Photographic Exercise #5

Spice Rack

I posted a link on my Facebook page about Five self assignments in Digital Photography. I like assignments in both photography and painting. This Wednesday I am taking a workshop in a new painting technique. I am not sure I will ever paint exclusively in that manner but I have no doubts it will enrich my painting even if I only bring away one or two things from the workshop. So when I read the article on five new assignments for photography I decided I had to try a few. I had already done number 4  - Reflections. And now reflections are one of my favorite things to click.

My photography friend Terry Atkins Rowe began with number 5 - the 15 foot circle. So why not. I chose me kitchen, as space full of endless subject matter withing a 15 foot circle. And I gave myself just ten minutes. I did not want to get into rearranging anything. Or cleaning anything up. I want to take as many pictures in that ten minutes as I could. I took 22. Don't worry I am not posting all 22. But I did get maybe three or four other blogs out of those 22.

Kitchen Tools

And I picked early in the morning before dawn with just the lights of the kitchen. As I post processed I avoided the temptation of saturating the color to make the back wall hunter green. In fact, of the 22 photographs I processed many into back and whites. Probably a whole blog in itself. Below is just a sample.

The Salt and Pepper Shakers

The Strainer and shadows

The closet with the washer and dryer is just off the kitchen and within my circle. The dryer has been broken and I am rather enjoying not having it working. Especially since hanging and folded clothes provided such good subjects this morning.

Drying clothes

Collapsing pile of sweat shirts

Then of course there was food. While working within my 15 foot circle I decided to focus in close on my subjects. No broad expansive shots. I am basically a landscape photographer where I can walk around with a camera for hours without clicking the shutter. This shoot could even qualify for Exercise 3 - shoot something different but I already have an idea for that.

Farmers' Market Onions

Peaches and mangoes

Pasta and chilies

I rather amazed myself with this exercise. I am dying to repeat it in a more confined and a more open space. But there are other exercises too. I think number 2 - pick a shape would be the most challenging. Maybe I will save it to last.