Houston Photographic Study Group is a group of photographers who want to learn more and lift their photographic skills to the next level. Four highly-regarded Texas-based professional educators/photographic artists (Kathy Adams Clark, Frank Kreipe, Dion McInnis, and Laszlo Perlaky) rotate as critique/discussion leaders.

Laszlo’s HPSG assignments for 2024:

March 7, 2024   “Weather and Climate”
Look at the weather and climate around you and other places where you traveled before or lately, then photograph your imagination and look for powerful artistic images that warn the viewers.
 
July 3, 2024    “The Future of the Earth”
Your photographs can play an important role in Nature conservancy and can show disappearing glaciers or water, rising sea levels, or drying lands, just to name a few. Use your artistic intent to photograph the sadness in the mirror of your visionary hope.
 
November 7, 2024    “Inner Pulsation”
The inner pulsation of a work of art is how the viewer’s mind reacts to the image. It is that harmony between the viewer and the image. Think, research about the assignment, imagine, then photograph the “Inner Pulsation” creatively.

Compiled all HPSG assignments for 2024

Laszlo’s HPSG assignments for 2023:

March 2, 2023   “The Language of Light”  Look at the word “photography” closer, and find its Greek roots for “light” and “writing”, then focus on the day and night sceneries in bright or dim light, natural or enhanced illuminations and then your visual experiments will find how photography developing its own language of light.

July 6, 2023    “Traces, Found Objects”  Every photograph ever made has recorded something that no longer exists, but carries with it traces of what one was. Many times traces show the presence of humans, old lost and found objects, or just remnants of them, which easily can be overlooked. Use your artistic intent to photograph ordinary objects as extraordinary.

November 2, 2023   “The Poetry of Shadows”  As you worked on my “The Language of Light” project, you found that light and shadows are key elements of photography. One of my art teachers told me that shadows are the footprints of light. From dark and moody images to abstract designed images, shadows can work in a variety of ways. Think, imagine, and photograph “The Poetry of Shadows” creatively. 

Compiled all HPSG assignments for 2023

Laszlo’s HPSG assignments for 2022:

May 5, 2022 “Water in all its forms” The water is the source of life and it appears in three different forms (states) on earth: solid, liquid, or gas. Think about your images, look for the water where you can show it in at least two different forms. Your imagination and artistic vision will challenge the viewers. 

September 1, 2022 “Oh so close …” Up close … as close you can get. Look for the beauty of things from a challenging close range, make your image (pattern, floral, mechanical, nature, critters just name a few), and surprise the viewer with your photographic art. 

November 3, 2022 “Be Square” Try to think and compose your image in square format. I suggest making and using a square cut-out cart board viewer before you photograph. The theme is your choice, but make sure your image is best looking in the square, and if you change the aspect ratio of the square to a rectangle, your image will lose its power. Think about a few of the elements of composition (simplicity, subtlety, shape, space) and decide which will work best in square format for your image and make your image accordingly. 

Compiled all HPSG assignments for 2022

Laszlo’s HPSG assignments for 2021:

March 4, 2021   “Simplicity brings strength,” One of my art teachers told me this quote and inspired me to see the light and texture without the complicated disturbing effects of surroundings. Are you ready for the challenge? Think, relax, and surprise the viewers.

June 3, 2021    “The edges of Night: Dusk and Dawn” Look for your pre-visualized images, capturing the special quality of the light which is visible only during dusk and dawn. Show the dramatic color-painted magic, and artistically express yourself.

September 2, 2021    “The Old Garden” Relax and remember before you look for and focus on your Old Garden images. Think about your childhood remembrance, the memories returning in the revisited  Old Garden… maybe that place does not exist anymore, but you have it deeply in your heart. Use your imagination and create your photographic art.

I added additional information: Imagination and metaphor creation are very important. Don’t go to an old overgrown, jungle garden and photograph it as is. The memories are important, your remembrance of the time when you were young and the young tree became a big tree, but an old carved heart or carved name of your love is still visible on it. However, the garden can symbolize a place or an object that you care about and love, so the Old Garden can be used literally or metaphorically for anything that you love and care and your remembrance forms the image. I can imagine misty, foggy, high key, strong bokeh, soft focus, dust-covered dreamy images, or multiple talking to each other images, showing the past, the remembrance, and recalled memories. I am not against any image manipulation, but it must be a pre-visualized, intentional image-making process, not just try this or that effect. This assignment is not an easy one, especially for those who just walk around and photograph what they like at that moment. This assignment is for an artistic visual translation of the creative mind. “

December 2, 2021   “Finding the light” The quality of the light on a subject has a profound effect on the power of a photograph. Its color, direction, and diffusion often define the success or failure of an image. Focus on images when the subject is the magic of the light itself.

Compiled all HPSG assignments for 2021

Compiled all HPSG assignments for 2020

Laszlo’s HPSG Past assignments:

• 2023   “The Language of Light”
• 2023   “Traces, Found Objects”
• 2023   “The Poetry of Shadows”
• 2022   “Water in all its forms”
• 2022   “Oh so close…”
• 2022   “Be Square”
• 2021   “Simplicity brings the strength”
• 2021    “The Edges of Night: Dusk and Dawn”
• 2021    “The Old Garden”
• 2020   “Zen Garden”
• 2020  “Translucent Glow”
• 2020  “Skyscapes”
• 2020  “Art and Science”
• 2019  “Rain”
• 2019  “Looking in, looking out”
• 2019  “Masks”
• 2019   “Cultivated Plants”
• 2018   “Darkness and Light” 
• 2018  “Listen to the Trees” 
• 2018  “Intimate Portraits”
• 2018  “The Quiet Landscape”    
• 2017  “Forgotten”
• 2017  “Portals”
• 2017  “America”
• 2017  “Structure”
• 2016  “Abstract expressions”
• 2016  “Things with Wings”
• 2016  “City Streets and Country Roads”
• 2016  “Car Culture”
• 2015  “Smiling like Donkey eating Cactus” (substitute for Dion)
• 2015  “Happy Homeless”
• 2015  “I Feel Happy”
• 2015  “Loneliness”
• 2015  “Sign Language”
• 2014  “Dinner” 
• 2014  “Romance”
• 2014  “Imaginations”
• 2014  “Childhood Remembrance”
• 2013   “Touch of Nature”
• 2013   “Japanese Gardens”
• 2013   “First Light”
• 2013   “Reflections”
• 2012   “Grain-Noise-Alike”
• 2012   “Camouflage”
• 2012   “Scent of Feather”
• 2012   “Wind-Power”
• 2011   “Texture”
• 2011   “Focus on Foreground and Background Relationship”
• 2011   “Cheap Close-Up, Photographic Art Project”
• 2011   “Soft Focus Mood”
• 2010   “Bokeh”
• 2010   “Focus on Drops”
• 2010   “Focus on Waterfalls”
• 2010   “Fragile”
• 2009   “Shadow Play”
• 2009   “Focus on Mist and Fog”
• 2009   “Water is the Source of Life”
• 2009   “Color on Color”
• 2008   “Migration”
• 2008   “Small World”
• 2008   “Backlight”
• 2008   “Animal Antics”
• 2007   “Rhythm”