Have you ever thought of starting a new hobby in the New Year? This *might* just be the challenge for you. The January 2024 Photo A Day Challenge is 100% free, super easy to follow along with, and is a great way to get creative each day and have a little fun.
All you need is a phone.
That’s it.
As a little back history, for those that haven’t joined us before, Photo A Day has been running for 12 years this year. Each day we take a photo using the daily prompt as inspiration and we share it (more details below). If you love hanging around on Instagram, you can share there, or if Facebook is more your vibe (share over there. We also have a private Facebook group too).
This is a monthly challenge, with a new list released each month, but you can play all year long, as many people do. Everything you need to know is below, but if you have any questions you can reach out via email or on socials. I’m happy to help.
How to play Photo A Day
Playing Photo A Day is super simple, and an easy way to get creative.
📷 Look at the list for the daily prompt.
📷 Take a photo using the prompt as inspiration. For example, if the prompt is ‘The colour yellow’ you’d find something yellow and take a photo of it, like a canary, a banana, a yellow car… you’re really only limited by your imagination!
📷 Once you’ve taken your photo, it’s time to share it! You can share to Instagram, or Facebook (more details below).
📷 Enjoy the community. On both Instagram and Facebook (especially in our private Facebook group), we have a beautiful community. Each day we pick our favourite four photos to put a spotlight on. You can spend time liking and commenting on other people’s photos, and maybe your photos will get picked for the Fab Four!
How to play on Instagram
Simply check out the list for the daily prompt, and then snap a photo using that as inspiration. Share your photo, and be sure to include the hashtag #FMSPAD in your caption so the community can see your photos. We also have a daily hashtag list (see below) so that we can find your daily photos easier.
Follow our @fms.photoaday Instagram account. We love showing off photos from our community. You can look at the #FMSPAD hashtag to see all the great photos from the challenge.
How to play on Facebook
We have a fun, private FMS Photo A Day Facebook Group that you’re welcome to join. It’s a dedicated place to share your daily photos. We also have a beautiful team who selects four photos every day (the Fab Four) from each daily prompt.
You’re also welcome to share to your own personal feed, whatever suits you best.
How to remember the Photo A Day prompts
Remembering the daily prompts can sometimes be a challenge. You can bookmark this blog post to refer to, save the Photo A Day list to your camera roll (or even make it your screensaver), or you’ll find the list at the top of our Facebook Group. We have also added the prompts to our calendar, so you can download for an easy reminder.
For the calendar prompts: You can download the prompts automatically into your phone or PC calendar. For Smartphones & Mac Calendar, click here. For HTML for web viewing, click here.
More details on the January 2024 Photo A Day prompts
- Me, today: Take a photo of yourself today. You could focus on your face, your outfit, or something else that you like about yourself.
- Black & white: Take a photo in black and white. This will help you to focus on the composition and light of the photo, rather than the colours. You can use a black and white filter, or you can take a photo of something that is black and white.
- Yum!: Take a photo of something that looks delicious. This could be a meal that you are eating, a snack that you are having, or even a piece of fruit.
- A pair of sunglasses: Take a photo of a pair of sunglasses. You could focus on the sunglasses themselves, or on the person wearing the sunglasses.
- Random beauty: Take a photo of something that you find beautiful, even if it is something ordinary. This could be a flower, a leaf, or even a crack in the sidewalk.
- Street food: Take a photo of street food. This could be anything from a hot dog vendor to a taco stand. Or maybe even an ice cream!
- The great outdoors: Take a photo of the great outdoors. This could be a mountain, a forest, or even a park in your neighborhood.
- Minimalism: Take a minimalist photo. This means taking a photo with very few elements in it. You could focus on a single object, or on a simple scene.
- An entrance: Take a photo of an entrance. This could be the entrance to a building, a doorway, or even a gate.
- A favourite book: Take a photo of your favorite book. You could focus on the cover of the book, or on the pages inside.
- Fruit in a bowl: Take a photo of fruit in a bowl. This is a simple and classic subject matter that can be very beautiful.
- Gratitude: Take a photo of something that you are grateful for. This could be a person, a place, or even a thing.
- Pets: Take a photo of your pet, or of a pet that you see out in public.
- A water view: Take a photo of a water view. This could be a lake, a river, or even the ocean.
- Patterns in the sky: Take a photo of patterns in the sky. This could be clouds, birds, or even the stars at night.
- The colour yellow: Take a photo of the colour yellow. This could be a flower, a piece of clothing, or even a taxi cab.
- Food & drink: Take a photo of food and drink. This could be a meal that you are eating, or a snack that you are having.
- Shadows & light: Take a photo of shadows and light. This could be the shadows of trees on the ground, or the light streaming through a window.
- Breathtaking: Take a photo of something that takes your breath away. This could be a beautiful landscape, a work of art, or even a person that you love.
- In the kitchen: Take a photo in the kitchen. This could be of a meal that you are cooking, or of a kitchen gadget that you love.
- In the sun: Take a photo in the sun. This could be of yourself, your friends, or even a plant or animal.
- One: Take a photo of something that is one of a kind, the number 1 or even just one item of something.
- A vintage sign: Take a photo of a vintage sign. This could be a neon sign, a hand-painted sign, or even a weathered billboard.
- 5 o’clock: Take a photo at 5PM or 5AM. This is a great time to take photos because the light is often soft and golden.
- A favourite colour: Take a photo of your favorite colour. This could be anything from the colour of your shirt to the colour of the sky.
- Everyday moments: Take a photo of an everyday moment. This could be anything from making your bed to brushing your teeth, or your daily commute, breakfast with the family, getting the mail, going to school or work.
- Exploring your city: Take a photo of your city. This could be a famous landmark, a hidden gem, or even a street that you walk down every day.
- Stairs: Take a photo of stairs. This could be a spiral staircase, a fire escape, or even a set of stairs in your backyard. A fun way to shoot stairs is to shoot from the bottom, but get down really low and shoot up to get a great perspective.
- Street photography: Take a photo of people on the street. This could be a candid shot of someone walking by, or a posed portrait of someone who you meet.
- A glass of water: Take a photo of a glass of water. This is a simple but effective subject matter that can be very beautiful.
- On paper: Take a photo of something on paper; Words on a newspaper, fish and chips wrapped in paper, your handwritten words on paper, or painting.
Grab the 2024 Photo A Day Bundle! Plan ahead with an entire year of prompts ahead of time, as well as a journal to keep your daily photos and a tips on how to improve your photography this year.
