30 Day Challenge
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Day 1 - What is my object?
This is my first day of this 30 day challenge. With this picture, I challenge you to guess what is under that cover. It is my object for the next 30 days. What do you think? Does it look like a broomstick? Or a bottle? Or maybe it’s the Eiffel Tower?
Canon EOS 90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 105mm
ISO250, f/4.0, 1/60 sec
External Speedlite flash 600EX-RT
#30daychallenge #creativephotography #30dayphotographychallenge #teamcanon #mycanonstory #canonusa #stayathome #staycreative #quarantinepasttime #EOS90D #whattodoinsocal #stilllife30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames
Day 2 - Revelation of the object
30 Day challenge object - A candle
Revealing my challenge object – A candle
A common household candle found in one of our drawers. I put it into one of our crystal glass holders in front of cloth background.
Why a candle – candles have been used for more than 5,000 years and often have a symbolic meaning. Other than providing light and some warmth, they provide a soothing and calming effect. Candles are used in many different celebrations, from birth, to death, from baptism to Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving, the festival of lights, birthday parties or for a romantic dinner. It is a symbol of life and it enlightens, inspires, but can also provide mystery.
Canon EOS 90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM
105mm, ISO400, f/4.0, 1/8 sec
Using a flashlight to highlight the candle30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames
Day 3 - Lighting of the Candle
What is a candle without fire? “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.”― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome a it.” – John 1:5
Canon EOS 90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM
85mm, ISO400, f/4.0, 1/30 sec
Thank you to my assistant (and son) Markus for lighting the candle30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflameslightnightfirematch
Day 4 - Darkness Returns
Not really, I just blew out the candle and with a bit of flash action I capture the smoke trail.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
Canon EOS 90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 85mm
ISO400, f/4.0, 1/60 sec
Speedlite external flash30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames
Day 5 - Seeing from above
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. - Wayne Dyer
This shot was hard to set up. Getting this candle to be totally vertical in the holder and having the camera right above it. Then finding the right f-stop to get the best amount bokeh of the candle holder and getting those flashlights at the right place and brightness. Plus a little post processing with lightroom. This is one of MANY trials.
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 78mm
ISO400, f/16, 1.3 sec
Using flashlights to light the candle holder and the top of the candle30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames
Day 7 - Meditation
Self-portrait during my daily meditation (not really)
“Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.” – St. Frances de Sales (Bishop of Geneva, late 1500’s)
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 40mm
ISO800, f/4.5, 1/5 sec
Just the light of the candle30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflamescandle lightmeditationcenter your mindbuddhism
Day 8 - Candle on the Hill
Day 8 – Candle on the Hill
The candle is overlooking the city lights, towering majestically above it. (so it seems)
What is a city, but the people; true the people are the city. – Corolianus (William Shakespeare)
In the photograph, the background lights are from a Christmas light string that I made blurry by using a longer lens and a small aperture.
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 95mm
ISO800, f/4, 1/80 sec30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames30 day photography challengecandle on the hillbokehnight photography
Day 6 - Getting away
I thought I lighten it up a little bit with today’s post. Does anyone else feel like my candle? Maybe you don’t want to be a candle and just jump on your Pegasus and get away from it all? Be somebody or something else, or maybe just somewhere else?
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
For this picture, I used some pipe cleaners and a “Schleich” toy Pegasus horse that I found in our arts and crafts closet that we still have from when our kids where young. The camera is on a tripod and the horse on a blue blanket. I did blow on the candle flame lightly to make it flicker a little and not look too straight. And with some darkening of the background in Lightroom I “blurred” it a bit. I did many variations of this, including one with a very bright background and I might post those later when I run out of ideas 😉
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 32mm
ISO400, f/4, 1/4 sec
Just the light of the candle and some ambient light30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflameshorsecandle riding on horsecandle on pegasus
Day 10 - Curious Cat
While setting up for one of my daily photographs, our cat Stella took interest in what I was doing.
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 97mm
ISO1000, f/4, 1/200 sec30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflamescat and the candlecurious catanimal photographypets
Day 9 - Reflection
Day 9 – Reflection
During this time of crisis, even my candle took the opportunity to take some time for “self-reflection” 😊.
”Difficulty creates the opportunity for self-reflection and compassion.” – Suzan-Lori Parks
About the picture:
The candle (in a different candle holder – forgive me), placed on a larger mirror and a small flashlight spotlight shining at the holder at an angle. I had to ensure my background is consistent.
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 105mm
ISO200, f/4.5, 1/500 sec30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflamescandle and reflectionreflection of light in the mirrorcandle and candle holderself reflection
Day 11 of the 30 Day Challenge
black and white, candle stilllife, shadow
30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames
Day 14 – The Weeping Candle
Why are you shedding tears? Why are you weeping? Are you happy or are you sad?
“You may forget the one with whom you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept.”
― Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam (Lebanese Writer)30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflameswaxdropwax
Day 18 – Anatomy of a Wax drop #4 – Close Up
“Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail.” – Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian inventor, architect, artist, mathematician, scientist
Incredibly beautiful how the light of the candle, the light of windows and the light of my flashlight reflect in this tiny little wax drop30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflameswaxdropwax
Day 19 – Invisible Shadow
“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher
Who says a candle flame doesn’t have a shadow? Scientifically, it is not the flame that is casting the shadow, it is the turbulence that the heat generates in the air that then in turn through absorption, reflection and refraction causes the shadow. And in addition, the vaporized wax is like little particles in the air (like smoke) and contribute to the shadow. Interestingly, it appears that the shadow is actually darkest where the flame is the brightest. It takes some experimenting to find out the perfect distance between the light, the flame, and the white background, the intensity of the light, the positioning of the light in respect to the camera, and the camera in respect to the candle and shadow. With a little bit of post-processing one can emphasize the shadow a little bit (e.g. exposure, and contrast) but it is very limited.
#candlephotography #candle #shadow #blackandwhite #scienceproject #stilllife #canonusa #EOS90D #30daychallenge30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflamescandleshadowcandleflameshadowblackandwhite
Day 20 - Painting with Smoke
Day 20 – Painting with Smoke
“There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.” -- Vincent van Gogh
This picture is taken with a flash, shortly after blowing out the candle. I used an off-camera Canon Speedlite to contrast the smoke from the black background30 day challengecandlecandle smokeday 20detailsmacrophotographysmokesmoke patterns
Day 22 - – Chemical History of a Candle – The Flame and the Wick
“Shall we educate ourselves in what is known, and then casting away all we have acquired, turn to ignorance for aid to guide us among the unknown?”
― Michael Faraday, British Scientist early 1800
Here goes today’s science lecture: The flame has three regions where different chemical and physical phenomena occur. Combustion, the chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide and water, occurs in the blue outer edge of the flame. Here the vaporized wax burns completely. This region, which is the hottest part of the flame, is not uniform: the blue is concentrated at the base of the flame, and decreases toward the top of the flame, where it is only a thin layer at the flame’s edge.
Combustion also occurs in the grayish-yellow section of the flame that surrounds the tip of the wick. Here the flame vaporizes the molten wax. The liquefied wax cools the flame and so this is the section of the flame with the lowest temperature. The wax here undergoes incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion happens when there is not enough oxygen to combine with carbon: air, which supplies the oxygen, cannot travel easily into the flame. Because the combustion is incomplete some of the carbon from the wax remains in the flame. This darkens the flame creating the grayish cast near the wick. These heated, solid carbon particles, glow. As they rise in the flame they create a bright yellow region. This brightest part of the flame has a temperature between that of the hot blue region and the cooler grayish-yellow region. The glowing of the carbon particles is called incandescence. This phenomena occurs whenever a solid is heated enough to emit light. This incandescence is a physical change, unlike combustion in other parts of the flame, which is a chemical change. (source: Bill Hammack & Don DeCoste: Michael Faraday – Chemical History of a Candle)30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflamescloseupcandlewickdetailshowdoesaflameworkscienceofacandle
Day 21 – Chemical History of a Candle
“No matter what you look at, if you look at it closely enough, you are involved in the entire universe.” ― Faraday Michael, British Scientist early 1800 Did you know that the chemical reaction in a candle flame is similar to humans’ respiration? The candle burns the carbon in the wax along with oxygen; the result is carbon dioxide and water. We breath in oxygen from the air, it gets combined with carbon from our body, and we exhale CO2 along with moisture – water. Thank you to Michael Faraday’s “The Chemical History of a candle” from the mid 1800’s. He was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis. (Thank you Marilyn Hettick for the recommendation #30daychallenge #creativephotography #30dayphotographychallenge #teamcanon #mycanonstory #canonusa #stayathome #staycreative #quarantinepasttime #EOS90D #whattodoinsocal #stilllife #candlephotography #macrophotography #candleflame #flames
30 day challengeclose upday 21details30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographymacrophotographycandleflameflames flamelightscience of a flame
Day 23 - Space Odyssey
This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
-- DAVID BOWIE, "Space Oddity"
I am reading this book “The Heart of the Photograph” by David duChemin and in the section about “How can I use space and scale” I had the idea for this picture. I went to garage, grabbed a flashlight, a ply-wood board, my camera with a wide-angle zoom, and of course, my candle. Voila – there was the picture. I was debating if I should center the candle or put it off center to give the picture more dynamic energy but I settled for the center. What do you think?
EOS90D EFS 18-55mm at 18mm
ISO400, f/6.3, 1/80 sec
No additional lighting
In postprocessing I removed all color except for the candle30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflameflamesscienceofacandleouterspacewideangleshadowlongshadow
Day 24 – Supernova
“I prize every candle in the darkness of the universe, even if it is not a supernova of blinding illumination.”
Thomas Flanagan
A different, more dynamic composition of my prior photograph.
EOS90D EFS 18-55mm at 18mm
ISO4000, f/6.3, 1/80 sec
No additional lighting30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflameflamesscienceofacandleouterspacewideangleshadowlongshadowsupernovaspace
Day 25 – The Moon and The Candle
"I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos." —Tom Hanks
I guess photoshopping it might have been easier, but this actually is the candle held in front of the moon.
I tried to manage it so that the moon is big enough to be recognized and the candle not too blurry so you would recognize as candle. The only post processing I did was to make the moon whiter as it had a yellow tint.
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 105mm
ISO1600, f/13, 1/160 sec30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflameflamesscienceofacandleouterspacewideangleshadowlongshadowsupernovaspacemoonfullmoonfullmoonandcandle
Day 26 – Window to the soul
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” – Psalm 119:18
Thank you to my son Markus for posing for this photograph. He was very patient trying to hold still while I was focusing on his eyes, manage the distance between camera and him, hold the candle, and use a shutter speed that was not too slow.
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 105mm
ISO2500, f/6.3, 1/6 sec
With Macro extender and no other light than the candle30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflameflameshumaneyeeyereflectionreflectionineyewindowtoyoursoulwindowtomysoulwindowtothesoul
Day 27 - The Four Elements
“Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Where there is Energy, there is Life” – Suzy Kassem, American Writer
The candle with the flame resting on a mount of dirt, wind blowing the flame, and water raining down on it. You might argue that the little smoke cloud represents the fifth element: the Spirit.
This setup took some patience again. Figuring out how to make the rain drops visible and the candle flame flicker. I used an external flash for lighting as I found that a continuous source of light was not as effective in lighting up the drops that came from a spray bottle. However, the flash froze the drops a little bit too much for my taste as I would have loved to see the drops more elongated. I used a blow dryer to create a light breeze. It took me “only” 120 to 150 shots to gets this down and I managed not to flood my garage where I had this set up.
Canon EOS90D
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM at 45mm
ISO400, f/6.3, 1/125 sec
External flash30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflameflames4elementsfourelementsearthwindfirewater
Day 28 - Memorial Day
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." -- John F. Kennedy
… one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflameflames4elementsfourelementsearthwindfirewater
Day 29 - Melting Away
“Most obstacles melt away when we make up our minds to walk boldly through them.” -- Orison Swett Marden, American Author mid 1800s
And my candle is melting away, too, as it is running out of time. It had thirty days for my challenge and the end is near. This photograph is capturing the remainder of the candle after the “Day 27 - the Four Elements” photoshoot.
Canon EOS90D
EFS 18-55mm at 50mm
ISO5000, f/13, 1/100 sec
Continuous light30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflamemeltingawaytimeisrunningout
Day 30 – This is the End
“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”
― Frank Herbert, American Science-Fiction Author
I reached my goal of taking 30 different pictures of a common household object, which I chose a candle to be. It took me a bit more than the 30 days and I was about to quit a few times along the way. However, motivating comments from my Photoclub members and friends on social media kept me going. I burned through almost 3 red candles in the process, I learned a lot about my camera, my flash, as well as Lightroom. My set-ups where always improvised as I don’t have any professional studio setup or equipment. There are still a lot of things I can improve but I am proud I was able to complete the thirty pictures. My creativity was challenged, and it was amazing when and where I sometimes got the inspiration for my next picture.
Thank you for following ad encouraging me along the way. You can find the full 30 pictures on my website http://www.bestphotogallery.com
Canon EOS90D
EFS 18-55mm at 70mm
ISO640, f/8, 1/30 sec
Continuous light30daychallengecreativephotography30dayphotographychallengeteamcanonmycanonstorycanonusastayathomestaycreativequarantinepasttimeEOS90Dwhattodoinsocalstilllifecandlephotographycandleflame
