026 - 51 personal photography projects for this summer and beyond

"Red circles?!" I could barely disguise my confusion and skepticism. "Yeah... I want to photograph red circles," she replied confidently. We were working on our Abstracts in Adams Photo Tour, and I'd asked our attendees to come up with a theme or project they could shoot for the day.  Most attendees usually pick things like bicycles, a color, texture or even graffiti. But I wasn't prepared for the ultra-specific answer, red circles. "How many red circles is she going to find in Adams Morgan. I don't want her to be disappointed," I thought as I searched for a way to gently redirect her to a more 'attainable' goal." Nope. Red circles. The decision had been made. I learned a thing or two about selecting photo projects. that day The process need not be complicated nor the subject obvious. You just need something for which you can be passionate and dedicated.  WHY IS THIS EVEN IMPORTANT? "A Personal Photography project is a way for a photographer to showcase their passion for something," writes Neha Singh, of ShutterMonks.com in Digital Photography School. "Or it can just be a way to bring structure to one’s photography hobby. It can be a great way to challenge the limits of one’s skills. Or it can be a great way to bring focus to one’s photography efforts. "A Personal Photography project is just a commitment to self." Now that we have great weather and maybe some free time, this summer might be a good time to launch your own personal photo project. Here are 51 other ideas to consider shooting. My inspiration was Craft & Vision's book, Vision 365, but I thought we could have more fun with it. A Digital Photography School guest post by Neha Singh from ShutterMonks.com. A Personal Photography project is just a commitment to self A Personal Photography project is a way for a photographer to showcase their passion for something. Or it can just be a way to bring structure to one’s photography hobby. It can be a great way to challenge the limits of one’s skills. Or it can be a great way to bring focus to one’s photography efforts. It can be a unique way to build an awesome portfolio. It can be a truly rejuvenating experience. It can take you places and make an impact. Most of all, they can be a lot of fun. Organized into four sections • Photo techniques - set up complex, conceptual photo shoot ideas • Photo skill - learn a specific skill that will help improve your abilities • Ongoing - An organized approach that keeps you shooting over a long period of time • Thematic or subject-based How to use these ideas • Pick one • Mix & match them • Work through the list   51 Photo Project Ideas Photo technique - conceptual 1. Lightbulbsmoketutorial 2. Recreateafairytale 3. Recreateafamousphotograph 4. Createyourownmagazineassignments 5. Productphotographcommercial-ishphotos   Photo skill 1. Nature/funmacros 2. Backlighting 3. Composition 4. Portraits(people,pets) 5. HDR 6. Timelapse 7. Photographlight&shadow 8. Camerabag(Learnyourtools) 9. Unusualperspectives   Ongoing Project365 Project52 30Days(tolearnaskillortellastory) 100Strangers 10on10 Singlelens(50mm) FlatStanley-ish(JamesDoernbergandKaiJordaneveryManhattansubway station) Locationovertime(NationalsStadiummissedopportunity) Timeofday(samelocationduringthedayasthelightchanges,everydayatsame time) 10.Photojournalism -- news events happening around us 11. Create a documentary   Thematic or subject focused 1. Creativeselfportraits 2. Portraitsof...Ideas:50yearanniversary,Futurepresidents 3. Environmentalportraits—Thesearethepeopleinyourneighborhood 4. Nightphotography—Mycityatnight 5. Onmyplate—anapproachtofoodphotography 6. Cityguideofyourhometown—Famouslandmarkspersonalized 7. Rain,rain... 8. Favoritelocations—Ideas:40on40byIraSilverberg,StatestreetsinDC 9. Doorsand/orwindows 10.Pick a color — dominant color, contrasting colors, complementary colors, and b&w 11. Composition elements — patterns, shadows, texture, negative space 12.Photograph something that belongs to someone special - pay a tribute 13. A cause or a (social) issue 14. A day in the life of... — you, another person, or a group project 15.Bowl of nouns — shoes, flags, windows, chairs 16. ABC or 123 project 17.Shapely — Geometric shapes 18.Musical festival performances or county fairs 19.Gratitude project — Something or someone for whom you are thankful 20.I spy a.... — Pick one location and see how many different things you can photograph. Also known as the hula hoop project 21.Illustrate a poem or Haiku 22.Reflections & silhouettes 23. An imperfect object - Wabi-Sabi is an ancient Japanese concept derived from Zen Buddhism. It honors all things that are old, weathered, and imperfect. - Vision 365 24.The Wall -- Graffiti & poster billboards 25.Odd numbered subjects 26.Religious symbols or sacred places / of worship   Remember to... • Make it fun • Make it challenging • Make it easy to do • Know what works for you