The ugly location challenge was a trend created around the idea that photography and its creativity and skill comes from the creator. I remember seeing the sets of photos on social media and being in awe. Like, that photo was really taken there?
Popularized by Kelsey Maggart, a 22-year-old photographer, the ugly location challenge took social media by storm starting in 2018. The “Ugly Location Challenge” has embodied the aspect of creativity. The challenge was created to show that talent can create something special. “You don’t have to love your location to love your shoots,” said Maggart.
During the challenge, unexpected places were made into photoshoot ops. Hobby Lobby, Home Depot, the corner of parking lots, random shrubs, you name it. It seemed the more unexpected the location, the more interesting of a photo it would make. The elements of the location added more aspects as well, the wires of a fence, the hanging leaf branches, the lighting in the light’s aisle, etc.
The challenge was taken on by a plethora of photographers and then posted to social media with the hashtag #uglylocationchallenge. A photo was taken of the “ugly location” and then of the subject or person in the ugly location. Different angles, edits, and lighting would create a whole new perspective of that ugly location. The photos then would be posted side by side on a social media platform to show the striking difference.
To go along with this “iPhone series,” I decided to take the challenge a step further. I chose to use the iPhone as the camera source and its tools to see what images I could get. I also decided to use Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop to edit and give it more of a professional look.
My location of choice was Hobby Lobby. Now don’t get me wrong, Hobby Lobby is not “ugly” per se, but it is not a conventional place for a photo shoot. There is terrible lighting in the aisles though, and you can see the shelves and price tags in the shots. I also had to keep in mind that there are customers trying to shop around my impromptu photo shoot. If you’re doing a challenge like this in the public eye you have to throw your shame and embarrassment out the window. After editing, I was happy with the photos. This wasn’t the easiest thing to do but the outcome was super rewarding.