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Saturday 15 March 2014

Picture This #242 ~ Contrast

Many thanks to Belita for hosting this week's challenge. She has chosen a really good theme, with many possible variations!! Everyone should be able to find something for this one!!

Here are mine:

1) Coscoroba Swan. A lesser-known variety of swan, pure white feathers with a red bill and red-tinged eyes.
Coscoroba Swan 2

2) Flower with colour contrasts on the petals.
Top Tips

3) Self-Portrait in B&W. 
BW Half8

4) Black Swan. Almost the 'negative' of the Coscoroba Swan. Black feathers with red bill and red eyes.
Black Swan


15 comments:

  1. Hi Mitch, great pics as always. The top swan looks very demure, a sweet thing. Love the little flower with contrasting tips. Grand picture of you with the reflection in your eye and the other half of your face in shadow. Wonderful black swan, I wonder if they are seen with white ones.

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    1. Thanks Benni :-)) Those Coscoroba swans are deceptive in appearance, they're the mosrt aggressive variety of swan I've come across. The Black swans, in contrast (geddit??) are very placid and mellow.
      The self-portrait was a really difficult shot to get. It took about 40 attempts to get this shot. The reason it was so difficult was that the camera was hand-held, no tripod, in a darkened room with only a single light-source (my computer monitor).

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  2. I just love those photos Have never seen a swan like that and neither the flower with the two coloured petals. The self portrait is the famous Mitch picture from Multiply I beliweve and the black swan is something unique.

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    1. Thanks Pat :-)) Yes, I have used that self-portrait shot before, back on Multiply.

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  3. *I am pouting today Mitch.* I need a new camera and that is that!

    Love your photos, especially the white swan.

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  4. Hi Mitch! Always a pleasure to host a PT Challenge. Your four 'contrasts' are perfect and brilliant examples of what contrast is. Lovely white swan, the bill of which seems to be satin-like. Very pretty flower with those yellow and white petals... The deep shadows in your self-portrait do create an awesome contrast... Love the Black Swan shot... the contrast of the the black and the red against the green background is really excellent...

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  5. Fore fabulous image sfor the theme nice work Mitch ;)

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  6. The swans are my favorite, but they are all incredible shots, Mitch!

    The pic of you in the shadows is wonderful. I love the way the light makes your eye shine. This one reminds me so much of one of my favorite photos of John Lennon. It makes me wonder if that was your inspiration. It also looks exactly like my Grandfather. I'll have to see if I can find a photo of him to compare you two/to.

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    1. Thanks Debby :-)) Very well spotted!! That self-portrait WAS based on a Lennon connection. Do you remember the album 'With The Beatles' ? It was B&W with the band members faces half in shadow? Well, I wanted to take that concept, but deepen the shadow. I think it worked pretty well, considering the set-up to take it was improvised (see my answer to Benni's comment for more details).

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  7. Yes, I remember it very well...and I loved that shot of Lennon so much that I sketched it often. I don't remember why it was more striking than the others. You did a great job of it. Will go back to Benni's post.

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  8. "The self-portrait was a really difficult shot to get. It took about 40 attempts to get this shot. The reason it was so difficult was that the camera was hand-held, no tripod, in a darkened room with only a single light-source (my computer monitor). "

    Wow! Glad you kept at it! The results are perfect, knowing what your inspiration was. I have to go look for that album cover now. Maybe it will inspire me to start sketching again. I've started going through my Betty Edwards book again, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain."

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