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 some cool stuff.  This months winner will get 20 rolls of the Professional film of their choice courtesy of FujiFilm Professional, a copy of the Paint Shop Power Suite – Photo Edition which includes Paint Shop Pro 8.0, Photo Album 4.0, Paint Shop Xtras 1&2 and Animation Shop couresy of Jasc Software, and new this month a photo vest from Cameras Up Photo Gear..

Runners up will receive 10 rolls of the Professional film of their choice courtesy of FujiFilm Professional, a copy of the Paint Shop Power Suite – Photo Edition which includes Paint Shop Pro 8.0, Photo Album 4.0, Paint Shop Xtras 1&2 and Animation Shop couresy of Jasc Software, and a photo vest from Cameras Up Photo Gear...

This Month - Play Ball !

Someone in the industry once told me that more shots are taken of kids than of any other subject. As a parent I can believe it. This month's assignment is to get down to the ballparks and soccer fields (if you have kids you're already there anyway) and capture some shots of kids sports.

The challenge here folks is to think like a photographer. Chuck moans every time I suggest a contest that includes kids because he ends up wading through a mountain of simple snapshots. Don't disconnect your photographic brain just because you're shooting kids. 

Concentrate on lighting, composition, and cropping in for tight shots. Go for the action shot and capture the moment a foot is striking a soccer ball, get in close for the concentration on the face of the 10 year old pitcher, the sadness on the face of a member of the losing team and the huge grin on the face of the winners. 

Break out elements, the hand grasping the bat and the tattered dusty spikes. Get creative. Try the sharp close-up of the water bottle in the back of the goal while the goalie is in soft focus in the background. 

Experiment. Play around. What the heck you're going to be there for half the weekend anyway aren't you?

Deadline
June 20th

Film Types
Film or digital, color or black and white.

Lens Types
All

Rules
Each month we pick several photos from the previous month's contest that we think are worthy of publication. Feel free to enter more than one photo. 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. 

By entering the contest you are giving us permission to publish the your photo in the magazine, our back issues section, and any reprints of back issues.

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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