About Weekly Assignments

Weekly assignments (or "WA"s) are the primary reason behind this blog.  My intent is to gain some photographic knowledge by working my way through some books.   But, I hate to read...and that is how I arrived at this blog.  If I have to post about it, I have to get it done.

Now that I've started this, I just ran across Nature Light Photo and feel as if I've met a kindred spirit.  We're about in the same place and have the same goals, and got a similar idea for how to improve while still managing the rest of our "unphotographic" life.  If you feel that the WA's aren't quite for you - check out his blog and see if it's more your speed.  As Nature Light Photo said:


Because every individual needs to be challenged in a unique and personal way. As long as the challenge is real and goal oriented, I think that every person should modify their goals to fit themselves. 


Every week there is a reading assignment from the book that is featured in the top left corner of this blog (Required Reading).

The second weekly task is to take a picture.  You get five chances to take one great shot.  Taking a picture in this way will occur every week.  It can be of anything.  As I mentioned before, the thought of taking a picture every day is completely overwhelming to me.  I think I can manage a picture a week.  When I take pictures, I tend to take a lot trying to get the composition and settings just right.  By limiting myself to five attempts for THE shot, I'm forcing myself to take the time to check the settings and composition ahead of time.  I'm also trying to prevent myself from getting overwhelmed with a large number of unnecessary images.  I'm just too much of a scardy cat to limit myself to getting it right with only one shot.

And the last weekly task is to look at a picture by someone else and study it.  It can be any picture.  On a billboard, in a card, in the current reading, on the web...you get the idea.  The simple act of looking at someone else's photography makes you a better photographer.  A great way to do this is to subscribe to receive Better Photo's Photo of the Day.  I have been doing this for a couple years now.  You get a different picture every day sent to your inbox.  It helps me branch out since the pictures are always of something different.  (Not all nature or landscape or kids.)  And you don't even have to go looking for it - the photo comes to you!

Each week I'll post a Weekly Report (WR) where I'll give my thoughts on the reading assignment and post my picture.  I do not plan to discuss the picture I viewed unless there was something particularly striking about it.  I see a lot of pictures and it is sometimes difficult for me to put my thoughts into coherent words when it comes to analyzing them.  Also, in order for it to be helpful to you, you'd need to be able to see the picture as well!

Hopefully I'll slowly grow myself into a better photographer.