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.
my 365-project contains only square pictures, so it forces me to think about subjects and composition in that context.
I hope I motivate myself to see beyond my narrow world ... 365 has done a lot ....makes me think outside the box