There’s a traditional Scottish poem that goes: "From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!" Considering that this assignment is slated for our October 2018 issue, we thought it’d be the perfect time to have our readers submit scary images for Halloween. These can include anything from haunting black-and-whites of old houses, to creepy color of shots abandoned hospitals, spooky landscapes, or hair-raising macros of insects. Heck, even a ghastly portrait of a friend in vampire make-up would qualify. The assignment is deliberately wide open; any photo you think will give someone goosebumps can be submitted. Just be sure to have a spooktacular time!

Deadline: July 1, 2018

Selected images will appear in the October 2018 issue

Connecting things, joining things, linking things; bridges, tunnels, and overpasses are a familiar part of our everyday life. For the most part, we use them for utilitarian purposes, such as getting to work or going on a trip. But they also can be things of manmade beauty. What photographer hasn’t marveled at an incredible structure such as the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys or the Golden Gate in San Francisco and not wanted to stop and take a picture? For this assignment, we are asking you do just that. Photograph a bridge, tunnel or overpass you might see every day and show us what makes it visually interesting. The only thing we ask for this assignment is that you be careful while doing it. There are a lot of crazy drivers out there so watch out and bring us back something special.

Deadline: May 1, 2018

Selected images will appear in the August 2018 issue

Here’s an assignment that needs very little explanation. Yes, we’re looking for photos of birds and we want your best shots. From our daily perusals of our Galleries on Shutterbug.com, there are clearly a lot of bird photographers out there, so expect this assignment to be highly competitive. We’re not, however, merely looking for the perfect shot of a bird in flight with its eyes captured at the requisite level of tack sharpness. Those images are nice but we’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of them in Shutterbug’s Galleries. We want your best bird shots to have an artistry and intimacy that shows our fine feathered friends in their own unique light. Which bird photos are likely to selected as our favorites? Well, that’s up in the air but let’s just say if your image is chosen, it will really be a feather in your cap!

Deadline: March 1, 2018

Selected images will appear in the June 2018 issue.

One of the most important things in photography is composition, and windows and doorways can be great framing devices for your images. Much like a picture frame, a window or a doorway can be used to draw the viewer’s eye to your subject. We’ve seen them used for portraiture or landscape photography to great effect but, for this assignment, feel free to use them however you’d like. The best part of windows and doorways is that they’re everywhere. The trick is finding ones that offer great light to showcase your subject. If you’re capturing portraits, experiment with placing the person your photographing at different angles in the frame. If you’re shooting street photography, find the doorway or window you like first and wait for the magic to happen: it could be an interesting street character walking by or it could be an animal, such as a cat or a dog, popping up out of nowhere to be the unexpected star of your framed image. As always, keep shooting until you get the perfectly framed shot you want.

Deadline: January 1, 2018

Selected images will appear in our April 2018 issue.

There’s a thin line between seasonal photographs being cliché or stunning. We, obviously, are asking you to come up with something stunning for this assignment. As the name suggests, your images can showcase any of the four seasons: spring, summer, winter or fall. (Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can submit images for all four seasons, or even try to show all four seasons in one image…though we’re not sure how that would look.) We all have our favorite seasons to photograph, with fall being a perennial choice thanks to all those gorgeous autumn leaves. Winter has its deeps snows; summer, its sunshine and beaches; and spring, its fresh flowers and plant-life. But like we said, try to resist the clichés in your images for this assignment. Give us images of the Four Seasons we have not seen before because they should be coming from your own unique point of view.

​Deadline: November 1, 2017

Selected images will appear in the February 2018 issue​

Photographers who use Nikon gear share their favorite photos.

Trains are an ever-popular photography subject but we didn’t want to limit this assignment to just one mode of transportation. So, instead, we decided to do a riff on the Christmas movie classic “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” and let readers decide, which speedy subject they wanted to shoot. Of course, we’re not necessarily looking for action shots of these vehicles for this assignment but adding an element of motion in your images would not hurt. As usual, please give your photos of trains, planes or automobiles a sense of context or place. Static shots of a car in parking lot or a locomotive in an ugly train yard aren’t going to catch our eye. Instead, include important pieces of a surrounding scene to help your photos tell a story.  We want to feel excited about taking a ride in your train, plane or automobile.

Deadline: September 1, 2017

Selected images will appear in our December 2017 issue of Shutterbug

Despite all the advancements in imaging – including the advent of color and the now dominance of digital – there’s something about classic black-and-white photography that will never go out of style. That’s not to say that just because a photo has been shot or converted to monochrome, it’s guaranteed to be a great photo. The choice to go black-and-white must have some meaningful relationship to the subject matter or scene to be effective. For this assignment, we ask you to submit your best black-and-white photos that use the dramatic impact of monochrome in a powerful way.

Deadline: July 1, 2017

Selected images will appear in the October 2017 issue of Shutterbug

Fine Art photography can include landscapes, cityscapes, macros, wide-angles, long exposures, abstracts, portraits, nudes, semi-nudes, black-and-whites, color photos, surreal photos, hyper real photos, nature photos and on and on and on. What we’re looking for are simply beautiful or striking images that show your vision as a photographer. Give us personal images you think are good enough to be hung on the wall of a gallery or museum.

Deadline: May 1, 2017

Selected images will appear in the August 2017 issue of Shutterbug

Without a doubt, the most popular images on the Internet (aside from cat photos) are of sunrises and sunsets. What is it about these daily acts of nature that so inspire us? It’s hard to say but easy to see. Even the most jaded photographers still feel a tingle when watching the sun come up in the morning or go down in the evening, and reach for their camera (or smartphone) to capture the moment. Obviously, sunrises require a little more commitment, namely waking up early enough and preparing to shoot when you’re likely not fully awake. Sunrises? Well, everybody and their brother have shot those but clearly some captures are better than others. For this assignment, we’re asking you to submit only the sunrise or sunset images you think to be truly spectacular and unique. Yes, it’s a tough assignment and there are liable to be a lot of entries so give us images that truly shine!

Deadline: March 1, 2017

Selected images will appear in the June 2017 issue of Shutterbug​

Long a favorite photo subject of Shutterbug readers, here’s your chance to share your crazy, beautiful images of the world’s weather. Photo entries can be of anything from lighting strikes to dust storms to deep powder to swirling tornadoes (but don’t get too close!) Most importantly, we’re looking for something dramatic that sends a shiver down the spine. As always, pay attention to image composition so that it’s not just a photo, for example, of a rainbow, but of a rainbow as an element in a complete scene. In short, we want you to show us Mother Nature at her most awesome and stunning moments.

Deadline: January 1, 2017

Selected images will appear in the April 2017 issue of Shutterbug 

Anyone who has walked the streets with a camera (or a smartphone) has witnessed scenes of everyday life that seem too good to pass up for a photograph. But how often to you stop and actually capture them? That’s the trick to great street photography: you’ve got to be ready and you need to have no fear of shooting candid images of people on the street, most times without their permission. But there’s another type of street shooting that can be a little less stressful and that’s urban landscape photography. Just think of your town or city as an urbanized Grand Canyon and look for unique angles and great lighting to capture the architecture and setting. For this assignment, feel free to submit either Henri Cartier-Bresson-type “decisive moments” of people in street scenes or fine art-worthy image of urban landscapes.

Deadline: November 1, 2016

Selected images will appear in the February 2017 issue of Shutterbug 

For our next assignment, we want you to go all dark and moody and share images that recall classic “film noir” movies. For those readers who skipped Cinema Appreciation class, film noir is a French term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas from the 1940s and ’50s. But we don’t need crime scenes (necessarily). Here’s what you should shoot for: gritty, high-contrast images, preferably in black and white, captured in low-light conditions. Of course, color photos are fine, too, but make them shadowy and mysterious: think Edward Hopper, not Walt Disney. Film grain effects or even digital noise are encouraged, just as long as it suits the subject.

Deadline: September 1, 2016

Selected images will appear in the December 2016 issue of Shutterbug   

Despite all the advancements in imaging – including the advent of color and the now dominance of digital – there’s something about classic black-and-white photography that will never go out of style. That’s not to say that just because a photo has been shot or converted to monochrome, it’s guaranteed to be a great photo. The choice to go black-and-white must have some meaningful relationship to the subject matter or scene to be effective. For this assignment, post your best black-and-white photos that use the dramatic impact of monochrome in a powerful way.

Deadline: July 1, 2016

Selected images will appear in the October 2016 issue of Shutterbug

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Are you ready for your close-up? You’d better be if you want to enter our next Picture This assignment. Macro photography has long been a favorite of readers so now’s your chance to show us your best close-up images. While there are many classic macro subjects to capture including flowers, plant-life and insects, try to push yourself and show us some close-ups we’ve never seen before. The key is to get the points of interest in an image as sharp as can be to draw the viewer into these often-microscopic photographic scenes. Think small but go big for maximum impact with your macro images.

Deadline: May 1, 2016

Selected images will appear in the August 2016 issue of Shutterbug  

Fine Art photography can include landscapes, cityscapes, macros, wide-angles, long exposures, abstracts, portraits, nudes, semi-nudes, black-and-whites, color photos, surreal photos, hyper real photos, nature photos and on and on and on. What we’re looking for are simply beautiful or striking images that show your vision as a photographer. Give us personal images you think are good enough to be hung on the wall of a gallery or museum.

Deadline: March 1, 2016

Selected images will appear in the June 2016 issue of Shutterbug

We’re looking for food (and drink) images that are not only beautifully composed, compellingly lit, and so appetizing-looking they make our stomachs growl, we’re looking for photos that capture cuisine from a unique or interesting angle. Food images can be still lifes or environmental or lifestyle photos where edibles and drinkables are prominently featured.

Deadline: January 1, 2015

Selected images will appear in the April 2015 issue of Shutterbug.

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Photojournalism and documentary photography might sound like a tough assignment but think of it simply as capturing candid moments of real life. There are stories all around us just waiting to be told with our cameras. For this assignment, use yours to capture a scene or a situation that tells a story without manipulation. We want unstaged images that document real life in a revealing way. Or to bend the old cliché, we’re looking for pictures that are worth a thousand words.

Deadline: November 1, 2015

Selected images will appear in the February 2015 issue of Shutterbug.

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Nature photography has long captured the hearts and minds of amateur and professional photographers dedicated to capturing images of the great outdoors. Whether your passion is wildlife, landscape, or macro photography, we’d love to see examples of your best work.

Upload your best nature images here and have a chance to win a Tamron 150-600 mm lens valued at $1069.

Click Here First For Complete Rules

Shooting sports and action can really put your gear and your timing to the test. But there’s more to a great action shot than simply capturing the moment and making sure it’s in focus. For this assignment, we want to see sports and action images that have great composition, effective use of backgrounds and scenery, and powerful human emotion.

Deadline: August 1, 2015

Selected images will appear in the November 2015 issue of Shutterbug.

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

For this assignment, show us images that have great lighting. In terms of the light source, we’re not picky: it could be a completely naturally lit scene or something that was shot in the studio with 100% artificial light. Subject matter is also completely up to you. What we want to see are photos with beautiful light, which is really what photography is all about.

Deadline: June 1, 2015

Selected images will appear in the September 2015 issue of Shutterbug.

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

This assignment is deceptively simple: show us your best landscape photos. Yes, many of our readers have posted some amazing landscapes in our image galleries on Shutterbug.com over the years but the challenge is to show us something that is both beautiful and original. Go!

Deadline: May 1, 2015

Selected images will appear in the August 2015 issue of Shutterbug.

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Fine Art photography can include landscapes, cityscapes, macros, wide-angles, long exposures, abstracts, portraits, nudes, semi-nudes, black-and-whites, color photos, surreal photos, hyper real photos, nature photos and on and on and on. What we’re looking for are simply beautiful or striking images that show your vision as a photographer. Give us personal images you think are good enough to be hung on the wall of a gallery or museum.

Deadline: March 1, 2015

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Post images that think outside the box about winter photography. While photos of snowmen and sledding are nice, we’d like to see images from you that capture the true splendor of winter’s power and beauty, not just a seasonal cliché. Give us winter with a sense of wonder.

Deadline: January 1, 2015

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Send us images with "those nice bright colors..."
Deadline June 15

In-camera or stitched: Deadline August 15

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Send us images where backlight or strong directional light dances with the subject. Deadline October 2014.

NOTE: Please include your real name in the description field to qualify for this assignment.

Photos not sorted into any of the categories below.

Maximizing depth of field; the super wide view

Shallow & deep

Black and white, toned or neutral

Scenics, Locations

Fast & slow, take your pick

Images made at ISO 1600 and above