2020 Photography Challenge

2020 Photography Challenge

Week	Weekly challenge	Details
1 (5th Jan)	A Selfie with attitude!	Simple: Take a selfie of showing a strong emotion. Advanced: Take your selfie in silhouette – but the observer needs to know it’s you!
2 (12th Jan)	Tiny (Macro).	Simple: Take a picture of a small object as close as you can and fill the frame so it looks massive. Advanced: The ability to capture the finest detail is essential in your photo.
3 (19th Jan)	Lighted match.	Simple: Lighting a match has drama; ignition, flare and the settle. Capture this and publish your best photo. Advanced: Three photos capturing each dramatic point.
4 (26th Jan)	Water.	Simple: Water moves, boils, steams, freezes… in your picture interpret ‘Water in Action’. Advanced: Two photos that represent different ‘states’ of water.
5 (2nd Feb)	An egg.	Simple: Whether a food project or a work of art – we want the best photo of an egg! Advanced: Show some movement in the egg photo.
6 (9th Feb)	Rule of thirds	Simple: Learn and then demonstrate in a photograph the rule of thirds. Advanced: The photo should use the rule to build drama and interest.
7 (16th Feb)	Black & white.	Simple: Black & white week, if you can, turn your camera to black and white only this week or do it in post processing Anything goes! Advanced: Your shot should show high contrast.
8 (23rd Feb)	Eye.	Simple: Focus on the eye or eyes – show what you see! Advanced: We want to see detail and highlights!
9 (1st Mar)	Bubbles.	Simple: Bubbles, pay attention to what you can see inside the bubbles. Advanced: Water bubbles may be a bit easier – so only lighter-than-air blown bubbles in your photo please!
10 (8th Mar)	Mirrors and reflections.	Simple: Mirrors and reflections, be observant, notice and record something and its reflection. Advanced: What is real? What is reflection? Can you fool the viewer!?
11 (15th Mar)	Light bulb moment.	Simple: Light bulb moment. As a main subject, want to see a light bulb in your photograph. Advanced: Go vintage! Want to see the light bulb filaments glowing.
12 (22nd Mar)	Frame within a frame.	Simple: A compositional tool is to frame your subject using a frame within the image. Advanced: Use this technique to tell a story!
13 (29th Mar)	Triptych.	Simple: Create a Triptych. Show three photos of the same scene. One to set the scene. One as the main subject. And one to highlight something we may have missed! Advanced: Want the three photos in the same frame.
14 (5th Apr)	SOOC.	Simple: Straight out of the camera (SOOC). Take a great shot and publish straight from the camera. No editing allowed. Use RAW? Just auto convert to a simple JPEG. Advanced: Leave the SOOC image alone! But tell us in the comments how you would improve it.
15 (12th Apr)	Patterns.	Simple: Find some interesting patterns in the local landscape or architecture. Advanced: Repeating patterns.
16 (19th Apr)	Sugar and Spice.	Simple: Artistic. Interpret how you like. Advanced: A still life.
17 (26th Apr)	Abandoned.	Simple: The theme is abandoned. The photo might depict something forgotten? Advanced: Convey a message in your photo – a call to action, perhaps.
18 (3rd May)	Intentional Camera Movement (ICM)	Simple: Not an excuse for camera shake, but a deliberate movement to create an artistic effect. Advanced: Try an ICM and a double exposure to create a work of art!
19 (10th May)	Random bird.	Simple: Your challenge this week is to get a good picture of the first wild bird you see while out with your camera. See a wood pigeon? That’s your bird – go get the shot! Advanced: A bird in flight.
20 (17th May)	Explosion of colour!	Simple: Your photo should assail the senses with vibrant colour. Any saturation of the colours in editing software should be avoided. Advanced: This is really advanced… depict a really colourful scene… in black & white!
21 (4th Jun)	Decay.	Simple: Make an image that shows something coming to the end of its life. Advanced: Use texture to demonstrate the detail of the decay. Simple: Open up your aperture (low number, say F/2.8, F/4) to isolate your subject and create an attractive blur effect in the background. Advanced: Isolate and make your subject pop, yes!… but that ‘bokeh’ should be pretty dramatic too!
22 (7th Jun)	Isolate and blur.	Simple: Open up your aperture (low number, say F/2.8, F/4) to isolate your subject and create an attractive blur effect in the background. Advanced: Isolate and make your subject pop, yes!… but that ‘bokeh’ should be pretty dramatic too!
23 (7th Jun)	Levitation effect.	Simple: Very much a camera trick and editing illusion, but make us believe in levitation. Advanced: Think about props, accessories and expressions that will make us really believe that your subject is defying gravity
24 (14th Jun)	One shot only!	Simple:  You’ve got one shot only – no chances for a second shot! Think of this challenge when you next take a shot. Show this, your first shot (even if you do sneak off a few more). Advanced: We mean it! Your first, one and only shot! Simple: Your challenge this week is to get a good picture of the first wild bird you see while out with your camera. See a wood pigeon? That’s your bird – go get the shot! Advanced: A bird in flight.
25 (21st Jun)	Make a splash.	Simple: Take a close up of a droplet splashing into water. It’s an old favourite photography project but lots to learn every time you do it. Advanced: Use liquids other than water!
26 (28th Jun)	Celebrate your personal learning!	Simple: Half-way through this challenge year. Make an image that shows what you feel you have learned so far. Advanced: Use the photo only. Use no text to describe your photo. It should be obvious from the image what you are celebrating. You can answer questions in the comments.
27 (5th Jul)	Leading Lines	Simple: ‘Leading lines’ is composition technique where lines in your image lead the viewer’s eyes into the main subject of the photograph. Discover such lines in the natural environment or urban landscape. Advanced: Your lines should demonstrate how they add depth and perspective to an image.
28 (12th Jul)	A bug’s life.	Simple: Get in the garden and take a photograph a butterfly, insect or bug. Whether a close up, or you show its environment, it is up to you. Advanced: Try Macro or a moving/flying subject.
29 (19th Jul)	Candid camera!	Simple: Street Photography. Show us a slice of life in your neighbourhood, village,town or city centre. Advanced: Candid means candid – try not to get noticed!
30 (26th Jul)	Cool down.	Simple: A glass. Ice. A drink. Create an image that will cool us down on a hot summer’s day! Advanced: Ice creating a splash or a drink being poured into a glass offers such artistic scope, Explore and enjoy!
31 (2nd Aug)	Wheels.	Simple: Whatever the vehicle or subject, capture the patterns and motions. Use different shutter speeds to blur or freeze the action. Advanced: Look for something different…
32 (9th Aug)	Panning.	Simple: Take a picture of a moving subject whilst moving the camera so that you blur the background to show movement. Shutter speed and handling your camera is crucial here. Advanced: Your subject should be crystal clear and your background a spectacular blur!
33 (16th Aug)	Stormy or sunny?	Simple: Whatever the weather, record its drama, mood and effects this week. Advanced: As an enthusiast, shoot your picture at the dawn or dusk.
34 (23rd Aug)	Filters.	Simple: This is filter week. Whether it’s a coloured sweet wrapper over your lens, a big stopper or something else – use a new or borrowed filter to create effect. Advanced: Should still be a filter you have not used or seldom-used.
35 (30th Aug)	Mono flower.	Simple: Record the beauty of a flower in black and white. Advanced: Do it studio style, even if on your tabletop. Think about composition, lighting and sharp focus where it counts.
36 (6th Sep)	Faces in places.	Simple: Take a picture of something you discover that unintentionally resembles a face. No people allowed. Advanced: As above.
37 (13th Sep)	Make us laugh!	Simple: Capture or create a scene that depicts humour or one that will actually make us laugh! Advanced: You really need to make us laugh!
38 (20th Sep)	Bokeh.	Simple: Google ‘bokeh’. Create an image with shallow depth of field with beautiful bokeh. Advanced: Create shaped bokeh.
39 (27th Sep)	Toy Story!	Simple: Tell a story with toys or about toys. Advanced: Create a ’tilt-shift’ effect for that ‘toytown’ look.
40 (4th Oct)	Minimalist.	Simple: Keep things simple. Make an image where there is one strong element. Keep other components of the picture down to a minimum. Remember the saying ‘Less is more!’. Advanced: Be aware of other composition rules and the use of complementary tones/colours.
41 (11th Oct)	Portait.	Simple: Take a portrait shot – but tell a story with it. Advanced: Try taking a faceless portrait!
42 (18th Oct)	Startled portrait.	Simple: Take a portrait shot that captures an expression of alarm, surprise or concern. This challenge should bring out the Director in you. Advanced: Include a wider angle shot that shows the cause
43 (25th Oct)	Red and/or orange.	Simple: Anything goes as long as it is red and/or orange! Advanced: Red AND orange, please.
44 (1st Nov)	Golden hour portrait.	Simple: The sun at sunrise or sunset makes a great backlight for a portrait. Use some fill-in flash. Advanced: Use three light sources for that perfect back-lit outside portrait.
45 (8th Nov)	Landscape.	Simple: Use a tripod (or another way to avoid camera shake) and correct aperture and settings to capture immaculate detail in a scene. Advanced: Same as above. But capture some movement in the composition.
46 (15th Nov)	Light in the night.	Simple: Night time photography with a tripod and very slow shutter speeds. Try light painting. Catching light trails from traffic. Creating ghostly effects. Advanced: Try creating light orbs.
47 (22nd Nov)	Window.	Simple: Include a window in your photograph as a prominent feature that helps tell a story. Advanced: A ‘through the window’ scene, or reflection in the window? You decide how to convey the story.
48 (29th Nov)	Guess the film?	Simple: Create a scene and publish an image that depicts a film. Advanced: Film noir, low key image. The film should be easy to identify, perhaps with a few clues!
49 (6th Dec)	White.	Simple: Is it snowing or frosty yet? Whatever the weather your theme is white! Advanced: Time to create a ‘high-key’ image.
50 (13th Dec)	A pic of two halves.	Simple: Create a photography with half the image in monochrome and half in colour. Advanced: Diagonal to diagonal. Photo should depict ‘opposites’ or subjects or a theme of high contrast.
51 (20th Dec)	Seasonal Jolly Food.	Simple: This should be your best festive photograph of the week – with a food theme. Advanced: A Christmas still life.
52 (27th Dec)	Selfie update.	Final one : How have you changed over the year since your ‘selfie’ in Week 1 of this challenge? Update or take a new ‘selfie’ in a way that reveals your photographic improvements