Holy cow it’s been a long time! I know you’ve missed me. I’ve missed me.

Well I’m back because I have a new idea. What’s this idea, you ask? No, you didn’t. You know the idea, it’s in this post title.

I was watching this short little video, promoting a cool app called Snapseed, by Nik Software. Apparently it’s been out for iOS devices, and it was just announced in desktop form for OSX, and soon after that for Android tablets. (Sorry, this wasn’t meant to promote some new app.)

Back to the video. The video has this dude challenging a few photographers to make an exhibit thematically geared towards one color each. Each photographer then heads out and sticks to their assigned color. It’s that simple. Go watch the video, to see what I mean: http://www.snapseed.com/

Obviously I saw this and said, “Um, welcome back PhotoChallenge.org, I missed you.”

The Challenge:

You select a color and shoot with that color in mind, all month long. Then next month, you choose another color. My goal is to shoot to my heart’s content, some months ending up with more accomplished than others. Then as 2012 nears its end, I’ll go through and select my top 9 photos from each month, arrange them into a clean 3×3 arrangement, and self-publish a 12 page book.

We really do need to know who’s participating, so we can all encourage each other. So for now, please comment with your intent, the color you’re choosing for January 2012, and where we can find your work as you publish it. For those of us that use photo-sharing websites that allow you to tag your images, please use “2012colorchallenge” or “#2012colorchallenge” to help us keep track easier.

I’ll be posting to SmugMug, Google+/Picasa, and maybe a few to Flickr (I’ve let my pro account expire there.) But at the end of each month I’ll post a recap blog post of my work at my personal blog.

When I set out with the first photo challenge, I was simply looking to help others the same way I had been helped. I really didn’t have a longterm plan. The whole thing took off, and I began to see an increased work load, in order to keep the challenges up. Jeremy came along, and we became a good pair. We shared the load for a while, and were able to step in for each other when needed. I could NOT have kept this blog going for this long, had it not been for Jeremy’s contributions.

With Jeremy’s honest look, I had to take one too. That’s why I’ve decided to take my own break. I’m not so sure that I’ll stop these challenges forever; just for now.

Unlike many blogs, simply taking it down won’t do. There’s still too many people that stumble in, and give a challenge a try. Plus, I’ve had people ask me about particular styles or subjects, and I’m able to just send them the URL to one of the past challenges.

If you’re new, and are interested in still participating, please head over to our Flickr Group page, and continue to interact with the community. They’re not going anywhere!

And who knows, a new challenge may just appear sometime down the road!

"Angels Want To Wear My Red Shoes" by Thomas Hawk

We have made it to the end of another yearly challenge! For the last four weeks of the 2010 Challenge, we will be shooting on the theme “Feet”. You should have no shortage of subject matter for this theme. Try shooting from a low angle to capture feet on the ground. Try shooting on public transportation where there are a lot of feet together. Experiment and have fun!

"A Day Called Zero" by Jeremy Brooks

Whatever you end up doing, please follow the guidelines of one photo per week. Even though you’ll probably shoot more than one shot each week, take some time to select the best photograph. If you’re not being forced to select one from many good photos, then you may not be challenging yourself enough. We trimmed the 2010 Challenge down to one shot a week, for the very reason of allowing you the freedom and time to plan and practice each week’s shot. Shoot many, but select just one.

"feetness" by DanielaNob

You can post your weekly shot any time during the week. When posting, please add your photo to the photochallenge.org pool on flickr, and tag the photos with “2010challenge” and “2010challengeXX”, where XX is the week in a two digit format (49, 50, 51, 52). Of course, you are welcome to join in at any time, and if you miss posting during one week, just make it up the following week. This is about having fun and challenging yourself to become a better photographer, so the rules are guidelines. You won’t be punished or banned from the group if you miss a week or make up a shot.

"Go into the light" by T Hall

For the October Challenge, we will be shooting and posting one photo each day on the theme “Spooky”. There are a lot of ways to get a spooky effect in a photo, and the idea of what is spooky to you is somewhat subjective. Feel free to experiment with different techniques and have fun! Here are some suggestions:

• Take advantage of atmospheric effects, such as fog
• Try light painting to give an unnatural appearance to the scene
• Shoot a cemetery at night
• Use double exposures or long exposures to capture ghostly, transparent people and movement
• Use lighting that shows the suggestion of a human figure, but does not reveal any details

If  you need some ideas, you can search Flickr for spooky, or check out the Spooky and eerie, creepy or spooky places groups.

"Untitled" by Leanne Surfleet

When you post your daily photo, be sure to submit it to the Photochallenge.org Flickr Group Pool, and tag it with “octoberchallenge2010″. This monthly challenge is in addition to the 2010 Challenge. You can participate in both challenges at once.

"Death Awaits" by Mr Magoo ICU

"Gnarly tree", by trevorscottcarpenter

Sorry.

Don’t forget about the 2010 Challenge, while you’re at it. But this one is going to tap into some old skills, that many of you could use some work on. Each time I’ve challenged myself to shoot something narrow enough to make me think about each shot, I’ve grown.

"The B&W Horizon", by Wolfman-K

It’s this simple; photograph a black and white image. Take the time to consider your lighting and contrast. These two things can effect the quality of a black and white, more than anything.

"B&W Tree", by piston9

So, each day of the month, in June 2010, you need to photograph an black & white photograph. Then submit it to our PhotoChallenge.org Flickr Group’s pool. Make sure to tag it with “junechallenge2010″.

"My iPod Touch 8G with Macbook screen reflection", by Yes, i'm guccio

Maybe you could use this opportunity to push your post-processing abilities! Or how about experimenting with some off-camera flash!

Whatever you end up doing, make sure you follow the guidelines of one photo per week, please. Even though you’ll probably shoot more than one shot each week, take some time to select the best photograph. If you’re not being forced to select one from many good photos, then you’re may not be challenging yourself enough. We trimmed the 2010 Challenge down to one shot a week, for the very reason of allowing you the freedom and time to plan and practice each week’s shot. Shoot many, but select just one.

"USB lamp", by Marco Wessel

Let’s not forget the guidelines, Ok? You can post your weekly shot any time during the week. When posting, please add your photo to the photochallenge.org pool on flickr, and tag the photos with “2010challenge” and “2010challengeXX”, where XX is the week in a two digit format (21, 22, 23, 24). Of course, you are welcome to join in at any time, and if you miss posting during one week, just make it up the following week. This is about having fun and challenging yourself to become a better photographer, so the rules are guidelines. You won’t be punished or banned from the group if you miss a week or make up a shot.

"Do the mashed potato!", by theilr

"White Raspberries And Fig" by libraryman

The theme for the February Challenge will be “I Ate This”. Each day, take a photo of something you ate, and post it to the photochallenge.org pool on Flickr. When you add it to the pool, be sure to tag it “februarychallenge2010″.

"Yet Another Sushi Roll" by moofbong

If you have never tried food photography before, now is your chance. Or you could use this opportunity to explore some new types of cuisine. Get out there, show us what you ate, and above all have fun!

"dan dan mian, upclose", by chotda

In 2009, we were challenged to shoot one photo every day, on a theme that changed every day. This was quite a challenge. A lot of people participated during the year, some for the whole year, and some as they could during the year. We recognize that shooting and posting every day is not for everyone, so for 2010 we will be doing something that will be a little easier for everybody to keep up with.

"November 27: Cello Lesson", by sarahbest

Some of you may remember that in 2008, the yearly challenge was to shoot a photo per week documenting your community. A photo per week is quite a bit easier to manage than a photo per day.

So, for 2010, we will be combining the ideas from the 2008 and 2009 challenges. During 2010, the yearly challenge will be to shoot one photo per week, on a theme that will change every four weeks! This will give us a schedule that is much easier to keep up with, but will still provide a variable theme to keep things interesting. The first four weeks will begin on January 1, 2010, and extend through January 23, 2010. The theme for the four weeks following will be announced on the first day of the next four weeks, January 24. You can post your weekly shot any time during the week. When posting, please add your photo to the photochallenge.org pool on flickr, and tag the photos with “2010challenge” and “2010challengeXX”, where XX is the week in a two digit format (01, 02, 03, etc). Of course, you are welcome to join in at any time, and if you miss posting during one week, just make it up the following week. This is about having fun and challenging yourself to become a better photographer, so the rules are guidelines. You won’t be punished or banned from the group if you miss a week or make up a shot.

"Boston Waterfront - Charles River "Evening Jog"", by David Paul Ohmer

Since the first week of 2010 is so short, you will only have a couple of days to get your first weeks shot of the theme. Are you ready? The theme for the first four weeks of the 2010 Challenge is RESOLUTION. What are you resolved to do in 2010? What do you see others around you resolved to do? For the first four weeks of 2010, let’s see one photo per week of a resolution!

You may be wondering what will happen with the monthly challenges. Don’t worry, they are not going away. We will take a break in January so that everybody can get into the swing of the 2010 challenge. The monthly themes will start in February, and every other month after that.

"Relax and travel...", by Ferran.

Also, we are happy to announce one more change for 2010. Steve Troletti will be joining the volunteer staff of photochallenge.org! Steve has been an active participant in the challenges, and will be helping out as a moderator in the flickr pool. Some of you have probably noticed that there are some photos being added to the pool that are obviously not part of the challenges. Steve will help make sure that photos in the photochallenge.org pool are photos that were submitted for the challenge, and that the photos were tagged correctly. Welcome aboard, Steve!

"The Halls of Stanford", by Akash k

One more thing. If you need a reminder as to what the theme is or when the theme will change, just look at the 2010 Challenge Themes page. Now get ready for a challenge!

Every so often though, I see a submission that makes me think, “How does this photo fit the challenge?” Sometimes I may be wrong. This dilemma is kinda scary. No one wants to say, “Hey, that doesn’t fit”, only to find out that the photographer is simply more artistic than you thought. Unfortunately, Jeremy and I can’t hover around on Flickr, waiting to pounce on someone spamming our Pool.

I’m getting to it…

We’re looking for a couple of folks, who have already demonstrated their allegiance to the PhotoChallenge.org community by actively participating in our challenges for at least the last half of this year, 2009. We would like to promote you into the vital role of “Moderator” on the PhotoChallenge.org Group. Do you have what it takes? Are you already viewing the majority of the submissions, even commenting on them too? Then that’s probably you!

If you’re interested do one of these things:

1. Comment on this post.
2. Use the Contact Us page.
3. Shoot Jeremy or Trevor a message on Flickr.
4. Shout loudly. (No, don’t do this one.)

Jeremy and I will take a look at how many are interested, and talk amongst ourselves for a bit. We’ll let you all know, and maybe even post something here as an announcement.

"Greeted By The Fog" by Jeremy Brooks

Here are the guidelines:

1. Each photo must be taken with a mobile phone.
2. All editing (cropping, image adjustments, effects, etc.) MUST be done ON THE MOBILE DEVICE!
3. The photo can be uploaded to Flickr using any means, but you MUST NOT change the appearance of the photo after it leaves the mobile device.

"Point of entry 16/365" by jøhn ƒaher†y phø†øgraphy

Depending on the mobile device you use, you may have quite a few options open to you when it comes to editing. Even if you use a mobile phone that does not have fancy editing available, give the challenge a try! You will most likely find that you can capture interesting and unique images using whatever technology you have available.

"Long boat" by dave_apple

If you use an iPhone, you might want to check out these apps:

Best Camera ($2.99) Provides effect filters and a crop tool. Filters can be combined to get different effects.

AutoStitch ($1.99) Simple to use app for stitching together multiple photos to form one large panorama photograph. Samples can be found here.

Photogene ($2.99) Provides crop, sharpen, histogram, exposure, contrast, saturation, color temperature, straighten, rotate, mirror, and effects.

Photoshop Mobile (FREE) Provides very good crop tool, rotate, flip, exposure, saturation, tint, black and white, filters, and various effects.

Flickr (FREE) You can use this app to upload and tag your photos directly from your iPhone. You can also browse Flickr.

Camera Bag ($0.99) Filters to emulate various classic camera and film looks. Normally $1.99, but currently on sale for $.99.

There are many, many more applications for the iPhone that are geared toward photography. Just search for photography in the app store to find them, or browse the Photography section of the app store on your phone.

If you use an Android based device, check out these applications:

PicSay Pro The award winning photo editor for Android. Spice up the pictures on your mobile phone and share them with your friends.

Snap Photo Pro ($0.99) Snap Photo Pro has a stability feature that only snaps the photo when you’re holding the phone still. Very nice! And Android let’s you replace it as the default camera app.

"Walkway in a Winter Wonderland" by Daniel Greene

No matter what device you use, it’s probably worth your time to check out thebestcamera.com, which is the site associated with the Best Camera app. You can also look at the Flickr groups “Photos Taken With An Apple iPhone” and “Cameraphone“. There are some fantastic examples of what can be done with relatively simple cameras.

As usual, please add the tag “NovemberChallenge2009″ to each photo you upload for this challenge so we can find them. Then add “NovemberChallenge2009-01″ to each day’s submission, making sure to update the last number for each day. In addition, please add each photo to the photochallenge.org group on Flickr.

"Here's my ride!" by Daniel Greene

This is our last monthly challenge for 2009. Let’s make it the best one yet!