For…..

Sunday 15th April 2012 at…….4am!

What is the 4am Project?

The 4am Project is a ground-breaking global photography project that aims to encourage worldwide social collaboration to capture a view of the world at the often unseen time of 4am.

Since it’s launch in April 2009, the project has attracted participants from nearly 50 countries, and there is a digital archive of over 6000 images and is one of the biggest world-wide photography collaborations.

Take a browse of some of the amazing images that 4am Project photographers have captured so far!

Why not flex your photography muscles with other photographers around the world at 4am (in your local time) on Sunday 15th April?

It’s a thought provoking project that inspires and challenges! Experience an often unseen time of the day and be part of a world wide community collaboration!

Who can take part?

Any one at all.  All you need is a camera!

How do I take part?

It’s very easy! Simply upload your 4am Photos to flickr, tag them 4amproject, and geotag them too. You can find some instructions here.

You can submit photos that are taken between 4am-5am, so you have a whole hour to get your shots!

Tell your friends!

Why not get together with your friends for a 4am Project photo walk!

Help spread the word and share the news about the next 4am Project event by embedding this great count down clock on your blog or website!

(Can’t see the clock? You may need to update your flash settings)

You can find out more about the project here and how it started, and the press release it located here. If you have any questions, you can get in touch with Karen Strunks, the founder of the project by email/twitter/phone.

And you can keep in touch with the 4am Project on twitter! @4amproject

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

And now it’s over to you!

Which is your favourite 4am photograph?

There are 24 photos and 24 prizes, so every photographer will win a prize.

Here is what is 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

Big thank you to Nikon, Photocreator and Moo for the prizes!

Pop over to this page to see more details and pictures of the prizes.

SO! What do you have to do now?

Have a look at all the great 4am images below, chose your favourite and give it your vote!

Voting will be open until Midnight (Greenwich Mean Time)  on Monday 19th April. The photograph with the most votes at the end of the voting period will win first prize, and so forth.

You can only vote once from your computer, this is to avoid multiple votes from the same computer. However, you can of course rally round support from your friends and family and all your friends on flickr, twitter, facebook etc!

Thanks again to everybody who has ventured out to photography their world at 4am. I wish I had enough prizes for everybody!

Photo 2 by Fran, Birmingham UK

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 10 By Nandor Hargita, Budapest

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 21 By Yashwanth Madhusudan, Bangalore, India

Photo 22 By Adrian Burrows, Frankley Beeches, UK

Photo 23 By Vladimir Morozov, Birmingham, UK

Photo 24 by hanung665, Jakarta, Indonesia

Enjoy the photos & happy voting!

Karen

I probably shouldn’t say much more than that at this point.

Just grab a drink, get comfortable and enjoy the view of the world at 4am on 4th April!

So, it’s the day after the morning before and I’m still catching up on the wonderful photo submissions from participants from countries such as Australia, UK, USA, Portugal, India, Philippines, Brazil, Canada, and Korea to name just a few! Over 1100 images of 4am have been submitted from 4th April alone!

THANK YOU to everyone who set their alarms or stayed up to meet 4am and took part in the project. Your support & enthusiasm has been amazing! I’ve had some great feedback from you, and it really means a lot.

This event marked the 4am Project’s first birthday and it is going from strength to strength. With the addition of help in the form of investment from 4ip and Screen West Midlands, the 4am Project has been able to reach out to even more people around the world!

Don’t forget there are some prizes on offer! Thank you to Nikon, Photocreator and Moo.

Come and say hello on twitter!

Karen

Some may call us crazy, but I prefer to think that we are adventurous!

What is 4am like for you?

Will you take a self portrait?

Perhaps it’s a time to be reflective. The quietness of 4am lends itself nicely to that.

By Fran, United Kingdom

Are you going to get together with some friends and have a shared 4am photograph experience?

Nick & Matt by Emma Jones, Birmingham, UK

What will inspire you at 4am?  Try something different, express yourself however you want!

By Ben Whitehouse, Birmingham UK

By Nick Lockey, Lickey Hills, UK

By Lymdul, Philippines

By Pascal Scheffers, Fokkesteeg, The Netherlands

At 4am familiar scenes look very different. What will you discover?

Join other photographers around the world on the 4th April…..at 4am & take part in a global picture of the world!

Come & say Hi on twitter

By Karen Strunks, Birmingham UK

It’s been an exciting week, and I am delighted to be able to announce that 4ip and Screen West Midlands are supporting the 4am Project!

4ip is part of Channel 4 which helps to support and invest in digital media enterprises, and Screen West Midlands offers support, advice and funding for film, television and digital media.

4ip and Screen West Midlands investment and business support is a great boost for the 4am Project which will soon entering it’s second year! (My, how time flies!)

4iphave made an annoucement on their blog:

To the question that we always address when we announce a new investment, why 4iP? For me the 4am Project is a collaborative project that takes art to the mainstream; everyone has a camera, whether you’re passionate about your darkroom, or snapping something on a mobile phone, we are now able to capture every minutiae of our busy lives and share them with the wider world. The element of the 4am Project that really works for me is its focus. What do people see at a particular time on a particular day? At its core this is a project that is about collaboration, participation and discoverability. It’s also an example of an existing site that fits with our criteria beautifully. In order to continue to grow and capitalise on the success that it’s already achieved, the 4am Project needed both financial and business support. Through an initial project investment we’re able to help take Karen and her project to the next stage and a wider audience.

I wrote over on my personal blog:

Along with the support from 4ip and ScreenWM, the outcome and ideas generated at the Crossover Lab course I attended recently and my own plans, it’s going to be a very busy and creative year!

I’ve got stuck in already and my days are whizzing past with uber productivity. This productivity is taking the form of lots of; phone calls, emails, meetings, tweeting, blogging, phone calls & emails. I’m enjoying meeting new people, whether that be online or in person. Connecting with people who love the idea of the 4am Project and want to help support it and people  who have their own projects & dreams that they are working on which creates inspiration.

Last April I made a video (well, three videos actually!) about how the 4am Project started, how I spread the word, the help I received and problems encountered (and overcome!).

On the 4th Arpil 2010 the 4am Project will be celebrating it’s first birthday! Why not try something different, join other photographers from around the globe and take a photograph of your world at 4am! Get your friends involved, go on a 4am photo walk, explore your neighbourhood at an often unseen time!

If you would like to support the project by sponsorship, donating prizes for participants or you would like to contribute an idea, it would be great to hear from you. Drop me a line hello@4amproject.org or get in touch on twitter.

I’ll end with a BIG thank you to 4ip and Screen West Midlands for their support!

By Brian Papa, Miami, Florida, USA

By Brian Papa, Miami, Florida, USA

By Brian Papa, Miami, Florida, USA

Who inhabits the world of 4am? Brian Papa from Miami, USA captured these shots of night workers. The shops are open 24 hours a day. Who are the customers? Other night workers and party goers? Perhaps those that have trouble sleeping through the night? 

Put the date in your diary & tell your friends! You can even embed the 4am project countdown clock on your website or blog   

Join the 4am Project on twitter too! Come and say hello.

Put the 4th April in your diary, start charging your camera batteries and join in the global photographic project! 

What’s your view of the world at 4am? 

Toa Payoh, Singapore by Mo Zhuang Ze

This next 4am event will mark  the 4am Project’s 1st birthday! Here’s how it all started……. 

My name’s Karen Strunks, and my curiosity about 4am began in 2008 

I live in Birmingham – the UK’s second largest city – and after a night out, I was driving from one side of the city to the other. It was around 4am and I was really struck by the cityscape. Streets and roads normally teeming with people and traffic were deserted. The city was asleep and it felt like I had it all to myself. I liked it. 

In 2008, I went out to take my first pictures at 4am in Birmingham. I’ve made some of them available on my blog. I’ve been asking readers of my blog for their suggestions of places they’d like to see at 4am. They decide where to go, and I take the photos, so it’s become a collaboration. 

When I started to think about how the idea could be extended, the 4amproject was born. 

I’d like to involve you in this project. What will YOU be doing at 4am on 4th April 2010? 

Put the date in your diary, set your alarm, and take a picture of your world at 4am. 

I’m going to get some friends together and go out and have a 4am party. Why not do the same? Get some of your friends and family involved too. Or simply set the alarm, take a picture, and go back to the land of nod. 

Whatever you’re doing, it’d be great if you could get involved and play a part in building up a big picture of the world at 4am. 

Crabs On Ice by Bruce Kerridge, Sydney, Australia

In the last year over 2,000 photographs have been taken by 4am project photographers from over 20 countries! People have blogged about their 4am experience, newspapers and magazines have written about it, there has even been radio and tv coverage! 

Anyone can take part, all you need is a camera, whether that be an dslr, a camera phone or anything in between! Just sign up for a free flickr account,  and tag your photos ’4amproject’. The  Get Involved page has a few more details which you may find helpful. 

This year I am opening the door to sponsorship, advertising, and will be trying to source some prizes for ’4am-ers’ so the project can grow and reach a wide audience, so if that’s something you are interested in, then please get in touch. 

Lonely Shooter by Luis Amaral, Portugal

If you have any questions or suggestions, you will find the 4am project on twitter, or you can send me an email hello@4amproject.org, and you can join the 4am Project group on Flickr too. I’d love to hear from you! 

There are a few little blips on the website at the moment, please bear with me whilst I get them fixed. 

Roll on the 4th April!

I’ve put together a round up of the 4am Project event on 6th December. Thank you to everyone who took part! Over the coming weeks I shall be featuring your fab photos on the blog and putting in links to the photographers who have blogged about their 4am photo experience.

As part of the 4am Project I organised a photo event on 6th December which was held at the Bodies Revealed exhibition in my hometown of Birmingham.  I’ve had lots of great feedback and I’m glad you enjoyed the event!

Lots of amazing photographs of the exhibition have been submitted to flickr!

I took the opportunity to ask some of the photographers how they heard about the 4am Project and if they enjoyed the event! Thank you everyone who took part in the video.

And there is more! Being a world wide project, lots of other photographers from around the world set their alarms and headed out in the wee small hours with their cameras to capture their world at 4am. Take a look!

If you would like to take part in the next 4am Project event, put the 4thApril in your diary! Maybe get some friends together too! You can keep up to date with all the 4am Project news on the website, and you can follow the project on twitter too @4amproject

A big thank you to the sponsors of the Birmingham event. Hello Digital, Big Cat PR and of course the Bodies Revealed exhibition.

Photograph by Supercoolkp