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Basel Weekly Street Photography Challenge

Photowalk

Sunday, January 4, 2026

09:30

Unternehmen Mitte, Basel

The Weekly Photo Challenge 2026 in collaboration with the Street Photography Club Basel is a continuous practical format for street photography.


We meet every Sunday at 9:30AM (check the table below for adjusted meeting times), starting Sunday, January 4, 2026 at Unternehmen Mitte in Basel. Together we will work on the week's topic approximately until 11AM/11:30AM. The topic remain open for individual shooting throughout the week.

 

Core Idea: Each week focuses on exactly one clearly defined aspect of photography. Unlike the Monthly SPCB Photo Walks, this format is not about free shooting, but about conscious, reduced work with a specific task.

 

The challenges rotate between:

  • Technique (e.g. focal length, aperture, focus)

  • Composition (colors, shapes, lines)

  • Composition rules (e.g. rule of thirds, layering)

  • Subject focus (e.g. street portraits, architectural details)

 

Goals

Not perfection is the goal, but learning how to see.

  • Training photographic vision

  • Conscious image composition instead of randomness

  • Building a photographic routine

  • Exchange within the group

 

Share your images on Instagram using the hashtags #BaselWeeklyChallenge and #SPCBWeeklyChallenge. If you wish, you can mention my instagram (@thomas.halfmann.photography) and/or add me as collaborator. I will share your images in my story.


Join the WhatsApp Group and just show up on Sundays (see the table below for date and location changes) at Unternehmen Mitte and join the group.


The weekly topics for 2026 are:

Week

Challenge

Description

1 (Jan 4)9:30AM Unternehmen Mitte

35mm Only

Photograph exclusively with 35mm (or equivalent).

2 (Jan 11) 9:30AM Unternehmen Mitte

Leading Lines

Use leading lines as a central design element.

3 (Jan 18)9:00AM Unternehmen Mitte

Low Key

Dark tones, deep shadows (underexposed).

4 (Jan 25)9:30AM Unternehmen Mitte

Open Aperture

Photograph with the widest possible aperture.

5 (JAN 31)9:30AM Unternehmen Mitte

Silhouettes

Subjects as silhouettes against a bright background.

6 (Feb 8)11:00AM photo SCHWEIZ, Zürich

Square

Compose images consciously in a square format.

7 (Feb 15)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Reflections

Reflections as the main or central element.

8 (Feb 22)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

One Person

Maximum one person per image.

9 (Mar 1)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

50mm Only

Photograph exclusively with 50mm (or equivalent).

10 (Mar 8)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Minimalism

Reduce the image to a few elements.

11 (Mar 15)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Shadows

Shadows as the dominant design element.

12 (Mar 22)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Frame within Frame

Photograph subjects using natural frames.

13 (Mar 29)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Freeze Motion

Short shutter speed to stop movement.

14 (Apr 5)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Red in the Image

Red as a defining color element.

15 (Apr 12)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Layering

Consciously use foreground, middle ground and background.

16 (Apr 19)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Architectural Details

Focus on details instead of overall views.

17 (Apr 26)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Wide Angle

24mm or wider (equivalent).

18 (May 3)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

ICM

Intentional Camera Movement.

19 (May 10)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Rule of Thirds

Clear application of the rule of thirds.

20 (May 17)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Street Portrait

Portraits of people in public spaces.

21 (May 24)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Thinking Black & White

Photograph with black & white in mind.

22 (May 31)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Text in the Image

Text or typography as an element.

23 (Jun 7)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

1/30 Second

Photograph at 1/30s or slower.

24 (Jun 14)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Blue

Blue as the defining color element.

25 (Jun 21)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Symmetry

Symmetrical image composition.

26 (Jun 28)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Waiting People

People in a state of waiting.

27 (Jul 5)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

>100mm / Tele

Longer focal length for compression.

28 (Jul 12)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Contrasts

Light/dark or color contrasts.

29 (Jul 19)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Negative Space

Conscious use of empty space.

30 (Jul 26)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Street Scenes without People

Urban space without people.

31 (Aug 2)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Out of Focus

Intentionally photographing out of focus.

32 (Aug 9)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Yellow

Yellow as the dominant element.

33 (Aug 16)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Diagonals

Diagonal lines as the main compositional element.

34 (Aug 23)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Hands

Hands as the central subject.

35 (Aug 30)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Portrait Orientation

Photograph exclusively in portrait orientation.

36 (Sep 6)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Patterns

Repetition and patterns.

37 (Sep 13)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

High Key

Bright and overexposed.

38 (Sep 20)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Public Transport

Scenes around trams, buses and stops.

39 (Sep 27)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Open & Close

Photograph very close to the subject.

40 (Oct 4)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Green

Green defines the image.

41 (Oct 11)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Directions of Gaze

Conscious use of lines of sight.

42 (Oct 18)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Pairs

Two people in relation to each other.

43 (Oct 25)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Panning

Tracking moving subjects.

44 (Nov 1)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Rain & Weather

Weather as a design element.

45 (Nov 8)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Centered Composition

Place the main subject exactly in the center.

46 (Nov 15)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Street Details

Small, subtle scenes.

47 (Nov 22)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Long Exposure

Motion blur using long shutter speeds.

48 (Nov 29)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Orange

Orange as the dominant color.

49 (Dec 6)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Chaos

Intentionally complex, dense scenes.

50 (Dec 13)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Light Edges

Light as a form-defining element.

51 (Dec 20)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Favorite Challenge

Repeat your favorite challenge of 2026.

52 (Dec 27)9:30AM

Unternehmen Mitte

Best of Basel

Personal summary of the year.


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