Raise your hand if you're excited about summer! We are seriously counting down the minutes over in at our house. My kids have already had field day at school and don't really have any more "real" school work this year. It's all just fun and games and I am SO ready to have them home with me!!

Summer is a great time to start a new photography project. You're home (or traveling to fun places), and you usually have your camera in tow anyway! Summer (for me at least) is also an inspiring time to try something new or push yourself creatively!! Here are 5 ideas for a fun summer project!

1. Give underwater photography a try.

If you're in the pool most of the day, you might as well give underwater photography a try! It can be tricky, but it is oh so fun. I use my older GoPro for all of our underwater photos and have been really happy with them! The biggest tip I can give you is to make sure there is lots of light and that you are relatively close to your subject. The more water between you and your subject, the harder it will be to grab focus and get a clear image. 

2. Capture a vacation (or a day of your summer).

Planning a fun vacation this summer? Pack your camera along and document a day of your vacation (or just a day of your summer). I always have THE best intentions of lugging my camera around and snapping all kinds of photos, but honestly, when it comes down to it, I just don't feel like toting my big camera around every single day. I usually make it a point to bring out my camera ONE (or maybe two) days during our vacation and snap away on those days! It's a great way to have a snapshot of your vacation while still enjoying the remaining days!

3. Document your summer with a color photo challenge.

Colors are so vibrant and bright during the summer! Challenge yourself to capture a particular color for every day of the week. The kids and I did this a few years ago (they used an Instax camera so they could immediately see their images) and it was tons of fun. 

4. Participate in a summer photo prompt challenge.

There are tons of summer prompt challenges out there and they can definitely keep you inspired and motivated throughout those long summer days. Design Aglow is hosting a challenge this summer that looks like loads of fun. Once you sign up, they will send you weekly prompts + inspirational emails to keep you inspired all summer long!

5. Try something new.

I always look at summer as a time to try something new. Summer is only 2-3 months (depending on when you start back school), and it's the perfect amount of time to challenge yourself to try something new. If you hate it, well, the summer will be over in no time. And if you love it, well...that's just a bonus! 

Maybe you've been wanting to experiment with a certain lens, or maybe you're intrigued by prisms and copper pipes....now is the perfect time to try those out! For me, I am dusting off my film cameras and am going to shoot film this entire summer. I've dabbled with film here and there before, but have never been brave enough to really give it a go. My plan is to shoot primarily film over the summer months, as well as document ONE day of each month with a roll of film! It's going to be so fun!! 

So what's your summer plan? Are you looking for a summer photography project??