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Taking up a project is a great way to improve your photography skills. Not only will it make you a better shooter, but force you to be creative and have fun at the same time. However, never force yourself and if you are not enjoying a project do not go any further with it. Find yourself a project that is both fun and one that will go along with your lifestyle.

Project 365

Duration- 1 year i.e. 365 days

One of the most popular photography projects, the aim is to take atleast one photograph every day for 365 days. This may sound easy at first, but trust me it takes a lot of commitment to get that camera out every single day and then find something interesting to shoot. You can either follow a theme or just shoot anything you like. And if you are up for the challenge, you can choose a single subject and attempt to take 365 different photos of it or take a self-portrait everyday (who wouldnt want a new fb profile picture everyday).

This project has helped a lot of photographers to find and improve their own style. Once completed, you will be amazed at how much your photography has improved in exactly 1 year.

You can find a lot of groups on flickr, where you can join other photographers taking up the project, sharing and commenting on each others work. One of them is linked below

https://www.flickr.com/groups/625230@N22

Project 52

Duration – 1 year i.e. 52 weeks

In the present world, where time is an expensive commodity we find ourselves unable to shoot everyday. Project 52 is more suited to those who lead a busy lifestyle.

Project 52

Week #13 – Fooling Around

Typically you follow a weekly theme allowing you a whole weeks time to plan and execute a shot. Lists of themes can be easily found on the internet and i have also linked an interesting 52 weeks project group from flickr below.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/52weeksproject/

I personally tried this project with a group of friends. To be honest I gave up after 20 weeks. The themes I was following did not really go along with what I wanted to do. But the project helped me see as to what I would like to pursue with this hobby of mine.

Project A-Z

Duration – 26 weeks.

This is a really unique and challenging project that a photographer (Luminous photography) who I follow on Facebook conceptualized. Each week corresponds to a letter, going through with the order of the alphabet. At the start of each week, you bring out the old dictionary that you no longer use, turn to a random page of the said letter and pick out a word and try to create a photo based on that word. Not all words are illustrable, that is why this project will compel you to be extra creative and interpret simple words into something artistic.

Click here to view Luminous photography’s work.

Project Prime

Zoom lenses have made every photographer’s life easy. A prime lens is primarily a lens that does not have a zoom function. Prime lenses are generally known to be much sharper, have a wide aperture allowing you to shoot in dark locations and can achieve a relatively shallower depth of field.

Project Prime

Taken with a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 prime lens.

Not having a zoom function forces you to move around which in turn helps you in framing a better picture. If you do not own a prime lens, you can always stick with a focal length without using the zoom function of your lens.

Project Black and White

In the early days of photography, film was only available in black & white. Shooting only in black and white forces you to look beyond the colour and vibrancy, capturing tones of grey instead. Patterns, shapes, textures and shadows make an interesting composition in black and white. Colour can be distracting in some images, taking the viewers focus away from the subject.

Project b/w

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Hope these projects bring out your inner artist, inspire you and help you to get out there and start shooting!

Romeo Dsouza

Romeo Dsouza

With a lifelong passion for aircraft's, a new found love for photography, I am an Aircraft Maintenance Engg student and a hobbyist photographer.

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