Going Around In Circles

Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Going Around in Circles” and readers sent in what one could characterize as “active” and “passive” interpretations. The active ones literally show something or someone going around in circles, a kind of visual pun on the topic, while the passive ones are more found objects and scenes that use the circle as a starting and strong point of the composition. We appreciated the irony of the former and the point of view of the latter. We also are continually struck by the high level of image making we see from readers, and have to say that this was one of the toughest assignments for us to edit down to the images you see selected here.

As a quick reminder, all Picture This! assignment submissions are now online. Don’t forget to place your notes and comments along with your uploaded image(s).

Gears
Bob Brown photographed these colorful and artistically shaped gears at an art festival in Naples, Florida. Exposure with a Nikon D800 and a Nikkor 24-70mm lens was f/5.6 at 1/125 sec at ISO 800.
© Bob Brown

Center Of Attention
This limpkin creates concentric circles as it hunts in a pond in Kapok Park, Clearwater, Florida. Jeff Signorini made the shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens with an exposure of f/3.5 at 1/200 sec at ISO 1600.
© Jeff Signorini

Barbed Wire
Laura Olson found this string of barbed wire receding to a vanishing point in a boat yard in Reedsport, Oregon. Exposure with a Nikon D7000 and an 18-200mm lens was f/11 at 1/500 sec.
© Laura Olson

Making Pizza
Lamar Bates caught the action shooting from outside a pizza parlor in London. He photographed with a Nikon D200 and a Nikkor 17-55mm lens with an exposure of f/3.5 at 1/80 sec.
© Lamar Bates

Spinning
Eva Brown used a time exposure to record this light painting of what we believe are sparklers wielded gracefully to create circles of light. Exposure with a Nikon D50 and a 10-24mm lens was f/6.3 at 30 seconds.
© Eva Brown

Columbus Circle
The constant whirl of traffic around New York’s Columbus Circle made for circular motion around a circular form, caught by William Carson with a Nikon D90 and a Nikkor 18-105mm lens with an exposure of f/4.5 at 0.5 seconds at ISO 450.
© William Carson

Circles In A Pool
While observing a swimming pool being cleaned Robert K. Bailey captured the hose and the shadow it formed with a Canon EOS 7D and an EF 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. Exposure was f/11 at 1/1000 sec at ISO 400.
© Robert K. Bailey

Oil Barrels
These empty and colorful oil barrels were lined up in a lot behind a fence, through which Isaac Vaisman made the shot. Exposure with a Nikon D300S and an 18-200mm lens was f/8 at 1/200 sec.
© Isaac Vaisman

Bike Circles
Dennis Stroh was biking with a friend along the American River Bike Trail in Sacramento, California, and made this photo of the other bike’s front wheel and its shadow. He caught the motion and form with a Nikon D300 and a 24-120mm Nikkor lens with an exposure of f/5.6 at 1/60 sec. He converted it to monochrome/sepia tone in post.
© Dennis Stroh

Walking On Water
Allan Carrano photographed at a carnival and caught these kids having fun by literally going around in(side) circles. Exposure with a Canon PowerShot A590 IS was f/4 at 1/250 sec.
© Allan Carrano

Blue Mosque
Jim Hamstra photographed the magnificent domed ceiling of this mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, in the early morning light where patterns and shapes make for amazing circular and visual play. Exposure with a Nikon camera (no model mentioned) and a 16-35mm lens was f/5.6 at 1/13 sec, hand held.
© Jim Hamstra

Air Show
Lynn Cromer made this photo of a biplane going through its acrobatics at a local air show with a Nikon D300 and a 70-300mm lens with an exposure of f/16 at 1/200 sec.
© Lynn Cromer

Macro Bubbles
Macro can be otherworldly at times, as demonstrated in this photo by Jim Brockman made with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a Canon 100mm macro lens with EF12 and EF25 extension tubes. Exposure was f/11 at 6 seconds.
© Jim Brockman

Colored Pencils
Jim Butterly found color variety within repeating forms among these close-packed pencils. He made the photo with a Canon EOS 7D and a Tamron 18-270mm lens along with a Kenko 36mm extension tube and an exposure of f/11 at 1/30 sec with the rig mounted on a Vanguard Alta Pro 263 tripod.
© Jim Butterly

Circular Abstract
These “circles of confusion,” created by defocusing the lens on spots of light, were composed by Jim Mitchell with a Nikon D2X and a Nikkor 28-70mm lens and an exposure of f/4.5 at 1/100 sec at ISO 800.
© Jim Mitchell

Picture This! – Our Next Assignment
Still & Motion

Photography lets us capture moments we can’t see with the naked eye, such as a combination of still and motion within the same scene. While this technique usually requires the use of a tripod or other steadying method, or a very steady hand, it opens up photo opportunities that allow us to show the relativity of motion and how mixing pace and patience leads to a seemingly contradictory perception of the world around us.

This photo of the Paris subway speeding by with morning commuters was made with a Canon PowerShot G9 at an exposure of f/2.8 at 1/30 sec, proving that given a fast enough speed of one of the objects even a “normal” shutter speed can get you the effect.
© George Schaub

How To Submit Online
1. Go to www.shutterbug.com and register. Scroll down the page and on the right side you will see a box for entering your username and your password. If you have already registered and/or submitted images for the Galleries you can skip this step. Respond to the activation e-mail. Registration is free. You will use your username and password whenever you visit or, with some systems, it will automatically load for you when you visit www.shutterbug.com.

2. Check the assignment and closing dates in the magazine. When the magazine is printed we will create an appropriate gallery for your images. The limit is two images per assignment.

3. Select and prepare your images. We only accept files at a maximum 5MB size, JPEG format. Save the JPEG at a quality level of 10 or higher. Note that file size in your image folder directory will determine upload size, not the “opened” file size, as JPEG compresses at 1:4 at higher quality ratings. If your images do not load it probably means you have exceeded the file size or have not used JPEG format.

4. Click on the Galleries tab on the homepage. In the Category section use the drop-down menu to select the Picture This! assignment. Note that images are simultaneously loaded into the assignment category as well as your own personal gallery. When the Picture This! assignment deadline date has lapsed the assignment gallery will be removed, but your images will still reside in your own gallery.

5. In the Description box add title, camera, lens, exposure information, and your full name. Also add any other comments or anecdotes you think relevant. We reserve the right to edit comments as needed.

6. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page. This uploads the image.

7. You retain copyright on the image.

8. We will choose the images after close of the due date.

9. Please feel free to comment on images submitted by other readers.

Scorecard
Deadline For Submission: January 15, 2014
Images will appear in our April 2014 issue

Our Next Topic: Night Light
Deadline For Submission: February 15, 2014
Publication Date: May 2014 issue

Please Note: By submitting you agree to give us the right to show the image(s) on the web and for publication. You give us publication rights in the magazine and on the website(s) of Source Interlink Media.

Please Note: If you submit images with an enhancement through software beyond contrast, exposure, and simple saturation adjustments please indicate the software and “filter” used to attain that effect.—Editor

Want to see images selected for past picture this! Assignments? Go to www.shutterbug.com and click on picture this! In the “more articles…” box on the homepage.

Please Note: If the photograph includes a minor or a recognizable individual or group you are guaranteeing that you have a signed model release form, and especially a parental or guardian release form for minors. You should keep a copy of that release in your files. Scan that release and keep it handy. If an image is chosen for publication, failure to provide a form when requested will eliminate the image from consideration. You can find release forms at http://asmp.org/tutorials/model-release-minor-child.html and other resources on the Internet. By uploading images you attest that the model release form is valid, that any depiction of a person is with their consent, that you have a model release form available on request, and that all images you submit have been made by you.

If you have any questions or problems e-mail us at editorial@shutterbug.com with Picture This! in the subject line.

COMMENTS
joni205's picture

Sorry but I don't see where to click on in order to bring up current contest to enter.
joni205@Hotmail.com

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