Exploring the Colour Blue Through a Mini Photography Project
I have often mentioned the value of always having a photography project on the go. It helps keep your photography motivated, it stimulates creativity, it improves your skills and it provides you with new and interesting subjects.
I have a few projects that I return to constantly. One is the Small Towns project, which encourages me to stop in small towns and photograph the unique features of the town. This project is ongoing and as such provides ongoing motivation.
Another project is where I visit a historical site and photograph it at different times, in various weather conditions and in different seasons throughout the year. I use a range of perspectives and compositions and enjoy returning to the site often in an attempt to create a few pleasing images.
As well as the more long-running projects, I also like to do an occasional short-term or mini project. This might extend through one or two photography sessions but is always of short duration. A topic such a a specific colour works well for this type of project.
Why do a mini project?
There are a few reasons why mini projects are a good idea.
They encourage us to pay attention to what is around us.
They provide opportunities to develop our creativity.
They sharpen our observational skills.
They increase our range of subjects to photograph.
Mini projects can remain self contained or they may serve as jumping off points for more detailed projects.
Exploring the colour blue through a mini project.
In this project I decided to confine myself to just two photography sessions, and to use two different locations; a coastal town and an urban setting.
The only rules I set for myself were that each image should primarily highlight the colour blue and that I should try to get a variety of subjects or a variety of compositions for similar subjects.
Here are some results:
Why not try a mini photography project for yourself? It works with almost any topic, it's quick and easy to do, it provides you with lots of potential subjects and it's a fun activity with your camera.
zorabet i really like the idea of keeping a photography project going over a longer period. returning to the same place in different seasons and weather can reveal details and moods that you would probably miss on a single visit. the small-town project sounds especially interesting because it gives you a reason to slow down and notice the character of each place. short projects based on a colour or a specific theme are also a great way to challenge yourself without making the project feel like a big commitment. i also came across while browsing.
I love the idea of the Small Towns project – it’s so easy to drive through places without ever noticing what makes them unique. And photographing a historical site across seasons sounds like a beautiful way to capture its changing mood. By the way, I keep a free Grow a Garden 2 calculator I like to share: https://gag2calculator.net/
I love the idea of returning to the same willow grove through the seasons—it’s amazing how a fixed subject can shift your eye so much. I’ve been using a simple project tracker to keep my own shoots on schedule. https://hyper3d.site
The "always have a project going" advice is spot on—it's the only thing that gets me out shooting on lazy weekends. I've been using a simple shot list app to keep my willow series on track, and it's made a huge difference. Check out https://ai-picture-generator.net
Having a project on the go really does change how you see the everyday—my own willow series keeps pulling me back to the same riverbank. I've been using a little tool to track those repeat visits, check it out here. https://meshiai.pro