It’s another iPhone photo for our Monochrome Madness Challenge this week. I used to worry that I wasn’t using my Nikon for every photo but I’m totally over that now, lol. It’s my belief that however you capture the photo and whatever you to do it, the end result is all that really matters.
For this image, I was inspired by a sponge. Washing dishes can be sooo inspiring, lol. After I put the sponge down I thought…hmmm….I see black and white! My phone was nearby so I grabbed it and took this photo. I uploaded it into Photoshop CC and converted it to grayscale and then played with the colors in a layer. A bit of noise reduction and a vignette after that and voila!
The entire challenge can be found later on Leanne Cole’s Site “Monochrome Madness” so please check it out.
Laura Macky Photography 
June 10, 2014 at 6:10 am
that’s one happy sponge.
June 10, 2014 at 7:07 am
Maybe I should post the one where it’s dancing around, lol. Thanks Gavin. 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 6:13 am
You can even make a kitchen sink interesting.. That my friend is talent…
June 10, 2014 at 7:08 am
Why thank you so much! 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 6:36 am
Needs more cowbell. 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 7:09 am
LOL
June 10, 2014 at 7:11 am
Another really terrific shot. Who would’ve thought that a cool photograph is waiting at the kitchen sink. Well done my dear 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 7:17 am
Thanks Dan! 😀 I’m really liking this MMC challenge….can’t wait to see the entire gallery later. Over to your site now…..
June 10, 2014 at 7:26 am
I’m working on the post as I type, lol
June 10, 2014 at 7:28 am
oh lol…I was wondering if you submitted! Whew!!
June 10, 2014 at 7:31 am
JUST emaied to Leanne. I thought I sent it last Wed but when I went back to see which image I sent…um…I didn’t attach it. (bobohead at it again, lol)
June 10, 2014 at 7:32 am
oh no…you didn’t read my post about getting it in a day in advance 😦 it might not make it.
June 10, 2014 at 7:48 am
oh my….
June 10, 2014 at 7:54 am
https://lauramacky.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/monochrome-madness-your-help-needed/
June 10, 2014 at 7:14 am
Nicely done Laura! I am in front of this image at least one hour a day… But I like it!
June 10, 2014 at 7:18 am
It’s something we can all relate to eh? Thank you!
June 10, 2014 at 7:35 am
…eehh… No! 😉
June 10, 2014 at 7:37 am
hahahahaha
June 10, 2014 at 7:47 am
Totally agree. I have 3 cameras. One always with me. Sometimes I’ll use my dslr and load the images wirelessly to the iphone. I’ll do a conversion there, etc.
June 10, 2014 at 7:53 am
cool! i’m not that fancy lol
June 10, 2014 at 8:06 am
A phone, a compact and a dslr are not much
June 10, 2014 at 8:07 am
that i can relate to 😛
June 10, 2014 at 7:47 am
Laura, I love how you said after putting the sponge down that you saw black and white! You’ve officially crossed over to the dark side 😉 Nicely done!
June 10, 2014 at 7:53 am
hahahahaha! Thank you 🙂 hehe
June 10, 2014 at 5:47 pm
“Use the Sponge Luke!”
Hehehe
June 10, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Looool
June 10, 2014 at 9:02 am
the mundane becomes marvellous!! Your magic Laura!
June 10, 2014 at 9:19 am
Thank you. I’m a magician in the kitchen 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 5:49 pm
Au contraire! Ze Sponge is ze most important inhabitant of any kitchen.
Never mundane!
Now, think about that for a sec.
Mundane?
Oh no!
The Sponge is a Playah!
😉
June 10, 2014 at 6:27 pm
Somehow I feel like kissing my sponge now 😉
June 10, 2014 at 6:29 pm
Dear Laura,
Let us not get carried away now…
Caught up in some moments, I have been (Exhibit A: Four Weddings)
Jes sayin’…
😉
June 10, 2014 at 6:37 pm
ha!
June 10, 2014 at 9:37 am
Beautifully simple and well designed.
June 10, 2014 at 9:50 am
Thank you!
June 10, 2014 at 10:03 am
When you can take an everyday normal object/scene and make it interesting, you know you are getting better as a photographer. I once heard a photographer say “There aren’t great photographers, there are great opportunities to capture great photos”. Don’t remember exactly who, but I do remember that saying as I have disagreed with it since I heard it. I think you are on the right track of becoming a great photographer when you can take an ordinary, somewhat boring subject, and create a pleasing photo out of it. And it is nice that your practice at seeing photos is paying off quite well as you were able to see this shot without being in the mode of looking for a shot.
I end up seeing this view at least twice a day. Once in the morning before I head to work, then again after I get done eating dinner. Never thought about trying to get a photo of it though. Well done!
June 10, 2014 at 10:34 am
Thank you so much Justin. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me feel, that someone thinks I’m progressing. It’s fun looking for those opportunities. The saying is interesting. I kind of see what it means but I do think that there has to be someone who sees something unique in that opportunity otherwise we would never know about it. I’m glad I could bring a little zest into your kitchen sink perhaps. 😉
June 10, 2014 at 11:25 am
I have tried to photograph my oven with the dials as it is stainless steel and actually looks quite intriguing in monochrome with a shallow depth of field and the focus set at the closest knob and shot at an angle where the last knob is nearly unrecognizable . One day I was a little bored and decided to photography multiple items around the house in monochrome to see the results. My main goal was to see if I could take things I seen every day and make them look interesting. I think I did a decent job but ended up deleting most of my shots. I have a couple I have posted up on Facebook but now I may post them on my blog here to show others. The two I ended up keeping were of the chandelier light in my dining room and the lights in the bathroom as they had a sort of nice symmetry to them.
June 10, 2014 at 11:56 am
Cool! It is fun to create artistic images with every day items. It’s really not that easy for me. It’s easier when I see it rather than to try to look for it. 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 10:10 am
That’s right; a clean sink brought to you courtesy of your friendly sponge! Job well done in the sink and in the photo!
June 10, 2014 at 10:31 am
lol thank you!
June 10, 2014 at 10:45 am
There is a lot of snobbery when it comes to photography, but the fact is that images from phones if processed properly can be just as good as a DSLR. Camera phone images using some dark arts in Photoshop can be printed quite large as well.
This picture although is of a daily event we all see, in some way it has transcended into something artistic.
June 10, 2014 at 11:18 am
To expand on your comment, a photographer doesn’t require a specific camera in order to take a shot. A non-photographer may think that in order to take a great shot, one must use a great camera. The misunderstanding there is that a camera is only but a tool to get the job done. A photographer understands that in order to get the shot, they must have a camera. The type of camera matters not unless you want a specialty shot in which case the camera and lens combination is what matters. When it comes down to it though, it’s understanding how to use the tools to get the results is where a photographer and non-photographer differ. At the base level, a camera is a camera, used to capture light.
June 10, 2014 at 11:54 am
I agree! Thank you for sharing this.
June 10, 2014 at 11:53 am
Thank you very much for this! I really appreciate it. 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 11:19 am
Now that you’re done washing the dishes I was wondering if I could use your expertise. My wife has been gone for a week and the kitchen is a mess. I can handle the cooking but that’s about it. Are you free? Or at least reasonable? Oh, and great photo, too. I have to agree with Ben above. It’s not the camera, it’s who’s behind the lens!
June 10, 2014 at 11:55 am
LOL…that is just hilarious! Especially since my answer is an emphatic NO, lol. No offense. 😉 But thank you for the “great photo”!! 😀
June 10, 2014 at 11:23 am
I agree Laura, whatever tool it takes to get the job (your vision) done is the right tool. Well done. Looking forward to the next MMC chapter.
June 10, 2014 at 11:55 am
Thank you Robert. 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 11:28 am
Eye, eye. Luckily, you weren’t seeing red at the time (if they don’t have that saying where you are, this is not going to make sense… ) Oh well, great shot anyway.
June 10, 2014 at 11:57 am
Thank you! I think seeing red is something we say here if that’s what you meant.
June 10, 2014 at 1:15 pm
Difficult to be angry in black and white 😉
June 10, 2014 at 4:34 pm
true yes…I see what you meant now lol.
June 10, 2014 at 11:37 am
Very unusual. Very nice
June 10, 2014 at 11:57 am
Thank you Rajiv 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 11:39 am
But, dump the IPhone and switch to the Experia. I hope you realise that you shall lose the War of the Mobile Phones!
June 10, 2014 at 11:58 am
hahahahaha…i like my ecosystem thank you! 😛
June 10, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Top shot .. Next up vacuum cleaner! 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 4:33 pm
hahaha….maybe I will, you never know. 😉
June 10, 2014 at 5:51 pm
No. That is too much of a leap.
Dust Buster first; then vacuum cleaner.
😉
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June 10, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Totally cool!
June 10, 2014 at 4:55 pm
Thank you!
June 10, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Do I detect sarcasm about the dishes? It’s not my favorite thing either, but I try to practice mindfulness while doing them, after reading Thich Nhat Hanh. It makes it a little more bearable haha.
June 10, 2014 at 3:38 pm
I have tried mindfulness whilst washing the dishes after reading the same book however I just can’t do it. 😉
June 10, 2014 at 4:57 pm
I haven’t read that book and I’m definitely mindLESS when I do dishes, hehe.
June 11, 2014 at 2:25 pm
I’ve been leaving the dishes to the GG these days lol
June 11, 2014 at 2:39 pm
lol i’ve been leaving the cooking to my hubby…they would make a wonderful partnership LMAO
June 11, 2014 at 2:46 pm
I’ve just taken the cooking back from mine lol
June 11, 2014 at 3:27 pm
thank god mine is a good cook…he can have it! LOL
June 10, 2014 at 4:56 pm
Who me?? Sarcastic about doing dishes?? Me…the Domestic Goddess?? *cough cough*
June 10, 2014 at 3:38 pm
Yep, Leanne said it best “She’s photographed everything so now it’s the kitchen sink”. rofl 🙂
June 10, 2014 at 4:57 pm
I know right? Silly girls. I kinda put that title in with a half laugh 😀
June 10, 2014 at 5:53 pm
For me, washing dishes is cathartic.
(Yes, I may have ‘issues’)
Hahahh
Lovely post Laura and I have said more than once, I love your B/W work the most.
Peace and Happiness,
Lance
June 10, 2014 at 6:26 pm
Lol Lance. Thank you so much. I think most people expect my color shots which I love but B&W is so fun.
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June 10, 2014 at 6:17 pm
Real life.
June 10, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Yup!
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June 11, 2014 at 6:57 am
Thanks for the pingback!
June 11, 2014 at 1:33 am
Nice job Laura, Agree completely about ‘the end result’, there can be far too much snobbery regarding what one uses to capture and create an image. I love the lighting in this, and now you are seeing in B&W.
Just one question, Now that you have shot everything, including the kitchen sink, what are you going to do for next week? 🙂
Eddie
June 11, 2014 at 6:58 am
Thank you Eddie hehe…someone suggested household appliances! hahahaha…fortunately I already have a shot lined up and it is NOT my vacuum!
June 11, 2014 at 9:13 am
Oh dear, what a shame, I just love the new Dyson😄
June 11, 2014 at 9:19 am
lol….i have a Dyson too!
June 11, 2014 at 2:45 am
Love this photo! Well done, you make washing the dishes look sexy. Some suds on the sponge would make it even sexier 😀 I agree with you. It’s how we use our camera-things, not what kind of camera we use, to take photos that have meaning and tell stories. Most of the time. Love your work, always eager to see what you come up with, Laura.
June 11, 2014 at 7:00 am
Thank you Mabel, and YES!! Suds!!!! That would’ve been very good. Thanks for that comment. it gets me to fully think out how the shot could be better. I appreciate it!
June 11, 2014 at 7:09 am
Suds. Yes, that’s what soap and water in the sink is called. Sexy suds 😀 You could always go back and do a photoshoot in your kitchen.
June 11, 2014 at 7:49 am
true 🙂
June 11, 2014 at 10:18 am
I can imagine a whole series on the kitchen sink. Or, may be even a challenge on kitchen sinks.
Question: Scotch Brite or regular sponge?
🙂
June 11, 2014 at 10:38 am
hahaha Scotch Brite 😛
June 12, 2014 at 8:37 am
I love this! There can be such joy in discovering or rediscovering the beauty of the everyday-
June 12, 2014 at 8:43 am
Thank you so much 🙂 I never look at my sink that same lol.
June 12, 2014 at 2:33 pm
I never knew could make something I try to stay away from as much as possible so interesting! haha
Looks great!
June 12, 2014 at 3:35 pm
LOL thank you! 🙂
June 13, 2014 at 2:29 am
Never would have known it was an iPhone shot if you didn’t say it was. Very cool perspective.
June 13, 2014 at 6:10 am
Thank you Shane!
June 17, 2014 at 1:24 am
I really enjoyed this post, though you think it’s so simple. You really made me think about how my own sink might look in a similar light but I’m not sure it would turn out as well. Thanks for sharing.
June 17, 2014 at 6:49 am
I’m so glad you liked it! I’m experimenting with B&W. I appreciate your comments. Thank you. 🙂
June 26, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Voted for my dear little deer again !
June 26, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Hehe thank you dear 😛