Staff

Backlit subjects can be tricky to deal with which is why we were so impressed with the terrific entries for this month’s “Backlight” Picture This!  assignment.  We were looking for images where backlight or strong directional light danced with the subject and boy did we get them.  From unique uses of sunrises and sunsets to spotlight a silhouetted subject, to plays of light through fog, morning rays through a window, and many beautiful backlit scenes of nature, readers posted some fantastic images on Shutterbug.com for this assignment. 

Our Picture This!  assignment this month really made everyone see Red.  We were looking for images where the predominant color is red, or where a red accent makes a powerful statement within the frame.  Perhaps the boldest color, red always catches the eye and many images entered for the assignment were just that: bold and eye-catching.  We were also looking for images where other colors complemented and enhanced the presence of red within the frame.  On the next few pages check out the photos we thought screamed Red the loudest. 

Our Picture This!  assignment this month was Echoing Forms and we received a fantastic group of images showing this compositional technique, where forms seem to “echo,” or repeat within a frame.  Submissions ranged from images that captured repeating patterns in nature such as the leaves on a tree or blades of grass, to more made-made forms, including images of machines and architecture.  There were even several eye-catching images where animals seemed to echo each other, in a true expression of “copycatting.”  Please check out some of our favorite Echoing Forms images from readers in the next few pages. 

Our Picture This!  assignment this month was Rich and Color-Full, and we asked readers to submit images that displayed an intense play of richly endowed images, with vividness married to content and that also showed how photographers see and interpret our many-hued world.  Readers responded with everything from natural to man-made subjects.  While we accepted some “juicing” using hue and saturation controls, we tried to pick those that did not stray too far from what the eye and camera could record. 

This month’s Picture This!  assignment was the “Power of B&W” and we were thrilled by the many and varied images we received.  Clearly there is a love and appreciation of monochrome photography, and we saw images that ranged from portraits to abstracts to intense studies of line, form, and tonality.  Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of black and white is the ability to interpret the image through contrast and tonal manipulations (even constrained HDR) without verging into the kinds of tricks to which color seems more prone, all while maintaining a certain photographic “credibility.” 

Our Picture This!  assignment this month was Night Light, and readers sent in a wide variety of images from places around the world.  The great photo ops of night lead to some unusual images: those made with long shutter speeds and high ISO settings to capture the often dim light; those that show a combination of still and motion, some subject and some photographer produced; and most of all the way photography allows us to see “into” the night in a way that no human eye can. 

This month’s Picture This!  assignment was Still & Motion, the premise being that photography can capture what the naked eye can’t see—motion within a “still” image.  Steady hands or a tripod, a slow shutter speed, and a sense of visual juxtaposition were key.  It’s all about the physics that only a camera can reveal.  Readers sent in a wide variety of images ranging from cityscapes to sports to a casual passing of a moving subject, all showing us an abstraction of our usual perception of time and space. 

Our Picture This!  assignment this month was “Architecture/Composition,” and we were seeking compositions that created an abstract from the entire form.  These details often echo the overall design sense of the building itself, but also create an interesting composition in their own right.  Readers sent in a wide variety of images that honed in on the play of shadow and light in building interiors and exteriors, with quite a few more than usual in black and white. 

Our Picture This!  assignment this month was Twilight Time, the moments when the light of the rising or setting sun creates a magical light that is the delight of all photographers.  Readers sent in a preponderance of nature and scenic images and each shows the beauty that only natural (and directional) light can deliver. 

In this month’s issue we feature black-and-white photography in all its power and glory with portfolios of portraiture, location, and street photography.  We also hone in on a series of tests covering dynamic new cameras from Canon and Panasonic, a look at a B&W-focused inkjet paper, and an exciting close-up lens from Tamron.