Camera Blog: This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (12-18 Dec ‘10)

We finished up our shopping assignment this week. And we saw many different signs of shopping. Our winner this week photographed something we’re probably all very familiar with this time of year, receipts. cruce’s “Shopping”. It’s simple, and it’s a reality we face when we go shopping. Pieces of paper reminding us what we’ve spent. The shot really captured the idea of shopping because it doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas or a birthday, receipts are the norm. Our first runner up was Claress‘ “Shopaholic Desire” Oh, the description on this one tells so much of a story all it’s own, “For everyone else, life continues as normal. But for her, life slows down almost to a standstill when she spots those shoes. She has to have them. Owning those shoes would make her truly happy…” The slow shutter speed worked really well on this one and did a lot to draw the focus to the shopper, and the look on the shopper’s face really shows a desire for what’s in the window. And last, but not least was devel’s “Christmas Dinner”. Showing shopping doesn’t always have to show the end product, it can also show how you plan for shopping, and that’s what our final runner up did. This shot was simple, and anyone who has ever made a grocery list knows that a grocery list means shopping is inevitable.

We also started our Holiday Decorations assignment. No matter what holiday you may – or may not – be celebrating at this time of year, there are festive displays everywhere. Or perhaps you prefer something simple and meaningful. Either way, use some of the knowledge you’ve gained over the past year to make your shots stand out. As always a quick reminder of the basic assignment rules. First, your photo must have been taken between 8 – 22 December 2010. Second, your post must include both the date the photo was taken and the words “Assignment: Holiday Decorations” Finally, your EXIF should be intact, and it’s useful if you can include some of the main points such as camera, lens, aperture, ISO shutter speed, etc. Next week’s assignment will be Holiday Food. So bring together all you’ve learned about composition and lighting to show us a great photo.