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What to include, where to find, linked to assessment criteria

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How To Make a Test Strip, Contact Sheet and Print

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How To Make a Test Strip, Contact Sheet and Print

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https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/creative-photography-ideas

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How to start a photography project you will love

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How to start a photography project you will love

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Once called the " Jay-Z of documentary photography," Martin Parr is known throughout the world for his absurd, colorful, yet tongue-in-cheek photographs of modern life. But if you asked him about his favorite shots, he wouldn't mention individual photographs, instead he'd point you to photography projects.

And if you want to improve your photo-taking skills, starting a project you love is a great way to do it.

If you find an original subject matter and engage with this with passion and stamina, there is a good chance that you will come up with a good set of photos. Although photography is very competitive, there will always be opportunities for good new talent. - Martin Parr

A personal photo project can also:

Teach you to see "deeper": By photographing the same subject over and over again, you'll see more than you would at first glance.

Motivate you: Instead of wondering, "Hmmm... what will I shoot today?" now, you'll have focus.

Improve your portfolio: Not only could you get higher-quality images, but having a project in your portfolio makes it stronger.

Share your passion: Maybe you are the only one who sees it, and you can change the world.

But a photography project is challenging. Some days the thought of taking a photograph will feel like "work." Plus, who wants to be the guy telling all his friends about your cool project, only to bail on it in a few weeks (been there :)?

That's why choosing a project you love is so important. Sure, it won't guarantee success, fame or limitless fun, but it will help you stick to it. And if you bring a consistent commitment, in a few months you might be blown away by your photos.

To start a photo project, all you need to do is:

Choose a subject: What will you photograph?

Set your limits: How many photographs will you take? In what style? How long will you continue the project for? Are there any other limitations or rules to add?

But it's easy to get inspired by grand ideas in your head, only to create a project that's almost impossible to complete in the real world. But with the tips below, you'll be sure to get started on the right foot.

1. Define What You Want
Love Photography by Luis Valadares
Why are you considering a photo project?

Do you want to work on a specific photography skill? Improve your portfolio? Grow your photography business? Share your passion? Or maybe a blend of these or for another reason?

Your goals will influence the project you choose, so before we dive in, be clear about your intentions. For example, if you want to build your photography business, select a project where you meet a lot of people. Or if you're super-busy with work, choose a project you can do in just a few minutes at home.

No matter what your goals are, though, successful, beginner photo projects are often:

Simple

Clear

Fascinating (at least to you)

2. Gather Inspiration

Time to collect ideas and make a list of potential projects. Let other photographers influence you. In fact, I'd say stealing ideas is better than putting pressure on yourself to create the most original project ever.

Here are some places to get inspired:
A. Do A Common Photography Project:

365 Days: Take a photograph every day for a year

52 Weeks: Take a photograph every week for a year.

A to Z: Shoot a subject inspired by each letter of the alphabet.

100 Strangers: Shoot 100 strangers on the street.

One Object: Choose an object you love, hate or anything you can get your hands on; then shoot it in a variety of settings.

B. Discover Innovative Projects:
Head over to Kickstarter or Indiegogo, and browse the photography projects. Look at the successes and the failures.
C. Look At Your World:
When you're finished reading this, close your computer and look around. Is there something you would love to photograph? What's beautiful (or hideous) in your home, family or city?

Then, look through your photographs. What do you photograph, anyways? Are you a foodie with gazillions of lunch Instagrams? Do you have scores of pictures of your dog, kid or girlfriend? Do you keep thinking about a subject, but haven't photographed it yet? What type of photographs would you love to have?

Ask yourself: What fascinates you? Give yourself some permission to dream, and later we'll bring you back to reality.

3. Experiment With Subjects

Before you commit to a project, test it out. Narrow down your choices to the three subjects that are simple, clear and fascinating. Then, over the course of a week or two, photograph each one. Which one is the most fun? Which one is the most doable?

When you're done, select a project that moves you and is one you can complete.

4. Choose Your Limits
How long can you commit to?
Will this be a yearlong project? Or just for a few months? Here's where self-awareness helps. For me, I'm a three-month-project kinda guy. That's enough to start getting high-quality images, but not too much that I feel locked in (maybe that's my commitment phobia talking though ;). Plus, at the end of three months, if I love it, I can extend it for another three months.

Maybe three months will work for you, too, or maybe you're already the committed type and could do six months or a year. If so, great... go for it. If the challenge excites you, this will help you be successful.
What other limits will you set?
Depending on your project and personality, set the limits and flexibility. Maybe you'll only be shooting with your iPhone? Or only using objects in your home? Or maybe you need more flexibility, such as shooting 52 self-portraits in a year, but you'll shoot them whenever you want, not every week.

5. How Will You Share?

Sharing is one of the most rewarding parts of a photo project, but there are a lot of options.
Who will you share it with?

Is this just a private personal project?

For family and friends?

For Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, 500px or Instagram?

Will you set up a free photography website or blog on Tumblr or WordPress?

Will add to your online portfolio?

Will you hire someone to create a professional website specifically for the project?

Will you publish a book or approach galleries?

When will you share? To answer these questions, consider:

Will constant feedback help or mess with your head?

Do you only want to share the highest quality images or show the progression and failures?

Will you build a community around your project or keep it private?

Depending on your goals and personality, your answers will differ. If you aren't sure yet and just want to start, that's cool, too. You can always come back and answer these questions later.

6. Start Shooting

Congratulations! Now that you've put in the time to create a strong foundation, you're rewarded with a photography project you'll love and images you might never forget. Maybe this can even jump-start your photography career, and in 20 years, we'll be saying, "Martin Parr... who?" ;)

Either way, if you've chosen a project you're excited about, we'd love to hear about it. Please take a minute, and share in the comments below. Or if you have a question, feel free to ask, and we'll try to get back to your personally.

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How To Start a Photography Project You'll Love - Photodoto

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Once called the " Jay-Z of documentary photography," Martin Parr is known throughout the world for his absurd, colorful, yet tongue-in-cheek photographs of modern life. But if you asked him about his favorite shots, he wouldn't mention individual photographs, instead he'd point you to photography projects.

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Back to the darkroom: young fans reject digital to revive classic film cameraPhotographers relish the return of 35mm film and a crowdfunded SLR camera in a medium they say has more ‘soul’ than digital

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Back to the darkroom: young fans reject digital to revive classic film cameraPhotographers relish the return of 35mm film and a crowdfunded SLR camera in a medium they say has more ‘soul’ than digital

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First it was vinyl LPs. Then more recently, it was the turn of audio cassettes. Now old-style film photography has risen from the almost-dead. Large numbers of still photographers, professional and amateur alike, are turning their backs on digital technology in favour of images with "soul", conjured by exposing gelatin-coated strips of thin plastic to light - a process that can now seem as remote and exotic as the methods of medieval alchemy.

The first new single lens reflex film camera to be designed since the early 1990s is about to enter production, having been planned and prototyped in a small workshop in Stoke Newington, London.

The Reflex is the brainchild of a small band of young photography enthusiasts and designers from across Europe who, for the past year, have been closeted away in a corner of a Victorian industrial building, creating a brand new camera system using 35mm film.

Kodachrome, introduced in 1935 and withdrawn in 2010, continues to exert a powerful cultural and emotional hold

The global market for film peaked in 2003, when nearly a billion rolls of film were sold. But by 2012, Kodak, the vast American corporation that had dominated photography throughout the 20th century, had filed for bankruptcy protection, felled by digital cameras and mobile phones.

But film was not doomed. Sales remain a fraction of the high point, with sales of about 20 million annually. But, as with vinyl, the market sank, stabilised, then began to rise. Ilford, the venerable British firm that specialises in black and white film, paper and chemicals, has reported a 5% growth in sales, while Kodak Alaris - the UK-based firm that rose from US Kodak's ashes to continue producing film and paper - also reports rising sales.

In fact Kodak Alaris is resurrecting one of Kodak's most popular films, Ektachrome - a colour reversal, or transparency, film launched in 1946 and discontinued in 2013. The firm is exploring ways of reintroducing its most famous product, Kodachrome - also a colour reversal film.

Ann Sheridan in 1941. The Kodachrome look typifies our impression of Hollywood and America in its 1930s heyday. Photograph: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Kodachrome, introduced in 1935 and withdrawn in 2010, continues to exert a powerful cultural and emotional hold. It was used widely during the heyday of Hollywood and during the second world war, prized for its saturated greens, blues and reds and the slightly surreal, intense feel that for many became the defining look of 20th-century America. In 1973, Paul Simon eulogised the film, singing: "Kodachrome/They give us those nice bright colors/They give us the greens of summers/Makes you think all the world's a sunny day." Steve McCurry's acclaimed 1984 National Geographic cover picture Afghan Girl was shot on Kodachrome.

As the market for 35mm film crashed, so did that for film cameras: only a handful are still made, mainly by Nikon and Leica. The new Reflex camera is aimed at a generation who grew up with digital picture-taking but have fallen for film. Sold as a camera body with lenses available separately, the Reflex resembles a traditional 35mm SLR camera of the 1960s or 70s but has a removable film back, making it possible to rapidly swap films in daylight without having to wait until the end of the roll. The camera body will have the option of five lens mounts.

"For several months I worked through every single camera design out there," says the driving force behind the Reflex, Belgian-born filmmaker and photographer Laurence Von Thomas, 39. "I wanted to ensure that there was an alternative to using second-hand cameras if you want to use 35mm film.

Elliott Brown, by photographer Rosie Matheson, was shot using a Mamiya RZ67 camera on Kodak Portra 400 film. The image was selected for Portrait of Britain Award 2016.

"Using film is more than just nostalgia. We had a pop-up show for the Reflex prototype in London over Christmas, and the demographic coming to look was very broad. We had children - seven-, eight-, nine-, 12-year-olds - with their parents, trying out the camera."

Rosie Matheson is typical of the new wave of professionals who have embraced film. At the age of 22, the portrait and documentary photographer has worked for Adidas and Nike, and for Vice and i-D magazines.

"My parents had an old 35mm film camera lying around, and I picked it up around age of seven and started to use it," she recalls. "I started shooting digital when I was a teenager but I never fell in love with it. The images looked compressed to me, [they] didn't look authentic. The darkroom is for me almost therapeutic, going into your own world, listening to music, bringing these images to life.

Watching it all happen, a physical experience. We're now in such an instant world, with iPhones, digital cameras. It's good to have this slow process, ripping off the wrapper around the film, putting it in the camera.

Film photography focuses your mind but with digital, the brain tends to wander off when you're still taking the pictures

Laurence Von Thomas

"With digital, on a shoot you'll have a team of anything from five to 30 people looking at your pictures on a screen, and then someone jumps in with their own point of view about your pictures, and directs you how to shoot. With film, it's just about what you see through your viewfinder, and your subject. No one else is involved. That shows in the photographs: there's more sense of feeling and atmosphere. People are intrigued by a slow process. It means more."

Von Thomas agrees: "If you shoot on film, your mind focuses very differently from when you shoot digitally. Film photography focuses your mind but with digital, the brain tends to wander off when you're still taking the pictures, and you're thinking about adjusting the pictures digitally while you're taking them."

With backing secured last month from the online crowdfunding resource Kickstarter, the Reflex team aims to complete refining its prototypes by spring. Keeping this European camera affordable for the twenties and thirties target age-group has meant that it has to be manufactured in China. The Reflex will be available from the autumn, priced between £350 and £399.

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Back to the darkroom: young fans reject digital to revive classic film camera

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First it was vinyl LPs. Then more recently, it was the turn of audio cassettes. Now old-style film photography has risen from the almost-dead. Large numbers of still photographers, professional and amateur alike, are turning their backs on digital technology in favour of images with "soul", conjured by exposing gelatin-coated strips of thin plastic to light - a process that can now seem as remote and exotic as the methods of medieval alchemy.

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The 18-year-old photographer making waves

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James Greenhalgh: The 18-year-old photographer making waves - 1854 Photography

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Reading Time: 6 minutes The London-based student has won the opportunity to shadow Laura Pannack on an exclusive BJP portraiture commission

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The Guardian.
Yes its about painters but really interesting article about the relationship between sitter and painter. Reveals a lot about the artistic process, how painters struggle to realise their intentions. Shows that artistic talent is something that is worked on rather than an innate skill.

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Annie Freud (above) on Lucian Freud

I simply love that painting. Great eyebrows, which unfortunately, I've lost; I was 14 then. I don't remember sitting for it, but I know I'm looking at him. Because, you know, it was not quiet. There were moments when he'd ask me to be still, or perhaps not speak, when he was really, really concentrating on something, but we spoke absolutely all the time. I think he knew it would unsettle me if he was too quiet; but also we were just hugely close and had masses to talk about. He used to recite poems and read to me, a lot.

I sat for my father maybe 11 or 12 times, throughout my childhood. It was always very lovely. He used to tell me these terribly exciting stories in which I was the hero, stowing away on ocean liners and jumping from the gangplank on to the ship and hiding, and having adventures; he used to sing and make up little songs for me.

He'd get distressed, and I'd feel I was failing him. You're young and don't know who's responsible for what

I completely admired what he was doing, always, and was very impressed, looking at important portraits of people and seeing that progress. But I was aware that it was not something I spoke about with other people. I didn't talk about it with my mother, I didn't talk about it with friends or important relatives like my grandparents. I knew that it was special and interesting, and that it didn't happen to all children. The nude he did of me was a pretty tremendous experience. I think it was his first full nude, called Naked Child Laughing. I was about 14 or 15. I felt very much that I made that picture with him. I really, really prize it.

In some ways [sitting] was arduous, because it was a kind of work, and it was very, very tough when he didn't like what he'd done. He used to lash himself with his brush and jab himself when he was angry, or when he thought he'd done something weak or obvious. He could get very distressed with the way he was working. And I'd feel like I was failing him. Because you're young and you don't know quite who's responsible for what.

As a father, he was quite directive. He wanted me to conduct myself in a certain way. He wanted me to be well seen by other people and people he was close to. He wanted me to have good posture and to brush my teeth and look after myself, and to dress well and look good. He was forming me.

Later on, when I was pregnant, that was a harder experience, partly because it was a night picture and I had to be away from home. I was tired and needy. I was really quite young, and being pregnant is such an all-consuming thing. And also the complexity of the relationships involved, with me, with him, with the other person in the picture. She was the girlfriend, she was my best friend, my husband was missing me at home. There were a lot of aspects of sitting for that picture that were not the easy things I did as a child.

That these paintings are so famous makes me feel celebrated. He very much encouraged my individuality, all during my childhood, and being painted by him was part of that encouragement, to be un-conforming.

Jake Auerbach on Frank Auerbach

For some of the pictures, I know what it was like and what sort of mood I was in, and this picture is certainly one of them. I have a very clear, rich memory of what was going on. There were some big questions at that time, inside my head. I was preoccupied. On a purely surface level, my hair tends to be long or short - this picture of me [in my late 30s] is obviously one of the long-hair periods, which tends to be a four-yearly cycle. There was a crossroads and for me, at least, I think it shows in the picture.

I didn't see my father from about the age of five to 17, and then when we started seeing each other again, he asked me whether I'd be interested in sitting. I was happy to do it. As you might imagine [as a teenager], I could have bailed at any point, but I never have. I've lived abroad a couple of times and it's not always been practical for me to come back and sit; but if I'm in London, on Tuesdays I sit for my father for about two hours.

Being still for two hours is not nearly as tough as being still and standing up. Real heroes agree to stand for portraits, not sit for them. But I have no intention of ever doing that. The first half is a bit more relaxed, unless something is looking like it might be finished in that sitting. One tends to know - sitters know - if my father feels like something might be finished. There's a different sort of energy when you turn up. And in that case, you just sit down and get straight on with it. Ridiculous though it might sound, I do on those occasions try to be as "me" as possible. I try to project me, and put more energy into it myself. Obviously what I'm doing is passive - my main job is to turn up and sit still. But if I think something might be finishing, I will just concentrate more and try to contribute energy. Something like a conversation, you know; if you meet someone that you get along with, you put more energy into the conversation.

One gets an idea of what one looks like as time goes by, and I certainly recognise myself in all of the pictures. But it's difficult to explain. It doesn't feel like the same thing being painted over and over again. It looks like different facets, or different parts or ideas around the same thing. Even though the process can be very repetitious, it doesn't feel it.

One of the reasons I've always been happy to continue is that whatever's going on, in work or life, it's a little haven of quiet in the week; it allows the mind to deal with things that have been concerning me. It is an enforced moment of quiet, when the brain can get to work. I've always found it rather useful.

Lila Nunes on Paula Rego

I came to London as an au pair in 1985, to live with Paula and her husband [ Victor Willing], because he had multiple sclerosis. Pretty soon Paula would get home and ask me: "Can I do a drawing?" In those days, she didn't use models. She did drawings and then took them to the studio and did whatever she wanted.

I was happy about being involved in the work. It was a new experience. I was living with two artists, so I knew their work was very important for them. Then I started helping Victor, because he was in a wheelchair, but still painting. I helped mix the paints. They considered me part of the family, in a way. Even when I left to do other things, I was always in contact, especially with Paula. There was obviously trust between us and a connection, because we're both Portuguese. There were a lot of things we talked about that I understood because of that.

Paula knew she could talk to me and I wouldn't go and tell everyone else. Also, she can count on me. She's a person who likes routine and people to be on time. She has worked with other models, too, but I think it's to do with continuity. I always made an effort to be there, whenever she needed me.

I'm also a woman, so I understand a lot of things. When you're talking to a woman, and you mention something, you don't even need to go into detail. You know what that person means. It's difficult to explain. We have fun sometimes, and then other times it's very hard work because you're up there for hours. Sometimes it's frustrating because Paula can't get what she wants; she keeps working until she gets there. Things come out that she didn't expect. I think, in a way, that's because I'm relaxed: she can go through me and find whatever she's looking for.

The painting of Snow White, when she's upside down after eating the apple, was a very hard position. There are others where I was on my knees. Some of them were very demanding, physically. We had more breaks, and a lot of cushions. I really don't know where my mind goes; I can't remember.

For The Betrothal, I was sitting and I had lots of cushions. There were positions that I could hold for longer because, for example, if she was working on my face or upper body, I could relax my legs. Or the other way around.

The finished work does surprise me - especially the expressions. When I get up and have a look, I think: "Oh my God, that expression was... Where did that come from?" It doesn't feel like it was me.

Georgia Georgallas on Euan Uglow

Euan Uglow was my tutor. He asked if I would pose for him, but before I said yes, I went to see an exhibition he had in London, and I thought, "Wow." So I agreed to pose. When I got there, I said one thing: that I wouldn't take my clothes off. I'll be damned if I was sitting nude! He didn't mind at all. He goes, "Why is that?" I said, "My parents will kill me." I was quite young at the time.

That thing I've got on is a football shirt, would you believe. I think it was Manchester United. I turned it into a dress, so when I was sitting, it fitted. He found this shop, God knows how, and I had to go and buy a braless bra, if you know what I mean - without the cups. Then he got me Mary Quant stockings, because he wanted the legs to be shiny. He was quite resourceful in that respect. We got all that done, sorted out the costume, and my hair was quite long. I noticed he did the brown bits shoulder-length. I said: "My hair's much longer than that", and he said, "Would you mind cutting it?" So I did.

I posed for five years, nearly, on most Saturday mornings, except when I went away, and he'd get cross because I'd get brown. By the time I finished, the hair was back to its normal length. A typical session would be four hours, with breaks in between. I couldn't sit still for four hours.

He didn't talk. He really had to concentrate. Any chatting was done during the break, when it was just normal, having coffee with someone.

I had things to think about - my next painting, even making up poetry - so I never really got bored. I used to go blank or reminisce. I was completely out of it when I was posing. But if you sit in any position for any length of time, it starts becoming uncomfortable. Sometimes I could do an hour and a quarter, then I'd have to say, "I can't do any more, it hurts." But it wasn't as uncomfortable as some. You know the painting where she's crouched on a table [Uglow's The Wave]? Now that was a really hard position. She posed for almost as long as me, and was on one day a week. She started having back problems. I mean, it's a hell of a pose.

I turned down a number [of artists]. One was Lucian Freud. I didn't like him. I thought he was a bit lecherous. But it wasn't like that with Uglow - there was none of that. You pose as a professional model.

While I was there, I learned a lot from him, as far as technical stuff goes. He was always generous with knowledge. He didn't protect his secrets about mixing paint or that kind of thing. He gave me a lot of tips, from painting mediums to making frames. He'd often give me blank canvases to work on, and pigments. He was wonderful like that. We became very close friends, right up until the day he died. I used to do his income tax for him.

Kate Paul on Celia Paul

I'm the one lying down with my head on the pillow. It's not often that I have such a comfy position. This was painted at a very particular time and under very particular circumstances. It was a memorial, after our father died in the summer of 1983. My sister Celia sketched out the painting in December of that year, then worked on it over the next two years. It was a long, long process.

It felt like an important thing for us to come together in that time. You've got my mother in the centre and then the five sisters grouped very tightly around her. Celia doesn't show herself. I feel she's represented by the slant of the canvas that's reflected in the mirror behind, and of course she's there in every brush stroke.

We were all very young. I'm struck looking at the painting now; I'm the youngest and I was 21. Celia was only 24 when she started it, and our mother was only 56.

I started sitting for Celia when I was a teenager. There were sometimes negotiations about it: was I going to go out that evening, or was I going to sit for Celia? Looking at some of the early paintings of me, I'm often reading. When I went to university to read English, I was a bit more keen to say, I can't just sit there doing nothing.

At the moment I'm sitting for her about once a week, for a new painting, and it will be once a week until the painting is finished. It's a bit like seasons, in a way, and then we'll have a pause. So there'll be a spring painting and then an autumn painting. There have occasionally, in the past, been paintings where we've listened to a tape of poetry, or there was one painting where I listened to a recording of Jane Eyre. They've always had a special mood for me, sort of imparted by what I was listening to at the time. But that's quite unusual, and in recent years it's always been silent. I don't have a problem with sitting still and just thinking.

The silence is a very lovely and powerful thing, and particularly in some of the group paintings, sitting together in silence is a very companionable and powerful thing to do. And then, of course, we all go and have lots of chats in our break. And then come back again.

[Sitting] is certainly a very strong part of my relationship with Celia, because it's been so much part of my life since I was young; but we've always been very, very close. One begins where the other ends. It seems very natural that it's something I would do for her. And I really like having that opportunity to see each other regularly. If I haven't sat for a while, I feel a bit out of touch.

All Too Human: Bacon, Freud And A Century Of Painting Life is at Tate Britain from 28 February to 27 August.

Commenting on this piece? If you would like your comment to be considered for inclusion on Weekend magazine's letters page in print, please email weekend@theguardian.com

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'He used to lash himself with his brush when he was angry': artists' models reveal all

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I simply love that painting. Great eyebrows, which unfortunately, I've lost; I was 14 then. I don't remember sitting for it, but I know I'm looking at him. Because, you know, it was not quiet. There were moments when he'd ask me to be still, or perhaps not speak, when he was really, really concentrating on something, but we spoke absolutely all the time.

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Great article about a photographer working out what lighting has been used and how it affects the meaning of the image

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Great article about a photographer working out what lighting has been used and how it affects the meaning of the image

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Photogram Manipulations To Try

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Martin Parr- Advice to Documentary Photographers

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Martin Parr- Advice to Documentary Photographers

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https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/martin-parrs-advice-documentary-photographers/?utm_source=fb-social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Editorial

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Studio Photography Artists

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Images from Research Task

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The Future of The Photobook- Magnum Photos

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The Future of The Photobook- Magnum Photos

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The photobook has historically been underrated in its contribution to the evolution of photography, and only in the past 20 years has it started to be taken seriously as a medium. Martin Parr, an avid photobook publisher and collector, has had no small part in cultivating this awareness. Today, the photobook has come so far that there are books about photobooks charting their history and creating essential archives, such as Phaidon's recent Magnum Photobook: The Catalogue Raisonné. As photographers increasingly publish their work in book format, the question is raised: how will the photobook adapt to survive in a rapidly changing - and quickly saturating - market?

At Magnum and the International Centre for Photography's day-long symposium on the photobook in New York in June, Magnum photographer Martin Parr, Olivia Arthur, Magnum Photographer and co-founder of gallery and book publisher Fishbar, Aperture's Creative Director Lesley Martin and Fred Ritchin, Dean of the School at the International Center of Photography, sat down together to talk about the future of photobook publishing. The panel discussed issues such as audience, financing, self-publishing and collaboration. Here, we present five broad conclusions or considerations for the industry and photographers alike, selected to shape thought around what the future of the photobook might look like.

Bad books matter too

Self publishing and print-on-demand may be to blame for the proliferation of thousands upon thousands of photobooks flooding the market, but instead of seeing this as a death knell for the medium, Martin Parr argued that especially innovative books still stand out against mediocre photobooks, the abundance of which only emphasizes the achievement of those that are truly fresh and exciting.

"Photography is the easiest thing in the world but also the most difficult. It's very easy to take a body of work and in an afternoon turn it into a book that looks contemporary and exciting but it has no soul, no message, no real substance. People believe they have made an important contribution to photography but they haven't," said Martin Parr.

"A lot of books are very bad and we need these to understand a good book, because when a good book rises above the flotsam and jetsam of all of the stuff out there you really notice it. We need these lists - best of books and awards and prizes - because these are the ways that the achievements of photography publishing can rise to the surface. We need this guidance to understand what is actually interesting and good."

Breaking out of the photo-ghetto

For many photographers, the fact that other photographers and professionals in the industry like their work can feel like a huge achievement, even vindication, but the need to look outside of the photo-community in trying to reach an audience for books is more important than ever. Doing so invites a wider audience, one interested in the issues explored within the book, rather than just the photographer who created it.

"Photobooks are having a golden era but the concern is that we are making them for each other," Fred Ritchin said. "It's not sufficient to just talk to each other at this point. I'm looking for something that restates where we are in different ways."

"I think we see this big cloud which is the photobook audience and what's interesting is trying to go out and think about things differently and saying I'm going to reach these people because this is what I want to do," said Olivia Arthur. "We aspire to be like each other, too much so."

"We need to think about how to incorporate other audiences into this ecosystem and to think about those audiences when making books as well," added Lesley Martin.

Expanding markets and territories

While Europe is arguably ahead of the US in its acceptance of the photobook as a medium unto itself - through the proliferation of photobook publishers and fairs - one thing we will continue to see in future are other territories around the world making meaningful contributions to the medium.

"One of the positive things is that we are now seeing photobooks coming from all over the world, from where we didn't think there were any. For example, I've just recently bought a collection of 20 books from Indonesia," said Parr. "We will see other territories get involved apart from the obvious ones and the numbers [of books from these places] will probably continue to increase."

Uncollectible and affordable books

Given the trend towards collectible photobooks with hefty price tags, we may see more of a backlash and a move towards the opposite of the spectrum, a more democratic view of the photobook that could reach a much larger and more diverse audience.

"I would love to see uncollectible books," said Ritchin. "I would like mass market, uncollectible books which are made on issues of social interests. A book that's about current affairs, about what's going on that a conglomeration of groups, like Magnum, Aperture and ICP, could do together. The collectability mix makes me nervous. A book seems to be about one thing but it's made to be currency."

"It has to be affordable. Magnum's Square Print sale is very successful because it's affordable. We need to start training people and offering things at that lower price point that can still be really enjoyable," said Martin.

Print will prevail

There is little doubt that the photobook within the history of photography will continue to proliferate, almost as an antidote to the digital era, as people continue to crave the physicality of a book.

"People still have a huge desire for the book, for the printed object that they can hold. It's exploding in all sorts of different directions at the moment, and there might be a retraction but I think we'll come through the other side with something more interesting," said Arthur.

"When a body of work is really important and relevant and touches people it's eventually going to be published as a book, either initially or inevitably afterwards," added Parr. "We will need these books to preserve the legacy of the history of contemporary photography. And let's celebrate that."

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The Future of the Photobook * Magnum Photos Magnum Photos

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The photobook has historically been underrated in its contribution to the evolution of photography, and only in the past 20 years has it started to be taken seriously as a medium. Martin Parr, an avid photobook publisher and collector, has had no small part in cultivating this awareness.

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Unfortunately, like with any creative medium, photographers can experience a block, or lack of ideas for a subject. It's no different than a writer drawing a blank on words to add to his book or an artist having a difficult time putting that first stroke of paint to a blank canvas.

A photo theme simply means creating a set of photographs that are related in some way, whether it be through subject, color or other reoccurring pattern. The beauty of doing this is that you are not required to constantly come up with a new subject or idea for each consecutive photo; once a theme's subject has been established, you only need to find new instances of that subject. This forces you to think along one idea path and allows you to forget about the subject altogether and concentrate on what's really important...taking an interesting and thought-provoking photo.

But alas, we've returned to our initial problem of photographer's block! Not to worry since we've provided you with 30 solid ideas to get you started. Take one and go crazy: Create an online photo book from your set, or post a blog entry describing the journey you took to capture all of these pictures. Truly, the sky is the limit!

Black and White

All photos should be taken in black and white or converted to black and white in post-processing. Focus on the tone of the image.

Color

Pick a color, and take photos where that color is dominant in the image.

Urban Exploration

Explore an out-of-the-way or dilapidated building (safely, of course).

Street Portraits

Food

You can pick a type of food or shoot a variety. Get up close and personal.

Letters or Numbers

These can be found on signs, buildings and various other places. Try to assemble the entire alphabet! For an even bigger challenge, you can also take photos of objects that begin with these letters instead.

Vintage Signs

Do some research in your local area, and see how many old signs from decades past remain in your area. Then, photograph the lot! If there aren't enough locally, try capturing unique or interesting signs of any age.

Setup Scenes

This could include situational shots, vintage recreations, pinups...the possibilities are endless.

Social Issues

Abstract and Conceptual

Here's your chance to be a little heavy in the Photoshop department: Take a photo up close, and go a little nuts with post-processing. Alternately, you can take a picture of an "idea"; try to communicate this idea through nothing but a photo.

Lens Type

Pick one lens and use it exclusively; a 50mm is a good starting point, as it forces you to move around and be selective. A specialty lens such as a fisheye could also make an interesting theme.

Textures

Rough, smooth, serrated, bumpy, brick, wood, metal...there are tons of textures to capture out there. Shoot close and fill the frame.

Sunsets and Sunrises

Regardless of where you live, there are always opportunities for spectacular sunsets or sunrises. Collect several of the most dramatic.

Music

Emotions

Happiness, sadness, joy, envy...how many emotions can you capture with just a photo?

Seasonal

Pick a season such as winter or summer, and shoot photos that encapsulate the unique qualities of that season.

Reflections

Sky and Clouds

Skyscapes can be dramatic and stormy or light and beautiful. Capture as big a variety as you can!

Shadows

A challenging theme. Try capturing nothing but the shadow of your subject. This can be against a wall or on the ground, for example.

Self-Portraits

However uncomfortable it may be for many of us, self-portraits can be very helpful in opening up and exploring parts of photography we don't normally find ourselves involved in. Mix it up and be creative with your surroundings and emotion.

Shapes

There are many shapes to be found in nature, as well as in the man-made world. Try to collect as many as you can. You'll be amazed to find how they've existed right in front of you all along.

Perspectives

Shoot an entire set of photos from one perspective, such as low to the ground, as a child would see, or from up high. The majority of our shots happen at eye level, and this is a great way to learn how to deviate from that.

Nighttime

Another challenging theme. Ensure you have the proper settings in place (checking for proper ISO, and a large enough aperture to allow for the minimal light), and create a set of night images, using only artificial light around you. Better yet, what can you capture in bright moonlight?

Architecture

Historic buildings, famous landmarks, bridges, city skylines and old churches are all good places to start.

Holidays

Create a theme based on your favorite holiday, be it Halloween, Christmas or something altogether different.

Graffiti

Specific Architecture

Pick one part of a building and replicate it elsewhere: Doors, windows, fences and chimneys are all possibilities.

Tattoos and Piercings

Another street project if you don't have enough friends and family sporting tattoos. People with tattoos are often more than happy to talk to you about their origin and their meaning and usually don't mind having them photographed.

Film

Own a film camera? If you don't, you're missing out on one of the truly joyous aspects of photography, which is experiencing the way it was done in the beginning. If you haven't already (and you really should have), you can pick up a very good SLR film camera for next to nothing. Of course, these exposures can be converted to scans for posting online.

Instagram

Here's your chance to abandon your DSLR altogether...who said you have to use your primary camera to create a themed project? Use your smartphone and Instagram or other mobile photo app to fade, vignette and colorize to your heart's content.

Of course, this is only scratching the surface. There are literally thousands of subjects available for creating a photo project; you're only limited by your imagination, as anything can become the focus point for a memorable theme.

Do you have a theme you've completed that you're especially proud of? Thought of a crazy, off-the-wall theme idea we didn't mention? You know what to do...post it in the comments section below. We're waiting to see those awesome projects!

Since you are off to do some shooting, why not check out our recommended photography gear HERE.

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30 Ideas to Jump-start Your Photo Theme Project - Photodoto

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Unfortunately, like with any creative medium, photographers can experience a block, or lack of ideas for a subject. It's no different than a writer drawing a blank on words to add to his book or an artist having a difficult time putting that first stroke of paint to a blank canvas.

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Photography has never been as popular as it is today. People of all ages learn photography in various schools and online universities, and lots of talented photographers have a wonderful opportunity to reveal themselves not only as artists, but also as teachers.

Like all creatives, photographers can sometimes experience creative block or a lack of interesting ideas, no matter what side of the school desk they are sitting on. One way for photography mentors and teachers to fight this problem is through the use of creative assignments.

In this article I've put together 15 creative project ideas to use in your photography class (if you are a teacher) or for yourself. When completed properly, a student assignment is a great teaching tool. If it's well-designed and structured, it enables students to develop their technical skills and artistic vision, as well as improve their general thinking abilities and subject knowledge. So whether you're a photography teacher looking for effective assignment ideas or a self-taught photography student focused on training your eye and critical vision, this roundup will surely come in handy.

1. 365 Project

No matter what you call it, the 365 Project or Photo a Day project, the result is the same - a photo for every day of the year. These kinds of long-term projects give you an opportunity not only to explore and learn photography, but also develop creative seeing and improve your post-production skills. 365 Projects have changed the lives of a lot of photographers, and who knows, maybe you're next?

Further Reading: 11 Tips for a Successful 365 Project

2. 100 Strangers

The 100 Strangers project enables you to interact with 100 strangers and take a photo of each of them. It can be quite scary to start shooting people in the street, or local cafe, if you're an introvert. But being a photographer is not as easy as it may seem at first. Photography is all about overcoming your fears. This project will help you do that.

3. 52 Weeks

The 52 Weeks project is similar to 365, but this time you're supposed to come up with a new photo each week, not each day. The difference between these two projects is that you can choose a theme for every week. For instance, you may shoot particular subjects, places, or even do some photowalks. A photowalk is an awesome way to find inspiration, discover new locations, and come up with really valuable, interesting ideas in the end.

4. Social Awareness Project

Capturing dramatic moments that will influence the minds of their viewers is a mission that many iconic photographers are dedicated to. Spend a weekend shooting the faces on your local streets, or collaborating with a non-profit can help you develop your skills as a documentarist and photojournalist. Such photo projects are definitely not easy to work on, both emotionally and technically, but the reward of being an activist is obvious - every time you click the shutter button you create a photo that could change the world.

5. Self-Portrait

Of course, you may have taken a self-portrait many times with your smartphone. Instagram has turned self-portraits into something usual and mundane.

However, self-portraits can be quite helpful in opening up, and exploring parts of photography in which you don't normally find yourself involved. Mix it up and stay creative with your surroundings and emotions. For example, look at the work of Kyle Thompson, who has really succeeded in self-photography.

Check out these Self Portrait Photography Tips for some hints on where to start.

6. New Lens Type

You may pick one lens and use it exclusively during this project. A 50mm is a good starting point, as it forces you to move around and stay selective. A fisheye lens could also make an interesting theme.

Moreover, you may experiment with freelensing which is an inexpensive way to get a similar photo effect as from an expensive tilt-shift lens. The idea behind a tilt-shift lens is tilting the lens at an angle to the sensor to change the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF). The technique of freelensing, not only gives you the ability to change the PoF, but it also gives you some pretty cool light leaks from not having the lens actually attached to the camera.

7. Monochrome

Try to shoot all your photos in monochrome, or convert them to black and white in post-processing. The beauty of black and white photography is that it focuses more on visual elements such as tone, texture and shapes. By starting this project for yourself, you'll see the objects in a different light, and rather than just color, your eyes will be better trained to recognize various forms and shapes.

8. Panoramas

Panoramas are one more way to develop your creative vision. Panoramas usually give the viewer a much wider viewing angle than normal. You can create some small panoramas by merging three photos in one, or go full 360 and make tiny globes like the ones in the picture below. It's all up to you!

Further Reading: 8 Guidelines To Taking Panoramic Photos With Any Camera

9. Food

In today's world of foodie-Instagram, everyone could be a food photographer. Especially if you're fond of cooking, then food photography is right for you. It's a myth that you need a super-wow camera to capture food. Food photography is all about styling and beautiful background. No matter what kind of photographer you call yourself, it's advantageous to have some food photography skills under your belt.

Further Reading: How to Take Mouth watering photos of food

10. Sunset and Sunrise

As dawn breaks and the sun comes up, you get to see the creeping rays of sunlight bathe everything in their shining glow. Such scenes are the perfect environment for memorable photos that you can't pass up. Sunrises and sunsets happen every day. It may sound quite obvious and ordinary, but these times of the day are a golden opportunity to capture breathtaking images.

Read more about how to photograph sunsets and sunrises.

11. Single Theme

Pick an object and try to get a collection of snapshots representing it. For example, try to shoot only circular objects everywhere you go. Or pick a color, for instance blue, and try to go all day long photographing only blue things. The aim of this assignment is to learn to see the ordinary object in a different way.

12. Phone Camera

The main advantage of your phone camera is that it's with you everywhere you go. Moreover, these days smartphones' camera quality is much better than years ago and you may come up with images that look almost as good as if they were taken with an expensive DSLR. Using your phone allows you to put exposure on the back burner, and lets you focus more on composition instead. You may also use various photo-editing apps to add various photo effects.

13. Urban Exploration

Urban exploration photography is the art of finding abandoned places, houses, locations; explore them and shoot in a unique way. It's potentially dangerous, exciting, and a lot of fun. In order not to get scared, you should take your friends with you. Even if they're not interested in photography, exploring abandoned places is really breathtaking.
Editor's note: always follow the laws when doing urban exploration. Do not enter where prohibited and always stay safe. Abondoned buildings can be dangerous or illegal to enter. Be careful.
Read more about urban exploration photography.

14. Perspectives

Shoot a whole set of images from one perspective, such as from a child's the point of view. Or try to capture all photos from up high. We are used to seeing the majority of shots at eye level, why not to try something different? It's a great way to learn how to deviate from the normal.

15. Film Photography

Film photography is something every photographer should practice for a few reasons.

First of all, unlike digital photography, you don't get to see the image you took for a while. It may seem annoying, but you'll get used to it.

Second of all, you will begin to think more carefully before pressing the shutter button. While shooting digital photography, you may take 10 photos of the same thing to choose the best shot in the end. But with film photography you will not have that chance.

Read this helpful post with suggestions on getting started with shooting with film.

Bonus Assignment

Once you accomplish your creative assignment, create a dedicated photography portfolio ( Defrozo and Koken provide website building tools for free) or write a guest post for some photography blog to describe your journey and share your experience with fellow enthusiasts. Developing your marketing and blogging skills increases the likelihood of building a prospering and successful photography business.

Resources for Inspiration

The web has so many opportunities to get fresh ideas for your next photography project. I'd like to share some resources you may get inspiration from.

TED talks

Ted is aimed to amplify the ideas of students and teachers from all over the globe. Their mission is to spread great ideas and inspire students of any specialization. You may browse 1800+ TED talks on photography available on their site to spark your curiosity.

OKDOTHIS App

This smartphone app was made by a celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart. OKDOTHIS is a photography community that inspires people to do more. It's based on DOs which are creative tasks made by other members of the community. You may upload a photo in someone's DO or create your own one. The app has also a built-in photo editor.

Behance

Behance is a leading online platform to showcase and discover creative work. All the creatives starting from web designers to photographers share their best artwork here. You may browse the Behance gallery in Photography to find new projects from other photographers.

Weekly Assignments in the dPS Forum

Check out the weekly assignments in the dPS forum for more inspiration. DPS nominates a topic for each week. It could be a lot of fun and a great way to improve your photography skills in various areas.

Make it Happen

What homework do you prefer to give to your students? What assignments appeal to you most? What project interests you and gets you thinking creatively? Share your experience and suggestions in the comments.

Nancy Young

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15 Project Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Photography has never been as popular as it is today. People of all ages learn photography in various schools and online universities, and lots of talented photographers have a wonderful opportunity to reveal themselves not only as artists, but also as teachers. Like all creatives, photographers can sometimes experience creative block or a lack of [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Photography has never been as popular as it is today. People of all ages learn photography in various schools and online universities, and lots of talented photographers have a wonderful opportunity to reveal themselves not only as artists, but also as teachers.

Like all creatives, photographers can sometimes experience creative block or a lack of interesting ideas, no matter what side of the school desk they are sitting on. One way for photography mentors and teachers to fight this problem is through the use of creative assignments.

In this article I've put together 15 creative project ideas to use in your photography class (if you are a teacher) or for yourself. When completed properly, a student assignment is a great teaching tool. If it's well-designed and structured, it enables students to develop their technical skills and artistic vision, as well as improve their general thinking abilities and subject knowledge. So whether you're a photography teacher looking for effective assignment ideas or a self-taught photography student focused on training your eye and critical vision, this roundup will surely come in handy.

1. 365 Project

No matter what you call it, the 365 Project or Photo a Day project, the result is the same - a photo for every day of the year. These kinds of long-term projects give you an opportunity not only to explore and learn photography, but also develop creative seeing and improve your post-production skills. 365 Projects have changed the lives of a lot of photographers, and who knows, maybe you're next?

Further Reading: 11 Tips for a Successful 365 Project

2. 100 Strangers

The 100 Strangers project enables you to interact with 100 strangers and take a photo of each of them. It can be quite scary to start shooting people in the street, or local cafe, if you're an introvert. But being a photographer is not as easy as it may seem at first. Photography is all about overcoming your fears. This project will help you do that.

3. 52 Weeks

The 52 Weeks project is similar to 365, but this time you're supposed to come up with a new photo each week, not each day. The difference between these two projects is that you can choose a theme for every week. For instance, you may shoot particular subjects, places, or even do some photowalks. A photowalk is an awesome way to find inspiration, discover new locations, and come up with really valuable, interesting ideas in the end.

4. Social Awareness Project

Capturing dramatic moments that will influence the minds of their viewers is a mission that many iconic photographers are dedicated to. Spend a weekend shooting the faces on your local streets, or collaborating with a non-profit can help you develop your skills as a documentarist and photojournalist. Such photo projects are definitely not easy to work on, both emotionally and technically, but the reward of being an activist is obvious - every time you click the shutter button you create a photo that could change the world.

5. Self-Portrait

Of course, you may have taken a self-portrait many times with your smartphone. Instagram has turned self-portraits into something usual and mundane.

However, self-portraits can be quite helpful in opening up, and exploring parts of photography in which you don't normally find yourself involved. Mix it up and stay creative with your surroundings and emotions. For example, look at the work of Kyle Thompson, who has really succeeded in self-photography.

Check out these Self Portrait Photography Tips for some hints on where to start.

6. New Lens Type

You may pick one lens and use it exclusively during this project. A 50mm is a good starting point, as it forces you to move around and stay selective. A fisheye lens could also make an interesting theme.

Moreover, you may experiment with freelensing which is an inexpensive way to get a similar photo effect as from an expensive tilt-shift lens. The idea behind a tilt-shift lens is tilting the lens at an angle to the sensor to change the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF). The technique of freelensing, not only gives you the ability to change the PoF, but it also gives you some pretty cool light leaks from not having the lens actually attached to the camera.

7. Monochrome

Try to shoot all your photos in monochrome, or convert them to black and white in post-processing. The beauty of black and white photography is that it focuses more on visual elements such as tone, texture and shapes. By starting this project for yourself, you'll see the objects in a different light, and rather than just color, your eyes will be better trained to recognize various forms and shapes.

8. Panoramas

Panoramas are one more way to develop your creative vision. Panoramas usually give the viewer a much wider viewing angle than normal. You can create some small panoramas by merging three photos in one, or go full 360 and make tiny globes like the ones in the picture below. It's all up to you!

Further Reading: 8 Guidelines To Taking Panoramic Photos With Any Camera

9. Food

In today's world of foodie-Instagram, everyone could be a food photographer. Especially if you're fond of cooking, then food photography is right for you. It's a myth that you need a super-wow camera to capture food. Food photography is all about styling and beautiful background. No matter what kind of photographer you call yourself, it's advantageous to have some food photography skills under your belt.

Further Reading: How to Take Mouth watering photos of food

10. Sunset and Sunrise

As dawn breaks and the sun comes up, you get to see the creeping rays of sunlight bathe everything in their shining glow. Such scenes are the perfect environment for memorable photos that you can't pass up. Sunrises and sunsets happen every day. It may sound quite obvious and ordinary, but these times of the day are a golden opportunity to capture breathtaking images.

Read more about how to photograph sunsets and sunrises.

11. Single Theme

Pick an object and try to get a collection of snapshots representing it. For example, try to shoot only circular objects everywhere you go. Or pick a color, for instance blue, and try to go all day long photographing only blue things. The aim of this assignment is to learn to see the ordinary object in a different way.

12. Phone Camera

The main advantage of your phone camera is that it's with you everywhere you go. Moreover, these days smartphones' camera quality is much better than years ago and you may come up with images that look almost as good as if they were taken with an expensive DSLR. Using your phone allows you to put exposure on the back burner, and lets you focus more on composition instead. You may also use various photo-editing apps to add various photo effects.

13. Urban Exploration

Urban exploration photography is the art of finding abandoned places, houses, locations; explore them and shoot in a unique way. It's potentially dangerous, exciting, and a lot of fun. In order not to get scared, you should take your friends with you. Even if they're not interested in photography, exploring abandoned places is really breathtaking.
Editor's note: always follow the laws when doing urban exploration. Do not enter where prohibited and always stay safe. Abondoned buildings can be dangerous or illegal to enter. Be careful.
Read more about urban exploration photography.

14. Perspectives

Shoot a whole set of images from one perspective, such as from a child's the point of view. Or try to capture all photos from up high. We are used to seeing the majority of shots at eye level, why not to try something different? It's a great way to learn how to deviate from the normal.

15. Film Photography

Film photography is something every photographer should practice for a few reasons.

First of all, unlike digital photography, you don't get to see the image you took for a while. It may seem annoying, but you'll get used to it.

Second of all, you will begin to think more carefully before pressing the shutter button. While shooting digital photography, you may take 10 photos of the same thing to choose the best shot in the end. But with film photography you will not have that chance.

Read this helpful post with suggestions on getting started with shooting with film.

Bonus Assignment

Once you accomplish your creative assignment, create a dedicated photography portfolio ( Defrozo and Koken provide website building tools for free) or write a guest post for some photography blog to describe your journey and share your experience with fellow enthusiasts. Developing your marketing and blogging skills increases the likelihood of building a prospering and successful photography business.

Resources for Inspiration

The web has so many opportunities to get fresh ideas for your next photography project. I'd like to share some resources you may get inspiration from.

TED talks

Ted is aimed to amplify the ideas of students and teachers from all over the globe. Their mission is to spread great ideas and inspire students of any specialization. You may browse 1800+ TED talks on photography available on their site to spark your curiosity.

OKDOTHIS App

This smartphone app was made by a celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart. OKDOTHIS is a photography community that inspires people to do more. It's based on DOs which are creative tasks made by other members of the community. You may upload a photo in someone's DO or create your own one. The app has also a built-in photo editor.

Behance

Behance is a leading online platform to showcase and discover creative work. All the creatives starting from web designers to photographers share their best artwork here. You may browse the Behance gallery in Photography to find new projects from other photographers.

Weekly Assignments in the dPS Forum

Check out the weekly assignments in the dPS forum for more inspiration. DPS nominates a topic for each week. It could be a lot of fun and a great way to improve your photography skills in various areas.

Make it Happen

What homework do you prefer to give to your students? What assignments appeal to you most? What project interests you and gets you thinking creatively? Share your experience and suggestions in the comments.

Nancy Young

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
15 Project Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Photography has never been as popular as it is today. People of all ages learn photography in various schools and online universities, and lots of talented photographers have a wonderful opportunity to reveal themselves not only as artists, but also as teachers. Like all creatives, photographers can sometimes experience creative block or a lack of [...]

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Specialist photobook online store. We source the rare and interesting photobooks that the major bookshops don't stock. Visit us at www.photobookstore.co.uk

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To Print-
Open your PDF and click on File>Print
>Select Landscape Format
>Check Two Sided
>Select Layout> Short Edge Binding

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How to make different books

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Copied from Making Books Book!

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Different theme every month. Win an exclusive photo shoot on the bridge and a masterclass with an expert

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How to make images in the style of Randy Grskovic, Mauren Brobeck and Fong Qi Wei

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How to make images in the style of Randy Gvor

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ne man stoops to the ground to pick up his change, while a nearby pigeon pecks at the coins. Another, wearing a trilby, is slightly lost, looking for something (perhaps mirroring the film title displayed behind him). A woman in a hijab seems to float above the kerb in the distance.

Artist Chris Dorley-Brown, who has lived in east London for almost 40 years, has immortalised the area's street corners in a new book. But rather than normal photographs, taken in one-sixtieth of a second, his are multiple exposures brought together: a simultaneous snapshot of events that happened over an hour. "I'm interested in challenging the dictum of Henri Cartier-Bresson, who defined documentary photography as being about a decisive moment," he says. "I wanted to put several decisive moments into a photograph."

Roughly 100 photographs for each set-up are narrowed down to a handful of people and weaved together in Photoshop. It is a sort of staged scenario, yet true to life: "I'm trying to present a new way of looking at familiar territory. It's a bit like making a painting, even though I regard them as documentary photographs: I don't add anything that wasn't there or take anything away."

Street corners are a fitting place for Dorley-Brown to capture the multicultural area's diverse demographics and constant state of flux. The fabric shop is now an estate agent. The Rio, a Grade II‑listed art deco building, is one of Hackney's last independent cinemas. Behind the photographer is a mosque; to the right, about a dozen Turkish restaurants and cafes.

"East London for me has always retained some kind of edge: there's a polarity there, opposing forces which make daily life interesting. Maybe they're represented on street corners because there's this intersection of cultural ideas - people are reorientating themselves, never really knowing what's around the corner."

The Corners by Chris Dorley-Brown is published by Hoxton Mini Press (£30). To order a copy for £25 go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99

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The big picture: Chris Dorley-Brown's surreal street corner photography

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ne man stoops to the ground to pick up his change, while a nearby pigeon pecks at the coins. Another, wearing a trilby, is slightly lost, looking for something (perhaps mirroring the film title displayed behind him). A woman in a hijab seems to float above the kerb in the distance.

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We've created an A-Z guide because as modernist photographer László Moholy-Nagy once wrote; 'knowledge of photography is just as important as that of the alphabet'.

Though invented in the 1830s, it wasn't until the 1920s that photography came into its own as an artistic medium. Photographers began to embrace its social, political and aesthetic potential, experimenting with light, perspective and developing, as well as new subjects and abstraction. Coupled with movements in painting, sculpture and architecture, these works became known as 'modernist photography'.

A is for Alfred Stieglitz

Photographer, art dealer and publisher, Alfred Stieglitz is credited as one of the leaders of American modern photography in the early twentieth century. Revolutionary in his portrayal of still life and technical mastery of tone, Stieglitz called for photography's acceptance as an art form, as well as introducing avant-garde European artists such as Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brâncuși and Francis Picabia to America's art scene. Influenced by new developments in art, Stieglitz moved away from a more decorative, soft-edged 'pictorialist' style. His work The Steerage 1907, with its sharp focus and striking angles is often considered as a benchmark for the beginnings of modernist photography.

B is for Bauhaus

The Bauhaus was one of the most influential art and design schools in the twentieth century, a seedbed of nearly all the art forms we now think of as modernist. The Bauhaus existed in three cities: Weimar 1919-1925, Dessau 1925-1932 and Berlin 1932-1933, where it closed due to pressure from the Nazis. Its aim was to bring art back into contact with everyday life, so design and craft were emphasised as much as fine art.

The Bauhaus embraced new technologies. This was particularly evident in the photography department, where the celebrated artists László Moholy-Nagy and Walter Peterhans encouraged students to use their cameras to imagine new worlds and focus on experimentation such as close-ups and photomontage. As Moholy-Nagy stated 'everyone is equal before the machine ... there is no tradition in technology, no class-consciousness'.

C is for Camera Work

Published by Alfred Stieglitz from 1903 to 1917, the photographic journal Camera Work featured some of the most important modernist photographers of the early twentieth century. Stating that he wanted to create 'the best and most sumptuous of photographic publications', Stieglitz published the journal with the aim of promoting photography as an art form in its own right. The final issue celebrated photography as the 'first and only important contribution thus far of science to the arts'.

D is for Dora Maar

Dora Maar was a twentieth century photographer and painter. She worked across art genres and techniques including photomontage, darkroom experiments and abstract landscape paintings. During the 1930s, she built a successful career as a photographer in fashion and advertising, and travelled to Europe to document harsh social conditions. Her surrealist photographs, collages and photomontages made her one of the few photographers to be included in surrealist exhibitions. Her political beliefs had brought her close to the movement.

In late 1935 or early 1936, Maar met Pablo Picasso. Their relationship had a huge effect on both their careers. Maar documented the creation of Picasso's most political work, Guernica 1937, encouraged his political awareness and educated him in cliché verre, a technique combining photography and printmaking. Picasso painted Maar in numerous portraits, including Weeping Woman 1937 and encouraged her to return to painting.

By 1939 Maar had withdrawn from photography to concentrate on painting. These often reflect her environment. In Paris during the Occupation, she made still lifes with sombre colour palettes. In the south of France, her landscapes became more abstract. Maar returned to the darkroom in her seventies, experimenting with hundreds of photograms (camera-less photographs). Maar died on July 16, 1997, at 89 years old. Throughout her life she created a vast and varied range of work, much of which was only discovered after her death.
Dora Maar is on at Tate Modern 20 November 2019 - 15 March 2020. Book now.
E is for Edward Steichen

Alongside Stieglitz, Steichen also pioneered the modernist photography movement.

Following the First World War, Steichen moved away from his previously pictorialist style and began to experiment with various techniques. He adopted a modernist style, incorporating elements of abstraction and a highly defined clarity within his images. These early experimentations helped to redefine and strengthen the appeal of photography.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s Steichen worked as a fashion photographer for American Vogue and Vanity Fair. His soft-focus portraits of celebrities including, Gloria Swanson and Clara Bow, captured a romanticised vision of Hollywood; a mode still used today. Described by Vanity Fair 's editor Frank Crowninshield as one of the 'world's greatest living portrait photographers', Steichen became the world's highest paid lens-based artist.

F is for false cameras

Mounting a false brass lens to the side of his camera, American photographer Paul Strand would photograph his subjects using a second working lens hidden under his arm. Known as the candid camera technique, this allowed him to capture people without their knowledge. As the photographer describes, he wanted to make 'portraits of people the way you see them in New York parks - sitting around, not posing, not conscious of being photographed'.

From Jewish patriarchs to Irish washerwomen, Strand's street photography offered a drastic alternative to posed and formal studio portraits.

G is for Group f.64

Founded in the 1930s, Group f.64 was a group of eleven photographers, including Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston, who were united by their desire to photograph life as it really is. Characterised by a clear, sharp-focus aesthetic, their style was at odds with the romantic methods of manipulating images during or after printing, fashionable at the time. Instead they focused on accurately exposed images of natural forms and found objects.

As cameras became more sophisticated, different effects could be achieved quite simply. By closing the aperture on the lens (like the iris of an eye), the focus of a picture was sharpened. The name f.64 refers to the smallest aperture on a camera, used by the group because it provided the greatest depth of field, allowing for much of the photograph to be in sharp focus. Perhaps the overarching vision of the group was their belief in the camera as a passive observer of the world, better able to depict life as it really was because it did not project personal prejudices.

H is for human form

The effects of the First World War saw a dramatic change in attitudes towards the human body. Previously depictions of the human body were largely either for academic study, used as reference points for painters and draughtsmen, or in pictorialist compositions in which the female body was typically highly aestheticised.

This was reflected in artists' and photographers' depictions of the human form. Modernist photographers experimented with cropping and framing a single body part, distorting and accentuating its curves and angles. In 1936, the philosopher Walter Benjamin compared the camera to a surgeon's knife, able to permeate the body by splicing it into fragments. As a result the body was often depersonalised, instead appearing as something unfamiliar, often almost plant or landscape-like.

I is for icons

The 1920s and 1930s saw a close relationship between celebrity portraits and fashion. Modernist photographers including Irving Penn, Man Ray, George Platt Lynes and Edward Steichen, photographed artists, writers, musicians and Hollywood stars including Salvador Dalí, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein and Jean Cocteau. Featuring in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar, these portraits were instrumental in shaping the celebrity's public image. Rather than focusing on the sitter's occupation and status, the images were innovative in their pose, composition and cropping, as seen with Penn's corner portraits. Presenting well-known figures in unexpected or even abstract ways created iconic images rather than mere likenesses.

J is for juxtaposition

Margaret de Patta Ice Cube Tray with Marbles and Rice 1939 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection © Estate of Margaret de Patta

Modernist photographers enjoyed bringing together objects to reveal or create relationships between them. This can be seen in Tina Modotti's Bandolier, Corn and Sickle 1927 or Margaret de Patta's Ice Cube Tray with Marbles and Rice 1939. The result creates jarring or stricking compositions and heightens the texture and surface of each object.

K is for Kertész

André Kertész Underwater Swimmer 1917 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection © Estate of André Kertész/ Higher Pictures

Hungarian-born photographer André Kertész is known for his ground-breaking use of experimental camera angles and contributions to photojournalism.

Determined to establish a freelance career, he moved to Paris in 1925, gaining commercial success by publishing his photojournalistic work in magazines and newspapers across Europe. While influenced by the theories of surrealism and dada, he maintained an observational approach to photography, which he used primarily as a medium for documenting everyday urban life.

After being injured in the First World War, Kertész took up swimming while recovering in hospital. It was there that he first noticed the distortions that water creates on the body. Underwater Swimmer 1917 is the first of many distortions that Kertész took throughout his career and is credited by British artist David Hockney as the inspiration for his Californian swimming pool paintings.

L is for Leica

Released in 1925, the Leica camera was one of the ground-breaking technical innovations that expanded the development of photography during this period, revolutionising street photography in particular. It used flexible 35mm film - adapted from cinema film - stored on a roll. With a range of film speeds, it could capture movement and adapt to different lighting conditions, making it the ultimate handheld camera. Cheap, lightweight, and portable, the camera provided the opportunity for people to freely document their own lives. Not only did this see an increase in the popularity of snapshot photography, but also the rise of the amateur photographer.

M is for Man Ray

Man Ray's artistic career spanned painting, sculpture, film, prints and poetry, working in styles influenced by cubism, futurism, dada and surrealism. In 1930 he said that 'painting is dead, finished', and moved towards photography. He is perhaps most recognised for his use of the photographic method, solarisation and using photograms (developing directly onto photographic paper rather than onto film) which he dubbed as ' rayographs'. Creating surreal and experimental work, often of famous figures such as Lee Miller and Dora Maar, Man Ray became a key figure within modernist photography.

N is for New York

During the 1910s, New York was busy with people, carriages, cars and soaring skyscrapers and became the recognised symbol of change and modernity. Rejecting formal Victorian images, modernist photographers embraced crisp lines, abstraction in form and sharp focus, making the changing city the perfect subject. As Stieglitz commented 'my New York is the New York of transition'.

Due to this, the city played a key role in modernist photography. From its radical architecture to its varied population, it inspired many modernist images and served as a creative hub for many of its photographers.

O is for originality

The enemy of photography is convention, the fixed rules 'how to do'. The salvation of photography comes from the experiment
László Moholy-Nagy, c.1940

Modernist photographers sought to challenge the preconception that photography could not rival painting. They highlighted the medium's potential for originality, approaching it with a more experimental attitude and playing with ideas of abstraction. This attitude saw photographers harnessing 'mistakes' such as distortions and double exposures, and physically manipulating the printed image, cutting, marking and recombining photographs to create an often surprising, playful and radical image.

P is for Photo-Secession

Many historians date the beginnings of modernism in photography to the Photo-Secession, a group of American photographers founded by Alfred Stieglitz in 1902. Members included Edward Steichen, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Gertrude Käsebier and Clarence H. White, who all placed great importance on fine photographic printing and used techniques which mirrored paint and pastel. Their main ambition was to position photography as more than a popular pastime or commercial pursuit, and rather as a fine art. The results were exhibited in their New York gallery, The Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, later known simply as 291.

Q is for quotes

Here are a few of our favourite quotes by modernist photographers:

It has never been my object to record my dreams, just the determination to realise them
Man Ray

The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Photography is a major force in explaining man to man
Edward Steichen

R is for relationships

As well as formal artistic groups and schools, many informal collaborations thrived during the modernist period. These included both professional and personal relationships. Often the subtleties of these creative networks can be seen within portraits taken by the modernist photographers as different connections emerge. For example, student and teacher (Berenice Abbott and May Ray), muse and artist (Kiki De Montparnasse and Man Ray) and there are many instances of lovers (Edward Weston and Tina Modotti, Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe, Man Ray and Lee Miller).

S is for Straight Photography

Modernist photography celebrated the camera as an essentially mechanical tool. Critic Sadakichi Hartmann's 1904 'Plea for a Straight Photography' heralded this new approach, rejecting the soft focus and painterly quality of pictorialism and encouraging straightforward images of modern life. Common characteristics of modernist images include clean lines, sharp focus and repetition of form.

T is for technology

After the First World War, technological advances became seen as vehicles of progress and change, to put the horrors of the 1910s behind them. Photography's association with technology and science meant that it appealed to avant-garde artists wishing to break with convention and explore modern life.

Developments in camera technology during this period also enabled photographers to capture movement. Previously, motion had only been suggested by the blurring effect of a long exposure or presented through series of static frames. Thanks to increased shutter speeds and roll film, photographers were able to easily capture the body in action. Figures were no longer forced to hold a pose. Instead they're removed from the studio and shown jumping, running and suspended in mid-air, with a clarity impossible for the naked eye.

The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh.
Edward Weston, 1924

U is for Umbo

Otto Umbehr "Katz" - Cat 1927 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection © Phyllis Umbehr/Galerie Kicken Berlin/ DACS 2016

After studying at the Bauhaus, Otto Umbehr took on the artist name of Umbo and moved to Berlin. Focusing on images of the city and its bohemian society, his work quickly became part of Germany's avant-garde photography scene.

In 1928, Umbo became one of the founding members of the first cooperative photojournalism agency, Dephot. The agency was later closed by the Nazi regime. In 1943, Umbo's Berlin archive, containing between 50,000-60,000 negatives, was destroyed in a bombing. Very few of his photographs from the period survive today.

V is for viewpoints

Alexander Rodchenko Shukov Tower 1920 The Sir Elton John Photographic Collection © A. Rodchenko & V. Stepanova Archive, DACS, RAO 2016

Increased availability of the handheld camera in the 1920s enabled modernist photographers to explore viewpoints that flattened space and emphasised shape, tone, highlights and shadows. Championing what they referred to as 'bird's eye' and 'worm's eye' views, they experimented with angles and perspectives to create a distorted reality.

Do you understand now that the most interesting viewpoints for modern photography are from above down and from below up, and any others rather than belly-button level?
Aleksandr Rodchenko, 1928

W is for Walker Evans

American photographer Walker Evans was instrumental in establishing the American documentary photographic tradition. Working alongside photographers Dorothea Lange and Arthur Rothstein, among others, his depictions of rural and small-town life not only chronicled the realities of the Great Depression, but also positioned him as a key documentarian of the period. His photographs appeared in multiple publications, and in 1938 the Museum of Modern Art, New York, held a retrospective of his work: American Photographs.

X is for x-ray-like images

One of the darkroom processes practised by modernist photographers was the photogram. The process dates back to the development of 'photogenic drawing' by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1834. The technique involves placing objects onto the surface of a light-sensitive material, normally paper or fabric, and exposing it to light, revealing a negative representation of the object to create an x-ray-like image.

As attention shifted to lens-based techniques, the process fell out of fashion. However the beginning of the twentieth century saw a resurgence in its popularity and modernist artists repackaging the process under various names. Christian Schad's work became known as 'schadographs', Man Ray coined the term 'rayograph' and László Moholy-Nagy adopted 'photogram'. Simple to produce, this pared-back approach to photography had radical results.

Y is for Yamawaki

Born in Nagasaki, Japan, Iwao Yamawaki studied architecture at the Tokyo School of Arts, after which he joined a construction company. At the same time he began experimenting with a 35mm camera. In 1930 he interrupted his architectural career and enrolled at the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany, where he concentrated on photography. He engaged in techniques and processes promoted by László Moholy-Nagy such as combination printing, photograms and diverse viewpoints. In his travels throughout Europe, he documented details of modernist architecture and design. Although he returned to architecture once back in Tokyo, he continued to spread the Bauhaus philosophy as a teacher and through articles and exhibitions.

Z is for zoooooooooom

From cropping and zooming, to distortion and framing, modernist photography saw a radical shift in how we capture the world around us. Its lasting effects and spirit can be seen within the works of many contemporary photographers.

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We've created an A-Z guide because as modernist photographer László Moholy-Nagy once wrote; 'knowledge of photography is just as important as that of the alphabet'. Though invented in the 1830s, it wasn't until the 1920s that photography came into its own as an artistic medium.

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Scroll down from picture to see what was happening in the world when an image was taken

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Great place to search for inspiration. Use the handy 'similar artists' button to widen your search

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Artsy - Discover, Buy, and Sell Fine Art

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Artsy is the world's largest online art marketplace. Browse over 1 million artworks by iconic and emerging artists from 4000+ galleries and top auction houses.

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This traditional and contemporary gallery has lots of information about photography as a subject as well as individual works.

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A photograph can be either a positive or negative image. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus an object's visible wavelengths (the light reflected or emitted from it) into a reproduction on a light-sensitive surface of what the human eye would see.

The word photograph was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek word 'phos', meaning 'light', and 'graphê', meaning 'drawing' - so 'drawing with light.

Types of photography: Non-digital vs. digital

Non-digital photographs are produced using a two-step chemical process: light-sensitive film captures a negative image (colors and lights/darks are inverted) from which a positive image can be made by transferring the negative onto photographic paper (printing).

The advent of digital photography has led to the rise of digital prints. These prints are created from stored graphic formats such as JPEG, TIFF, and RAW. These can then be printed out using printers including inkjet printers, dye-sublimation printer, laser printers, and thermal printers. Inkjet prints are sometimes called 'giclée' prints.

Photography through time

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Tate glossary definition for photography: The process or practice of creating a photograph - an image produced by the action of light on a light-sensitive material

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Take better photos!

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Photography videos are an interactive way to learn new techniques. Browse Nikon's photography tutorials and other videos to help fuel your talent.

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Contemporary photography, projects and print magazine

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Hotshoe Magazine is proud to announce its latest Issue 209: An Emotional Landscape. Whether we live in a city or rural ideal our interdependence with nature is ever-present. In this issue, we explore our role in nature and our relationship with the creatures who share our world.

Portfolios include the work of Trent Parke, Stephen Gill, Mimi Plumb, P Guilmoth, Jem Southam, Yana Wernicke, Rinko Kawauchi, Takashi Homma, Masahisa Fukase, Jack Davison, Robbie Lawrence, Michael Lundgren and Gregory Crewdson, alongside an extended Q&A. The Crude Metaphors section, featuring a short story by Cal Brocket inspired by the photographs of Robin Schwartz, also perfectly fits the theme. Plus reviews of four newly released photo books.

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HOTSHOE is the UK's leading contemporary photography magazine. In print since 1977, and now published twice a year, HOTSHOE is renowned as a cutting edge photography magazine and is well-known in a rapidly changing industry.

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Learning resources, interviews, competitions

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Photography | Art and design | The Guardian

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A new book, The Female Gaze in Art and Photography, showcases the work of 20 contemporary female artists from around the world, flipping the lens from the traditionally male gaze

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Projects, essays, books

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Aperture is a not-for-profit organization that connects audiences though photography-in print, in person, and online.

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Use the search function to find related projects on your theme eg pollution or emotions

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Working from an archive of old negatives Arrayah Loynd invites the viewer on a lush, vibrating adventure into her mind's eye as she constructs an alternative to "photographic memory."

Photographs by Arrayah Loynd
Essay by Magali Duzant

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Discover and share the best in contemporary photography

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Exhibitions, projects, opportunities

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Photography Journal & Awards | Inspiring Photographers | 1854 Media

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1854 Media is home to the world's most influential photography journal and some of the most prestigious international photography awards. Learn more here.

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Interviews, insights, exhibitions

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The home of photography - The Photographers' Gallery is the largest public gallery in London dedicated to photography. From the latest emerging talent to historical archives and established artists, we are the place to see photography in all its forms.

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Interviews with Photographers About How They Experiment

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Interviews with Photographers About How They Experiment

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Really worth a read- practitioners talk about what experimentation is to them, how they do, when they do it and the positive impact it has on their work

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Submit your images by 29th September 2018. Prize fund of £15000

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Thank you to everyone who has entered and supported the awards in the 2018 competition.

View the category winners here

Sign up to the newsletter to hear about the next competition when it is announced.

The British Life Photography Awards is a voice and showcase for all photographers amateur or professional. Capturing and celebrating the essence and spirit of British life, through original, illuminating, thought provoking, humorous and poignant imagery.

There are ten separate categories; Rural Life, Street Life, Life at Work, Portraiture, British Weather, Brits on Holidays, Documentary Series, Urban Life, Historic Britain and a University Award.

Documenting daily life in Britain has been a tradition for over a century, so just like the great documentary photographers of the past (and present), we encourage photographers to elevate the commonplace and familiar into something compelling or fascinating through the craft, creativity and discipline of photography.

OVERALL WINNER, BRITISH LIFE PHOTOGRAPHER 2018, AMY BATEMAN Lambing Intensive Care, Croft Foot Farm, Cumbria.

The exhibition is on tour at these venues

Please check venues for opening hours

Mall Galleries, London 18th to 23rd February 2019

Banbury Museum, Banbury 16th March to 12th May 2019

The Garden Rooms at Tennants, Leyburn, North Yorkshire 20th July to 3rd September 2019

Redbrick building, Glastonbury, Somerset, 14th September to 13th October 2019

With thanks to our sponsors and supporters

To see the background slideshow full-screen, click the 'eye' icon at the top right of this page.

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Thank you to everyone who has entered and supported the awards in the 2018 competition. View the category winners here Sign up to the newsletter to hear about the next competition when it is announced. The British Life Photography Awards is a voice and showcase for all photographers amateur or professional.

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Use this to self assess your work- have you covered everything