Self-portraiture, Water and Beneath!

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Welcome to the Light Stalking weekly community update!

Tersha announced a new photography challenge on the unseen perspective, or how we can explore popular venues in different ways. Beyond the notorious cliché, our visual thinking can improve by opening to new possibilities around a specific subject. For this week, we got a great response from our community after the call for photographs from underneath the surface.

If you are interested in this type of imagery, be aware of some of the challenges you might encounter while attempting so. First, light won't behave as expected so colours might seem weird and even unappealing. This happens thanks to water absorbing light. Warm-tone wavelengths disappear at first, leaving a predominantly blue-green hue in deeper waters. This phenomenon might be corrected by using artificial lighting or some color correction filters to restore vibrant colors from beneath.

Optical distortion will also be an issue, not to mention the unpredictable nature of aquatic environments. Also, if you decide to use some sort of artificial lighting to brighten things up, mind the small particles floating around; they will deliver some sort of reflection as well. Last but not least, the housing kits; which are not cheap. However, not everything has to be done from within the water.

Speaking of which, writing these lines made me remember one of my favorite photography-related videos of all time:

Now, let's dive into these live waters!

Photo of the Week

There I was, scrolling through the last challenge when — unannounced — this image popped into my eyes… Instantly, two visual references snapped in my mind.

The first and most obvious, Pablo Picasso by Arnold Newman.

Secondly, the less conspicuous resemblance to Newman's portrait of Stravinsky. Or better said, the reference to the importance of cropping. Here you can watch the original and here the processed piece. Newman was an amazing environmental photographer, follow this link if you want to read more about this type of imagery.

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

Weekly Photography Challenge Digest

Thanks, Tersha and Dahlia for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!

tadpoles

Minke Whale

Found some underwater shots from Curacao a few years ago

Shadows on the water reveal what’s under the surface

For contributing, check out the original challenge post!

A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community

Robert Apple captured a fire, thankfully a snow storm was on the way:

Tersha shared a foggy afternoon, Rob got an instant recall to New Zealand, how about you?

beth stumbled with some tiny fellows:

had a couple of these little tree rats running around at a stop in the tetons

Tersha also shared one of the clearest and cleanest droplets we've ever seen:

and a leaf hanging from a thread:

Last but not least, beth captured the “golden hour on the wisconsin point lighthouse”:

Don't forget to check the photo contest winners for ephemeral moments; and remember, this month's photo contest is now open for entries. The theme is “The Unseen Perspective“. Submit your photos for a chance to win $250 and please don't forget to vote as well.

If you want to make 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 as photographers. Here, you'll get your work reviewed by friendly photographers, but you'll also have the chance to comment 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 solid 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!!!

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