Juxtaposition

2013.09.04.Juxtaposition-Diver
f/8  1/25  ISO-800
Focal length 55mm using a 55-250mm telephoto lens

I am a keen diver and member of a club, so decided to take a picture of a fellow club member for this exercise.  A picture of someone wearing all of their gear or in a wet / dry suit seemed a bit obvious.  I felt that a picture at the pool would be better, and an indication of training or practice for "real diving".
A diver's equipment is their lifeline, or their buddy's if needing assistance, so there is obviously a strong relationship.  In this image, the diver is checking the pressure gauge, making sure there is adequate air and the equipment is set up properly, ready for use.  His dark clothes merge with the black of the BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) and tubes, symbolic of the close relationship.  I preferred this image to another in which the subject was standing, as he appears smaller in relation to the equipment, giving fairly equal emphasis to both.

Rain

2013.08.31.Rain
f/5.6  1/200  ISO-800

The most obvious symbol of rain is an umbrella.  I wanted to use an item that can clearly be associated with rain, not as clichéd as an umbrella, and not to reveal the whole form, leaving more to the imagination.  Also, something that could get wet.  I chose a pair of black wellington boots and experimented spraying water from a hose and taking photos with various shutter speeds.
Although the shutter speed for this image is not especially low, the speed of the water flow and holding the camera by hand combined to create some blur and distortion.  I didn't want a clear, highly defined image, partly because wellington boots are not the most visually pleasing of subjects, and also to make the image original.  The angle of the spray and the blurred streaks give an impression of heavy, driving rain, producing impaired visibility.