Some photographers had their cameras for company, some got together with friends, and whether solo or in a group, they all contributed to a global photography collaboration. This event alone resulted in over 1000 photographs being submitted, and since the project began two years ago, there are over 6000 quality images from over 40 countries! Amazing!

So, without further ado, sit back and enjoy April 2011 the view of the world before dawn….

I’ll have to kick off with the event I organised in my home city of Birmingham UK. I got together with Project Brutal and the iconic Central Library (which may be demolished) open it’s doors to over 40 photographers! I’ve blogged about it in more detail over on my Karen Strunks blog, but here are just a few of the highlights.

Steve Cooper captured some 4am roof top footage too!

Not only did Mr Underwood take photos, he recorded the Sounds Of A Dying Library at 4am. Well worth checking out. Who knew a building could make such sounds in the middle of the night!

Enjoy some more 4am photographs taken from other parts of the world!

It’s always great to read and hear the stories behind the photos, and why people set their alarms to get up and take part in the project.

I love this video from Andrew Stuart who says of himself….. “The one where Andrew talks nonsense and makes little sense at a time when you are (or should) be asleep”. Great beach setting.

Andrew has also made an audio boo too!

And Andew sums the appeal of the project perfectly in his blog post. “It’s something else the 4am project gives. I very much doubt anyone would say “yes, i’ll drive 100 miles across the country to take photos alongside a person i’ve never met, in the middle of the night, for no genuine reason”. However, the reason of it being in tandem with a lot of other photographers, insomniac or not, busy or quiet, and of different levels of interest, ability and style, even though you are not quite present, means the project thrives.”

DJ Leekee didn’t let a broken tripod stop him from getting some great shots!

Gollyslater wrote about the 4am Project in a blog post titled ‘How social media takes a great idea global’.

The Fab MJ blogged about how everything fell into placefor him on the night after telling himself “up you get and do what you’ve been banging on about for the last few years”!

Matt Appleby talks about what he has learnt from the 4am Project. “I’ve met some interesting new people, added a few more flickr contacts and got a great insight into how social media can take a simple (very good) idea global. It was also lots of fun”

There is no doubt that perceptions of familiar day time views change at 4am. Whilst everyone else is asleep there are photographers across the world embracing not just a collaborative project, but the secrets of the scenes that 4am holds.

What’s happening next?!

Well, you’l be pleased to hear that the 4am Project is set to continue! As of now, I am planning the hold the next global 4am event in the Autumn, September/October time, so watch this space or keep on eye out on twitter for announcements too.

I’ve also got a LOT of other plans for the project that I would love to realise. For the last two years, not only have I been working behind the scenes running the project, but also coming up with ideas to help it grow and reach it’s full potential. There is an AMAZING archive of images online and it would be great to see them off line too in a touring exhibition for example. That’s just one (big!) idea, and there’s plenty more. I realise I’m going to need help if I want to develop the project and take it forward, so I’ll be reaching out to companies that are a good match for the project and are in-line with it’s ethos, and have the ability to support the project in it’s development to see if they wish to sponsor the project.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the project! And for all your enthusiasm and great feedback too. Here’s to the next 4am Project event!

Karen

The new 4am date for your diay is 24th April, and the 4am Project will be celebrating it’s 2nd Birthday!

What a fabulous 2 years it has been! With hundreds of photographers from around 40 countries taking part so far, there are nearly 5000 images of the world a 4am – truely a global picture!

Thank you to everyone who has taken part so far!

The 4am Project aims to capture a view of the world at that often unseen time of day. It’s not just a photography project, but a global collaboration built by a world wide community.

Please help spread the word about the project on your websites and blog and tell your friends. You can even embed this snazzy countdown clock too!

Whether you are planning on getting together with friends for some urban exploration, or you want to relish the solitude and quiet that 4am can bring you, enjoy your 4am photo experience.

If I can help put you in touch with other 4am photographers in your area, please let me know, and I’ll put a request out to the 4am network.

Don’t forget to follow the 4am Project on twitter!

You can find the global press release here, and I am organising a special 4am photo walk in my home town of Birmingham and there is a separate press release for that here.

Have fun flexing your photography muscles!

Photograph by coryographix

Photograph by plasticflowercymru

Photograph by Pedro Moura Pinheiro

Photograph by Pedro Moura Pinheiro

Photography by Karen Strunks

Yes! You heard it right! The 4am Project is about to hit Manhattan. This is probably the project’s (and my!) biggest goal to date.

I am so delighted to be able to bring the 4am Project to the heart of New York City. 

Times Square will be pumping with energy and will promise some stunning images to early morning photographers who want to capture the exhilarating activity in a 24 hour city.

If you are a New Yorker with an interest in the unusual (and perhaps mild insomnia) come and take part in this  innovative global photography project to record and document the world before dawn.

I’m going to be hosting a special event in the beating heart of Manhattan that is Times Square at 4am on October 17th, and I’m inviting bleary eyed photographers on an exhilarating early morning photography walk to capture images of the city that never sleeps.

I hope you can join me and other New York photographers in this extraordinary photo walk at the ‘crossroads of the world’.

The 4am Project is an exercise in global solidarity to encourage the sharing of visual imagery that reflects the world we live in. This is the Project’s second year,  and word has spread like wildfire, with people picking up their cameras in over 40 countries across the globe including UK, Brazil, Italy, China, Swaziland, Libya, Germany, Laos and the USA.

It’s a worldwide collaborative experience, aiming to capture a time of day that many people rarely see.  At the heart of the 4am project is the aim to bring both photographers and non-photographers together, to create a global community which demonstrates how amazing our surrounding landscapes can be.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 3.45 AM on Sunday 17th October

Meeting Place: Outside the New York Police Station on Times Square

Event ends at 5am, though I suggest it would be a nice opportunity to grab a coffee and meet the 4am Photographers!

Don’t forget your camera!

Tell your friends too!

Looking for the Press Release? You can find it here.

Follow the 4am Project on Twitter. My number whilst in NYC is (001) 646 233 3478

Karen

Yes, perhaps you do have to be a little bit crazy to get up at 4am to take photographs!

I don’t think Pedro has missed a 4am Project photo event yet! (Thanks Pedro!) And in April he gathered together his friends and hit the streets of his home town Sintra in the wee small hours. Looks like they had a lot of fun and even had time to experiment with light painting!

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert in photography to take part. All you need is a camera and willingness to try something a little different and explore your surroundings at a different time of day!

Karen

 Photograph by Hrish Thota

As you can see from Hrish’s slide show, 4am in the market place is very busy indeed! For these market workers, 4am isn’t an unusual time. They regularly set their alarm clocks and are working hard whilst most of us sleep.

Who will you meet at 4am? Will you have your neighbourhood to yourself? Will you get together with other photographers? Let me know your plans!

Karen

Twitter |Facebook |Flickr

Photo by Anita Harris

I’m excited to announce the event for the 4am Project – Set your alarm clock for 4am on 17th October!

Start telling your friends and spreading the word. Get together with other ’4am-ers’ in your town and see what you can capture whilst the rest of the world sleeps.

Since the 4am Project began 18 months ago hundreds of photographers from nearly 40 countries have experienced their world at this often unseen time of day. The global solidarity of the project shows a different view of the world we live in.

Although the blog has been quiet, I haven’t been resting my laurels. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to enable the project to continue to grow.  Thanks to the support and funding from Channel 4 and Screen West Midlands I have been able to take the project forward and have lots of plans to make it sustainable.

I am taking the 4am Project to New York City for this next event and will be organising something fantastic for people to take part in, so watch this space if you are in the area!

So, get ready! Get set! Polish off your lenses and re-charge your batteries!

Karen

Nandoor from Hungary with his Nikon D90

This is Nandoor from Hungary who is the proud owner of a sparkly new Nikon D90 Camera and lens!

Nandoor's prize winning photograph - First train in the morning.

Congratulations on your prize Nadoor, and thank you to Nikon!

There were 23 other prize winning photographers too who received prizes from Photocreator and Moo. You can view prize winning photographs here.

Don’t forget, you can follow the 4amproject on twitter!

Karen

The project has been nominated for an Online Campaign for the Midlands Media Awards which takes place this Thursday.

I would really appreciate your support and your vote so that the project can win an award. I can’t do this without you!

It only take two clicks to vote on this LINK.

I’ve made a little video appeal. Hope you like it! Your vote really counts. 

Thank you!

Karen

Will you be celebrating or commiserating? Are you getting together with friends? Watching it on tv or tuned in online or into the radio?

Perhaps you will out at an Election event!

Whatever you are doing, capture the moment in history!

Find out how to submit your 4am election photos here

Thanks to @priddy for the suggestion.

Karen

I had 24 prizes in total and selected my favourite 24 4am photographs out of over 1500 that were submitted from around the world! Everyone was invited to vote for the photo they liked the best. You can view the poll results here. And if you would like to know a bit of background on the prizes and my selection process, I have written about it over on my personal blog. 

Here are the fab prizes that were on offer: 

1st Prize: from Nikon D90 Camera with 18-105mm lens (worth £1029.99) 

2nd Prize: 30″ x 36″ photo canvas 

3rd Prize: 50 page 30cm x 30cm photo book 

4th Prize: 24″ x10″ photo canvas (2nd, 3rd, 4th prizes from Photocreator) 

5th through to 24th Prizes: Packet of 20 postcard for you to put your images on from Moo 

Thank you to Nikon, Photocreator and Moo for the prizes! 

And a big thank you to everyone who took part in the 4am Project! The project is growing all round the year and is a date for the diary for photographers from around the world. 

I’m already being asked when the next 4am Project date is, which is a wonderful compliment.  Please watch this space, or follow the project on Twitter or Facebook for 4am photo highlights and the lastest 4am news. 

So, without further ado, here are the prize winning photos!  

1st Prize – Nikon D90 Camera with 18-105mm lens 

Photo 10 By Nandor Hargita, Budapest

2nd Prize – 30″ x 36″ photo canvas from Photocreator 

Photo 14 By Matt Allen, Ipswich, USA

3rd Prize – 50 page 30cm x 30cm photo book from Photocreator. 

Photo 2 by Fran, Birmingham UK

4th Prize – 24″ x10″ photo canvas from Photocreator 

Photo 21 By Yashwanth Madhusudan, Bangalore, India

And, in no particular order, the following 20 photographers will win a pack of 20 customizable postcards from Moo! 

Photo 1 By Sal Olivas, West Covina, USA

Photo 3 By Rene Segura, Santa Maria, USA

Photo 4 By Creepeh Sue, Hongdae, South Korea

Photo 5 By Gaurav Patel, London, UK

Photo 6 by Dale Shephard, Wolverhampton, UK

Photo 7 By Derek Shanks, Toronto, Canada

Photo 8 By Jeanne Brophy, San Francisco, USA

Phot 9 by Jean Marie Jenanji, Dubai, UAE

Photo 11 By Cerealboxstar, Manila, Philippines

Photo 12 By Luis Amaral, Lisbon, Portugal

Photo 13 By Andrew Stuart, Llandudno, Wales

Photo 15 By Egneg, Birmingham UK

Photo 16 By Andy Toots, Warwickshire, UK

Photo 17 By Steve Anderson, Sweden

Photo 18 By Strawbleu, Leeds, UK

Photo 19 By Miki Ballard, Fairview, USA

Photo 20 By Kat De'Vries, San Diego, USA

Photo 22 By Adrian Burrows, Frankley Beeches, UK

Photo 23 By Vladimir Morozov, Birmingham, UK

Photo 24 by hanung665, Jakarta, Indonesia

Save the 4am Project on your favourites or subscribe to the blog’s RSS Feed. I’ve got lots of blog posts coming up, including the most recent 4am Project event that was held on 24th April in my home city of Birmingham UK which formed part of Birmingham’s City Of Culture bid for 2013! 

Karen