Open Your Retreat with a Photo Scavenger Hunt for Great Candid Photos

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

One of the best ways to kick off your retreat is to begin it with a super fun activity known as a photo scavenger hunt. This is a great team building activity that is action-packed and fun!  

Not only is it exciting for everyone involved, but it also provides fantastic candid photos for memories of your retreat that everyone can look back at.

photo scavenger hunt retreat

If that wasn’t enough, it is one of the best exercises to increase promotional materials to use for advertising your next retreat.  

When retreat seekers see these candid shots of people having a blast, they will definitely want to be a part of the action!  This activity is a must have for any type of retreat!

Here are some great topics to use as a basis for your photo scavenger hunt activity:

Inspirational

dream inspirational

Inspirational photo scavenger hunts are great for showcasing feel-good energy and motivational photo snaps.  A good theme for this topic is gratitude.  

Allow the teams to find items to be grateful for (ie. water, food, clothing, shelter), and let them take creative photos to go along with it.

Religious

religious photo hunt

Have the teams participate in a Bible quotes scavenger hunt, where they will read questions like “what did Job mix with dirt to coat his skin: Job 7:5”, and they will then find the bible passage and take a snapshot that represents the answer.

Funny

funny scavenger hunt

There are many funny photos that can be achieved simply by being inventive.  An example is asking the teams to pose with a funny statue to make it seem lifelike.

Selfie

selfie photo scavenger hunt

The teams can take selfies in front of specific items, or simply by doing certain activities like eating or making specific expressions.  This photo scavenger hunt pairs perfectly with the Love Your Selfie theme.

Landscape

landscape photo

You can have the teams take stunning pics of landscapes from specific angles.  An example like asking them to take a picture of two trees with a mountain in the middle.

Nature

nature photo

A nature hunt is a popular choice on a retreat, where teams will be asked to take photos holding things like leaves, pinecones etc.

Alphabet

Alphabet game

An alphabet hunt consists of all the letters of the alphabet with a different word besides them for teams to find.  Ex. A for apple, B for a brown bush, to give you an idea.

Costume

costume photo games

Why not supply costumes and props for your hunt? These make for colorful and creative photos that will last a lifetime!

Seasonal

seasonal photos

Depending on the season, make the scavenger hunt reflect a seasonal theme.  Ex. If it’s fall, they will search for things like leaves of every color, or bare branches on trees.

Holiday

christmas dog

If there is a recent holiday coming up, set up a holiday-themed scavenger hunt.  An example of this would be that if Easter is coming up, the teams might search for colored eggs, chocolate, bunnies, or an Easter basket.  

Match your photo scavenger hunt with holiday games such as these Easter games or Christmas games!

Summary

A photo scavenger hunt game is easy to set up, and they can be as elaborate (in terms of props and costumes) or as simple as you like!  All you really need are some interesting topics and a score sheet for people to check off the photos that they have taken and earn points.   

When the photo scavenger hunt is over, the points are added up and the lucky team wins a prize.  What a fabulous way to kick off your next retreat!