Sunday 2026 Themes

(scroll down for guidelines and ideas/suggestions)

January: The Foundation of Self

  • Week 1 (Jan 5 – Jan 11): “The Naked Truth” – A raw, unedited, and filter-free state.
  • Week 2 (Jan 12 – Jan 18): “Bloodline” – Inherited physical traits and ancestral features.
  • Week 3 (Jan 19 – Jan 25): “Internal Monologue” – Visualizing current thoughts and mental state.

February: Sensation & Emotion

  • Week 4 (Jan 26 – Feb 1): “Vulnerability” – Moments of emotional openness and exposure.
  • Week 5 (Feb 2 – Feb 8): “The Five Senses” – Focus on a single sensory interaction.
  • Week 6 (Feb 9 – Feb 15): “Self-Compassion” – Acts of gentleness toward your own body.
  • Week 7 (Feb 16 – Feb 22): “Isolation” – The experience of being alone with your mind.

March: Physicality & Instinct

  • Week 8 (Feb 23 – Mar 1): “Posture” – Narrative told through body language alone.
  • Week 9 (Mar 2 – Mar 8): “The Gaze” – Intense focus on the eyes and viewer connection.
  • Week 10 (Mar 9 – Mar 15): “Equilibrium” – Physical or mental balance and stability.
  • Week 11 (Mar 16 – Mar 22): “Primal” – Raw, instinctive human emotion and survival.
  • Week 12 (Mar 23 – Mar 29): “Silent Scream” – Internalized tension and unvoiced frustration.

April: Texture & Time

  • Week 13 (Mar 30 – Apr 5): “Skin Deep” – Macro focus on pores, scars, and skin details.
  • Week 14 (Apr 6 – Apr 12): “Resilience” – Showing the marks of what you have survived.
  • Week 15 (Apr 13 – Apr 19): “Introspection” – Looking inward, away from the world.
  • Week 16 (Apr 20 – Apr 26): “Perception” – The gap between self-view and public-view.

May: Presence & Power

  • Week 17 (Apr 27 – May 3): “Stature” – Power and confidence expressed through pose.
  • Week 18 (May 4 – May 10): “Nurture” – Caregiving and soft personality traits.
  • Week 19 (May 11 – May 17): “Solitude” – Peace and clarity found in being alone.
  • Week 20 (May 18 – May 24): “The Drifter” – Feelings of being unsettled or searching.
  • Week 21 (May 25 – May 31): “Tension” – Emotional strain held in the muscles.

June: Transformation & Body

  • Week 22 (Jun 1 – Jun 7): “Adrenaline” – High energy, excitement, or a physical rush.
  • Week 23 (Jun 8 – Jun 14): “The Flesh” – A study of limbs and the physical vessel.
  • Week 24 (Jun 15 – Jun 21): “Metamorphosis” – Symbolic or literal personal transformation.
  • Week 25 (Jun 22 – Jun 28): “Authenticity” – Your “real” self without social masks.

July: Strength & Struggle

  • Week 26 (Jun 29 – Jul 5): “Burnout” – Visualizing exhaustion and the need for rest.
  • Week 27 (Jul 6 – Jul 12): “Confidence” – Owning the space you occupy in the frame.
  • Week 28 (Jul 13 – Jul 19): “Stoicism” – Strength through lack of facial expression.
  • Week 29 (Jul 20 – Jul 26): “Contradiction” – Two opposing traits in a single image.

August: Roots & Identity

  • Week 30 (Jul 27 – Aug 2): “Younger Self” – Channelling a childhood memory or feeling.
  • Week 31 (Aug 3 – Aug 9): “Fragility” – The delicate and breakable nature of being.
  • Week 32 (Aug 10 – Aug 16): “Defiance” – Standing firm against obstacles or judgment.
  • Week 33 (Aug 17 – Aug 23): “The Alter Ego” – Stepping into an opposite persona.
  • Week 34 (Aug 24 – Aug 30): “Empathy” – Carrying the weight of others’ emotions.

September: Weight & Wisdom

  • Week 35 (Aug 31 – Sep 6): “Gravity” – Being grounded or the weight of existence.
  • Week 36 (Sep 7 – Sep 13): “Intellect” – The mind and the process of learning.
  • Week 37 (Sep 14 – Sep 20): “Boundaries” – Personal space and where “you” end.
  • Week 38 (Sep 21 – Sep 27): “Melancholy” – A quiet, thoughtful state of sadness.

October: Shadow & Protection

  • Week 39 (Sep 28 – Oct 4): “Social Armor” – Clothing and expressions used as defense.
  • Week 40 (Oct 5 – Oct 11): “Fear” – Confronting internal dread through the lens.
  • Week 41 (Oct 12 – Oct 18): “Anonymity” – Intentionally obscuring your identity.
  • Week 42 (Oct 19 – Oct 25): “Obsession” – Capturing a fixation or deep-seated passion.

November: The Human Toll

  • Week 43 (Oct 26 – Nov 1): “Grief” – The physical marks left by human loss.
  • Week 44 (Nov 2 – Nov 8): “Composure” – The effort of keeping yourself together.
  • Week 45 (Nov 9 – Nov 15): “Hardship” – The toll of labor, struggle, and long days.
  • Week 46 (Nov 16 – Nov 22): “Connection” – The human longing for touch and community.
  • Week 47 (Nov 23 – Nov 29): “Sanity” – Mental health, clarity, and inner peace.

December: Completion & Reflection

  • Week 48 (Nov 30 – Dec 6): “Euphoria” – The absolute peak of human joy.
  • Week 49 (Dec 7 – Dec 13): “The Vessel” – The body as a container for your history.
  • Week 50 (Dec 14 – Dec 20): “Rebirth” – Letting go of your old self for the new.
  • Week 51 (Dec 21 – Dec 27): “Legacy” – What you want to leave behind of yourself.

Remember, you can make plans ahead of time, but SPS images should be captured during the week of the “event” (from the previous Monday through that Sunday). You can shoot for the theme, but also feel free to share any off-topic images you create, as well. This project aims to be inclusive, inspiring, and fun for every participant. Feel free to post the images over the weekend (Saturday and/or Sunday) and use the hashtags #SelfPortraitSunday and #ArtofSelfPortraiture!

Here are some completely optional suggestions on setups you can use throughout the year if you are looking for a jump start in creativity. Feel free to use (or not use) these as guides:

January:

  • Pose: Focus on “The Blueprint”—sit on a stool with your back to the camera, arching to show the vertebrae of the spine.
  • Lighting: Side-lit (Window). Use a single window to cast half your face/body in shadow, emphasizing raw texture for “The Naked Truth.”
  • Settings: Aperture: f/2.8 (for soft skin fall-off) | Shutter: 1/125s.

February:

  • Pose: For “Vulnerability,” try a “fetal” or curled position on the floor to minimize your size in the frame. For “The Five Senses,” a close-up of hands touching the lips or eyes.
  • Lighting: Diffused/Softbox. Use a white sheet over a window to create soft, even light that feels gentle and compassionate.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/4.0 | Shutter: 1/60s (use a tripod).

March:

  • Pose: “The Gaze” requires a tight headshot. For “Silent Scream,” capture the tension in the neck tendons and jaw without necessarily opening your mouth.
  • Lighting: Rembrandt Lighting. Position the light at 45° to create a small triangle of light on the shadowed cheek.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/1.8 or f/2.0 (to make the eyes the sole focus) | Shutter: 1/200s.

April:

  • Pose: For “Skin Deep,” focus on non-facial anatomy: the knuckles, a scar on the knee, or the collarbone.
  • Lighting: Raking Light. Place a lamp almost parallel to your skin to catch the ridges of pores and “Resilience” marks.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/8.0 or f/11 (Deep focus is needed for macro details) | Shutter: 1/100s.

May:

  • Pose: “Stature” suggests a low-angle shot. Place the camera on the ground looking up at you to create a sense of power or “Tension.”
  • Lighting: Broad Lighting. Light the side of the face turning toward the camera to make the subject appear larger and more “present.”
  • Settings: Aperture: f/5.6 | Shutter: 1/160s.

June:

  • Pose: “The Flesh” is about the limbs. Use “Metamorphosis” by capturing your body in motion, perhaps a blurred hand moving across the frame.
  • Lighting: Top Lighting. Place a light directly above you to cast shadows under the brow and chin, emphasizing the “sculptural” look of the human form.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/2.8 | Shutter: 1/30s (to allow for slight motion blur in “Adrenaline”).

July:

  • Pose: “Burnout” is best captured slumped in a chair. “Stoicism” requires a perfectly still, upright, and emotionless posture.
  • Lighting: Chiaroscuro (High Contrast). Use a single, harsh light source (like a desk lamp with no shade) in a dark room.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/4.0 | ISO: 800 (to add a bit of “human” grain) | Shutter: 1/80s.

August:

  • Pose: For “Younger Self,” mirror a pose from an old childhood photo. For “Alter Ego,” use a dramatic, theatrical “mask-like” expression.
  • Lighting: Colored Gels. Use a red or blue tint on your light to represent the “shifting” nature of identity.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/2.8 | Shutter: 1/125s.

September:

  • Pose: “Gravity” works well lying flat on the back, looking up at a camera mounted above. “Melancholy” suggests a chin-on-hand pose.
  • Lighting: Under-Lighting. Place a light low to the ground to create an “unsettling” or heavy mood.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/2.0 | Shutter: 1/50s.

October:

  • Pose: “Anonymity” involves hiding. Use your hands, a high collar (“Social Armor”), or turn completely away.
  • Lighting: Silhouette. Light the wall behind you, leaving yourself completely unlit in the foreground.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/8.0 | Shutter: 1/250s (to ensure the background stays bright and you stay dark).

November:

  • Pose: “Connection”—reach one hand toward the lens. “Composure”—the act of fixing your hair or straightening a shirt while looking distressed.
  • Lighting: Candlelight or Single Point. Use a very dim light source to reflect the “low energy” of the month.
  • Settings: Aperture: f/1.4 or f/1.8 (to let in maximum light) | ISO: 1600+ | Shutter: 1/40s.

December:

Settings: Aperture: f/4.0 | Shutter: 1/125s | Exposure Compensation: +1.0.

Pose: “Euphoria” is a rare wide smile or head tilted back. “Legacy” is a formal, portrait-style pose as if for a historical record.

Lighting: High-Key. Use lots of light and a white background to create a “Rebirth” or “Horizon” feel that is airy and bright.