Here at *Photo--Assignment we like to send our members on assignment. Our Assignments vary from a wide variety of topics to help broaden our understanding of photography. So we'd like to share with you some of our assignments and our member's work regarding those assignments! For this assignment, we sent out members out to the workplace. Members focused their image on stripes. Up or down, east or west, on the street or on your shirt: Where ever you find stripes! Below you'll also find tips on thinking abstractly, color theory, textures and pattern style photography and member's work. Enjoy!


Admin of PA

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One of the most compelling and visually impressive aspects of any prize photograph is an attention to color – vibrant and rich colors can catapult an otherwise mediocre piece into top notch material. The color study is a somewhat abstract approach to photography that focuses solely on the colors involved in the field of view. What this means in practical terms is that a color study is usually, but not always and in no way limited to, a close-up shot with very tight cropping that focuses on imparting a message, feeling, or sentiment by using color, shape, and texture as the subjects.
Outdoor Seasonal and Indoor Decor

Mother Nature is a very generous soul when it comes to providing subjects for a complex and diverse color story – a palette produced by nature is sure to be organic and often asymmetrical, unparalleled in scope or in shade by anything that can be synthetically produced or man made. Look for intrepid and youthful greens and yellows during the spring and early summer, or the rich blues, purples, and amber skylines afforded to you during the hotter seasons of the year. Autumn brings with it plenty of opportunity to photograph orange, olive, and brown shades and Winter ushers in crisp whites, sooty blacks, and a monochromatic spectrum in between.

On the indoor front, decor and furnishings can be very helpful in determing a subject for a color study. Looking at any fine housewares store – one might immediately notice the displays or merchandising taking place, often color coordinated products balanced in order to compliment each other. A rich silk tapestry, shot from an aggressive angle, would be a prime example of how useful decor can be in capturing a rich palette of extremely vibrant hues in combinations that would be unnatural to find in the organic world.
Photoshop, Your New Best Friend

Adobe Photoshop or similar suites such as Corel Paint Shop Pro are excellent tools – many might deem them necessary – in order to tweak your photographs into pieces worthy of inclusion in a professional portfolio.

With Photoshop it is possible to change the light levels of any particular photograph to emphasize certain colorations; it is also possible to directly adjust the hue, vibrance, and contrast of the photograph. Further, the simplest tool is also one of the most useful – the cropping tool will allow you to focus your work more acutely on a section that evokes the sentiment you are looking for, the perfect subject.



Abstract photography tips

Understanding the true art of abstract photography.

Abstract photography is unlike most other types of photography - rules, such as composition and accurate focusing hold no values. The abstract photographer uses his creative imagination to create stunning works of art.

Abstract photography is a popular form of art and the rewards for a good abstract photographer are most worthwhile. Art buyers pay large amounts for good abstract work.

What is abstract photography?

Abstract photography is a process of using colors and patterns combined to create an image, with no true meaning or no clear subject involved. Abstract photography is not necessarily going to mean the same thing to everyone. Abstract photography leaves more to the imagination and helps us concentrate on texture and color rather than the whole subject.

If you are looking to try a new form of photography, abstract photography will certainly be an enjoyable challenge and very rewarding if you master the true art.

Creating an abstract image can be easy - creating a great abstract image is difficult. One of the most simple ways of creating an abstract image is by using water and your cameras’ shutter combined. Shooting fast flowing water, with a slow shutter speed of one second will give you a blur effect. This is quite simple to do, but will it look attractive?

This will depend on light - shooting water with a slow shutter speed when the sun is low in the sky will give your image more attractive colors. Different films will also produce different colors. Adding color filters will also improve your abstract photography. If you are using a digital camera, filters can be added later with Photoshop.

Using a slow shutter speed to shoot a flag blowing in the wind will also give you an abstract image. The trick to keeping abstract photography attractive when using your cameras’ shutter is to crop tightly. Fill the view finder with the blur image.

Some kinds of macro photography can be considered as abstract. Close-ups of flowers and other plant life will make great abstract subjects. As with shooting water - macro abstracts should be cropped tightly and the image should have a theme of color. Some street lights can also create abstract photographs.

Every where we go we are surrounded with color, textures and patterns. Patterns make for great abstract images. New patterns are formed by nature every day and this is the best place to start to create marketable abstract photographs.

There are no guidelines for creating good abstract images, just use your imagination along with the natural world to create your master piece.