:)Royal Inspiration(:

"Something Old, Something New.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue."

Our assignment in Digital Photography was to take still life images, and my thought was "this should be fairly simple!" And I was SO excited! Well, first, I tried taking pictures of nail polish, but I didn't think they were good enough to turn in for this assignment. So I tried again with some of my art supplies, but that I felt wasn't nearly good enough either, and by this point I was really frustrated. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do for this assignment, I had no inspiration!

Well, as you may know, I am a hopeless romantic, and very proud of it. So today/last night I stayed up to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince William and the now Princess Kate! It was SO adorable, and I simply loved it! Because of that, I felt the desire to take pictures of wedding objects, the most prominent thoughts in mind: a gorgeous veil and something blue. Well, I couldn't find a veil here at home, nor something blue (that I thought would work), but I did however, find a small pin with pearls on it I felt would be perfect for this type of image. Then I went and crawled up to my closet shelf and unburied my bridesmaid bouquet from my brother's wedding (artificial flowers) and a small lace apron from that wedding as well. Then I set about my adventure of taking these images.

Now, I know we were only supposed to upload our 5 favorite images, but I really couldn't pick my favorites, so I'm uploading pretty much all of my shots.... teehee *innocent smile* So, I hope you enjoy(:

For this image I got a lamp and set it up above my subject, at an angle where it was evenly spread out to create soft lighting; I wanted a soft appearance in the image, with no harsh shadows to pull draw attention away from the subjects. I then tried to keep the picture fairly simple, so that there were not too many things to look at, just the pin, lace, and a few flowers from the bouquet. This particular picture does not really follow the rule of thirds, but I feel that it is appropriate with this composition. I feel that the lace frames the pin in a way, and that compliments it nicely. This image is balances well, with the two roses in the top corner, and all the lace on the rest of it. The pin is in the center, and there are three pearls on each side of the pin, which adds balance as well. There is not really any line in this image, aside from the lines on the pin leading your eyes to the pearls, and I suppose if you wanted to you could say there are lines in the lace leading your eyes along the image. I personally do not see any mergers in this image, which is a very good thing.

Simplicity is really what makes this image what it is; without the simplicity of it, it would be cluttered and distracting, and it would lose the overall mood. To create the lighting in this picture, I set up the lamp I was using as my light source to the side and angled it so that the light was coming from the side, creating the glow of the white flower while the purple is immersed in shadows. The subjects are, obviously, the two flowers, and using the rule of thirds I drew the attention to them. However the depth of field involved makes the white flower the most prominent subject. The flowers themselves create the lines in the image, the petals of the white flower leading your eyes to the purple flower and the continuous lines taking your eyes through the image. The flowers and the mesh frame the pearl/s in the image, which is the third subject in the image, and is located nearly in the center of the image. There is one flower of each side of it, creating a balance. There are no mergers in this image.

I used a combination of soft/side/front lighting to create the mood in this image. Using the rule of thirds (and depth of field) I focused in on the main subject of this image, the blue ribbon, and famed the bouquet of flowers with the lace. I used the ribbon as line to draw your eyes to the flowers in the background, leading you through the image. I balanced this image by having the lace and ribbon prominent on one half of the image, and having the flowers prominent on the other; the depth of field helps to create this balance. I do not see any mergers (that would cause any noticeable disruption of the image anyways), however there may be some in the flowers that does not really make or break the image. This image wouldn't exactly be simple, however I think that is okay; the depth of field adds simplicity that would not be there otherwise, and everything in the image looks like it belongs and isn't distracting.

The lighting for this image was, again, soft side lighting, but angled in a way to create more shadows in the flowers. Using the rule of thirds I focused on the flowers in the bouquet, making sure that they were the subjects in this image. The lace and ribbon on the right hand side create a frame for the bouquet, as well as help to add to the lines in the image in drawing your eyes into the bouquet. The bouquet itself is filled with multiple lines that draw your eye through the image, leading you to see all the aspects of the subject. There are many mergers in this image, in the bouquet and the flowers, and with the lace and ribbon, but in my opinion that is perfectly acceptable for this image. The bouquet is supposed to be a single subject with many details, and the mergers help to create the unity; as do the mergers in the ribbons/lace. The mergers with the ribbon and lace help to create a unity in that aspect of the image, and create an overall flow. The bouquet takes up a good 3/4ths of this image, causing it to be heavier on one side than the other, but the ribbon and lace that frames it helps add a balance.

This image is completely made by it's simplicity and the lines within it. All the lines within it lead your eyes to the subject of the image, the pin; that includes the lines in the ribbon and the lace. And then once your eyes are on the pin, the lines of the pin itself lead your eyes to the pearls, which are the main focus of the subject. The rule of thirds helps to add to the focus of the pearls, as does the soft lighting; there are no harsh shadows to distract you. The ribbon along the top of the image, the lines in the lace, and the metal of the pin frame the pearls. Because the pin is in the center of the image that creates a balance, and the area without the pin is filled with ribbon, creating more balance in this image. There are no mergers in this image that weren't already there within the subjects themselves, adding to the simplicity of the image.

This picture (just like the others) is lit by soft side lighting. Once again, this picture is really simple and that is the biggest element in creating this image. I used the rule of thirds to concentrate the attention on the pearls and ribbon, the main subjects of this image. These are also what balances this image out, the two pearls on the left side and the blue ribbon on the right side. The ribbon adds a partial frame to the pin, however not a full frame. I have not noticed any mergers in this image. There is a lot of line in this image, which leads your eyes to the pearls. The pin itself is the largest contributor of lines, drawing your eyes to the pearls; the main subject of the image.

The main subject in this image is the bouquet of flowers, the pin and ribbon simply adding lines to draw your eyes to the image. The lighting for this image was slightly more harsh than the others, washing out the lace, ribbon, and pin to draw your eyes to the flowers. In addition to adding lines to lead your eyes through the image, the lace and ribbon adds a frame to the bouquet. This image isn't really simple, nor is it intricate; it is more somewhere in the middle. The bouquet adds an intricacy, however it is balanced out by the lace and ribbon, which is incredibly simple. The rule of thirds was used to draw your eyes to the flowers, and to the ribbon which leads your eyes to the flowers. There seem to be a few mergers in this image, however I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing in this case; it does not ruin any of the subjects.

The depth of field and simplicity in this image is really what makes the entire composition. The entire background is blurred out, and forces you to focus on the subject of the image; the flower. The subject is the only thing that is able to be seen clearly, making it rather simple. The rule of thirds was also used to draw your eyes to the flower, as was the lighting. The lighting in this image was rather harsh, to create the shadows on the flower, and was positioned at an angle above the subject. The depth of field and the outline of the objects in the background create a frame for the flower. The only prominent lines in this image are the petals of the flower, which draw your eye around the subject. The only mergers in this image are in the background, which was blurred out anyways so that is not really a big deal, and the merger creates the frame around the flower, which helps to make the image. This image doesn't have exact balance, because it was taken to draw your eye to the left side of the image only.

Manipulating the lighting, rule of thirds, and depth of field, I made it so that your eyes are first drawn to the pin in the bottom center of the image. From there, I used line with the ribbon, to draw your eyes up/back through the image to the bouquet of flowers. To create the lighting, I put a lamp directly above the pin and ribbons, so that a small amount of light shown onto the flowers, but only enough to show details, but to leave it in the shadows. However, I didn't want it to be harsh, I wanted a soft, delicate appearance, so I made sure the lamp was high enough it was not like BAM on the pin. The pin and flowers counterbalance each other, creating an overall balance in the image. There are no distracting mergers in this image, and all that are existent (mostly with the ribbons) add to the image. The lace adds a frame to the bouquet of flowers in the background, adding more emphasis to it.

Harsh side lighting was really essential in creating this image; in order to create the glowing appearance on the white flower and much of the lace and the shadows on the other areas I set up a light source inches away on the side. Using the rule of thirds, I helped make the subjects of this image (the roses) the most prominent feature in this image. They are both balanced and framed by the lace. The pin also helps to add balance, however I did not want the pin to be prominent in the image, so using the harsh lighting I was able to slightly wash it out, but not so much as to distort the object. In a few ways, the pin seems to merge with the lace, which helps to add to the intention of the image; to draw attention to the flowers, not the pin. This also helps create a simplicity in the image. With the flowers being the most prominent thing, it makes it so that it is not a busy, nor as hard to find the subject of the image.

This entire image is really about depth of field; the only thing that is in focus is that small strip of white ribbon at the bottom of the image. Using back lighting (and depth of field) I managed to make this image really soft, and appear to be simple, when in reality it is quite complicated. All the lines of the ribbons lead your eyes to the bouquet in the background, although most of this image is left up to your imagination. Because of the depth of field there are many mergers, which helps to make this image what it is. The ribbons seem to frame the bouquet, and the entirety of the background helps to balance out the very obvious white ribbon on the bottom.

Once again, depth of field is the most dramatic feature in this image. Combining that with the rule of thirds, I managed to draw your eyes first to the ribbons which are in focus at the bottom of the image, which then use lines to bring your eyes back to the bouquet in the background. The depth of field helps to balance the image out, making the bouquet seem... lighter(?) than it would be otherwise, and the ribbon seem heavier(?) in the same way. At first glance this image seems simple, a bunch of ribbon, however looking deeper you see that it really isn't, because of the bouquet. Once again, it is the depth of field that creates the image of simplicity. The ribbons and lace seem to frame the blurry bouquet in the background, and also seem to merge with it because of the depth of field, creating a sense of unity in the image.

This one is my personal favorite between the last 3 (including this one). Using back lighting I created that soft glowing appearance. The rule of thirds was used to draw your attention to the flowers first, as the subject of the image, but also to draw you eye to the ribbon at the bottom of the image. Then, because of line, your eye follows the ribbon up to the glowing bouquet. The ribbon also serves the dual purpose of adding a discreet frame to the flowers. The ribbon and bouquet balance each other nicely in this image, because of the composition. The ribbon also all seems to merge together, creating a long series of lines leading your eyes to the true subject of the image.

This image is really made what it is through line and simplicity. The ribbon creates lines which all lead your eyes to the subject of the image, the pin (which is positioned according to the rule of thirds), and from there your eyes follow the lines of the pin to the pearls. To create a gentle appearance in this image I used soft front lighting, and tried to avoid any shadows aside from what is seen here. There don't seem to be any mergers in this image, because it is clear to see where one object ends and the other begins. This image is nicely balanced because of the way the ribbons and pin are positioned; neither side seems to be heavier than the other (the right side slightly, but not enough to be significant to me).

Line is the most important aspect in this image; the lines in the pin draw your eyes to the pearls, and the lines in the ribbons draw your eyes to the pin. This image is slightly heavier on the left side because of all the pearls, however the amount of metal and the ribbons on the right side balance it out enough. There aren't really any mergers in this image, nor any framing. Simplicity is probably the second most important quality of this image, if I had tried to cram any other subjects into this picture it would have been too crowded. I used soft front lighting for this, to make the delicate feeling. (This one isn't a favorite of mine =\)

Once again, line and simplicity are the most important parts of this image. The lines of the ribbon and pin lead your eye through the image, and the ribbon also adds a slight frame to the pin. The simplicity is probably the most important part of the image, any more subjects and the picture would have been too heavy and crowded. I used the rule of thirds when positioning the pin, and used the ribbon on the other side to balance it out. Once again, soft front lighting created the delicate feel in this image. I cannot see any mergers in this photo

This image is so simple; the depth of field ha blurred the background out and puts the concentration of the viewer on the lines of the subject; the petals of the flower. The mesh in the top left hand side, combined with the blurry part of the image on the right creates a frame around the subject, and causes it to be more prominent. Using side lighting I managed to create the small shadows in the flower, however it was soft enough the shadows were not a prominent part of the image. Without the depth of field, I feel there may have been mergers in this image, but because I had the depth of field there are no mergers. Using the rule of thirds, I positioned the flower so that the petals were positioned where it would draw more attention to them and help make the image what it is.

My favorite part of this image (and my reason for uploading it) is the lighting. With the use of hard (kinda, it was more hard than soft) I managed to make it seem like that pearl in the top left was glowing. The lines in this image probably help to make it what it is over all else (aside from the lighting). The lines of the image and the pin lead your eye through the image. Using the rule of thirds I positioned the pearl (the only part of the photo that is really fully in focus because of the depth of field and lighting) in an area that it would fit well (unfortunately I put it a little high D:). The ribbons and flowers frame the pin.

The subjects in this image (the flower and pin) are both framed by the ribbon, which leads your eye around the image and helps you to see all aspects of it. Simplicity is a huge factor in this image, without it the subjects would not be as obvious and would not attract your attention the way they do. There do not seem to be any mergers in this image, you are able to see where one object ends and the other begins. The ribbon was placed using the rule of thirds, in an attempt to draw the attention there first so that the viewers eyes will then follow the line of the ribbon around the image and see the subjects. Using soft front lighting I tried to avoid dramatic shadows that would distract attention from the subjects.

The subject of this image, the pin, actually has two levels of framing around it. The first is the lace heart, framing the pin, and then the ribbons in the image frame the heart. I positioned the pin using the rule of thirds, so that the eye is drawn there first, and then follows the lines of the frames around the image. This image is fairly simple, it is pretty much open aside from the pin. There are no mergers in this image that I have seen. This image is slightly heavier on the left side than the right side, but in my opinion that works for this picture.

This image was created with soft side lighting, to create a delicate, soft appearance and mood. I positioned it using the rule of thirds, to draw attention to the bouquet, and not the hand/arm. The arm adds a line that draws your eyes to the image, and also helps to slightly frame the flowers. There are several mergers in the image, because of the bouquet. However, that is how it is supposed to be, and thus adds to the image, creating a unity in the bouquet. I tried to keep this image simple, concentrating only on the boquet and nothing behind it or around it.

This image, like the last one, used soft side lighting. There is a lot of framing in this image, everything around the bouquet frames it, as do those stick...thingies from the bouquet, the way the curve around the flowers. They also add line, leading your eyes to the bouquet, as do the ribbons on the bottom of the image. This image was composed with the rule of thirds, which decided my placement of the bouquet. If there are any mergers in this image, they do not ruin it, or are even prominent to my eye.

So there are my images :) I hope you liked them! OH and btw, most of these pictures were taken with the quote I put at the beginning of this post in mind, mostly the part "something blue", so I tried to concentrate on the blue aspect of the ribbons in the images with the pin and the ribbons.