Weekly photo challenge - Everyone Welcome!

I am ready to jump into this, I hope you are too cause having a weekly photo challenge with no participants would just be silly and sad :( and you don't want me to be sad, do you?! I'm not above using a teensy bit of guilt on you ;)

Alright so I be working on all the graphics to go along with it but for now let me just say I realized there is a TON of great info on the internet about how to use your camera etc. I don't feel like I will add anything unique to the conversation so I don't want to spend my time repeating what has already been said and said well. I will post links and helpful information. Again the best thing you can do to improve your photography is to shoot regularly! Also having a one on one mentoring session with me or another photographer would be super helpful, online sessions can be arranged too (if you are interested let me know.)

The most important thing is that you pick up your camera and shoot often it doesn't have to be for hours on end just a little each day. Read something, apply it, repeat. Get inspired from what you see NOT discouraged, there will be no discouragement allowed just little steps moving forward and if you participate in the photo challenge on a regular basis I guarantee you will get better. Also use what you have, if that's a point and shoot, if that's a iPhone or a $4,000 DSLR use it, make it work!

"Don't compare yourself to other photographers only compare yourself the the photographer you used to be."

The challenges will be posted every Monday and go through Friday. I will announce the months weekly challenges the second week of each month so you can have it all in your head that way you can plan for it a little better. I will also give an example and some tips each week on the blog as well as any other helpful links to tutorials etc.

This months will be...

(The four main topics which will be same each week of the month but the sub-topic will be different.) 
Capture Your Life - Capture someone doing something they love February, 11th-15th
Get Creative - Self-portrait aka selfie, February 18th-22nd
Get To Know Your Camera - Shutter speed (example would be capturing a sharp photo of your kid running) 
February 25th - March 1st
Open Topic - Excitement! March 4th - 8th

1. After you have your killer photo post it to The SIP Project FaceBook page.
2. If you want a critique of your photo tell me something like "critique me baby" or " What do you think?" The more humor the better ;) If you don't ask me to critique your photo I won't.
3. If you have any specific questions about your photo ask!
4.I will give you a critique sandwich, one positive thing about your photo, one way it could be improved and another positive thing about your photo.
5.I will share my favorite photo each day. I would love to share every photo but don't want to clog up everyone's FaceBook feed with photos, I am sure you understand!

Remember it's all sooo subjective, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we all behold it differently. 

Here are my examples of this weeks challenge...

I tried not to take him out of the moment I just snapped as he played. When I asked him to do things he would always give me a cheese ball look, the key is subulty, it may not seem like it because kids don't always listen well but yelling at them won't get you what you want. Go at their pace. If you get frustrated walk away collect yourself and come back. Be creative, be silly, be a kid, they respond well to that.

I love that I was able to capture him in this little pose he does, he sits like this regularly so it's fun to have captured it.

Get on their level and take photos. Just be careful you may wind up with a stray toy or two poking into you.

If I had gotten lower and tilted the camera up slightly I would have gotten more of his face. I like that I can see a little bit of his face but want to see more, I mean he has great hair but I want to see more face! I could also crop it off just below his face and make it a detail shot.

Shoot from different angles! It's changes everything! Stand on a chair, whatever you have to do.

Get in close, get out wide and get the whole view. Almost embarrassed to show you this, but ah well, it's reality. See our lovely home store stacked in the back of his room.
This has more the feel of peeking in on a moment not being in the thick of it. Also try photos out in black and white some photos are just meant to be in black and white.

Remember this doesn't have to be a picture of your family. You could take a picture of a friend playing the guitar, or go somewhere where you know you will find someone doing something they love. You may not want to or be able to do something like that each week but sometimes we just need to get out of the norm.

If you have any questions about how it all works ask away! Here or on FaceBook.

Also, please share this with your photography loving friends, the more the merrier! Thanks!