M is for ... Mental Health. Deb's Isolation Alphabet Photography Challenge

M is for Mental Health. Moody, Melancholic, Mania, Madness, Misunderstanding, Morose, Mournful, Malaise, Mindfulness. Mystery, Marvellous, Mercurial and Me.

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Mental health is still so poorly understood. Have a heart for those who are stuck in a dark place and can’t yet find a way to the sunshine. It’s like being in a living hell and if you’ve never been there, you really can’t comprehend what it’s like. The lies! The lies! The lies it tells you! Don’t tell them to suck it up or pull themselves together. Do you think they really want to feel that bad? Support them. Treat them like you would if they had a broken arm. Encourage them gently. Love them.

Fuji X-T2
60mm Lens
F/4
1/30sec
400ISO
Window LIght
Tripod. Remote from iPhone. 2sec timer.

I managed to get the Remote Communication working so I could operate the camera from the phone. It was a bit glitchy but we got there in the end.
Grain added to image in Lightroom.
Slow(ish) shutter speed because I was playing around with movement in some shots.


K is for Key. Deb's Isolation Alphabet Photo Challenge

K is for Key.
The key to keeping going on a project could be to not let perfectionism get in your way. The old saying is ‘Practice makes perfect’ but maybe it’s better to focus on 'practice making progress’.

“When you set out to accomplish a new goal, you might start off with gusto and determination. You may be highly motivated, ready to make a change and confident it will go perfectly!

But as time goes by, reality sets in, and your goal starts to feel harder and harder to reach. You struggle as you try to recapture the energy and excitement that started you on this path. When you can't, you resign yourself to the idea that the battle has been lost. The glory you wanted to achieve is but a glimmer — a faint reminder of what could have been.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common. As a wellness coach, I hear different versions of it again and again. The good news is I know it doesn't have to be this way. I know there is an easier path to take toward achieving your goals.

The first step is changing your mindset. When attempting to reach goals, many people take on a perfectionist attitude, thinking it will lead to success. However, the opposite is often true. Perfectionism can, in fact, get in the way of achieving your goals.”

Read Full Article HERE

J is for Jug. Isolation Alphabet Photo Challenge

J is for …

Jug - Still life with fading flora.

Jug - Still life with fading flora.

Fujifilm XT-2
60mm Macro Lens
f/2.4
1/60
ISO 500
Big window light to the left. Slight hint of a tungsten light coming from the right.

Comments: Yes, yes, I should’ve gotten the tripod. But to do that I would’ve had to move a big heavy pot plant out of the way to fit it in. As it was, I was crammed in between said pot plant and the couch to get this shot.
It’s one of those shots where you see it in camera and hope it looks as good as you think it does. Or whether you’re just sentimentally attached to it and it’s really crap.

I love the tones and textures in this image. I like the feeling and sense of depth and mystery the shallow depth of field provides by having the foreground leaves out of focus. The movement through the foliage gives it life. It feels windswept. and unkempt. Free! And yet the delicate jug invokes a mixture of fragility and yet a stability that feels safe in that freedom.

Side note: My partner bought me these flowers over a year ago and has been waiting for me to throw them out ever since they essentially passed their prime. He often gives me quizzical looks and patiently shakes his head in a bemused way. I added an extra branch I had found on a daily walk that was laying around just waiting to find a purpose and ‘voila’ that added the extra sweep of leaves out to the right which, I think. provides the essential balance and flow of movement through this ‘still life’.

I is for ... Isolation Alphabet Photo Challenge

I is for … Ice and Ivy

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Fujifilm XT-2
60mm Macro Lens
f/2.4
1/250 sec + Tripod
ISO 200

Lighting: Reading lamp, candles, torch.
Shot in RAW and Processed in Lightroom.
Comments: Shot in very cramped conditions in a very small kitchen. Ice lit with a torch from behind, Ivy and edge of ice lit with a reading lamp. Bokeh created by candles in the background and a wide aperture. Water drip created with spray bottle. Leaf clipped to a clamp on a bendy wire used for soldering I got from an electronics shop. Ice is sitting on a pizza tray. Teenager is in background happily playing x-box. Partner is hiding in case I ask him to hold something.
Tip #1: Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Tip #2: You don’t need fancy equipment. Use whatever you can find. (It does help if you’re a MacGyver type)

Tip #3: If you plan on using solar powered fairy lights to create the bokeh, make sure it’s a sunny day so they charge up. I did not do this, and couldn’t wait for a sunny day, hence the problem solving solution of using candles.

#debsisolationalphabet

H is for ... Isolation Alphabet Photography Challenge

H is for … Handsome human holding a harmonica in his hands. Making harmonies. Hehe.

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Fujifilm XT-2
60mm Macro Lens
f/4
1/40 Handheld
ISO 800

Window light
Converted to Black and White in Lightroom.
Comments: I am a huge fan of Contre-jour lighting, which essentially means shooting into the light, or having the sun or other light source behind the subject. In this case the kitchen window. There’s an out of focus plant in the background and I had to change angle to dodge the exhaust fan in the window. I asked my model to turn their hands until the light hit the harmonica. Don’t be afraid to crop tight.

As an side: We do an exercise on Contre-jour lighting in my Level 2 Photography class at RMIT and I recently had a lovely French student who I asked to say Contre-jour as often as possible as it just sounds so gorgeous with an actual French accent as opposed to my Queensland bogan accent. Now whenever I read the word I hear it in his voice.