Skills are like muscles — you need to flex them regularly. When you think you’re comfortable using a camera, that is when it’s healthy to challenge your techniques.

The best photographers take on challenges as part of the joy of their photography. Dave Cesari, (click “2. Photo shoot images”) tells and shows of his joy of photographic challenges.

GO SEE DAVE’S WORDS AND PHOTOS – THEN COME BACK – ‘CAUSE I GAVE YOU SIX IDEAS ON EXERCISES FOR THOSE PHOTOGRAPHIC MUSCLES  WITHOUT BORING TECHNOLOGY:

Think about what you might learn by  pressing the shutter with one of these suggested challenges:

01. Go on a photo walk: In any city you happen to be in, search the paper and internet for an organized photo-walk.  Photo walks allow you to practice taking photos of just about everything.  They give you an opportunity to meet new photographers and hear what they have to say about their approach to each subject to be photographed on the walk..

02. Take photos of strangers on the streets:  Challenge yourself to approach strangers and ask them if you could take a photo. If they say “yes”, the challenge begins – What do you do next?:  pose them, take a candid shot, quickly choose a background, and do not forget to check the light direction, etc.

03. Express yourself with self portraits:  Forget selfies. Learn to create proper portraits using a tripod and a camera with timer or remote control.

04. Create a photo essay: Document your summer, your fall, or what ever. Your goal is to take a series of photos that tells a story -much like a comic book without words.

05. Photo the same subject – different perspectives: Pick one subject to shoot, and capture it in different angles, distances, colors, and light.  How about your cat, dog, kayak, church pew, Grandchild, or anything?

06. Add movement with time-lapse photography:  Catch the movement of the foreground or the background. Show the movement of a tree in the wind as the foreground of a landscape or the movement of the stars in the sky as the background to a rock.

07. Or;    Like Dave – catch the bird in flight. Or like me, use your photos to create a fake view of passengers looking out over the rear deck bar of their cruise ship – after the third drink.

On my third drink – Did I really see this – I know it is a beautiful Island Lady – But I did this one as a study of composition – Is it a comfortable view and did your eyes go to the Lady?

As I finished drink #4 – The object of this fake photo composition was to control your eye – not to something, but – away from the “Fish Wave” the boat is riding on – was I successful?

As you swing thru life – Learn something by loving the challenge. Leave the boring classroom stuff for later.