Your mission
The Five-Shot Warm-Up
Photograph a reflection, a red door, a hand-painted sign, a cat and a shadow on your walk to the gym, then show your favorite shot to your gym buddy or the front desk before you start training.
Bonus challenge: Find a single photo that sneaks in two targets at once, like a cat sitting in a shadow or a red door shining in a puddle.
Grab your gym bag and your phone, and give your walk to the gym a secret mission. In 15 minutes, hunt down a reflection, a red door, a hand-painted sign, a cat and a shadow. Bring a gym buddy and race to see who finds the cat first.
That walk to the gym you could do with your eyes closed? Today you're walking it like a detective. Somewhere along the way there's a red door you've passed a hundred times, a sign someone painted by hand, and maybe a cat sunning itself on a step. You'll hunt for five targets with your phone camera, one at a time, and arrive warmed up and grinning. Blurry shots still count. Your mission is waiting at the gym door.
Walking the same route every day, it's easy to stop seeing it. A tiny hunt wakes your eyes up, and suddenly the street feels full of little surprises that were there all along. You show up to your workout curious and happy instead of on autopilot. The best part? Tomorrow you'll still be looking for red doors.
Top gear to make this quest great.
Pull it off
Keeps your phone safe from a drop when you crouch down for a cat shot.
The wide lens fits a whole red door in one shot, and the close-up lens shows off brushstrokes on a painted sign.
Wipes fingerprints off your camera so reflections come out crisp instead of foggy.
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Good news: you already own the camera. Leave five minutes earlier than usual and walk your normal route. Essentials: your phone with some free storage and charge, your gym bag packed and on your back so your hands are free. Handy extras: a phone wrist strap so a dropped phone doesn't end your hunt, a lens cleaning cloth for clear shots, and a clip-on wide-angle lens for squeezing a whole door into one picture.
A good quest stays a good story. These are general notes; your gear's manual, the venue's rules and local law come first.
Before you head out, say your targets out loud: reflection, red door, hand-painted sign, cat, shadow. That's your whole list. Slide your phone into your armband. It has an adjustable stretchy strap, so pull it snug and your phone stays put while you walk. There's a little key pocket too, so your locker key can ride along. Open your camera app so it's ready in one tap. If a friend is coming, agree on the one rule that matters: whoever spots the cat first gets to call it out. Then step outside and start walking.
Start with the targets hiding in plain sight. Look down for your shadow on the pavement and take a picture of it. Then look sideways for a reflection: a shop window, a car door, a puddle or a shiny bus stop. Give your camera lens a quick wipe with a soft microfiber cloth first. It's about the size of your hand and uses no harsh chemicals, so smudges vanish and your reflection comes out crisp. Stop, hold your phone steady, and take the shot. Two down already, and you're barely out the door.
Now it gets fun. Scan the buildings for a red door: a front door, a shop entrance, a garage, even a red gate counts. Then hunt for a hand-painted sign, the kind with brushstrokes, like a café chalkboard, a hardware store sign or a mural with letters. Got a big mural that won't fit in the picture? Clip the wide-angle lens over your phone camera and it squeezes more of the scene into one shot. Stop on the sidewalk to shoot each one. Which did you find first?
Here's the tricky one. Cats love windowsills, front steps, sunny walls and the space under parked cars. Slow down, peek at windows and listen for a jingle. Spotted one? Crouch down to its level from a safe distance and take your shot. No cat today? A cat sticker, cat drawing or cat in a shop window still counts.
You made it, and you're warmed up. Before you go inside, flip through your five pictures and pick your favorite. Show it to your gym buddy, the front desk, or whoever you see first, and tell them where you found it. Give it a silly title, like Sir Whiskers Guards the Bakery. Then go crush your workout.
You found five little treasures on a walk you thought you knew by heart. Tomorrow, pick five brand-new targets and dare your gym buddy to find them first.
You bring the curiosity. We've found the tools.
Pull it off
Keeps your phone safe from a drop when you crouch down for a cat shot.
The wide lens fits a whole red door in one shot, and the close-up lens shows off brushstrokes on a painted sign.
Small lenses that clip over your phone camera, usually wide-angle and close-up.
Get on Amazon · $26.09 — Clip-on phone lens kitwhat to look for & our pick →
Wipes fingerprints off your camera so reflections come out crisp instead of foggy.
A soft microfiber cloth that fits in a pocket.
Get on Amazon · $9.99 — Lens cleaning clothwhat to look for & our pick →RELATED GEAR GUIDE
Home & Park Workout Starter Kit: 10 Pieces That Actually Get Used
Practical picks, real prices · Personal Growth
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