When it comes to bucket lists, this has to be a favourite – cool photo projects to do before you die. I hope you also find some great inspiration for your own 365 project too!

1) 365 Project


Obviously! It certainly takes commitment and dedication to take a photo a day, but the reward at the end is simply astounding. The best way to document a year of your life and improve your photography while you are at it! 365 Project

2) 100 strangers


Take at least 100 pictures of 100 people you don’t know. The project encourages participants to step outside their comfort zones by approaching a stranger, asking to take a portrait shot and also finding out a bit about them. The community then uploads to the 100 Strangers Flickr group. Great way to improve street photography and portrait photography in general. 100 Strangers

3) Project 50


Take 50 photos with a 50mm lens in the space of 50 days. This is ideal if you are after a short-term project with the same levels of commitment as 365. It does of course get you to focus on improving your skills with a 50mm lens. Once you are done, why not expand the concept and follow it up with a different constraint! Fifty of Fifty

4) The Disposable Memory Project


A global photography experiment that aims to get cameras into the hands of as many people as possible. Buy a disposable camera, apply for a special ‘drop pack’, take the first picture then hand the camera over to a friend or leave it to be found and passed on again. Each camera is tracked as it goes around the world until the images are used up and it is returned to where it came from. The film is then developed and images are uploaded to be shared. The most exciting wait you’ll ever have waiting for a film to be developed! Disposable Memory Project

5) 100 Project


Brought to you by the creators of the Disposable Memory Project who are giving out 100 disposable cameras to 100 people aged between 1 and 100. Each participant will be required to capture a week in their life during 2012 to be shared through the project. You can apply online for your age now – good luck! The 100

6) A-Z Photo Project


Work your way through the alphabet in pictures, either by taking photos of things that begin with the letter, or objects that resemble the letter. A fun and challenging way to open your eyes to new photo opportunities! Once you have completed it – try the same challenge with numbers, photographing groups of objects from 1 to 10 or the numbers themselves.

7) Single Colour/Single Theme


Pick a colour or a theme and make that your subject of choice for a week, a month or even for your whole 365 Project! The detail becomes the diversity with this project, and the challenge once completed will be incredibly rewarding. Great for mastering dedication!

8) 30 Days of Black and White


Exactly as it says on the tin – restrict your photographic style to black and white for 30 consecutive days. This project helps hone an eye for contrast and spot photo opportunities that lend themselves to being immortalised in monochrome.

9) A Day in the Life


On May 15 2012, people around the world to were asked to pick up their cameras and photograph daily life to be uploaded and shared as a project. Documenting an entire day in photographs no matter how mundane can be a great way to record a day in your life. Give yourself rules such as taking a picture every half hour – it will really help you spot photo opportunities, discover new angles and find the beauty in everyday objects! A Day

10) $2 Portraits


Help the homeless and brush up your portrait photography at the same time with a $2 Portrait project. Thomas Hawk takes a photo of every person that asks him for money out on the streets and gives them $2 in return, a great twist on the 100 strangers project, and a wonderful opportunity to photograph emotive portraits out on the streets.

If you have any other project ideas you wish to share, we'd love to hear about them in the comments below.



Share
Comments
August 9th, 2012
Thank you for the bucket list.
August 9th, 2012
What a great list :)
August 9th, 2012
Good idea! :)
August 10th, 2012
These are awesome ideas! I'm gonna try some of these, especially Project 50, soon!
August 10th, 2012
Very cool.
August 10th, 2012
Great idea! Thank you!! :)
August 10th, 2012
Great ideas here!
August 10th, 2012
Sue
What a great this & sparked some wonderful ideas!
August 10th, 2012
you can limit yourself to a format, when taking photos.
my 365-project contains only square pictures, so it forces me to think about subjects and composition in that context.
August 11th, 2012
Thanks for all these superior ideas ....
I hope I motivate myself to see beyond my narrow world ... 365 has done a lot ....makes me think outside the box
August 11th, 2012
Great ideas!!!
August 11th, 2012
Kim
Love the 100 strangers idea, since I have no street photography pics. Also intrigued by the Disposable Memory one :)
August 12th, 2012
i applied to do the "100 project" but i haven't received any feedback if i got the 59 spot or not. i hope i get it. in may i participated in 'a day in the life'. i'm thinking of doing the 100 strangers project, it's a great idea, as well as the $2 idea. thank you for this article.
August 12th, 2012
All great ideas! I did the A-Z with words too so it was a double challenge and great fun too :) Must try the 50 project .... I hardly use my 50mm lens, must put it on and take 50 photos, sounds like a great challenge. Thanks Kerry!
August 12th, 2012
Great ideas. I think I'll have to give a few of them a try
August 13th, 2012
these are cool ideas. i really like the idea about the disposable memory project :)
August 13th, 2012
Fabulous ideas. Think I'll just retire now and work my way through the list.
August 14th, 2012
great ideas thanks
August 15th, 2012
what super ideas thank you!!
August 16th, 2012
I have already committed to Disposable Camera Project and signed up for the 100 Project. Some great ideas here for my next projects . Thank you
August 20th, 2012
I just started the 100 strangers project more than a week ago! It's really awesome! :)
August 30th, 2012
These are very good ideas. I will definitely start project 50 soon.
October 3rd, 2012
I'm on 365 days project now :D
October 23rd, 2012
these are awesome....cant wait to try it...most of them. :D
January 17th, 2013
I love this! Thanks!!!
January 25th, 2013
I'm on 365 project, 100 strangers and hopefully 30 days of Black and White. Love this list! Thank you so much!
May 2nd, 2013
I just finished Number 6! Off to Number 7! =)
July 5th, 2013
Really like the alphabet idea!, Really helpful :-)
May 18th, 2014
also project week of life is pretty awesome. 9 photos per day for a week... weekoflife . com :)
June 1st, 2014
Nice ideas :)
October 14th, 2014
i am running a personal project of shooting 100 models/portraits before the year runs out..i have actually shot over 70 as we speak..this has improved my skills in ways i would have never imagined..
April 9th, 2016
Great ideas
June 5th, 2018
What great ideas, I'm going to try the alphabet one first.
Post a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.