Shoot at 100 Paces – Photography Challenge

Usually, this type of term refers to a different kind of shooting, but for this month’s photography challenge, you will need to use your camera and your imagination. This will be a photo walk of sorts.

Shoot at 100 Paces

Here are the details:

1. Find a starting point for your walk. You can start from home or head to a local park or popular street that’s bustling with activity.
2. Take ONE photo from the starting point. You can make it a reference shot if you want just to show the scene.
3. Then walk 100 paces in any direction. Pick one that may lead you to some interesting subject matter, or not and give yourself an extra challenge. Take at least 3 photos from that spot. This time not just reference shots but get creative. Try to make something interesting from whatever is now in front of you. Find a bug and get close-up for some macro shots. Use a slow shutter speed to pan a cyclist going by or to create some intentional camera movement and blur. Or do a street portrait of a stranger. The idea is to try and make something – out of nothing! This is to stretch your powers of observation and to get you thinking outside the box. You do NOT need to go to an exotic location to make interesting photos.
4. Repeat 4-6 more times. Do this as many times as you wish. Continue to walk 100 paces, stop and take 3 photos each time you stop. If 100 paces aren’t enough to change your scenario, feel free to go 200 if that works better for your location.

For some help read: Make the Ordinary Look Extraordinary – Photography Challenge (that challenge is over but you may get some ideas from the images and tips there. 

Read: How to Create Texture in your Photographs

Here’s what previous participants had to say about this challenge:

I tend to be “in a hurry” so the challenge helped me to slow down and be more careful about the subjects I was photographing. In the end, I think I got fewer images but more “keepers”. It was a lot of fun. – Maria Rebelo

I saw so many cool things that I wouldn’t have noticed had I not taken the time to stop, look up and look down. Another 100 paces took me to the ferry dock at Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken, NJ. The screws caught my eye. I don’t think I would have looked at it the same way without this challenge. – Nina Soiferz

It is quite hard to find something interesting in an everyday environment. Yet, I’ve decided to do shots around my house because of that. I will find more interesting things and will do more photos. It is so cool to show such pictures to neighbors – they have not seen the area in this way. – Andrey

Here are some more ideas of what to look for and shoot as you’re walking.

You can still participate on your own, but no further entries will be considered eligible.

Cheers,