Deep Blue Hoops, Frozen Moments and Moody Tulips!

Anything but alien, is the act of freezing time for the photographic craft. And how curious it is, that our cameras get along so well with some of the most fascinating phenomena holding our existence together. Light and time you see —or more precisely— the bond between these two, makes it possible for photography to freeze time.

Every time we press the shutter, we are mixing together some rich qualities of light (ISO), with the amount of light (aperture) for a specific slice of a second (shutter speed). However, this triad behaves in a demanding -and sort of jealous- way. For example, if we go loco with incredibly fast shutter speeds, we'll be obliged to compensate in one way or another. Meaning tons of light or cranking up your ISO with overcharging amounts of static.

This week, we keep on exploring the essence of movement — so you can expect some exquisite examples of swift imagery from our talented community. In case you are intrigued by this challenge but feeling not ready for sharing, you can still practice at your own pace. Freezing motion in photography is a huge challenge, and you should not feel less capable due to some odd or unexpected results.

Something to consider though, is picking the right subjects and predicting their upcoming movements. If you nail at this, you might start getting some impactful and memorable results. Also, focusing on moments of tension while presenting unusual or uncommon scenes can make your shots more interesting and complex.

Photo of the Week

It's hard to define how this image feels so odd and unusual yet familiar somehow. In photography, combining distinct compositional layers in an orderly way is challenging.

In this image, we discretely address the subject from the back; resulting in a natural or ready-made environmental portrait. By itself, that is sufficient of course. But exceptional shots are all about the details, so let's dive a bit closer into this frame.

We have light dancing, we even have three different circles in the ground mimicking the hoops being juggled in front of the crowd. Oh, and personally, the blue overtone takes the whole thing to the next level.

Congrats Wendy, thanks for sharing such a high quality photograph with us!

Weekly Photography Challenge Digest

Thanks again to Diane and Dahlia for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!

For contributing, check out the original challenge post!

A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community

Patrick made sure we all got a nice dose of early morningness:

In his words “The colors in the morning sky can sometimes look otherworldly”

As every week, Steve didn't fail and shared something out of this word:

Middleton Place Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina.

Marty delighted us with a few dark and moody tulips; this one below is my personal favourite but you can follow the link and pick among others as well! Why do I like it so much? Don't know, it just reminds me of a fossil or something like that!

Rob shared a very clean portrait of a squirrel monkey:

These monkeys time the birth of their young with the ripening of the fruit they prefer. This one was in the south west region of Costa Rica. Local farmers have changed their crops because some of the fertilizing practices with their previous crops were harming these monkeys. Populations have rebounded as a result.

Don't forget to check the photo contest winners for Visual Metaphors; and remember, this month's photo contest is now open for entries. The theme revolves on “the Essence of Movement“. Submit your photos for a chance to win $250 and please don't forget voting as well. Last but not least, keep an eye out for the Members Picks — the instructions are pretty straightforward:

Members reference what you might consider a five star photo. Give a call out to the photographer and share their photo even if it lies in the Shark Tank and feel free to give a Critique on why it trips your Trigger. Be sure to mention the photographer and the Thread you saw it in.

And if you want to make out the most of your LightStalking user account, make sure to check the latest posts. Also, don't forget to swim the Mobile Monday Challenge! Last but not least, Check out the current reading throwdown, it has some nice insights and recommendations!

We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts

Our Feedback Forum is a fine place for all those people wanting to grow fast as photographers. Here, you'll get your work reviewed by well-intended photographers, but you'll also have the chance of commenting on the work of others. We believe in the power of feedback, and here are the latest shots shared in the pool:

The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, but please read the instructions in order to get a better experience. Share your comments, opinions and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also will be delighted to see some of your own images. Remember all comments are given to the photographs; not the photographers. Also, don't forget to participate in our upcoming challenge!