Our 2nd MCP Project 12 theme is:

*** LOVE ***

We also have an alternate theme, if you want to do two this month or just prefer this theme: Leap

Below is my example image. Taken specifically for this theme.  I was inspired to write a little poem with it… Feeling sappy I guess.

Photo and Words by Jodi Friedman, MCP Actions

A few words about MCP Project 12:

Project 12 gives photographers the opportunity to take more photos, be creative and have fun. Hobbyist and professional photographers can join us by capturing images based on our monthly themes and share with the MCP community.

At the beginning of each month, for the next 12 months, we will introduce a theme on our blog. You will have up to a month to brainstorm, develop your ideas, and take your photos. If you prefer a weekly challenge, like Project 52, challenge yourself to use the theme in multiple ways.  You may upload up to four images per month.

To learn more details about Project 12, please visit the P12 Home Page.

Check back on the last day of February to see some featured images and get even more photo inspiration.

How to participate:

• Enter a comment on the P12 Home Page Here and let us know you will be joining in. You can participate every month or just a few.
• On each monthly Project 12 Blog post, this being the one for February, there will be a linky tool to submit your photo. Photos can be linked back to your Blog, Flickr or other photo hosting site.
• Please read the Guidelines before starting.
• You can see all photos on the blog post at the first of each month on the Linky Tools. Just click on the thumbnail images. You are welcome to leave a quick note or “like” for the photographer too, but unless they ask for critique, keep it simple.
• While you work on your images, you are welcome to post photos to the MCP Facebook Wall and ask for advice and feedback from MCP fans. Alternatively you can post to the comment section of this Blog post with your photo(s) and ask for ideas, critique, etc from participants.  The most important way to grow your photography skills is to practice, practice, practice.  Now is your chance.

<<< Learn how to add your images here. >>>

Your images will show in this grid once you upload them.

<<< Get a MCP Project 12 banner for your blog. >>>

If there is something we did not cover above or on the Project 12 Home Page, please leave a comment in the “comment section.”  If your question is personal, you can also send an email at: mcpproject12@gmail.com.

We want to thank our corporate sponsors for MCP Project 12, Tamron USA and MCP Actions.

If your company wants to take part in sponsoring MCP Project 12, please contact Jodi at jodi@mcpactions.com.

The first month of Project 12 has come to an end! It has been both a visual and psychological journey following each of the links to view each photo and read the stories behind them. There were resolutions both big and small; serious and funny and concrete and abstract; however, each one your very own, was captured in an amazing photo.

With around 400 entries, it was almost impossible to pick just a few favorites, but here are a few that caught our attention for this month’s gallery:

Look Forward, Not Backwards – Patti Johnston

Keep Practicing- Squishydoo Photography

Resolutions – Sam’s 365 Photo Challenge

Loving Time with Loved Ones – Jessica Palotas

Rocking the Half Marathon – Melanie Stofka

Be Your Inner Hero – Jennifer Mcham”

Tie These Shoes – Holly Robinson

Take More Photos – Ana. gr

Resolutions, Take Them One Step at a Time – Amber Adamson

Focus On Me, the Camera and Home – Violet May Photography

Don’t Forget to Live -Tahlia Urbinati

The Project 12 Team would like to thank everyone for participating this month.  We hope you all had as much fun interpreting this month’s theme as we did viewing the entries!

The Project 12 Team wishes you all luck in sticking to your resolutions, and hopes you will stick around to see what is in store for February!  (see you here tomorrow for the reveal of the February theme)

With all of the Facebook changes recently, it’s hard to keep up and it can cause major headaches for photographers. Facebook’s most recent change is the “Timeline.”  If you do not have it yet, you will soon.   Use our new FREE Facebook Timeline Cover Templates and you will never struggle with what to place at the top.

We’ve created seven unique, fully-customizable Photoshop Timeline Cover Templates. Photographers can use these templates to display pictures on their personal page, blog, or elsewhere on the web.

They are easy to use.  Just pick your picture(s), adjust the size and BAM! You have a timeline cover that all your friends will envy.  In addition to learning how to use them, our video tutorial teaches you how to make your own Timeline Cover Templates, using the included blank template.

Visit our website or Facebook Page to download the FREE Facebook Timeline Cover Templates and start decorating your personal Facebook Page. Have fun and make sure to share your creations on the MCP Facebook Page Wall.

* Our standard terms of use apply.  Please read these prior to downloading from our cart.
** Disclaimer: When you upload a cover to Facebook, it will not be as crisp as in Photoshop. Facebook heavily compresses all Timeline Covers, not just ours,  in an unfavorable way. If we find a way to avoid this, we will make sure to let you know.

Two Opening Template

Polaroid Style Opening Frame Template

Four Opening Film Timeline Cover Template

Nine Opening Timeline Cover Template

One Opening Plus Background Template

Three Opening Template

Speech Bubble Template - Just Add Words or a Photo

Our 1st MCP Project 12 theme is:

*** Resolution ***

The word resolution can mean many things.  These theme “resolution” can involve the obvious New Year’s Resolution, as shown in my sample image or something far more complex.  Look for definitions online to help you brainstorm your theme.

Here are a few of the many definitions:

• the act of resolving
• the measurement of detail by a sensor of a camera
• a judgement, verdict, or outcome
• determination

Photo disclaimer: I quickly took the photo above while preparing this post.  We hope you will take time to be far more creative and artistic than a snapshot of a scale.  We are excited to see how you interpret this theme.

A few words about MCP Project 12:

Project 12 gives photographers the opportunity to take more photos, be creative and have fun. Hobbyist and professional photographers can join us by capturing images based on our monthly themes and share with the MCP community.

At the beginning of each month, for the next 12 months, we will introduce a theme on our blog. You will have up to a month to brainstorm, develop your ideas, and take your photos. If you prefer a weekly challenge, like Project 52, challenge yourself to use the theme in multiple ways.  You may upload up to four images per month.

To learn more details about Project 12, please visit the P12 Home Page.

Check back on the last day of January to see some featured images and get even more photo inspiration.

How to participate:

• Enter a comment on the P12 Home Page Here and let us know you will be joining in. You can participate every month or just a few.
• On each monthly Project 12 Blog post, this being the one for January, there will be a linky tool to submit your photo. Photos can be linked back to your Blog, Flickr or other photo hosting site.
• Please read the Guidelines before starting.
• You can see all photos on the blog post at the first of each month on the Linky Tools. Just click on the thumbnail images. You are welcome to leave a quick note or “like” for the photographer too, but unless they ask for critique, keep it simple.
• While you work on your images, you are welcome to post photos to the MCP Facebook Wall and ask for advice and feedback from MCP fans. Alternatively you can post to the comment section of this Blog post with your photo(s) and ask for ideas, critique, etc from participants.  The most important way to grow your photography skills is to practice, practice, practice.  Now is your chance.

<<< Learn how to add your images here. >>>

Your images will show in this grid once you upload them. See our test image, the scale, to see how it works and looks:

<<< Get a MCP Project 12 banner for your blog. >>>

If there is something we did not cover above or on the Project 12 Home Page, please leave a comment in the “comment section.”  If your question is personal, you can also send an email at: mcpproject12@gmail.com.

We want to thank our corporate sponsors for MCP Project 12, Tamron USA and MCP Actions.

If your company wants to take part in sponsoring MCP Project 12, please contact Jodi at jodi@mcpactions.com.

For 2012, we want you to grow as a photographer. We are transitioning from MCP Project 52 (from 2011) to MCP Project 12 for (for 2012). We will not be using the Project 52 Flickr Group going forward and are moving it into archive mode.

What is MCP Project 12?

MCP Project 12 gives photographers the opportunity to take more photos, be creative and have fun. Hobbyist and professional photographers can join us by capturing images based on our monthly themes and share with the MCP community.

At the beginning of each month, for the next 12 months, we will introduce a theme on our blog. You will have up to a month to brainstorm, develop your ideas, and take your photos. If you prefer a weekly challenge, like Project 52, challenge yourself to use the theme in multiple ways.  You may upload up to four images per month.

Where are the themes listed?

The monthly theme will be listed in two places.

• On the MCP Project 12 Home Page. (That’s where you are right now.) Bookmark this page in your browser as the “Home Page for Project 12.”  We will add the new theme to the list each month.  We will also link the month to the new blog post where you enter your photos.
• On the 1st of every month we will introduce a new theme (for January it will be on the 2nd). This post will be under the category “MCP Project 12.” You will enter your image(s) on the monthly posts.

Themes:

January 2012: Theme – RESOLUTION ~ Visit Archived Photos from Month One

February 2012: Theme: Love (Alternate Theme: Leap) – Participate Here Starting 2/1/12

 

How to participate:

• Enter a comment on this post and let us know you will be joining in. You can participate every month or just a few. Join in at the beginning or start later in the year.
• On each monthly Project 12 Blog post, there will be a linky tool to submit your photo. Photos can be linked back to your Blog, Flickr or other photo hosting site.

<<< Learn how to add your images here. >>>

The guidelines:

We plan to keep things as relaxed as we can for 2012. To help things run smoothly, here are some “rules.”

• Photos need to be taken in the month you are participating. Do not use old photos which happen to work well for a topic.
• Unlike 2011, all photos must fit the theme for the specific month. Be creative and interpret the theme as you wish but make sure it was taken for the theme.
• As of now, we are not limiting the amount of images, as long as they fit the guidelines. This could change. Ideally we would like to see one to four photos per photographer each month. If you want to share more, and each is unique, you may upload these too.
• Collages of multiple images are welcome if all photos fit the theme or tell a story related to it. You are welcome to use tools like our Blog It Boards to display these.
• We would love you to edit the photos in Lightroom, Photoshop or Elements using MCP’s actions or presets. This is not a requirement.  We welcome your photos whether edited or not.
• No pornography, nudity, violence or any content deemed illegal by the United States Government. MCP Actions and its designees reserve the right to remove any photo or photos deemed objectionable.
• Images must be taken by you (in other words – you must own the copyright)
• By uploading to our project, you maintain copyright but give us permission to use the photo on our Blog/Facebook, in the context of Project 12.  If we want to use a photo for anything else, we will contact you and get your permission in writing. Please consider watermarking and branding your photos using tools like our Finish It action set or Free Facebook Fix Photoshop actions (which can be used for photos anywhere on the web).
• We will not sell our mailing list, but will extract emails from Linky submissions and the comment section of Project 12 posts to communicate with participants, send reminders, etc.  If you no longer wish to receive them, you can unsubscribe at any time.

How can we see other photographer’s images?

• You can see all photos on the blog post at the first of each month on the Linky Tools. Just click on the thumbnail images. You are welcome to leave a quick note or “like” for the photographer too, but unless they ask for critique, keep it simple.
• On the last day of every month, we will have a special post from one of our team leaders and possibly an occasional surprise guest. We will share a few of the many photos that spoke to us, moved us, or impressed us in some way. We cannot feature everyone’s images, but we’ll share a small selection of inspirational photos with all of you. We may do additional posts during the month featuring an image – or might mention your photo on the MCP Facebook Page. Watch for these.

How can I get feedback on my photos before I upload them for submission in MCP Project 12?

While you work on your images, you are welcome to post photos to the MCP Facebook Wall and ask for advice and feedback from MCP fans. Alternatively you can post to the comment section of monthly blog post with your photo(s) and ask for ideas, critique, etc from participants.  The

How can I contact you with my questions about MCP Project 12?

If there is something we did not cover above, please leave a comment in the “comment section.”  If your question is personal, you can also send an email at: mcpproject12@gmail.com.

most important way to grow your photography skills is to practice, practice, practice.  Now is your chance.

We want to thank our corporate sponsors for MCP Project 12, Tamron USA and MCP Actions.

If your company wants to take part in sponsoring MCP Project 12, please contact Jodi at jodi@mcpactions.com.

We made it!  3965 members, 15,398 photos and 52 weeks later we have reached the end of MCP Project 52.  It is New Years Eve and what a perfect time to look back over our 52 weeks together and celebrate what made this project so special.  This week we want to focus on some of those who have been with the project since the beginning.

As a reminder here are all 52 of our themes.

First up are 5 of our participants who have taken and submitted a photo to the group every week, we asked them to select their own favourite photo and to tell us why they chose it.

From our Week 31 theme “Sky” this stunning capture was taken by sstych. Sstych selected this photo as her favourite from 2011 saying “I love the colors and the clouds. It was my first attempt at photographing lighting…something I have always admired but never tried to do until this project. Living in AZ, I’ve come to appreciate a good thunderstorm…so this photo makes me happy! ”

From the Week 45 theme “Book Title” Roger’s Wife selected this photo called A Christmas Carol.  “I chose this one because a) it seems to fit well with the mood of the season, and b) it is one of my more recent photos and I really like the way it turned out. When I joined this project I was really only picking up a camera seriously for the first time. I’ve made huge strides this year, thanks in part to all the inspiration and interaction this kind of group/project makes possible. So glad I could be a part!”

Julieamankin went to the Week 24 theme “Make It Tasty.” “I was surprised and pleased how it turned out, I don’t know photoshop, I use Picnik. I hadn’t played around much with the different types of processing, before. Yes, I drank every bottle by myself.”

Shananna83 chose Week 6 “Words” for her favourite photo.  “I just love this photo and the quote by Ansel Adams I typed on the paper. I have a shop on etsy selling save the dates and we used another version of this same photo to make a vintage love letter save the date which has been really popular.  This 52 week project has been such an awesome experience for me. I love it and I want to remain taking a photo a week after this year is over. ”

Week 3 “Shades of Gray” was the choice of KathrynDJI “I chose this image because I like the lighting, the creamy gray tones, the bokeh, and the beauty of the reverent pose of the figures.”

And we couldn’t let the year finish without mentioning our 5 moderators who have tirelessly looked after our Flickr group and helped put these blog posts together throughout the year.  We asked them to chose their favourite Project 52 photo as well.

Marieke Broekman our Dutch ex-pat living in New Zealand chose this photo from Week 7 “Open your heart”  “It’s my favourite because what I said almost a year ago still applies now. I don’t know, maybe I am imagining it but there seems to be a different dynamic in our house since we got the cats. More love, understanding, caring and gentleness. And of course because it’s a damn cute picture! He’s all grown now but he’s still pretty cute and we love him to bits. And he still has that somewhat puzzled look on his face most of the time. He’s not the brightest cat in this world. We often say he’s a bit thick (meant lovingly). Sure provides us with hours of entertainment though and a lot of laughs!”

Haleigh Rohner Phoenix photographer and owner of Fanciful Frames went for “Fusion” from Week 14. “This photo is my favorite because it’s very different from the typical “beauty” type of portrait that I do. When presented with the topic of Fusion, I was completely stumped and I was excited to come up with something out of the box that applied to the theme.”

Lisa Otto our moderator from the US sunshine state of Florida where she runs both photography and boudior photography businesses chose Week 16 Furry Friends. ‘The last half of this year has been extremely hectic.  From me getting busier (which is a blessing), to my son’s knee surgery and then life in general, watching this one just let the world spin around him without a care in the world makes me realize that every once in a while, you really do need to stop and relax a bit’

Anna Francken is Dutch and lives in Utrecht where she is a hobbyist photographer, Anna chose Week 41 “Architecture” as her favourite. “P52 started for me when Rebecca, who I met on a photography forum suggested it to me to participate. I was stuck on the same level and didn’t have any challenge. I only took my camera with me on vacation and some other occasions. Today I have my camera with me every day.  This picture was made in Prague. I met fellow moderator Rebecca there with some other European girls who love to take photographs too. All weekend we were talking about photography. We had a great time. I enjoyed this P52 project. I hope I will see you all next year. I wish you all the best for 2012 and hope that you have a great photographic journey in 2012.”

And last but never least Rebecca Spencer our tea drinking English moderator chose “How Other’s See You” from Week 15. “I chose this photo as I had such a laugh putting it together and encouraged by my friends in the Project 52 group I put together a tutorial on how I made the photo which is something I never would have thought of doing before.”  You can find Rebecca’s tutorial here.

So that’s it, time for us to leave 2011 and our MCP Project 52 behind. As seems so appropriate I will leave the last words to Jodi, the lady who started this wonderful project and brought us all together in the first place.

I want to thank all of you who participated in the 2011 MCP Project 52. Whether you challenged yourself every week from the start, joined in later, or just engaged in a few themes, we hope MCP Project 52 inspired you and helped you grow as a photographer.  I loved seeing all the amazing images from around the world. Each and every one of you added something special to the whole project.

I want to give big, huge thank yous to the moderators who helped make MCP Project 52 possible.  It would have been impossible for me to do this alone – in fact my main role was spreading the word and getting exposure.  Their long hours, creative ideas, and dedication are what actually made this such a success.  So… THANK YOU!

Many of you are probably wondering “will there be another Project 52 in 2012?”  The answer, “not exactly.”  We have a new twist – something very exciting coming in 2012. Mark your calendars for January 1st, 2012 to learn exactly how Project 52 is evolving in 2012.  You won’t want to miss out.

Here’s to a great new year of capturing memories.

Jodi
MCP Actions

There are so many great photography props out there. If you don’t know where to start you can end up spending LOTS of money without much reward. I recommend starting simple. Here are a few inexpensive props that can add a nice flair to your photos.

Chalk Board
Find a small chalk board that will fit into your camera bag and keep it there for all your photo session! One of my favorite things to do is to pull out the chalk board mid-session and ask my subjects to write something. People always come up with something meaningful to write. I’ve had people write everything from their last name, Merry Christmas, wedding date, expressive phrases, and I even had a little guy draw me a turkey (it was a few days before Thanksgiving). During almost all of my engagement and family sessions I do a series of photos where my subjects write on the board and hold up their works of art. I purchased my chalk board from my local Goodwill, but there are also tons of variations available on Etsy.

Bubbles
Every little kid loves bubbles! If you are having trouble getting the little ones to warm up to you, pull out a can of bubbles (or even better, a bubble gun) and there is a good chance you will get at least one real smile. I’ve also learned that some dogs like bubbles even more then children.

Sun Glasses
For some reason, putting on a pair of sun glasses gives people a little more confidence. Go to your local dollar store and purchase a half dozen of them and put them in your photo bag. I like to give my stubborn non-smiling groomsmen (yes grown men) sun glasses for the first few shots and this tends to loosen them us. They also come in handy when you have a great shot/location but everyone is squinting because they are staring into the sun.

Picture Frame
So the whole picture frame thing may be a little overdone. However, it is so fun and if people are having fun, you get to see real similes! Just about any size picture frame will do (I bet you have some stashed around your house that you can use). Plop large frames on the ground and let the little ones crawl in and out, or have a couple hold the frame and make funny faces at each other. The sky is the limit here.

Scrabble Pieces
There are so many ways you can use scrabble pieces – have your subjects hold up the letters, lay them flat without any people in the photos, have your subjects blurry in the background with the letters standing up in focus, etc. So go and raid or your game closet or pick up a set from Amazon and start taking pictures!

This blog post is brought to you by KristeenMarie Photography. Be sure to check her out on Facebook.

Kristeen is an Indianapolis, IN Photographer who loves ice tea, the color purple, technology, and small children. She loves many other things in life that, though there are not many that she loves more then photography. She loves life and wants to capture every bit of it using her camera.

Happy Holidays! This thread was written and selected in advance due to the fact that a lot of us are celebrating/taking time to spend with our families. The top 10 for this week were chosen based on a thread on Flickr where participants were able to nominate others and share their favorite photo from this year’s fun.

Here are the top 10 photos that you nominated/chose as your favorites.

Lazy {Double L Photo}

“I love the colors and tone of the photo…along with the beach! I thought it fit the theme “lazy” really well! ”

Too see myself as others see me… {Shananna83}

“This is my favorite of mine: How others see me on week 15. I had a hard time that week figuring out how to photograph this theme. but this is what i came up with and this ended up being one of the 10 picked at the end of that week. ”

Princess… for a day… honoring earth day {Moopiecow}

“Hard to choose one, but have loved this from the start! Princess for a day.”

Water {Andrewfierro}

“This is my favorite in the group. I love the color and the perfection of the single drop of water.”

Enchanted Reading {Jen Foster Photo}

“I love this photo of my son reading in the fog. I think it fit the Enchantment theme from week 23 perfectly.”

Princess for a day {Kari’s World}

“I love this photo from Karisworld for the princess for a day week. I like the focus and depth…and that cupcake looks so good! ”

Just for Fun {Fur Will Fly}

“I chose this one because it makes me smile and I start imagining what the rubber duck might be thinking while watching the ‘real’ ducks on the water!!”

Need for Speed {KathrynDJI}

“This was my favorite due to the lighting, the muted tones, and the meaning this project had for me. ”

First Day of Kindergarten {Jen Foster Photo}

Nature’s Finest {Puttknob Photography}

Next week’s featured photos have already been selected from a thread on flickr located here. ONLY ONE MORE WEEK TO GO! YAY! We made it!

Be sure to stay tuned because BIG THINGS ARE COMING FOR next year’s MCP Project! Lots of details in the very near future. We can’t wait to share!

This weeks’ photos and post were selected and written by Haleigh Rohner, owner of Haleigh Rohner Photography {website/blog/facebook} and Fanciful Frames {website/blog/facebook}. It has been such a treat to help in browsing/modding/selecting featured photos throughout this year. You all have truly inspired me! Thanks for a great year!

I think I said it back in the middle of the summer, but doing the Project 52 has made me realize how fast this year has flow.  Now it has really hit me.  We are coming into week 50 which means 2 weeks until Christmas and 3 until we ring in the new year.  Hard to believe.

I loved going through the Flickr group this week and seeing everyone’s holiday traditions.  From baking to tree trimming, it was a little sneak into everyone traditions with giving me thoughts of starting ones for my family.

So without further ado…this week’s featured in no particular order.  Don’t forget to head over to the photographers Flickr and be sure to show them some love!  All you have to do is click the picture.

Congratulations to all those who have been featured this week, we’ll be adding the MCP Project 52 “I’m Featured” badge to your photo over on Flickr.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Kicking into Week 50 with ‘Festive Colors’.  There definitely should be a lack of entries this week.  There are festive colors everywhere this time of year.  I’m not a very ‘colorful’ person when it comes to decorating so being able to put the tree up and watch it illuminate with colors, is my favorite time of the year.

This week’s guest blogger is Lisa Otto.  She is a newborn and wedding photographer based in the Tampa, FL area.  You can check her work out on her website, see her ramblings on Facebook or watch her instagrams on Twitter.

What a fun week! Book Titles has proved to be another amusing and creative photography topic this week. Thanks to Rebecca Spencer (one of our flickr moderators/project managers) for keeping the creative themes flowing… even after 45 weeks. Her new ideas always excite me and make me want to check back often to see what you all come up with.

And now, down to business. Here are this week’s top 10 featured photos.

The Christmas Box {katypaskett}

The Year of the Fog {trooperslucky7}

Stone Soup {allisonachauer}

Green Eggs and Ham {Karen Gibas}

Gone with the Wind {Joyful Reflections}

Honey the Sweet Fairy by Daisy Meadows {lisawiza}

Circle Dogs {Teckelcar}

On the Road {Jules1836}

Book Titles {msullivanphotography}

Grapes of Wrath {karilan}

Congratulations! One of the moderators will be by sometime soon to drop off your flickr badge.

And now onto next week…. The week 46 theme is going to be: Over the Top! When I first heard this theme, my immediate thought was the arm wrestling movie from the 1980′s starring Sylvester Stalone. Since I didn’t have any arm wrestlers to photograph, here you go. Here are some cute little fingers “over the top” of her keyboard. I’m excited to see how the entries from this week turn out, there are so many ways you can take this theme.

This photo and blog post was brought to you by Haleigh Rohner {website/blog/facebook} She is a photographer in Phoenix, Arizona. She has four young children. She loves to spend time with them, and her husband, whether it’s traveling or cuddled up on the couch watching a family movie. Family is her biggest blessing in life! She and her husband just started a framing business. Stay tuned to the MCP Actions blog for details on how to win a $250 credit to their online frame store!