July Challenge
So it’s been a month since we finished the April and May Challenges, back-to-back. I kinda felt bored with my photography in June. Not only did I not get much done, I didn’t get out and shoot very much.
Now, I know that I need to take a break from the monthly challenges, occasionally. Every other month is the best pattern. I get a month to rest and develop the next exciting challenge, then off we go! Shooting all month long then becomes exciting and fun. Seeing what you’re all doing only challenges me even more. So far we’ve shot daily challenges and weekly challenges. We’ve even done one in the middle. I’d say that I actually prefer the daily challenges. It gets me out and shooting on a regular basis. Making the effort every day isn’t really that hard. When we’ve shot weekly, I find that I procrastinate until the end of the week, and I come up with lower quality work.
So, we’re going to shoot daily, again. Don’t like it? Too bad! (he, he)
For July, I want you to go out there and shoot all the lighting fixtures that you can find. Shoot desk lamps and floor lamps. Shoot street lights and head lights. Shoot flood lamps and brake lights.
I’m looking for you to capture the actual light. The fixture is also important, but don’t forget the light it produces. I’d prefer for the light to be lit, but this isn’t a requirement. I’m not interested in what the light is illuminating. That’s not the focus of this challenge. I want us all to grow in our ability to manipulate how we capture the actual light being cast. I’ll follow up this post pointing you in the direction of some sound wisdom about how to do just this.
Below are a few ideas to get you started. I found them with a little search work on Flickr.
We’ll shoot one a day, all month long, for July, 2008. I want new photographs. Make sure to tag your submissions correctly…
- “photochallenge”
- “julychallenge2008″
- “photochallenge.org”
Comments
Comment from latoga
Time: June 23, 2008, 10:26 pm
Trevor, I’m a bit unclear on the guidelines for participating. Do you have to upload photos to Flickr to join in the fun? If not, how do we let you know about our contributions; will Posting links to my blog suffice? Sounds like an interesting subject for the month…now to see if I can do it every day.
Comment from Andy Roth
Time: June 24, 2008, 6:47 am
Trevor – you light up my life. You know you do. Ha ha. Anyway, this sounds like a good one.
Comment from Drewe
Time: June 24, 2008, 10:10 am
Great. Make it easy. Sun doesn’t set here in Denver till after 9 
Gonna have to get creative…..
Comment from trevor
Time: June 24, 2008, 12:04 pm
@latoga, It’s not a requirement to use Flickr for the Challenges. You really don’t even have to post your work at all. The real goal of PhotoChallenge.org is to help you grow as a photographer. If you participated and never even told anyone, I’m sure you’d still grow.
My encouragement to you, however, is to take every opportunity to share your work, and be available to interact with others who do likewise. This will give you the greatest chance for interaction and enhanced growth. Having the whole PhotoChallenge community interact with you and your work is really valuable for us all. This makes our little community even larger and stronger.
So, must you use Flickr? No. But that’s where the rest of us are at, so at least consider it. By posting at your own blog, you’ll of course be sharing your work with your existing readers, and you can comment on the blog posts here, pointing my readers to your work. That would help. However, there are many who follow the challenges on Flickr only. They would “stumble” upon your work there and that helps grow the community.
I hope that helps.
Pingback from The July Challenge is Coming!
Time: June 24, 2008, 7:30 pm
[...] is at it again — the July Challenge will be starting up soon. The topic of the month will be LIGHTING FIXTURES. You can shoot street [...]
Comment from Gnoptiy
Time: June 25, 2008, 6:13 am
i have flickr.. how do i share my photos into the JulyChallenge?
Comment from trevor
Time: June 26, 2008, 10:55 am
Join the PhotoChallenge.org group, here. Then you can submit individual photos to the group by selecting “Send to Group” above the image on Flickr.
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » Having So Much Fun
Time: June 26, 2008, 12:45 pm
[...] Trevor Carpenter’s July Challenge is just around the corner! Next month, the challenge participants will be shooting a different lighting fixture every day. [...]
Pingback from Reposting: The July Challenge is Coming! « Lisette Arencibia Photography
Time: June 26, 2008, 8:33 pm
[...] is at it again — the July Challenge will be starting up soon. The topic of the month will be LIGHTING FIXTURES. You can shoot street [...]
Comment from c3l5o
Time: June 27, 2008, 3:40 am
So let me make this straight! I join the group, upload the pictures, add one of those tags to the picture, and share it in the group pool.
It’s like this right? Then you select a few of them by searching the tags and post them here in the blog.
Am I right?
Comment from trevor
Time: June 27, 2008, 7:40 am
@c3l5o,
Yes, pretty much. Make sure you include all the tags from the post above, though.
The goal isn’t being posted on the blog though. The goal is that you grow, a lot, from committing to the daily challenge. As the challenge nears the end of the month, you’ll first run out of ideas. Then you’ll emerge at the end with some really great creative thinking. That’s when you know you’ve really grown.
That’s how it always happens to me.
Comment from Faerie Queene
Time: June 27, 2008, 4:33 pm
I am so glad I stumbled onto this site from stumbleupon.com. I am definitely going to try the July challenge. I have always wanted to get into photography and I have been dabbling a bit lately. Now that I have a topic in mind, I am looking forward to what I come up with. Thanks so much!
Comment from JU5T1N
Time: June 30, 2008, 3:01 pm
Cool – I’m pretty psyched to get rolling with another PhotoChallenge. It’s amazing how much adding a little structure (like these challenges) really helps me get out and actually shoot (and improve my photography).
Thanks for facilitating these!
- Justin
Comment from Chica
Time: June 30, 2008, 7:53 pm
I was wondering why there wasn’t one for June, glad to see July is full. I’ll be participating this time around too if I’m not to busy. 
Comment from trevor
Time: June 30, 2008, 9:09 pm
@Faerie
@Ju5t1n
Welcome and thanks for joining us! I’m glad to see even more people joining the Photo Challenges.
@Chica
I generally alternate the challenges, one month on, one month off. April and May were back to back because I wanted to switch up the pattern.
Comment from Hitesh Sawlani
Time: July 1, 2008, 10:23 am
I’ve been neglecting photochallenge a bit I must admit.. last time I participated was colour theory I think! I’ll join in for July, after a month of not having a dslr (it broke down) I’m getting it back tomorrow and I can’t wait to be trigger happy again!
However, times have changed and shooting daily will not bring out the best in me as I cannot keep shooting the same 4 types of lighting around me. I will however seek to produce 31 images by the end of the month and participate in this manner. Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s contribution.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Trevor you’re doing a great job leading this community!
Comment from Julie
Time: July 1, 2008, 2:04 pm
Ack. How did I miss this? I’ve had several posts “burp” from my RSS reader lately. Good thing I get an RSS of the Flickr stream. Better get busy, eh?
Comment from Susheel Chandradhas
Time: July 1, 2008, 10:47 pm
Sounds interesting… I may just go out and take some pictures for this challenge!
Looking forward to it.
Comment from trevor
Time: July 2, 2008, 3:28 am
@Hitesh, welcome back to the PhotoChallenge! Your welcome, and it is truly my pleasure.
@Julie, Glad you caught the first few shots coming in. I look forward to seeing your work soon.
@Susheel, Glad you’re going to join us!
Comment from skye
Time: July 2, 2008, 8:44 pm
Oops…how’d it get to be July already?
Love the idea, Trevor, and I’m looking forward to the tips you’ll be sharing!
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 3: No One Else
Time: July 3, 2008, 9:08 am
[...] 3 of the July Challenge. This is the lobby of the Charles Schwab building on Montgomery & Sutter in San [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 4: A Living Room Light
Time: July 5, 2008, 10:49 am
[...] Day 2 of the July Challenge [...]
Comment from Jason
Time: July 6, 2008, 7:45 pm
Been a fun challenge so far, glad I’m finally getting in on one!
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 5: Two Days At Least
Time: July 6, 2008, 8:24 pm
[...] Day 5 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 6: Mentally Shut Off
Time: July 6, 2008, 8:25 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 7: What’s Inside Never Dies
Time: July 7, 2008, 1:58 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 9: Curlyloops
Time: July 9, 2008, 2:12 pm
[...] 9 of the July Challenge. This was in the window of a furniture store across the street from the Giants [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 10: Saucerish
Time: July 10, 2008, 2:08 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 11: Red Rivers
Time: July 12, 2008, 6:50 am
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 12: A Porch Light
Time: July 13, 2008, 1:42 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 13: Turbine
Time: July 14, 2008, 10:01 am
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 14: All Things Come To An End
Time: July 14, 2008, 9:30 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 15: Variable Related Functions
Time: July 15, 2008, 9:25 am
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 16:
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 17: Pseudo Rustic
Time: July 17, 2008, 10:10 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 18: It’s A Secret
Time: July 19, 2008, 6:41 am
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 19: American Bourbon Collection
Time: July 20, 2008, 9:25 pm
[...] Day 19 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 20: If
Time: July 20, 2008, 9:28 pm
[...] Day 20 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Finding a Good Photography Project : The Photographer Blog
Time: July 21, 2008, 2:27 am
[...] I’ve just come across a new site called Photo Challenge which runs monthly projects (every other month). In July the project is Lighting Fixtures, shooting [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 21: Freaks
Time: July 21, 2008, 9:31 am
[...] Day 21 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 22: Glorb
Time: July 22, 2008, 9:54 am
[...] Day 22 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from PhotoChallenge.org » July Challenge « Williamo’s Blog.
Time: July 22, 2008, 5:26 pm
[...] PhotoChallenge.org » July Challenge Posted by willwm Filed in (Other Blogs), Articles & News, Photography Tags: challenges, photochallenge.org, Photography, workshops [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 23: Mills Lobby
Time: July 23, 2008, 10:18 am
[...] Day 23 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 25: Change The Route
Time: July 25, 2008, 9:27 am
[...] Day 25 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 26: Camplight
Time: July 28, 2008, 9:33 am
[...] Day 26 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 27: Another Day Wasted
Time: July 28, 2008, 12:50 pm
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 28: Jeanty At Jack’s
Time: July 29, 2008, 9:06 am
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 29: The Curse
Time: July 30, 2008, 9:34 am
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Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 30: I Don’t Want To Pretend
Time: July 30, 2008, 2:50 pm
[...] Day 30 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge, Day 31: Light Management System
Time: July 31, 2008, 10:17 am
[...] Day 31 of the July Challenge [...]
Pingback from Jeremy Brooks » July Challenge Video
Time: August 1, 2008, 3:21 pm
[...] July Challenge is now officially over. One shot per day, each of a different lighting fixture. I shot fixtures at [...]
Pingback from latoga photography » Blog Archive » Photo: Late Night Practice
Time: August 9, 2008, 1:42 pm
[...] Carpenter has a new challenge up for July over at PhotoChallenge.org. Since I figured I wasn’t busy enough already, I’ve taken it upon myself to try and [...]
Pingback from PhotoChallenge.org » Hello – An Introduction
Time: December 28, 2008, 4:01 pm
[...] also participated in most of the bimonthly challenges during the year. The July Challenge was especially enjoyable, and I still find myself looking for interesting light fixtures to [...]
Comment from Jeremy Brooks
Time: June 23, 2008, 9:17 pm
Cool! It was good to have a little break, but I’m ready to get back on the challenges! This will be a fun one….