10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

By: Karen Quist

Have you noticed how many photographers are fascinated with the natural world? Even if we specialise in another genre, few of us can resist a gorgeous flower, or a branch of autumn leaves.
One of the best things about photographing nature is that it is so accessible. You needn’t travel far to find it, because it’s all around you. You may take it for granted because you see it every day, but your own backyard is treasure trove. Every hour of every day and every season, bring something new.

Summer lavender: ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/200th

Backyard needn’t be taken literally here. If you don’t have a backyard, you’ll find plenty of nature to photograph just by wandering the streets or public parks and gardens.
Tech details: All of the photographs in this article were shot on my Canon 5D Mark III. Unless otherwise stated, I have used my Canon macro 100mm f/2.8 lens. I have included details of ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings.

#1 – Flowers and leaves

Flowers and leaves are often the first things that come to mind when we look for subjects in our own backyards. They offer an endless variety of colours, shapes and textures for you to photograph. You could create a collection based on a single colour scheme, or try to find as many different leaf or flower shapes as possible.

Cymbidium orchid: ISO 640, f/4, 1/100th

Violet leaves: ISO 800, f/8, 1/30th

Geranium leaves: ISO 320, f/8, 1/40th

Experiment with different lighting and conditions. I love backlighting for leaves and flowers, as it creates a luminous, almost three-dimensional effect, and you can see details such as veins. Some shapes look better with strong, directional light, and I love how colours are enhanced in the wet.

Erlicheer daffodils BACKLIT: ISO 100, f/4, 1/640th

The same flower shot with the sun on my back: ISO 100, f/4, 1/800th

Backlighting a leaf reveals details you wouldn’t see if you lit it directly : ISO 100 f/4, 1/250th

Flowers are seasonal, and in temperate zones, spring and summer offer the widest variety. There are still flowers to be found in winter, although you may need to look harder. Don’t forget that weeds, such as dandelions ,are also beautiful! Autumn (fall) provides the greatest colour spectrum in leaves.

Liquidamber leaves photographed en masse: ISO 640, f/4, 1/80th

A single leaf isolated against a dark background: ISO 640, f/4, 1/30sec

#2 – Fruit, berries and seed pods

When the summer flowers disappear, fruits and berries are nature’s way of providing for birds and animals throughout the colder months. Many berries and seed pods ripen towards the end of autumn, bringing colour to the winter garden. Citrus trees bear fruit in winter, and persimmon trees lose their leaves to reveal branches of shiny orange fruits. Think also of acorns, pine cones, and nuts.

Kumquat: ISO 2500, f/4.5, 1/50 sec

ISO 800, f/8.0, 1/500th.

ISO 500, f/5.0, 1/1250th.

Orange rosehip: ISO 500, f/5.0, 1/160th

Bunches of red berries: ISO 500, f/5.0, 1/100th.

#3 – After the rain

Raindrops are fascinating through the lens. Try photographing them from various angles, and in different lighting. When photographing a single droplet, or a string of them, isolate them by keeping the background uncluttered. You can do this by creating distance between the droplets and the background, and using a wide aperture to ensure it is blurred. Notice also how water sits in nice round droplets on some types of leaves, but on others it disperses.

Arthrododium leaves after rain: ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/80 sec

Raindrops hang from the slats on the back of a garden chair: ISO 1000, f/4, 1/125 sec

ISO 640, f/4, 1/125 sec

ISO 1000, f/4, 1/125 sec

#4 – Mushrooms, toadstools and fungi

These are abundant in autumn and winter, but some species pop up throughout the year after rain. Look in damp, mossy places, on the sides of trees and log piles for them.
My personal favourites are the red toadstools with white speckles. They are evocative of fairy tales and magic, and their colours are a nature photographer’s dream!

Toadstool: ISO 1000, f/6.3, 1/250 sec

ISO 1000, f/6.3, 1/160 sec

Don’t ignore the tiny, dull-coloured mushrooms and fungi. The ones in the photo below were growing in a crevice in the side of my herb garden. You can see by the scale of the woodgrain how tiny they were. From above, they were nondescript, but when I lay on the ground beneath them and shot into the backlight, they became translucent and I could see their delicate structure.

These tiny mushrooms were no bigger than the fingernail on my pinky finger! ISO 800, f/8, 1/160 sec

#5 – Look up . . . look down

We have a ginormous tree in our backyard. It was probably planted when our house was first built in the 1920s, and its canopy is as big as the footprint of the house. One of my favourite things to do in the warmer months is to put a picnic rug on the lawn, and lie on my back gazing up into its branches. It is free therapy!
Watching the leaves change from bright spring green through to darker green in summer, the first blush of colour in autumn, through to rich claret just before they drop, never ceases to delight me. I have photographed it time and time again through the seasons. Even lying on the ground with my 35mm lens, I can only capture a small portion of the canopy.

Sigma 35mm Art lens, ISO 160 f/11, 1/60 sec

Sigma Art lens 35mm, ISO 160, f/11, 1/100 sec

If you are lucky enough to have trees in your garden, try standing or lying directly underneath them and shooting up into the branches. Notice how the light changes from early morning, throughout the day into late afternoon and evening. Branches, whether they are naked or covered with leaves, contrast beautifully against a blue sky. They are equally stunning at sunrise and sunset, and on a moonlit night.

Sigma Art lens 35mm: ISO 200, f/11, 1/200

If you haven’t any trees, look for interesting cloud formations to photograph. You can create a collection of skies to use as Photoshop overlays, to add interest to other outdoor photos such as portraits. Look for vertical cloud formations, fat white fluffy ones, and those lovely soft colours around the edge of the clouds at dusk and dawn.
Down on the ground are a million microcosms in the moss, the lawn, between the paving stones, and the fallen bark and leaves. You won’t see them until you get down to ground level, so lie flat on your tummy and peer into another world.

Macro world: the moss on a tree trunk. ISO 640, f/4, 1/40 sec

#6 – Black and white beauty

We tend to think of colour photography when we think of nature, but don’t dismiss the idea of black and white. Nature provides sculptural shapes and contrasting textures that make great black and white subjects. If you have succulents or cacti in your garden, they are often more interesting in black and white than they are in colour (except on those rare occasions when they flower). Ditto with white flowers against a dark background. Smooth pebbles, rough bark, snail shells, acorns and pine cones all look fabulous in black and white. Try strong, directional lighting, and a high contrast edit.

When I converted this file to B&W in Lightroom, I played with the sliders in the HSL panel. The photo on the left has the blue slider pulled all the way down to -100 to darken the blue sky. On the right, the blue slider is set to zero.

ISO 100, f/8, 1/100th. Converted to B&W in Lightroom.

#7 – Experiment with sun flare and haze

Your backyard is one of the best places to experiment with effects and new techniques. Firstly, you become familiar with how things look at various times of the day, and throughout the seasons. Secondly, you don’t need to travel far, so you can respond to anything on a whim. If you spot something amazing while you’re sipping on your morning coffee, you needn’t even get out of your pyjamas to capture it!
The subjects in the two photographs below are both visible from my desk. Every morning last summer, I noticed how this shaft of hazy sunlight would hit the planting of succulents on the pedestal, so I knew exactly what time to capture it at its best. Also sitting at my desk, I saw how the sun caught this spray of orchids just after the rain, and I rushed outside with my camera.

Canon 85mm lens, ISO 100, f/4, 1/800th.

Shot with sun flare and no lens hood: ISO 100, f/4, 1/1000 sec

For comparison, this is the same scene shot with a lens hood to cut flare: ISO 100, f/4, 1/320sec

#8 – Snails, bugs and spiders

For nine months of the year, there are a million creepy-crawlies in my backyard. Butterflies, cicadas, crickets, praying mantis, caterpillars, moths, bees, wasps and spiders (I could happily do without the latter two). At the time of writing this article, it is winter in Melbourne, so most bugs are hiding or dormant.

#9 – Birds and other wildlife

I’m going to preface this paragraph with honesty. Confession #1: photographing wildlife of any kind requires more patience and a longer telephoto lens than I possess. Confession #2: I have the greatest admiration for those who do it. I have a Pinterest board just for animal photos (you’ll notice a clear bias towards squirrels) and on 500px I follow a number of photographers, one of whom only photographs squirrels!


The kinds of animals and birds you’re likely to find in your backyard obviously depends on which part of the world you live in, and how built-up your neighbourhood is. You will know which kinds of critters visit your backyard, and what their habits are. With that in mind, find a spot where you won’t be too conspicuous, and be prepared to wait. If you’re using a long lens, you might consider using a tripod or monopod to avoid camera shake. Have your ISO and aperture all set to go, with a fast shutter speed to freeze motion. If you have been watching the animal or bird’s behaviour over several days or weeks, it may be possible to focus roughly on the area you expect them to appear – for example, the birdbath.
Also read: Guide to Attracting Critters to Your Garden for Backyard Wildlife Photography

#10 – Portraits in nature

Nature provides us with the perfect canvas for portraiture. Look for a bank of flowers, a bed of autumn leaves, or just a green hedge – the colours in nature never seem to clash.
When photographing children and pets in particular, I almost always prefer an outdoor location over a studio. My eldest daughter usually runs a mile when she sees the camera, but the chance to roll around with the dog in these glorious leaves was clearly too much for her to resist.
I love how the soft hues flatter her skin tone. If you are shooting outdoors with lots of colours, such as flowers or autumn leaves, take care with your subject’s outfit. These portraits might have been too busy if my daughter had been wearing a patterned outfit.

Not even teenage daughters can resist these leaves! ISO 320, f/4, 1/400 sec

ISO 320, f/4, 1/320 sec

So there you have it – plenty of inspiration to get outdoors and photograph nature in your own backyard. It’s time to stop reading and get out there with your camera.

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6 Tips for Capturing Character and Personality in Wildlife Photography

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

A Post By: Will Nicholls

If you want to take your wildlife photography to the next level, then you need to look at capturing the character and personality of an animal. This makes for a much more appealing image, rather than simply a bird on a stick. A photo always needs to tell a story, but I think many photographers don’t realize that this applies to wildlife photography too.
Even though we can’t directly relate to most wild animals, it is still possible to document a story through a single image, or a sequence of images.

Tufted Capuchin

Without anthropomorphising animals, many do have their own personalities. I am doubtful this applies to something like an ant, but mammals in particular can be observed to have particular traits and habits. Some may be bold and investigate new things, whereas others may retreat and shy away from disturbances. This can be seen as the animal’s personality, and it is up to us as wildlife photographers to capture this on camera.
It’s definitely not easy though, as stills photography captures one moment in time and freezes it forever. Working with video makes it far easier to convey character, but it’s not impossible to do it in a single frame. Here are some tips to help you get character in your wildlife photography.

#1 – Behaviour

As a zoologist, I am fascinated by animal behaviour. Some behaviours we see as normal and predictable, whereas others shock and surprise us. Did you know that fish swallow small stones to aid digestion?
It’s capturing these interesting behaviours on camera that properly conveys the essence of a particular species. When you’re behind the camera, it’s easy to stare through the viewfinder and get tunnel vision. But if you step back and study an animal, reading up about it beforehand, you’ll learn what you need to look out for. Many animals have giveaway moves that warn you of an impending display – which is the case with great skuas, a seabird found in the northern hemisphere.

Great Skua, photographed in Scotland (Stercorarius skua)

In this particular case, the skua was preening its feathers continuously. This is a typical thing for birds to do before flapping their wings or displaying. It’s almost like a big stretch and yawn. I waited patiently for 15 minutes while the bird preened, knowing that I would probably be rewarded with such a display afterwards (image above).
Confrontations between two animals are commonplace. If you see one animal, even if it’s of a different species, approaching another, then chances are you’ll see some sort of interaction. Take these white-tailed eagles, for example. I was pretty sure that they’d both have a disagreement over who had rights to the tasty fish laying on the ice. With my focus nailed, I kept the shutter half-pressed and fired as soon as they lifted their wings.

White-tailed Eagles, photographed in Hungary.

#2 – Humour

While animals won’t inherently try to be funny, they often do things that make us chuckle. These are usually opportunistic photos that you can’t prepare for, but being poised and ready at all moments is key to capturing them.
When I lead workshops, one of the main things I try to get my clients to realize is that as soon as you drop your camera down, you’re risking missing the shot. If your subject is in front of you, then you’ve done the hard bit of waiting for an appearance – keep your eye to the viewfinder and remain at the ready, almost like a sniper training his eye on a target.

Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), photographed in England.

A quick scratch from a squirrel lasting just a couple of seconds was possible to catch on camera, because I was already following its progress along the branch through the viewfinder.

A red deer stag in the Scottish Highlands.

I had been looking to capture a stag peering through the trees, and while this wasn’t my intended outcome, I couldn’t help but click away when this stag stuck its tongue out round the tree. It’s little things like this that bring a smile to the viewer, and bring in personality and character to your wildlife photos. Although they make some chuckle more than others…

#3 – Tight in the Frame

All the images I’ve shared so far in this article are fairly tight in the frame. This is a particularly useful composition technique you can use to bring the focus solely to the animal. The bokeh also helps, isolating the subject against the background – this is done using a wide aperture (and subsequently a shallow depth of field), most often successfully with a telephoto lens.

Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).

When the attention of the viewer is trained on the animal alone, without distracting background elements to tear the eye away, then they feel more interacted with the animal in the image. It perhaps sounds a little cliché, but it is true. In this image of a squirrel, you can see that eye contact, along with a catchlight in the eye, really makes the photo pop.
When doing tight compositions like this, be careful not to chop limbs off half way down their length. It’s all or nothing, I always say!

#4 – Family Ties

If there’s anything humans can relate to with animals, it’s the bond between parents and offspring. Not all animals care for their young, of course, but those that do can be seen to care and work endlessly to raise their young. Take these two gannets – a male and a female – courting to reaffirm their bond each time the other returns to the nest from gathering fish.

Northern gannets (Morris bassanus).

If you can capture the parents feeding their young, even better. It doesn’t have to be a feeding behaviour though, and in particular playful shots between a family will give your shots the aww factor. Obviously, you have to be in the right place at the right time, and these particular kinds of shots require a lot of dedication and time to achieve, due to their rare nature.

Barn swallows feeding fledglings in British countryside.

#5 Try Something Different

Experimenting is something you’ve probably been told to do again and again – but it works. I am a particular fan of the high-key style of photography for wildlife, isolating the subject against the background by blowing out the highlights in an image. This mountain hare was grooming its fur, but as it bowed its head it looked rather solemn. The white background makes it almost look like a painting, and personally I think this is a rather intimate portrait.

Mountain Hare

Be prepared to step outside your comfort zone. That is where the photos are, that set you apart from the endless bird on a stick shots we see day to day. At first it’ll probably all go wrong, but that’s okay! You know all those rules you’ve been told? Rule of thirds, golden triangle, etc., break them, and see what happens.

#6 – Light

Ooh, it’s that scary unknown again. Light. It’s a maker or breaker for photography, and that doesn’t change when you step into nature photography either. Backlighting is particularly effective for conveying mystery and magic in an image. I used this to my advantage when photographing Peruvian spider monkeys – a primate that is unfortunately on the endangered list. Even so, the backlighting breaking through the rainforest canopy makes this image appear magical.

A backlit Peruvian spider monkey in the Amazon Rainforest in Manu, Peru.

If you see interesting light like this, then be careful about your exposure. It’s important not to blow the highlights rim-lighting the animal, while at the same time keeping the individual exposed properly too. But when it works, it really works.
I feel that to end an article about character and personality, it is only right to use primates as an example. We can really relate to them, more than any other animal, due to our close relations. They’re curious, intelligent, and a clear example of an animal capable of emotions.

A male and female black-faced spider monkey stick together in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. These two individuals are displaying courting behaviour.

So keep clicking the shutter each time something of interest happens. Don’t wait and savour space on your memory card, because you might just miss something amazing.

Enjoy Your Photography

If you have a camera, learn to enjoy photography.

7 Photography Courses For Excellent Results

by admin · 09/02/2019

#photographyhobbyist  #photographybestoftheday #photographyforever

The projects on this site are not “how to learn photography” projects. They’re about having fun with a camera and enjoying photography. Learning something can turn into a chore rather than an enjoyment. So if you want to try these ideas out you can do so casually. Just enjoy them, you may learn something from them, and if you do great. If not you can do some photography courses.

A waterscape in Galway

Before I go any farther I must disclose that I use affiliate links on this website, and there are some on this page. This means that if you click on one and buy something from the website it refers you to, I will get a little payment. You will not pay any extra than you would have if you had gone straight to the website you bought from. This is how I make a living.
The photographs in this article have nothing to do with any of the photography courses discussed here. They’re all my own photos and are here to brighten up the post. Text only posts are dull on any blog, but on a photography blog…well…ridiculous.

Why bother with a photography course

Many people just want photographs as memories. They aren’t overly concerned with how technically accomplished they are. This site is basically to show people that it’s possible to have fun with photography.

A photograph on a post about online photography courses

Some people want to learn all about photography. In some cases they will be happy to be enthusiast photographers, but will want to learn about photography. Other people will have ambitions to take it further, and will need to learn. There are many photography courses online and I’m going to show the best ones here.
Sometimes people will want to learn about one or two aspects of photography that they’re week at. It may be exposure, composition or lighting. It may be processing, learning a specific programme, or the tools involved. There’s many photography courses available for the different aspects of the craft, as well as general courses.
If you would like to take photography courses to take your skill to the next level, here are some courses. These are not the only photography courses online, but I think they’re some of the very best. Why don’t you look through them and see if any is what you like.

A photograph of a pigeon

1.CreativeLive

CreativeLive is all about creativity. Their photography courses online are delivered as video tutorials. They cover essentials, software, techniques and cameras. More importantly they cover twelve photographic genres, or just about everything.
This whole website is geared towards creativity, as the name implies. They also cover Video, Art, Design, Crafts, Music and Audio. In all they have over 1,500 curated classes with over 650 instructors.
Some of their classes are free and always available online. Have a look at one or two of these. They’ll give an indication of what’s on offer, but the paid for classes obviously have more detail and depth. Some of the free classes last for less than 2 minutes while others are well over an hour long. Visit Creative Live website.

2. Digital Photography School

This is one of the top photography websites and is also well regarded for photography courses online. They have several stand alone photography courses, some for beginners, and others aimed at intermediate level photographers. Like most courses they’re delivered by video.
As well as their courses they also have 24 quality ebooks that teach aspects of photography. This is all from one of the best loved photography blogs online. The blog alone is a wonderful resource for photographers quite apart from the courses and ebooks. Check the Digital Photography School website.

Some water activity

3. Learn & Master

This is a single comprehensive course. It’s presented on DVD which you buy and own yourself. This gives you the option of playing the discs over again if you need to. It also include two CDs of photos used in the course and a thorough Lesson Book. There’s over thirty hours of instruction.
I know that online videos are always there as well as the DVD you own. However the Internet does  go down occasionally and that could happen at an inconvenient time. When you have the course on your own DVDs, that won’t happen. Learn & Master is here.

4. CLICK Photography course

This is a photography courses online for beginners and amateurs. It has 18 modules which you complete at your own pace. It goes from an introduction to the basics right through to advances photoshop techniques.
Their website has a student showcase gallery where students can post some of their photographs. There’s a forum exclusively for members who take the course. On their website there’s also a DSLR simulator. Take a look at Click photographic course.

River Corrib, Galway

5. kelbyone

Again this is a business that teaches through video. All photography is covered in depth, with a large number of specialised courses. It looks to be very strong in it’s post-processing content. Many of the instructors are world famous photographers.
 This is a membership site with three different plans. You can sign up for free, check out some of the videos and decide if you want to join. If you do there are two levels of membership. There’s more about Kelbyone here.

6. Skillshare

This is another company that offers many different courses across the photography spectrum. Once again they’re video based. They provide courses in a range of subjects and many of them are free. Actually they call them classes rather than courses. When you join up for paid classes, the first month of membership is free. Get a closer look at Skillshare.

Time for a snack

7. Udemy

Udemy provides more than photography courses online, they provide courses in many other areas. They include Marketing, IT and Software, Business and several others. In all they have over 100,000 online courses.
Their photography courses  are presented in the form of online video lessons. There’s a large number of courses covering a wide range of topics. Some of the courses cover video production also. The Udemy website.

You can start online photography courses for free

I’ve listed very good online photography courses here. If you would like to learn photography or any specific aspect of photography, you’ll find a suitable course here. There’s a mixture of comprehensive all encompassing courses and short targeted courses. If you decide to signup for one, try to enjoy it. Some of listed sites offer some free courses to try before you commit to a paid for course. Try a few of these first what’s available, would it benefit you, and would you complete a comprehensive  course. Then if you feel you would, pick an online photography course, and enjoy it.
If you’re not interested in studying photography why not try some of the projects here. Perhaps you’d like to make comics with photographs or photograph fish in an aquarium. There will be more fun projects added here on a ongoing basis.

The Most Unique 21 Day Photo Challenge

By: Simply Snapping Mom

#photographydays

#photographyidea

#photographyfineart

Have you ever heard of the wrestlers that train by wrestling bears? They take one gigantic leap out of their comfort zone to really challenge themselves. To improve any type of skill, you have to wrestle “your bear”. Stick with me here, I am not asking you to photograph (or wrestle) a bear. I am here to encourage you to test your limits and step out of your comfort zone.
You can read 100 articles on your camera and take a college course on photography; however, without practice, it will never really CLICK. Photography is a form of art. You need practice, and you need to challenge yourself.

This weird and unique 21 day photo challenge will get you to test your limits, and it will train your eye to look differently at the pictures you are about to take. I guarantee when you finish this challenge you will be a better photographer- OR if nothing else you will at least have some fun with this fantastic hobby!

The Most Unique Photo Challenge Checklist

First step, print out the below free checklist:

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21 Day Checklist Details

Day 1: Something Ugly

Photograph something gross, disturbing, or ugly. This will not only force you to photograph something that you usually wouldn’t, but it will also get you to try to see the beauty (or at least the interesting details) in everything. This is an important skill of great photographers.

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Day Two: Weird Angle

Use your imagination and take a picture from an angle that you usually would not even think of. Train yourself to try different angles. You can get beautiful perspectives in your pictures by simply changing where you are taking the picture from.

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Day Three: Bathroom Picture

When you think of photography, you rarely think of the bathroom (unless you are a selfie-loving teen). Think outside of the box and take a picture inside of the bathroom. Try to make a traditionally non-beautiful place into an interesting photo.

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Day Four: Moving Water

To photograph moving water you have two options. First, you can increase the shutter speed on your camera, so that you can actually capture water moving. On the other hand, if you are photographing a waterfall or a stream, you may want to drastically slow down your shutter speed (and use a tripod!), to capture a soft flowing water look.

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Day Five: Someone Sleeping

Capture a family member, friend, or even pet deep in sleep.

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Day Six: Someone Eating

Take a picture of someone eating food. It can make the food look appetizing…or messy (yup, that is chocolate ice cream below!).

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Day Seven: Close-up Portrait

Fill the entire frame with your subjects face. Try to leave little to no blank space in the picture.

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Day Eight: Your Favorite Pair of Shoes

Are they muddy work boots, your gym sneakers, or your favorite pair of pumps? Take a picture of your favorite pair of shoes in their natural element!

Day Nine: Genuine Smile

Whatever you do, resist the urge to yell “Say Cheese!”. Capture a genuine, happy smile! You can tell a real smile from a fake smile if you look at the subject’s eyes.

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Day Ten: Mess in Your House

Capture those beautiful messes that make up your every day life. At the time, these messes may be anxiety-inducing, but try to see and document the beauty in all of the chaos!

Day Eleven: Candid Moment

Take a picture of people interacting, or someone who hasn’t even noticed that you have your camera. Make sure it is a candid moment.

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Day Twelve: Any Emotion Other Than Happy

It is rather easy to capture smiles, but try to get a picture of a different raw emotion or personality trait. Sad, mad, perplexed- it is your choice!

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Day Thirteen: Something Seasonal

Whether a holiday, or a specific season, take a photo of something that only comes that time of year! This picture below screams “SUMMERTIME!” to me.

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Day Fourteen: Blowing Glitter

Don’t have glitter? Try snow, sequence, or popcorn! You will have to practice increasing your shutter speed to capture the glitter particles. Check out my detailed post on glitter photo shoots for some help!

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Day Fifteen: Something Mid-Air

Whether a person or thing- try to photograph something mid-air. Note: you will have to increase your shutter speed! For tips on taking sharp action shots, check out my post here!

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Day Sixteen: What Makes You Happy

My sweet and clumsy daughter at dance practice makes me smile. What makes you happy? Snap it!

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Day Seventeen: Someone Caught in the Action

Did your pet chew up an old toy? Did your little one take all of the toilet paper off the roll? Is your spouse sneaking into the cookie jar? Capture someone in the act of doing “something bad”.

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Day Eighteen: Capture a Memory

If you don’t have anything fun on your schedule today, make it happen. Go apple picking, play in the snow, paint inside- the possibilities are endless. Do something to create a lasting memory, and bring your camera along!
It doesn’t have to be fancy!

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Day Nineteen: Only Photograph PART of a Face

Sometimes when you don’t have the entire face in view, you can tell a great story.

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Day Twenty: Something Neglected

Try to find something neglected for the day twenty challenge. This can be an old building, your garage, etc. Sometimes old things have plenty of character which gets absorbed into your photos!

Day Twenty-One: Self Portrait

For some, this is part of their daily ritual. For others (like me), it is painfully awkward! Set up your camera, set the timer, and try your best at a genuine smile.

Time to Wrestle Your Photography “Bear”

Obviously, I mean that metaphorically – unless wrestling bears is your “thing”. It is your time to push yourself and step out of your comfort zone. When you have completed this weird 21 day photo challenge, you will no doubt be taking better pictures!
I’d love to see some of your craziest pictures! If you found this helpful, share it!

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