Chasing Childhood - Day 11

Childhood has a distinct, bittersweet magic. As we age, memories fade, becoming soft and impressionistic rather than sharply detailed. Today’s challenge invites you to seek out moments, textures, and places that stir nostalgia. This isn't about literal representations of your past, but about finding what speaks to the experience of being young.

Childhood isn't a single location. Look for places and moments that are evocative. Remember running barefoot? Maybe your eyes find the cracked concrete of a sidewalk at golden hour, with long shadows reminiscent of summer evenings. Did you climb trees? Photograph the rough texture of bark, the intricate network of branches. Even something as simple as abandoned toys on a sun-drenched porch can carry a powerful sense of lost play.

Playgrounds are obvious settings but go beyond swings and slides. Focus on the vibrant colors of the equipment or the chipped paint.

This challenge is about mood as much as the subject matter.

• Use a variety of lenses to accentuate the child’s gaze, Shooting from very low to the ground brings back that child-sized perspective on the world. High angles give a birds-eye sense of playfulness and freedom.

• Don't be afraid of motion blur to convey carefree action. Or create dreamy visuals with selective focus, blurring hard edges, as memories sometimes are.

• Capture the vivid colors of toys or the dreamy golden haze of summer light.

• Play with color palettes to intensify the mood in your photos.

Remember what that sense of wonder in childhood felt like and how small details were captivating? Recapture those emotions and convey them visually. If your images stir nostalgia in viewers, regardless of what their individual childhood was like, you've succeeded.

This day doesn't need to be confined to a single image. Perhaps document a journey through multiple 'scenes' in the same shoot telling a bigger story of the fleeting yet potent feelings of being young.