Calling all photographers! Since the start of 2018, Michael's Craft Stores has been encouraging people to come into their stores to take pictures. The task, named the #MichaelsChallenge, allows people to express their creativity in the store with photography.
I took on this challenge recently. After watching this video by Jessica Kobessi, I was immediately inspired.
I brought two friends and we headed to the nearest Michael's, ready to take pictures. Walking into the huge store, I felt uncomfortable. There were people shopping and I felt like I was intruding by just having a photoshoot. But remember, the store itself encourages this! My friends and I headed towards the flower section first.
It was a little embarrassing at first, having my friends model amongst the fake florals. But people didn't seem to take notice. We got more comfortable in the store as time went on. We even bumped into a Michael's employee who asked us if we were doing the Michael's challenge! He had said that the store received a lot of photographers coming into the store weekly.
I took this picture using saran wrap. I wrapped a piece around the lens of my camera to create this nice foggy effect. It makes the picture have this dreamy aura to it.
Here's a behind the scenes look at the photoshoot. Not many people seemed to notice my camera and my friend hiding amongst the fake flowers. It was a little cramped, but we eventually found a way to make it work.
Most people who do this challenge start at the floral section and move their way through the store, which is what we did.
Part of this challenge is to use items in the store as props. Be as creative as you can.
I took this using this glass dome-shaped thing. I put my camera inside of it and liked how the lines acted as a border around my subject. Don't be afraid to experiment with things! You never know how it will turn out.
I took this picture below using this cage I found. I just stuck my camera in there and starting clicking.
My favorite aisle by far during this photoshoot was the yarn aisle.
I loved all the colors in the background and how it added more depth to my photos. Also, the lighting in the back of the store was amazing.
We went all around the store, taking a total of 250 pictures in 2 1/2 hours. Obviously, all 250 pictures didn't turn out amazing. After ending, I had a good 20 pictures that I liked. I used the VSCO app to edit them!
