FEATURED: The Bright Outdoors

[James Staddon]

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS:
• Publisher: Ziesemer Family Publishers
• Purpose: Ziesemer Family Publishers would like to experiment with turning music from their CDs into beautiful, relaxing music videos for posting on online platforms. They would like to begin by gathering photos for the first song on their CD, Oh, What A Day.
• Request: The first song on the CD is “Oh, What A Day”. Here are the lyrics:

When we reach the land of light
Where shadows are no more
Oh, what a day!
When we meet our blessed Saviour
On that peaceful shore
Oh, what a day!

Oh, what a day that will be
When my dear Saviour I see
In those mansions of love
Now awaiting above
Oh, what a day, Oh, glorious day!

So, the request is for high-quality beautiful, bright, outdoor photos. If they specifically match the lyrics, that would be great, but the emphasis is more on the feeling of the photos being bright and beautiful. Think artistically. That’s what makes a photo beautiful. Photos taken at midday may be bright, but are they beautiful? Photos taken at sunrise or sunset may be beautiful, but do they feel bright? It doesn’t matter what the subject is (a “shore”, a “mansion”, a leaf, a landscape), the photo should be the kind that gives you a feeling of bright and beautiful.

• Orientation: Horizontal. Photos will most likely be cropped down to a 16:9 ratio.
• Photo Specs: Feel free to use any device to take the photo, but make sure it looks high quality on a computer screen and the photos are at least 2000px wide. Edit however you like. No watermarks.
• How to Submit: Members can follow the A, B, C process outlined here. (Instructions for non-members can be viewed here.)
• Special Restrictions! You may only submit a max of 7 photos total per photographer, with a max of 2 photos from your existing portfolio.
• Remuneration: Lenspiration members will receive $1.00 per chosen photo. As many as 20 or more photos may be chosen!
• Terms: By submitting your photo(s) on this forum, you agree to the terms outlined in the STS Photo Assignment Agreement.
• Deadline: Midnight Saturday, July 24, 2021 (or until this topic is no longer highlighted yellow).

LEARN HOW:
Watch how I shot this assignment and get related training on how to shoot it yourself on the blog post, On Assignment: The Bright Outdoors!

WATCH CRITIQUE:
Watch the photos submitted for this assignment get critiqued live by registering for the July 27 Photo Critique Webinar!

• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Lydia Bennett.

[James Staddon]

Here are the two photos I shot specifically for this assignment, plus two pictures from my portfolio that I thought were bright and beautiful and went well with the idea of “shore” and “mansions”.

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[Blessings Captured]

Here’s a sample of the song “Oh, What a Day!“

[James Staddon]

Thank you @blessingscaptured!

[Blessings Captured]

Here are two from my portfolio and so far, one new. I went out when there was dew on the grass to get some bokeh. I also stopped down a little bit to insure that the clover was totally in-focus.
-Hannah

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[Sarah Beers]

Here’s a bright photo I thought would go along with the lyrics, “When we meet out blessed Savior on that peaceful shore.”

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[James Staddon]

@blessingscaptured And there’s beautiful foreground blur too!! It looks so bright. Good job!

@sarahb A “peaceful shore” indeed!

This is so much fun!!

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by James Staddon.

[Lydia Bennett]

Looking forward to seeing what photos other folks are taking! 🙂 Here are a few I took the other day close to golden hour.

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[Marietta VanGorp]

Here are my pictures for the assignment. Kristina Van Gorp

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Marietta VanGorp.

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[Marietta VanGorp]

Marietta Van Gorp

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[Blessings Captured]

Here are my bright pictures.
-Esther

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[Blessings Captured]

A new thing that I learned in a resent Nature Friend magazine was to not have your flower stems exiting the frame. So for the gladiolus I held up some leaves to provide some foreground blur and to cover the stem. Then first day I tried it I realized you can only do so much with just two hands. So another evening I used my tripod and the 10 sec timer so I could get the leaves in place. I like how the technique adds depth.

With the cross and yellow flowers, something seems off with the colors; I just can’t tell what.

-Hannah

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[Blessings Captured]

When I was photographing the sunflower, I noticed a big difference when I exposed for the sunflower instead of simply exposing for the whole picture.
It was difficult for me using live-view (I don’t have a viewfinder) to have the sun in the frame and to block the sun with the subject. It was hard to frame the shot with the glare.

-Ruthann

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[Jake Scholl]

Here are the photos I took for the assignment. I really enjoyed taking these photos of the beautiful nature. Jake Scholl

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[Blessings Captured]

Here are my two pictures from my portfolio. The baby’s breath was taken in the evening. It’s hard for me to get my pictures sharp in the evening when it’s starting to get dark.
-Sarah

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