What are Self Assignments and Why Do Them?

We all tend to get in creative ruts sometimes. We start assuming too much about what we can and can't photograph, and about the limits of our equipment, our film, and ourselves. These assignments (hopefully) take you out of your comfort zone and get you photographing things you might not normally shoot. 

The only way to really learn is to do, and the more film you put through your camera the better you'll get.  Plus you get the chance to win a bunch of film.  This months winner will get 20 rolls of the Professional film of their choice courtesy of FujiFilm Professional.

This Month - Explore Colors

This month explore images where color is the theme of the image. It's easy to get caught up in creating documentary photos; images that document a landscape, a place or a person.

But this month we're going to get a little more abstract. Color catches your eye and draws you to a subject. But when it catches our eye we don't always know what to do with it. 

So this month throw your camera in the front seat of the car, and carry it along while you're out doing your holiday shopping. This time of year there are all kinds of colorful displays, decorations, and signs. 

And don't forget Mother Nature! Whether it's the bright colors in the last leaves of fall, the deep reds of a sunset, or the vibrant yellow in the fender of a Corvette, color is all around us. So experiment, play, and take the kind of shots that people look at and say "I'm not sure what it is but it looks cool!"

Film Types
Color or black and white, Negative, Slide, or digital are all OK.

Lens Types (35mm format used as a reference)
Any lens.

Rules
Each month we pick several photos from the previous month's contest that we think are worthy of publication. Photos should be submitted by email in JPEG format, and should be no larger than 1400x1400 pixels, 24 bit color (1.4MB). Overly large images will not be reviewed. Panoramic images may exceed 700 pixels in one direction but should not exceed 1.4MB in total file size. Photos should be submitted no later than one week before publication of the next issue (listed on the front page). Submission of a photo will be considered a defacto release for publication. 

Please include the following in your email:

• Name
  email address
  Brand & model of camera
  Brand & focal length of lens
  Brand & speed of film used (or specify digital)
  Scanner and/or scanning method
  How/if the image was manipulated digitally
  The story behind the image
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