The challenge in 2021...

Join us on a year-long weekly photography challenge, designed especially for wildlife and nature lovers.  Over the year, you will create more and more compelling and creative images, while also increasing your skills and confidence.

Take me to the challenges!

Our participants tell us they love to learn new techniques and to see the world in a new, creative ways.
You can do the challenges with any camera, starting from any skill level.
Choose to do optional advanced challenges.
Stay in the loop with our weekly email newsletter where you'll get additional hints and tips and be eligible to participate in our joy swaps.

These are your challenges - do as many or as few as you want and in your own timeframe.
The only person you need to answer to or satisfy is yourself.

Secrets to success

• sign up for the weekly newsletter and get extra tips and hints
• do the challenges with a friend
• choose a specific location or theme for your challenges
• join our friendly and supportive Facebook group
• make use of the calendars (below) to keep on track
• for busy folk, schedule time into your calendar each week to do the challenge
• if you're short of time, try combining multiple challenges into one photo
• if you get behind, skip the missing weeks and jump back on in

#PhotographyForGood
I love to see challenge photos used to advocate for our precious wildlife and wildspaces. 
Post your images to social media and to your blog, if you have one.
Use hashtags to enable us to find and share your images:

• Challenge hashtags: #artofbirding, #artofbirding2021, #aob2021week1 thru #aob2020week52
• Find other relevant hashtags related to the location and critters you're photographing, e.g., #sharemezealandia, #orokonui, #kaka, #takahe, along with #conservation, #wildlife, #birdphotography and other more general terms.

Be featured with Excio
Each month, in partnership with Excio Photo Community, we choose our favourite photos (with your permission) to feature on the Excio App and Excio Blog.

Resources
Join our public Facebook group and post your photos and art, discuss the challenges, and get and give help.

Download an iCal (*.ics) calendar to load into your calendar app or link to the public Google calendar.

Download a printable PDF of the challenges. 

The Art of Birding challenge is named after my blog. 
Unless the challenge specifically refers to birds, you're free to photograph any relevant subject.

as seen in...

nzphotographer magazine

D-Photo magazine

Artists Down Under magazine

Forest & Bird magazine

NZ Artist magazine

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The Weekly Challenges

For tips, hints, and more, be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter. 

Week 1: My happy place

3 Jan 2021

By way of introduction, show us a natural space near where you live that makes you happy. Tell us a bit about yourself and what is special about your happy place.

Extra credit - Consider taking on a stretch goal this year. Perhaps start a blog? Perhaps work on getting enough wonderful images to fill a calendar? Perhaps focus your attention on a single place or critter?

Week 2: Silhouette

10 Jan 2021

Shoot a silhouette

Extra credit - Emphasize the effect in post processing by adjusting the shadows and highlights.

Week 3: Climbers

17 Jan 2021

Climbers - from jasmine and ivy to woodpeckers and parrots, some lifeforms are destined to wind their way up and down trees. Find a climber to photograph and tell us about its nature.

Extra credit - Take your photo from a dramatic, unexpected angle.

Week 4: My favourite critter

24 Jan 2021

One of our favourite themes each year is "My favourite critter". This year, seeing as few of us are travelling, choose a local critter rather than a favourite from an exotic land.

Extra credit - A picture may tell a 1000 words, but some additional written words can add context to the viewer. In your own words, tell us about your critter. What challenges does it face in your local area?

Week 5: Drama

31 Jan 2021

Take a dramatic photo. For ideas, perhaps use black and white, look for a big sky, a dispute among critters, or let your imagination run wild.

Extra credit - Use post-processing techniques to up the drama. Perhaps use some Lightroom presets by Kim Klassen or high-contrast black and white.

Week 6: Love

7 Feb 2021

It's Valentine's Day later this week, so show us some love.

Extra credit - Learn how to use the timer-release on your camera, setting it for 2 or 10 seconds delay. This allows you to take longer exposures without the risk of shaking the camera. If you have a remote trigger, even better! When was the last time you used it? Many cameras allow remote triggering from a mobile phone - setting this up can be quite easy for some camera models and quite the drama for others. But have a go, because if it works, it opens up a number of creative opportunities. Consider being able to set up and move away from your camera, allowing wildlife to come closer for instance. This skill will come in handy in the coming weeks.

Week 7: Urban Jungle

14 Feb 2021

Tell us a story about wildlife living in your town or city.

Extra credit - Submit your photos to iNaturalist or Wikimedia with a Creative Commons licence.

Week 8: Mobile phone magic

21 Feb 2021

Using your phone camera, experiment with creative effects.

Extra credit - There are a million apps out there that can turn an ordinary photo into something engaging. Look for Snapseed, Distressed Effects, Tiny Worlds, ... or perhaps try out a clip-on lens. If you don't have a phone camera, experiment with one of the creative settings built into your camera (e.g., double exposure).

Week 9: From the archives

28 Feb 2021

Go through your photo archives and find a favourite wildlife or nature photo to share with us. Tell us a bit about why it’s a favourite and perhaps describe what you think could be improved on if you had the chance to take it again.

Extra credit - If you don't already have a system for organizing your photo archives, now is a good time to start! For some suggestions using Lightroom, check out the link.

Week 10: Aquamarine

7 Mar 2021

I adore shades of blue and green, don't you? Choose from cerulean to verdigris, and ensure your photo is mostly adjacent shades of blue-green.

Extra credit - Use post-processing techniques like colour-grading, split-toning, or Topaz Restyle to increase the impact.

Week 11: Picture postcard

14 Mar 2021

Take a photo that would work well as a postcard. Postcards are small and need to stand out. Look for clear, simple, subjects that contrast from their background. There is no room for clutter, so keep an eye on those twigs if you're photographing wildlife. Normally you might try for a weird angle or unique interpretation, but the most popular postcards are iconic views and commonly seen critters - a memento of an experience.

Extra credit - Taking a photo of a popular tourist attraction but there are too many people? Take advantage of median stacking in Photoshop! With the same settings and using a tripod, take a series of photos such that the scene is static and the people are moving from photo to photo. Photoshop will cleverly work out what is static and remove the moving subjects. Magic!

Week 12: Bokeh and blur

21 Mar 2021

Our favourite challenge every year is dreamy bokeh and blur. Check out this blog to find out how to achieve this look on any budget.

Extra credit - Create a still-life piece where bokeh patterns are an integral part of the image, perhaps by using stringed lights in the background. Consider using an aperture template for your lens to create shaped bokeh - or experiment with attaching a card with a shape cut in it over your lens. If you have a Lens Baby, this is the week to use it!

Week 13: Manaaki (caring)

28 Mar 2021

Manaaki in Te Reo Māori means to support, protect, and take care of someone or something. Can you show manaaki visually?

Extra credit - Take photographs and write a story about a group or individual in your community that exemplifies manaaki. Post it online (on your blog or social feeds) or elsewhere so that others outside of this photo challenge learn about it.

Week 14: Manmade

4 Apr 2021

Although this is a wildlife and nature-focused challenge, manmade objects dominate our landscapes. Either show us a manmade object that works in harmony with nature or a manmade object that works against nature. Then using your own words, tell us about it.

Extra credit - If you're still shooting in JPG rather than RAW, now is the time to get serious and switch to shooting in just RAW or at least RAW+JPG. Without taking this step, you are missing a vital creative step in your photographic journey. You're leaving the creative interpretation to some random engineer who designed your camera software. Shooting in RAW forces you to "develop" your photos, and in so doing, create your own preferences and styles and thus a unique look. Yes, you can apply many of the same modifications to JPGs, but because the JPG is already "developed", your manipulations degrade the quality of the photo, adding in noise and artifacts. In comparison, RAW files give you so much more latitude in correcting an under or over-exposed image.

Week 15: Gift & Joy Swap 1

11 Apr 2021

Using your own photos, create a gift for a loved-one, such as a greeting card, postcard, bookmark, framed print, artists-trading card, artwork, calendar, or whatever takes your imagination!

Extra credit - Join in our first AoB "Joy" Swap! Sign up, and I'll pair you with someone else in the world. Send each other by old-fashioned mail a small photo-based gift that you have created such as a photographic print, an artwork based on a photo, or whatever takes your fancy. (Names and addresses will only be used for this purpose.) Sign up details are in the weekly newsletter - if you're not already getting it, go to https://www.artbyjlm.com/joinaob

Week 16: Atmospheric

18 Apr 2021

Take a photo of a weather event.

Extra credit - Make your photo more atmospheric by post processing to adjust the colour toning. Check out this video by Julienne Kost on how to color grade using the latest features in Lightroom.

Week 17: Catch-up

25 Apr 2021

It's catch-up week! Time to look back and tackle those skipped challenges.

Extra credit - If you're up-to-date or way behind, choose 2 or 3 previous challenges and combine them all into one photo. This is a great way to catch up and to deepen your skills.

Week 18: My favourite plant

2 May 2021

Show us one of your favourite flowers or plants. Take the photo in such a way that we can't help but fall in love with it too!

Extra credit - Create an artistic piece. For example, make a still life, use photo-artistic techniques (e.g., Topaz Impression), or use your photo as a reference for a painting.

Week 19: Monochromatic

9 May 2021

Create a mood by using a monochromatic colour palette, where only one colour predominates in various shades, tones and tints.

Extra credit - You can achieve this by careful choice of subject and surrounds, or you can achieve it in post-processing by desaturating and toning.

Week 20: Water

16 May 2021

Waterfalls, water drops, babbling brooks - your challenge this week is to capture moving water.

Extra credit - This is a great chance to get fast or go slow. Try a long exposure, using neutral density filters if necessary, to get a silky sheen of flowing water. Or opt for a fast shutter speed and capture a rain drop or a splash.

Week 21: Top down

23 May 2021

From still-life "table lays" to aerial photography with a drone, a top-down perspective gives a different view on the world.

Extra credit - You don't need fancy gear to achieve this challenge, but if you have a horizontal arm for your tripod or if you have a drone, this is the week to push their limits. For the budget option, look at how you can improvise a holder for your camera to get that top down look. Be mindful of lighting and shadows too.

Week 22: Light painting

30 May 2021

This week we're doing a variation of a long exposure. Set up to take a photo of something in the dark - perhaps a tree - and while the exposure is happening take a flashlight and "paint" it over the object. It's going to take some experimentation to get the exposure working for you, but it is so much fun to try. Alternatively, hold a flashlight or glowstick and create patterns while the exposure is happening. You'll need a tripod or beanbag to support your camera and you'll need to work out how to do a delayed timer release (this is a handy skill to have when taking group photos if you want to be in the photo too!).

Extra credit - Combine this challenge with astro-photography where you get a long exposure of the sky while simultaneously painting in a foreground object.

Week 23: Body language

6 Jun 2021

From hackles rising to babies begging, all critters use their bodies to communicate. Watch carefully and show us what they're saying.

Extra credit - If you're into wildlife photography, learning animal behaviour is a vital skill to getting the shot. Spend some time watching a critter rather than photographing it, looking for predictable behaviours. Once you can predict what it's going to do, it's so much easier to line up the shot. Tell us about what you observed and how you used that information.

Week 24: Feathers or Fur

13 Jun 2021

Feathers and fur have the most exquisite details. Take a photo showing their detail.

Extra credit - Use post-processing techniques to enhance the detail. In Lightroom, try the "Texture" slider. In Photoshop, try a high-pass filter.

Week 25: Sense

20 Jun 2021

We learn about the world through our senses, including the sense of sight, sound, taste, smell, heat, touch, balance, and position. Other critters can also sense magnetism, chemical gradients, moisture, and many other physical properties. Can you use the sense of sight, through a photograph, to evoke another sense?

Extra credit - This challenge will stretch us all, so no extra-credit is needed this week.

Week 26: Shimmer

27 Jun 2021

"Shimmer" is our theme this week - interpret it however you wish!

Extra credit - Use HSL (hue-saturation-luminosity) post-processing techniques to enhance the shimmer. Lightroom and Photoshop (and most other editing programs) let you adjust each independently. I find increasing the luminosity and saturation of the blue and green channels can make an iridescent shimmer really pop.

Week 27: Memento mori

4 Jul 2021

Portray artistically the inevitability of death using the concept of "memento mori" - an important motivation for artists for centuries. If you find this theme troubling, consider using the theme "Carpe diem" (seize the day) instead.

Extra credit - It can be such an effort getting the tripod set up that it's tempting to just wing a handheld shot. But for the sharpest image, a tripod and a long shutter speed, narrow aperture, and low ISO are essential. If you don't have a tripod, use a beanbag or some other improvised support, and use the timer shutter release to reduce vibrations. Make the effort, then compare the results to a handheld shot of the same scene and tell us if it was worth it.

Week 28: Mood

11 Jul 2021

Portray a mood through a photograph. Before taking the photo, think about what colour tones and camera settings to use to enhance the mood.

Extra credit - For an extra-creative twist, dig out your least-used lens and see if it provides a creative spark. If not, perhaps it's a good time to trade it in or swap it for a new toy!

Week 29: Juxtaposition

18 Jul 2021

Juxtapose at least two disparate subjects to create a mood or story.

Extra credit - Coming up with a creative idea for this challenge is more than enough extra-credit for everyone!

Week 30: Dreamy

25 Jul 2021

Take a dreamy wildlife or nature photo - interpret however you see fit.

Extra credit - Explore the Orton effect, which gives a dreamy look to images. You'll need some basic understanding of how to use layers in Photoshop.

Week 31: Local landscape

1 Aug 2021

Take a landscape photo of a local nature or wildlife destination.

Extra credit - Submit your photo to Wikimedia for use on sites such as Wikivoyage or Wikipedia. If the page for your destination doesn't exist or is lacking in detail on these sites, consider learning how to become a contributor. Many small towns have had an uptick in tourism simply by having some nice photos on a Wikipedia page. This could be a way to support your community and local small businesses as we recover from the pandemic.

Week 32: Majestic

8 Aug 2021

Take a photo of something that evokes majesty.

Extra credit - Spend some time on post-processing to bring out the beauty in your photo. Learn how to remove small flaws using the Spot Removal tool (in Lightroom) or the Spot Healing brush tool (in Photoshop).

Week 33: Bird in flight

15 Aug 2021

Photographing birds in flight is challenging, pushing the limits of both the photographer and the gear. If this is your first time, make it easy for yourself and find a big bird that soars, like a seagull. They are much easier to track. If you have a simple camera, switch it to "Sports" mode. If you have a fancier camera, you may have settings that will help you focus lock and track a subject.

Extra credit - Learn to levitate a non-flying subject (perhaps even yourself!). You'll need some basic Photoshop skills of working with layers and masking, but if you have them under your belt, you're ready to fly! Take a base shot of your scene to use as your background layer (you can take it before or after the model shots, but don't forget it - it's the secret to your success). Make sure your focus point is on where the subject will be. Then without changing your settings, take multiple photos of your subject in the scene "flying" while propped up on a chair or other support. Layer and align these photos on top of your base image and mask away the props to reveal the subject flying.

Week 34: Print it out

22 Aug 2021

Liberate one of your favourite nature photos from your phone or computer by printing it out and making it real. If you don't have a printer, there are lots of online services that will print your images, including on canvas, paper, metal, wood, t-shirts, mugs, scarves, phone cases... the list goes on! Whatever you choose, display it proudly :)

Extra credit - Find a creative, unexpected way to realize a digital image into a piece of art.

Week 35: Catch-up

29 Aug 2021

It's catch-up week! Time to look back and tackle those skipped challenges.

Extra credit - If you're up-to-date or way behind, choose 2 or 3 previous challenges and combine them all into one photo. This is a great way to catch up and to deepen your skills.

Week 36: Interesting anatomy

5 Sep 2021

Show us a close-up of something interesting about the anatomy of a critter. Perhaps it has a spectacular crest, a vestigial wing, a brush-tipped tongue, or weirder?

Extra credit - Weird anatomy photos are an excellent subject for contributing to Wikimedia Commons so that educators and researchers can teach and learn about our natural history.

Week 37: Video

12 Sep 2021

Virtually all cameras these days come with video capability, but have you truly explored how it works? (I haven't!) If you're like me and just press the red button and hope for the best, this week's challenge is designed to give us a push. Take the next step and find out how to do something more with video such as changing the focus mode to better suit the subject, use slow-motion or fast-motion capture, or similar. Post your video online for us all to see.

Extra credit - Create a stop-motion or time-lapse video of a natural event like a flower blooming.

Week 38: Weeds

19 Sep 2021

A weed is merely a plant in the wrong place. Take a gorgeous photo of a weed and tell us about where it came from originally and what trouble it causes when it ends up in the wrong place.

Extra credit - Create a still-life piece where you use focus-stacking to achieve greater depth-of-field.

Week 39: Heavenly bodies

26 Sep 2021

The sun, moon, stars, aurora, comets… look at the sky above and be inspired. If you decide to photograph the sun, be careful not to directly look through the viewfinder!

Extra credit - Each heavenly body has different techniques to photograph it, from sun starbursts with narrow apertures to long exposure star trails. Do some googling to find some techniques to try. And if you have a telescope, connect up your camera and aim for a photo of a planet!

Week 40: Gift & Joy Swap 2

3 Oct 2021

Using your own photos, create a gift for a loved-one, such as a greeting card, postcard, artists-trading card, artwork, calendar, or whatever takes your imagination!

Extra credit - Join in our second AoB "Joy" Swap! Sign up, and I'll pair you with someone else in the world. Send each other by old-fashioned mail a small photo-based gift that you have created such as a photographic print, an artwork based on a photo, or whatever takes your fancy. (Names and addresses will only be used for this purpose.) Sign up details are in the weekly newsletter - if you're not already getting it, go to https://www.artbyjlm.com/joinaob

Week 41: In the past

10 Oct 2021

Take a photo that tells a story about the past.

Extra credit - Use post processing to give an aged look to your photo. ON1, Topaz, and other programs all have options to restyle your photo using effects such as sepia tone, old film effects, and adding grunge and damage. Some mobile phone apps can do this too.

Week 42: Blue hour

17 Oct 2021

That magical moment just before dawn or just after sunset lasts only a few minutes but makes for some beautiful light. Use a tripod or support as your shutter speeds will be slow.

Extra credit - Download an app that will tell you when Blue Hour is for your location. Explore the difference in the quality of light between Golden Hour and Blue Hour and show us examples.

Week 43: Sticky/Creepy

24 Oct 2021

It's Halloween this week so what better time to take a photo of something sticky or creepy. Feel free to interpret however you wish.

Extra credit - Use macro photography to get up close to something small that is also sticky or creepy.

Week 44: Close to home

31 Oct 2021

We've all had to limit our adventures in recent times to those places close to home. Show us a place close to where you live that you keep going back to.

Extra credit - Push your skills by learning more about one of the modes on your camera that you don't know much about, use it to take your photo, then tell us about it so we can learn too. Your user manual will give you the basic idea of the function, but you'll have more joy searching on YouTube or Google for how to use it. There are plenty of videos and tutorials out there on how to use the functions on many common cameras.

Week 45: Photo essay

7 Nov 2021

We're heading into the home straight now of the 2021 challenges. This week I'd like you to start preparing a photo essay based on photos you've taken this year and photos you will take in the coming weeks to round it out. Your essay should have an overarching theme and style. You can include words or leave the images to speak for themselves. The image you post this week should give us a flavour of what you intend to do. Feel free to ask for feedback from other participants, if you wish.

Extra credit - Plan to present your photos in a creative way.

Week 46: Texture

14 Nov 2021

Use texture to creative effect.

Extra credit - Three methods: 1. use a camera app like Distressed Effects or Snapseed to add a grungy texture. 2. Do a double exposures in-camera, by taking a photo of your subject then superimposing a photo of a texture onto it (concrete works well). 3. Better yet, layer your photos in Photoshop so the texture is above the photo. Change the blend mode of the texture to "Overlay" or "Soft light" and dial in the opacity to suit your tastes. Use a mask to paint out the texture where it is too overwhelming. If you love the textured effect, I recommend learning Method 3 as it gives you the most artistic control.

Week 47: Shooting through

21 Nov 2021

Shoot through a glass ball, a prism, a patterned glass window or similar to create an interesting effect. You may find you need to manually focus, depending what you are shooting through.

Extra credit - Try "shooting through" as described by Kathleen Clemmons. Using a long lens and a wide aperture, use foreground foliage to create an ethereal coloured blur around your subject.

Week 48: My season

28 Nov 2021

Take a photo that epitomizes the season where you are.

Extra credit - Experiment with exposure bracketing and HDR photography to bring a wider dynamic range to your image. Many cameras and mobile phones now have this capability built in.

Week 49: Frame within a frame

5 Dec 2021

Using a framing element in your composition is a classic way to pull attention to your subject.

Extra credit - Can you shoot a frame within a frame within a frame?

Week 50: Feel the fear

12 Dec 2021

Try something you've always been afraid to do. Perhaps it is shooting in Manual mode? Perhaps it's photographing a critter with too many legs? Whatever you choose, do tell us how you overcame your trepidation.

Extra credit - No extra credit this week as we're all pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones!

Week 51: Relaxation

19 Dec 2021

It's a busy time of year, so bring us some zen with a photograph that evokes relaxation.

Extra credit - Create an image that is minimalistic, using only simple shapes and colours. It's harder than you think to remove all distractions.

Week 52: Photo essay

26 Dec 2021

A few weeks ago you were challenged to prepare a photo essay. Now is the time to finish it and show it to the world. If you didn't take on the challenge, this is the final catch-up week for 2021.

Extra credit - Present your photos in a creative way.