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Photography has the power of lightening up our lives; and what a great thing it is to start our days by checking out some beautiful images in the comfort of our seats!

Here is our weekly wrap-up – you'll find finely curated photos from the general chit chat blended with some creative shots from Tersha's latest challenge on Making Use of Hard Light in Photography! And of course, we'll introduce some worth-seeing shots from the Feedback Forum too!

And why not mention it, this particular challenge was especially crowded, and it was a beautiful joy picking the featured shots!

Photo Of The Week – December 27th, 2021

Photo by Aurimas

Words by Jasenka Grujin

The end of the year is almost here and the last POTW in 2021 goes to @aurikami.
I find the subtlety of this image so inviting. It’s a simple indoor shot but thanks to the wonderful lighting and unusual shapes created by the light, the scene looks mysterious and nostalgic. The use of hard light is impeccable here and the same goes for this b&w conversion.
This is one of the most atmospheric images I’ve seen in a while.
Congrats, Aurimas.

What Are Our Members Up To?

Pour some coffee and enjoy our favorite shots from Challenge 570th!

Photo by Marty E

*Bright, intense, and also intriguing! What an absolutely gorgeous use of hard light.*

Photo by Timothy S. Allen

*“Looking up into this building with direct light above creates interesting shadows and highlights its strange architectural nature.”*

Photo by Tersha

*“Anthurium”, or a great example of how dramatic a scene can become by blending hard light with deep dark shadows!*

Photo by Robert Apple

*Stumpy, light-crafted with a Lensbaby Control Freak.*

Photo by Wendy P

*Who said hard light can't be used in a soft and subtle way? Beautiful shot of a swallowtail butterfly.*

Photo by Andre P

*Sometimes, hard light can be used from behind to create this magical rim effect, showing us reality in a fantastic and unseen way.*

Photo by Charmaine Joubert

*Hard-light here is used as a way of highlighting the main characters within this lovely crowded frame.*

Photo by Bobbie

Photo by Pat Garrett

*Perfect set of combinations; light & shadow, bright red against black & white, smooth & rough texture.*

Photo by David Chesterfield

Photo by Brian B

*Sometimes, all we need is to float in the bright summer sun.*

Photo by Jasenka Grujin

*It's just beautiful how hard light naturally enhances the features of the human body like this.*

Photo by Patrick

*A magnificent* composition, and a very good example of how a *1:1 ratio can be used for telling visual stories in a formidable way.*

What You Shouldn't Be Missing From The Light Stalking Community

Patrick shared this colorful frame with us the other day:

He also shared an issue he had with his Instagram account, and after some hassle, he decided to open a new one. But if you find this useful, leave your comment in the thread.

Beaky wished merry Xmas and a happy new year with a very stylish photograph:

And if you find macro-focus-stacking interesting, then take a look at this post.

Let's congratulate Jasenka on her new adventure as a photography educator, and if you have something useful to share with her, she'll be more than happy to read your thoughts.

Daniel has some questions about macro lenses, and is also traveling to Iceland in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to Robert, Rob, and Tersha who wished us all a merry Christmas!

And if you want to see more shots, take a look at the Members Picks! A place where our community is able to share their favourite photographs from our forums every week.

We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts

Also, our Feedback Forum got some nice pictures and is clear that some of you have started building a solid photography style. This is the right place for all those people that want to grow fast as photographers.

Here, you'll get your work critiqued by plenty of well-intended people, but you'll also have the chance of critiquing your peers. We truly believe in the power of criticism and feedback. Here are some of the most interesting shots shared during the last week:

The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, so please read the instructions in order to get a better critique 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. Don't be shy, critiques are given to photographs and not photographers.

Also, don't forget to participate in our 571st challenge on Side Lighting!