Mwahahaha! I've finally gotten revenge on my brother for burning my Barbie doll’s hair! His sweet, innocent wife followed him to the pillory out of loving support, but secretly thinks his punishment is deserved! Don’t you?

It’s April Fool’s Day when we can prank to our heart’s content and share a laugh. Have you come up with a good one?

TAKE ONE!

Today we are going to shoot a picture of something that looks like it came out of movie!  It can be a scene from an actual movie or you can create a photographic story yourself that appears as if it is a cinematic image.  

Go into your 'tickle trunk' and pull out your props and really have fun with your image. You get to direct, act (or select an actor), film and produce your own story!  How much fun is that? While you shoot your photograph, remember to consider your story, your framing, your angles and  your post processing in order to make your story come true.

Grab your popcorn everyone!  The movies are going to be exciting!

Depending on where you live, the leaves may just be starting to appear or have already begun to fall. Either way, we hope you will share one with us today!  

We all have a favourite colour, what's yours?  Mine is pink.  I love the colour pink.  My little great-niece knows that pink is my favourite colour.  Any time she sees something pink, she always points it out and says "Aunt Diane, it's your favourite colour".  She makes me smile.  I love pink flowers and flowers can always make me smile.

Today take a photo of your favourite colour and share it with us.  I hope it makes you smile!

Today is the fourth photo in our "My World" series.  It has been fun and interesting to see how how everyone is making this recurring prompt their own.  Some of us are visiting the same spot each month to document the seasonal changes.  Some are using it as an opportunity to visit various coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries.  Others are recording growth in children.  And the list goes on!

Because of my day back in January when we committed to this prompt, I am photographing what I consider to be humorous signs that I encounter.  This one is on the ladies restroom at a local sanswich shop.

However you are documenting your world each month this year, show us your April installment today.

Today is a blank canvas for which all of the other prompts have prepared you.

Keep your eyes open and have fun!

This was a quick phone snap while walking Piper. The showers had stopped for a while and the light was dull which captured the unhappy mood the daffodils seemed to be in. 

You may not be having showers where you are today, but think of things you could shoot that would convey the idea. Maybe your rain gear! Or why not create a shower of your own with a watering can or hose? Enjoy a little outdoor time whatever the weather. It’s spring!

As photographers we are forever chasing the light!  Today's challenge is to use side light as your main lighting source. Side light was used by the Renaisance painter Rembrandt to create definition, dimension, depth and drama in his paintings.  Let's use it today in our photographs.

What is side light? Basically it is a technique where-by the light source is directed from one side of the photograph to the other. To acheive side light you expose one side of a subject.  

You can use artificial light or natural light for this technique.  In my sample I noticed the light streaming in through my kitchen window and quicky gathered up some near by items and snapped a picture while that light presented itself.  You can set up a still life, a portrait or find natural side lit scenes outdoors.

How will you interpret today's prompt? an artfully plated snack, some latte art from the local coffee shop, or maybe a pop art effect with an app? Or literally with the artwork hanging in your kitchen! 

I decided on some flat-lay fun before these peppers headed to the food processor to become red pepper flakes!

Embrace can mean two different things.  The first is the act of holding someone in your arms.  The second is accepting or supporting something enthusiastically.  Which one will you decide to photograph today?

I chose the first, a hug.  Are you hugger?  Me, not so much, but Brian is.  In high school he even started a hug club.  Here he's embracing his cousin Carol as they take a selfie together.  I wholeheartedly embrace Brian's family and I'm honoured to be part of it.

Today is a day to flex your creative muscle. You are challenged to take a photo of a bowl and water and then "something else." It can be anything else and any technique. Let's see what you come up with!

When we talk about composing images, photographers are taught to keep the "Rule of Thirds" in mind, meaning we need to place our subject in our frame at a point one third from the top or bottom and one third from the left or right.  The principle here is that the other two-thirds of the frame give the viewer's eye room to move aropund in the frame.  So why are we talking about center, then?

Centering your subject is also a powerful compositional tool.  It leaves no question as to what the subject of your photo is.  It can help to minimize a distracting background.  In the case of portraits, placing someone in the middle of the frame can also amplify their expression and mood.  And, obviously, when symmetry is the intent of your photo, your subject will be centered.

In this photo, I chose to center my subject to convey the fact that he was heading straight for me as he emerged from the forest.

Make an intentional choice to center your subject in today's photo.   If you have a little extra time, try photographing the same subject using the rule of thirds.  Which photo do you like best?  Why?

Find something that is made from wood. It is even better if it looks old or worn.

These sea breaks that protect the sand dunes make some great shadows in the morning or late afternoon.

Have a play with the shadows that the old wood can make!

I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratsy, matsy
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen.....hair  (Hair - The Cowsills)

Hair!  That seems like an odd thing to photograph! 

Today photograph some hair!  It can be real hair, horse hair, dog hair, cat hair or perhaps a plant or moss that looks like hair.  It can be a crazy hairdo, a fabulous beard or even a hairy situation. You choose!

In my sample I photographed some horse hair on a barbwired fence.

Today we are going to ask you to think outside of the box a bit... as 365'er we are accustom to focusing on what's there but for today let's shift that focus to what's missing! 

Here are a few examples to get you thinking...an empty cookie jar, a sky without sun, a pencil no eraser, a building missing the windows, a fishing pole and no fish!!

I think telling a child to say cheese when you're snapping a photo is probably the worst way to try and get a smile.  Charlie's at the age where when I ask him to smile I get the goofiest faces.  His natural smile just disappears.  I have to catch him unaware to get a nice smile from him!

Say cheese to someone today and photograph them as they're saying it back to you.  See what kind of smile you get from them.  I think we need to find a better saying than 'Say Cheese' to get a good photograph.  I find that saying "farts" to a child often works!  They always break out laughing.

It's fun to search for shapes to photograph. Today, look for a spiral. It can be a shape in nature, a staircase, a toy, or just about anything. My example photo was taken at a Chihuly glass exhibit. This will be a fun day to see what everyone finds!

Today we are looking for interesting textures.  Think of this prompt as looking for a collage of various textures juxtaposed with one another.  Architecture is a great place to look for this kind of image.  Don't be afraid to move around to find the most interesting combination of lines, shapes, and textures.  You'll be surprised at what a difference in composition just two steps to the right or two steps to the left will make.

Enjoy finding a collage of textures today.

Bokeh refers to the softening effect on the background obtained through a shallow depth-of-field (lower f/stop number). It’s also used to create those beautiful little confetti-like circles of light.

My Great Blue Heron, Big Blue, patiently waited for me to fire off several shots. I stood close to the foliage in front of me, throwing it out of focus too, thereby softening the foreground as well as the background. It created a frame that beautifully set off this magnificent bird.

Phone cameras are now de-focusing backgrounds shot in Portrait Mode. Don’t limit yourself to faces; try it anytime you want to blur your background!

The technique of “filling the frame” in photography means taking up all the negative space with your subject.  There are many ways to accomplish this such as getting close to the subject, using a zoom or macro lens or cropping during editing.  “Filling the Frame” makes a clear statement of what is most important in your photo.   Show us what’s important to you and fill the frame with it!

I filled my frame with these delicious muffins.  What is your favorite thing to bake, have with tea or snack?  Fill the frame with it!

Buzz can be used to describe a great many things in our everyday! From pollinators, to sugary treats, a long hike, or our phones with all those alerts. Which one will you pick? 

Continuous humming or whirling sound

Being excited, thrilled, or happy

Keeping a quick or hurried pace

To be let through or a signal

Today is technical day.  Take a toy out into the real world today and see if you can make it fit in.  There are numerous ways you can do this.  I used forced perspective to make this truck look like it was real and fit into it's environment.  To acheive forced perspective you need to put your toy in an environment that goes with it.  It's best to use a wide angle lens and get in close to your object.  In most cases you'll want your toy and the environment to be clear.  To do so you need to use a narrow f stop of around 16.  If you want your toy to be in focus but not your background, use a wider aperture.  For this photo, I shot it at f4.  Keep your photo simple without too many distractions.  Try different locations to find the one where your toy fits in the best.  You'll still know it's a toy but it's fun to try and make it look like it fits in a real world setting.

If you search online you can find all sorts inspiration for this prompt.  Get creative!  I can't wait to see what you come up with.  

What are contours you ask? They are the edges or lines that defines a shape or object. You can find contours on mountains, coastlines, cars, the human body and so much more. Look around and see what catches your eye today. Look for interesting outlines or forms.

Do you have a dreaded chore?  We have three dogs, so it is easy for me to name my most dreaded chore!  But, I usually do it on my way out to tend to the plants in the greenhouse, which is a nice reward for doing the not-fun job.

Photograph your dreaded chore.  If you don't have one, show us what you do dread?

I love this time of year in the woods, as it is Bluebell time here.

If you can't get to a woods today, just take a photo of trees, that you can see outside your windows. Or you can create a scene inside with your toys, think - Teddy Bear's picnic

If you go down in the woods today,
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down in the woods today,
You'd better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there together because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Animal noses are fun to capture because there is such variety. With the right timing (sleeping) or attention-getting (toy or treat), it’s pretty easy. Is there something else you can add to your story? Piper here had been furiously digging into a mole run. The rim of dirt on top reminds me of that hilarious event. I shot this with a very shallow depth-of-field, blurring the background, so the rest of her features didn’t compete. 

You shouldn’t have to look far for this prompt idea. It’s right under your nose! 

It's "Picture Me" day!  This is the day you include yourself or a part of yourself in the photograph.  

The prompt is optical illusion and you can have a lot of fun with this.  I chose to use my hand shaddow as an optical illusion!  I placed my ring on a white piece of bristol board and shone a light from a desk lamp on it.  I then held my hand out over the ring and photographed the shaddow cast to make it look as if I were holding the ring!  Give it a try or choose your own creative way to create an optical illusion. Some suggestions might include waterglass refraction, water on a mirror reflection, or maybe some processing manipulations. 

Get creative with your optical illusion but remember to include yourself or part of yourself in the photograph.

Keep it simple today and photograph your lunch.  Or, someone else's lunch if you prefer!  I took this photo at a local Asian street festival.  This gentleman bought grilled octopus on stick.  I found it quite intriguing, but not enough to try it myself!  He was nice enough to let me take a photograph of his lunch.

What will you have for lunch today?  How can you make it camera worthy?  Make us hungry with your photo!

Today is challenge day! Grab an egg or two or three and have a go at it. Your challenge today is to open an egg and find something unexpected inside! Imagine my surprise when I found a flower growing in my egg! Crack open an egg and let's see what unusual thing you might find!

Our Monthly Where I Stand Prompt today.

This photo is taken with my family, and as I have taken this photo I can remember the walk that we all took that day.

If you are with people today, get them into the photo and see all the different shoes that you can wear. If you can't find some people, try pets or maybe get all your shoes in the shot.