I've been a member of 52Frames for a long time. When I joined, it wasn't simple. I had to submit a portfolio to show that I was "serious" about photography. Cameras were the expected norm, not phones. Actually 52Frames Photographers was just a Facebook group when I first heard about it. All of the announcements and weekly albums were solely on Facebook. There were just a few dozen members. I felt so nervous when applying and was sure I'd be rejected. BH amazingly they accepted me. Now it's easy to join via the site.
I didn't have a fancy camera, and I had never taken an art course in my life. Some of the weekly challenges are based on composition principles, and I had to learn an entirely new vocabulary. Members are given just a week for each challenge, and the photograph must have been taken during that week, not before. Also it's not to be a photograph of someone else's art, unless the art is part of a larger scene. One major thing I had to adjust to was that we're allowed to edit our photograph. I had grown up in the days of film photography and strongly warned by my parents that a picture, black & white in the 1950s, had to be totally perfect or I was wasting their money.
With time a few basic things changed along with eliminating the difficulty in joining. Now camera photography is accepted, neither rare nor snubbed. Also, there are many sub/special interest 52Frames facebook groups, and the main facebook group is strictly managed and only used for certain topics. I think that the newer members miss out on the friendly support that existed when I joined. I think there should be mentoring for new members. But I'm a totally different generation from most, and as I said, I don't come from an art world.
Following are a few of my most recent photos. Underneath each photo is the name of the week's challenge linked to the site.
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