Tackling a photography project is not only a great way to improve your photography skills but it can keep you from feeling like you take the same photo everyday. However trying to come up with photography project ideas can be a challenge. Below are a list of photography ideas.
Creative Photography Project Ideas
1. Project 365 or Project 52
You know I love a Project 365 and have lots of tips on completing one. Whether you take a photo a day in a Project 365 or choose to do one photo a week in a Project 52 this is a great way to focus on your photography skills.
2. 30 Day Project
Take on a shorter commitment by doing a project that lasts on 30 days. There are many different ways you can do this. In my ebook, The Unexpected Everyday, I give you a 30 day photography ideas challenge to learn a new skill and give you a prompt for each day. You can’t help but improve your photography all while taking timeless photos of your children.
Read more: 30 day photo challenge (become an EVEN BETTER Photographer)
3. Pick a theme
Deciding on one particular thing to focus on can help you improve a skill.
Theme ideas:
- Light – backlighting, low light, natural light, indoor light
- Composition – framing, leading lines, golden spiral
- Street photography
- Macro – even if you don’t have a macro lens you can use macro filters
- Candid Photos
4. Choose a subject
If you have children you may notice they are in 95% of your photos. Focus on a new subject to try new compositions and break out of your normal photography routine.
Subject ideas: – Shoes – Flags – Windows – A color – Lines – Doors – Chairs
5. ABC project
There are two ways you can tackle this project. You can either choose a letter to photograph something that starts with that letter. Another photography idea is to photograph something that looks like the letter. This option is fun if you want to create a collage of photos to spell out your last name or “welcome”.
6. Work through a book
There are many books out there that will teach you different skills. You can tackle a new chapter each week or month. Book ideas include:
- The Photographer’s Mind: Creative Thinking for Better Digital Photos
- The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
- People Pictures: 30 Exercises for Creating Authentic Photographs
7. Grateful photography project idea
Choose to photograph things, people or places you are grateful for. Not only will you never run out of ideas of things to photograph but it helps you focus on what is really important and how blessed you are.
8. Focus on one lens
If you have multiple lenses choose one your don’t normally use. Stick that one on your camera for a week, a month or a whole year. This will help push your creativity. I remember doing a photo walk with a photographer who took street photos with a macro. Don’t assume a certain lens is only for one time of photos.
Not sure which lens to use? Check out our photography resource page.
9. Go outside your comfort zone
Maybe you rock at portraits, try your hand at food photography. Try a different type of photography you are used to. Not only will you learn some new skills but it is fun to try something you aren’t strong at.
Read more: How to Shoot Still Life Photography to Push Your Creativity
10. Photograph birthday month/week
Whether it is your birthday month, or one of your kids or loved one. Photograph them everyday for the week or month of their birthday. It is a fun way to document them that year as well as capture what they are like at that age.
11. A Day in the Life of
I do this once a year, but you could really do this once a month or more. Photograph your day all day. You can either take photos through out the day or just on the hour. Either way it is a fun way to capture the everyday moments and routines that we often forget to capture.
12. 10 on 10
A lot of photographers will capture 10 photos on the 10th. This is similar to the “Day in the Life of” project. But this may help you to remember to do this project each month on the 10th.
13. Letters to Our Children
This is something I do with a few other photographers. Write a letter each month to your children or just focus on one child. Then take photos of them to include with the letter. I write advice to all my girls. This helps me to get at least one photo of all three of them together each month. This can be quite the challenge but I enjoy it. Some girls in the group choose one child to write a letter to and do a mini photo shoot each month with that child. Do what works best for you.
14. Self portraits photography project idea
Photographers are not in enough photos. Choose either to do a self portrait, daily, weekly, or monthly. What is important is that you are getting in the photo. When I did my first Project 365 I did a “Monday Me” where each Monday I took a self portrait. It’s a good idea to have a specific day in mind. If you are going to do it monthly, choose the date of your birthday and each month take a photo on that date.
Which ever one of these photography project ideas you decide to tackle it’s important to do something. The key to growing and improving as a photography is taking these photography ideas and implementing them into your day to day life.
Which one of these photography ideas will you start today?
This will certainly challenge me. I am just an amateur and love taking pictures. But want to learn more and be more creative. Put those books on my Amazon Wish List to get sometime soon.
Awesome! Aren’t we all wanting to learn more and be more creative :)
I did a 365 a few years back. Every day I took a shot out my window and made a time laps out of it. Pretty cool as the snow got deeper and then melted…Also as the leaves changed
Other than that,,,,meh!
That is a great idea to focus on one window!
Big salute to you. I am trying to edit photo black and white effect as you did; sadly my edited photos were not like you. How should I make black and white style( the black and white effect you did) . Plz show mercy with me. :D waiting for you
DANNY THE KACHIN
I start with the Casablanca preset from Clickin’ Moms Cinema collection and adjust it to achieve the look I want. Make sure you start with a properly exposed and correct white balance image :) http://store.clickinmoms.com/cinema-presets-for-lightroom/
Thanks you for your kindness. I am working on it. God bless you. :)
Love your site. I find this app useful for projects learnphoto.ca/apps
Thanks!
Thanks for these ideas. I’m a beginning photographer and always want to find ways to improve. I will tackle one of these for 2014!!
Thanks! Good luck with your project!
thanks for your tips.. I’m thinking of doing a project featuring my sister..I’ll take picture of her everyday for 23 days before her 23rd birthday and that would be my gift for her. .
Yep, I decided to do a 10 on the 10th project this year. My plan is to create a book at the end of the year. I cheated this month though. I forgot to do it on the 10th so I did it on the 13th instead which turned out great because my daughters school Valentine party was that day.
Hi, I stumbled upon your website by accident a few weeks ago and I am so in love with it. I have been taking picturs for years now with 2 young kids but have recently lost my mojo and motivation. Your blog has given me new inspirations and ideas. Thank you so much.
I love hearing that. Thank you! Welcome!
Great tips. I need to start taking more self portraits.
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for the ideas, I am sharing this with the Board of our community’s camera club, for ideas on our summer projects, we take the summers off because we live in Florida and a few members are snowbirds, great IDEAS, thank you….
Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi! Love some of these ideas! I’m an amateur, who prefers nature macro. Do you know the name of the person you did the street tour with, that did it all with macro? This would be fun perspective for me. Thanks!
Hey Amy,
I believe it was Stacey Vukelj – https://www.facebook.com/staceyvukeljnycphotography :)
How do you recommend taking self portraits?
Are you wondering about what lens to use?
I haven’t started yet but I’ve been considering a rainbow challenge. Take a day/week and take all red pictures, then yellow, orange and so on. It’s something you can vary the difficulty of since some colors are going to be easier to find depending on the season but if you want a real challenge you can mix that up.
Thank you so much. This is exactly what I needed to read right now. These are great!!
Do you have any specific blog sites you would recommend using for a new amateur photographer?
Yes –> http://clickitupanotch.com/how-to-start-a-photography-blog/
How do you Link up to Others 365 i tried Clicking on the Links but it just goes Back to The top of the page. Thanks :-)
I’m confused by what you mean you click on the link and it takes you back to the top. Which page does it take you to the top of?
Hi, I just click on the names of the sites and it doesn’t take me anywhere, sorry I don’t have a blog just google+1, I completed your 30 day challenge what you did in June, and decided to carry on, but wanted to see everyone else who was doing it. Thanks for getting back to me :)
Some of the people may no longer being doing the project. We started that list last November :) I think it’s great you are going to keep going! Yay!
This has been such an inspiration! I am looking forward to starting a challenge. Even though I am in college I think this will be a cool way to remember all that I have done!
Thanks for the time you put together for this post :)
-Leah
I love that! I wish I had some kind of photography challenge when I was in college. What a fun way to remember your time!
Thank you so very much. This is a wonderful article and you have given me and lot of awesome ideas for future photo shoots and a lot of fun for my family as well.
I happened upon your blog late last night. I’m a new photographer, eager to find a direction. I think doing one of your 30 day projects is the ticket to getting my ball rolling. Thank you. I’ll be back. (website to come in the future)
Welcome! And thank you for your sweet words :) Excited to be a part of your photography journey.
I am a mom of a 13 year-old & a 20 year-old daughter, who has a 2 month-old daughter. I have always dreamed off taking up photography as a serious hobby. Now is my time since I am staying home full-time caring for granddaughter. I am absolutely clueless about what camera to purchase. I hear talk of DSLR. I am committed to investing in a high quality camera & expect to make a financial investment. But, what camera is for me? Would love to get involved in your project, but need to purchase quality equipment. Some advice please? Thanks so much for any input.
I love all these photography projects. I have no idea which one I want to try first! Great post!
Thank you for this great ideas…!!! I just finish
My 365 project and I really want to start an
Other project…!!!
I started a 30 day project after reading your book Courtney, and enjoyed doing that so much that I continued on and finished my 365 project at the end of April this year Great timely post to give me some other ideas for my next project. I had sort of continued with the 365 with half thoughts of turning it into a 52 project, but might incorporate some of the other ones as well. Thanks for being part of my learning journey Courtney it is really inspiring to read about your journey and others on your blog:)
I’m a 13-year-old photographer and I’ve been wanting more things to take pictures of so I decided to do a photo project. This article gave me so many ideas for my project so thank you!
Wonderful! Enjoy, Alex :)
These are all great ideas! Thank you for the inspiration!
I love your site. I plan to read more of your posts tonight! Yay!
Wow! This list was so great, and for my senior project, I think I’ll do the Grateful Project. Thank you so much for the idea!
Hey, thanks for sharing. Just in the middle of planning a new project, but I find it’s quite challenging with a little one running around. Although, my boy is a great model, I quite like exploring – what I call Organic Sculptures- and then photographing them.
During my last project I grew mold and here are some shots that came out of it https://digitalphoto.blog/2016/11/29/first-blog-post/ but obviously it’s not the best idea cultivating mold now with a young toddler…
Will get there though, I hope…
Wow! This project ideas list is so awe-inspiring. Can’t wait to see more of your articles. Thanks for sharing!
NOW I GOT A FIRE IN MY BELLY!!!
Thank you you have given me ways to keep myself busy in 2022.