So, you want to start a 365 day, 52 week or monthly photo challenge? Here are a few tips to get you started:

Join a group.

When starting any kind of long term photography project, joining a group is a great way to stay motivated and inspired. I have mentioned my Flickr Self-Portrait Experience group before and I welcome you to join if you like. There are a lot of creative people out there shooting and I enjoy trying new techniques myself.

Pick a Theme.

For the rest of the year, I am going to shoot and post at least one portrait of myself. Other themes you can choose are gravity, flora, or nature. Pick something that interest you and photograph it frequently. This year, I think I want to do a jumping series, too. Those look like fun.

Find a Partner.

Shooting photos with a friend is a great way to start a photo challenge. You and a friend can shoot a photo at the same time everyday and post it. Both of you will be surprised by what you share and it is a great way to stay connected.

Share your photos.

There are a lot of platforms you can share your photos on. Flickr is great for organizing and there are lots of groups to join based on your interest. Tumblr is a simple blogging platform you can use to share or you can use a phone app like StreamZoo (iphone and Android) to share. You can find me on StreamZoo as lucrecerbraxton.

Stick to it.

If you forget to shoot one day, it is okay. Show yourself some grace and just keep on shooting. Life catches up to all of us and there are going to be those days where you simply forget to shoot. Definitely do not give up or become frustrated. The worse thing you can do is compare your photography to someone else. We all see the world differently. That is what makes our art unique to who we are. Just stick to it and have fun.