Thanks everyone for your patience and help in May, and I hope you enjoyed the little “holiday” from the rules. Somehow, despite the break, June crept up on me all unaware. Maybe it’s because in Seattle, the weather still feels concerningly like March full of weeping grey skies. Still, the farmer’s markets have even opened up here despite the winter-like weather, and if you look, you can find one almost any day of the week with fresh seasonal goodies to be had. Since so many of you proposed Market-to-Table diptychs as a theme, and given the seasonal transition, I can’t think of a better challenge for this month!

The goal this month will be to show your ingredients, as they come from the market and then the dish you made with them. Sort of a before and after. Extra bonus points if you tell us something about the ingredients producer or at least where you found the ingredient. Gold stars for those who can find them in their own backyard!

The usual rules and are up on the Flickr group… the things like be constructive, take the photos during the month if possible, 3 photos per person and the last day will be around June 30th give or take a few days.

Sometimes, I have a set image in my head when I’m stooting… I know exactly where I want the negative space, how I want the focus and blur to appear, and where the shadows and highlights should pop. Sometimes, I just shoot, and see what I get taking the same shot with a variety of exposure and depth of field settings. Most of the time, I end up with at least one photo that has that magical combination of crisp and soft, color and texture, light and dark. But, there are times, like last week, where the shot with the composition I like isn’t quite right. Maybe the subject isn’t quite in focus or the lighting isn’t there. Another photo, has the right focus, but has mistakenly has a lens cap sneaking in from the side (How did that happen?). Luckily, with a few simple Photoshop compositing techniques, it’s simple to get the photo you are looking for. Continue reading →