God is in the Details
Capturing God In The Details
Welcome to this week's edition of The Carty Method Magazine!
In our latest photo assignment, we challenged photographers to capture God Is IN The Details within their niche.
This assignment required photographers to make an image that tells a story through detail.
Excited to see some stellar hero shots from this week's Photo of the Week winners?
Let’s dive in!
Assignment Brief
CARTY gives a tight brief at the end of his photo review shows which tells us shooters what we have to shoot exactly for the following weeks review.
Here is this assignment exactly how he shares it.
“This weeks Assignment: God is in the details”
Capture a single image that tells a deeper story through subtle details.
Portrait shooters can focus on part of a person (e.g., hands, expression),
Places shooters can capture intricate design elements,
Things shooters can photograph close-up details of a product."
This is a Vertical assignment.
Romeo Fowler
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
what inspired me, well when Carty said to use a eyes nose ears or parts of the body to show GOD in the details.
We are all created in the image of GOD so I chose my wife nose to make this image wanted to make it a little editorial while show casing the nose.
And so that's what I did.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
Well really didn't have any obstacles with this one.
I knew what I wanted to do and with the lighten etc and go for it.
Thanks.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
No feedback that I know of.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
The way it turned out and to see my improvement over the moths with Carty Crete and couching.
I have come a long way from where I was which is at the bottom of the pile lol GOD is good.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: romeofowler
Samuel Saling
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
I had this vision of a reflection of a skyline in a japanese manga style (huge) eyes type of person.
Well I actually imagined normal real face with natural eyes..
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
When shooting the final idea, I realized that eyes are quite a bit smaller and a less reflective than I imagined.
So I decided to include more of the face and less of the detail.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
Most important part is that I decided to execute my own idea, and then I saw how others approached the same brief.
Having all those ideas reviewed increases value even more.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
It was a lesson of not giving up.
In the morning I told to myself I will skip this assignment, because my model went silent.
But in the late afternoon I decided to give it a try with autoportrait version.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: samuel_saling
Doyle Daniels
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
I wanted to take this opportunity to gather additional imagery for a personal project I’m working on.
I also aimed to capture a moment that conveyed both movement and mastery, while maintaining a candid feel.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
Capturing this photograph without interrupting the moment was actually pretty complicated.
I didn’t want to use artificial light, and figuring out the perfect angle to capture just enough of the background to provide context for the subject, without taking anything away from it, took me a while to dial in.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
The photo has received pretty positive feedback so far, which has given me a lot to think about when composing portraits in the future.
This shot was first inspired by a conversation I had with Geran.
Paying attention to details to tell more of a complete story is something I plan on focusing more on in future shoots.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
This is the type of photography I love most—just spending time with the subject, waiting for the right moments and surroundings to create the images I’ve imagined in my head.
Most shoots are much more structured than this, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I tend to feel more connected to photographs created in this way.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: dcd3photo
Website: dcd.photos
Ana Kaya
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
I was inspired by another photographer experimentation with using shapes to create patterns in portraiture.
I already had a visual reference in mind, so I envisioned how I could make my shot unique.
There wasn't a specific story behind it, but I wanted to capture a moment that could tell different stories to each viewer.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
I used an old IKEA chair as a prop, which required an extra set of hands to hold it up, adding to the challenge.
Positioning the light precisely was also tricky, especially when working with a flash, so I used a constant light source as a modeling light to help with alignment of light and shadow.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
I was pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback, as I wasn’t sure the photo conveyed my intent.
Hearing others’ perspectives has helped me trust my instincts and inspired me to explore more experimental techniques in future projects.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
The most rewarding part of this assignment was that my whole family became involved in the creative process, from setting up the shot to selecting the final image.
Team work is the best.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: akphotography.2020
Website: Anak.photography
Amund Thompson
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
I aimed to capture the idea of finding beauty and presence in unexpected, intimate moments.
The branches act as a frame, symbolizing how nature can reveal small glimpses of something deeper if we’re willing to look closely.
I wanted the image to evoke a sense of discovery and contemplation, as if the viewer stumbled upon a quiet, sacred moment where the subject’s gaze connects them to something beyond the scene itself.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
Shooting through branches created a unique perspective, but it also added obstacles to achieving a clear focal point.
Unexpectedly, the blurred branches added a layer of softness that enhanced the sense of mystery, so I leaned into it.
By adjusting my angle and playing with depth of field, I managed to keep the eyes sharp while letting the branches act as a natural, dreamy frame.
This hurdle ultimately brought out the look I wanted—inviting the viewer to feel like they’re peering into a hidden moment.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
Yes so, they appreciated the way the natural framing added depth and a sense of intimacy to the portrait.
They noted how the subject's eyes became the anchor, drawing viewers in, which was exactly the effect I hoped to achieve.
This feedback reinforced the value of experimenting with layers and elements in the foreground to add mood and context.
Moving forward, it’s inspired me to explore more compositions and to embrace small imperfections that enhance a story.
It’s been a lesson in trusting creative instincts and letting elements like lighting and natural barriers add character to the shot.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
The most rewarding part of this assignment was capturing a powerful, introspective moment that felt genuine and unforced.
Seeing how the natural framing brought out a quiet, almost spiritual quality in the image was incredibly satisfying.
Knowing that viewers connected with that emotion made the effort worthwhile, reinforcing why I love photography—its ability to capture fleeting, meaningful moments in unexpected ways.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: amundphoto
Website: Amundphoto.com
Joseph Baldwin
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
he story behind this image is I wanted to capture unique smiles.
We all have one.
I also pulled inspiration from an album cover, Blue Lips, by Schoolboy Q.
This is what stood out to me and inspired me to create and capture this photo.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
The challenges I faced during this shoot included getting the right focus point.
Using a 50mm lens made it challenging to capture close-up and detailed shots, as the focus tracker was not reading the focus points correctly.
Another challenge was achieving the right crop for this photo.
I wanted to capture only the smile, so I had to lower my camera and adjust my angle to get the perfect crop for this shot.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
The feedback I received was to be mindful of the f-stop.
I used a wider f-stop, which resulted in soft focus on certain areas of the skin, and some areas were out of focus.
I simply need to increase my f-stop to achieve richer sharpness.
Lastly, regarding the choice of lipstick, it was suggested that a red or black color would have suited the image best.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
The most rewarding part of this assignment was actually trying something out of my comfort zone.
I had never really focused on close-up details before, but being able to bring this idea to life for this photo assignment makes me proud.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: jlbaldwin_
Website: jlbaldwin.com
Benja Lee
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
I liked the idea of that feeling before you make a leap of faith, you know when you almost aren't sure if you're going to make it or not.
That's what I was trying to go for here.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
Honestly, working at night with minimal lights. I ended up using f1.8 to bring up the brightness, this worked great but meant that both eyes weren't perfectly in focus.
I feel the image still works but it would have been even better if they both were perfect.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
Generally good, Carty gave me some sick advice that I didn't even think about.
Lighting up the headphones a bit more to highlight the product or brand.
Next time I make an image like this I have lots to consider, in a good way.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
The learning experience and advice given on how I could improve my work astounds me every time.
I feel like every assignment I grow more as a photographer.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: benjah.lee
Youtube: BenjahTheEditor
Best In Show
Joshua Hoehne
What inspired your vision for God In The Details Image? Was there a story or feeling you wanted to capture?
I love how our eyes have so much detail and how reflective they are.
So when we were asked to focus on the details I wanted to focus on the eye.
Also, I wanted to invoke more emotion so we added the tears to tell a deeper story.
Every shoot comes with its obstacles—what were the toughest challenges you faced here? Did any unexpected hurdles lead to a surprising result, and how did you pivot to overcome them?
Finding the right placement of the camera and flash took a lot of tries to get the desired outcome.
Also getting the tears in the eye was challenging.
We tried several different approaches.
While we did capture a free shots with a small amount of teary eyes, we went with eye drops to enhance the crying.
What feedback did you get from your peers or professionals after submitting your image? How has that feedback influenced your perspective and approach for future projects, and in what ways has it shaped your growth as a photographer?
Once I submit it, I had great feedback.
However, even though it was great there was still polish that I could add to enhance the image.
Specifically to increase the contrast.
Additionally, I was encouraged to explore even more of this type of style.
I plan to enhance the image from the feedback before putting it in my portfolio and I'm going to consider including this style in my future photoshoots.
What was the most rewarding part of this photo assignment for you?
It is so rewarding to create something that resonates with others.
That moves others.
It really is exciting.
I love the process of fine tuning during a photoshoot to get that near perfect shot.
Social Media Handles:
Instagram: joshua_hoehne
Facebook: joshua_hoehne
Website: joshua_hoehne
Substack: joshua_hoehne
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Carty is a Pro Photographer, Director, and Educator based in Toronto, CA.
His goal is to educate and connect a global network of visual creators.
👉🏾 Mindset Shifts and Immersive Pro Education on YouTube 👈🏾
Learn more about him and see his work at 👉🏾 SteveCarty.com
Join his photographer’s community 👉🏾 TheCartyMethod.com/community
Work with Him 👉🏾 theCartyMethod.com
The Carty Method Instagram @TheCartyMethod