30 Pictures in 30 Days Photo Challenge | Maris Ehlers Photography

If you want to push to learn more about your camera and to take better pictures, it takes practice.  But who has time for that?  A great way to be inspired to actually shoot more often so that you can improve is to participate in a 30 day photo challenge.  There are an unlimited number of challenges you can find on the internet to participate in: challenges by season, genre (landscape, portraits, indoor, flash, etc.,) or even themes around holidays and events.  Simply google terms like "30 day photo challenge" to get started and you'll be surprised by how many you can find. 

I thought having a 30 day challenge here would be a great way to get people to participate with us by dreaming, shooting, posting and sharing, so we'll be launching it here as well as on the St. Michael Patch and our facebook page.  

The MEP 30 Pictures in 30 Days Photo Challenge  

The rules are very simple.  Any picture you enter must be taken during the challenge.  You don't need to agonize over what to photograph, how to photograph it, or if you or your camera are "good enough" to participate. The point is to simply get out and shoot.  There is no need to be a perfectionist.  Just simply enjoy the challenge. 

Don't worry if you can't post every day.  Just join us when you can.  Conversely, if you like a particular day's challenge, feel free to add more images to it at any time during the challenge.  

Please encourage others by commenting on other people's pictures.  

Last thing?  Please feel free to share this post / challenge with other people.  The more pictures we have, the more fun it will be!  

If you have any questions, please feel free to post your questions here or email me at maris@marisehlersphotography.com.  

How to Post Your Pictures 

1.  You can post them on facebook and simply tag Maris Ehlers Photography 

2.  You can post them in the neighborhood gallery on the St. Michael Patch  once it is active (you'll need to create an account).  

3.  Don't forget to include the challenge day in your photo title (Day 1, Day 2, etc), and to tell us a little bit about the story behind your image. 

Day 1:  Tell a Story With the Details (Sunday, February 12th)

Take a photograph of someone you love (or like), but without including them in the picture.  Take a picture of their room, their office, their car, their "space"...  Your picture should tell us something about that person or person(s).  Maybe your sotry is about your favorite four-legged friend, whatever you choose.  The only rule is that you cannot include the actual "subject" in the photo.   

I snapped this photo this morning.  The hallway in which our kids' coat rack hangs is really tight, so it was hard to get good lighting.  I love how it was just going to be a quick picture to share, but with a little staging it really says a lot.  

The Same. But Different.  We have two children, a boy and a girl.  They are only 20 months apart, so oftentimes people think they are twins.  We probably treat them like they are at times, too.  They are the same.  They have the same shaped eyes (different colors - his are blue hers are brown), the same spark, the same DNA that screams they are siblings when you see them. But they are so different.  Our son is all wild and crazy, loves legos and all things military (hence the camo backpack with the fighter jet sticking out) and our daughter is the rule follower (and um, rule maker).  She has an obsession with the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and you can see a couple of her little mini "Chef Men" as she calls them, represented here.  There is also a tiny "chunk" of what is left of her favorite blanky sticking out of one of the pockets.  These objects are typically in their backpacks, so it was fun to show them here.  I added their winter hats as a fun nod to where we live.  I love seeing them in hats, and when I look at them hanging here as part of the scene, I can see that their choice of hat in a weird way reflects their individual personalities.  It's so fun to see how two kids born into the same family can be so different (gender aside, of course).

I can't wait to see who you choose and what the scene is.