How photo challenges have changed me

I suppose you could say photography is in my blood. My paternal grandfather started a photography business many years ago. Most of his children ended up working for the company. I grew up around photos, cameras and photography.

I always enjoyed taking photos but never pursued it as an art form. As a child, I read voraciously and even wrote a short story inspired by Enid Blyton’s Famous Five adventures. I imagined I might be a writer one day. Maybe.

Even during the ensuing years when my sister made her own dark room and experimented in film, I was still not really inspired by the craft. I continued to use my basic point and shoot camera and took the usual quick snaps of special events and nice scenery, a way to capture important memories as future keepsakes.

This approach to my photography continued until May 2011, when I chanced upon my first photo challenge. Those images and associated ramblings became some of my earliest blog posts.

By the end of June 2011, I was hooked and on the lookout for a July challenge. By the end of July 2011, I had to find yet another. Over a year later, I’m now onto my 16th photo challenge. I’ve even done two challenges per month in August 2011 and this past August 2012. Yes, you have my permission to call me “obsessive and crazy”!

So why am I hooked? How have these photo challenges changed me?

1. Given me a creative outlet

For a long time I struggled with the desire to express myself creatively but not knowing how. I’m not an awesome writer. I can’t paint or draw anything impressive. I’m a very basic cook. I can only darn socks or patch holes. I don’t do craft all that well. Ideas and inspiration don’t flow for most of these activities. However, in pondering a daily photo theme, and armed with my iPhone, I realised I had my tools and a structure to start creating. If a theme was “key” then I could take the obvious picture of a key or I could find an interesting way to present that key eg: propped in a lock, in my hand, on a key chain, from a pendant, etc. I could even focus on a single key of piano keyboard. Challenging myself to think outside the box has just made creating images more rewarding.

2. Made me conscious of the moment

To take a themed photo and create an image I feel proud of, I have to really pay attention. I have to be aware of the moment. I have to make the time to look for the “right” subject. I have to stop, open my eyes, look around and really see my world clearly and purposefully, instead of living in the burry haze of my daily routine. Sometimes I only have a few seconds to catch the image and when they work, these become my “serendipitious” moments.

3. Provided a framework to learn technique

I must say I’ve struggled to pick up a photography book just to learn the theory. Learning “on the job”, where I can work towards an end goal, is so much more rewarding. The photo challenges have given me a specific purpose for learning techniques, such as bokeh, depth of field, the rule-of-thirds, vanishing points, the use of negative space and the awareness of light and shadows. My knowledge and skill-base has been broadened but there’s a lot more depth I hope to add in time, both with a DSLR camera and through iPhoneography.

4. Nurtured my soul and fed my inspiration

{image credit — @lena_rin}

If it had not been for the photo challenges, I would not have come across Instagram over a year ago. Through Instagram, I became intrigued by the community aspect of image sharing. I was able to enjoy and critique images but also have my images appear on other people’s radars. The encouragement and feedback about my photography, but also the general community interaction, have been very rewarding. In addition, admiring the art of others has been deeply inspiring, spurring me on further into this hobby.

{image credit — @joshjohnson}

5. Stretched me outside my comfort zone

I used to be a lot more self-conscious. Age has dulled that social fear somewhat but so has pursuing photography. I’m much less self-conscious of what is required to get “the shot”. If that means crouching down on the footpath in the local park, then so be it. Photography and Instagram have also helped to pique my interest in new aspects such as black-and-white, lifestyle and street photography.

{image credits — @churchill_chris — @kristinrogers — @fashion}

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I feel tangibly changed by all the photo challenges I’ve joined and the community I engage with on Instagram. To me, it’s a little like blogging, only via images. I never expected to find my creative outlet here but it’s now become an important part of my daily routine. I may not continue with every monthly challenge in the future but I hope the lessons I’ve learnt and am learning will help shape what I want out of this hobby in the future. I don’t know where it might lead yet, but I’m open to the possibilities!

Do you have a hobby or craft that’s inspired and invigorated you?

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