Alphabet Photo Challenge - G

[Cassel]

The idea of one photo a week was quite popular in 2024, and it encouraged participants to take photos and showcase them without having to create a whole layout for them.

In 2025, I will offer you a little twist on this. Again, the idea is only to showcase a single photo at a time. You can showcase them as a flashcard, emphasizing the letter (you can use these free cards as a basis to create your own). Of course, if you want a different format, you can use a polaroid frame, a slide, or a playing card (like Susan was doing in 2024). Choose the format you want, and keep it throughout the year. But just make sure to emphasize the first letter!

Every 2 weeks, you will be asked to take a picture of something, at home (or around your home) that starts with a specific letter of the alphabet. The goal is just to be on the lookout for ANYTHING that can be photographed. You can stage the object however you want, or just take a picture of it in its natural environment. For example, you can showcase your favorite Mug, or your Pillow, or your Fireplace.

You can practice your photography skills if you want, but you can just capture things as they are.

Let's just encourage each other.

This is a no-pressure thread.

And if you skip a letter or two, you can always come back. You know your alphabet so you can easily catch up, whenever you need to.

Let's continue with the letter G. It could be your sturdy Glasses, a well-used Grater, your cozy Gas fireplace, or the trusty Garbage can in the kitchen!

What will you showcase?

[Rene Marker]

G is for "Glasses (Eclipse)". My cousin, her husband and 2 granddaughters came to my house to see the eclipse a year ago. Since she was a former elementary teacher, she did some research about watching the eclipse with kids. Her granddaughters were 5th grade and 7th grade at the time. One thing she found was using paper plates to hold the glasses. She brought the items needed with her and that morning we all made our own holders. I was very glad she thought of this as I couldn't keep the eclipse glasses in place over my regular glasses. I had no problems with this. It was a fun day and I still have them displayed on my bulletin board in my office. That bulletin board has been hanging in that spot since the late 60's and still has stuff my high school years on it! (Never thought of using it for the letter "B")

[Ann Seeber]

Rene, I tried that script for my G entry. Here's G = Grater. I use it all the time. I prefer it to the fancier rotary versions. I guess it could also qualify as Gold Grater! 😉

[Corrie Kinkel]

The letter G had me puzzled for a while and the word "grater" didn't came to mind. But then my eye fell on this copper guild mastermark that is in a small holder in our "office" - just a room but we call it our office 😉 It has a diameter of only 4.4 cm and was issued in 1780 to a relative of mine on my mom's side of the family. In those days there were guilds for the trades, like fishmongers, butchers, bakers, masons etc. You started as an apprentice for a master of the guild and after a couple of years when you were ready, you had to deliver a piece of work, your masterpiece that showed the guild that you had learned all there was to learn. If the guild approved you got the master title and a guild mastermark to prove it, which allowed you to start - in this case - your own bakery.  On one side of the guild mastermark is the name of my ancestor and the word "Mr Bakker" (Bakker meaning baker) and on the other side is a windmill and stalks of wheat.

Edited March 29 by Corrie Kinkel
forgot something

[Julie Magerka]

  On 3/29/2025 at 6:53 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

The letter G had me puzzled for a while and the word "grater" didn't came to mind. But then my eye fell on this copper guild mastermark that is in a small holder in our "office" - just a room but we call it our office 😉 It has a diameter of only 4.4 cm and was issued in 1780 to a relative of mine on my mom's side of the family. In those days there were guilds for the trades, like fishmongers, butchers, bakers, masons etc. You started as an apprentice for a master of the guild and after a couple of years when you were ready, you had to deliver a piece of work, your masterpiece that showed the guild that you had learned all there was to learn. If the guild approved you got the master title and a guild mastermark to prove it, which allowed you to start - in this case - your own bakery.  On one side of the guild mastermark is the name of my ancestor and the word "Mr Bakker" (Bakker meaning baker) and on the other side is a windmill and stalks of wheat.

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Great story of the history of this special piece.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 3/29/2025 at 4:35 PM, Ann Seeber said:

Rene, I tried that script for my G entry. Here's G = Grater. I use it all the time. I prefer it to the fancier rotary versions. I guess it could also qualify as Gold Grater! 😉

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I've never seen a gold one, I love it. the cutout looks great (grate-r?).  

[Susan Ewart]

  On 3/29/2025 at 6:53 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

The letter G had me puzzled for a while and the word "grater" didn't came to mind. But then my eye fell on this copper guild mastermark that is in a small holder in our "office" - just a room but we call it our office 😉 It has a diameter of only 4.4 cm and was issued in 1780 to a relative of mine on my mom's side of the family. In those days there were guilds for the trades, like fishmongers, butchers, bakers, masons etc. You started as an apprentice for a master of the guild and after a couple of years when you were ready, you had to deliver a piece of work, your masterpiece that showed the guild that you had learned all there was to learn. If the guild approved you got the master title and a guild mastermark to prove it, which allowed you to start - in this case - your own bakery.  On one side of the guild mastermark is the name of my ancestor and the word "Mr Bakker" (Bakker meaning baker) and on the other side is a windmill and stalks of wheat.

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oh my gosh, this is really interesting.  Again, your letter G fits perfectly with the story.  Well photographed, I can see all the details and it is really detailed.  The craftmanship of this Mastermark is unbelievable. 

[Julie Magerka]

I know what you're going to say: this doesn't look like a giraffe! And when I see it up close like this, I'm not sure either. But it's a much-loved (and slobbered on) dog toy that we call the giraffe. None of my dogs over the years have destroyed their toys. Licked 'em, carried 'em, worried 'em, but not chewed to pieces. (The toy does have a long neck!)

[Susan Ewart]

  On 3/31/2025 at 11:07 PM, Julie Magerka said:

I know what you're going to say: this doesn't look like a giraffe! And when I see it up close like this, I'm not sure either. But it's a much-loved (and slobbered on) dog toy that we call the giraffe. None of my dogs over the years have destroyed their toys. Licked 'em, carried 'em, worried 'em, but not chewed to pieces. (The toy does have a long neck!)

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That's so awesome.  Your dogs treat their toys better than I treated mine.  

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 3/31/2025 at 11:07 PM, Julie Magerka said:

I know what you're going to say: this doesn't look like a giraffe! And when I see it up close like this, I'm not sure either. But it's a much-loved (and slobbered on) dog toy that we call the giraffe. None of my dogs over the years have destroyed their toys. Licked 'em, carried 'em, worried 'em, but not chewed to pieces. (The toy does have a long neck!)

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So cute and a lovely story about your dog. I was never one for having or playing with stuffed animals, not even a teddy!

[Julie Magerka]

  On 4/1/2025 at 5:50 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

So cute and a lovely story about your dog. I was never one for having or playing with stuffed animals, not even a teddy!

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I wasn't big on girlie things like dolls, but I loved my teddys and other stuffed animals. I still have a few of them.

[Susan Ewart]

G = Galavanized

I found this little Galvanized letter (along with another letter that will show up shortly in this challenge) at a thrift store.  I planned to make it rusty and take pictures of it, but decided to take some pictures because it's galvanized metal and needed a letter G.  A blend mode and masks were used.  I tried the neon glow effect from the master class.  I had made the letters quite big, so I made the blur bigger, but I see now that I should have made it less blurry.  I can see how effective this technique as it shows up better than when I tried a font without a a technique to make it stand out from the busy background.  

[Ann Seeber]

  On 4/12/2025 at 5:58 AM, Susan Ewart said:

G = Galavanized

I found this little Galvanized letter (along with another letter that will show up shortly in this challenge) at a thrift store.  I planned to make it rusty and take pictures of it, but decided to take some pictures because it's galvanized metal and needed a letter G.  A blend mode and masks were used.  I tried the neon glow effect from the master class.  I had made the letters quite big, so I made the blur bigger, but I see now that I should have made it less blurry.  I can see how effective this technique as it shows up better than when I tried a font without a a technique to make it stand out from the busy background.  

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How do you know when something is galvanized? I seem to recall metal garbage cans referred to as galvanized. 🤷‍♂️

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/12/2025 at 12:05 PM, Ann Seeber said:

How do you know when something is galvanized? I seem to recall metal garbage cans referred to as galvanized. 🤷‍♂️

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I just know what it looks like, but you got me thinking, "how do I know".  Here's what Dr. Google says;

Galvanized metal typically exhibits a dull gray or silvery-gray appearance with a distinct spangled pattern, which is a result of zinc crystallization. This spangled pattern, also described as a crystalline-like structure, is a telltale sign of hot-dip galvanizing, a common method of applying a zinc coating to steel. While appearance is a strong indicator, laboratory testing is the most accurate way to confirm galvanization. 

I asked the old guy at work (retired from his profession as an engineer - something in metals) how to make it rusty as I thought galvanized steel didn't rust, but of course my "rusty" brain has forgotten what he said to do.  

Edited April 12 by Susan Ewart

[Sue Thomas]

  On 4/12/2025 at 2:23 PM, Susan Ewart said:

I just know what it looks like, but you got me thinking, "how do I know".  Here's what Dr. Google says;

Galvanized metal typically exhibits a dull gray or silvery-gray appearance with a distinct spangled pattern, which is a result of zinc crystallization. This spangled pattern, also described as a crystalline-like structure, is a telltale sign of hot-dip galvanizing, a common method of applying a zinc coating to steel. While appearance is a strong indicator, laboratory testing is the most accurate way to confirm galvanization. 

I asked the old guy at work (retired from his profession as an engineer - something in metals) how to make it rusty as I thought galvanized steel didn't rust, but of course my "rusty" brain has forgotten what he said to do.  

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It looks galvanized to me. It has that dull grey look about it, with a hint of speckling in appearance.  It's a coating of zinc applied to steel and iron  to protect against rust, and prevent rusting. 

You could try rubbing it with a course abrasive, to make it less silvery looking. Galvanzing metal here is usually dipped.   

Due to our wet climate, we have cattle trailers and horse boxes here which are galvanized, especially the chassis. Not the aluminium trailers though, as they are naturally corrosion resistent. 

[Julie Magerka]

  On 4/12/2025 at 5:58 AM, Susan Ewart said:

G = Galavanized

I found this little Galvanized letter (along with another letter that will show up shortly in this challenge) at a thrift store.  I planned to make it rusty and take pictures of it, but decided to take some pictures because it's galvanized metal and needed a letter G.  A blend mode and masks were used.  I tried the neon glow effect from the master class.  I had made the letters quite big, so I made the blur bigger, but I see now that I should have made it less blurry.  I can see how effective this technique as it shows up better than when I tried a font without a a technique to make it stand out from the busy background.  

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You did such a brilliant job with this and the neon!

[Susan Ewart]

  On 4/14/2025 at 10:32 PM, Julie Magerka said:

You did such a brilliant job with this and the neon!

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thank you so much Julie.  That neon is really quite easy to do (with the tutorial of course).