September 4, 2020
At the beginning of the year I joined an online community called 52 Frames. If you would like to read more about them then head over here, but the short version is this is an online community that provides a weekly photography challenge. Their goal is to help you be consistent in honing your photographic skills, creating a community that gives you feedback, and most importantly to help us carve out some time in our otherwise busy lives to practice creativity. To that end, your picture has to be taken in the week of the given challenge to count.
I have attempted several of these types of challenges over the years, but this is the first one I think I will complete. I am well over the halfway mark, and I’ve been able to stay consistent despite some challenging life circumstances.
Here are my last 35 weeks.
Week 4: Fill the Frame 
Week 3: Shoot from Above
“Sorrow”
Week 9 was a consistency shot as we planned for my brother-in-laws funeral.
Week 10: Abandoned 
Week 12: Books
This weeks theme fell after several weeks of sheltering in place due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. My daughters college, had just decided they would not be returning to in person classes for her freshman year. We had to sign up for a time slot to go move her things out of the dorm that would ensure no contact with others. It was a surreal experience. At one point I saw her sitting there in her empty room and I saw the picture that summed up this crazy season. The line from the song? “All by myself, don’t wanna be, all by myself.” Such a disappointing end to a year full of promise and expectations.
Week 15: Fast Shutter Speed 
Week 16: A Different Angle
“Hope”
Week 17: Soft 
Week 18: Low Key
Week 19: Roll of Film 
Week 20: Not What you See 
Week 21: Symmetry
Week 22: 50 Feet From Home 
Week 24: Hands 
Week 25: Make a Background
Week 26: Flashlight 
Week 27: Complimentary Colors 
Week 29: Details 
Week 30: Negative Space 
Week 31: Water
Week 32 – A New Experience
This came in the way of our first outdoor concert during the pandemic in our new hometown!
Week 33: Night Photography
Week 34: Rule of Odds 
Week 35: Common Object
I have so appreciated this community and the weekly challenges that have kept me focused and consistently carving out time to be creative. I’m not gonna lie, there have been some hard weeks, where life has kicked me in the gut and I’ve posted a consistency shot. However, the key to growth is to just keep showing up, keep getting out there and doing what you can with what you have. I have seen the growth in my photography and I’ve learned some valuable life lessons along the way.
