52 Weeks Photography Challenge 2023 – Improve Your Photography!

52 Weeks Photography Challenge – The Calendar

Add to your Calendar

To make it easy for you to follow along the challenges, I’ve exported the 52 Weeks Photography Challenge 2023 as a Calendar.

You can have each challenge as an event in your own calendar, each Monday at the start of the new challenge.

To add to your calendar, follow these simple steps:

1. Click on the button above and enter your email address (if you’re already subscribed you can go straight to step 3)
2. Click on “Click here to view & download all the free content!” on the Thank You page
3. In Dropbox, click on “Photography Challenge”
4. Click on “Kevmrc Photo Challenge Calendar 2023.ics”
5. Click on “Download”
6. Open the file
7. You’re done! All the challenges will be automatically added to your calendar

3 Categories of Photography Challenges

Each of the 52 challenges fall into one of the 3 following categories: Composition, Theme, and Feeling.
 

Composition: The challenges in the Composition categories are challenges that will make you work on your composition.

A powerful composition is the key to a powerful photo; with 10 photography challenges on Composition, you’ll greatly improve your skills.

Theme: This category is the broadest of the 3.

In the weekly challenges, a broad theme will be given. The theme is open to interpretations, and while restricting you to a specific theme, it will still give you the freedom to create as you wish.

There are 30 challenges based on Themes.

Feeling: The last category of the 3, Feeling is also the hardest.

In this category, the challenges will be based on Feelings. The goal is to convey a specific feeling through a photograph, the ultimate goal for most photographers.

There are 11 photography challenges around Feeling, and they are mostly in the last weeks of the 52 weeks challenge.

This will give you time to improve your photography with the other challenges before being ready to tackle these ones.

The 52 Week Photography Challenges 2023

You will find below the complete list of the 52 photography challenges, ordered from week number 1 to week number 52.

If you want to read more about each challenge, scroll down after the list for more information.

1. Study
2. Sunrise
3. Nature
4. Architecture
5. Wildlife
6. Sunset
7. Love
8. Light
9. Night
10. Happiness
11. Leading Lines
12. Spring
13. Portrait
14. Laugh
15. Rule of Thirds
16. Power of Elements
17. Sky
18. No Sky
19. Jump shot
20. Symmetry
21. No face portrait
22. Black and white
23. Details
24. Negative Space
25. Summer
26. Reflection
27. Silhouette
28. Framing
29. Movement
30. Immobility
31. Color
32. Immensity
33. Panorama
34. Shadows
35. Fleeting moment
36. Top-down
37. Adventure
38. Perspective
39. Fall
40. Water
41. Levitation
42. Cold
43. Warmth
44. Fear
45. Double exposure
46. Anticipation
47. Contradiction
48. Void
49. Oddity
50. Mystery
51. Winter
52. Christmas

Week 1- Study

This is a special challenge, as this is the only challenge for which you won’t take a photo.

The goal for this challenge is that instead of just looking at a photo for 1sec, you’ll have to take time to really study the photo. To identify what you like about the photo, and what you don’t like.

Week 2- Sunrise

Just like the start of 2023, we celebrate the start of the day. The challenge of the week is “Sunrise”. You don’t have to shoot at sunrise for this theme, as long as the end picture makes the viewer think about sunrise.

Week 3- Nature

Pretty vague theme to start things with, Nature. This week, take a photo of the nature around you.

Week 4- Architecture

Last week we took a photo of nature, it’s only logical that this week challenge is Architecture. The focus of your photo should be architecture, of any kind.

Week 5- Wildlife

After nature and architecture, let’s try to photograph wildlife.

For this week photography challenge, take the theme as a general guideline. The theme is “Wildlife”, but you can take a photo of any animal around you. Even your pets. Simply try to make them wild. It can also very well be a human being, captured in a way that make the viewer think of a wild animal.

Week 6- Sunset

We started this challenge with sunrise, now let’s photograph sunset. Sunrise and sunset are 2 different times of day, with different feels. How are you going to showcase sunset?

Week 7- Love

The first of the Feeling challenge. It’s very early in the year, I know, but it’s Valentine’s Day. What better day to be photographing love?

For this challenge, the goal is to convey love through your image. Whether love is clearly apparent in your photo, or suggested, the result should be the same: the viewer needs to feel the love.

Week 8- Light

Light is all around us, most of the day. Whether it’s natural light, or artificial light, it’s everywhere. Your challenge this week is to draw attention to light.

Week 9- Night

Just as we drew attention to light last week, this week the challenge is to take a photo evoking night.

Week 10- Happiness

The 2nd Feeling Challenge that appears early in the year.

Happiness is what I strive for. What most of us look for – to be happy.

This week is Mardi Gras, an event of happy celebrations around the world. The perfect time to convey happiness through our photos. Your challenge this week is to make the viewer’s happy when he sees your image. It can be something that brings joy (food, words, …) or a happy scene you captured.

Week 11- Leading Lines

The first of our Composition Challenge. Use Leading Lines to draw the viewer’s eye into the image.

Week 12- Spring

This week is the first day of Spring – March 20th. Try to sum up Spring in one picture.

Week 13- Portrait

Portrait photography is a genre of photography in itself. Capturing people’s soul through a photo is extremely difficult. Try to tell a person’s story with one photo.

Week 14- Laugh

The last Feeling Challenge for this half of the year! The other 8 will be in the last weeks of the year.

This week is April’s Fools. The perfect occasion to capture “Laugh” in a picture. Your challenge is to make the viewer’s laugh with your image. It can be a funny situation, someone laughing, … You decide!

Make your viewer laugh.

Week 15- Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is the most famous rule of composition, and the most widely used. Use the Rule of Thirds in your photo to create a powerful image.

Week 16- Power of Elements

The Elements shape our lives; fire, water, wind, ice, sand, rock, rain, snow, …

Whatever form you choose, your mission is to convey the power of the elements (or the power of one element in particular) through your image.

Week 17- Sky

Sky is the theme of this week’s challenge. But this doesn’t mean that there should only be sky in your photo. Be creative.

Week 18- No Sky

Last week, we gave a lot of importance to the sky. This week, your challenge is to take a photo without a sky.

Week 19- Jump shot

Well I love this challenge! I’ve got to be honest, it’s in here simply because I love jump shots. Capture a jump in your image this week. It can be someone jumping, an animal jumping, an object jumping, you jumping, or whatever else you come up with,  as long as the viewer know it’s a jump.

Week 20- Symmetry

Symmetry makes for powerful composition. Look for symmetry around you; it can be in buildings, in the streets, in nature, or in the objects around you.

Week 21- No face portrait

Week 13 challenge was a portrait. You had to tell one person’s story with one photo. Now let’s take things even further. Tell a person’s story, without showing their face in the photo.

Excited to see what you come up with for this one!

Week 22- Black and white

Let’s forget about colors for this week’s challenge. Create a black and white image.

Week 23- Details

The devil is in the details. Take a photo of the details of a larger scene.

Week 24- Negative Space

Negative space is a powerful composition tool to use in your photos. Try to use negative space in your photo this week.

Week 25- Summer

June 21st is the first day of Summer. For this week challenge, try to convey Summer in one picture.

Week 26- Reflection

Reflections add another layers to images. Incorporate a reflection in your shot. The reflection can be from anything: a body of water, a mirror, a phone, a car, … You can also not take the challenge to the letter…

Week 27- Silhouette

With a silhouette, you lose all the details in your subject. How can you make a compelling image with only the silhouette of your subject?

Week 28- Framing

Adding a natural frame to your image add depth to your images. Try to frame your subject using what’s around: trees, people, windows, …

Week 29- Movement

A favorite challenge of mine. This week, your challenge is to photograph movement.

Week 30- Immobility

Of course, after photographing movement, now your challenge is to photograph the lack of movement. Create an image that focuses on immobility.

Week 31- Color

We’ve done black and white, now it’s time to do color. Your mission is to showcase color. You can choose to put the focus on one specific color, or on a lot of different colors. The color can be a small element in your image, or your whole image. In any case, the viewer must understand right away which color is in focus.

Week 32- Immensity

A common thing to do in adventure photography is to pose a human figure in a vast landscape, to show the sheer size of the surroundings. This week, show immensity in your photo.

Week 33- Panorama

Taking panorama images is a good technical skills to have. It can be used to show more of a scene, to reduce distortion, or even to have higher quality images. Try your hand at panorama shots this week and expand your skillset.

Week 34- Shadows

Shadows are always around during daytime, yet we pay little to no attention to them. Switch your focus; focus on shadows for this week challenge.

Week 35- Fleeting moment

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” – Karl Lagerfeld

Use this ability to its fullest by capturing a fleeting moment in time, to be able to enjoy it for eternity as a photograph.

Week 36- Top-down

Using different perspectives can really benefit your photography. For this challenge, capture an image by looking straight down from above.

It doesn’t have to be a drone photo. You can climb up stairs, climb a ladder, go on a bridge in town or a hill nearby.

Week 37- Adventure

My motto is “Adventure is just a step away“. For Week 37 challenge, the goal is to convey the feeling of adventure through your photo. Your goal is either to make your viewer feel like he’s on an adventure with you, or want to pack his bags to go on an adventure.

Week 38- Perspective

This week, change the perspective. Instead of showing us the world as we all see it, use your camera to capture a different perspective. Your goal here is to make the viewer look at your photo for a long time, to try to figure out what’s happening.

Week 39- Fall

23rd of September is the first day of Fall. For this week challenge, try to convey Fall in one picture.

Week 40- Water

Water is essential to life. It’s everywhere. Your subject for this challenge is water, in all its forms: rain, puddle, snow, ice, smoke, tears, drops, seas, lakes, rivers, …

Week 41- Levitation

Another favorite of mine, Levitation. Use your ability to freeze motion with your camera to capture levitation.

Week 42- Cold

Convey cold. Your goal is to make the viewer shiver. To feel cold. Or to be glad he/she is warm in bed instead of out in the cold.

Week 43- Warmth

The opposite of last week challenge. This week, convey warmth. Make the viewer feel warm with your image.

Week 44- Fear

This week is Halloween’s week, on October 31st. The perfect week to capture fear in your image! It can be something that will scare the viewer, or capturing the fear felt by someone.

Week 45- Double exposure

This is the last challenge of the Composition challenge. This is a technical challenge; use double exposure to create a nice image. It can be done in camera, or in post-processing.

Week 46- Anticipation

We are now entering the last weeks of the Photography Challenge, and the challenges will now be about Feelings.

For Week 46, your goal is to make the viewer shiver with anticipation.

Week 47- Contradiction

Convey contradiction in your image.

Contradiction: “a combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another.”

Week 48- Void

Have you ever felt like you were falling into the void in your dreams? Pulled into the nothingness, into the abyss? That’s the feeling your photo should evoke for this week challenge.

Week 49- Oddity

Oddity – for this challenge, create a photo of something that doesn’t belong. Something that shouldn’t be the way it is. Make the viewer feel uncomfortable.

Week 50- Mystery

Create mystery. Use your photograph to show maybe only part of a story. Leave some things hidden. Make the viewer want to know more about what’s going on.

Week 51- Winter

December 22nd is the first day of Winter. For this week challenge, try to convey Winter in one picture.

Week 52- Christmas

The last challenge of the year!

This week, it’s Christmas. So obviously, for this challenge the goal is to photograph Christmas.

How to Participate to the 52 Weeks Photography Challenge

First of all, this 52 weeks photography challenge is for you. The one and only goal of this challenge is to help you become a better photographer.

To participate to the challenge, it’s pretty simple:

Each week, take one photo in accordance with the challenge. Your photo should meet the guidelines of the challenge.

The photo should be taken during the week. Don’t reuse old photos.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do to participate in the 52 weeks photography challenge. Being consistent, and being constrained to guidelines will greatly improve your skills as a photographer.

Take It One Step Further – Share Your Entries

If you want to take it one step further, you can share your entries to the 52 week photography challenge.

To share your entries:

1. Share your photo entry on Instagram
2. Specify the challenge in the caption: “My entry for Week 2 of Kevmrc Photography Challenge – Sunrise”
3. Tag me in the caption @kev_mrc
4. Add the Challenge hashtag #kevmrcphotochallenge
5. Bonus – Add the Week Challenge Image Template as a slideshow to your post

In addition to sharing in your posts, you can also share your entries in your stories:

1. Share your post in your story
2. Tag me in the story @kev_mrc
3. Add the Challenge hashtag #kevmrcphotochallenge to your story
4. Bonus – Add the Week Challenge Image Template in your stories

Why Should I Share My Entries?

There are 2 reasons as to why you should share your entries on Instagram:

1. Your entries will be seen by other photographers: they can be inspired by your photo; they can offer you constructive criticism; you will motivate others to start the photography challenge
2. I will see your entries: if you share your entries using the hashtag #kevmrcphotochallenge and tagging me @kev_mrc , each week while I go through all the entries I will see yours & I can provide feedback if you want me to.

Is This Photography Challenge For Me?

I designed the photography challenge to be for everyone with an interest in photography.

Are you just starting photography?

Are you already familiar with the basics of photography?

This challenge will make you apply everything you already know in order to tell powerful stories, by sticking to a theme. It will take your photography to another level.

Are you a confirmed photographer?

Well, this challenge is also for you. I will also face the Photography Challenge, so let’s do it together.

We’ll start easy by touching up on composition (the rules we all know and forget), then test our ability to tell compelling stories.

Some of these challenges will have a theme you might be unfamiliar with, and they will push you out of your comfort zone.

Ultimately, we will together see if we are as good as we think we are – can we control the viewer’s emotion with a single picture?

Let’s find out!

Enjoy!

I hope you have fun while doing this 52 weeks photography Challenge. If you stick to it, I guarantee you your photography skills will tremendously improve during this year.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment below, I always reply! You can also message me on Instagram.