Photo project ideas for the whole year. The most interesting social photo projects

Photo projects(or photo days) is a thematic shooting in a certain place with certain decorations. Such photo sessions take place on the day appointed by the organizers. There are time limits, on average one model takes an hour to prepare (hairstyle + makeup) and 40 minutes to shoot. As a result, we get 15-20 processed photos, plus all the sources in color correction (but the sources are often not given away, it all depends on the organizers and the personal wishes of the photographer).

Where to begin?

Of course, from the search for good masters, florists and decorators are added to the team (stylist, make-up artist, photographer) in some cases.

I'm lucky. In July 2016, I met a wonderful photographer Zhenya Kozhina, together we have implemented a small photoset called "fruits". The first time with Zhenya we worked for an idea, i.e. free of charge, and agreed that in the fall we will try to make a photo project.

I didn't have to look for a stylist either. Zhenya has a talented sister Lena, who completed the course of the stylist on hairstyles.

All, put together a team - done!

The first such photo day was dedicated to the heroine of the film Suicide Squad - Harley Queen, this image was booming then, many other teams also implemented photo sessions with this character.

clothing

The problem was the suit. And not only then, but always. A thematic photo session implies a ready-made image (clothes, accessories, additional attributes).

Here you can either order in online stores / buy in a shopping center, or do it yourself. Then we started ordering dresses and accessories in advance, but many things are sewn by Zhenya and Lena's mother.

We made the Harley Quinn costume with our own hands.

We were looking for attributes and accessories, such as a baseball bat or baubles, among our friends and at home.

Seat selection

If it's cold outside, it's definitely a studio. Now in Samara there are a lot of photo studios and every year there are more and more of them. Here you need to understand what exactly we want to see at the output. If artistic photography, where furniture and comfort are important, is one studio, but if different backgrounds and space are needed, these are completely different platforms.

For our first day, we chose space and pulsed light, there were two chairs and a screen from the furniture - that was enough.

Photo project cost

After you have found a team, chosen a theme, sewed clothes and booked a studio, the next question is the price of such a day.

First, rent a studio. In Samara, on average, a photo studio in 2017-2018 costs 900-1000 rubles per hour. The conditions for the provision of a dressing room need to be found out from the administrators, since many people practice paying for one dressing room in the amount of 100-300 rubles per hour. But there are still places where renting a dressing room does not cost a ruble.

Secondly, payment for services. A photo project is a fairly budgetary photo session for models, as it includes all kinds of discounts on the services of masters. We give the most part to the photographer, the rest is divided between me (the makeup artist) and the stylist. But many large-scale photo days, where the number of models is more than 4, do not pay the masters anything, they work for a portfolio or other tfp conditions (mutually beneficial cooperation). But our team mostly works for itself. It rarely happens that we involve other professionals in the beauty industry and photographers.

Thirdly, it is the cost of clothing and other attributes. They must be included so that the project does not go negative, after all, not only money is spent, but also time, and it should be appreciated.

And of course, it all depends on the region. In Samara, if a project costs more than 4,000 rubles, hardly anyone will sign up for it. You need to know a clear line and not overestimate the bar. Still, the photo days are more necessary for you, if you are collecting a portfolio and are still "filling your hand".

Competition

Without it, nowhere, in all large cities, photo projects are gaining popularity, organizers steal ideas, right down to poses from the model and processing of photos, or try to implement the impossible, choose the most ambitious topic with a bunch of advertising, but in the end the game is not worth the candle.

If you are an organizer, then do everything in your power, do not try to run ahead of the locomotive, the main thing is the quality of work and satisfied customers.

If you are a model, then find out what kind of photographer will be, take a look at his work, do not get fooled by beautiful pictures from the Internet.

All street filmmakers know that passion is not enough to drive oneself to film for years. There are times when the will is lacking due to the lack of purpose. This is obvious to us in many things in life.

Our brains constantly need goals to make life experiences interesting. In street photography, there comes a time when you just walk the streets and mindlessly take random photos, regardless of the content. Without purpose, the eyes of a street photographer cannot see interesting situations.

Why it happens?

All three reasons listed below are mine and only and only mine. That is, you may disagree with them, or you may not like them. On the other hand, you can agree with them 100%. It’s important for me to explain to you the reasons why street photographers should stop “seeing” as they did at the beginning of their career.

- An experienced street photographer no longer uses clichés. Therefore, it naturally takes less everyday pictures that do not carry anything new. This significantly reduces the number of daily shots. Sometimes you might think that this is due to a lack of inspiration, but this is not the case. This is just a natural development of a street photographer. Now he is looking for more unique frames that stand out from others and cannot be repeated.

- The seasoned street photographer is no longer thrilled with the press of the shutter button every minute. He does not shoot without being sure that he will not be able to repeat this frame. The period of receiving a thousand frames per walk is over. If the intended photo does not capture the street photographer, then you shouldn't take it. Its natural evolution has created a dependence of the number of shots on skill and patience. The pictures taken are no longer dependent on blind luck.

- An experienced street photographer needs more walks. He needs something more that will motivate him to go out the next day and the next day. Something that helps him grow. The street photographer needs a goal. And in order to have a goal, you need to have projects.

What is this post about?

List of project ideas in street photography

All ideas are presented in random order as they came to me. I have added short descriptions to help you understand the nature of each idea.

1. Food

Photos of people enjoying their food as freely as possible.

2. Looking down

Photos of people looking down from balconies or windows.

3. Angles

Wide-angle photos of interesting places, showing life as it unfolds on the streets on either side of the corner.

4. People at work

People doing their daily work.

5. Portraits

Photos of people's faces.

6. Long exposure

Long exposure photographs of moving subjects that give the impression of movement.

7. Short shutter speed

Contrary to point 6. Motion freeze effect,

8. Busy hands

Photos of busy hands. For example, hands with coins, hands with dirt, hands with a tablet, smartphone, etc.

9. Project 365 or Project 52

Project 365 is all about adding one photo to your collection every day. Project 52 is the same but once a week.

10.30 days with one camera and one lens

Within 30 days, use only one camera and one lens.

11. Smiles with braces

Filming smiling people wearing braces

12. Crowd movement

Put your camera on a tripod and shoot very long shutter speeds in crowded places.

13. Behind the glass

Photos of people and situations behind glass. This glass can be stained or broken, for example.

14. To film a place in your city every day for 1 year

Every day, shoot a place of your choice and document the various events that take place there and make a collection of photographs.

15.30 days b / w only

Take black and white photographs for 30 days.

16.30 days in a specific color

Choose a color, any color and focus on the photograph in which it is fundamental. Do this for 30 days.

17.Project 28 (28 days, 28 photos, 28mm lens)

I read about this somewhere and liked the idea. In 28 days, shoot 28 photos using a 28mm lens.

18.Project 35 (35 days, 35 photos, 35mm lens)

Take 35 photos in 35 days with a 35mm lens.

19. Project 50 (50 days, 50 photos, 50 mm lens)

Take 50 photos within 50 days using a 50mm lens.

20. Reflections (in puddles, glass, water)

Make a photo collection of reflections in puddles, glass, water, cars, whatever.

21. Silhouettes

Take a collection of silhouette photos.

22. Only shadows

Make a collection of photos of just the shadows of a person without any visible people.

23. Gestures

Take a collection of pictures of hand gestures. People pointing at something or waving their hands, etc.

24. Misting

Use Sol Leiter's fogging tricks to create a collection of similar photographs.

25. Angry people

Make a collection of pictures of angry people. It can be difficult :)

26. Bald heads

Make a collection of photos of bald people.

27. Things in front of people

Take a collection of photographs of people with objects in front of their faces. So, for example, you could put a flower in front of someone's face, as if they had a flower instead of a head.

28. Disappearing professions

Try to find people doing work that is dying out. This project will also be of historical importance.

29. Hugs

Take pictures of people hugging each other.

30. Kisses

Take pictures of people kissing.

31. Femininity

Make a collection of photographs about femininity, capturing the essence of women.

32. Masculinity

Make a collection of photographs about masculinity, capturing the essence of men.

33. Smoking

Make a collection of photos of smokers. Smoking people.

34. Tattoos

Make a collection of pictures of people with tattoos.

35. Street Photography at Sunrise

Take a collection of street photos taken during sunrise.

36. Street photography at sunset

Take a collection of street photography taken at sunset.

37. Peeing people

Take pictures of people urinating. (approx. EverybodyStreet: WHY ??)

38.100 strangers

Make a collection of 100 complete strangers. It's like a portrait project, but 100 strangers have to be 100% candid and taken by surprise.

39. Boredom

Take pictures of people who look bored.

40. Exchange of money

Make a collection of money-hogging people. For example, you can take close-ups of the hands.

41. Opposites

Make a collection of photographs that include opposite things. For example, a cat looks at a dog, or a tall man sitting next to a short person, etc.

42. Dogs and their people

Take a low vantage point and shoot the dogs and their people.

43. Into the rain

Make a collection of photos taken in the rain.

44. Umbrellas

Make a collection of pictures with people and umbrellas.

45. Beachwear and Beach Photos

Take a collection of photographs of people in their swimwear taken on the beach.

Your own photography project will help you develop your skills and mindset as a photographer. In the process, you will not only take a lot of pictures, but also develop your creativity and, importantly, you will be able to develop your own and unique style. Through the project, you will be able to tell your personal story, try something new and reach new heights in the field of photography.

Here are 10 ideas for creating your amazing photos

1. Photo of the day

Everything is already clear from the name itself. Most of you, most likely, have already tried this technique, but the fact remains - if you need a project where you will need to take a lot of pictures, then this is a great way.

While shooting, you will try to think creatively and look for new and interesting objects for photography every day. You can also get people interested in your project by posting one photo every day. This way you will engage them in the project and inspire their creativity!

2. Photograph one subject

If you want your photos to be simple yet creative, then capturing the same subject can be an interesting idea. Your model can be anything or anyone, a friend or acquaintance (just ask them first!).

The subject can be as simple as ‘trees’ or ‘weather’, and you always have to look for new perspectives to make all the photos different. This is what will allow you to gain new experience and convey your idea through photographs.

3. Visit old places

Another way to organize a long-term project is to periodically visit the same location at different times of the day or year. The environment around us is always changing, and this can be a great idea for your photo project - photographing a particular location in all its diversity and variability.

You can return after a certain period of time - for example, once a week, a month, or even once a season. No matter how often you visit the place, take new pictures and compare with old photos so that you can compare and see the changes.

4. Travel to new places

Exploring a whole new location can be a great photography idea because you will discover many new and interesting things and camera angles. It can be another continent, country, region, or even a local town.

In a new place, creative ideas will simply overwhelm you. You can take pictures of the locals, or capture the beautiful landscapes. Do a little research to figure out exactly what you will be doing.

5. Copy your favorite photographer

It will help you get your hands on and hone your photography skills. Find out more about photography and shooting techniques of your favorite photographer, and go ahead - put this knowledge into practice. For example, if you want to take a Henri Cartier-Bresson style photo, then you will need a 35mm prime lens and your models will be streets and cities captured in black and white. If you want to be like Martina Parra, then using the same lens, try to capture interesting and funny incidents from human life.

6. Tell someone's story

We all have a lot to tell about: places that are of particular importance to us; things we hold dear; people without whom life seems meaningless. And also the adventures that we have been, the difficulties and challenges that we have overcome. Ask a friend or family member if they mind if you document their life.

You can reproduce one day in his life. Or take a whole series of pictures with different moments from his life. And you can photograph something on the same day of the week for several months. This will not only help hone your photography skills, but it will also improve your ability as a storyteller, which is a very important skill for a photographer.

7. Always carry your camera with you

It sounds trite now, but one of your reasons why you decided to take up photography is the environment. You have always wanted to capture what is around you. And why don't you go back to basics and start photographing everything that surrounds you?

Perhaps now these photos will seem unnecessary to you, but be sure that in 10/20/30 years you will look back and not only enjoy the view of what surrounded you and what was nearby, but also how things have changed and how your outlook on life.

8. Photos of strangers

Walking up to a stranger on the street and asking, “Can I take a picture of you?” Can be tricky. But trust me, it is worth the photos taken. In addition, you will be able to develop your confidence and even after two or three refusals, you will not become upset, because these are the people you will never see again.

You will meet different people: with different builds, heights and skin colors, with crazy and boring hairstyles, in "war paint" and without makeup, fashionistas, and someone without a sense of style. I believe that people are an integral and very important part of our life, and therefore they should be photographed.

9. Macro project

This is a great project if you want to learn a new direction in photography. For example, you can take a series of shots using macro photography and a new lens, or for example a series of images in an abstract style. Doing so will develop the skills you need to take macro photography, which in turn will allow you to use this skill in your next full photoset.

10. Long exposure

If you've never tried taking a photo using, then now is the time to give it a try. There are thousands of objects to work with: think only of something that reflects light or moves.

Night landscape is the best option for a start. Find a good vantage point and photograph the night lights in all their glory. You can also try working with water. The shore, the edge of a lake, a stormy river, or a waterfall is a great opportunity to hone your long exposure photography skills.

Develop your project and look for ideas

If you still haven't come across a project that will make you lick your lips with anticipation, then organize your own! Think about the environment, the people and places you know, and see what excites you. What exactly excites you, makes you wonder what moments there are that you are drawn to capture.

It doesn't matter what exactly interests you, be it sports, important events or social injustice, pick up your camera and shoot! You set your own limits, so do not restrain yourself, and go forward - to new heights and achievements.

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22 cool ideas we wrote about this year.

During the whole year editorial site told you about the most interesting photo projects. Some of them caused a flurry of enthusiastic responses, others a fierce dispute among the supporters and opponents of the author, while others altogether changed someone's life.

In this collection of ours, we have collected the most interesting ideas that came to minds of photographers around the world.

The sculptor Lebual discovered the language of photography in 2007 and decided it was the perfect medium for storytelling. It was then that he decided to talk about his family. Six children (2 sons and 4 daughters) and a wife, who live with him in a small house in the south-west of France.

It was 1975 when Nicholas Nixon photographed his wife Bebe and her three sisters. A simple and at the same time romantic family photo, both the sisters and the photographer liked very much. They made a promise to each other: even if fate scatters them in different parts of the world, they will meet every year and take a family photo. And every year for 36 years, they held him back.

He meets his models on the streets of New York. The youngest of them is 59, and the oldest is 102 years old. They know that true beauty is timeless, and taste and style only get thinner over the years. The heroines of Ari Seth Cohen's pictures do not hide their age, do not hide gray hair and do not spend money on plastic surgeons. They walk through life with their heads held high, and it is impossible to look away from them.

Theo is an adorable eight month old puppy who was adopted from a dog shelter. From the moment Theo moved into a new home, he craved attention and human friendship, he chose one best friend for himself - two-year-old Bo. On the third day, Theo joined little Bo while he slept, and dozed with him until the boy woke up. Since then, Theo and Bo have spent a quiet hour together every day.

Early last year, Jade Bill, a young mother from Tucson, Arizona, walked into her studio, undressed, picked up her one-month-old baby, and took a series of self-portraits. In the pictures, she saw an unfamiliar body - roundness that was not there before pregnancy, stretch marks and folds. And then Jade posted a photo on her blog, wanting to show the side of motherhood that the media usually ignore.

Eli has always been a child, living in his own rhythm, understandable only to him. For hours he could contemplate doors, hoses from a vacuum cleaner, mechanical drives. He copied many sounds for a long time, memorized the schedule of high-speed electric trains. When Theo was 5 years old, his father, Timothy Archibald, in order to somehow understand his son and communicate with him, decided to take joint photographs, filming the boy in those angles and poses that Eli himself asked.

Dallas-based photographer Tom Hussey has created a touching photo series in which older people look at themselves in the mirror and see themselves reflected in their youth. It's very simple and .... fleeting, isn't it? Someday each of us will feel like a hero of such a series.

For several years now, photographer Veronique Vial has been photographing famous women in the morning. She just came alone to the celebrity house and started shooting. No make-up artists, assistants or additional lighting. This gave it a natural feel, and no one needed to pose on purpose.

It is impossible not to fall in love with a girl and a cat: a huge gray cat “wise” by life experience and an immediate child who is interested in everything, together create some kind of indescribable mood from childhood, when every day a discovery was made for us.

Australian self-taught photographer Bill Gekas has created a gallery of portraits of his 5-year-old daughter, stylized as old paintings. All of them imitate paintings by Dutch, Flemish and Italian masters of the 17th century, such as Rembrandt, Rubens and Caravaggio.

Photographer Anna Radchenko explores this issue in a project dedicated to maternal love, which sometimes becomes phantasmagoric and not at all like love. Photos evoke ambiguous feelings, grotesque images and exaggeration make the idea obvious and often repulsive.

From Argentina to Zimbabwe, from a girl in Dubai, whose head is completely covered with a headscarf for religious reasons, to an honest couple in Rio de Janeiro. From a house in Haiti without water or electricity to luxuriously appointed rooms in China, the creators of the Mirrors and Windows project, Gabriele Galimberti and Eduardo Delisle, took a tour of places where the common man is not allowed to enter.

In his project "Melting Cauldron" Stanislav Ma tried to show that the more blood is mixed in one person, the more colorful and interesting his face is. No less attractive are the faces of people in whose bodies only one blood flows, especially Tatar, Russian and further down the list.

A mysterious stranger holds your hand, leads you and no matter where, because she is beautiful. This is an extraordinary, exciting and endlessly beautiful project "Follow Me" by Murad Osmann.

First of all, it should be said that creating your own photo project will help you concentrate more when shooting, and a collection of photos will give you the opportunity to express more than individual shots.

Today, online social photo networks such as focus too much on individual photography. If you open someone's Flickr profile, you will see a stream of photos. It will show a bunch of random images in the order they were uploaded to the service.

Photo by James Dodd from the series "Sunday Morning"

IV. Don't publish a project until it's complete

While there are some advantages to uploading a photo while working on a project (motivation, feedback, criticism), it is still better to present the project only when it is completely finished.

How do you know if a project is ready? You can either set a deadline (week, month, year, and so on), or feel that it is ready (which is more subjective).

V. Collecting Feedback During Work

Deciding not to publish a project before it's finished does not mean that you will not be able to receive feedback. Feedback can be received not only through the Internet.

Showcase your photos on your laptop, iPad or in print directly. When contacting a person personally, you will receive a much more complete and meaningful assessment than when using Internet resources. As a last resort, submit a series of images on private blogs and ask people what they think of the project concept, images, sequence, and so on.

Take it to heart, but remember: only you have to make the final decision when editing.

Vi. Edit the project

This is the hardest part of the project - choosing the best shots. Less is better. 15 pictures telling a story are preferable to 100 rambling pictures.

Is there a limit to the number of images in a project? In general, no. It all depends on the goals.

In the case when you expect to present a project at an exhibition or on the Internet, you should limit yourself to 15–20 photos. If you are planning to publish a photo book, you will probably need 60-200 images.

Vii. Get your project in order

Once you have enough images, it will take time for you to organize them. This is another extremely important part of the project.

Determining the sequence of photos in a project is akin to building the plot of a story: the beginning, the culmination, the denouement.

While you do not need to adhere strictly to this structure, inultimately, you should have a clear idea of ​​why the photos are lined up. in this order.

The most important are the beginning and the end of the project. The first image, like the cover of a book, should motivate the viewer to further view the project. With the final image, you should give the viewer a “word of encouragement”. It is the last shot that the viewer will ultimately take out of the project.

There are many ways to sequence your shots. Here are a few of them:

• by shooting time (chronologically);
• by plot (landscapes - at the beginning of the project, active actions and portraits - in the middle);
• by emotion (from happy to gloomy people).

Also, when looking at other people's photography projects, ask yourself why did the photographer arrange their photos in that order?

VIII. Publishing a project

There are many ways to present your project: Flickr, Facebook, Google+, 500px, personal website, book, gallery exhibit ...

IX. Get inspired!

To get started, explore the galleries of the photographers mentioned in this article. You can find other useful links on their blogs. Don't stop exploring! This will allow you to create an excellent photo project.