“What is Creative Mondays?

Monday’s are always a drag. The start of a new week, you have to go back to that routine of going to bed early/get up early. If (like me) you have to commute then you prepare for that long journey into work and that long journey back for the first time after a nice two day break.

So to kick off those lousy Mondays, I’m going to get my creative mind flowing in a positive way. Creative Mondays. A chance for me to show off something unfinished or finished that I’ve been working on throughout the previous week.”

This week’s creation ties in with another project I used for #7 of this series. This is officially my second entry into the Photoshop contest that’s currently running on PhotoshopCafe. This time the fake film is all about a robot designed to help and protect humanity. Something (as per usual) goes wrong and the robot turns on the people and begins a destructive rampage wreaking havoc on anything in his path.

Initially the idea was to create a film based on a robot that becomes the first to be accepted alongside humans. I had created the entire robot but purely by accident added the head onto this image and it struck me with more impact. I may decide to go back and attempt the original concept.

So here’s hoping this entry does well. I had a lot of fun experimenting with various textures and images. To pull it all together into one design was great!

Photo by: Toomas Järvet http://www.stuudio.net/toomas

Photo by: Gary Cowles http://www.garycowles.com

Photo by: screwcity http://www.sxc.hu/profile/screwcity

“What is Creative Mondays?

Monday’s are always a drag. The start of a new week, you have to go back to that routine of going to bed early/get up early. If (like me) you have to commute then you prepare for that long journey into work and that long journey back for the first time after a nice two day break.

So to kick off those lousy Mondays, I’m going to get my creative mind flowing in a positive way. Creative Mondays. A chance for me to show off something unfinished or finished that I’ve been working on throughout the previous week.”

This week was all about down-time. I have had about ten days off and as much as I tried I wanted to stay away from to many hours in front of the computer. That didn’t work, so I created something that I’d like to use to inspire others (and myself) to be more creative this year! I used the stock photo site http://www.sxc.hu/to gather some images and a pretty sweet ‘swirls’ brush that was designed by Mel Rodicq.

Happy first Monday in 2012!

Although designing is my passion, I like to try my hand at a few other creative hobbies. Photography has always been an interest of mine and over the past few years I’ve started to become more and more interested in capturing ideas or what I see through a lens. I’d say that my photography tends to capture my ‘graphic design’ eye in terms of composition and what subjects I usually choose to shoot but recently I’ve been getting into macro photography and a whole new world just opens right up!

Currently I’m using a Canon 400D with a standard 18-55m lens. With the standard macro setting you can get fairly close but not on a 1:1 ratio and unfortunately at this time I can’t afford a decent macro lens but with the use of a reversing ring I can get incredibly close for just a small price!

What is a reversing ring you might ask? Well I found this little piece of info on Wikipedia:

Reversing the lens using a “reversing ring”. This special adapter attaches to the filter thread on the front of a lens and makes it possible to attach the lens in reverse. Excellent quality results up to 4x lifesize magnification using fairly cheap, “standard” (not specially designed for macro) lenses can be produced. For cameras with all-electronic communications between the lens and the camera body, such as Canon EOS, reversing rings are available which allow all camera functions, including open aperture metering, to be used.

There’s also plenty of resources online about taking macro photography and for me the best way to discuss my photography is on Flickr. There are hundreds of macro photo groups where anyone can post their photos, discuss and even enter monthly competitions. The key is to keep taking photos, you’ll soon find what works and what doesn’t.

So it’s as easy as that! For anyone like myself who is just starting out with photography and wants to practice macro shots but cannot afford it, it’s such a simple solution. You can easily buy one online at Amazon. Just make sure that the reversing ring matches the size of your lens!

To see more of my macro work check me out on Flickr

Flickr was a site that I’d always heard about, sort of tried but never really used. I’d upload a few ‘test’ pieces, found that it connected well to my social media and mobile devices but really had no great use for it. I then stumbled upon the Thingaweek group.

Thingaweek which is now running into its 34th week (join the fun now!) is inspired by an annual photographic event in Cardiff, UK called the Photomarathon:

A Photomarathon is a photograph competition with a twist: You receive a 12 picture film. Over 12 hours you have to take pictures on 12 given topics. It’s not your physical condition, but your sense of improvisation, fun and creativity that is stressed throughout the Photomarathon.

Thingaweek was created by a few members that took part in the Photomarathon using a similar concept and started a group on Flickr of which there are currently over 140 members. The rules are fairly simple:

One theme. One week. One photo. (Repeat)

There are a few other details that should be followed as in no digital manipulation and a deadline of midnight on a Sunday each week but other than that it’s wherever your imagination can lead you!

What brings this all together for me and what makes Flickr such an ideal platform is the community that has been created and the work that is inspired by that same group of people. The strength comes from the group itself as it boasts photographers of all skills; anyone is invited to join in no matter how much practice you’ve had behind a camera. The task set each week creates a challenge to be creative, it keeps your mind working and in my case breaks me away from my usual work within the design field. The photographs that come through each week are always inspiring, always come with discussion and always vary. A range of ideas and concepts come through that not only inspire but provide the other members with new and exciting ways to look at a particular theme.

My own Thingaweek collection

I feel obliged to get my next shot up for the week and to also see what others have contributed. I enjoy discussing the photographs and always appreciate any feedback that I receive (good or bad) about my work. If you’re the type that strive for awards then Thingaweek also gives out ‘Badges‘ to those photographs that really inspire. Anyone can create a badge and are encouraged to do so to show recognition for a great shot.

A few Thingaweek Badges

It’s an environment that’s built to grow. Foomandoonian (the ring leader as I’d like to dub him) has been at the forefront when it comes to getting Thingaweek running like a well-oiled machine. Twitter enables the group to stay connected instantly while users are invited to contribute ideas for upcoming themes using Flickr’s discussion posts. A tumblelog has also been setup creating a live feed and countdown of all things ‘thingaweek’ and even an arranged meet-up is planned for the near future.

Join in the fun and get you’re next Thingaweek submitted today!

If you’re still a little curious as to what its all about I’ve decided to include some of my favorite shots over the last 30 weeks:

Flipped – By Thiefree

#thingaweek 25 – Word Art – By pjmowbs

Windy Woo – By Kathryn Parker

Gabalfa / A48 – mark.stevenson1983

Park Leaf – By Foomandoonian

Fly big can! Fly! – By Renato Pequito

And one of my shots that I had the most fun trying to figure out without completely embarrassing myself!

A Tragic Discovery- By Jason W Stanley

- Jason

Big Head by imaginism

DAREDEVIL fun2 by themico

Dynamo 5 - 21 Page 20 by Cinar

I Smell The Nature Ghost by Themrock

Always Charge, Never Bend by kuroitora

Strange Bat Fellows by kizer180

Get Me to the Church on Time by snapshot80

Eden by zbush

THE EYE by Efra270

Little Bird of Blue by sesfitts

One of the main reasons I do this is to capture what DeviantArt is so good at doing introducing other artists to something they’ve not seen before. I get to see so much work that inspires me everyday and that inspiration can lead to so many other creative ideas.

- Jason