"Fluid," Weekly Photography Assignment for 6 - 12 September 2010

[keithsnell]

A fluid is a substance that continually deforms (flows) under an applied stress.  In science, a fluid can be either a liquid or a gas; however, in common usage, the term "fluid" is most often used synonymously with "liquid."  Liquids are differentiated from gasses in that they have a boundary between the substance and the surrounding air caused by surface tension, a property unique to liquids.  The term fluid can also be used to describe movement "in a smooth and graceful way that seems relaxed."

Your challenge is to convey the concept of fluid in your images.  I've included a few example images that I thought successfully conveyed fluid.  Do you see anything in common between the images?  Almost all of them effectively use soft light to provide modeling and convey the three-dimensional, rounded forms of a flowing liquid.  Most of the images also use motion, or soft blur caused by motion, to convey the movement or flow of the liquid.  Several of the images also convey a sense of "smooth and graceful rhythm" to the movement of the liquid.

Autumn Stream
Photographed by Keith



Fog Over the Falls
Photographed by Todd Obiedo



Sunset Reflection
Photographed by Todd Obiedo



Cereal and Milk
Photographed by Rick Pepin (trvlrick)

Your assignment for the week of 6 - 12 September 2010 is "Fluid."  Please upload your images to the "Fluid" album in the Weekly Assignment category of the Gallery no-later-than midnight Mountain Time (GMT -07:00) on Sunday, 12 September 2010.  

I'll look forward to seeing your images.

Keith

[Michele]

It figures that fluid comes "after" my water drop shots.  I like following the assignments as they come.  So, I have decided to do both the noun and the adjective.  Today the noun...

[keithsnell]

Hi Michele,

Yes, your water droplet images were beautiful. 

I love the "noun" and can't wait to see the adjective.

Keith

[Michele]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to say that sometimes I get carried away by an assignment.  I get a huge amount of ideas that are on the topic and I want to try them out.  Sometimes I struggle on assignments when nothing comes to me at all.  For example, the "breaking the rules" or even the "inspiration" assignment was really tough for some reason.

This site and forum is the first time in my life, except when I took photography 101 in CEGEP (college), where I have learnt more than I ever have from books that sometimes are way too basic or way too technical.  I also get feedback from you guys, people I really respect by looking at your work and your galleries and listening to your opinions and suggestions.

Keith and Dave have had a whole lot of patience with me with my neverending questions and have been a wealth of information.  I actually have a binder that I keep with the assignments, emails or forum topics that contain valuable information you just don't find because it is tailored directly to us.

In Switzerland, I am sure there are courses that I could take but they are very far away from me and they are only offered in German.  I speak and read German, but not enough to understand anything complicated.  Also, with my children to take care of and their bizarre school schedules, it just would not be possible for me to take them.

I don't mean to ramble but I wanted to explain why I sometimes flood the assignment gallery sometimes.  I promise to watch out for that in the future, however, I feel that we all tend to look at the assignments more than the galleries and your comments or opinions really do matter to me.

If I put too many photos in for one week, I promise to remove them before the Sunday and just leave one of each set.  (Or I will learn to use Triptychs more...)

Thanks guys for everything.

[keithsnell]

Hi Michele,

I loved seeing all your experiments for the assignment.  You created some amazing images for this assignment and I admire your creativity.  

I like the way you try lots of shots, and then pick your favorites to submit to the assignment gallery.  I think that's a great way to experiment and try different things, decide what worked, and then learn from your experience.  We all get to learn too, and are inspired by your creativity.

I look forward to seeing your images every week.

Keith

[Michele]

Thank you, Keith, that was a very nice thing to say.  I hope the weather is great where you are and you and Rebecca are enjoying the time away.  Thanks for keeping up with everything even when you are very busy with projects.

Michèle