The Ultimate P52 | Week 3 | Water

A switch from a technique this week, into something purely creative – your take on water. When choosing non-technique themes for this project I tried to be overly broad so that no one would feel stifled by something narrow and hard to find.

Water is literally everywhere around us, and one of the elements needed for life. There are many ways to photograph water, and I am excited to see everyone’s take on this subject. 

Following are a few suggestions for ways to interpret this theme, but of course, anything goes as long as there is water somewhere in the image.

If you are lucky enough to live near a beach or other large body of water, you are in luck this week! Beach images are some of my favorites, but not practical for me on an everyday basis, unfortunately. Still, many parks have a stream or lake that will work for this week. 

You can also think about using a long shutter speed if you are near a water source that moves, although this is not a requirement in any way for this challenge.

Live in the colder climes? Snow is made of water, as well as ice and frost.

And don’t forget to look up; rainbows and clouds are also water based and a great alternative to water on the ground.

But you don’t even need to go outside for this theme if you don’t want to or are unable. Flowers sprayed with water drops (or recently watered/rained on) are excellent subjects, as well as water drop refractions.

You can set up near a sink to capture running water, or use rain/shower drops on a window as an abstract image.

One thing I would love people to think about as they tackle this project throughout the year is how to incorporate each week’s theme using their own voice and to create images that look cohesive within your own body of work. Having a look or style is important as we grow in our photography skills; we all see the world differently and use different tools to capture our images; when you set out with each week’s theme, think about how to use it in a way that viewers can identify your images as your own. Some weeks will be easier to do this and will resonate more with your voice. But I believe it is an important skill to be able to approach any location or setup and create images from the heart, even if the situation isn’t what you would normally choose. Creating images that work within your voice and vision should always be at the forefront of your process.

Join in on Instagram with the tag #lightandmagicp52; I’ve been sharing my favorites once a week in stories.