Category Archives: Photography

30-Day Instagram Photo Challenge

It’s been nearly two and a half years since I decided to take filming and photography seriously and invested in a Canon 7D. At the time, I threw down nearly $2500 for my camera, the kit lens, a 50mm prime lens, and a bag to hold it all in. Since then, I’ve purchased a new camera bag and a new zoom lens. I purchased all of this expensive equipment thinking to myself that I will get many chances to use it and get a nice return on my investment because I assumed that people would hire me to do freelance photography.

I was completely wrong.

I’ve recently had some major changes in my life and I have decided to once again pick up the idea of photography. This time, the idea and methods are going to be different. I’ve decided to take this as a creative step forward rather than imagine that someone or some company will hire me to take photos for a living.

Honestly, I’m not the greatest photographer at all. I have only had a handful of opportunities to even lay my hands on my Canon 7D and I have never even touched a proper photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom. The only way I’m going to get good at photography is to plunge myself into it headfirst and do it.

So I made myself an offer I couldn’t refuse.

This month, I’ve given myself a 30-day Instagram photo challenge. I will push myself to post a new photograph every day during the month of April. Now, this isn’t taking new photographs every single day, as occasionally I won’t have time, but this is forcing myself to create content on my Instagram feed. The main purpose of this is so I can learn better composition, framing and lighting – the basics of photography. I know them all on paper and can explain them with ease, but putting them to practice is what I’ve never really done. It’s time I take the opportunity to do something new for myself.

The one twist to this self challenge is that I will not be using my 7D, but rather only my phone. I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S4 and I think it would be the easiest tool to use to learn composition, framing and lighting without having to mess with the daunting amount of settings and modes on my DSLR.

Since it’s already April 3rd, I’ve already posted three pictures on my Instagram (see below). I’m just getting started, and I don’t know what will happen when this month is over. I just need to do something to help myself learn and I think this is the best way to do it.

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to comment below. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram! 🙂

Trying to be creative with my phone. #photography #hdr #bored #outside #table #shadows #picoftheday #photooftheday

A photo posted by Austin Marchand (@vocalblogger) on