Are you looking for something to challenge your photography skills? I am amazed at the number of opportunities available on the www - themed challenges, blog link ups, Flickr groups - everywhere I look I find a new and exciting challenge! The real challenge? Paring it down so that I can manage it all. You know the mindful thing I've been harping about? :) Oh, and of course: DO.
I have participated - to various degrees of success - in Project 365 for the last couple of years. I often found it to be pretty cumbersome, though it did train me to bring my camera with me and I no longer feel the need to apologise or feel embarassed by using it wherever I might be. I think I learned what I needed to learn and it's time to move on.
Yes, onward.
This year, my plan is to participate in:
52 Photos in 52 Weeks hosted by Monika Wright and Elisabet Ottosson on Flickr. Challenges are posted on THURSDAYS. I even managed to post my first photo, on time!
P52 | 52 photos of 2011 | a less ambitious version of P365 hosted by Darcy of Life With My 3 Boybarians on Flickr. It's all brand new and the kinks are being worked out. Join the conversation on Flickr if you want to get involved.
Celebrate Monday which I thought was defunct is not! Today Jennifer over at Simple Scrapper announced that things are back on! It looks like there is now a theme component. I don't know how well I'll manage with a quick turnaround. We'll have to see.
Simple Things will continue over with Rebecca Cooper on her blog via a direct link system. A relaxed weekly challenge celebrating ... simple things.
I'll be teaming up with friends for two challenges:
Team Up Thursday will continue with Shirley LeMay with with more consistency, I hope (totally my fault last year ... I don't do well with quick turn-around). We've put together a plan and I'm sure between us we can pull it off!
Happiness Project with Jill Conyers and we are still fleshing out all of the details, but I'm excited about this. Our first diptych:
I know, a photo of me, on my blog. Shocking!
To improve my "less is more" photo approach to this year, I'm taking two expert-lead courses:
Picture Winter over at Big Picture Classes is lead by Tracy Clark of Shutter Sisters fame. I participated in My Best Shot Monday which is how I got to know Tracy and her great talent and kindness.
Joy of Love with Willett Designs that runs from February 1st - 28th. Last year I bought a posing guide and it has proven invaluable!
In order to keep me on-track with my guiding word for 2011: DO I've joined in with Jill again as she is hosting a weekly challenge - a photographic interpretation of our word. I was so excited about this particular challenge, I put my album together before I took my first shot!
Certainly some of these challenge may go by the wayside, and new ones embraced, as 2011 goes on, but as of this very moment, these are the photography challenges I'm hoping to participate in. What is challenging you? Did I miss something fabulous?
