I have been thinking about a photo post idea for two years now, and now (finally) it’s time to get it going for real. I’m calling it Spotted Photo Theme! If you love photography, documenting, sharing and blogging you are most welcome to join me as I post a photo theme spotted in my personal photo collection. I will post my theme once every month (the last weekend of each month) through 2013!
What is this about?
I love spotting themes in my creative work. Sometimes I pick a theme to work with, sometimes it’s like the theme picks me. An idea/image shows up and comes back several times during a period of time. Themes that are not consciously chosen are often revealed later when I look back through my photo folders. These themes, conscious or unconscious, often occur in my photographs and by collecting some of them into one big photo post on my blog I hope to inspire you to: take more photos, look for (and work with) themes, to select some and show your own photographs in a special blog post!
Join me: Looking back with iHanna!
I’m doing this partly because I really enjoy seeing what others photograph! And I want to see your photos! Also, I love looking through my own photos and I find it very enlightening to see a theme in one place/page. It gives me so many new ideas and inspiration!
You could go with my theme (or something close to it), or pick your own theme. You could use photos from the past year or from several years of your photographic life! You could collect 25 photos, or simplify and go with just 5 strong ones. Of course, I think it would be fun to know the where and why about your photos too. A bit of text always add more interest.
This weekend (Saturday 26th of January) I’m posting photos of my cat Smilla, so the January theme is Your favorite critter friend (if you don’t have a critter, it could be a child, a doll, birds outside your window – just use your imagination)! Next month is February and then I’m going with Found Hearts, but that could also be some other symbol that you capture more often.
How to join: Compile your own photo post, on the give theme and then grab the button, link to this post (and/or the corresponding theme post I do) and let me know so I can come have a look! Feel free to post the link in the comment section of the corresponding post on my blog (all photo themes here). Thanks.
Some of my many many themed flickr sets.
Please note that the point is not to go out and take 10 photos at the same time! Look through what you’ve already got! Recycle, reuse, find out!
I tried the idea out in November last year, and posted photos of floors! I had a lot of fun while planning and putting that post together. At first I didn’t get any special reactions but then my friends chimed in with awesome and inspiring posts (check out Elisabet’s & Tammy’s). Those made me so happy that I knew that this wasn’t something only I would enjoy doing! So, I hope you will enjoy it along with me!
Spotted Photo Themes so far
You can join any of these, just post your corresponding theme in the link section of my posts!
November 2012: Spotted Photo Theme: Floors
January 2013: Spotted Photo Theme: Favorite Critter
And now starting again, with more consistency this time I hope, during fall 2014. In August 2014: Animal Love, September 2014: Favorite Color and October: Nature – what elements or views of nature are you photographing most often? Do you return to the ocean, to flowers, to the forest, to looking up at the sky – or something else? Try finding a nature theme for October!
Feel free to ask questions or join me, when ever you feel like it!
You will get all the new and latest posts by clicking the tag spotted photo theme below.
I’m going to share photos of our dog Kimba! I love looking back and seeing seemingly unrelated photos come together for a theme.
Tammy, so glad you’re game! Your Kimba post is my favorite! Don’t forget to post a link in the comments on the January/critter post. :-)
Oh, I’m in! I love the idea, and god knows I take so many photos, this is a great chance to look for themes. This first theme is especially interesting for me, because I rarely take pics of animals. But that’s my challenge, to look for them in my photos! I know I have some :)
Hanna, yesterday I was looking at some photos I took in the past and never published and I started to think about how to use them in my blog this year.
And now… you offered me the answer :)))
I’ll join you in this project.
But I have a question: can I post only one photo for each theme if I haven’t 5 or 1o?
I’m not sure I have 100% undestood you about the numbers…
Silvia, to answer your question: to me a theme is a series of photos on (loosely) the same subject. So one photo is not a theme to me, but if you can’t spot photos on the theme I choose you are more than welcome to look for another, more “you” theme for that month! :-)
Thanks for playing!
I’m in! My blog is mainly about textiles so there will be some texile critters next week. I’ll look around the house to see what I can find.
Elisabet, ser fram emot dina textila djurvänner!
This is a very cool idea. I’m not much of a photographer. I can play in Jan. because I have pictures of Ellie and Scooter, the dogs of my life.
I do find that I have themes that reappear in my art work. I recently it’s birds. Sometimes it’s clocks.
Boo, I would love to see your photo theme! Post a link in the comment section of my blog once it’s up! :-)
This afternoon I blogged about oranges as kind of a theme. Then I discovered your post here.
Well, oranges are not really pets ;-),
but nevertheless, maybe you want to have a look. If I should link this theme to your blog is up to you, cause it’s so off.
Unfortunatly I’ve writte in German, so somekind of translater would be helpfull.
New themes often find you when you travel, don’t you think? You see so many new things and want to capture it all… Your Moroccan travel photos are very cool Tally, magic! What a far far away country it seems to be.
this looks like fun…I will post in the next few days!
Marsha, glad to hear that you like the Spotted Photo Theme Idea! Let me know when your post on animals is up!