Themes for 2020

TCPCinc Members Monthly Photo Contest themes for 2020 are:

January 2020 – Find the Perfect Light

Excellent lighting makes good photography great. Take advantage of it, depending on the situation. For example, utilize the dramatic light after a storm or lightning strike or the wonderful glow during the golden hour. You’ll be amazed what a difference great lighting can make.

February 2020 – Nature photography

Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures.

March 2020 – Framing

Including natural frames inside your images is an excellent way to create something stunning. Frame examples include overhanging tree branches, a doorway, and more.

April 2020 – Sunrise/Sunset

The sunrise or sunset provides the lighting, but the success of the image will likely depend on what it’s illuminating—and how it’s doing the job. Rocks, docks, boats, islands, bridges, skylines—they’re all good subjects for dramatic, beautiful sunrise or sunset photographs.

May 2020 – A Singular Sensation

Some of the best photographs are those that feature a lonely subject, such as a portrait, tree, animal, house, building, or car. Use them wisely and they’ll stand out in your image.

June 2020 – Landscape/Seascape

Landscapes, Seascapes, and Cityscapesare just what you would think: outdoor shots of wide expanses of land, sea, or city buildings. “Scapes” are frequently, but not always, horizontal in format. Many land and sea scapes will be nature oriented, but the nature requirements like “no hand of man” do not apply. A picture of a single building, plant, or ship would not be a “scape”, but pretty much any wide outdoor shot will qualify.

July 2020 – Let There Be (Isolated) Light

Adding isolated light to an image is a great way to hold a viewer’s attention. Think of a headlight on a car or the last remnants of a fire on a cold night, or light painting. When you’re shooting images outside at night, always look to the stars. They add a unique isolated light element to your image that never gets old.

August 2020 – Still Life

There aren’t any photographic practices that date back further than still life photography: when photography originated, making a picture required very long exposures, so static objects were the ideal subject. However, as technology developed, the fascination for capturing still life has remained, and continues as one of the most vibrant photographic arts going.

1. Choose Subjects that Speak to You
2. Get Comfortable with Light and Lighting
3. Get a Good Tripod and Work Your Angles
4. Get the Backdrop Right
5. Compose the Shot
6. Take All Day, If You Need
7. Get Inspired by the Masters
8. Develop Your Eye for Still Life Scenes
9. Perfect Your Post-Production Process

September 2020 – Emotion

Entries in the emotion category should portray a human being or animal visibly experiencing an emotion. Some examples might be a shocked bystander viewing a disaster, an exuberant competitor crossing the finish line in a race, or a laughing child at the circus. Any emotion is OK, as long as the dominant aspect of the photograph is the person or persons experiencing it.

October 2020 – Floral

Flowers are one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful gifts. Not only are they a source of natural beauty, but they also have actual healing properties, giving new meaning to the term ‘flower power.’ To celebrate one of earth’s loveliest wonders you need to check before pressing the shutter. Some questions to ask:

• What is the focal point/point of interest? Stem, colour, texture, shape etc?
• What angle will you shoot from to get the best perspective?
• How much depth of field do you want?
• How is the subject lit?
• Which flower is the best specimen for your photo?
• What distractions are there in the background and foreground?
• Which is the best format to shoot in? (horizontal or vertical)

November 2020 – Know the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is an often-used guideline, not just in photography, but also in paintings, designs, and films. The instruction suggests that an image is divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two evenly spaced vertical lines. As such, the rule suggests the best place to put the subject of an image isn’t in the center, but slightly off to the side. The result is natural looking and well-balanced photos.