If you feel like you’ve been seeing a lot of flowery headshots popping up on social media lately, don’t worry, you’re not imagining it. It’s just the latest viral fad.
The so-called “Hobby Lobby Challenge” was reportedly started by a 22-year-old professional photographer named Kelsey Maggart in January. It involves posting deceptively striking pictures online—that happened to be taken inside Hobby Lobby stores.
To craft the perfect shot, participants are posing alongside items in the craft store, such as fake flowers or foliage, and having their friends snap away. As close-ups, the resulting photos almost look like senior portrait-style headshots—but when you see a wide shot, it becomes painfully clear that the subject is merely posing inside a craft store.
Take a look at the pair of pictures that started it all, posted to Twitter by Maggart:
snapchat vs instagram pic.twitter.com/tGv3j1nnkh
— Kelsey Maggart (@_KelseyMaggart) January 27, 2018
Maggart’s low-key glamor shots have since been shared thousands of times, collecting more than 132,000 likes and 41,000 comments.
And, of course, the pictures have already been mimicked plenty of times, kicking off the Hobby Lobby Challenge, with hundreds of photographers heading to their nearest store. The results, as you can see below, are pretty impressive:
So I did the Hobby lobby challenge
#hobbylobby #photography pic.twitter.com/jfKU9Qe36M
—
(@wtfmarkitos) February 7, 2018
Snapchat vs. Instagram
Here’s our take on the Hobby Lobby Challenge || @inamiarait pic.twitter.com/gCBzfak2QS
— Aminah McKenzie
I’m just grateful the internet has moved on from the Tide Pod Challenge to something much more fun!
Maggart, who is based in Indiana, told ABC News that she and her friends went specifically to Hobby Lobby for the kind of flowery backgrounds that winter wasn’t providing in January. “Flowers aren’t really an option for a few more months,” Maggart said.
Okay so they did a photo shoot in hobby lobby and I couldn’t be more shook pic.twitter.com/88jA45wGpr
— ya fav air sign
(@S3RVAUGHN) February 6, 2018
Hobby Lobby shenanigans pic.twitter.com/CQHNtj1TBN
— ââââ (@annazimms_) February 13, 2018
But Maggart said she wasn’t expecting to set off the social media explosion that she did.
“My social media has been crazy recently and it’s just so insane to me that I was able to inspire this many people to go out and do this shoot themselves,” she told ABC News. “It really does feel amazing.”
By now, a lot of you have probably seen the amazing portraits created inside a Hobby Lobby. Now we want you to meet the photographer behind the pictures. Get inspired by @AdamDelanePhoto
https://t.co/WKasfiUiAQ#photographytalk #photography pic.twitter.com/kPC8Eo4Kbf
— AdoramaPix (@AdoramaPix) February 7, 2018
Hobby lobby is the place for pictures pic.twitter.com/BFiUJ1DOvU
— Cassidy (@lcassidyrene) February 10, 2018
I’ve been in need of an updated head shot for a while, so maybe I should head to my local craft store for a quick shoot. You’ve got to admit these pictures look pretty awesome!
RELATED: Next time you’re at Hobby Lobby or your local craft store, pick up some clothespins – there’s so much you can do with them!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
