They get us up. They get us down. And they look damn good doing it. For this week's Shooting Challenge, we celebrate the staircase.
The Challenge
Take a photo of a staircase (preferably a really striking one!).
The Technique
There is no one set tutorial to photograph a staircase. But, having said that, the most popular aesthetic almost certainly the spiraling wormhole. And as luck would have it, these photographs are extremely easy to pull off, assuming you've found the perfect spiraling staircase. You simply aim your camera straight up or straight down, and the geometry of the space will do the rest. Just make sure to have your body and your camera well-secured if you're aiming downward.
The Example
Our lead image is from Andreas Levers. It's of the Paul Löbe Haus in Berlin. And you can see just how he leveraged Photoshop to milk his source image for all it was worth here.
The Rules
1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos must be taken this week.
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings, technique and story behind shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com, not me.
5. Include 970px wide image (200KB or less) AND a natively sized image in email. I know that your photo may not fall into those exact high rez dimensions, so whatever native resolution you're using is fine.
6. One submission per person.
7. Use the proper SUBJECT line in your email (more info on that below)
8. You agree to the Standard Contest Rules - though we DO accept non-US resident submissions.
9. If the image contains any material or elements that are not owned by you and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the image, you are responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the image in the manner set forth in these rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any image is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.
Send your best photo by Monday, September 8th at 10AM Eastern to contests@gizmodo.com with "Stairs" in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, and use a FirstnameLastnameStairs.jpg (970px wide) and FirstnameLastnameStairsWallpaper.jpg (2560px wide) naming conventions.