This month we will be trying to evoke emotion in our images by seeking out subjects that show “resilience”.

From the Webster Dictionary; “resilience – an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”.

Now not every subject would show the ability to recover easily, in many cases it is, could, or would have been hard and/or take a long time to recover from a difficult situation.

Take the plant that is growing on the side of this building, for instance, it’s something you don’t expect to see. You wonder how it grew, how long it took and how it’s able to stay attached to the building. It provides a bit of mystery to the image.

Many things can be thought of as resilient. Although the examples shown below are subjects that can be found easily in our daily environment there can be a deeper meaning to resilience such as; the impact on people, nature, infrastructure and the economy due to climate change, or the impact on people due to a lock down caused by a global pandemic such as Covid-19, and even the impact on people due to terrorism, civil unrest or a war. Images to express this type of resilience would typically be portrayed in a photo journalistic manner and in most cases require a collection of images to convey the story or invoke a call to action. Portraying this type of resilience is beyond the scope of this monthly theme.

Below are just some examples for ideas.

Rocks with Plants/Trees; With plants/trees growing out of rock crevices, how do they get enough nutrients to survive in this situation? How big will they grow and how long will they last? These are just some of the questions or feelings your images could say. There are many opportunities for this type of image, so just go out with your camera and keep an open mind.

Animals; Many animals work all day long gathering enough food to eat to just survive. The Kingfisher shown, for example, captured a field mouse which are in their diet but you typically see them diving for fish, however in the wild they eat when they can and what they can. The seal resting on the rock has a scarred tail, maybe from a boat or from fishing gear, but it is still surviving. The Owl hunts in any kind of weather because it needs to eat to stay alive. The Mother fox still has to get enough nourishment to feed it’s young, it must be difficult to feed so many pups. Go out as often as possible to see what you can find.

Life where you least expect it; How does a tree die and then a new tree start growing out of it? Even an apple tree growing out of the beach rocks, again how is that possible. As you find these types of subjects it will make you even more aware of your surrounding environment and maybe leave you in awe of nature.

Man Made Structures; Up to this point we have discussed living things, however man made structures can last a long time even though they show their wear. The image of the Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse before it was recently painted, shows how these icons of the rugged shoreline have survived for many many years providing a beacon of safety for the ships that passed by. Many old barns still stand even after many years of neglect, it makes you wonder how they were constructed to be so resilient.

Stretch your mind and let’s see what images you create this month.

Students are encouraged to develop their ability to tell a story or invoke an emotion, as well as how to plan and troubleshoot while creating their images. As such it’s important to not only create the image but to also include a “title”, and write a short paragraph about; how they came up with the idea, any interesting back ground that compelled them to make the image, and describe any techniques on how they overcame any obstacles.

An important part of improving your photography is practice, which is one aspect of the monthly theme challenge, in addition you have an opportunity to learn about different genres, techniques and tips.

This month I encourage you to use water in your images. Water can either be the subject or be used to help add more interest to your images, for example the grass and sky reflection in the calm water shown in this photo.

Water can be calm which allows the use of reflections to add more interest to your image, or be turbulent created by water movement, wind or storms. Water can also be in the form of rain or artificial form a water hose as an example.

Just think of all the creative possibilities that water can bring to your images.

Below are only some examples for ideas.

Waterfalls; Now that the rainy season has begun, you now have the opportunity to photograph some water falls. Remember to not only capture the entire waterfall but also to isolate some detail using a longer focal length lens to get capture that dreamy image. It doesn’t matter if the waterfall is big or small there is always an image to be made while at the same time enjoying the sounds of the water and wildlife. Refer to the November 2020 Waterfall Theme Challenge for some additional ideas and techniques.

Waves; Now that the hurricane season has begun there is an opportunity to capture some large wave activity, just keep safety in mind when you are close to the shoreline it can be very dangerous. Just use a longer focal length lens and stay back a safe distance and its a good idea to have someone come along with you. You can also capture some unique images of the waves created by a boat, with the image from the wake of a boat at golden hour you can end up with a timeless photograph. It’s also possible to use slower shutter speeds and use a panning technique following the wave to create something a bit different, a slower shutter speed of around 1/15 sec or slower and place yourself along side the waves instead of in front. Refer to the December 2019 Seascapes Theme Challenge for some additional ideas and techniques.

Long Exposure; To obtain a long exposure we need to lower our shutter speed which can be a challenge if you do not have some of the special equipment required such as a tripod, remote trigger, and ND (Neutral Density) filters. If you do not have ND filters the slower shutter speeds can be more easily obtained when the lighting conditions are low, such as in the early morning or late in the day when the sun is below the horizon which is referred to as civil twilight. This is when the sky can light up and be completely magical. The ISO is typically set to 100, with shutter speeds from 0.5sec to 5sec and an appropriate small aperture f/11 – f/16 to help obtain the right exposure and for the appropriate depth of field. For the streaks as the water is receding you need to pick the right time to press the shutter. If you do not have a remote trigger you can use the 2sec timer function in your camera it just takes a bit of practice to get used to when to push the shutter.

Water Drops; You can take advantage of photographing subjects with water drops on them after a rainfall such as flowers, windows, or flat colorful surfaces. Capturing water drop splashes can also be a lot of fun to try and there are many ways to accomplish these type of photos even with out special equipment. Take the time to watch the videos below about water drop photography which cover a DIY method and with using special equipment. There are many ways to do this with minimal gear but it does take patience so have fun giving it a try.

Stretch your creativity and let’s see what images you create this month.

Students are encouraged to develop their ability to tell a story or invoke an emotion, as well as how to plan and troubleshoot while creating their images. As such it’s important to not only create the image but to also include a “title”, and write a short paragraph about; how they came up with the idea, any interesting back ground that compelled them to make the image, and describe any techniques on how they overcame any obstacles.

As always with our monthly theme challenges we try to seek out an instructional resource, below shows YouTube video links to help with some important tips, hints, ideas, or just something to think about.
Water Photography instructional aids:
■ How to Get Started with Long Exposure Photography by: Mark Denney (15min 26sec)
■ How To Photograph Water Drops At Home by: Gavin Hoey (6min 53sec)
■ How to Do Water Drop Photography, Testing the MIOPS Splash Kit by: First Man Photography (18min 21sec)

An important part of improving your photography is practice, which is one aspect of the monthly theme challenge, in addition you have an opportunity to learn about different genres, techniques and tips.