17 Photo Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Boost Team Building
Photo scavenger hunt ideas give you and all other participants a fun and engaging game that revolves around a list of items, scenarios, or challenges that should be photographed with a camera or phone.
You can go on such a hunt on your own, in a pair, or as part of a team. Whether it takes place in a park, an old mansion, or the local neighborhood, such a scavenger hunt is bound to bring you many fun memories.
Last month, we at Weedit.Photos wanted to try something different, and we ended up having an absolute blast taking photos and capturing scenarios instead of simply gathering physical items.
I’ve put together this rundown of ideas for a photo scavenging hunt while also providing a breakdown and some tips that can help enhance your experience.
How I Customize a Scavenger Hunt for Any Group Size
Arguably, the most appealing aspect of team photo scavenger hunt ideas is their versatility. Whether it will involve a small team of four or a large company of up to sixty people, it only takes a couple of small tweaks to ensure an engaging, inclusive, and entertaining experience.
For small teams (5-10 people). For smaller gatherings, I tend to focus on the feeling of camaraderie and creativity. Rather than dividing everyone into teams, I recommend working solo or in pairs. This encourages interpersonal connections and light-hearted competition.
Such an approach also allows for more intricate scavenger hunt photo ideas – along the lines of “Take a photo that symbolizes your favorite hobby” or “Capture an item in the office that makes you giggle.”
Since there aren’t many people around, it doesn’t take a lot of time to go through all the photos after the scavenger hunt while picking favorites and discussing the most creative shots. You can also quickly create a slideshow and present it during lunch.
For medium-sized groups (10-25 people). In this case, teams are a must. I tend to split people into 3-to-5-person teams. If they all work for the same company, I like to mix departments to help everyone meet new people and find some new friends.
Additionally, I tend to expand the list with several collaborative or fun photo scavenger hunt ideas, be it “Reenact a classic movie scene”, “Team selfie with a plant”, or “Shoot objects that begin with the first letter of every group member’s name.”
With a bigger group, it’s important to provide clear instructions, instant access to the list of required photos, and a convenient way to share photos, ordinarily via shared drive or group chat.
For large groups (25+ people). When dealing with a large group, it’s vital to keep everything organized. I usually put together teams of 5-7 members and appoint a leader to each of them to keep things in check. I also tend to give a time limit and add points to every challenge, while also providing smaller bonus missions for teams that want to go the extra mile.
Corporate photo scavenger hunt ideas are also usually more general to make them easier to complete for bigger teams, with tasks like “Take photos of a subject that symbolizes your team spirit” or “Take a picture of the tallest object you’ll see.”
After the event, at Weedit.Photos, we tend to organize a brief awards session with fun categories like “Best Team Energy,” “Funniest Picture,” and “Most Creative Implementation.” It’s a fantastic team-building tool even if everyone isn’t on the same team.
1. Teamwork through Photos
This team-building photo scavenger hunt idea is perfect for deepening the bonds between coworkers, outdoor corporate events, etc. It prioritizes the important of working together and communicating.
Set challenges like everyone wearing identical colors, building human pyramids, spelling out different words with people as letters, or everyone simply doing a goofy pose for a group shot.
Consider choosing mixed teams with members from different departments and corporate hierarchy levels, and ensure the tasks are fun and you give out some fun awards.
2. Into the Wild: Nature Explorer Hunt
This outdoor photo scavenger hunt idea focuses on conveying the beauty of nature. You will task the “scavengers” to take pictures of different subjects, landscapes, animals, and birds, prompting them to explore parks, mountain paths, forests, and beaches.
Challenging them to take photos of heart-shaped leaves, colorful birds, or waterfalls can make the entire process a lot more engaging. You can also ask them to capture silhouette pictures at sundown, macro shots of morning dew or a spider web, or interesting pebbles.
If you want to go the extra mile, ask them to do something like capture a “frame within a frame” by incorporating their natural surroundings.
3. Campus Quest: The College Edition
Engaging college photo scavenger hunt ideas can allow students to establish and strengthen bonds, create memories, and have a lot of fun along the way. You can come up with plenty of challenges like: snapping a selfie with the sports team mascot, photographing the oldest building in the area, reenacting a popular meme in a classroom or the library, etc.
Extra challenges: High-five a professor (with their permission!) or take a pick with a student who’s wearing school merch. Design a shared album using photo sharing websites like Adobe Portfolio, Google Photos so that everyone can appreciate each other’s work.
4. Workday Wonders: A Hunt for Office Oddities
Infuse your office with positivity, smiles, and creativity. You can come up with a lot of good photo scavenger hunt ideas, be it recreating your company logo with various items, snapping pictures during “mid-conference call chaos”, taking creative photos of items on your desk, immortalizing your trusty notebook or mug, taking a selfie of your “out-of-office” face, pretending to be your boss (without crossing any lines!), or just doing a group selfie (screenshot or collage!).
Regardless of what you choose, make sure it’s fun, inoffensive, and optional. Such ideas are suitable for both team building and as icebreakers, which is exactly what you want on casual Fridays or during team competitions!
5. Wild and Crazy Scavenger Quest
Don’t be afraid of somewhat crazy photo scavenger hunt ideas like having people pretend to be mannequins in stores, wearing socks when getting food delivery, doing dramatic poses next to complete strangers, or acting like a statue.
Additionally, time-limited tasks like building a human pyramid in under 3 minutes or recreating a popular painting or meme in public can add even more fun chaos to your scavenger hunt. Ideas like that are perfect for parties and bachelor/bachelorette events.
6. Capturing Christmas Magic
Add props like a Santa hat on a cat or dog, take a bad-looking Christmas sweater group shot, photograph an elf on the shelf in an unexpected location, or feature a Christmas tree that isn’t actually a tree. You can also dare the participants to make a snowman using marshmallows or to snap a picture that could be used as a Christmas card.
Such Christmas photo scavenger hunt ideas are a great fit for seasonal parties, family gatherings, or workplace events. They help convey the holiday spirit through festive imagery. You can also employ image editing apps to perform some creative photo manipulation and infuse your pictures with thematic overlays or stickers.
7. Treasure Hunt at the Shopping Mall
Shopping malls offer unlimited potential for entertaining scenarios and funny scenes. It can be the perfect location for a photography scavenger hunt for teenagers, birthday parties, or when simply want something fun to do on a rainy day.
Mall photo scavenger hunt ideas can be challenges like wearing the most outrageous hat, snapping a photo next to a fashionable mannequin, locating the shiniest item in the mall, posing next to a store’s Christmas decorations, etc.
8. Beach Adventure Challenge
If you’ve been yearning to get some sunshine and feel the gentle ocean breeze, it might be time to explore some beach photo scavenger hunt ideas. There’s an endless variety of beach photoshoot ideas you can try, including big sandcastles, heart-shaped seashells, jumping in the water, burying a couple of people in the sand, or seagull photos.
9. Spin the Color Wheel
The Color Wheel idea has all scavengers look for real-life subjects that correspond to the assigned colors (usually red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet) and take photos of them. You can increase the difficulty level by adding rarer colors like pink, azure, or gold.
After all the photos are taken, ask each participant to lay out their items into a rainbow arrangement. It can either be a physical layout photographed from above or a collage made with any basic Android or iPhone photo editors like Adobe Express, Snapseed, etc.
This concept can inspire both outdoor and indoor photo scavenger hunt ideas and is a great option for photographers, students, families, and even companies. You can also introduce a deadline or a reward for the most beautiful photo if you want to raise the stakes even higher.
10. Snap Yourself
If you’re looking for photo scavenger hunt ideas for youth groups, then a selfie-focused theme is exactly what you need. It’s suitable for students, virtual team events, group chats, etc.
Possible selfie ideas include photos with cats and dogs, a selfie with a stranger (ask beforehand!), an upside-down picture, a selfie near a painting or street art, and a mirror selfie in a strange place. Alternatively, you can experiment with some fun ideas like making celebrity impressions, goofy facial expressions, or photo-bombing other people’s selfies.
11. Vintage Photo Exploration
This idea is built around the feeling of nostalgia and retro vibes, inviting the participants on a trip to the past. You can have them visit antique stores, historic neighborhoods, or take vintage photos.
Potential ideas for this photo scavenger hunt list include items from the 80s, retro vehicles, and old-school signs. Ask everyone to wear vintage clothing and snap B&W pictures or add sepia filters to them. You can also make the photos more creative by shooting at a location with an antique aesthetic or recreating a popular vintage picture.
Prompt the participants to find and employ vintage cameras or leverage an iPhone or Android photo editor to apply filters that imitate vintage film looks, like RetroCam, Huji Cam, and VSCO. Add props like vintage books, glasses, or antique furniture to further emphasize the nostalgic mood.
12. Street Mural Safari
This idea is great for young, energetic groups, encouraging them to scour urban streets and capture murals, graffiti, etc. Challenge the participants to find street art of specific animals or symbols, or just beautiful drawings that captivate the viewer.
You can make the photo scavenger hunt more interesting by having them photos of street performers or artists in the process of creating graffiti. Prompt the groups to look for more subtle subjects, too, be it chalk art or stickers.
13. Tasty Treasures
This photo scavenger hunt idea for team building should instantly catch the attention of any foodie. Everyone gets to visit a bunch of interesting locations and take photos of different dishes, ingredients, or snacks.
Challenge them to find a wide range of subjects like a multi-colored dish, exotic fruit, or a macro photo of a pizza. Ask the participants to take pictures of animal-shaped pastry, or the process of someone preparing food. You can also have them take selfies while eating the food they got while tagging their location on social media.
You might want to organize a health-focused challenge, like taking photos of a meal with all-natural ingredients.
14. Pet-Centric Photo Challenge
This photo scavenger hunt idea is dedicated to pets, whether they are your own or various animals you find outdoors.
Prepare a list of tasks that invite the participants to take pictures of pets goofing around, playing with their toys, or just running across the room. You can also have them imitate a popular photo or capture the pet’s reaction to a treat. If someone doesn’t have a pet, they can consider visiting a nearby animal shelter and taking pictures there.
15. Sports & Activity
This group photo scavenger hunt idea is a fantastic option for athletic events, team-building gatherings, or any outdoor meeting. Begin by taking pictures of action-packed moments during sports games or races.
It can be a soccer player kicking the ball, a basketball player shooting for the net, or a football player tackling an opponent. The focus can be on the emotions of the players, their gear, or the overall scene.
If you want the pictures to include the entire team – organize a coordinated team jump photo, where all the participants jump at the same time, or a creative picture with the team’s mascot.
Put together a list, set a deadline, and employ free photo management software like Google Photos to make shareable image collections and albums for all participants.
16. Fantasy Edition
Invite the “scavengers” to immerse them selves in fictional universes by reenacting classic moments from books, shows, and movies like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or a Game of Thrones photoshoot.
Ask participants to bring household objects as props (like brooms for flying or blankets for cloaks). You can also let them leverage applications like Canva, PicsArt, or CapCut to add lightning, mystical symbols, or fantasy beasts to photos.
This photo scavenger hunt idea for adults and kids is incredibly versatile and can be used for team building, college parties, or camping trips, while cultivating fun and harmless escapism.
If you’d like to ensure your images look beautiful and professional, you can take advantage of the premium photo retouching services offered at WeEditPhotos. They can tackle everything from color correction and background refinement to red-eye effect removal and hair touch-ups. Their retouchers also excel at getting rid of grey tints and restoring natural tones without overdoing it.
17. Cityscape
This is the perfect photo scavenger hunt idea for work, college, friend meetups, family gatherings, and even solo adventurers interested in exploring secret landmarks, popular tourist attractions, and quiet city alleys through a camera lens.
You can pick a variety of subjects from capturing the city skyline to looking for street art down in the subway, from massive bridges to old mailboxes and street performers practicing their craft. It can be a vintage shop sign, a bicycle leaning against a maple tree, or a statue with beautiful birds sitting on top. This idea is great for lunch breaks, weekend bonding, and orientation events.
