Photo Challenge - Morning

This week’s challenge is open to interpretation, encouraging creativity and personal expression. The goal is to convey what "morning" means to you.

Sep 15, 2024

Last week was a smashing success, a lot of gorgeous and stunning submissions. I always love seeing all your beautiful photos and even if I wasn’t as responsive as I wanted to be last challenge, I’ll do my best to be much more responsive this week.

Thank you everyone who participated, shared or otherwise engaged with the challenge last time!

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But, today it is time for a new challenge!

This week’s challenge is open to interpretation, encouraging creativity and personal expression. Whether it's a tranquil sunrise, a cup of coffee on the windowsill, or the morning light casting shadows, the goal is to convey what "morning" means to you.

Here’s some examples of what the theme could mean:

Morning Routine: Capturing daily rituals like making breakfast, sipping tea or coffee, or getting ready for the day.
Quiet Moments: Peaceful, reflective shots, like a sleepy cat curled up, an empty street bathed in morning light, or dew on plants.
Action Shots: Early morning jogs, bustling markets, or people commuting at dawn.
Nature's Awakening: Birds taking flight, fog lifting off a lake, or the first blooms touched by sunlight.

This challenge invites you to slow down and capture the beauty in everyday mornings. I want you to see the normal mundane in a brand new light this week with this challenge.

Look at Youtube videos of bloggers doing their morning routines if you want inspiration for shots, their B-roll usually contain some really amazing examples you could try to emulate if nothing else.

**If you have already submitted a photo for a previous challenge, the same photo can not be submitted for this challenge as it will not be counted. As you know, I prefer new photos specifically for the challenge, but I’m also aware that it’s impossible as so many people have such extensive libraries that they submit a photo from.*

*But everyone who ventures out there and snaps a new photo specifically for the challenge, is always a winner in my book!**

Capture the small, seemingly mundane moments that define your mornings. This could be your morning coffee, a quiet street at dawn, or a cozy corner of your home.

These images often reveal true emotions and tell powerful stories.

The essence of this challenge is “ beauty in the mundane”.

Remember, it’s about having fun and being creative. So be as creative as you can while having as much fun as you can. I encourage you to take new photos rather than re-use older ones as it is meant to be a creative challenge on the fly.

As always, before we get to the challenge, make sure to check out the winner of the last challenge and make sure to give everyone you like a subscribe and a follow!

Winner of Photo Challenge - Snapshot

Patrik L

September 9, 2024

Read full story

*IMPORTANT NOTE: A prolonged break is in the works due to a lot of upcoming stuff, but when this time comes it will be announced in good time.

Here’s How the Challenge Works:

Your photo must focus on “Morning (as explained below)” - See examples below.
Entries not adhering to this theme will not be considered.
Originality and creativity are highly encouraged.
Post the photo on Notes by restacking this post (I’ll personally go through all submissions & bookmark them).
Please note: You can submit as many photos as you’d like, as long as they fit inside a single Restack of this post. Kindly do NOT Restack nine times for nine different photos, Restack only once for all photos you wish to submit. Any other Restacks will not be considered.
In your Note, tag @Patrik L so I can see it. If you’re unable to tag me or don’t know how, please leave a comment on this post saying you have restacked this post with your photo and I’ll have a look.
Please note that all submissions must be in a single restack. Multiple restacks with multiple submissions will not be accepted.
The photo should preferably be a new photo that you take for this challenge, it’s to invite creativity after all, but if you lack the time or resources to do so–an already available photo in your library will do.
Further information can be found in the guidelines below, these guidelines must be followed for the photo to be eligible.

For brownie points, tag friends or people you’d love to see participate in this challenge. The more the merrier!

If you’re new or unsure how to post a photo or tag me, please see the included GIF right below this message (note it may take a little while for it to load properly).

The themes and the challenges will differ, but may eventually circle back around if applicable. However, a theme can not be repeated for said challenge. So if you want to participate and do a mini photo challenge every other week I suggest you subscribe so you don’t miss a challenge.

Let’s have some fun!

Please pay attention to the guidelines below, these must be followed for the photo to be eligible.

The Challenge - Morning

Theme: Morning

About: This week, it’s all about Mornings—capturing the beauty of those seemingly mundane moments we all have in the mornings.

View this challenge as an opportunity to share your vision of how mornings unfold, in all their beauty and complexity or even simplicity.

This challenge is not just about photographing the morning itself but capturing the emotions, experiences, and beauty that mornings bring. Whether it’s a quiet, reflective image of dawn or a vibrant, energetic snapshot of life waking up, this theme allows for broad creative interpretation.

Mornings provide soft, natural lighting that can create beautiful effects in photography. Take advantage of the "golden hour" – the period shortly after sunrise – for warm, glowing images.

Or focus on shadows as morning light tends to create long, soft shadows that can add depth and drama to your photos.

Mornings can also be full of small, meaningful details – the steam from a cup of coffee, the texture of a blanket, or the way light plays on a surface. Focus on capturing these details to tell a story.

Mornings are not just about light and scenery; they can also be about feelings and moods.

I can’t wait to see how you all interpret this challenge!

*I know a lot of you already have photos ready for this challenge, but I'd still like to invite you to a fun creativity challenge and snap a new photo instead as it's meant to invite creativity. It doesn’t need to be professional or perfect, it’s about being creative, so let’s be extra creative and have some fun this week.*

Be as creative as you can, it’s about having fun!

The object can be anything, but the focus must be on the theme Morning as it is explained above.

This challenge is designed to encourage not only technical skill but also artistic expression in presenting something that represent Morning.

Submissions will be judged based on creativity, composition, detail and how well you capture the object, place, person, animal or anything else it may be.

Only your imagination can limit you.

If you want some inspiration or get an idea of what the theme means, see the examples below. Note, these are just examples that I’ve taken from Pexels or other sources and does not necessarily reflect the challenge perfectly. It’s merely to give you an idea.

Examples:

Credit goes to: andrew on Pexels, anntarazevich on Pexels, edwardeyer on Pexels, tima-miroshnichenko on Pexels

Subscription: No subscription needed to participate, but appreciated and useful for future challenges.
Submission Deadline: Submissions for this week's challenge must be posted by September 21, at 8PM CET (central European time) 3:00 PM EST (eastern standard time) 2024.
Original Content: Only photos taken by you are eligible for the challenge. AI can not be used, this is meant to invite creativity. An AI challenge may hit at one point, so save it for that.
Complexity: Make the photo as complex or as simplistic as you want, as long as it clearly showcase “Morning”, it will be considered.
Please note that all submissions must be in a single restack. Multiple restacks with multiple submissions will not be accepted.
Subject: The subject doesn’t matter as long as “Morning” is the focus.
Engagement: Feel free to like and comment on fellow participants' entries to encourage a sense of community. I want this to be a fun challenge for the community to be a part of. If you participate and would love others to see your submissions, please leave a comment below with a link to your Note so everyone can take a look and engage with you!
Winner Selection: I will personally review all the submissions and select a winner.
Winner Announcement: The winner of the "Morning” challenge will be announced the Monday after the challenge close.
Prize: The winner will receive a shoutout in next weeks challenge email and a recommendation if you have a Substack of your own.
Permission: By taking part in the challenge, you grant me permission to feature your submitted photo in my newsletter, giving you full credit with links and a recommendation if you have a Substack of your own.
Have Fun: The goal of this challenge is to have fun, showcase your creativity, and connect with other like-minded individuals in our community!

Don’t miss out on these challenges, subscribe today to never miss a challenge.

With the exception of subscribing, restacking and sharing my bi-weekly photo challenges and Behind the Lens posts, you can also support me (Patrik) by buying me a coffee through my Ko-Fi page.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Changes have been made with how the challenges are run and why. Read all about the changes here.