CoPA 52 Week Photo Challenge

by | Mar 22, 2025 | Events, Resources

If you want to improve your photography, the most important thing you can do is practice, practice, and practice some more. That means making photography a part of your routine, and trying new things even if they feel uncomfortable or don’t produce great results right away. It also means seeking out feedback so that you have more than your own inner critic to guide you. And finally, it helps to have a little fun along the way. At CoPA we are all about improving our photography and having fun, so we’re excited to be kicking off something new – the CoPA 52 Week Photo Challenge!

 

Here’s How the Photo Challenge Will Work

Every week CoPA will post a theme on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Themes include photography techniques, specific subject matter, styles and more. The full list of themes is included below.

Members and non-members alike are invited to take photos that fit the theme and post them using the hashtag #copa52week. Include the theme name in your post. Don’t be afraid to post your less than perfect photos and ask for advice. You don’t need to post a photo for every theme, but we encourage you to make a commitment to yourself to participate regularly.

Search for the hashtag #copa52week on Instagram and Facebook and interact with your fellow photographers when you see their photos. Ask questions about how they captured a shot and provide respectful feedback. CoPA has a photo critique guide here. Liking a photo is nice, but the real value comes from giving and getting feedback as a part of a photography community.

The CoPA 52 Week Photo Challenge will run from April 2025 through March 2026. So let’s all practice something new, share our photos and feedback, and most importantly have fun!

 

Tracking Your Progress

If you’d like a checklist to keep track of your progress on the challenge, please download the following PDF file:

CoPA 52 Week Photo Challenge Checklist

 

Themes by Week

  1. Shallow Depth of Field – A narrow plane that is in focus with everything else (background and/or foreground) out of focus.
  2. Sunburst – Creating a star-like shape by pointing your lens at a light source such as the sun.
  3. Motion – Capturing or simulating a sense of motion. Possible techniques that fit this theme include using a fast shutter speed to freeze motion, Pan Blur, Intentional Camera Movement, etc.
  4. Reflection – Use a reflective surface such as water, glass or a mirror.
  5. Macro – An extreme close-up of your subject, usually something small.
  6. Portrait – Capture the personality or essence of your subject.
  7. Leading Lines – Lines that draw the viewer’s eye toward the subject of the image.
  8. Rule of Thirds – Place your subject in the left or right third of the image.
  9. Break the Rule of Thirds – Rules are made to be broken – with intention.
  10. Street Photography – Capture a candid moment in a public place.
  11. Something Blue – Emphasize the color blue.
  12. Still Life – A collection of inanimate objects arranged deliberately.
  13. Black and White – Also known as monochrome. Focus on tone and contrast, texture and shapes by capturing a photo in black and white.
  14. Abstract – A photo that emphasizes form, texture, color and light rather than recognizable subjects.
  15. High Key – A style that uses bright lighting or overexposure to create a light and airy aesthetic.
  16. Something Green – Emphasize the color green.
  17. Symmetry – One part of the composition mirrors another part. This can be found naturally or created in editing.
  18. Pattern – Capture the repetition of shapes, colors or textures in a scene.
  19. Negative Space – Use empty space to emphasize the subject of your photo.
  20. Landscape – Capture the natural world in a way that conveys a sense of place, scale and emotion.
  21. Long Exposure – Use a slow shutter speed to blur moving elements of your photo.
  22. Self Portrait – Express your personality! Get creative by considering composition, background, props and whether you want your portrait to be realistic or more abstract.
  23. Golden Hour – Capture the light shortly after sunrise or before sunset.
  24. Night – Capture an image outdoors between dusk and dawn.
  25. Something Red – Emphasize the color red.
  26. Bokeh – Create soft, circular orbs of light and color in the out of focus portions of your photo by using a narrow depth of field.
  27. Water – Feature water as the subject of your photo.
  28. Something Yellow – Emphasize the color yellow.
  29. Out of Focus – Create an an image that is partially or completely out of focus on purpose.
  30. Nature – Capture the beauty of nature.
  31. Natural Light – Create an image using natural light only.
  32. Something Orange – Emphasize the color orange.
  33. Frame within a Frame – A compositional technique that uses visual elements in the scene to frame the subject.
  34. Silhouette – Create a solid, dark image of your subject by shooting with the light source behind your subject.
  35. Architecture – Capture the design of a building in a way that emphasizes lines, shapes and texture.
  36. Something Purple – Emphasize the color purple.
  37. Food – Make food the subject of your photo.
  38. Wildlife – Make wildlife the subject of your photo.
  39. Lens Flare – Deliberately create circles, streaks or haze by including a strong light source in your image.
  40. Back Lit – Position your subject in front of the light source in order to create a glow or halo effect around the subject.
  41. Behind the Scenes – Capture what’s happening behind the camera.
  42. Contrasting Colors – Emphasize colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel such as red and green, blue and orange or yellow and purple.
  43. Big Sky – Let the sky make up the majority of your composition.
  44. Season – Capture the essence of the season in nature, culture or even the season of life.
  45. Shadows – Use shadows to create mood, emphasize the subject or possibly even be the subject.
  46. Perspective – Emphasize the depth or spatial relationships between objects. Or you could consider changing your perspective looking down on your subject, looking up, etc.
  47. Travel – Capture the essence of a place in your photo.
  48. Flower – Feature a flower as the subject of your photo.
  49. Tell a Story – Capture a photo that tells a story. This could also be a series of a few photos.
  50. Environmental Portrait – Capture a subject in their natural surroundings.
  51. Something Pink – Emphasize the color pink.
  52. Photographer’s Favorite Photo from the Challenge – Review all of your photos that you’ve taken during the challenge and share your favorite.