The 30 Day Photography Challenge

[MA-Caver]

Saw this and thought that it would be interesting. The site is written by some photographer who claims "expert" status. Mebbe they are mebbe they're not, interesting idea considering that he was "self-taught"... so how does that make one an expert? Hmm... Either way the list does have some interesting challenges and I think the trick would be to find an original approach to each of them.
http://www.expertphotography.com/30-day-photography-challenge

 

[granfire]

Hey, these days everybody is n expert!

 

[WC_lun]

I don't think expert means what it used to. I see expert martial artist today that hold ranks I am no where close to, and I've been studying longer than they've been alive. Though it could be I'm just incredibly dense and slow

How does one decide they are an expert photographer?

 

[MA-Caver]

Well, IMO anyone who is "self-taught" is no more an expert than I am a professional cave explorer... I am an expert cave explorer because I've received training from other certified experts and been doing it for well over 35 years. I learned there is only a single difference between expert and professional in that pros merely get paid for their work. I don't get paid for caving (well, okay I DID at one time, albeit briefly). I think if I were "self-taught" I'd probably be dead by now. Then again, caving is a considerably more dangerous hobby than photography... unless the guy willingly gets into war-zones or hurries to police calls he picks up on his scanner.

But what do you all think of his list? Would you say that is a fair challenge?

 

[shesulsa]

Cool! Ima link this on my Facebook page.

 

[granfire]

Well, IMO anyone who is "self-taught" is no more an expert than I am a professional cave explorer... I am an expert cave explorer because I've received training from other certified experts and been doing it for well over 35 years. I learned there is only a single difference between expert and professional in that pros merely get paid for their work. I don't get paid for caving (well, okay I DID at one time, albeit briefly). I think if I were "self-taught" I'd probably be dead by now. Then again, caving is a considerably more dangerous hobby than photography... unless the guy willingly gets into war-zones or hurries to police calls he picks up on his scanner.

But what do you all think of his list? Would you say that is a fair challenge?

he has some points.
If nothing else it makes for a little more variation in the one-a-day challenge. I mean, if you don't go on a trip, warzone or vacation, how much variation in your daily routine do you see to warrant breaking out the camera?
But if you have something else to try, it makes it more fun I suppose.
(though some of the terms, I would have to look up, since even reading the linked article was not really clear on it)

 

[SnyderD]

What a great idea! I'm gonna have to try it...

 

[oftheherd1]

You can find a lot of challenges concering photography. If it brightens your day, and/or you learn from it, why not?

Besides a different type of photo every day, some like to go on a quest of one camera and one lens for a week/month/year, or whatever. That really appeals to some people who have more than one camera and one lens. Some will go on a particular type of film; b/w, color, slide, ISO value, etc. Some like to join a quest for interesting subjects of a particular type, such as emphacising a particular color, bridges, portraits, etc. All good fun if you enjoy it.

As to expert, that's like defining a professional. Is it only someone who has a certain amount of education, or works in a field for money, or at a particular technical level, or what?

There was a time when I had a great deal of self taught expertise in 35mm film photography, with some knowledge of some MF photography, from experience, reading, and experimenting. I knew some about LF from a little reading, but no real practical experience. I could take a photo, develop the film, and produce prints. I took photos on trips, portraits, crime scenes, autopsies, surveillance, and weddings. I could do b/w, color negative, slides, IR, use filters correctly, tell a court what the correct viewing distance was for a particular print size, how a lens might seem to distort what I photographed, and many other things. But with a knowledgeable lawyer, I would not likely have been able to qualify myself as an expert. Amongst people around me, I was considered an 'expert,' one to come to for photographic help, who seemed to have all the answers. But then you have no doubt heard that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And as pointed out, photography is not as likely to cause death during the learning curve as is spelunking.

MA-Caver - would you qualify me as an expert in photography at that time? I say that time since I have muchly disregarded digital.

Is it a fair challenge? Certainly, as are many other challenges if you have the knowledge and sticktuitiveness to do it. It would especially be fun if you have never tried any of those things before, and if you experiment within each challenge. Learning is always fun (or should be).

If any of you do that, or even a part of it, you might want to post your results here on MT.