see what each team can come up with. We might bring
along the club lighting, which will enhance our shots, and
also make people realize this is a special event. We can offer
to send them a copy of their picture. Lots of possibilities.
When we are done, we can go out to dinner in the North End.
April: People in Motion: Examples are people running, walking, jumping, biking, swimming, horseback riding, motorcycling, flying, and sports where motion is key.
May: Shadows: A scene or composition where the central theme is a shadow or shadows