On the Date Night scavenger hunt, the leader asked us to find children flying in Decatur. Dave went back and reshot this iconic sculpture for the “silhouette” category for his Arcanum scavenger hunt.

Who wants to send us on a scavenger hunt?

I must confess, I love scavenger hunts. I enjoy the mystery, the competition, and the creativity. It’s like a quest, but with a list instead of a map. And you use a camera instead of a sword (but I like swords, too!). There’s a focus and a purpose with scavenger hunts, but still plenty of room for improvisation and imagination.  What’s not to love?

Michelle’s interpretation for the “couples kissing” category for the Decatur Date Night scavenger hunt with the Showcase School of Photography

Photo scavenger hunts can make fun date nights, party games, or family activities. The captured photos offer interesting insights into people’s thought processes based on how they have interpreted items on the list. A photo isn’t always just a photo! When making a list, try to think outside the box and allow flexibility in interpretation. Think of items that could be interpreted in several different ways. Dave and I went on a fun date night scavenger hunt in Decatur with the Showcase School of Photography this summer, and we pursued themes like “patriotic,” “something cold,” and “something that makes you laugh.” Of course, Dave was a bit grumpy being told what to shoot (he’d make a great 12th doctor). The evening’s activity encouraged me to see the familiar sights of the Decatur square in a new way, paying attention to details, such as patterns, colors, and out-of-the-way spaces.

Dave took this for his Arcanum scavenger hunt. The category was “backlighting.”

Dave also had to do a scavenger hunt as part of an Arcanum assignment (a little less grumpily this time). You can see some of his shots of my Black Canary Bombshell Statue where he experimented with backlighting and silhouettes. If you enjoy photography, but feel like you’re in a rut, scavenger hunts offer opportunities to try something new–a new approach, a new angle, or a different way of seeing the the same old location.

The upcoming DragonCon is a fantastic opportunity for questing–geektography style! Dave and I would like to invite our readers to join us in a Scavenger Hunt: DragonCon edition. Leave a comment on our blog suggesting an item, character, or theme to photograph during DragonCon. We’ll post our finds and you can play along too, if you’ll be at DragonCon this year.

A shadow of Black Canary for Dave’s Arcanum scavenger hunt in the categories of “one color” and “silhouette.”

Here are some things that are already on our shot list:

1. The 12th Doctor being grumpy
2. A Disney Princess with a weapon
3. A steampunk superhero
4. Lady Stoneheart (wink, wink, Stephanie)
5. Dancing Baby Groot

Who would you like us to find? Who’s your favorite superhero, fantasy character, or sci-fi crush? Leave a comment and we’ll put them on our shot list. If we snag them, we’ll mention you in the blog post.