Challenge

I have recently found a way to challenge myself in photography. Simply put: A Photo Challenge. This is where you are given a topic and a time frame, and are prompted to take a photo of the topic within the allotted time, and post it online. This forces a photographer to think creatively. If the subject was simply a bird, would you scour the woods looking for one perching in a tree? Or drive down the road spotting some on a power line? Or would you get more creative? Find a painting of a bird, a halloween costume, a Pontiac Firebird. Photography is all about thinking outside the box. Pushing the limits and creating an image that will shock or inspire.

There are many kinds of photo challenges, mostly online. There are the more simplistic ones, such as challenges created on Facebook or Instagram, that are spelled out and pressure the users to be simple for sake of social media. The kind of photo challenge I am interested in is a more advanced group of aspiring photographers. This way I can get inspiration from others and hopefully inspire them with my work. 

A challenge can also be a private endeavor. There isn't a reason a photo has to be posted for the world to view. It can easily be done for the contentment of the photographer or maybe just a inspiration for an upcoming gala. There are no limits to what challenging yourself can unleash.

I urge other photographers to take this challenge too. It will stretch the imagination and push the mind to new limits of creativity.

“Good photographs are taken not with the camera. Good photographs are taken with Mind, Soul, Eyes, and Imagination where Eyes like a shutter, Mind like a lens, Imagination like an object and Soul like a canvas.” 
― Parveen Sharma