Pull Up Your Chair ToThe Black Bomb Bar

I think I have a little fascination with black bath bombs.  Why would one want to bathe in black or dark water of any kind.... then I started thinking that activated charcoal water with other skin loving ingredients could feel GREAT!  And why not?  Who's taking notes or giving one hoot about having to clean lightly after a bath.  I, for one, would love to try them.  I think the photo below of someone actually IN a bath after the bomb fizzed away is alluring and I now want a hot bath filled with black water.  Bring it on!

I chose a few "makers" and their bombs from Etsy and ... well .... you could call it BLACK BOMB PORN.

Black Bath Bombs?!?!  BBB: Bodacious Black Beauties.
Tick Tick Bloom.  A creative duo making the biggest bath bombs I have ever seen.  Their photographs are on point and the size of the bombs are beyond my fantastically wildest dreams.
Best friends and biz partners... band together for a colorful bomb business.  They grabbed MY attention and you should check them out!  They sell on Etsy and there BIG BOMB is $20.00, but I bet it's worth it.  Too steep for my current budget, but they are on my list of things to buy!  :)

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Others I saw also made me want to sell my soul in order to get a hold of them..... Such as these.... yum...

Universe Bath Bomb by Kiyi Kiyi is another eye catcher!

CrystalMaeCreations has a bath bomb offered has a regal, dark, goth appeal to it.

SouthernBelleSoap has a bunch with different sparkly glitters to go with all there black bomb offerings!

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I love the photography in the next one, a bunch!!  Love the rustic wood table with the naked hand holding the bomb.   Nice product shot!!  This one is Black Gothic by ParadiseSkinClub:

Now I will grab one of these, although hard to choose.... I will have a black bath soon, I tell ya!

xoxo Joanna

Favorite Soap Top Photo Challenge on Facebook

One of the reasons I set up these photo challenges, is because I think we can all work on our photography skills.  Even ugly soap can be made beautiful with the right angle, light and focus.  I encourage all of you to step outside your comfort zone and really play, flounder, hone in and improve your own setting-the-stage for your soaps. 

There were some amazing soaps submitted this week.  I am truly floored by some of the talent out there and are inspired by the images... the soap itself.  Again, this wasn't about the most beautiful tops (which there were dozens of amazing ones!), this was about photographing your favorite tops. 

Many of you have created a mood so deep, that it has successfully taken me to another place outside of my room.  As if I experience a few seconds on another plane, in a different time and space and if I were connected to a breathing machine or heart rate monitor, I'm guessing the images actually had a physical impact as well.  Not just creative thought.

Imagine for a moment: an image that you've seen that transformed your mood or gave you relief even for a moment.  Then get behind your camera and move around your subject until you FEEL something and click.  Then stay behind the lens and do it again.  And again.  I took a photography class in college and I was taught to examine images that gave me an emotion or took me to the past or rekindled a memory I had forgotten.  That is special when you can examine, then reexamine why it moved you.  Was it the light, the blurred background, the colors, expressions on faces, the unknown....what wasn't said?  All this works to tell a story.

Soap may not tell a story to most, but to us it has a history within ourselves.  Our hard work, our love for science or art, our sweat and tears and sometimes our feelings of worth.  These are our creations and because they are special, we need to deliver all of that information, emotion and love, outside of ourselves and into our image for others to view and experience.

These two are mine, though not thought provoking necessarily, but the first one has a sense of playfulness.

 Joanna Schmidt

SoapTops

Joanna Schmidt

Detox

So, without further ado, here are the photographs that moved me.  Not just beautiful soap, but a mood that captured my attention and took me from my own reality for a few seconds.

Clara Lindberg 

Creamy mohair and goat's milk soap with cinnamon & neroli.

 Kate Boisoneau

Poppet: smoky sweet caramelized sugar, roasted almond, rich cocoa, and airy, creamy marshmallow

 Hajni Kele

Witches Brew

Just because most of these are close-ups, doesn't mean those are the ones that are moving to me.  Lighting and focus have an impact as well.  The one interesting thing about macro shots:  it brings attention to details that are normally overlooked.  Many times it shows the care and beauty that isn't normally seen upfront.  It lures the viewer in and captivates them.

What are your thoughts?  Please share in the comments below...

xoxo Joanna

Black Magic

I just love the look of black soap.  Charcoal is so good for the skin and we love it in my household.  Here is some black magic for you.  Hope you enjoy....

 Product Body | Absolute Soap.  photo courtesy of Cocobong Soap.

Elegant Rose Boutique

Scum Soaps

Batty's Bath

Bathing In Luxury (soap)

The Original Soap Stand

Mojo Spa

 

 

Enjoy your day, folks!!  xo Jo