Our old pal Isaac Newton spent his whole life trying to prove that Up was Up, and Up pressed Down on things that were Down.

Well we’re bucking that now-established wisdom and making Sideways where it’s at.

Jan von Holleben’s photo series, “Dreams of Flying,” cleverly switches Up with Sideways by having neighborhood kids lie on their sides amid props on the ground around them.

We guess von Holleben figured that kids spend most of their time crawling around in the dirt anyway, so why not make the best of it?

Bucking gravity, his photographs recreate wondrous scenes from our childhood dreams – taking us back to a time when our grandest ambitions were to explore jungles, walk the moon, and blaze across the Sahara on doggie-back.

The results are imaginative and brilliant. And, taking a page from von Holleben’s book, we’re now off try this for ourselves! All we need is a ladder, some kids, and a camera… Viva la Sideways!

Jan von Holleben’s “Dreams of Flying” Photo Series

p.s. Try this out along with us! Post your results in this post in the Photojojo Forum, and you may be randomly chosen to win a special prize.

p.p.s. Keen readers may note that Karina blogged this over a year ago. We just loved the idea so much we had to write about it twice!

Linus is sure somebody to sympathize with.

Brimming with childlike faith and optimism, his belief in the Great Pumpkin never falters — Every year Linus waits to catch a glimpse of the Great Pumpkin on Halloween, but every year he just misses it.

Man, we feel for him.

If pumpkin cheer is a bit elusive in your life right now, too, we’ve found the perfect something to make up for it — DIY Pumpkin Photo Holders. Putting ‘em together couldn’t be simpler:

Step 1: Get a pumpkin
Rescue a gentle gourd from your nearest pumpkin patch, grocery store, or the shady-looking guy on the side of the road.

Step 2: Pound some nails all around
With your trusty hammer, tap small nails in (not quite all the way!) around the top of your pumpkin, about an inch apart. Alternate between the top row and another row slightly below it, to offset your nails – all the way around you go now. Repeat along the bottom of your pumpkin.

Step 3: Thread string in-between
Thread some thin string between your nails to finish things! Try alternating colors – dark on the outside nails, light on the inside ones. Play with patterns. Experiment to see what you like.

Step 4: Insert photos, show off!
Plop your pumpkin in the middle of the table, stick some photos behind the string so they hug the pumpkin, and marvel longingly as you wait for the Great Pumpkin to appear.*

Thanks to reader Camille for this great tip. That’s her photo up above too!

Photography being the ultimate populist art form, we’re extra super special keen on people who come up with ways to bring photo fun to everyone.

Here’s two we’ve come across recently that we really like:

Snap-Shot-City, September 29th
Snap-Shot-City bills itself as an urban photographic treasure hunt. The idea’s simple:

1. Sign up with your friends in teams of up to 6.
2. On September 29th, head down to the meeting place in your city to get yer clues.
3. Start snapping!
4. Share your adventures at the after-party. Exhibitions and awards to follow.

Run from the U.K., they hit 35 cities last year and the adventure begins again this weekend!

A Million Little Pictures, October 10th
A Million Little Pictures is a photo exhibition run by an art coop. Everyone’s photos are welcome, everyone shoots with the same camera, and the exhibition might come to you! The deets:

1. Send in $16 by October 10th, and they’ll send you a disposable camera.
2. Snap photos on the theme (“Adventure”) and send it back by Nov 20th.
3. They develop the photos and ready them for exhibition.

The twist: They haven’t decided which city the exhibition will be in, and every camera counts as a vote for your city. Get friends to join in the fun to increase your city’s odds! (This one’s only open to people in the USA)

Snap-Shot-City

A Million Little Pictures
(Thx to reader Cara Bedick for the tip!)

p.s. Delicious breakfast photos from all of you after last week’s Breakfast Photo Project.

As more and more of the world starts to skip breakfast, we figured this was a good time to focus on that most important meal of the day.

So here’s one more reason to enjoy some hearty oats or a breakfast burrito* tomorrow: Jon Huck’s Breakfast series.

Pairing portraits with porridge, his project shows people alongside their morning sustenance. We find it surprisingly addictive to flip through and draw fanciful conclusions on the connections. (Warning: It’s hard to do so without making your mouth water.)

Fun Photo Project: Take your camera with you to the breakfast table tomorrow morning and bring us back a portrait and a plate. Then post the results here.

Need more enticement? Follow that link to learn all sorts of fun breakfast factoids… like 308 ways to enjoy toast, all about breakfast in space or the amazing banana, and the history of breakfast cereal.

Jon Huck’s Breakfast Portraits

* Speaking of which, did you know Tony the Tiger goes by “El tigre Toño” in Mexico? We kid you not. Mr. Breakfast.com has the scoop.

They say you can learn a lot about a person by looking at their hands, but what about their feet?

Ellen Ugelstad’s The Shoe Project is a decidedly unusual series of portraits. Focusing first on her subjects’ feet, then comparing them with their face and shoulders, she’s found new perspective on the oft-tired portrait.

It turns out feet are surprisingly expressive. Who knew?

Page through her gallery of children, fashionistas, and grandparent feet for inspiration, then get down low and give this a try next weekend!

Ellen Ugelstad’s The Shoe Project

As with many groundbreaking artistic techniques, the validity of art created with digital tools has been controversial.

But Sarah Schneider and Jake Hurwitz’s Digital Picassos are a revolution we can all get behind. Their simple method makes this truly the common man’s cubism.

Step 1: Find a couple digital cameras. (Ideally with large screens.)

Step 2: Hold each camera closely over a crucial part of your face as if you’re going to take a picture of it.

Step 3: Get a friend to take a picture of you. Rearrange and re-shoot as necessary to make yourself look as ugly as possible.

Check out the site to see more examples of the technique and submit your own!

Digital Picassos (Thanks for the tip, Nick!)

From the Forum…
+ Karen asks: Model releases: Duh, of course? or Nah, don’t bother?
+ Alicia wonders, Film & Digital in the same camera, does it exist?
+ Kreeger wants to see your favorite photos.
+ luke0x wants to know what have you been shooting lately?
+ charliesuh posted a neat photo project he did at home and wants to see yours.

(The bug-zappers have been on full blast at The New Photojojo Forum. If you haven’t hopped aboard already, now’s the time.)

You’re twirling. The warm sun is falling on your face, the soft grass is under your bare feet and an ecstatic child is beaming at you. That’s the sort of moment that makes us love summer.

No such a memory? Fear not! With a willing small human and a helpful friend, you can make your very own magic moment! (And a stunning photo record to boot.)

Step One
Position your friend behind you and the child in front, with your friend holding the camera above your arms and pointing it down toward the child. Select a slow-ish shutter speed of 1/15th sec to blur the background.

Step Two
Altogether now: spin!

Step Three
Once our giddy little subject is aloft, advise your friend to start snapping.

Step Four
Review your photos, and repeat as necessary. (We’d wait for your head to stop spinning first.)

Take it further…
Check out the Spinners and Saints group for more topsy-turvy fun. And have a little more fun with your shot with a Photojojo Photo Block kit.

Thanks to reader Linda LaSut for the tip! Photo Credit: Philipe Tarbouriech

p.s. Be the first to try the new Photojojo Super Awesome Photo Forum! Got questions about what camera to buy? Want critique for a photo you took recently? Got a great idea for a photo project you want to share? Our new forum is getting ready for its big debut, and we’re looking for some friendly beta testers. Jump on board and be the first to give it a try!

As Doc Brown and Hiro Nakamura will tell you, sending a message to yourself in the the past is a tricky matter.

Fortunately, sending a message to a future you is far less error-prone, and requires neither flux capacitor nor fantastic genetic mutation.

Our friend Raul recently opened an envelope he sent himself 21 years ago, with instructions to add a photobooth self-portrait to the one contained within it. The similarities two decades later are striking.

Inspired by his example, we’ve compiled a short list of ideas for creating your own ongoing photo time capsule — an easy, fun photo project you can do anytime.

p.s. Yo, we’re on Facebook. Climb aboard the new Friends of Photojojo group!

p.p.s. Anyone know of a reliable way (non e-mail) to send a letter or package to yourself years in the future? Please email!

We’ve seen more than our share of portraits taken at arm’s length, in the mirror, and those showing only an eye and its corresponding brow.

But we fell in love with this four-part polaroid portrait by Melissa Brown.

Here in NYC, the weather gods will treat us to a balmy weekend in the mid-70s. If you’re similarly blessed (heck, even if you’re not) we implore you: stow your mittens and mufflers, grab your camera, and set out into the great outdoors in search of adventure.

When you do, we hope Melissa’s summery portrait inspires you to look around you with a fresh pair of eyes.

Take note of the vibrant colors and the change in sunlight this time of year, explore new angles, take photographic risks, experiment, and above all, have fun. You’ve been waiting all winter for this.

Melissa’s Portrait on Flickr

p.s. Watch out, Melissa!

p.p.s. Our spiffy DIY Photo Block Kit is now available at Elsewares, a great store featuring work by independent artists and designers. Check it out!

Monsterpod sale — just a couple days left! Our favorite stick-to-anything, gravity-defying Monsterpod tripods, $35 $29 this week only! (Bonus: Add any other photo goodies and still pay just $5 shipping for US orders!)

It’s party time (excellent!), but you know hardly anyone on the guest list. What’s a would-be wallflower to do?

Why, bring your camera and a few props, of course!

Pack some of our great photo projects and you’ll have your party-animal pals posing for mugshots, jumping for joy — even leaping in the tub — in no time.

Just don’t forget to get a few shots of yourself with all your new friends.

p.s. New on Photojojo Uncut: A spiffy ghost cameras shirt from Oddica, and a Swiss museum that will put your photo on its wall for real!