Photography Projects - Personal Ideas that get you Published
If you want your work to be noticed, your photography project ideas need to be personal to you. Photography projects come in many shapes and sizes, but most are wishy-washy and drawn from the latest ‘50 best photography project ideas’ doing the rounds on the net. If want your photography project to be published and exhibited, it must be unique. Thankfully, this is not as hard as it seems as like all of us, you are unique, therefore why should your photography ideas not be.
In this tutorial, I will share my own experiences and show you how to create a photographic project from the initial idea to getting exhibited.
Get access to ALL our online courses - 1000’s of videos, worksheets, critiques of members work, personalised support and much more with our monthly membership.
Intro
I’m Marc Newton, a photographer, educational speaker, author and teacher of photography. I launched The School of Photography in 2012 which sell high-quality online photography courses and books worldwide and is a leading provider of photography education to schools and colleges in the UK. On top of the educational content, I produce photographic documentary projects and I like to think that I produce historical projects for people to look back on in 30-50 years and marvel in the way we lived.
Marc at The Southend-on-Sea photography project exhibition
Photography Exhibition poster for British Boot Sale project
Inside the Gallery for The British Boot Sale exibition
Why do a personal photography project?
Arguably the best photography work you produce will be the work you produce for you. It’s where you have total creative freedom – this is what you signed up for! It provides a challenge and can push your photographic style in ways you never expected. Plus, you’ve got no one to answer to and it will keep you active when paid work slows down.
The photography project Idea
So where do you start? Where do the ideas come from? The idea needs to be personal to you, what is important to you? What do you want to tell the world? At the end of the project, you want someone to get the message, see your story, be moved in some way. So, what is that story? Answer that question and you’ll have your idea.
Don’t at this point think of a final result, or how you’re going to produce the images, this will come later. And certainly, don’t think of an idea then push it to one side because you think it will be too hard to create, it needs to be challenging and these are where the best projects come from. Also, no self-respecting photographer bottles it from their own ideas!
The other thing to note here is that an initial idea normally develops into something different and takes you in even more exciting directions. So be flexible with your ideas and let them go off into different areas – go with the flow.
As an example, my latest photography project idea on the British Boot Sale was initially started as I thought the Boot Sales, a uniquely British affair, was coming to an end due to the rise of Facebook marketplace, Gumtree and alike. I soon realised that it wasn’t going anywhere. They are evolving into what can only be described as a mixture of the Boot Sales we know and the Sunday Markets. What struck me the most was the uniqueness of the personal history on sale and the mass throwaway society we live in. It highlights capitalism in a kitsch way and this is what I decided to focus on.
So, what’s the story you want to tell? And don’t to be scared to let it take you in directions you never thought it could.
Blue Van - The British Boot Sale photography project - Camera Settings: 16 mm Focal length - 1/1000 Second - F2.8 - ISO 200
Want 10% off your first course? Click here
The Project Creation
A good personal photography project is not something that you’ll complete in a day, week or even a month and nor should it be. It’s generally years in the making, only then can you have enough time to let it develop, to let the work get better and mature into something you can be truly proud of.
So just get out there and get started, let it go wrong, learn from it and believe me the work gets much better as you progress through the project.
Timescale
As stated above ‘A good personal photography project is not something that you’ll complete in a day, week or even a month and nor should it be’.
My first real documentary project came was whilst doing my photography degree in the 90’s. It was documenting the life and people in a Housing shelter for mentally ill and alcoholic men called Bondway. I turned up to take photos on the first day soon to realise that no one was easy to photograph or even wanted to be photographed. I decided at that point to put the camera away and spend 6 months as a volunteer there and whilst there I got to know the place and the people in a much more personal way.
After that the residents let me take photos as if I was one of them and understood the story I was trying to tell. I got some intimate shots, showing the tragic lives of these men. The project went on to win the Jack Jackson prize and was exhibited at Focus on Imaging.
So, when it comes to timescale, there isn’t one, the project will dictate that and you need to be flexible and do what it takes to get the shots!
Photo from the Bondway photography project
Abdi - The Bondway photography project
Staying Focussed on your project
This will be one of the biggest barriers to overcome. Life gets in the way and it’s very easy to think, ‘why should I bother?’, you’re not getting paid to do your own photography project, in many cases, no one is paying attention to it and at times the work produced might be crap. The ‘I’ll do it next week’ attitude can kick in and that week can turn into months and even years, believe me, I’ve been there!
This is when you need grit your teeth, look in the mirror and remind yourself this is what you are, a photographer trying to bring a story to the world, it’s what keeps you alive. And if you’re passionate about photography and the message you’re trying to send out then picking up the project again should be no trouble at all.
Don’t worry what others think
Now, this point is important, your vision is yours, no one else’s, your vision is much more important than likes. When you try to emulate what is getting all the likes on Instagram, you’ve lost your uniqueness. Yes, admire others work but don’t try to emulate it, it’s been done before.
The most interesting thing to me is what you’ve seen that others haven’t. If I go for a photo walk with a fellow photographer, I don’t want to see how they’ve created shots like the next best thing on Instagram. I want to see what they’ve noticed that I haven’t, I want to see how they are telling a story and how they’re giving a feeling of that place and time.
We live in a chocolate box, pretty picture, world. Apps like Instagram and 500px are proof of that. But let’s face it, one pretty landscape is as nice as the next and they’re fairly easy to create. All you need is knowledge of photography, planning and some equipment. I teach people to take great landscape pictures all the time and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking them and I personally love doing it myself. The point I’m making is, the internet will always put these pretty pictures above the rest but that doesn’t mean they’re better than your project.
As an example, if I post one of my landscape shots to Instagram, it gets all sorts of emojis. If I post one of my documentary pictures, it gets very little likes at all. Online, it’s a fast-food photography world where people want instant gratification. For a meal, you’ll remember you have to sit down, take your time and enjoy what you’re taking in. This happens at exhibitions, in books and magazines. Unfortunately, most people online just want a drive-thru whilst on there way to see what Tina did at the weekend.
Instagram post of The British Boot sale photography project getting less likes
Instagram post of Night photography in London getting more likes
What I’m saying is, if your work isn’t getting liked it doesn’t mean it’s not good, it’s probably just going to the wrong audience. Whilst doing a project, remember this – It’s your project and the only person you need to please, is you.
Landscape photo of 3 rocks in Loch Lomond - Camera Settings: 16mm focal Length - 123 Seconds - F.22 - ISO 400
Carpet sales from The British Boot sale photography project - Camera Settings: 50mm Focal Length - 1/2500 Second - F3.2 - ISO 100
When do you end the photography project?
If you’re like me, photography projects will probably continue in some way or form. There’s a reason you started the project and believe me that reason will keep dragging you back in.
But it’s good to give yourself some kind of target. In my case, it normally ends in an exhibition of work or hopefully a book. If anyone’s reading that wants to sponsor a book of my British Boot Sale project, please get in touch 😊.
What I do know is that you shouldn’t set yourself an endpoint at the start of the project, just see where it goes first, chances are the end will present itself to you whilst you’re on the journey.
Images from The British Boot Sale photography exhibition
Framed prints from The British Boot Sale photography project
Outside The British Boot Sale photography exhibition
Getting sponsorship and/or publicity
This is really hard with a personal photography project and don’t expect to earn a fortune from it, or even a pound! The first barrier to overcome is, who are you? And why should I care about your vision? To overcome this, be ruthless but nice and don’t let any opportunity pass you by. Even if you think it’s unrelated or won’t get much attention, you’ll be surprised how one thing leads onto another.
Contact local papers and smaller blog sites first as they are most likely to publish your work. Then, with this behind you contact bigger magazines, websites and photographic brands to see if they will publish your work or sponsor an exhibition. These places will ignore you at first, remember they are thinking, who are you? And why should I care about your vision? So be ruthless but nice and keep contacting them. Make them know what they’re missing.
One thing is for sure, no one will come running to you. Put in the work and be rewarded. If you’re passionate about what you do, and it’s a story you think must be told, someone will listen in the end.
Photography project idea article in Digital Camera World magazine
Photography Project - The British Boot Sale
Full article here: www.marcnewton.com/documentary-photography/british-boot-sale
Sweet Nects - The British Boot Sale photography project - Camera Settings: 32 mm Focal Length - 1/2000 Second - F2.8 - ISO 200
Blue Brass - The British Boot Sale photography project - Camera Settings: 20mm Focal Length - 1/1600 Second - F2.8 - ISO 200
Photography Project - Southend on Sea
Full article here: www.marcnewton.com/documentary-photography/southend-on-sea
Couple on Beach in Southend on Sea - Camera Settings: 50mm Focal Length - 1/250 Second - F2.8 - ISO 100
Teenagers photographed during the Southend on Sea photography project - Camera Settings: 50mm Focal Length - 1/160 Second - F2.8 - ISO 100
Girl feeding seagulls - Part of the Southend on Sea photography project - Camera Settings: 85mm Focal Length - 1/1000 Second - F3.5 - ISO 100
Photography Project - Bondway Housing Shelter
Full article here: www.marcnewton.com/documentary-photography/bondway-housing-shelter
Portrait shot a man at the Bondway Housing Shelter
Harry, Noel and Rapheal from the Bondyway housing Shelter
Get instant access to all our high-quality online courses.
Like this? - Check out similar tutorials below
I hope you liked this video, please leave us a comment and support us by sharing it with your friends and subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page for more.
We also have an excellent learning community on social media so please join us there as well.
Thanks for watching and remember – Learn more at The School of Photography.
