{shadows & light}

Wow.  I can't believe how difficult this was.  I went through all the entries and highlighted which photographs I thought were the best - and I still had a list of 36!  Man...   Well, I eventually narrowed it down to the top 11, and here's what I came up with.  Before I start, I just want to tell you all how impressed I was with all of the entries.  You folks totally rocked this week's theme!  So here we go!  Remember, this is just one man's opinion...

I just love this face - that smile, those eyes!  

The lighting and composition are simple and dramatic.  Well done. 

Pixelus Moments

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I dare you to look at this image and not feel something - and chances are, whatever you're feeling isn't filled with sunshine and rainbows.  I just love the feel and texture to this photo - even though it scares me just a little bit!

Jennifer Leuzze

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This image just blows me away.  It's both beautiful, graceful and relaxing.  Can't you feel the stretch?  I can and I feel better already!

Rupa Sutton Photography

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Just wow!  The lines, the shadows and the design here are simply hypnotizing.  What else is there to say?  I love how form and design can be found almost anywhere if you're open to finding it.  A wonderful capture...

Melissa Levesque Photography

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Beautiful and mysterious.  I just love this - especially the way the photograph transforms from shining light at the top and down into darkness.

Ashley Coursey Photography

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I really like this photograph.  It has such a simple beauty to it.  Darkness in the left half  of the photo - her face illuminated...  For me, it's all about innocence...

Kate Vellacott

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Another one of those mysterious photos.  Who is this young man and what exactly is happening in this photograph?  Great composition and wonderful lighting.  Well done.

Sonja Stich fotografías

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This is just one great photo.  The mask...  the eye peering intently at the viewer.  Is she beckoning?  Is she warning us?  It's just one very interesting photograph.

Auburn Wendover Photography

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Just look at the lighting in this photo.  The little girl, almost obscured by darkness and the umbrella enveloping her in a circle of glowing light.  Just excellent!

Meagan Dwyer Photography

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To me, this photograph brings back the memory of just how magical and imaginative childhood is.  Looking at this photo is like looking at a memory forgotten.  Wonderful...

Cara Soulia Photography

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and the winner is....

i just love this photo.  It has a mysteriousness to it (who ARE these two people and what exactly are they doing here?).  Also, to me, it even feels a little foreboding - a rare thing to find in a photograph.  It's like they're just sitting there, they're faces illuminated, waiting for something - but what?  

Well done and congratulations!

Kelly Tonks Photography LLC

thanks again for asking me to be a guest judge.  i hope you're happy with the results and maybe we can do this again sometime!

ken

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{shadows & light} Mavenista style

Photography 2204

'Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides.'

 - Junichiro Tanizaki


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Mel Karlberg Photography

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Eastview Photography 

Keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.
Walt Whitman

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A/Z Photography 

“What men call the shadow of the body is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul.” 
― Oscar Wilde, A House of Pomegranates



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Jana Butman Photography

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Jujujems Art and Photo Studio

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Phyllis Meredith Photography

The Maven Flyer Vol. 31

Welcome to 

 The Maven Flyer

Vol. 31

For the week of September 29, 2014

Here we will offer suggestions for places for you to submit your images

for sharing and competition.

If you have or know of a sharing community or theme, please let us know

by emailing the name, link, and specifics to 

snapmaven.info @gmail.com

At this time you will need to visit each page to learn the specifics of the pages 

rules and deadlines for sharing images.

Happy Sharing Everyone!

Snap Maven ~  Texture, Weekly Favorite Experiments
Clicking Moms ~ Light

Distorted Beauty~ Flare

In Beauty & Chaos~ Environmental Portrait, Weekly Favorite

Evoking You~ Morning

The Dark Room~ Window light, Weekly Favorites

The Gratitude Collaborative ~Shapes

Fantastically Flawed~  Into the wild (until Tuesday)

Spark~ Framed

Giggles&Goldfish~Everyday Favorites

Picture Me Project~Include yourself in the image somehow!

We Were There Too~ Get in the photo with your kids!

Lemonade and Lenses~Weekly Favorite

Mozi Magazine~Weekly Favorite

Seniorologie~ Weekly Favorite(senior)

Love Photographs Beautifully~Friendship
Measure In Love~ Hearts

Photographer's Connection~Weekly Favorite

Privizzini's Passion Photography~Fall

Photo Artistry~Weekly favorites, Monthly theme "Black and white"

Angie Marie Photography~ Together

Light Inspired~ Circles, weekly favorite

M4HP~Clear

Everything For Photography~?

Simple Sally~Messy

30 Minutes in the Life~ OOF

Life Defined Project~Summer

Reflections~ Motherhood

Sweet Little Muse~Connection

Little Bellows~Yellow, Weekly favorite

Photo Corner~ weekly favorite

In Your Own Light~Lines

By The Light~   Everyday beauty
Life's Experience p52~Hidden
 Fleeting Lights ~ On hiatus
The Monochromatic Lens~Weekly Favorite
My Beautifully Chaotic Lifestyle~ Beautifully Chaotic
Let the Kids Dress Themselves~ September fave
SHOTMagazine~ open, one photo per day
Faradiddles~ On Hiatus (No theme)
The Organic PhotograpHERS~ Soup-foodie
A Day in the Life~ At the end of the day
Honestly, Photography  ~ Urban

M.O.O.D. ~ Full of light

Minimalist Mondays ~Minimalist
Euphoric Capture~ Sunflare: black&white
CLICK STYLE~ Making memories
Yip Yap Girl~Fall
The Inner Lens~Satisfied
Chasing Sunflares ~ On hiatus
The Masterpiece~Dark, Weekly favorite
3 Cats Photo~ Animals (wild or domestic) (all of August)
Stand Alone Magazine~ On hold till the end of the month
The Snappy Mama~ Spontaneous
Photographer Obsessed~Pets
In shadow of life~BW weekly favorites
The Creativity Project- September - very creative(until September 9th)
Poétique~ "And the days are not full enough" (new every two weeks)
Boys Will Be Boys~Monochrome
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That concludes the links for this week!

If there is a link you'd like to see here, please let us know at

snapmaven.info@gmail.com

Please allow 2-3 weeks for addition to The Maven Flyer

Same goes for errors, though we hope to get those fixed right away.
Future issues of The Maven Flyer will be posted on Monday evenings.

You can't get featured if you don't submit!!

Go for it!

If you would like to receive
The Maven Flyer
in your inbox each week
please sign up
HERE.

Feature Friday with Kate Luber Photography!!!

Kate was the winner of last week's 'blur' challenge, and has graciously shared a bit about one of her projects with us!  You can read more about Kate Luber Photography here as well.

Kate said:

'In this session, I really wanted to focus on the real dancer. Everyone has this idyllic image of a beautiful ballerina fluttering around a stage in a pretty tutu. And dance really is about that! But it's also about so much more. I wanted to show the dancer as she arrives for class or rehearsal, progresses through that class or rehearsal, onto the stage, and then finally resting after a show. I'm not really one for words, so I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.'

Find more of Kate's beautiful work here:

Facebook | Website

Meet This Week's Judge: Ken Hoskin!

This week we have Ken of Just a Guy Who's Into Photography, sharing his lush landscapes, and rich glimpses into Canadian farm life, along with some inspiration. Enjoy!

1.      Tell us about yourself...

I was born and raised in Alberta Canada and work at a not-for-profit agency that assists folks with disabilities and barriers in finding and keeping a job.  I feel lucky to have grown up on a farm and continue to live in the country on a piece of land that was once part of that farm.  I find myself in the minority on these Facebook photo pages in that I’m not a professional photographer in any sense of the word and that I’m a male.  So, I’m lucky in that there is never any pressure on me to produce a great photo – and that’s not because I’m a male…  lol

2.      What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now?

Man, where to start?  As a kid, a had a little Kodak Instamatic (anybody remember those?) so I’m going to say that my passion started way back then.  I’ve always found beauty in the outdoors and have always tried to capture that beauty on film – sometimes with great success – sometimes, not so much.  It’s still something that I have a passion for, but now I find myself trying to find beauty in images that may not appear to be special at first glance - roadways, barbed-wire fences, even gravel roads.  The countryside and abandoned farmhouse/barns have become the things I find myself looking at most through the viewfinder.  Well, those things and family…  Plus, I really like the way I find myself looking at the world when I have a camera in my hand.  I tend to notice the little things more, I think…

3.      What's in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least?

A Canon 5Diii, an 85mm f/1.2, a 70-200 f/2.8, a 24-105 f/4 and a 16-35 f/2.8.  I use the wide angle and 70-200 the most and probably the 85mm the least, but I’m guessing that I’ll be using it more once winter comes and I’m shooting indoors more. 

4.      What's your dream project or shoot?

I don’t actually have a dream project.  My next road-trip or my next holiday is invariably the project I look forward to the most.  Traveling, whether it’s cruising down a gravel road a few miles from home or whether it’s in another province or country, is where I get my inspiration and drive (no pun intended).  Maybe it’s ALL my dream project!

5.      What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?

For me, the biggest challenge is trying to find a new way to capture a commonplace scene. And that new way is always there, it sometimes takes me a while to find it.  Sometimes it takes me several visits to the same place.  Okay, you’re right…  sometimes I don’t ever find it…

6.  If you had $500 to spend on photography...

How should you spend it?

I should spend it on getting my camera and lenses professionally cleaned and recalibrated.

How do you wish you could spend it?

As a down-payment on a 100 – 400 f/4.5 lens.  Sometimes, you just want to get in a little closer, you know?

How would you really spend it?

Probably on a down-payment on a 100 – 400 lens…  J

7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very beginning of your photography journey?

Take your time – there’s no hurry.  Good things truly do come to those who wait.  That, and never let holding your camera stop you from enjoying life.  By its nature, taking photos makes you an observer.  Sometimes you just have to put your camera down and participate…

Thank you so much, Ken, for joining us this week! 

{blur}

Thank you so much for the opportunity to Guest Judge this week. It was so fun viewing all the lovely (and I do mean, lovely) images shared! It was very difficult narrowing down the tops, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with the those selected! Without further adieu... 

This image popped out to me because of its unique use of blur. The blur is created not from shallow depth of field or motion, but rather from a blurry glass in front of the subject. "Hats off" for creativity!

Lumos Photography

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The use of blur here creates mystery and intrigue. It's a lovely, moody profile shot, veiled behind shadows and blur.

Amy Rodriguez Photography

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The fact that the whole image is blurry makes this so impressionistic in style. The composition is very strong and the bokeh is lovely. I would hang this in my beach house if I had one!

LB Photography

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The subject's moody pose captures the interest, and the fact that she is not quite in focus adds intrigue. The composition is very strong with her in the corner of the frame, surrounded by darkness.

Sharon Covert Photography

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I was drawn to this image initially for the girl's hit of a smile (almost reminiscent of the Mona Lisa). I love the use of blur, drawing the eye to the subject.

Sarah Ferry Photography

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This one is so dreamy. The use of blur and texture here creates an almost "chalk drawing effect".

Poetic Expressions Photography

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This one is so subtle in its strength. It has a strong composition and looks like a watercolor technique called, "washes". Very artistic!

Sherri Davis Photography

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I kept coming back to this one. The little girl's face is so classic, and the blur surrounding her just draws it out. Great composition too!

Joni Burtt Photography

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What a stunning model! What a stunning photograph! The lighting is perfect and the blur creates softness and draws the attention up toward her eye. Beautiful!

Nina Mingioni Photography

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This one is so dreamy in its blur. The colors are complimentary, blue and orange. And though the pathway behind her makes you think that the image has a center composition, the subject pulls the eye back into the "rule of thirds" composition. Well done!

Deanna Mae Photography

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...and the winner is...

Kate Luber Photography

This one was submitted early in the contest, and I fell in love! The use of blur is unique and intentional. I love the sharp focus of the flower and the mystery behind the veiled girl. Stunningly beautiful!

Thank you all for a great week,

Sonya Adcock

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