📸 The Ultimate $5 Challenge: Prove Your Eye for Detail and Turn the Mundane into the Magnificent!
Y’all know I love a good photography challenge, especially one that forces you to step outside your comfort zone and see the world in a brand new light! My work, whether it’s boudoir photography focused on self-love and confidence or just me goofing off on the farm, is always about celebrating the authentic moment. This challenge is no different, but we’re going to add a little pinch of “Boujee on a Budget” to the mix!
💡 The Challenge: The $5 Macro World
This week, I’m challenging you to create a stunning, detailed macro photograph using a simple, household item that costs five dollars or less.
The Rules of the Game:
- The Subject: Must be a common item you can buy for $\mathbf{\$5}$ or less (think paper clips, a cheap piece of fruit, a single flower, a kitchen sponge, a piece of broken glass, a shiny penny, a plastic toy, etc.).
- The Focus: The photo must be a macro shot or an extreme close-up that highlights the texture, pattern, or hidden beauty of the object. Make the tiny details look massive and dramatic!
- The Budget Trick (The Matt Mathews Flair): You are not allowed to use a dedicated macro lens. You must use a creative hack or technique to get your close-up, whether that’s:
- Using a cheap phone attachment lens.
- Holding your camera lens backward (the “reverse lens” technique—look up tutorials!).
- Simply zooming in on your phone’s camera and nailing the focus.
- The goal is to prove you don’t need expensive gear to create a magazine-worthy shot!
- Post and Comment: Post your photo to your social media, then COMMENT BELOW with a single emoji that represents the item you photographed, and tell me what the item was! Use the hashtags: #MattMathewsPhotoChallenge #5DollarMacro
🌟 Why This Challenge Matters
Photography, at its heart, is about vision. Anyone can take a picture of a beautiful landscape or a perfectly posed model. But a photographer is someone who can take something completely ordinary—like the fuzzy fibers of a bath towel or the intricate veins of a single leaf—and elevate it into art. This challenge forces you to slow down, study the object, and manipulate light and focus to reveal a world that most people walk right past.
It’s a huge confidence booster, too! When you see the incredible detail you can capture with a simple penny and a little ingenuity, you realize that your best tool is your eye, not your wallet. That sense of self-worth and capability? That’s what I’m all about.
I can’t wait to see y’all’s entries! Remember, keep it focused, make the detail pop, and let your creativity shine brighter than the studio lights!
Now go find that perfect, cheap, detailed subject! Good luck, and happy shooting! 📸
