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LVPC Photo Challenge

Welcome to the LVPC Monthly Photo Challenge

The LVPC monthly Photo Challenge is a great way for all members to get involved and share images with the club. This year, the photo challenge topics have been selected in hopes of encouraging all members to become more thoughtful photographers while increasing photographic knowledge and sparking creativity.

We've never met a photographer who didn't hope to become "better" at their craft. Our hope is that the challenges will help novice photographers advance beyond the snapshot as well as inspire more advanced artists to pick up their camera and and explore photographic possibilities with purpose.

New challenges will be introduced in a monthly email. The challenges are meant to be fun for all and noncompetitive. All members are invited to submit THREE images for each challenge. Simply upload your images to a personal album and tag the with the tag indicated in the email. The tags allow us to find your images for display. You will find the tag in the pulldown tag menu when you upload your images. Your images will be compiled at the end of the challenge and displayed in an album on this website and on the private LVPC Facebook page. Only THREE images per photographer will be displayed in each albums so show us your best work.

While submitting images from your archives is allowed, we hope that you'll take the opportunity to pick up your camera and get shooting. Consistent practice is the best path to improving as a photographer. You are also welcome to use creative techniques and processing to fully represent your photographic style.

We hope that you will find these challenges engaging and enjoyable. We look forward to seeing your images!

Current Theme

Summer Photo Challenge

Creative Imagery

Through our challenges, it has been our objective to help our members to become better photographers by learning to see photographically and work creatively. In April Sarah Ascalon gave a very thought provoking program on stretching creativity. All of us have developed a level of proficiency with our gear and are able to reliably capture and share a scene or subject. Her discussion encourages us to move beyond being photo TAKERS to become image MAKERS. Image makers draw on their imagination and innate creativity to produce pictures that are truly compelling.

City Lights, Photographed by Rich Egan

Developing creative style doesn’t happen overnight. As a matter of fact, many of us would not necessarily define ourselves as creative. The magic happens when we get curious behind the shutter or in post processing and ask ourselves “what if I tried THIS?” Let yourself imagine possibilities then use and practice the skills that let those possibilities come to life.

It can be scary. Have you met your inner critic? It’s the voice that you started hearing as a child being told to color inside the lines. Self doubt and fear of failure take over the brain and stop us from becoming our most creative selves. Very few people are immediately successful at ANYTHING they set out to do. It takes patience, curiosity and perseverance. Little by little, the creative “muscle” becomes stronger and we learn that missing the mark is a great teacher. In creative endeavors, mistakes will spark ingenuity, and push us to try things differently to achieve our vision.  This practice builds excitement in the project and confidence grows.

Not sure where to start? Study images that intrigue you.  Look at images that make you think “How was THAT done?”.  Approach a scene or subject and consider how you can photograph it in a way that has not be seen repeatedly.  Consider trying new photographic techniques like ICM or multiple exposure, play with light, color, props, filters or specialty lenses, build a scene or use compositing to tell a story or introduce whimsy. Find an unusual perspective.  If passersby look at you strangely, you’re doing something right!  Play around with processing techniques to make something unique.  Keep working until you have the image you really want.  Don’t rush yourself, take your time, breathe, and enjoy the process.
It will show in your work.

These ideas apply regardless of photographic genre.  Do not feel like you have to start from scratch (But if you WANT to, GO GOR IT!).  Make the types of images you prefer, but think about doing it differently than you ever have before.  Try and surprise yourself.

This is a challenge to take your time with.  We saw some exceptional creativity in our 2025 FOCUS exhibit.  We know our membership HAS IT!  So rather than a monthly challenge, let's take the summer to try new things.  The sky is the limit here so use the time to explore the work of creatives
you admire and experiment with new techniques.

We want everyone to have the time to experiment creatively.  It can be helpful to define a small project that encompasses what you hope to achieve.

All members are invited to submit a total of THREE images for the challenge. Upload the images to a personal album on the LVPC website and tag your images Aug25_Creativity from the pull-down menu. Most of all, take your time and have fun.

This Challenge Will Run Until
August 23, 2025

Need Inspiration?

These websites may help get the creative juices flowing:

Sarah Ascalon:  https://www.instagram.com/ascalonphotography/
Jo Stephen:  https://jostephen.photography
Polina Plotnikova:  https://www.instagram.com/photoartitude/
Shelly Corbett:  https://shellycorbett.com/
Jacki Spearly:  https://www.jackispearlyphotography.com/browse/
Betsy Wilson:  https://www.letscapturethemoment.com/
Andrew Prokos:  https://andrewprokos.com/photos/architecture/
Andre Gallant:  http://www.andregallant.com/
Stephanie Johnson:  https://stephjohnphoto.com/
Roxanne Bouche Overton:  https://roxanneoverton.com/portfolio

Some Ideas to Try:
Water - droplets/splash
Light trails
Create a fantasy
Smoke
Multiple Exposure
Unique portraiture
Reflection
Motion Blur
Mixed Lighting
Everyday Items - What IS That?
Abstraction
Composites

Future Themes

Upcoming Challenges

TBA

How to Participate

For best viewing and for our downloading, prepare your images with 1280 pixel width for landscape and 720 pixel width for portrait, max file size 3 MB. Upload your images (3 max) to your member album.

Member Login, Profile, Website: Photo Albums, Open an Album (pencil), Add Photo(s).
Select the Correct Challenge TAG from the pull-down list for each image. Do NOT create your own TAG.
You are done! Your image will be manually loaded to the Challenge Album
after the challenge concludes.

For additional instruction, click on the "Challenge Instructions" button below, or watch a short video.

Challenge Instructions

Watch Short Video