Team 1: Chloe, Kelsey, Medha
May 18, 2018
Chloe
I had already watched several YouTube videos prior to the Epic’s Ugly Location Challenge, so I had an idea what to look for and what we could try. However, the fact that we had to vlog while taking photos in Safeway and the parking lot with a lot of people around made the experience more nerve wracking. From opening one of the freezer doors and standing there for awhile, to sitting in the shopping carts while others walked by and giving us “that look,” made me feel a little more self conscious. At one point, an employee even came up to us and demanded that we talk to the manager. After looking over the photos, I was surprisingly impressed, and I have to say that it was a unique and memorable experience, as I normally wouldn’t go to Safeway to take pictures!
Kelsey
Going into this challenge, I was excited yet nervous. I have experience taking photos, but few in modeling for them However, all those nerves went away as we entered Safeway, our first location. We turned on our vlogging cameras and began our photoshoot in an aisle of frozen produce. I had watched a few YouTube videos of people trying this challenge, but still didn’t have a clear idea of what photos I wanted to take. My first attempt at modeling consisted of me pushing a shopping cart, but after almost falling off, I decided it was too dangerous for me. After that, my poses were more simple and less dangerous, but I think those were my personal favorites. Our next location was in the parking lot, but after spending an hour and a half in the supermarket, I was all out of ideas. However, we were able to get some pretty cool shoots and personally, I’m very satisfied at how our photos turned out!
Medha
I was honestly so excited going into this challenge! I envisioned shoppers laughing in carts with a rainbow of tasty food behind them, and I was sure that these pictures would turn out great. I think that the biggest misconception that I had was about the scenery. Scenery is not difficult to find, but rows of canned goods will not magically make you look beautiful. If you think you look bad in pictures, your pictures will not miraculously turn out better; the only difference is the background. The pictures will definitely look different from the ones you may have from the past. If you are looking for a way to spice up your photography game and keep all your pictures from looking the same, the Ugly Location Challenge is the way to go!
Here’s a gallery of photos they took:
