Juxtaposition... In photography (or any other art form) the concept of juxtaposition is based on using two or more visual elements together in an image to either suggest a link between them, or to emphasize the differences between them. Lets take a look at a very basic example using just geometric forms... Think about a cube and a sphere. They are quit different, but they are also both geometric forms. So if you could arrange these two forms together in the same image you could (through proper lighting, composition , exposure, etc.) create an image that emphasizes their differences, shows the viewer the common link between them, or in the best of all situations an image that does both. Now lets think about how this might work with two different textures... This time try to envision a very course stiff sheet of sandpaper, and a drop of mercury. Mercury is a solid with the visual characteristics of a fluid. It is also soft and smooth. Sandpaper (on the other hand) is hard and abrasive. To photograph a drop, or pool of mercury on an sheet of sandpaper would be juxtaposing these two visual elements. So what happens if we take this out of the realm of purely physical properties, and interject a human element. We can start with comedy or satire... How about two people with immense differences in their physical makeup and their lifestyles. For example a sumo wrestler and a small thin elderly woman. Now imagine a scene where the Duma wrestler is sitting in this woman's parlor and together they are knitting. Conversely, you could have the this frail grey haired woman in her street dress facing off in the ring with the wrestler. Either one IMO would be a funny shot. However, (again IMO) the first scenario would be more successful because there would be a stronger link between their both being just people while still emphasizing their physical differences. Last round... Juxtaposition also works for political, and/or social statements... The most classic example I can think of at the moment is an actual photograph from the early 70's. It was a photo of a young female flower child placing a flower into the barrel of a gun that was being pointed at her by a National Guard member during a Vietnam war protest rally. The contrast of this child of peace and love against war and anger had so much impact that I can close my eyes and still see the image in my mind just a clear as if I had just looked at the photo. As you can see, there are really a lot of possibilities with this. No one way of juxtaposing any element against another is right. The content is wide open, and it does not matter if it is something you arrange, or something that already exists. It does not matter if it is an abstract still life where you have carefully placed every elements, or a real life incident that you happen to be lucky enough to capture. The key is to create an image that incorporates contrasting elements to show their similarities, or their differences. Contest Rules and Guidelines All entries must be comprised of original photographic images created by the entrant. Post work in any photo editing and/or paint program is acceptable and encouraged... However, the use of royalty free images, or the addition of characters and/or objects created in a modeling program is not. *This is a photography contest* :) All images should be uploaded in JPEG format at a resolution of 72 Pixels Per Inch. Images should be less than 200 KB in file size. Images for each contest should be photographed after the entry start date and before the finish date. A limit of one entry per contestant. Images that do not conform to the Renderosity TOS will be deemed ineligible and deleted. About Zone II: Zone II is for beginning and intermediate photographers. This can be defined as still learning the basic technical aspects of making good exposures, and/or learning the basic concepts of composition. Their equipment can run the full range of the spectrum from professional gear to point-and-shoot cameras.