Photos of a door?

You read it correctly!

For the Jekyll Island EXPLORE Meetup we did a unique photography challenge.

“Go find a door and take 10 artistic photos of it. The one who comes away with the most unique set of 10 photos wins!”

Yeah, I know. Sounds rather difficult. If not downright strange. But you should try it sometime!

Forcing yourself to intentionally photograph an ordinary object is an excellent exercise for expanding your creativity! It pushes you past the obvious and into the realm of “okay . . . now what?” which is right where creativity begins.

But I wasn’t just sending everyone off to find any regular old door. We were in Jekyll Island’s famed Historic District!

If you’ve never been there, picture this: quiet, oak‑lined streets draped in Spanish moss . . . grand cottages from the Gilded Age, wrap‑around porches, ornate trim, and architecture that feels like it stepped straight out of a storybook. Every building has character. Every corner has charm. And every door—well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be difficult to find a photogenic one here!

With instructions to meet back in the parking lot in half an hour, we all broke off to find ourselves an interesting door to photograph.

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Later that afternoon, we gathered at a church fellowship hall to download our photos and deliver them to the contest judge. Our photos were not allowed to be edited or tweaked in any way—just the raw images straight out of the camera. It was an incentive to get everything as perfect as possible in‑camera.

Our judge for the day was Summer’s father, who was hanging out with us for the Meetup. It would be hard for him to be purely impartial because he knew exactly which door his daughter had chosen. He also knew what door I had chosen. And probably which doors several of the other photographers chose too.

But he promised he wouldn’t cheat. And he looked like the trustworthy type. So he said he would look over the photos and let us know by the end of the day which set of door photos were truly “the most unique” to him.

What Do You Think?

Which set of door photos would you say are the “most unique”?! The students were shooting for the greatest variety within their own set of 10 photos.

Take a look at the six sets of student photos below, choose which one you think should win, and then enter your choice in the comments below!

Student #1:

Student #2:

Student #3:

Student #4:

Student #5:

Student #6:

Aren’t these so much fun to look at?!

It always amazes me how different photographers can take the same subject and come away with completely different angles, perspectives, and ideas.

For some of us, it was easy to think of 10 different ways to photograph the same door. Perhaps we chose a door with a bit more character.

For others, it was more difficult. Perhaps their door was a little less photogenic. Or perhaps they needed a little more stretching in their creativity.

But regardless, whether you’re shooting the fourth or the ninth picture in this exercise and you get to the point of “Hmm, how on earth can I photograph this in a different way?!” . . . that’s exactly what the exercise was intended to do!

So, which student do you think was able to take the “most unique” set of photos of a door?

Make your pick, and then leave your choice in the comments below when you finish reading the blog post!

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One of the reasons I chose to photograph this door was because when I first came upon it, I saw this little guy hanging out and thought, “That could be a unique aspect of a door” . . . and proceeded to photograph him before he scurried away. (And by the way, the below photos are unedited, just like the students’ photos above.)

Because of the time constraint, I decided that since I already had one photo, I might as well try to get the remaining nine right there! So I started looking for other interesting details about that particular door.

Satisfied with some closeups, I put my telephoto lens on and stepped away for a few other shots.

I needed to keep switching things up. I moved to my wide angle lens and explored every perspective I could think of.

Time was running out. I needed one more shot. Let’s try the special effect of a starburst!

Or maybe let’s just say “the special effect of lens flare. No time to make it perfect here.”

I headed back to the parking lot. I was a few minutes late. I guess that meant I was disqualified. 🙂

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Can’t wait to hear which set of student photos you think were the most unique!

Go put your answer in the comments below right now, because I’m just about to tell you who Clayton chose as the winner.

Posted your comment?

Good.

Clayton thought photographer number four was able to photograph the most unique photos of his door. Good job Cody!

Want to see more amazing photos that the students took that day?

Here’s a link to the stunning collection of favorite photos from the Lenspiration EXPLORE Jekyll Island Meetup. Enjoy!