A 365 photo challenge is one of the best photography ideas for making a habit of taking pictures. Take one photo each day for a year, using our monthly calendars to decide what to shoot.
You can download all 12 calendar months to keep as a reference, or use the calendars below. You can start at any time of year. Choose today's prompt and work through the months until you return to your starting date.
What Is a 365 Photo Challenge Calendar?
A 365 photo challenge, also called a 365 photo project, is a collection built by taking a photograph every day for a year. Our calendar gives you a daily subject or idea. You decide how to turn it into a picture.
The prompts encourage you to notice scenes and objects you might otherwise ignore. Try changing your exposure, composition, or perspective, then compare the results. Even a familiar object can give you something new to practice.
You can also learn about post-processing as you go, but you don't have to edit or publish every image. Keeping a private collection is an option too.
If you want feedback or company, join a photography community to share your pictures and discuss other people's work. When you post on Instagram, you can include the #365photochallenge hashtag. Sharing is optional; taking the photograph is the daily task.
How to Use Our 365 Photo Challenge Calendar
- Choose your starting prompt. Use the current month below. If you prefer to begin with January, treat it as the first month of your project, whatever the date.
- Experiment with the picture. Change your viewpoint, the light, or how much of the subject fills the frame. You don't need a different location for every attempt.
- Choose one photo for the day. Look at what worked and what you would change. Keep your chosen image in a project folder or album with its date and prompt.
- Look back each week. Compare your pictures and choose one thing to practice in the next set. It could be getting closer, simplifying the background, or paying more attention to shadows.
A prompt gives you a starting point. Take a word like “fork.” You could shoot it from the side to show it abstractly, photograph it from above to show its lines and curves, or make an image of only the fork's shadow. The same word can produce very different photographs.
Use the project to work on your photography style. Try different types of photography as you interpret the prompts, and notice which subjects and approaches you want to return to.
You can use anything from your smartphone to a digital camera. You can even try film photography. Using a film camera with a limit of one frame per day is another way to approach the project. Think through your framing before you press the shutter, then review the photographs when the film is developed.
Keep your daily selections together so you can see the body of work grow. At the end of the project, choose your favorites for a photo book. A collection of shared memories can be one of the best photography gifts for friends and family.
What If You Miss a Day?
Resume with today's prompt and keep going. You can leave a gap in your collection or return to the missed prompt later. If you take a catch-up photo, label it with the date you actually took it.
On a busy day, try a simple version of the prompt using something close at hand. You can also swap a prompt that you cannot complete for one you can photograph. Record the change and carry on.
January Photo Challenge
February Photo Challenge
March Photo Challenge
April Photo Challenge
May Photo Challenge
June Photo Challenge
July Photo Challenge
August Photo Challenge
September Photo Challenge
October Photo Challenge
November Photo Challenge
December Photo Challenge
Conclusion
Choose today's prompt and make your first photograph. Keep one image, note what you tried, and return for the next prompt tomorrow.
As the collection grows, look back at the pictures you most enjoyed making. Which subjects keep drawing you in? Which photographs would you shoot differently now? Use those answers to guide your next photo project.
