#lens-cap-tutorials

"Home" by Sarah McCullough

Something I conquered

My grandma passed away recently and going to her house has been sort of difficult. We used to always run around on those fields and it was nice to capture a picture of the open space with snow because winter was her favorite. And it was nice to go there and finally be at peace with the situation. I took this on my iPhone and edited it with the VSCO app (because i noticed you used it  and wanted to try it out). my biggest challenge was taking the picture because i jumped around and took bursts of pictures to avoid being attacked by the many deer crowding around me (luckily not in the picture.)

Sarah, thank you so, so much for taking the time to submit a photo to this photo challenge! I really appreciate it. :)

Before I say anything about your photo, I want to make sure to say how impressed I am by your choice of subject matter. You chose something that was immensely important to you. You really made this challenge your own... Your photo is unique, inspiring, personal, and thought-provoking. Although I don't know you personally, I just want to commend you on your bravery. I know this was probably hard for you, but you were brave and decided it was worth more than your fear. And that benefitted your photo greatly. 

Your photo... Gah. It's beautiful. I really love it. I love that you used the Rule of Thirds to align your composition. The horizon line at the top of the frame drew my eyes upwards towards the house. I immediately felt a connection to it and began to wonder about who lived there and what their story was. 

I also love the use of negative space on the bottom of your photo (all the snow). Snow has a way of making a person feel new, whole, refreshed, and peaceful. And perhaps it symbolizes something for you too. Your grandma did love winter. 

I love that you used your phone to capture this image and used the VSCO app. Isn't it fun? When we realize we have a portable camera with us in our pockets, we can capture special moments as they happen. I'm glad you were able to do that.

How funny about about the deer! If that had happened to me I would be paralyzed with fear! I would have no idea what to do! Haha! I'm glad you survived!

Sarah, it was such a blessing to see this photo today. Your courage not only helped you to take this photograph, but it shone through your photograph as well. It made this photo so special and it impacted me personally. 

Your photograph is phenomenal. I am so proud of you. Well done.

-Kristen

Happy Tuesday, photographers! You may have noticed there wasn't a new photo challenge released on Monday. Sorry for that!

So here's the official theme for the week:

SOMETHING YOU CONQUERED.

We had one submission from Traci last week (check out our page to see her amazing photo), but we didn’t have any other submissions. I hope we start getting some more! Please take some time to submit and learn with us. I’ll leave you this message that I gave to Lens Cap followers last week:

Please don’t be shy or nervous if that’s holding you back! I promise I’ll be kind in my feedback for your photos. 

If you struggle with knowing what to shoot or getting inspiration to shoot, the best way to combat that weird “don’t want to do anything” feeling is to—drumroll please—actually get out there and shoot. Didn’t get that perfect shot on Tuesday? Try again on Wednesday. The more you practice, the more you learn. The more you learn, the closer you are to finding your shooting style.

Practice is important, guys. 

And if your main issue is time… Let me ask you one question. How many hours did you spend on Facebook or Tumblr today? Yeah. That’s what I thought. 

Please get out there and keep shooting to improve your craft! It’s really important. 

For this challenge, please take a photo that represents something you conquered. Again, the cool thing about the past few challenges is that they are so open-ended and the meaning is unique to each person. 

There are no wrong answers and no bad photos. 

Please submit your photo here (less than 10 MB please) and write a short caption for it. Your caption should include:

"Title of Image" by First Name (and Last Name if you’re comfortable)

Explain your photo concept and what it means to you

Tell us about any difficulties you had while taking the photo

Any questions you’d like to ask me

PHOTOS DUE BY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH AT 9:59AM (one minute before the next challenge goes out). 

To participate in this photo challenge, please follow these rules:

Follow Lens Cap Tutorials on Tumblr. 

Submit here and follow the terms of submission.

You are allowed to edit your images using your favorite photo editor (like Lightroom, PhotoShop, Adobe Bridge, online editors, etc.). 

Please choose ONE photo to submit so that others’ work can be seen, too. 

Reblog, tweet, and share the photo challenge with friends so more people can join the fun!

If you submit a photo challenge idea to the ask box, it will be added to the Jar of Awesome (the weekly photo challenge randomizer). Don’t be sad if your idea doesn’t get pulled! There are tons of ideas in there already and only one of them goes out a week. It could take some time.

"I've Always Had A Thing For Dandelions", by Traci Hazzard

First I want to say that I hate long titles, but I didn't feel like being creative, and the title is true. I have always had a thing for dandelions, and that is why I chose to submit this photo for little things. When I see them, they just made me smile. I love blowing them in the wind and watching the little seeds (or whatever they're called) fly away.

On a funny note, I've always loved the scene in A Bug's Life when Flik flies on a dandelion, and if I was that small, that would be the first thing I would do!

Another thing is that dandelions are symbolic for me; when I see them, I think of letting go of things, and there are many things that I have let go of or had to let go of in my life, and things I still need to let go of today. I feel like dandelions, if they had a personality, would be free spirited, and that's how I want to live life. 

I wouldn't say I had difficulties with taking this photo because I've gotten used to laying down on the ground or being in just plain weird positions to get the shot I want. My only thing with this photo is I wish there had been at least one other dandelion close by so that I could focus in on one, and have the other be blurred out in the background. If I would have thought about it then, I would have changed the angle of this shot so that the grass could be seen. 

Hi Traci! Thank you for submitting again! I really appreciate you and your perspective when you shoot. You bring a lot of vision to the table. 

I LOVE this photo. Your focus is tack-sharp and I love the small depth of field you decided to shoot with. I am also a HUGE fan of the rule of thirds, and you accomplished it really well (I may have brought the dandelion a little higher in the frame, but that's it). 

I also love your thoughts about incorporating the grass or more dandelions. That is a great idea. I'd love to see it if you ever shoot it, and think it would make a great photo! 

Thanks for submitting!

There's this fancy thing called an SD Card Case. They come in different sizes and they start around $10. But in this handy, 2-minute DIY, I'm going to show you how to make one for about $1.50. 

It's so simple it may not need a full how-to explanation, but I wanted to make one anyways! Haha. 

Step 1: Go to your local grocery store or gas station. 

Step 2: Purchase an Altoids tin. I have found that the Altoids Smalls tins are the perfect size.

Step 3: At home, take out the mints and give them to your friends. Or, you know, throw them away. 

Step 4: Wash out the tin, make sure it's completely dry, and pop in your cards!

Early spring, 1.31.14 by Kristen Achziger

This photo is of a fence near my school and a tree that's started to blossom early because of the strange California weather we're having. This is my favorite kind of tree because in early spring, (or an early-early Spring, haha) the tiny white blossoms are so delicate and rustle with the faintest sounds. Since they are so delicate, they often fall off the tree and float to the ground or get stuck in your hair. I was taking a photo walk when this "little thing" happened and I just felt so peaceful.

For this photo, I rented a 28mm f/1.8 lens and used it with my Canon 60D (which has a swivel screen). I was getting a lot of shots with a straight on perspective of the fence, but it didn't capture that peaceful feeling quite like I wanted it to. It felt kinda blah. 

So I took about twenty photos of this fence, as I kept moving around and adjusting my angle. Finally, I got this one when I popped open my swivel screen and turned on Live View and shot straight up from the bottom of the fence. I really love how it came out. 

For future shots like this, I want to actually lay on the ground and shoot up. I was in an iffy location (a narrow sidewalk with cyclers everywhere) so I couldn't really do that here, but I would love to get on the ground to shoot. It could make a world of difference. :)

Also, this lens is totally rad. It's on my wishlist. 

Hello new followers! 

If you're new to photography, already shoot as a hobby, or want to improve your craft, you're in the right place! 

Every week Lens Cap Tutorials puts out a weekly photo challenge (this week's theme is "It's the little things" (you can still submit until Monday), answers any photography questions you have, and puts out photography tutorials for beginners. 

I'm just getting started with this blog and I'm working out the kinks, but for now I just want to say hi!

Nice to meet you!

FAQs:

Ask a question here. No question is a silly question! If I don't have the answer, I'll research it for you.

Submit your photos here. Anyone who takes part in our Weekly Photo Challenges will be featured on the site!

Learn more about me and my dream of teaching teens photography and filmmaking, and producing documentaries here. 

I am behind on my own photo challenge! Well, kinda.

I actually shot a ton this week--some for work but a lot for personal projects. I've got a lot of files in my Lightroom catalogue. I just need to edit them!

Hey guys! 

This week's photo challenge theme is "It's the Little Things." This theme is very open-ended and has endless opportunities. All little things are different and personal and unique to their viewer. So in essence, this challenge is really all about you! 

Sometimes it's good to plan photos out in advance. Brilliant photos can be taken that way. But other times, your best image will be captured spontaneously. 

If you struggle with finding inspiration, this challenge is perfect for you. Don't look for it this week... let it happen to you. 

I love noticing the little things throughout my day. When I "see" one happening, I try to capture it right then. Obviously, this may pose a problem when it comes to my camera. I don't always want to carry my gear bag around when I'm not sure what I'll be doing. Of course, I make time for photo walks when I can and intentionally bring my 60D, but you know what I've found really helpful in capturing spontaneous "little-thing" moments?

My iPhone.

I LOVE my iPhone. I LOVE Instagram. 

Think about it. You have a portable camera and powerful editing software... in your pocket. At any moment in time, you can grab your phone and snap a photo or two or three or ten. Well, obviously you should try to keep it to a minimum... Trust me, I had a storage issue with my phone because I had 3,000+ images and never deleted any.

When you're out this week, whip out your phone and photograph the little things you notice that make you smile, inspire you, or teach you something valuable. The inspiration will naturally come to you and you'll be prepared to shoot on the fly. 

Here are a few images from my Insta that I've taken this week and last to show you the kinds of things you can find when you open your eyes to the things around you:

Dusk, 1.30.14 (I looked up, noticed the symmetry of this streetlamp, and took this in 5 seconds!)

Polka dots and cracks in the sidewalk, 1.30.14 (also today, taken on a coffee date with a friend)

Extra soft white, 1.9.14 (I took this shot upside down, into an exterior house lamp)

Just so you guys know, you can totally submit iPhone photos to the Weekly Photo Challenge submission box. I would love to see anything and everything you shoot!