One of the reasons I set up these photo challenges, is because I think we can all work on our photography skills. Even ugly soap can be made beautiful with the right angle, light and focus. I encourage all of you to step outside your comfort zone and really play, flounder, hone in and improve your own setting-the-stage for your soaps.
There were some amazing soaps submitted this week. I am truly floored by some of the talent out there and are inspired by the images... the soap itself. Again, this wasn't about the most beautiful tops (which there were dozens of amazing ones!), this was about photographing your favorite tops.
Many of you have created a mood so deep, that it has successfully taken me to another place outside of my room. As if I experience a few seconds on another plane, in a different time and space and if I were connected to a breathing machine or heart rate monitor, I'm guessing the images actually had a physical impact as well. Not just creative thought.
Imagine for a moment: an image that you've seen that transformed your mood or gave you relief even for a moment. Then get behind your camera and move around your subject until you FEEL something and click. Then stay behind the lens and do it again. And again. I took a photography class in college and I was taught to examine images that gave me an emotion or took me to the past or rekindled a memory I had forgotten. That is special when you can examine, then reexamine why it moved you. Was it the light, the blurred background, the colors, expressions on faces, the unknown....what wasn't said? All this works to tell a story.
Soap may not tell a story to most, but to us it has a history within ourselves. Our hard work, our love for science or art, our sweat and tears and sometimes our feelings of worth. These are our creations and because they are special, we need to deliver all of that information, emotion and love, outside of ourselves and into our image for others to view and experience.
These two are mine, though not thought provoking necessarily, but the first one has a sense of playfulness.
So, without further ado, here are the photographs that moved me. Not just beautiful soap, but a mood that captured my attention and took me from my own reality for a few seconds.
There were some amazing soaps submitted this week. I am truly floored by some of the talent out there and are inspired by the images... the soap itself. Again, this wasn't about the most beautiful tops (which there were dozens of amazing ones!), this was about photographing your favorite tops.
Many of you have created a mood so deep, that it has successfully taken me to another place outside of my room. As if I experience a few seconds on another plane, in a different time and space and if I were connected to a breathing machine or heart rate monitor, I'm guessing the images actually had a physical impact as well. Not just creative thought.
Imagine for a moment: an image that you've seen that transformed your mood or gave you relief even for a moment. Then get behind your camera and move around your subject until you FEEL something and click. Then stay behind the lens and do it again. And again. I took a photography class in college and I was taught to examine images that gave me an emotion or took me to the past or rekindled a memory I had forgotten. That is special when you can examine, then reexamine why it moved you. Was it the light, the blurred background, the colors, expressions on faces, the unknown....what wasn't said? All this works to tell a story.
Soap may not tell a story to most, but to us it has a history within ourselves. Our hard work, our love for science or art, our sweat and tears and sometimes our feelings of worth. These are our creations and because they are special, we need to deliver all of that information, emotion and love, outside of ourselves and into our image for others to view and experience.
These two are mine, though not thought provoking necessarily, but the first one has a sense of playfulness.
Joanna Schmidt
SoapTops
Joanna Schmidt
Detox
So, without further ado, here are the photographs that moved me. Not just beautiful soap, but a mood that captured my attention and took me from my own reality for a few seconds.
Clara Lindberg
Creamy mohair and goat's milk soap with cinnamon & neroli.
Kate Boisoneau
Poppet: smoky sweet caramelized sugar, roasted almond, rich cocoa, and airy, creamy marshmallow
Hajni Kele
Witches Brew
Just because most of these are close-ups, doesn't mean those are the ones that are moving to me. Lighting and focus have an impact as well. The one interesting thing about macro shots: it brings attention to details that are normally overlooked. Many times it shows the care and beauty that isn't normally seen upfront. It lures the viewer in and captivates them.
What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments below...
xoxo Joanna
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