With Turkey Day tomorrow, and the first Thanksgiving having occurred in New England, it seems appropriate to do this blog that includes photographs of pumpkins, one of the staples of many modern-day Thanksgiving tables.

Arnie and I enjoy challenging our participants to make a shot different, to seek their own vision, to go beyond their comfort level. It’s how they improve so much.

For New England Fall Foliage, we had a number of assignments for our group, one of which was to do an abstract of a pumpkin at our favorite pumpkin farm (where they also make wonderful pies and cheeses.) Starting out with the deer-in-the-headlights look, they got into this assignment, to wit the following:

Chris saw a duck’s head in the stem of this pumpkin.

Her husband, Gary, unknowingly did something similar!

Dave used the water from a recent rain for his photograph.

Experimenting with motion, Chuck created this abstract.

Also playing with motion, Marjorie got this dreamy effect.

Steve became intrigued with the twist of this pumpkin’s stem.

Arnie and I also ask our participants to look at light and textures. While not in the same place, the assignment was the same.

Giuseppe found this vine on a tree trunk early one morning.

Struck by the color of this Indian Corn, Judith made this image.

Lynn loved the patterns on the lake surface the last morning.

It was a great series of exercises for everyone, and they were quite pleased with the results. So, the next time you find you have a scene that just doesn’t work for you, get up close and personal and start shooting abstracts!

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