The One Only challenge is an extended version of the Liquid Challenge 2023, it is run by Maximilian O´Riordan.
One Camera
One Lens
One Film
One Developer
One year
The idea is to get to know your camera and lens better than you already do and be more creative with framing by only using one camera, one lens, one film, one developer and if you have access to a darkroom one paper for the entirety of the year.
The rules are as follows:
Rule 1: When and how long do I have to choose?
Like the Liquid Challenge, you have until midnight on the 31 of January, your time zone to choose your camera, lens, film, developer and paper!
Rule 2: What if I need to use a camera for work that is not the camera I have chosen? Do phone cameras count?
If you need to do photography for your job, any and all cameras/lenses you might use don’t count towards this challenge. However if you chose to use the same camera for both, that’s obviously fine, you just need to pick the one lens you use outside of work with it.
Using your phone camera is allowed for everyday ‘communication’ type photos.
Rule 3: what film? Can I use more than one type? Do I need to stick with only BW or only colour?
The idea for the challenge is to have one main film, so preferably stick to one or the other, but, it is ok to shoot a different type of film IF and only if you only shoot it once and with a specific pur-pose! For example, you have chosen tri-x 400 but have 2 rolls of Portra 400 that you have promised a friend to photograph them with as they want colour, you can use those rolls but not again! Also, when choosing a film, it’s the stock that matters, so no, just choosing BW or colour does not count.
If you are shooting digital, the same applies, but you have to stick to the same final preset/processing. They should look like they were all taken on the same ‘stock’.
Rule 4: (optional) Use only one darkroom paper. Do I have to use my expensive fibre paper for contact sheets?
No, if you choose to use the darkroom then you do not need to use good paper for contact sheets, its only the final print that matters and that you have to stick with!
Rule 5: (optional but highly recommend) Bring the camera with you at all times!
This one isn’t strictly part of the challenge, as I know not everyone has the capability of having the camera with you at all times of the day, like jobs that don!t allow it etc, but if you are able to take the camera wherever you go, do it!
Rule 6: (optional) Do contact prints of each roll you finish! I myself (Maximilian O´Riordan) will be following this one, and doing a contact print of every roll I finish! This is to get a good understanding of how to improve! My tip for this one is to buy cheap paper that you know to be bad!