5 Projects for a Photo Worthy Summer
Today we get to learn again from CWK contributor and photography teacher, Beryl Ayn Young. She’s an expert at helping moms and dads connect through the lens with their families. ~Alissa
Five Photography Projects for Making Great Summer Memories
Summer is upon us and I'll be the first to admit that without a solid plan, I'll quickly fall into the trap of “lazy summer days”. You know those days where you and the kiddos sleep in, watch cartoons all morning, forget to shower, and then never make it out of the house to see the light of a beautiful sun shiny day.
Part of the problem for me, is that I see some incredibly elaborate ideas on Pinterest that I'd love to try or do, but I lack the resources or time to make them happen. Another part of the problem is that I spend so much time over thinking what we could do, that I never actually decide what we will do.
One thing I do know however, is that I have a camera and that can be the perfect tool for summer adventuring, if you know how to use it.
This summer, I'm vowing to make it a photo worthy one, with simple, easy to implement summer adventures aimed at getting you (and me!) out of the house and making memories together.
1) Go on a photo field trip.
What's one place in your town that's been on your list to visit FOREVER, but you haven't gotten there yet? That's where you are going to go! Pick a date, put in on your calendar, make it happen. Just last week, my daughter and I took a trip to a local Alpaca Farm for a tour. She got kissed by Rocco the apalca, met the resident cows, and picked lettuce out of the owners garden while I got to capture it all!
2) Create a scavenger hunt
Go on a scavenger hunt around your house or neighborhood and snap photos alone the way. One of the easiest ways to do this would be to label a paper from A-Z and then try to find something to snap a photo of that goes along with each letter. Or if you want a quick and easy summer themed scavenger hunt, I've got one for you that you can download for free clicking right here: Summer Fun Scavenger Hunt
3) Choose a Theme Day
Pick something you love and spend the day snapping photos of it! Could be your favorite color, a favorite food, favorite animal, interesting textures. When you're done pop all those images into the collage creator at Picmonkey.com.
4) Enlist your child's help for a month long Photo-a-Day project
If you want a project that spans a longer period of time, why not involve your kids in a month long photo-a-day project. Perhaps in July you'll choose to take one image a day. This can be of whatever you (or your kiddos) choose. One image of your kids? One image of your daily walk outside? One image of flowers? Of food? Of toys? Or simply one random photo each day. Then when your done you can put all the images together in an photo book from my favorite site, Paper Coterie.
5) Make an adventure passport
Why not combine some of the above ideas and create an entire summer adventure passport that will keep you busy all summer long? Fold a paper in half, decorate a passport cover, on the inside list 5 rainy day ideas on one side, 5 sunny day ideas on the other. Photograph each adventure as you go, and stamp or cross off each adventure as it's complete.
Tell me in the comments below which one of these ideas you plan to give a go this summer and exactly WHEN you're putting it on your calendar. No excuses! Go out, play, and make some summer memory magic happen!
Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.