2023 - My 3rd year with 52 Frames.

Redo - Rushing Flamingos

Canon R5 - 1/6 - f'/5.6 - ISO 100

I went back to the Ras al Khor flamingo hide in hopes that I could better my nature photo even more, but I had no luck there. However, I managed to capture this abstract photo of them moving about.

Thus, I was able to improve, in my opinion, two challenges I weren't so happy about...
Choose a color
Abstract

Unfinished -
Unfinished Journe

Canon R5 - 1/2000 - f'/6.3 - ISO 500

This week's inspiration is a bit sombre. So many people pass away before they can finish their life path.

So wanted the footprints to represent that journey. I played like a little kid in the waves, waiting for them to brush away only the necessary prints.

Choose a color -
Color in construction

Canon R5 - 1/400 - f'/7.1 - ISO 800

I struggled a bit this week, and not because it's a difficult topic, but I think I might have over-thought it a bit... My first idea didn't really pan out as imagined, and then I saw this bright crane standing out next to the dull construction as a back-up.

Just Breath - Pencil Roots

Canon R5 - 1/2000 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100

We went to one of Abu Dhabi's Mangroves for a tour. These types of mangroves grow in oxygen-poor soil, thus growing against gravity upward to get oxygen above the ground and water.

Hold a Light - Colorful Bubbles

Canon R5 - 1/8 - f'/11 - ISO 800

That saying: "How hard can it be?" That was proven this week... A simple idea done so many times before me made me work for this photo this week. My make-home setup of a glass lid balanced on yoga blocks over a device (first iPad, then phone) proved to be challenging. The biggest of it is how many times I've spilt the oil solution.

The final image was lid by my phone for the colours, and to my surprise, the higher F-stop had better results regarding the detail in the bubbles.

Nature -
Stillness in a busy world

Canon R5 - 1/4 - f'/7.1 - ISO 500

We've got a bird hide for a flamingo sanctuary in Dubai. I had this idea I wanted to try out, of capturing a still flamingo with the rest around it blurry. The task was trickier than anticipated, with the unpredictability of wildlife. I had to go back a second time when coming back empty handed, and then was cut short with the time limit I'm allowed in the hide.

I managed to capture my idea but would persist in my mission to capture this type of photo with the in-focus flamingo facing me, and without chopping off its legs.

Bathroom - Yin and Yang of haircare

Canon R5 - 2”5 - f'/6.3 - ISO 100

This was a really difficult week for me, and I struggled quite a bit. Late on Sunday afternoon, I went for a photo walk in my bathroom and saw the light and dark tiles with the shampoo and conditioner bottles

Bokeh - Behind Schedule

Canon R5 - 1/1600 - f'/2.8 - ISO 4000

I had so much fun making snow, and using my Christmas lego for this week's photo. The fairy lights and lego Christmas tree was my bokeh for this week's fun photo.

Inspired by a famous photographer -
Peaking Cloud

Canon R5 - 1/60 - f'/11 - ISO 100

This week I explored unknown (to me) photographers. I came across Helene Binet, who shoots mostly architecture and love playing with shadows. She mostly shoots film and monochrome.

This is my play with shadow and architecture just a bit more simplified. I would have never found this shot if I wasn't looking for compositions in shadows.

Use a Tripod -
Thunder Struck Dubai

Canon R5 - 4” - f'/16 - ISO 1000

Dubai's weather turned freaky on Thursday and after an unsuccessful day of photography and traffic I ended up at home where struck gold. From my balcony I noticed the unusual lightning.

Lightning photography would be a first for me.

I used my 6-stop filter to prolong the shutter (it wasn't dark yet), especially since I boosted my iso for more light-sensitivity. I then took an idea from a YouTube video I watched of Michael Shainblum and put my camera on a Timelapse, and hoped for the best.

This is 6 photos merged in Photoshop. The skyline is a bit murky for my liking due to clouds, dust and rain and I could only dehaze so much in Lightroom. Although I think there's place for improvement, I'm fairly happy with my first attempt at lightning photography.

Fashion - Swooshing Sketcher

Canon R5 - 0”4 - f'/11 - ISO 100

After being left in a pickle by a friend having to travel unexpectedly, I had to come up with a backup plan for this week. Using my new pair of Sketchers and loads of Photoshop layers of the photo I managed to produce the swooshing Sketcher.

Street Photography -
Little cricket player

Canon R5 - 1/1000 - f'/4 - ISO 800

All around Dubai over the weekends there are informal cricket matches. Although informal they are taken very seriously by the players and even have trophies at time (I'll add a photo in comments).

In our neighborhood there was quite a big match going, and this little boy and his two friends played their own game, while the adults (and I assume his dad) were busy with their own match. Right at this moment he turned around to admire and look upon what was happening in the adult match.

Dappled Light -
Scarred by light

Canon R5 - 1/20 - f'/2.8 - ISO 800

There's an old and weathered pay phone where the sides has been cracked under the extreme desert sun. I then used my phone to light it from behind the cracked surface and placed my friend next to it to create these cracked light marks on her face.

Red - Falling Hearts

Canon R5 - 2”5 - f'/16 - ISO 640

I've set these cards up by hanging them with fishing line between two pieces of black perspex. I then removed the lines in post, as well as adding some red color as an overlay.

Wabi Sabi -
Bell and Balloons

Canon R5 - 1/100 - f'/4 - ISO 100

This was one of the public garden and cleaning staff of Dubai's bicycles. He had this pink balloons attached to it which made for a stunning background for the old bicycle bell.

The guy was super nice. When I started taking photos of his Bike and the balloons he offered to give the balloons for if I had a kid. Then when I said I wanted to photograph it with his bike he told me I could take the bike and go photograph it anywhere I like. I wanted to keep it authentic, thus didn't move it, but managed to chat with a stranger a bit. Just love how 52F gets me out every week and then I hit gems like this guy.

Backlit - Touch of Pink

Canon R5 - 1/8 - f'/5.6 - ISO 100

This week I wanted to dabble in product photography. The shot seems fairly simple, but hate to admit that it took me almost 2 hours to get to this point with my DIY methods.

The cap, and spray still looks a bit distorted, and the symmetry is still slightly off, but I'm fairly happy with it.

I had to use a white paper in the background between my subject and light as direct light made my life too difficult. I also used a reflector to add a bit of light to the front.

Triangular Composition -
Java’s Savanna Cowboy

Canon R5 - 1/400 - f'/11 - ISO 400

We went to Mt Bromo (vulcano) on the island of Java in Indonesia. This scene in Bromo National Park played right into this week's theme. The clouds, the patchy grass field, the mountain and even the sitting position of the person/cowboy all have triangular compositions to them.

I wish I could see triangular compositions in less obvious ways, but it is something I can work towards.

Edited by someone else -
Peeking Dragonfly

Canon R5 - 1/100 - f'/7.1 - ISO 800

Thank you so much, Kelly ( https://52frames.com/photographer/13891 ), for editing my dragonfly. You did an amazing job.

I've been having quite some fun with these guys, and with me still being very green it was an excellent opportunity to play around.

Upside Down - Diver Ducky

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

A bit of a last-minute submission. We're on holiday in Bali, our villa had these scuba duckies next to the pool that turned around when put in the water. I then used my hubby's iPhone under the water to take this photo.

Black and White Minimalism -
Crossing the Tolerance Bridge

Canon R5 - 1/640 - f'/10 - ISO 100

I love the Tolerance Bridge in Dubai. With loads of "clutter" and construction around it, I decided to portion the bridge off a bit and wait for somebody to cross. The harsh early-morning light helped create this silhouette and minimalistic feel.

Night Photography -
Souk Madinat & Burj

Canon R5 - 20” - f'/11 - ISO 100

This is a very touristy spot, but makes for nice photos. Apart from it being extremely hot (I hate this challenge in the summer in Dubai) there's not much back story.

Oh and the light trails and weird squiggly pattern on the water is from an abra (water taxi/boat) that passed.

Water -
Dancing in the Rain

Canon R5 - 0”8 - f'/14 - ISO 500

I've wanted to visit the Sharjah rain room for quite a while now. Living in Dubai (a desert), rain is one of the things we miss the most, which makes this experience even more exciting. If you move slowly enough or stand still, the sensors will prevent you from getting wet.

It's a pretty popular photo spot, with the light and water making for dramatic photos. I thus wanted to go for something different with a bit more movement and abstract with a longer shutter and asked my friend to give us a twirl/dance in the rain.

Meaningful Location -
Not as cliche as it looks

Canon R5 - 0”3 - f/7.1 - ISO 800

When this week's topic came up, I kept thinking about the Burj Khalifa and Dubai fountains but kept pushing the idea aside. Until I realised why it kept popping up. As residents in the UAE, we see it quite a bit, and although it's always impressive, my meaningful moments here are whenever we take friends and family to visit us to look at it the first time.

That whole time I would look at their faces instead of the fountain show. From almost teary to pure amazement, everybody is always in awe but in different ways.

Of all our guests, my favourite had to have been my nephew's face, which would explode whenever the fountains burst out. Afterwards, he thought they were fireworks and didn't seem to understand that water could go that high.

In The Centre -
Mount Erciyes & it’s Balloon

Canon R5 - 1/100 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100

Mount Erciyes, an inactive volcano visible from Göreme Cappadocia, had one of the hundreds of hot air balloons right above it, making it the perfect composition for this week's challenge.

We loved our trip here and would highly recommend it.

Abstract - Underground Feeding Bays

Canon R5 - 1/160 - f'/5 - ISO 2000

We went on a tour of Cappadocia's Özkanak Underground City. The underground cities were used for hiding, and when they went under, they took their livestock with them. These were holes carved in the walls of the caves for the animal's feed. There's still a lot of moisture, and the moss grows on the rock due to lack of sunshine. The limited light cast in the cavities created this abstract photo.

Reflection -
Imperfect Sushi

Canon R5 - 1/8 - f'/4.5 - ISO 100

I got this week's inspiration when seeing a photo of sushi in a promo newsletter; I thought it could be done a bit better.

Since I don't like Sushi at all, I went with cheaper "props" with no intention of eating them, but in hindsight, that's what could have made my pic even better as the pieces are a bit messy and imperfect.

Morning Routine - Optical Illusion

Canon R5 - 1/100 - f'/2.8 - ISO 1000

I start every morning by putting in my eyes, as I call them. I used my macro lens to capture an abstract-looking photo of my contact lens.

My biggest challenge was that I haven't had them in my eyes yet as they were the props.

Leading Lines - Seychelles Rocks

Canon R5 - 0.4” - f'/16 - ISO 100

I left this week's challenge to the last minute since it's been a bumpy week with guests, packing, and travelling. I'm not complaining about travelling and being in a new location, but the photo could have been better, in my opinion, for the stunning surroundings.

Inspired by a framer - Gelena Rosenberg

Canon R5 - 1/200 - f'/16 - ISO 100

I've followed Gelena since week 32 in 2021 (line from a song) when her photo moved something in me. https://52frames.com/photographer/8810/photo/363310

Since then, she's had numerous amazing and strong photos, and her high-contrast black-and-white photos are what inspired me this week. I've also noticed that she likes photographing architecture, and since I live in Dubai (architecture heaven), I thought I would have a go.

I went out two times to try and capture a photo worthy of her inspiration, but with summer in Dubai, you're working against heat when shooting outside. The Green Planet is an indoor rainforest with the most amazing architecture, but surprisingly difficult to photograph with so many unusual lines and curves.

Negative Space -
Icing on Top

Canon R5 - 1/20 - f'/11 - ISO 100

I've been meaning to take this photo for a while now. This challenge was the golden opportunity and glad it came out as I envisioned.

Rather simple Magnolia Bakery Cupcake, put a candle in and colors cardboard for background. I did however took a HDR to get a bit of detail in the flame instead of just a blown out piece of white.

The biggest challenge I had was keeping hubby from eating the prop before the photo was taken.

Religion - Wudu Area

Canon R5 - 1/400 - f'/8 - ISO 800

Living in Dubai, I'm surrounded by the beautiful architecture the Muslim mosques bring. I returned to the Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed Masjid(Mosque), where I took my High Key photo two weeks ago, to look for another angle and/or composition.

I decided to capture the Wudu area outside the mosque as it is an essential part of the preparation for prayer in Islamic tradition.

Wudu refers to the ritual washing performed by Muslims before prayer, which involves washing specific body parts, including the hands, mouth, nose, face, arms, and feet.

Low Key - Glass of Wine

Canon R5 - 1/50 - f'/4.5 - ISO 800

I hate to admit how difficult these photos can be, but this was the best of the bunch I took.

I used my phone torch and a head torch for lightning, some intense for the smoke and the glass of wine. The class could have been even cleaner, although I did clean it thoroughly before. See attached the (very messy) behind-the-scenes photo...

High Key - Touch of Gold

Canon R5 - 1/160 - f'/11 - ISO 100

This week I decided to approach high-key a bit differently. I know this isn't the typical white background, punchy high-key but still very bright with no dark shadows and thus I thought it still counts.

I had a difficult time deciding between two photos, but went with this one as I'm just a little more in love with it. See the other photo attached in comments.

My inspiration came from a photographer (Scott French) I've never heard of before his video popped up on my YouTube. I then went in search of light/white buildings on a sunny day. Luckily that wasn't to hard to find in Dubai although a bit toasty.

Link to my inspiration video of the week: Here

Details - Crabby Details

Canon R5 - 1/800 - f'/8 - ISO 125

I knew I wanted to capture details in nature, but I wasn't sure what it would be. While enjoying some mommy time on the beach, we saw this crab digging himself a hole. With a bit of crab-stalking, I captured this pic and was amazed at how many details are on that tiny animal. As a bonus, the sand adds to the details theme, as they have a bead-like characteristic.

Food Photography - Splashing Egg

Canon R5 - 1/1600 - f'/5.6 - ISO 4000

Only three eggs were harmed in the making of this photo. I wanted to freeze the motion of the egg, making contact with the flour. My biggest challenge was a lack of light as I mainly used natural light with my phone for a fill-light to reduce shadows. I would have liked to have closed down the aperture a bit more so that more would have been in focus.

One Light Source - Rainy Fern

Canon R5 - 1/20 - f'/8 - ISO 6400

This week has been especially hard for some reason. I've been quite busy, and inspiration was hard to find.

During a stormy Saturday evening, the neighbour's outside light created a stunning backlight on the fern and its droplets.

Blue Hour - Balloon at Dawn

Canon R5 - 1/30 - f'/2.8 - ISO 400

Our blue hour in Dubai is currently more like blue minutes. According to Photopills it only last for 9 minutes. Although there's still some "gold" in the photo, it was taken 2 minutes before blue hour officially started.

Dreamscape -
Heavenly hello with a sunset

Canon R5 - 1/250 - f'/7.1 - ISO 800

I went to the beach with my sister to toast her belated best friend (Laura), who would have turned 50. They loved spending time on the beach, on boats and outdoors. The sunset was amazing with incredible colours, and it was like a dream and "hello" from Laura and heaven.

I captured the photo for the colours and the boat as a point of interest but gave it the dreamscape effect in post-production.

I used the same picture in Photoshop as three layers. One (background) with the motion-blur filter, the Second masked just the boat for point of interest, and the third was the second layer mask duplicated and flipped to create reflection, with lower opacity and blending mode.

Fill the Frame -
Living in Mahebourgh

Canon R5 - 1/250 - f'/8 - ISO 100

I went for a bit of a photo walk in Mahebourgh with its wabi-sabi charm. I love the lines and texture of this second and third-story building.

Get low - Mangrove Tree

Canon R5 - 30” - f'/16 - ISO 100

These mangrove trees, with their roots, are stunning, and the tide coming in gave a softness to the bottom of the picture that I like.

Music - Analogue vs Digital

Canon R5 - 3”2 - f'/16 - ISO 100

I wanted to capture both the analogue and digital side of music, and that there's space for both of them in the world.

High Noon -
Open Window, Open Book

Canon R5 - 1/250 - f'/9 - ISO 100

The photo was taken at 11:50 which is as close to noon as I could get. What I've also learned was that noon looks so much different in different parts of the world.

This open window shutter's shadow reminded me of an open book.

Complementary Colors -
Kasteel De Haar

Canon R5 - 1/1000 - f'/11 - ISO 100

We've just arrived in Netherlands for two weeks. Our first "touristy" activity was visiting Kasteel (Castle) De Haar. This little nook jumped out at me for this weeks challenge.

Macro - Sea Urchin’s Test

Canon R5 - 1/60 - f'/5.6 - ISO 100

I've been eyeing the Canon 100mm macro lens for a while now, and when the macro theme falls on the same week as your birthday, it has to be the universe telling your husband what you want for your birthday... And it worked :-)

Obviously, I'm green in macro photography and have already made many mistakes with loads more to come but I've also already learned so much.

I've decided on this photo-stacked photo (65 photos) of this Sea Urchin Test (I didn't know that's what you call the inside shell of the sea urchin). It's far from perfect, and it could have done with about three more photos, but I love the detail I got, and it looks like some kind of weird planet.

Line from a song -
Look up to the sky and see

Canon R5 - 1/80 - f'/11 - ISO 100

Bohemian Rapsody by Queen is one of my all-time favourite songs.

My husband was kind enough to be my model for this week's photo, and although a relatively simple photo. I had to use a flash (which is out of my comfort zone) because the dynamic range was too much between the sky and my husband on our balcony.

Chair -
Take a seat next to Madiba

Apple iPhone 11 Pro - 1/50 - f/1.8

It's been a bit of bumpy week with loads of sad goodbyes. On my way to the plane at OR Tambo International airport, I saw a beaded Nelson Mandela sitting on a bench smiling at me...

I know the photo's not perfect (the cut off shoe is driving me mad), but it's a nice reminder of my home country, also that the best camera is the one available to you at the moment. It's the first time I didn't use my camera except for the previous phone challenge.

Shallow Dept of Field -
Ironman

Canon R5 - 1/1000 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100

I felt like a kid again playing with my nephew's action figure. I wish I didn't leave it last minute, so I could have bought some sparkles to add some action in the background, but I'm still happy with how it came out.

Black & White -
Freestate Barman

Canon R5 - 1/50 - f'/2.8 - ISO 640

We went to the smallest town in South Africa's Freestate. The town consists of one hotel and a police station, and everybody working there are the inhabitants. I loved the eclectic feel of the bar and restaurant and the little flags framing the barman through the window.

Portrait of a Stranger -
Danging Lethabo

Canon R5 - 1/1250 - f'/2.8 - ISO 400

It's been a bit of a crazy week, and my first attempt did not pan out, as her glasses, unfortunately, had extreme glare. On my way to the restaurant on Sunday evening, hoping a waiter would be a willing candidate, I found Lethabo dancing in the parking lot. Her face was a ray of sunshine, and I loved her headscarf.

It does feel like this challenge gets a small bit easier every time.

Your Hobby -
Circle of color and Peace

Canon R5 - 1/40 - f'/4 - ISO 320

I love creative hobbies, although not very good at all of them. Coloring-in is my favourite after photography, as it eases the mind and brings me peace.

Blur the Action -
Movement in flight

Canon R5 - 1/30 - f/7.1 - ISO 200

This is probably my favourite theme, and I couldn't wait. However, this week just felt like nothing panned out (pun intended) as intended. I went out three times but couldn't find something I was 100% happy with.

So I'm embracing the imperfection this week. I did love the elegant movement of flying in this photo, and the paint-like feel.

Self Portrait

Canon R5 - 1/13 - f/2.8 - ISO 100

This is my 3rd self-portrait and still not a fan of being on this side of the camera. The insecurities are real. My hair was used as a curtain protecting me from revealing too much.

Also, my respect for models skyrocket every year I do this challenge.