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Tag: 52 Week Smartphone Challenge

52 Week Smartphone Challenge: Week 2: Thirds

📷 It took me some time to get the hang of the rule of thirds but I think following (and sometimes) ignoring this rule has improved my photography.

What is the Rule of Thirds? The rule of thirds involves mentally dividing up your image using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines, as shown below. You then position the important elements in your scene along those lines, or at the points where they meet. A rule of thirds grid.Photography Mad

It snowed Monday morning. I think it’s probably the first snow of the year. It caught me by surprise but I couldn’t resist stopping at the Kingston Mill for a photograph even if it meant being ten minutes later to work.

Here are other entries for the 52 Week Smartphone Challenge.

Submitted for my 52 Week Smartphone Challenge.

52 Week Smartphone Challenge : Week 1 : Self-Portrait

📷 So I kicked off this project and panicked as people submitted entries. What have I done!? And I am already behind schedule. The struggle is real!?

Honestly, I had hoped to announce the project but officially start Week 1 with the start of the New Year. A friend on Facebook even launched a new blog just so that he could participate. But with the responses I received, I think I have little choice but to start early with this first post.

Week 1's topic is "Self-Portrait," and I had a few days to think about what I should post. I was inspired by the only deadhead in the hameau entry, but my work desk is a complete mess right now. My kitchen is being remodelled, so we had to move stuff around, some of which ended up on my desk to make space for contractors to work and to store the appliances, new cabinets, packaged food items, etc. A messy desk is not really "me."

I've been cooped up in the house for the last few months dealing with health challenges, and despite a dislike for cold weather, I much prefer being outside. This photo was taken on one of my short stumbling-walks around my neighbourhood. I like this image because it shows a line of what I think are eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) trees resisting, as evergreens do, against the cold of winter. This fast-growing, long-lived pine is among the vital pine species in North America, grown both for timber and for landscape purposes.

The image was captured with Adobe Lightroom Mobile, my current favourite camera app, and a filter was applied. I like Adobe Lightroom Mobile because all of my captured mobile images, including any edits, are automatically synced through Adobe Creative Cloud to my Adobe Lightroom Classic catalogue on my Mac.

One bit of housekeeping, I've edited the announcement post to include dates in the table so we can keep track of progress.

Now for round-up of the posts.

Submitted for my 52 Week Smartphone Challenge.

52 Week Smartphone Challenge

I recently purchased an iPhone 11 Pro, and I am impressed by the images produced by the tiny cameras and the imaging software in these devices. The 1.54mm wide-angle lens in my iPhone 11 Pro has a field-of-view that is wider than my Fujinon 16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR and is excellent for landscape and cityscape photography while the “portrait” lens combined with imaging software makes the iPhone 11 Pro an excellent “everyday camera”. I don't want anyone to get hung up on the specs, but for photo geeks, the three rear cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro have the full-frame equivalent of 13mm, 26mm, and 51mm prime lenses.

To explore and help me learn to use this new tool, I am doing an iPhone Photography 365 Day Project for the first time in several years. From experience, I know that finding inspiration in every day can make a 365-day project challenging. Somedays, I may not have the discipline or time to capture new images. Some days, I captured several images choosing one picture only, to represent the day. I want to do something else with those images.

I am borrowing an idea from the Carroll County Camera Club which got the idea from Photography 52 Week Challenge and inspired by my long-running participation in Frank Jansen’s Tuesday Photo Challenge, I want to create a “52 Week Smartphone Photography Challenge” and do it along with whoever will join me. My preference was to limit the challenge to the iPhone, but after some thought, I realised that Samsung and other manufacturers make smartphones with excellent mobile cameras. So please, use any smartphone you want. You don't have to use the same one every week.

A theme/keyword will be provided for each week of the year. The full rules of this challenge are:

  • The week starts on Monday and ends the following Sunday.
  • You may capture as many images as you like but please select and post only one picture to the challenge.
  • Capture an image on any smartphone you own.
  • Write a post with a photograph for the week’s topic/theme/keyword.
  • Tag your post with 52WeekSmartphoneChallenge. Please review this WordPress article about how tagging works.
  • Create a pingback link to the weekly post (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it.)
  • At the end of the week, I hope to compile a list of the submissions so that you can find and comment on each others' posts.
  • Participation is voluntary.

If you don't capture anything at all in a particular week, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes there may have an unforeseen circumstance that pulls us away from committing to the challenge. Just proceed to focus on the next posting, or you can choose to post two photos next week to fill in the gap.

Let's have some fun! The challenge list below is from the Dogwood 52 Week Photography Challenge by photographer Dale Foshe of Dogwood Photography.

One more thing, the year 2020 has 53 weeks, with week 53 ending on January 3, 2021. For week 53 we’ll take a break to relax and ring in the new year with friends and family.

Week # Topic/Theme Description
WEEK 1 ends 5 January Self-Portrait Take a picture that tells us who you are, without actually showing your face.
WEEK 2 ends 12 January Rule of Thirds You already know what the rule of thirds is, now is the time to use it.
WEEK 3 ends 19 January Black and White Your inspiration this week is to simply take an amazing Black and White photograph of any subject you want.
WEEK 4 ends 26 January Warmth Tell a story that makes us feel warm inside.
WEEK 5 ends 2 February Symmetry Landscape is one of the most practised types of photography. Use Symmetry in a Landscape to create a new viewpoint for this week's image.
WEEK 6 ends 9 February #NoFilter No limit on what you shoot this week, as long as the image is pure. No filters, presets or other edits. Basic exposure corrections only this week.
WEEK 7 ends 16 February Love Story Make us feel the love in this week's photo. Tell a love story in one image.
WEEK 8 ends 23 February Leading Lines It is easy to use Leading Lines to show depth in an image or guide the eye to a specific spot in the image. Instead, this week use leading lines to show the concept of infinity.
WEEK 9 ends 1 March Mood Your Artistic Inspiration this week is the mood you are feeling today. Take that mood and use it to create art.
WEEK 10 ends 8 March Hometown Tell us the story of your hometown. It could be a famous landmark, something the town is known for, or even just your favourite place to relax.
WEEK 11 ends 15 March Fill the Frame Using Fill the Frame is a great way to isolate your subject and create interest in your photo. Can you do it with only one colour in the frame? Fill the Frame with one colour.
WEEK 12 ends 22 March Trash Trash is your inspiration. Tell a story or create something beautiful.
WEEK 13 ends 29 March New Beginnings Our world is full of circular patterns; as some things end, others begin. Tell us a story of a New Beginning.
WEEK 14 ends 5 April Center Frame Center Framed composition is a great way to isolate your subject. Use this Portrait knowledge to create a portrait that exhibits loneliness.
WEEK 15 ends 12 April Anonymous This week's inspiration is Anonymous. Interpret this how you wish.
WEEK 16 ends 19 April Shadow Tell a story. Make it compelling while only using shadow.
WEEK 17 ends 26 April Balance Balanced composition is pretty straightforward unless you are trying to shoot in the "Accidental Renaissance" style. So shoot a balanced image in the Accidental Renaissance style.
WEEK 18 ends 3 May Weight or Mass Heavy as a stone, light as a feather. Find inspiration and shoot an amazing photograph.
WEEK 19 ends 10 May Ageing Love it or hate it, ageing is something we all experience. So tell us the story of Aging in a single photograph.
WEEK 20 ends 17 May Negative Space Create a powerful landscape using Negative Space.
WEEK 21 ends 24 May Serenity What does Serenity mean to you?
WEEK 22 ends 31 May Stranger It is easy to tell the story of someone you know. So for this week's challenge, I want you to tell the story of a stranger.
WEEK 23 ends 7 June Leading Lines You have already used leading lines to show Infinity. Now try to use strong leading lines in food photography.
WEEK 24 ends 14 June Who inspires you Inspiration comes from many places. Tell us about who inspires you.
WEEK 25 ends 21 June Freedom Freedom means many things to many people. Tell us a story about what Freedom means to you.
WEEK 26 ends 28 June Geometry We live in a world surrounded by geometry. Use Geometry in your photo this week.
WEEK 27 ends 5 July Gratitude What are you grateful for? Show us.
WEEK 28 ends 12 July Your Culture Photographers participating in the challenge come from nearly every country and culture. Tell us the story of your culture.
WEEK 29 ends 19 July Depth of Field Depth of Field is a great way to isolate your subject. Instead, for the challenge though I want you to use DoF to make a subject appear part of something larger.
WEEK 30 ends 26 July Exit "Every exit is an entry to somewhere else". Be inspired by the Exit this week.
WEEK 31 ends 2 August Friends and Family Telling the story of someone you know well is sometimes the hardest story to tell.
WEEK 32 ends 9 August Frame within the Using only natural elements frame your subject. No actual picture frames allowed.
WEEK 33 ends 16 August Tell a Lie It is said that the "Camera Never Lies". Prove it wrong.
WEEK 34 ends 23 August Color without Color Tell a colourful story, but do it in black and white.
WEEK 35 ends 30 August Symmetry Portrait Symmetry is a strong compositional technique most often used in landscapes and architecture. So break the mold by using Symmetry in a portrait.
WEEK 36 ends 6 September Your Habits Some habits are good, and some are bad. Your inspiration this week is either.
WEEK 37 ends 13 September Seasons The weather is changing! Find inspiration in the seasons.
WEEK 38 ends 20 September Rule of Odds The rule of odds is easy enough to understand and employ. So use the rule of odds in an Urbanscape/Architecture photo.
WEEK 39 ends 27 September The Elements Earth, Fire, Wind, Rain, and Spirit. Find inspiration in the elements of our world.
WEEK 40 ends 4 October Modern Convenience What modern convenience of 2019 cannot you live without? Create an image that looks like an advertisement for your favourite Modern Convenience.
WEEK 41 ends 11 October Color Theory Color Theory is a huge part of a composition that most photographers don't explore. So it is time to explore it. Use Color Grading to create an image that looks like it is a still from a movie.
WEEK 42 ends 18 October Work Work Work Work, let it inspire you this week.
WEEK 43 ends 25 October Film-Noir Film Noir is a dark and moody type of photography well suited to storytelling. So tell us a story using Film Noir.
WEEK 44 ends 1 November Viewpoint Changing your viewpoint creates a different perspective and is often used by photographers to create interest. Shoot this week from the viewpoint of another person.
WEEK 45 ends 8 November Musical Music is part of the soul, so let it inspire you this week.
WEEK 46 ends 15 November 7 Deadly Sins The 7 deadly sins are Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed and Sloth. Tell us a compelling story about one of the 7 deadly sins.
WEEK 47 ends 22 November Rule of Thirds The rules of thirds is so popular because it is so versatile. This week use the rule of thirds to show emotion.
WEEK 48 ends 29 November Current Events What is happening in the world today? Be inspired by current events.
WEEK 49 ends 6 December Storms Storms are a powerful force of nature. Show us weather at its best.
WEEK 50 ends 13 December Patterns Patterns/Repetition are another well known compositional rule, but have you ever tried to use it in Macro Photography? Well, now you can!
WEEK 51 ends 20 December Food Be inspired by Food. Yes, it really is that easy this week. You made it this far you deserve the break. A sweet, delicious break.
WEEK 52 ends 27 December Self-Portrait In the first week, you took a self-portrait and told us who you think you are. To finish this off ,take a self-portrait that shows us who others think you are.