Monthy Photo Challenge
Sweet Little Notes – April / May 2023
Every time I walk through Berlin, my attention is drawn to small messages, whether through street art or other means of communication, that Berliners anonymously communicate with each other. Is it a lifestyle that the artist expresses through street art or the Berliners who communicate what concerns them?
What catches your attention when you walk through the streets?
Make sure your photos are simple and focused on the essential. Remove anything unnecessary that doesn’t add value to your message. To isolate your subject, you can either zoom in or use a shallower depth of field.
We would like to invite you to share your approach on Notes with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 31st May 2023
Inspirations:
How to enter:
Submitted images will be selected carefully on the basis of creativity, technical quality and in relation with the theme of the month
Submission is limited to three images per photographer and monthly challenge
Please name the file with your fullname/challenge theme/year (example: Karl Kaefer/lockdown/2021)
Send your images as a jpeg (2048px on its longest edge) to info@berlinschoolofphotography.com
Ideally submit a short text (max 90 words) to describe your idea/ the story behind your pictures
Only BSP Newsletter subscribers are eligible to win. To Subscribe please click here
Winner will be notified by email
Blue – February / March 2023
This challenge is all about the color blue. Blue is one of the most popular colors in photography. It can be used to convey a wide range of emotions, from sadness and melancholy to happiness and joy.
We use color in photography to create visual contrast, draw attention, evoke moods, and more. Color can influence the viewers’ emotional response to an image. The color blue represents intelligence, communication, confidence, efficiency, serenity, logic, calmness, coldness and lack of emotion.
There are different approaches to implement the color photographically. Especially now in the winter months blue intensifies the coldness. Another approach would be photographing during the blue hour.
We would like to invite you to share your approach on Blue with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 31st March 2023
Inspirations:
The winner is Daniel james
Winter Wonderland – December / January 2023
The winter months Dezember and January are very opposite in their energy. December is the festive season, end of a year and can be quite hectic.January is the beginning of a new year and has an opposite energy, it’s more silent. But both months have their magic.
Winter Wonderland is quite a broad topic, whether you capture a snow-covered landscape, sparking snowfall in the city or a cosy moment captured by your indoor fireplace.
We would like to invite you to share your approach to what Winter Wonderland means to you. We look forward to seeing your submissions
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 27th January 2023
Inspirations:
The winner is Jennifer Kerriz
Autumn – October / November 2022
It is very hard not to get inspired to photograph during the Autumn season. The richness of colours and textures can result in remarkable images and there are several approaches to consider, from macro photography to portraiture.
This challenge is all about Autumn, the colors, the mood, typical things one does in autumn, or that cozy feeling you have at this time of year. Early morning and late afternoon light will emphasise the warm tones as well as providing the right angle and direction to reveal texture. Get close to subjects with a macro lens and explore the details of leaves, rust, tree barks, fungi, etc. through the eye of your camera.
We would like to invite you to share your approach to Autumn with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like. We look forward to seeing your submissions.
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 27th November 2022
Inspirations:
The winner is Karen Seel
Self Portrait – August / September 2022
The self-portrait is a very important aspect of photography and a tool for photographers to deepen their knowledge of the art.
In the age of “selfies”, the true meaning of self-portraiture has been banalised by the overexposure of the self. We invite you to take a different approach and think of a concept before revealing yourself to the lenses of your camera.
The self-portrait can be very open to interpretation and it doesn’t necessarily need to portray a person’s face. It can be any part of the body, a reflection or even an object, which is describing your personality. It can be abstract or symbolic. Ask yourself: Why would you like to take a self-portrait? What would you like to reveal about yourself in your self portrait?
We would like to invite you to share your approach to Self Portrait with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like. We look forward to seeing your submissions.
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 27th September 2022
Inspirations:
The winner is Laura Bartels
Seascapes – June / July 2022
It’s the time of the year that we have the desire to be by the sea. Ansel Adams once said: “A good photograph is knowing where to stand”.
This makes the difference between a snap and a good photograph, where the photographer stands and when. The ever-changing seaside gives way to countless interpretations. Observe the tide and where the sun rises and sets. One of the most important elements will be the quality of light. We all know that the best times to photograph are early morning and late afternoon, the golden hours when the sun near the horizon line explodes in different colours and tones. Don’t look only for clear skies. Clouds add mood and filter the light for beautiful effects as well.
What makes a good seascape photo for you? Is it the constant movement of the waves, a reflection or a simple composition?
We would like to invite you to share your approach to Seascapes with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like. We look forward to seeing your submissions.
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 27th July 2022
Inspirations:
The winner is Mehtap Prandstätter
Spring Moments – April / May 2022
Spring seems to happen overnight. Robin Williams once said: “Spring is Nature’s way of saying: Let’s party!“
What’s your way of celebrating spring? Is it nature’s stunning beauty? Or the atmosphere on the streets as people seem to be happier? How would you capture your favourite part of spring? If you have a macro lens, take it with you. Explore details, get very, very close. If you like vivid colours, play with the “picture styles” or “optimize image” and “set picture control” functions to use different contrast and saturation options.
We would like to invite you to share your approach to Spring Moments with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like. We look forward to seeing your submissions.
Prize: The winner will receive a €90 voucher for a workshop of your choice.
Deadline: 27th May 2022
Inspirations:
The winner is Matea Jancic
Architecture – February / March 2022
Architecture is this month’s Photo Challenge. It can be a detail shot, a wide-angle, an interesting perspective, a particular architectural design, or even your home. If you capture it on a sunny day, you can create hard light or wait till sunrise or sunset to achieve softer light or capture it during the blue hour.
Choose a building you like, walk around it, look for unusual angles. Think about it what makes the best shot for that particular building. We would like to invite you to share your approach to Architecture with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like. We look forward to seeing your submissions.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Photo Tour
Deadline: 27th March 2022
Some Inspirations:
The winner is Evelyn Strass
Red – January 2022
A bit of color in these grey days will cheer us up. Color affects us emotionally, with different colors evoking different emotions. It has the capacity to affect the human nervous system.
Red makes you feel passionate and energized. Red is the warmest and most dynamic of the colors—it triggers opposing emotions. It is often associated with passion and love as well as anger and danger. It can increase a person’s heart rate and make them excited.
In terms of photography if you place the color red in a scene of contrasting colors like green (the opposite color on the color wheel) the brain will always direct the eyes to the red object first. It also can create a focal point and anchor the eye to a subject.
We would like to invite you to share your approach to Red with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Photo Tour
Deadline: 31st January 2022
Some Inspiration:
Check out the American photographer William Eggleston, the color red is often found in its images.
The winner is Cloud Vueing
Enchanted Moments – December 2021
In this challenge, we are looking for images that take the viewer on an enchanted Christmas journey.
Especially in the festive season, you can find the magic of Christmas everywhere. It can be an ordinary house, decorated with Christmas lights, moments on a Christmas market, or the steam of a hot chocolate surrounded by candlelight.
Unleash your creativity and let it go wild and cheesy, there are no limits.
We would like to invite you to share your approach to an Enchanted Moments with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Photo Tour
Deadline: 31st December 2021
Some Inspiration:
https://www.viewbug.com/contests/the-magic-of-christmas-photo-contest/gallery
The winner of this challenge is Edit Vinkler
The Magic of Autumn – November 2021
The Magic of Autumn – November 2021
Autumn has something magical, we are often enchanted by the beautiful golden light, it makes the heart and soul happy. The trees change their colours and put on a colourful leaf dress. The shadow becomes longer as the sun is lower in the sky and shines onto the earth at a flatter angle.
The challenge for this month is to be inspired by the magic of autumn. Unleash your creativity and let it go wild, it’s not limited to nature. It can also be a portrait taken, which has this enchanted feel to it, photograph a person against the sun or capture a moment of this cosy feeling of this season.
We would like to invite you to share your approach to The Magic of Autumn with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Photo Tour
Deadline: 30th November 2021
Some Inspiration:
Linus Englund https://www.instagram.com/life.by.linus/
The winner of this challenge is Sophie Bauer
Rain – September 2021
The challenge for this month is inspired by the rainy summer here in Berlin. Photographing rain can be challenging, as you have to protect your gear, but at the same time it can be very rewarding. Creating images with rain have often have a mysterious and dramatic feel to it. If it’s just been raining you can take stunning reflection shots, car and window lights reflect on the street. Find a puddle that capture beautiful reflections. Often it is useful to switch from Auto Focus to Manual Focus as the camera might not focus where you want it to focus.
We would like to invite you to share your approach on Rain with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Photo Tour
Deadline: 27th September 2021
Some Inspiration:
https://www.thephotoargus.com/wonderful-photographs-of-rain/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/35-brilliant-examples-of-rain-photography/
The winner of this challenge is Tara Lobidas
Dramatic Silhouette – August 2021
The challenge for this month is to create an image which is a dramatic silhouette. Especially this time of the year as the sun is very strong, it’s perfect time for silhouettes. You focus on the light source making the subjects to be dark and void of light. Resulting in a mysterious and highly contrasted image.
The easiest method for classic silhouette…Switch your camera to manual mode and the light meter to spot and partial. Shoot against the light, measure the light from the brightest part and set the meter to zero. Keep that exposure and move your camera onto the subject, the subject is underexposed. Set the camera focus to where you wish the sharpest part of the image…usually the the subject and take a shot.
We would like to invite you to share your approach on Dramatic Silhouette with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Blue Hour Photo Tour
Deadline: 27th August 2021
Some Inspiration:
https://www.thephotoargus.com/beautiful-examples-of-silhouette-photography/
The winner of this challenge is Oxana Moupasiridou
Out of Focus – July 2021
The challenge for this month is to create an image which is intentional ‚out of focus’, which can have a very dreamy effect. The difficulty is not to have it too much out of focus. The viewer still needs to recognise your subject.
It can be manually un-focusing your lens to create an overall ‚out of focus’ look. Or using the zoom effect, while the shutter is open you zoom in or out.
Another technique is using a shallow depth of field to throw different parts of an image in and out of focus. While this sometimes has the effect of bringing attention to a subject in the photo. We would like to invite you to share your approach on Out of Focus with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Blue Hour Photo Tour
Deadline: 27th July 2021
Some Inspiration:
Saul Leiter https://www.eyeem.com/blog/10-lessons-we-can-learn-from-street-photographer-saul-leiter
Barbara Kyne http://www.barbarakyne.com/at-the-museum
The winner of this challenge is Maria Remo
Waiting – June 2021
Especially at the moment, it seems that waiting affects our daily activity a lot. Please capture an image of a person, a situation, an animal, an object, which stands for waiting- waiting to get an appointment… waiting in a queue…waiting for a telephone call… waiting in traffic…
Waiting is connected to an expectation, which should come across in your image, the viewer should feel it. We would like to invite you to share your approach on waiting with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Blue Hour Photo Tour
Deadline: 27th June 2021
Some Inspiration:
Robert Frank
The winner of this challenge is Andrew Blackman
Portrait and Reflection – May 2021
Portraits combined with reflection create an interesting effect and brings curiosity into your subject matter. The aim of a good photograph is to get the viewers attention and if the eye rests a moment longer to make sense of the image. Reflection in Portraits bring a sense of unanimity and harmony. Look out for reflective surfaces such as puddles, mirrors, windows or even a wine glass. We would like to invite you to share your approach on portrait and reflection with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Blue Hour Photo Tour
Deadline: 20th May 2021
Some Inspiration:
Craig Whiteread
https://www.instagram.com/sixstreetunder/?hl=en
Saul Leiter
http://saulleiterfoundation.org/images_color.html
The winner of this challenge is Edit Vinkler
Light and Shadow – April 2021
Light and shadow belong together, they face each other. Suitable for the spring equinox, the light takes control of the earth again until autumn, when darkness will take over again. Every object that is illuminated by light also has its shadow. We all have shadows. Shadow creates contrast and depth. You have to decide whether the shadow or the light should be the focus of your picture. Do you want to draw the viewer to a particular detail or trigger an emotion? We would like to invite you to share your perspective on Light and shadow with us. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Blue Hour Photo Tour
Deadline: 18th April 2021
Some Inspiration:
Herbert List
https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/herbert-list/
The winner of this challenge is Cristina Marcinschi
Lockdown – March 2021
The Lockdown is happening for many of us. We are affected by Covid 19. Photography can be a great companion during difficult times. We want your unique perspective of how the lockdown 2021 affects you in a positive or negative way. Feel free to interpret it in any way you like.
Prize: Winner gets an open date voucher for a Blue Hour Photo Tour
Deadline: 18th March 2021
Some Inspiration:
Women photographers document lockdown
https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-52708777
51 photographers from 47 countries show photos from all European capitals https://lockdown-europe.org/overview.htm
https://www.npg.org.uk/hold-still/hold-still-gallery/
The winner of this challenge is Victor Marcinschi
