Canon EOS Photo5 Challenge by aglaia b

This year I decided to enter the Canon EOS Photo5 Challenge. After landing myself a little brown box, I was inspired to enter all the 5 briefs. Although my entries felt a little rushed, I did manage to get them all in before the deadlines. Today the judges announced their 10 finalists for each brief. My entries did not make it. :-(
However, I really enjoyed the challenges and would love to share my entries here.

Brief 1 Through a Pet’s Eyes / Open Brief

title: here puppy

photo description: I really enjoyed where this brief took me. My choice of pet being the loyal dog. We know from what the experts tell us that most dogs have better peripheral vision than humans. Without actually owning a super wide lens, I decided to experiment with a panorama for the first time. In my final image I have used photoshop to photo merge four images. I warped either side of the frame to try and represent a dog’s peripheral vision and channel mixed the colours to show how a dog sees colour. What a way to view the world.

Brief 2 Foam / Macro

title: evolution

photo description: I experimented with stretching some glad wrap over a tin and adding a little water from a spray bottle to the foam. I then used a brush to form some bubbles and give the foam some froth and lather. I also used some really cool bright shiny red reflective material with holes in it to reflect some more coloured light onto the foam. I shot this outside with the sun shining. No flash used. The whole time whilst shooting I was trying to create a scene that looked a little more than just foam. The monkey just appeared.

Brief 3 Sequins / Low Light

title: red-light – green light

photo description: I decided to shoot this image right on the sunset, so I set up the sequins on a black silk fabric by the front room window using the sunset as my light source. I experimented with different exposure times and apertures. The most challenging aspect to this brief was deciding which image to enter. I love how the red sequin looks like it is levitating and playing a game of red light – green light with the green sequin.

Brief 4 Powder / Fast Shutter

title: sweet magic

photo description: My aim was to create movement in both the powder and the boy. I was able to achieve this with a fast shutter speed. I told him to imagine that he could do magic with the powder and that it was like a ball he could control. We experimented with talcum powder, flour, chalk, icing sugar and found the blue powder was great used as body paint. Icing sugar was the favourite because it is the only one you can eat and it produced this image.

Brief 5 Ribbon / Panning

title: granting wishes with her ribbons

photo description: Little girls love ribbons, so there’s nothing quite like ribbon dancing along the beach on a warm late afternoon with a beautiful sunset. I found this brief very challenging. Moving parallel to the subject along sand whilst clicking the shutter is not as easy as it sounds. There are other shots where the girl is more in focus, however, I chose this image because I love the blurred background sea and foreground sand created by the panning and her position within the frame.

By entering each brief you are able to automagically be considered as a finalist in The Portfolio / All Briefs. Even if you were unable to obtain a Canon EOS Photo5 box, anyone is allowed to enter the Open Brief. The prizes are amazing and a great incentive to enter also.

I might enter again next year and encourage you folks to give it a go especially if you are into photography or have stumbled across this journal and feel inspired. For further inspiration go look at the finalists that were chosen, and if you feel like, go ahead and become a member and vote. Canon make it worth your while, if you vote, you go into the running to win a 7D kit.
Being inspired is a beautiful thing.