Just Twisted, Not Bitter

Where's Chubby Checker When You Need Him?

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

TNChick had me racking my brain today, with the theme for this week's Photo Hunt being "Twisted". So in the absence of a Chubby Checker lookalike to photograph, it is my pleasure to give you this variety of takes on the subject. Each object was photographed exactly where it was. I donlt believe in moving things to shoot them in a better light or from a better angle - working around a problem is the true joy of photography.

Here's a challenge for all of you - see if you can guess what each object is.

No. 1. We'll start with an easy one. If you said pipe cleaners, you are correct.

No. 2. This was a curly one to shoot, because I was working in a very cramped space.


Figured it out? Yes, of course you have. It's the twisted wire from a hair straightener called a GHD - which I am reliably informed by certain members of the Authorblog mansion is an acronym for "Good Hair Day".

No 3. It's "knot" too hard to solve, is it? Time to put your thinking cap on.

Okay, it's the laces on a pair of Adidas trainers. I reckon it was either a very brave decision or a very foolhardy one to try and photograph a white object with no other colours in the frame. But that's the beauty of pushing the boundaries, isn't it?


No 4. Getting more challenging now? Any bright ideas? It's not the lord of the rings. That's for sure.


This was a pair of Osram MiniTwist energy-saver light globes. They were still in their thick plastic packaging, which made it a lot harder to photograph them while dealing with extraneous reflection.

No 5. This set of weather-beaten wires is an external set of Christmas lights, photographed on a hot Melbourne afternoon. The light colour of the bricks tended to wash out in the extremely bright light, so I composed the shot to include the dark, clear shadow as well.

No 6. Whaddya reckon? Any ideas? Maybe it's part of a spring collection.

This view of the same object will give you a better idea of what it is. Yep, it's a spring from a trampoline.

(The photographs accompanying this post were taken with a new macro lens, the SMC Pentax-DA 1:2.8mm Macro Limited. Note the clarity and the great depth of field - and watch this blog for more shots with this lens.)