Been working on this for a long, long time now. Excited to get it going. You can sign up today if you are ready!
Michael's 365 Photography Club
Additional rules and information are as follows:
(Note- All rules and guidelines are subject to change. For the latest Rules please visit our 365 website: http://365.mavenforums.com/learn-more-about-us/)
1. Take a picture of yourself every day, for a year. Feel free to use any kind of camera, including DSLR, Point & Shoot, even cameras on your phone are ok. (If everyday is too tough, see Rule #6 below)
2. You must be somewhere in the picture. We strongly encourage creativity with your ideas. It can be your shadow, a reflection, a single part of your body, anything that could technically constitute "you", including your children (we call this the DNA clause).
3. You must push the shutter button yourself, or use a remote or timer.
4.
Variation- Each image should be clearly and obviously different. (Note: Beware the "Hand" shot, or other repeated themes such as "quick selfies". The "Hand Shot" is typically just holding something, and then repeating that image on another day, simply by holding something different. Repeated Hand Shots and Selfies are discouraged because they defeat the purpose of the creative process. A strong 365 portfolio will explore different techniques, themes and ideas on every page.)
5.
Posting & Publication - Each image will need to be posted on
Michael's 365 Photography Club Website where you can also download the new PDF as well as to be eligible for prizes. You will need to sign up for an account and this website service is provided to you for FREE. We require a sign-up in order to limit Spam and Bots. (PS-Always keep 2 separate copies of your own images as back up, as we have no liability to keep or preserve your images.)
6a.
Flexibility- If you miss a day or two it's OK, as long as you catch up by the end of the weekend, which we will consider to be Sunday night. We don't want anyone quitting or giving up because they miss a couple days.
6b.
More Flexibility- For many of you, it may be too difficult to do every day or every other day, and in that event, we suggest doing 7 images on a weekend, and this way the project can be more manageable, shooting only 52 times in the year. It is also possible your images may even be better, using your time during the week to pre-visualize and prepare each shot. The important thing here is that the images are creatively different, and if this is true, you will benefit just as much as doing it every day.
7.
Group Membership- There are 2 ways to participate: As part of the "365 Group", or as a "Free Agent"
"365 Group Contest"- Sign up and Start before Jan 31st of each year. Contest ends on Jan 31st of the following year. If you finish your project in this time, you are eligible for the package of prizes we have for that year.
"Free Agent"- Sign up and start at any point of the year. Free Agents who demonstrate "stick-to-it-ness" for a period of 3 months will be given the following options:
A. They can be voted into the current group and become eligible for the current years prizes.
B. Free Agents may also choose to form their own group, recruiting friends or other free agents to participate together.
C. They can remain a Free Agent for the duration of their 365 experience, posting & finishing when they want.
8.
Prizes- Ultimately, the greatest reward you will have on this journey is self discovery, an arsenal of new talents and a huge set of new friends. In addition, Michael sponsors a number of great prizes for those who finish.
Each Official 365 Group participant that finishes on or before Jan 31st of each year will be eligible for Michael's set of prizes for that year, which is typically a $250 gift card to his photography store, USB thumb drive, Tee-Shirt and Certificate of Achievement.
In addition to completion prizes, there will be a monthly prize sponsored by Michael, awarded to the photographer of Michael's choice, not necessarily for the best image, but for creativity, cleverness, or even improvement in general.
Free Agents who finish within one year of their start date will receive certificates of achievement, as well as other prizes determined by Michael at the time of their individual completion. Michael reserves the right to change the what prizes are available for individuals or groups at his discretion, at any time.
9.
Encouragement - We strongly encourage you to encourage other 365ers. It is free, easy to do, and contagious in a positive way. Many 365ers have finished simply because they had others pushing them, and if this is true, it means your encouragement of other is also extremely valuable.
10.
Eligibility- The contest is open to ALL photographers of all ages. If you are under 18, we require the permission of a parent or guardian. The first time you post simply have your parent or guardian post with you giving permission for future posts. We just want to make sure that they are aware of the forum, the contest and what/where it is.
11.
Past Photography work- Any student who has signed up for one of Michael's official past 365 clubs and for whatever reason did not finish, may continue where they left off on the condition that all of their older images are uploaded to the new website and they move forward from that point. Past participants who have fully completed their respective 365 Projects are considered "alumni" and not eligible for prizes, but may rather participate as mentors and encouragers who have already finished. If you are a new participant to Michael's 365 project, using past photography used from other websites or 365 projects are not eligible and will disqualify students from being awarded prizes.
12.
Disqualification and Ban Rules- We reserve the right to disqualify and ban any member for any reason, including but not limited to: Posting of inappropriate images including but not limited to anything that might be interpreted as violent, gross, nudity, mean or hateful language or comments, illegal behavior, abuse or violation of our website rules, attempt to deceive or benefit without merit, failure to heed warnings. I hate to even say this, but occasionally things happen. We want to keep it family friendly and a positive environment for everyone.
13. What if it isn't for me and I want to discontinue? You can quit anytime you like if you decide it isn’t for you. No one will judge or think negatively of you. We will be happy to have met you, that you participated and hope you will still continue to post when you like. There have been many, many 365ers in the past who simply needed sometime off, who came back and finished.
I will continue to post more rules as we go! Thank you for reading and your participation!
(PS- We expect there to be minor glitches when ironing out everything on the website so we certainly appreciate your patience!)
Michael's 365 Photography Club
