We continued with our month of black and white themes in our Project 52 last week, focusing this time on textures. Textures become so important when removing color in your images because it adds visual interest, whether it's providing a tactile element with the sense of touch, depth by differentiating various items within the frame or simply adding intrigue. I encourage you to go on a hunt for textures the next time you're exploring black and white photography.

One of our many discussions this past week centered around ruts and how some of us can count on them like clockwork to show up at the same times every year. For me, I always find myself lacking inspiration in the winter months. I credit these kinds of projects to help me move through them instead of simply putting the camera away until it passes. Looking through the p52 participants' images you'll never be able to pinpoint who among us is also struggling with inspiration. They're all so incredible. See for yourself! And if you find yourself in a similar position lacking inspiration, feel free to jump into our project to get you picking up your camera regularly.

xo

Angie Mahlke

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in photography. Colour can evoke emotions, tell stories, and transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary. In our Chase the Rainbow project we explore the beauty of a different colour each month. Whether that’s finding the colour in nature, around the house or setting up a scene with colourful props and clothing.

“I’m having a magenta day. Not just red, but magenta!” - Stephen King

This month our colour was magenta; a vibrant shade of pink. Magenta is a fun, inspiring and uplifting colour.  Many of us found this colour a real challenge to find, so enjoy looking through all the different images we have created with magenta! 

All February in our Project 52 we are focusing on black and white photography, with each week having a specific sub-theme. Last week we tackled shadows. Experimenting with shadows is a great way to add depth and creativity with black and white photography, instantly creating visual interest with contrasting light within the frame.

See how the p52 participants used shadows. It's always such an overflowing source of inspiration looking through all their images.

There's still time to jump in the project if you're looking for a creative outlet this year.

xo

Angie Mahlke

In this post we share our Winner and Featured Artists for the January LEADING LINES Photo Challenge at The Framed Focus!

We finished up our last week in our month of basic compositions in our Project 52 with the theme of minimalism. I love the way minimalism can be so impactful with so little in the frame. It definitely utilizes the whole "less is more" concept. Do you use minimalism in your work?

Before moving on to our new theme for February, let's celebrate our final week in the first month of our p52 with these beautiful images. And don't forget, there's still time to join our project if you're wanting to jump on board! Click here to join.

xo

Angie Mahlke

As we continue on with our month of basic compositions in our project 52, we spent week three tackling rule of odds. Odd numbers tend to create a more captivating and aesthetically pleasing composition, but the p52 participants would probably attest to how hard it is to use it intentionally. The hardest issue we faced last week was finding things in odd numbered groupings or to think how we can use this composition creatively. Is this something you implement in your own work? Or do you prefer even numbers?

See how the participants used this composition. Be prepared to be hit with instant inspiration because they certainly nailed last week's assignment.

If you're looking for a weekly creative push, we'd love to have you in our group. Click here to join.

xo

Angie Mahlke

Week two of our Project 52 was dedicated to the composition most photographers would list as their "go to" composition: rule of thirds. It's so aesthetically pleasing and easy to comprehend once you imagine the tic-tac-toe grid as you're composing your images. Would you consider this your "go to" composition?

Enjoy your weekly dose of inspiration as you scroll through these beautiful images. If you're looking for something to get you picking up your camera, we'd love to have you join our p52! Click here to join.

xo Angie Mahlke

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in photography. Colour can evoke emotions, tell stories, and transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary. In our Chase the Rainbow project we explore the beauty of a different colour each month. Whether that’s finding the colour in nature, around the house or setting up a scene with colourful props and clothing.

“Let the blue sky meet the blue sea and all is blue for a time” - Moncy Barbour

This month our colour was blue; a calm and tranquil colour that can be associated with both icy cold, crisp wintry days and warm, sunny summer days. It’s the most popular favourite colour and can evoke feelings of trust and loyalty. Enjoy looking through all the different images we have created with blue! 

And so we begin again with a brand new Project 52. We're starting the year with a month of basic compositions, first up being center. Do you use this composition often? Do you find it easy or hard? I think the p52 participants would agree it's harder than they initially thought as some of us struggled to intentionally shoot a center composed image last week.

You wouldn't know anyone struggled by looking at the hundreds of images that flooded my feed on Sunday during our mass post. That was an inspiration overload! What a great start to our 2025 project. 

If you're looking for a personal project for the year, there's still time to join. You, too, can get your weekly dose of inspiration from such a talented and overwhelming encouraging group.

xo Angie Mahlke

In this post we share our Winner and Featured Artists for the December FESTIVE Photo Challenge at The Framed Focus!

Well, we can officially call it on the 2024 Project 52. That's a wrap! And what an amazing year it was, full of inspiration and learning and digging deep on the weeks we just weren't feeling it. 2024 saw us going out of our comfort zones, challenging ourselves, finding ourselves, and growing so much in the process. Whether you finished 12, 27 or all 52 weeks, that is a huge accomplishment you should be applauding yourself for!

Before we go, let's have one final post full of all your inspiring images. Week 52, our final week, had us finishing up the month of creative themes with diptychs. 

We're about to start our 2025 project, so if you're wanting to commit to a photography project in the new year, click here to join!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

We asked the p52 students to choose their favorite image from the project (which is no small feat, trust me) and let us see inside their heads a bit as they reveal why they chose that particular photo or what the project has meant to them. This blog post is evidence of the power of photography projects and the people who do them right alongside you. 

If you're wanting a similar experience in 2025, I invite you to join us as we start all over again with a brand new theme schedule and prompt list.

xo Angie Mahlke

Last week in our Project 52 we concentrated on another creative technique - intentional camera movement. Most of us have never attempted ICM before, and it yielded far more fails than successes. It's one of those techniques that you either love or hate. It's hard to argue how unique the results are, though. It either produces a painterly effect or an abstract piece of art. Have you ever tried ICM? Where do you fall, hate it or love it?

We have one week left of the 2024 p52 and then we're headed straight into our 2025 project. Would you like to join us?

xo,
Angie Mahlke

Tis the holiday season and we wanted to come together and share our festive holiday images!

Enjoy these beautiful holiday inspired images from our community!

The next photo prompt in our month of creative themes in our Project 52 was bokeh. It's that magical time of year where festive bokeh takes over, flooding our feeds with colorful bokeh dots. But that's not the only way to use bokeh. Some of the p52 participants chose a subtler approach with a creamy bokeh background instead. Which way do you prefer to use bokeh in your work?

It's hard to believe there are only two weeks left in our 2024 project! Where did the year go? No worries, though. We are starting all over again in 2025. If you haven't signed up yet, we'd love to have you join our group!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in photography. Colour can evoke emotions, tell stories, and transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary. Each month we explore the beauty of a different colour as it appears in the world around us. Whether that’s finding the colour in nature, around the house or setting up a scene with colourful props and clothing.

“Put on your red shoes, and dance the blues” - David Bowie

This month our colour was red; a colour of romance, power, danger and of course Christmas! Enjoy looking through all the different images we have created using this colour. 

We are finishing up our Project 52 with a month of creative themes meant to push us out of our comfort zones and experiment with new things. The first creative theme was intentional blur, and the p52 participants used a variety of techniques to achieve this, from Lensbaby lenses and freelensing to playing around with motion blur and light painting. Do you have a favorite way to intentionally use blur in your work?

If you're interested in joining a photography project in the new year, the 2025 run of 52 Clicks is now open for registration. We'd love to have you join us. Click here to join.

xo,
Angie Mahlke

In this post we share our Winner and Featured Artists for the November Golden Hour Photo Challenge at The Framed Focus!

To conclude our Fun with Light month in our Project 52 we tackled the theme silhouette. Silhouettes are a great way to get creative. There are so many different ways to capture silhouettes, from small shapes against a big sky to framing your subject in a window. The p52 participants certainly didn't slack on this assignment and came up with a variety of inspiring approaches to the theme. See for yourself! Now you want to go capture some silhouettes, right? I don't blame you. The talent in this group is hard to ignore. Their creativity is contagious.

The signup for the 2025 project is now open. We'd love to have you join us next year!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

This Thanksgiving, we'd love to take a minute to acknowledge the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for the good things in life.

Even if you don't celebrate this American holiday, join in the celebration of thankfulness with us! The world can be a bit dark sometimes, so let's sit in our gratitude for a moment.