52 Weeks with C.London : 2020 Edition

Jun 19

Welcome to the second iteration of my 52 week challenge: New and Improved! Last year was exclusively hosted on instagram, but this year I’m branching out to allow for more inclusivity across platforms. More on that in a bit.

First off, yay! You’re in for a year of growth as a photographer and artist. While this year will be more guided than last, there will still be plenty of room for interpretation on prompts as well as expression of your own creativity. Each week you will be given a prompt aiming to learn or hone a specific skill. Each prompt will build upon the last. Every four weeks we’ll have an abstract prompt which will be up to you to interpret in anyway you want. Seasonally there will be a photographer highlight which reinforces skills from the weeks prior.

Once a month I will put together a recap blog post showcasing some of my favorite submissions from the month, with the photographer’s permission of course. Those photos will link back to the original photographer in the means which they prefer (i.e.: instagram, flickr, facebook, personal website, etc.)

So, how do you submit? That’s up to you! Here are the options:

Instagram. Use the hashtag #clondon52 and #clondon52w1 (where ‘1’ equates to the week we’re currently working through.)
Flickr. Join the group 52 Weeks with C. London. Be sure to title or subtitle your image with the week number we are currently working through.
Reddit. Join the subreddit r/clondon52. Be sure to title or comment with the week number we are currently working through.
Facebook. Join the group 52 Weeks with C. London. There will be a dedicated album for each weeks’ prompt to which you will add your photos.
Email. Social media not your bag? No problem! Email me your submissions to chelsea@clondon.me. Please put 52 Weeks in the subject headline and let me know how you’d like to be credited and linked back to in the inevitability that I share your work in the monthly recap.

Below you will see each week’s prompts so that you may prepare and brainstorm in advance if you so choose. You can also download a PDF version of the prompts here, or simply bookmark this page to revisit it each week.

Let’s get this show on the road!

Any questions throughout? Contact me:

chelsea@clondon.me | instagram: @clondon | flickr: c.london | reddit: /u/clondon

Week 1 | January 1-8

Setting Goals

In the next year we will challenge ourselves as photographers and artists. Setting goals is the first step in that journey. Right now in this moment think about what you’d like to achieve. Are you hoping to get better at portraits? Maybe you want to be able to document your travels more coherently? Maybe you just want to give yourself a new hobby and artistic outlet.

For our first week, set a goal and make a photograph which shares and documents that goal. We will revisit this midway through and at the end of the year.

Week 2 | January 8-15

Shallow Depth of Field

We can control how much of an image is in focus via our depth of field. With shallow depth of field, only our subject element is in focus with the rest of the frame in blur. Both the subject’s distance from the background and the chosen aperture (wider aperture, smaller number) help to create and enhance shallow depth of field.

For this week, choose a subject element and appropriate settings/placement to show shallow depth of field. Can’t control your aperture? No problem! Take this as an opportunity to practice subject distance!

Week 3 | January 15-22

Deep Depth of Field

Last week we focused on shallow depth of field, on the opposite side of the spectrum is deep depth of field. Here we’re trying to get more in frame in focus - from the foreground, to the mid ground, to the background. Using a smaller aperture (larger number) will allow for a deep depth of field.

Choose a scene with multiple levels and depths. Use the appropriate settings to showcase a deep depth of field. Can’t control your aperture? No problem! Take this as an opportunity to practice subject distance!

Week 4 | January 22-29

Landscape/City Vista

Find a vista or sweeping scene. Decide if it’s more appropriate in that scene to showcase as much in focus, as little, or something in between. Choose your settings accordingly.

Week 5 | January 29-February 5

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Focus

Section One Recap

Week 6 | February 5-12

Show Motion

Light trails, blurred commuters, soft water. Just a few ways to show motion. How do we do it? With a slow shutter speed. You’ll need a steady hand, tripod, or just a solid surface to keep the camera still. A tip: using the self-timer or a remote control for non-handheld shots will take out the risk of camera shake while pressing the shutter button.

Find a moving subject and show its motion with a slower shutter speed. Can’t control your shutter speed? No problem! Take this opportunity to think creatively. How else can you show motion?

Week 7 | February 12-19

Freeze Motion

Stop a bird, plane, or even Superman in their tracks with just this one easy step*! Using a fast shutter speed will freeze motion. No need to worry about those shaky hands (of which I suffer), nor do you need a fancy tripod/stable surface. *other steps may be necessary, i.e. readjusting other settings.

Find a moving subject and stop its motion with a fast shutter speed. Can’t control your shutter speed? No problem! Take this opportunity to think creatively. How else can you freeze motion?

Week 8 | February 19-26

Harsh light or Low Light

Using your shutter speed as your first adjusted setting, photograph a scene with either harsh (re: bright) light or low light. Can’t control your settings? No problem! Look for strong and interesting compositions in either harsh or low light.

Week 9 | February 26-March 4

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Speed

Week 10 | March 4-11

Sharp

Pixel peepers rejoice! This week we’re trying for nice sharp photos. Minimal grain allowed here. For this prompt, set your ISO to the lowest value allotted by your camera, and adjust the other two settings accordingly.

Week 11 | March 11-18

Grain

I personally love to embrace the grain. Find yourself a scene which maybe does not have the ideal lighting and put your ISO to the test. Worry not about those pixel-peepers from last week, but only of the interest of the scene itself.

Week 12 | March 18-25

Empty Space

Find a scene which elicits emptiness. Use the settings you’ve practiced in the previous weeks to create the atmosphere you wish.

Week 13 | March 25-April 1

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Geometry

Week 14 | April 1-8

PHOTOGRAPHER HIGHLIGHT: Henri Cartier-Bresson

I am constantly amused by the notion that some people have about photographic technique - a notion which reveals itself in an insatiable craving for sharpness of images. Is this the passion of an obsession? Or do these people hope, by this tromp l'oeil technique, to get to closer grips with reality? In either case, they are just as far away from the real problem as those of that other generation which used to endow all its photographic anecdotes with an intentional unsharpness such as was deemed to be “artistic."

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a photojournalist and co-founder of Magnum. He spoke extensively on the idea of the decisive moment, wherein the photographer is honed in on capturing an event or scene in such a way to care more for the essence of the moment than the technical attributes of the imagery.

For this week use the master of the moment as your inspiration. Trust your creative instincts and intuition and show the essence of the scene.

Week 15 | April 8-15

Framing

One of the more difficult things for a photographer to master is guiding the viewers eye to the intended subject. A method for this is creating a frame within the frame around the subject, making it almost painfully obvious where the viewer should be looking. There’s the old standbys of doorframes, window panes, etc. But you can branch out from this and try less obvious framing elements.

Week 16 | April 15-22

Leading Lines

Let’s lead the viewer’s eye once again to our intended subject, this time by using lines. The human eye naturally follows lines within a scene, so use this to your advantage and place your subject at the convergence point.

Week 17 | April 22-29

Scale

Showing how large or small an element is can be made easily by using an element which any viewer would know the size of. Think a person in front of a large waterfall or overlooking the Grand Canyon. The element of the person tells the viewer how large that scene actually is. If you really want to go crazy, try out some forced perspective which plays optical illusions on the viewer.

Week 18 | April 29-May 6

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Modernity

Week 19 | May 6-13

Show Context

Some scenes are benefited by a little context. Is that just any old cup of coffee, or are you in some perfectly appointed bookcase-lined cafe? Show the scene in its entirety so that the subject element is supported by its surroundings.

Week 20 | May 13-20

Isolate Subject

Oftentimes the subject stands on its own. When this is the case, isolating it will really allow it to shine. Find an element of interest and make it the prime directive of the image.

Week 21 | May 20-27

Your Neighborhood

Whether it be a crowded city street, or a quaint neighborhood diner’s sign, there’s something unique about where you live. Find that element of interest and highlight it with either context or isolation.

Week 22 | May 27-June 3

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Tradition

Week 23 | June 3-10

Candid

People (and animals!) more often that not freeze up when aware that a lens is pointed at them. Get those natural expressions by photographing a candid moment.

Week 24 | June 10-17

Staged

Set up every aspect of this image. It could be a posed portrait, still life, macro shot of your beloved Lego set. Whatever it is, carefully place each element visible in the image.

Week 25 | June 17-24

At Home

Show your home - your immaculate interior decorating skills, your fat cat, a collection you’ve carefully curated, etc.

Week 26 | June 24-July 1

PHOTOGRAPHER HIGHLIGHT: Miwa Yanagi

Miwa Yanagi is a Japanese photographer best known for her carefully staged photographs. Every detail of her images is made with detailed intent. Her Elevator Girl series depicts elaborate scenes and set-ups which may seem at times spur of the moment, when in fact they are mindfully created.

This week make an image which on first glance seems effortless, but make it with dedicated intent - noting every single visible element and molding it to your choosing.

Week 27 | July 1-8

Reevaluating Goals

We’re halfway through! Congrats on making it this far! How are you going on your initial goal from week one? Often times challenges like this one will lead you off your initial track and make you reevaluate what your goal is. On the other hand, you may have become even more dedicated to your original goal. Both are okay!

The image this week should be a revisit of that original goal. If you want to do a full-on remake of the original, that’s great! If you’d prefer to start over with a whole new vision, also great!

Week 28 | July 8-15

Portrait of a Friend

Let’s do portraits! Find a willing model (yes, your dog will do just fine) and work to capture their personality in the image.

Week 29 | July 15-22

Self Portrait

Oh no. The dreaded self-portrait. Listen, I’m the first to hate having the lens turned on myself. That said, years back I forced myself to become comfortable with it by doing a 365 day self-portrait project. And I learnt a lot. For this week you are the subject. Be as literal or creative with this as you’d like.

Week 30 | July 22-29

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Strangers

Week 31 | July 29-August 5

Natural Light

Controlling natural light can be daunting as it is at first thought, well, uncontrollable. But, spoilers! You can control natural light. Find open shade, use a reflector/poster board, create shadows with your own hand. The possibilities are as boundless as your creativity.

Week 32 | August 5-12

Artificial Light

Now I know not everyone has studio lights or even an on camera flash. But guess what, artificial light is any light that isn’t natural. That could be your desk lamp, the neons of your local bodega, street lights, anything that isn’t that fiery ball of gas in the sky. For this challenge I’d like you to focus on artificial light you can have some control over, however.

Week 33 | August 12-19

Found Light

Learning to read light will help any photographer immensely. For this week go looking for the light and use it as it is, without interruption from yourself.

Week 34 | August 19-26

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Control

Week 35 | August 26-September 2

Soft Focus

We’re going to get experimental here. Soft focus can lead to some really etherial imagery. Have some fun with this one and put a bit of cling wrap or filter over your lens. Alternatively you could take a plastic bag, pop a hole in it and wrap it around your lens shooting through. Make your subject visible, but in soft focus.

Week 36 | September 2-9

Out of Place

Maybe something in your scene seems to not quite fit. How does that make you feel as the photographer? How would you like the viewer to feel? Out of place elements often bring a feeling of unease. This is your chance to create a subtly (or extremely) unsettling image.

Week 37 | September 9-16

Surreal

Surrealism seeks to release the creative potential of an unconscious mind. This often comes from that feeling of something just not being quite right that we explored last week. Make a surreal image this week. Need inspiration? Check out some of the masters: Man Ray, Rene Magritte, Dali.

Week 38 | September 16-23

PHOTOGRAPHER HIGHLIGHT: Vivian Maier

Though not known nor appreciated in her time, Vivian Maier is now regarded as one of the greats. In her free time she walked the streets and captured every day life as she saw it.

This week, take a week out of Maier’s book and hit the streets. Now of course not everyone has access to big cities, but that’s not what this prompt is about. Instead you should be showing every day life where you are. All too often I hear from other photographers “where I live is just not interesting,” to which I say, “well, to someone it is.”

Week 39 | September 23-30

Literal

See it as it is, and show it as it is. This week is all about being literal.

Week 40 | September 30-October 7

Figurative

Opposite of last week. Your image should be a representation of something else.

Week 41 | October 7-14

Abstract

For this week we’re going to go full abstract. (Insert joke about never going full abstract here.)

Week 42 | October 14-21

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Under Appreciated

Week 43 | October 21-28

Perspective

What you see is completely unique to you. I am not a tall lady, so I see the world from behind shoulders and low angles. This gives me my own viewpoint. How do you see the world? For this challenge position yourself in a way which adds visual interest. No straight on shots this week!

Week 44 | October 23-November 4

Fill the Frame

This week we’re going to cut out all the distracting elements of a scene and really focus in. Find an element of interest and have it take up the entire frame. Get in close and be sure to look at every edge of your frame to ensure it’s completely filled with the subject element.

Week 45 | November 4-11

Negative Space

The opposite of last week - allow for a lot of breathing room around your subject. Negative space can elicit feelings of vastness, loneliness, calm, etc. Frame up your subject in a way which allows for a lot of emptiness around it on all edges of the frame.

Week 46 | November 11-18

OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION: Juxtaposition

Week 47 | November 18-25

Color Theory

I’m saving one of my favorites for near the end. Anyone who has followed my work and/or endless ramblings knows how I feel about color theory. In fact, I’m just going to link you to my blog post about it. So first, give this a read: Intro to Color Theory. Done? Great! This week I want you to make an image with one color scheme in mind.

Week 48 | November 25-December 2

Black and White

Last week you learnt that monochrome doesn’t exclusively mean black and white, but this week that’s exactly what you’re going to do. There are times where even I can admit that color can distract from the intended final image. With this in mind, go make an image where color is not a factor and create a strong composition that does not need the (however beautiful) frills of the color wheel.

Week 49 | December 2-9

Sameness

When I think ‘sameness’ my mind immediately goes to 1984 by George Orwell, and for whatever reason that elicits strong reds to me. Maybe sameness to you is a group of businessmen out to lunch together in Midtown, or a monochrome scene. Share your visualization of ‘sameness.’

Week 50 | December 9-16

PHOTOGRAPHER HIGHLIGHT: Raghu Rai

Known for his extensive coverage of India, Raghu Rai mastered both color and black and white, a feat not achieved by many photographers.

This week is a bit of a cheat as I want to see a diptych (re: two images which support each other) - one in color and one in black and white. The images should play off each other, but do not need to be of the same scene. They are cousins, not siblings.

Week 51 : December 16-23

Seasonal

For those who participated in 2019, this may be familiar. It is also completely up to interpretation. What does ‘seasonal’ mean to you? To me it means Glühwein and Christmas markets.

Week 52 | December 23-30

Lesson Learnt

Explore something new you learnt in the past year of weekly prompts.

BONUS WEEK | December 30-January 6

Revisiting Goals

We’ve made it! 52 weeks later! Let’s revisit those initial goals. How did you fare? Are you feeling more confident in your own work? More focused in where you want to go from here? I hope it was a year of growth, new photography friends, and inspiration.

For our final image, we’re going to create the image from either week one or week 26 (your choice!) I’d also love it if you accompanied that image with something you’ve gained from this experience. Congrats on making it through!

If you have any feedback on the experience, you know how to find me!

Chelsea London Phillips

Nomadic native New Yorker.

http://clondon.me