"New year, new me" totally overrated. However, as photographers -including yours truly- we need to reminded of our work and sharpen our skills. I stumbled upon a challenge as I read an article on the internet. Rest assured, unlike #BirdBoxChallenge or #KikiChallenge this is a positive (and fun) kind of challenge! A whole year of photography challenge to train your senses and creative mind originally created by Dogwood Photography. I never heard of this before but it seems that this is their fourth year to repeat this fun activity.
Unlike most photography challenges which are just a simple list of ideas, this 52 week challenge is designed to push your photography to the next level. This list is going to be more challenging to complete than a simple 52 week photography challenge list. But stick with it to the end and I guarantee you will be a better photographer for it. There is no specific start date for this challenge. Each photographer is on their own journey, and only competing with themselves from week to week. If you wish to form a challenge group and compete with each other based on this list you are welcome to do so! If you form a challenge group drop me an invite I would love to watch the progress.
Each week, the weekly assignment will be in one of 3 categories:
- Portrait: Portrait photography is really about capturing the essence of a person in an image. A portrait image can range from a classic portrait to candid, or from street photography to a selfie. Each time this category comes up we will dive into a different area of portrait photography. The main focus should always be a person/persons (or maybe a pet).
- Landscape: In the context of the #dogwood52 photography challenge, this category is pretty broad covering both traditional landscapes, and some non-traditional areas such as urbanscapes. Don’t be afraid to really explore your surroundings in this category. If the focus is the environment you are in, it will qualify as Landscape in this category.
- Artistic Impression: When this category comes up, you really have room to express yourself. You can interpret the assignment literally or figuratively. Unlike the other two categories that are more focused, the main focus of this category is to let your creativity shine.
Moreover, here's how you can show off your progress and make friends along the way: #dogwood52 and #dogwoodweek[NUMBER] (ex: #dogwoodweek1, #dogwoodweek2).
There are no rules but being as creative as you can. Just make sure you don't forget to set yourself an example of being discipline by creating a reminder on your smartphone, print the challenge and stick them on your fridge or even write them on your planning. I tried to do more action and less preaching by completing the first week challenge myself. Luckily weekends are perfect for me to always create something new off the list. If you have something to say, please do leave me a comment!
Happy photo challenge!
(source: https://dogwood.photography/52weekchallenge2019#)
