Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Don’t see photographs as an end result, rather as a source.

– Anouk Kruithof

Anouk adds…

Gather photos, whether you make them yourself, or appropriate them. Think about what you’re going to do with them once you have them in your hands, as prints or on your screen. What do you want to tell with them? Are they best presented as prints on a wall, framed or not framed, standing, lying on the floor, as a website, in the trash bin? A book maybe? Wallpapers over buildings, shredded and spread around? Stamps? Mounted on other materials? Present photographs in a way that adds to the origin, reason, content or subject matter.

Challenge #10 is set by Dutch photographer Anouk Kruithof:

www.anoukkruithof.nl

--

How it works

Challenge #10 is departure from our normal format, with the final submissions simply being an archive of how you’ve physically or digitally manipulated a set of photos. Upload the images that document your final creation to Flickr or Instagram. Then add them to the Challenge #10 Flickr group or use the #12by12challenge10 hashtag on Instagram. It’s possible to add up to five images per challenge to the Flickr group.

Once you're underway if you'd like some feedback on your work in progress images before you submit them you can add them to the WIP Album post. Once you've submitted your image(s) you can add them to the Final Albums post to make your images easier to browse for members and challenge setters alike.

Each challenge has its own group on Flickr, if you like to take part be sure to join the Challenge #10 group. www.flickr.com/groups/12by12challenge10/

Community

Each challenge has its own thread, inviting first reactions, thoughts, ongoing progress and old photos. Why not join the discussion: www.flickr.com/groups/12by12challenge10/discuss/721576596...

The Challenge #9 Flickr group is now closed to submissions but you can continue respond to the instruction on Instagram.

Consider becoming a Supporting Member

If you've been enjoying the project so far please consider backing us by becoming a Supporting Member. The donation amounts range from the price of a chocolate bar to a nice meal out, and all come with rewards. We’re supporting the wonderful photographic charity PhotoVoice, so half of your subscription goes to them.

Good luck to everyone taking part!

– The 12 by 12 Team

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

12 x 12 challenge #9 - Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

– Erik Kessels

I rolled up my sock to reveal my swollen ankles to the doctor and discovered yesterday's knickers at the bottom of my trousers! And I did actually take this in the surgery.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Hey, that looks pretty - until you see the entry barrier sticking up through the photo. Moral: Always check the framing before clicking the shutter.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

– Erik Kessels

Erik adds…

A lot of photographs these days feel very comfortable, stereotypes and clichés are consistently being repeated in both style and subject matter -we’ve seen it all before. It’s difficult to create an image that feels genuinely new and unique. Even harder still is taking an image that makes people feel uncomfortable; shock value has been overused and as a result people have become desensitized. I challenge you to take an image that makes you and your audience squirm; don’t stop until everyone is blushing. Nothing new happens in the comfort zone. Be afraid, but enjoy the ride!

Challenge #9 is set by Dutch photography curator, publisher and artist Erik Kessels:

www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/245793-erik-kessels

--

How it works

Take photos that interpret the challenge and upload them to Flickr or Instagram. Then add them to the Challenge #9 Flickr group or use the #12by12challenge9 hashtag on Instagram. It’s possible to add up to five images per challenge to the Flickr group.

Once you're underway if you'd like some feedback on your work in progress images before you submit them you can add them to the WIP Album post. Once you've submitted your image(s) you can add them to the Final Albums post to make your images easier to browse for members and challenge setters alike.

Each challenge has its own group on Flickr, if you like to take part be sure to join the Challenge #9 group. www.flickr.com/groups/12by12challenge9/

Community

Each challenge has its own thread, inviting first reactions, thoughts, ongoing progress and old photos. Why not join the discussion: www.flickr.com/groups/12by12challenge9/discuss/7215766078...

The Challenge #8 Flickr group is now closed to submissions but you can continue respond to the instruction on Instagram.

Consider becoming a Supporting Member

If you've been enjoying the project so far please consider backing us by becoming a Supporting Member. The donation amounts range from the price of a chocolate bar to a nice meal out, and all come with rewards. We’re supporting the wonderful photographic charity PhotoVoice, so half of your subscription goes to them.

Good luck to everyone taking part!

– The 12 by 12 Team

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

This year you can respond to the challenges on Instagram using hashtags that looks like this 12by12challenge9, 12by12challenge10 etc. (tip: 12by12 not 12x12)

Why not stay connected to the community by sharing your username with the other members on this discussion post: www.flickr.com/groups/12by12/discuss/72157650940746352/

We'll also be releasing the challenges on Instagram here: instagram.com/12by12_project/.

There’s no easy way to arrange your images taken at different times sequentially within the Instagram universe (that we can think of). If this is an important feature of your responses to a challenge we’d suggest you upload your Instagram images directly to Flickr, then place them in an Album.

Flickr offers a curated, longer form, more community-led version of the project whilst Instagram’s immediacy and lighter curation may help to iterate an idea quickly.

You can submit the same image to both Instagram and Flickr. We hope many people will use both platforms simultaneously as different ways in which to explore a challenge.

Our website will show a curated list of member's responses on Instagram.

For more information head on over to our FAQs:

www.flickr.com/groups/12by12/discuss/72157650952975061/

Each of the 12 challenges now has its own Flickr group. Be sure to join the Challenge 1 group to take part in the first instruction due to start March 5th.

Why not join all of them to get ahead of the game. Challenge groups: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.

More details in the FAQs: www.flickr.com/groups/12by12/discuss/72157650952975061/

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

How did I possibly think that during a 6 second exposure, the women at the stall would not spot me pointing my camera at them? Plus it's an awful photo.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.

Take a photograph that will embarrass you and make your audience uncomfortable.

— Erik Kessels

–

There's not many things that make me feel more itchy than promoting my own projects. So asking strangers to hold a large luminescent 12 by 12 billboard in a Church, art gallery, library, supermarket and at a protest march was interesting. I'm hoping just a modicum of that discomfort is catching.