Before 2015 ended, Fstoppers posted the 52 Week Photo Challenge which stood out to me more than other photo challenges I've seen. I've seen a bunch of 365 photo challenges but there's no guidelines or rules for them, you kind of just shoot one photo a day for a year and thats it. Shooting one photo a week seemed more realistic to do and by having a theme for each week, I would be forced into trying something new every time. Casey Neistat started daily vlogging so that he would have an excuse to make a new movie every day and he says it motivated and improved himself as a filmmaker so I'm hoping this could be a similar aid for myself.
Week 1 was a self portrait which I was excited for since I could always use another photo of myself but I was drawing a blank when it actually came time to shoot. It's currently 30 degrees outside so I was sort of forced to shoot indoors. I had ideas for something harsh and in black and white with maybe a silhouette feel to it but after an hour or so of testing new things in my room, I wasn't happy with any of the results. I took a break to look at my instagram and noticed that #nationalbobbleheadday was a trending hashtag. I personally think its ridiculous that every day is national "something stupid day" but it actually gave me an idea.
One of my most prized possessions (no joke) is a bobblehead of myself with a camera which I received as a gift a few years back. I needed a proper photo with it. After a minute or two, I knew exactly what I wanted and within a few minutes I was able to set up my lights the way I needed for my self portrait. I used a wireless remote (which was out of frame in my right hand) to trigger the camera so I wouldn't have to rely on a self timer. Week 1 done, I'm excited for the new 51 photos!
Canon 6D, Canon 50mm f/1.4 (iso 200, f/4, 1/160s)
Gear Used:
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