Rankin Photo Challenge: Disconnect / Week 4

Boredom is the key to creativity. What we want you to do is to disconnect. To look around you. To question your relationship to your social media accounts and your screen. To use them in a genuine, meaningful way. And only if you want to.

Last week we saw so many incredible submissions for the third challenge, where Rankin asked you to submit your portraits of those close to you. Rankin will be sharing some of his favourite submissions on HUNGER at the end of the week.  But now we’re ready for Week 4.

If you want to use Instagram, you can hashtag #RankinPhotoChallenge and tag us @hungermagazine or @rankinarchive. And if you don’t, you can email submissions@hungertv.com.

This week it’s time to FREEZE. 

Anyone watching my Vero or Instagram will know that I have been freezing flowers and photographing them. It also works with fruit. 

It’s actually super easy. All you need to do is boil some water, let it cool down, then get a plastic, tupperware style dish. The size doesn’t matter too much as long as the object you want to freeze fits inside. Place the object you want to freeze in about 10mm of the water and then put it in the freezer. After a few hours – check up on it and keep filling your dish until the water covers the object – or just about, if you want to experiment!

You should then leave the dish in the freezer until the whole thing is frozen. I then take it out of the freezer and let the ice melt a bit to get it out of the tupperware and then start shooting!

At first the ice will be cloudy, but as it melts it will get clearer. It’s simple, so anyone with a freezer can do it.

Try one out to experiment and then do another.

The ice creates some incredible sculpture like effects and you can use the sun, or even lamps to great effect. I tend to use natural light, as I find it more satisfying. But anything will work. I look forward to seeing your creations.