Lucrecer Braxton » Photography. Video. Storytelling.

 

Oh, the excitement of a new year. Who does not have grand plans and goals to start something new only to find they lose that excitement a couple of weeks into the new year? I have started all kinds of photography projects believing I would finish. I have never finished a 365 photo project and the monthly ones are no easier for me to complete. So, I created a challenge that is fun and stress-free to help me take great pictures and grow creatively. After all, isn’t the real purpose of a photo-a-day challenge to improve the way you shoot? There shouldn’t be guilt for missing a day of a challenge. Instead, you move on to the next day and document the moment.

In an effort to help me and you stick it out as long as we can on our photo challenges, I have a few tips to help us be successful:

Plan for Success

• Shoot at the same time every day. Set an alarm on your smartphone to remind you to take a picture at the same time everyday.
• Plan ahead. It’s okay to look ahead for the prompts and plan a creative shot. If you know you are going to shoot at the same time every day, it gives you time to get your props or people together before you compose your photo.
• Make it a habit. Do your best to shoot for 21 days in a row. I hear habits are easier to establish if you do them for 21 days consistently. So, if you shoot at the same time everyday and plan your shot ahead of time, you are well on your way to making picture-taking a habit.

Participate in Photo Prompts

• Find monthly prompts to follow. I started my photo-a-day challenge selfishly at first. In 2015, I intentionally want to take a lot of pictures and I want to improve my images. You can do the same. There are tons of monthly prompts and challenges for photographers and you are sure to find one that strikes your fancy. Or, you can join mine!
• Search the #PhotoADay hashtag. Currently on Instagram, there are close to 2 millions images tagged with the hashtag #PhotoADay. It is a great way to connect with other people who are taking pictures daily and you will find a lot of inspiration there for your own photos.

Create Monthly Themes

• Black & White Only. If you want to truly challenge yourself, shoot in black and white for an entire month. It willl completely change the way you see. I majored in art in college and in my first drawing class, we spent the first two months drawing with nothing but charcoal or pencils. Some students complained that they did not take the class to only draw with charcoal. Our instructor told us some artists depend too much on bright pastels to make their pictures extraordinary. He said until you learn to see the beauty of black and white drawings you will always be a mediocre artist. There are details in black and white photos you would not see with the distraction of color. So, consider this a welcome challenge to enhance the way you see and compose an image.
• A month of portraits. I am known for my self-portraits. I take lots of them to learn how light works on the human face. I suggest you shoot portraits of yourself for a month before you take pictures of other people. Especially if this is the first time you will be dedicating time to portraiture. Here’s why: Until you learn to love the way you look in a portrait, you will not be able to convince someone else that they look good. As the photographer, your subject is trusting you to capture them just as they are. I have had many people tell me they don’t like having their picture taken. They don’t like how they look. You have to help them feel confident, show them how to pose in a flattering position and share your loving energy with them. If you can do this with yourself and your portraits and master it, you can do it with others.
• Camera phone only photos. If you shoot a lot with your DSLR or point & shoot, switch it up for a week or a month if you dare and shoot only with your camera phone. If you are primarily a camera phone shooter, pick up another kind of camera and experiment. I love the images I get from my Mirrorless and DSLR cameras, but I don’t always have them on me. Camera phones can limit the way you can shoot, but you can also be very creative with it, too. This is simply another way to learn to see differently.

Print Your Photos

• Print your favorite three images at the end of the week. I admit, I don’t often print my images, but that is changing this year. Your pictures mean more when you can physically see them in your hands. I recently printed a bunch of pictures from my travels last year and I was struck by all the pictures I had taken with my friends. I don’t get to see many of them that often, so these pictures are truly a treasure for me. I created a wall of friends and I look at it daily. Print your pictures. Please. Just do it.
• Print all the pictures you took for the month at the end of the month. Here are a few places you can use for prints or books.
  • Printacular
  • Artifact Uprising
  • Blurb
  • Shutterfly

Forgive Yourself

• Don’t panic if you miss a day. It is not that serious if you miss a day of a challenge. Start again the next day. The point of the challenge is not to compete or keep up with the other people participating in the challenge. Instead, this is about you growing as a photographer and learning something new. Choose instead to be a learner and active participant in the challenge community.
• Have fun. Remember why you are doing the project in the first place. If you go back to your why, you are more likely to stick to the project. Don’t compare yourself to someone else. If you and three of your friends take a picture of a piece of fruit, none of you will take the exact same picture. Your perspectives will be different and that is okay. Just have fun, keep learning and shoot every damn day!