52 Frames Project
I Made It 9 Weeks
Well, I tried. Half-heartedly.
I know quite a few people who participate in the 52Frames Challenge. It’s a website/community that has been running since 2011, an impressive length of time in this day and age of sites that come and go so frequently. They obviously are doing something right.
I’ve had an account on the site since 2022, but never participated. I signed up to keep up with some of my photography friends and their creative journeys.
This year, since I wasn’t using my camera much, I decided that this project would push me to create a new image each week. And it did, until this week. I have to admit, the whole thing felt like a chore and something I HAD to do, not something I wanted to do. This wasn’t helpful for me.
Here are the nine images I submitted for each weekly challenge and the extra challenge that is offered each week. I’ll talk more about not participating more at the end of this story.
What I wrote about this image:
I decided I needed to get this done today. I’m not one to spend hours on this stuff, so I know I could produce a better result. Deciding to participate this year is a motivation to use my camera each week.
We have a double patio door, which lets in amazing light; it was my main source. The second light was a floor lamp in the corner. If I weren’t so lazy, I would have moved the floor lamp closer to myself to get a better light triangle on my shaded cheek.
But I used my camera and I used my tripod, which is another intention I have for 2026. So win-win.
Post-processed with Lightroom Classic and Luminar Neo to sculpt the light a bit better and soften it up as a whole.
Challenge: Self-Portrait, Extra Challenge: Rembrandt Lighting
What I wrote to go with the image:
“ Echoes in the Current ”
Twice this week, I got the camera out of its bag. On a roll.
As usual, I was not patient with what I was trying to do at home with the first attempt at an idea I had.
The main reason I decided to start participating this year was to get my camera out (which mostly means getting out of the house, to me). So, today I went to a couple of my go-to locations nearby. It was far too windy to get the image I thought I might get.
I love reflections and the textures of the fallen trees in the water. This was in a creek run-off from the river.
Challenge: Rule of thirds, Extra Challenge: Symmetry
What I wrote with this image:
“ A Favorite Spot ”
I knew where I would go for my image as soon as I saw the theme and challenge. It may be cheating or me being lazy to go to this bridge because I’ve photographed it hundreds of times. This one may not be the best, but it made me get out of the house with my camera. That’s the goal.
Challenge: Get Low, Extra Challenge Leading Lines
What I wrote to go with the image:
“ On the Ceiling ”
My grand ideas were crushed when I ended up not going to Chicago on Monday as I had planned. Then the weather decided to give us the coldest temperatures we’ve had in quite a few years. So, twice I wandered around the house to see what I could see. I took some images looking down the stairs to the basement, but in my head, looking down isn’t the same as getting high. It could be, I suppose, but it wasn’t registering with me that way.
I typically put my camera on the floor and ground, a lot! So, why not do the opposite for Getting High? The ceiling fan in the kitchen seemed to be in the most interesting location. Add my stepson in the living room to help with the perspective and I think this works alright.
Challenge: Get high, Extra Challenge: Use a drone — well, this put a stop to my trying to create an image that used the extra challenge prompt because I don’t own a drone. That made me realize that it really didn’t matter if I did the extra challenge or not.
What I wrote to go with the image:
“ A Necessary Chair ”
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do this week. An old image of my stepson’s wheelchair next to an indoor pool popped into my head. We didn’t get out much and trying to stage a photo with the wheelchair in our house doesn’t work all that well. As I put him in the van to go to the movies, I pulled out my phone and shot this view. If nothing else, I’d use it if I needed to.
Another image I shot with my phone was at the movie theater: Ryan, his chair and empty theater seats. Unfortunately, the phone is not good in low light and he is constantly moving his head and hands. It’s a big mushy mess of an image!
I thought they both told a story, but this one turned out better.
Challenge: Chair, Extra Challenge: Tell a Story
What I wrote to go with this image:
“ Feathery ”
It’s been years since I pulled out my bag of feathers. This was the perfect challenge to set up my tripod, use my macro lens, light box, corn syrup and water. I’m so out of practice and so not patient. I took enough photos to satisfy the challenge this week using my tripod and my camera.
Challenge: Complementary Colors, Extra Challenge: Product Photography (nope, didn’t participate in extra challenge.)
What I wrote to go with this image:
“ Unexplored Camera ”
A few weeks ago, I purchased a Kodak Charmera. It’s a teeny, tiny little camera that fits on your keychain. I had only taken it out once to play with it, so I decided that it would be my unexplored entry for this week. Exploring this unexplored little camera to see what I could do with it.
We went to the Art Institute of Chicago on Wednesday and I took it with me. I intended to photograph what I would typically shoot with my Canon 6D — architecture, angles, light and shadows.
The camera produces 1440x1080, 1.6 MP, very low-resolution images. It is so much fun.
this image: ISO 153, 5mm, f3.0, 1/50 sec.
It’s nice to let go of the technical part of your brain and just create with it.
Challenge: Unexplored, Extra Challenge: Involve a stranger
What I wrote to go with this image:
“ Cliché ”
Yep, it’s cliche, meh and about all that worked for this week. I was aware of the images I was taking as I wandered around a lake on a mini getaway. But my attention was on other things and not focused on the challenge. So you get cliché.
Challenge: Shallow Depth of Field, Extra Challenge: f/1.4 (again, didn’t do the extra challenge because I don’t own a lens that goes to f/1.4)
What I wrote to go with this image:
“ Curtain Shadows ”
This is one of my favorite window light shadows in our house. I love the way the shadow moves around the corner in this room as the sun moves.
Challenge: Window Light, Extra Challenge: Include shadow
Why I’m Done
There you have it, 9 weeks, 9 images. These nine images are a peek into my being lazy with photography. Another reason to stop participating in the 52 Frame weekly challenge. It isn’t pushing me to do anything different than I typically do, or have done before. In fact, several of these images are shots I knew I could get easily and had taken before. In my mind, that’s not doing anything to help me, except getting me to use my camera.
Ok, there’s that. I found myself this past week, not wanting to create an image for the sake of getting out my camera and creating an image. That’s not a good reason for me. I have participated in photography themes and challenges for 15 years. I’m over it. Done with it. Not inspired by it any longer, at least not right now.
I’m not saying they are a bad thing; in fact, I feel quite the opposite. Because of these challenges and themes I’ve photographed for, I’ve grown and learned a ton as a photographer. They are a great way to get out of your head sometimes and create something different or unique.
Another reason I participated over the years is for the community. I’ve remained friends with many of these other photographers over the years. I don’t feel the need to be part of yet another group. I’m a bit of a loner and I’m ok with that.
The bottom line is, I’m burned out on the “creating and posting images just to post images “ mentality of the online world. I ran a photography community for a few years, I tried engaging, I tried getting people involved. The main reason the majority of photographers jump into new communities, or hop on new social media platforms, is to just post photos and run.
For now, for me personally, I’m enjoying making things using my images. Making things by hand. Handmade books, booklets, cutting paper and pasting it to other paper. Printing my images on different types of papers and substrates. I’ve also been practicing Zentangle and Neurodrawing.
Photography has almost always been a solo activity for me. I enjoy the quietness behind the shutter, the thought process, the looking for compositions and subjects that spark something in me. I know this is contradictory to posting online, but it isn’t important to me to share just for the sake of sharing. I’ve used my images to teach, inspire and motivate others. My images have been used in business and published in books. There is a purpose there in that. Again, for me.
We are all in different phases of our creative lives. We all have different personalities and needs for sharing our art. We all have different whys. Some need to be recognized and win contests. Some are content with just the creation part. Some of us have tried all of the above to see where we fit in the photography/art world. Some of us are still trying to figure that out.
It’s all ok. It’s all part of the process.
@Alison Spence Montillet wrote about 52 Frames in 2022. She shares many of the same feelings I have now.
Much of my photography is for sale. I’m working on new galleries here.
Have I inspired you in some way? I love a good cup of tea or a glass of wine.
These are great, and I think the photo a day or week projects are good to motivate people to practice, but I found it wasn't for me either. I joined one a couple of years ago and made it 8 weeks lol. The Important thing is keeping the creative spark burning, and it can withstand even long periods of downtime to rest and reflect and not go out!
My photography world is a bit different but I love pursuit you’re put into creating. I think it’s an important part of our mental wellbeing.
Thanks for inspiring with your work, Lauri!