What is Photo30?
Photo30 is a Photographic Challenge that we would like to make a trial-run in November. The willing participants are asked to submit one photograph for each day of the month.
What do expect participants to get out of this challenge?
The challenge is as difficult as the participant wants to make it. Whether you restrict yourself to taking just one photograph a day, or select the best image from a set, will be the ultimate decision of the participant. Each participant will face the same decision regarding the need to edit each photograph. This project, particularly the trial that we are running in November, will hopefully provide an opportunity for creative individuals to extend a visual activity, that they no doubt already do. Furthermore, this project can create new personal photographic challenges that might differ from the participant's primary work or focus. In failing this, the project provides the opportunity to practice observational and general photographic skills.
What should people photograph?
There is no prescribed content or theme for this particular trial. From one angle, I would simply advise participants to record the most significant, inspirational and exciting moment of their day, in the best possible way. But there are so many ways people can approach the challenge - perhaps they could try and revisit the same location to take their 30 photographs. Alternatively, participants could look to create a fictional narrative, that evolves from one image to the next throughout the month.
Can participants take their images on their phone?
I would suggest the most relevant and perhaps most accessible piece of equipment to hand at the moment of capture determines whether you use a Smartphone, Digital Compact, SLR or Film. Again there is no specific restrictions in this trial. I would also add that any concern over the device and technical skills required to operate it is perhaps no more important than observational skills excerised each day to realise and frame an exciting moment.
Where did you get the inspiration about the idea?
It appears that we live our very connected world - where imagery and opinions can be easily shared through various Social Networking Services. The photograph and the book (or Photo Book) have a very strong relationship and once a photograph was almost dependent on the book for distribution. But on a social level at least, the Family Photo-Album is not necessarily a physical object anymore, and the shift towards digital photography and the nature of digital file-sharing makes the 'A Photo A Day' challenge not all that difficult nor indeed different to what is already ongoing without any additional framework and restriction.
So what are you trying to do or achieve with Photo30 that is any different for people Tweeting their daily photographs or for those you frequently use Instagram?
Well firstly, I am encouraged to absorb an energy and enthusiasm that people display when documenting their daily 'top stories' and offer it an opportunity for reflection, analysis and principally refinement in this project. The reflection will be evident in the way we work with the images throughout the month the project is on for and furthermore after it has finished.
What are the initial plans for this, what will happen to the photographs people contribute?
I am not entirely sure for the trial-run in November. We could put on an Exhibition in January showcasing all the images collected. To do this, we could print one sheet for each participant, showcasing all 30 photographs arranged chronologically from the date of capture. We will be using our blog to update the progress of the project and this could be a place where the images submitted are displayed. We have some other ideas that include the production a video that collates all the images received in the project that would be made available on our blog.
What happens if you miss a day?
In your collection of 30 images, days that no photographs have been recorded will appear blank. It is not a problem and for me, if anything I believe it offers as much insight about your day as what one of your photographs would have. Because in most cases, there would probably be an interesting reason for why taking a Photograph (even on phones that we carry around with us most of the time) was not possible. You could be ill, dropped your camera, lost your phone, or you were otherwise involved in a specific activity where pausing for a moment to take a photograph was not practical. I would be shocked if I didn't see any blanks in the project. When in context with the photographs that you have taken in the month, the blanks will look interesting and where your lifestyle and the demands of the month have been a help or hinderance to your photography.
Do you have an idea of the type of images you are receive?
Yes and no. No because we have no theme running in this trial and yes because there are certain working and social structures that will dictate the environment and perhaps the mood of the participant. So I would expect these circumstances will naturally effect, almost regulate the imagery people take. Without necessary photographing oneself, the collection of 30 photographs and particularly the connections between one image to another may or may not reveal aspects of photographers identity and character through the events witnessed, captured and shared. For participants looking back over their images at the end of the project, they should be able some repetition in their collection that as previously mentioned, will be enforced by the daily structures each individual adheres to. If asked the question, 'what objects or scenarios do you foresee making a repeated appearance in your collection' participants might be able to accurately anticipate such events. Hopefully the challenge in the activity set in this project will raise the participant's awareness to aspects that they didn't foresee, imagine to observe and capture.
A collection of 30 photographs may also show an element of change as well?
Of course. Even within the space of 30 days I'm sure participants will end up documenting a degree of change; in physical surroundings, objects and people.
I think all observations will be very informative to the individual participant, but there is a responsibility from the management of this project to facilitate communication between individual experiences in order to open a visual dialogue between all participants or at least their imagery. For those individual experiences gained throughout the project, can further deepen and potentially alter in connection with others.
How would you like people to take part in Photo30?
We are in the process of sorting out specifics arrangements. Participants should email worth.art.design@gmail.com before November 1st to confirm their intentions of working in the project. They will be sent reply, offering more details about the project, as well as a short disclaimer offering participating guidelines/expectations. Photographs can be sent each day, every few days, or you could wait till the end of the week or fortnight to upload a group of photographs at a time (this might be desirable if you need the time to edit them). The final deadline for uploading photographs is December 10th. Please try not to leave it more than two weeks before sending any photographs.
I would simply ask that the files are in a .jpg format and named in the following way:
surname>forename>day (use 0 before first Days 1-9; i.e 06,07,08)
Beyond the trial run of Photo30 this November, what is the future for Photo30?
I would like to run Photo30 again in April and June. The nature of April's Photo30 will largely depend on the successes and failures experienced in the trial version in November. My hope is that by June, we are or have perhaps already tried to open the project out to other schools to get involved in. I hope that there is a lot to be gained for individuals willing to participate in the project practising their photographic and observational skills. The opportunity to share and observe many differing visual experiences recorded at the same time, potentially at the same place, should offer so much creative inspiration and lifestyle aspiration to further explore and hopefully capture the best photographs possible. For this to happen, the project needs to attract participants and good numbers to successfully achieve this.
