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 04/01/2003 09:28:44 AM · #1
How I Prepare for a Challenge:

There are lots of ways that you can prepare for a challenge, and there is no right or wrong way. This particular workflow seems to help me and I thought I would share it here...

Monday (Day 1):

The new challenge topics are posted. There are several tasks I try to accomplish on Monday. To begin with, I ask myself if the challenge topics are inspiring to me. Is there a technique, mood or subject required that I am interested in? This question is important to me. If the challenge topic does not inspire me in some way, I usually spend the rest of the week working on personal photo projects rather than challenge photos. I find it difficult to produce a photo that I'm happy with if I'm not interested in the challenge theme. In most cases, If I'm not happy with my own photo, others aren't either.

If the challenge topics are interesting to me, I move on to day two in the challenge process. Yes... I spend Monday simply deciding if I want to participate in the challenge or not.

Tuesday/Wednesday (Day 2-3):

I spend no less than two days simply thinking about what I want to photograph. The first thing I do is eliminate a list of subjects/themes that I believe will be common in the challenge. I believe that creativity is an important part of the challenge process. In a challenge where there will be over 200 photos, being unique with your entry can be important. After I eliminate the ideas that I think will be common, I start making a list of possible subjects/themes for my photo. I try to list at least 5 ideas on Tuesday. After I have my ideas organized, I spend some time thinking about which ONE of the ideas I would like to attempt. I have decided that pursuing multiple ideas is too time consuming and it often creates too much internal conflict. I hate having to choose between to photos that I like equally for use in a challenge.

After I have chosen the subject/theme I want to photograph, I spend the rest of this two-day period visualizing what I want my photograph to look like. This has been a fairly recent discovery for me. If I know what I want my photograph to look like, I spend much less time actually creating the photo.

Now, I have my subject/theme idea in place and I know what I want my photograph to look like.

Thursday (Day 4):

Do I need any props or special items for my challenge photo? Do I need to find a location to do my photo? I spend Thursday determining where I will shoot and collecting any special props I may need for my photo. Is my photo dependent on weather? If so, I try to determine what day will be the best day to shoot.

After the 4th day, I know what I want my photo to look like and I have all necessary items ready to shoot. I also know where my photo will be taken.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday (Day 5-7):

This is shooting time. In general, I try to have my photos completed before Sunday. I spend time on Friday and Saturday making and editing photos. This gives me all day Sunday to think about my shot. Am I happy with it? Are there any changes that I need to make? Do I need to reshoot? If so, I have time on Sunday to do these things and resubmit my photo.

Notes:

Sometimes there are fluctuations in this timeline. Some days I have less time and some days I have more, so this doesn't always flow on the schedule listed here.

One of the advantages I see in a schedule like this is that it keeps me from submitting last minute, on-the-fly, half-hearted attempts for challenge photos.

How do you prepare for a challenge?

:)

John Setzler

04/01/2003 10:00:20 AM · #2
Mostly I enter when the challenge topic happens to match what I was going to be taking pictures of anyway. It's been quite a while since I actively went and shot something specifically for DPC. I find out what the challenge is and if I happen to be at a location that might be suitable or taking pictures that could work, I shoot with the challenge theme in mind and then enter.

I've found that if I do otherwise, I tend to take good pictures for other reasons then submit something not quite so good for DPC, because I've been more interested in what I was going to shoot originally. When I can make the two overlap I tend to do better.

Message edited by author 2003-04-01 10:01:32.
 04/01/2003 10:01:24 AM · #3
Great tips and insight for a newbie such as myself!

I haven't really worked out a routine for my own attempts; I guess it's been more of the 'fly by the seat of my pants' side of things. I haven't really been terribly happy with my first two challenge submissions, but I think that's because I haven't limited myself to one shot I want to make. It's been more of a shotgun approach, left choosing between multiple decent, but somewhat unrefined shots.

Thanks for taking the time to put your process into words!
 04/01/2003 10:30:26 AM · #4
I decide early on one of two things:
1. studio or wild
2. tons of shots and pick the best or capture a moment.

If I'm going to do a studio shot, I gear up in the "what ideas will be used, what can I do BETTER than those ideas? What will be hard to control in studio?" (a studio shot has to be damned near perfect for me to give it a 9 or 10, so I think the same for everyone else)

If I'm going to do a wild shot, I just carry my camera and "think" about it. "Time...symmetry...time....symmetry..." and try and find that one picture that, like the "perfect 3" picture, is THERE waiting to be had.

If I'm going to do a single shot/few shots, it's because I don't think there is one adequate shot that will win - I think it's a lucky capture for me, such as the right second of a sunset. I will take 5 spaced out at 5 times, play with them, and see which is best. There's no point in taking one every 30 seconds, because you can saturate/color it to look the same...

If I'm going to take a LOT of shots, it means it's early in the week and I don't know what is going to work for me yet. It means that the challenge is open to more creativity and I'm willing to experiment.

For the "time" challenge, I happened to be going through Vancouver, where I knew Gastown had the great steam clock. I knew that I would shoot the clock and given the skyline around it, I had a pretty good idea that it would not be a picture of the whole clock, but only of the face. There was no point in taking 25 pictures of it, so I took my 5 to 8, got out of there, edit it with the sepia and a crop and that was it.

For the eggs, however - I must have shot 40 shots. I arranged the egg, rearranged the egg, tried again and then changed the whole wax form...still didn't get what I wanted, but the idea I had was there.

Great post! I can't wait to see what everyone does.
 04/01/2003 10:48:08 AM · #5
First thing I do is spend several hours thinking about the subject. Frequently, an idea will come to me in the first half hour. In that case, I'll use that idea as the primary assingment.

The next step is to check my work schedule and the weather for the week. At this point in time I'm doing the majority of my shooting outdoors, so weather is a critical factor. I use these factors to determine what days I'll shoot.

Step 3 is shooting day. I travel to my chosen location and focus on trying to get high quality shots. After I'm done with the focused shooting, I'll meander back, looking for other items that may fit into the subject.

Step 4 is darkroom. I pick through the images I have, hoping for at least 3 that look as good as I remember them looking when I shot. I'll process the top 3-5, then leave them overnight. Next morning I'll return and re-evaluate the images. At this point, I select, post, and it's on to the next challenge.
 04/01/2003 11:09:12 AM · #6
Bizarrely the shots I've put most planning & effort into tend not to do so well (that being a relative term - IMO all but one of my shots has 'done well' here).

I cannot sit and think up ideas. The ideas I have just come to me, often when I'm half asleep or daydreaming.

For the stock challenge I was out on a walk by the canal. The cockerel just happened to be sat on the wall, and the sunlight just happened to be perfect. It wasn't until we were sat at a friends having a brew & warming up later that the connection to the challenge (and the corny title) hit me.

For Kitchen Art I saw the challenge on Monday morning then went downstairs for a caffeine hit. The toaster immediately jumped out at me as my subject for the week. Due to other commitments it was late Sunday night before I got round to actually doing something with it!

So I guess the answer to your question 'How do you prepare for a challenge?' is 'I don't!' and the less preparation I do the more success I have :-/
 04/01/2003 11:47:27 AM · #7
I susually spend the monday bemoaning to myself the porr showing of my previous challenge photo.

As to entering them - well, paid work allowing (John, you give the impression that you don't do anything else) I'll decide where I'm going shooting, and keep the challenge subjects in mind most of the time. Most of my shots are 'opportunistic' anyway - I tend to go out looking (or stay in looking) and try to capture something close to what it is I'm seeing (as opposed to what everyone sees) in the hope that I might see things a little differently.

The only shot I composed was the egg shot - which I liked, but I was in a rush as I only had a couple of hours to get an entry in after discovering the site.

this shot isn't the kind of thing you can plan for. Mind you, as it only came 51st that's nothing special - though I'm still very proud of it.


Ed

Message edited by author 2003-04-01 11:52:24.
 04/01/2003 12:23:39 PM · #8
Lol.... The process isn't that time consuming... I guess the way I worded that, it does sound like it takes up my entire week :)

04/01/2003 02:38:34 PM · #9
How do I prepare for a challenge? Well "color" is my first one for DPC and I haven't jumped in with both feet yet (just basic) but that's gonna change ASAP! Love it here!

Anyway,I hate being "last minute" so I'm usually posting early in the sumittion period. Guess you'd call it the "shotgun" approach however,I tend to go with my first instinct of what the "challenge" means to me.Take some shots then really look at what I have and if they really convey my idea. I feel that since photography is very subjective,I don't want to second guess what everyone else thinks. In the end,some will like the shot some won't, but I'll always stick to my convictions.
I hope that doesn't make me sound narrow-minded,but I trust my instincts in all things.

I'd also be interested in how voters rate the contest photo's, in general,that is.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Good luck to everyone.
Sherryk471
 04/01/2003 03:14:14 PM · #10
Firstly I check the battery in my camera.
Secondly I turn the camera on.
Thirdly I say "DOH!" when I realised I forgot to take the lenscap off.
Fourthly I take the lenscap off, and repeat step 2.
Fifthly I take a photo.
Sixthly I enter the photo.
Sevently I win first place.
Eighthly I wake up.
Ninthly I take a look at the challenges.
Tenthly I realise I have no ideas for what to shoot and normally wait till Sunday before I get round to doing it.
 04/01/2003 04:21:50 PM · #11
First, I'm not too sure about anything anymore because this site is driving me crazy. It was bad enough when we only had one challenge to think about but now I go around all week muttering the the challenge themes to myself with camera in hand ready for anything. My ideal method would be much like John's but it usually ends up where I am simply going to a location with good photo possibilities and seeing what I can find and, of course, muttering the challenge themes under my breath like a crazy man. On some of my more successful photos I was able to take them early enough during the week so that I had a good amount of time to really anylize them to see what would work best and whether I needed to take more photos. Unfortunately my best day to shoot is Sunday which leaves very little room for error. I've also learned that on the set up shots I need to give myself much more time to prepare but for some crazy reason I can't seem to get a good idea unless I only have a few hours before a deadline.

T
04/01/2003 05:49:15 PM · #12
I take pictures almost every day. I have the theme of the challenge in mind, but I tend not to concentrate too much on it and just go on and shoot what I like. Even if nothing I have taken since Monday suits the theme, by the end of the week I usually have a couple of ideas - subjects, locations. Saturday or Sunday - shoot, Sunday afternoon - a bit of photoshopping, Sunday evening - submit. 20 minutes later, if I have doubts, battle with myself and unsubmit. Uhh...

If anything, I am trying not to obsess about the challenge too much - it's so easy to do. Maybe that's why I haven't succeeded yet...
 04/02/2003 07:17:53 AM · #13
It's been a while since I submitted regularly (for those that know why - yes Mum is *much* better now thanks) but I've just submitted to the Colour challenge and it's taken me a little effort to get back into the swing of how I work.

I usually check the challenge on Monday and let the idea ferment in my brain all week. At some point during the week I hit on an idea that I believe interesting enough to want to shoot it and then I set about acquiring the props/location for it. I have what I think is a clear idea of what I want before I start shooting but usually when I actually start shooting I find new things I'd not thought of that improve the picture.

Something that upset the applecart for me was finding that I had my own agenda outside the challenges. For example, I decided a while back that I wanted to take some pictures of the area where I live and in particular I wanted to capture some of the character of the area. That meant I started trying to force the challenges into something that allowed me to take those kinds of pictures. I'm not sure whether this improved or degraded my work but I suspect things got worse.

John
 04/02/2003 09:00:16 AM · #14
well, i definitely don't have a set procedure. i try to brainstorm what would make a good challenge picture. if i have a really good set idea i will pursue that one. sometimes i have more than one, and if they're not too hard, i'll try to do as many of them as possible and see which comes out best.

but i also take pics on my own and i'm always keeping my eye open for opportunities which might fit the challenge.

sometimes if i try to hard, i give myself a creative block.

other times I'm just too busy and i might do a last minute idea or try to shoehorn something else i shot that week into the challenge.
 04/02/2003 09:04:33 AM · #15
1. Wait til Sunday after the Simpsons
2. Take a bunch of photos
3. Choose one and clean it up
4. Get submission in right before the deadline


My macro shot for this week came to me about 11:35.. Took about 10 photos -- post processed from around 11:45 - 11:55 and submitted. Best score I've ever gotten (if it stays around where it is). heh this one was a major fluke -- wasn't even planning on submitting anything for macro.


edit: ok, I usually think about the challenge most nights during the week while laying in bed and plan it out in my head, so execution wont be to hard come Sunday night :)

Message edited by author 2003-04-02 09:05:59.
 04/04/2003 08:46:04 PM · #16
Originally posted by timj351:
now I go around all week muttering the the challenge themes to myself with camera in hand ready for anything. T

Ohhhh yes!!! That describes me to a tee! I truly identify with this. LOL
 04/04/2003 09:00:45 PM · #17
I have ideas for pictures that I'd like to take and haven't or have taken and want to try again. When a challenge comes up, I usually think through that list first to see if anything fits. I'm still waiting for the perfect challenge to put my pet in. ;P
 04/04/2003 10:56:50 PM · #18
I don't ahve a formal process, but usually I find out what the challenge is and agonize about what to shoot for several days. My best shots are those that I get a little bit of an idea about, but then have time to shoot and shoot some more. Usually, the idea evolves after I have been shooting for a while.

If I get really stuck, I will go looking at galleries, etc. and see if anything can be sparked. I rarely imitate other shots I see, but sometimes they are a springboard for something else.
04/05/2003 05:33:32 AM · #19
Personally, I have entered every challenge since I found DPC. That is a big part of the challenge for me. I find that I learn much more if I use the challenges to motivate myself to HAVE to shoot whatever the subject is. I don't always have the best shot but I'm rather proud of the fact that I've carried a 5.8 average score during 51 straight challenges. This week is my worst scores to date but I'm blaming that on the fact that my motivation was more to wait for my new Sony F717 that came yesterday. Now I can no longer blame poor photos on my equipment!!

I wait up Sunday night for the turnover and generally go to bed digesting ideas for the new challenges. Throughout Monday and Tuesday I usually think hard about my entry and do research by looking at books, web sites, and life to see their take on the challenge subject. I don't imitate the other shots but like to use the ideas to create my own. I very rarely shoot before Friday but occasionally will take some shots on Wednesday or Thursday for the challenge, depending on what it is. I usually have my camera with me and I'm always on the lookout for shots. I always look at the weather early in the week if it is an outdoor challenge. Saturday night is usually processing time. I spend Sunday deciding which shot to enter and making any changes if necessary. Sometimes I start all over again on Sunday afternoon. My ribbon winning shot was one that was a second entry that I didn't think about until after noon on Sunday.
04/05/2003 06:45:05 AM · #20
most often I take a long walk (since I don´t drive) and try to find stuff that I can use, sometimes I´m shooting ppl in the studio that week and I try to use that, if neither one works I turn to the kitchen table and create a photo using props I find around the house. Usually I only have saturday and sunday to photograph but I try to use the whole week to think about what I should photograph
 04/06/2003 10:50:49 AM · #21
I am a newcomer to your site but I will try to answer the challenges. In the past I just responded to the environment of where I happened to be and try to compose a good photograph with what I
see. A challenge is a new direction in my thinking but one that I welcome. My first try with my new camera is a picture of an Easter egg.
 04/06/2003 10:47:44 PM · #22
Being rather new, I'm still obsessed with DPC (I'm sure no one else has that problem), so I've appreciated learning from your responses here. I usually think about the challenge the first part of the week, and then I'll often take several pictures and then choose between them. But I like John's method: limiting myself to one shot. I've also found that it's easy to spend money on DPC getting props and equipment, so now that I'm broke and am going to lose my job because I'm on this website all day, I'll have to refine my technique!
 04/06/2003 11:03:38 PM · #23
Originally posted by dsidwell:
(I'm sure no one else has that problem

I hope you're being sarcastic because that couldn't be futher from the truth :)
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