Cee’s Compose Yourself Photo Challenge (CCY) will be a combination weekly “tips and tricks” combined with a photo challenge.
To find out who was awarded the Gold Star Award and Features for this week, please see CCY Week 1 – Awards and Features.
To find out more how to enter this challenge check CCY Home page.
Essay
All well-composed photos have a main subject that is instantly recognizable. Sometimes we think we have captured our subject but there is so much “noise” in picture that it’s cluttered and distracting.
In this picture I wanted to take a candid picture but there were too many people, and the photo just looks chaotic.
Here’s another picture from the same day. I tried to limit the number of people in the photo. I wanted to find just a couple of people to give me a true subject. I left a few people off to the edge of the photo to give the ides of the activity, but not enough to lose the subject of the father and son fishing together.
Look at your picture. Where does your eye get drawn to? In upcoming challenges we will talk about how to force your viewers eye to where you want it to go.
You also want your subject to tell some kind of story that will evoke emotion from your viewers. The most powerful photos cause your viewers to feel emotion; sadness, happiness, beauty, the “ah” factor. Leave an impact.
Your Turn
Show us a couple examples of your work where you have a strong, easily identifiable subject.
Extra credit for Gold Star Award
Find examples of your work that illustrate these three emotions: something that is beautiful or inspiring, something that makes you laugh, and another that makes you feel sad or melancholy.
Current Series – Basic Photo Composition
- Week #1 How your camera is not like your eye
- Week #2 What All Well-Composed Photos have in Common
- Week #3 Always take more than one photo
- Week #4 Simplicity
The Next Series – All About Lines
- Week #5 Leading Lines
- Week #6 Horizontal Lines
- Week #7 Vertical Lines
- Week #8 Diagonal Lines
My Entry for the Week
My Extra-Credit Photos
Beautiful and Inspiring
Makes me feel like laughing
Makes me feel sad or melancholy
Qi (energy) hugs
Cee
Cee's Photo Challenges 
The sweet family photo and the llama are my favorites. Here are my entries for this challenge.
http://aseasonandatime.blogspot.com/2015/10/cees-compose-yourself-challenge-week-2.html
LikeLike
I love the llama. Here are my entires for the week
https://norasphotos4u.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/cees-compose-yourself-week-2/
LikeLike
Thanks Nora.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the advice, Cee! This is a great series, we all can learn from!! 🙂
LikeLike
I’m thrilled people are getting something out of it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for the theme. Your tips are very useful. But have I got it correct? So here is my try
https://mazeepuran.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/cees-compose-yourself-photo-challenge-ccy-a-well-composed-photo/
LikeLike
I loved this challenge!
http://abstractlucidity.com/2015/10/11/well-composed-emotions-in-photographs/
LikeLike
The picture with the man on the beach is a sad but brilliant photo. This is art in motion because it speaks to our hearts and conjures up some kind of meaning to the person experiencing the impact. We as humans have all been at this point in our life where we have to reason with or sort through things that are causing us strife. This man could have been me a few weeks ago, sitting on the beach wondering where my life was going or how i was to handle a situation that has recently plagued me. I feel like the purpose of photographic art is to reach in to our soul and pull out the very essence of what makes us people. Emotion. Great picture and thank you for touching my heart. Austin
LikeLike
Austin, I am so touched by your heart felt words. Thanks ever so much for commenting. I know the beach at times has giving me comfort and time to heal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your pictures are always focused and the subject is obvious, as it should be. I love your work, have I mentioned that? And my favorite is the first shot of the family. It’s a whole story in a picture.
LikeLike
Thanks Marilyn for you very heart warming comment. 😀
LikeLike
Great tips and photo’s, Cee!
LikeLike
Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great tips, in more recent months I’ve become an aspiring photographer and have tried hard on my travels to capture great images
LikeLike
Hopefully I can give you a few tips and tricks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes please. Would be great if you could have a look through my stuff. :))
LikeLike
Heading there now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool, thanks. I’m just starting out so be kind :)) and honest
LikeLike
You have a wonderful natural eye for photography. Great start.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m new to your blog and I love the tutorials and photos. I look forward to the weeks to come. Here is my contribution: https://rluphoto.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/cees-compose-yourself-challenge-week-2/
LikeLike
I am thrilled you decided to join along in the fun. Your entry was wonderful. 😀 Welcome.
LikeLike
Thank you! I can’t wait till next week!
LikeLike
You posted some really great photos this week, Cee.
Here’s mine: https://parkpreview.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/whats-your-subject/
LikeLike
Love these photos! That Llama is hilarious! Great photo!
My entry: https://themomhood.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/ccycees-compose-yourself-ccy/
LikeLike
The photo of that llama/alpaca critter did its job and made me laugh! What funny creatures they are! You’ve pointed out one of the things about photography that I find the most challenging: limiting all the distractions that make the eye bounce all over the place. It’s hard around here with all the trees and branches, cars, signs, light poles, etc. I look forward to getting out to practice for this challenge!
LikeLike
It can be a challenge that is for sure. I do the best I can with the camera … then crop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such fantastic advice, Cee! Sometimes in the rush of the moment (especially when photographing people on the move), I tend to lose sight of everything else that’s in the frame – and in so doing, the photo loses its focus. Your tip goes hand in hand with not shooting the first scene you “see”; as you did here, moving around to get a better composition can make or break an image.
I just love that you’re doing these challenges. I do hope to take part at some point, once my traveling schedule slows down a bit. In the meantime, I’m enjoying your tutorials!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m trying to keep them interesting enough but not to complicated either. You are a good guide for me. If you are interested, I must be on the right track. Thanks Stacy. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a nice thing to say, Cee 💕
LikeLike
Here is my entry to this week’s challenge:
https://cxianliu.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/the-rule-of-third-the-rule-of-composing/
Identify the main subject in a photo, and place it according to rule of third.
Enjoy!
LikeLike