Horizontal Lines

Assignment #16:  Find a shot strengthened by horizontal lines.

"They" say horizontal lines add calmness and stability to a photo.

The Winter
Fishers, Indiana

Milk Cans
Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado

Frame Within a Frame

Assignment #15:  Take a shot through a window, door, or other foreground frame.

I know there are more of these out there than what I'm seeing.

Through the Cube
Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, Indiana

Sugar Creek Suspension Bridge
Turkey Run State Park, Parke County, Indiana

Side Lighting

Assignment #14: Take a photo with the primary source of light off to one side or the other.

The key, for me, is to see the light.

Spinner
Pioneer Village interpreter, Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, Indiana

Here is the Church
Holy Family Episcopal Church, Fishers, Indiana

Warm/Cold Color Contrast

Assignment #13:  Take a photo that features a compelling contrast between two predominant colors - one warm and one cold.

This assignment was "Complementary Colors" when I first added it to my list - that's a popular technique in a lot of how-to discourses.  I found it odd, though, that some folks listed complementary pairs in terms of paint colors - blue/orange, red/green, and yellow/purple - while others used the color wheel for light - blue/yellow, red/cyan, and green/magenta.  So who's right?  Could it somehow be both?  Are there really just three color pairs that one should watch for?

I couldn't answer those questions until I read a few paragraphs by Anne McKinnell suggesting that the most compelling color pairs contrast a warm color (like red or yellow) with a cold one (like blue or green).  I like that idea.  It makes more sense than blindly following a color wheel and allows for the possibility that different shades of a color can have different temperatures.

Anne suggests using lots of one color with a splash of the other.  I think she'd agree that that's not a hard and fast rule.  I have also found that a certain amount of neutral colors in a photo doesn't necessarily interfere with the effectiveness of the contrast.

Freedom
In the sky over the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater in Fishers, Indiana

63
Nearly empty stands at Victory Field, Indianapolis, Indiana

Panning

Assignment #12: Track a moving subject with your camera.

I'm a big fan of these shots but I've learned that you don't generally just stumble upon them - you usually need to put yourself in the right place at the right time.

Pacific Pelican
Torrey Pines State Reserve, La Jolla, California

Spinning Wheel
Keeneland Racetrack, Lexington, Kentucky

Symmetry

Assignment #11: Find some symmetry and capture it.

Left-right symmetry is the easiest to find, but don't forget about up-down and rotational symmetry.

Rack 'Em Up
Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, Indiana

Information
ACI markings, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, Colorado

Stone Arches
Spring Mill State Park, near Mitchell, Indiana

Candid Portrait (Friends and Family)

Assignment #10: Take an unposed portrait of someone you know.

Whether formal or informal, posed portraiture seems like a photographic niche that's about as far from recreational photography as you can get. Proper lighting equipment seems almost mandatory as does portrait-specific knowledge and experience. Additionally, unless you're shooting someone who is either unbelievably stunning or ridiculously cute, the photos are probably of little interest to those who don't know the subject.

That said, I'm a huge fan of photos with people in them, as the subject or otherwise.

So this assignment is to take a photo of a person. To make it easy, make it someone you know. As long as you never ever try to embarrass anyone or share unflattering pictures, your camera should continue to be welcome at gatherings of family and friends.

Little Boy / Blue

Christmas Belle

Opa