During this project there were weeks where my everyday life just didn't allow an opportunity to spend time on the assignment. In those weeks I often defaulted to searching around the house for ways to fulfill the assignment just before the deadline.
Many times this resulted in some great images, and required a lot more creativity than shots out in the world. These shots were made more than they were taken.
For Distortion, I was looking for something that would bend the shape of objects and after some trial and error with spoons and other glass objects this change jar idea emerged.
I shot this both wide and long to see what the difference in composition would be, and the long shot was definitely more interesting.
I first tried to shoot only the distorted part of the jar, but you really couldn't discern what the distorted objects were. Once I shot through the neck of the jar there was an anchor from which the rest of the shot made more sense. I also liked the symmetry and center focal point.
It's still surprising to me how the assignments inspired creativity out of necessity. I had to gets shot and I didn't want to post outcomes that I knew were uninteresting. Shots like this reinforced the idea that making a commitment to this project was a worthwhile investment of my time and creativity.
On Taking Assignments
I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography. In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners. Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group. I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning. My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.