A project 365 is, as the name suggests, a challenge to take one photo a day for an entire year. When I became more involved with photography I followed a few of these with interest, but never considered taking up one myself.
At the beginning of this year (2011) I decided to try one, but instead of the 365, I was going to do a project 52 instead. A photo a week seemed a lot less intimidating. I made it until the third week, I think.
The idea of doing an ongoing photo project simmered with me for awhile after that, and I began seeing other inspiring 365 projects. Importantly, I wanted to try one having to do with my little girl Eliza, with the goal of capturing her daily “moments”. I started shooting these intentionally, and eventually I realised I had done a couple of weeks in a row! I guess the idea that daily activities can be habit-forming has some merit afterall. Taking the daily photo was becoming more fun, challenging and inspiring than I could have ever expected.
I encourage you to try a 365 if you’re interested in further developing your photography and pushing your creativity. You don’t need a fancy camera; a lot of people do their 365 with a camera phone, which is great because it’s always with you. You don’t have to start on January 1st either. I think I started in early May… And, even though I am not even halfway through my year, I can already see so many ways this project has benefited me. I won’t even go into the fact that my subject is a squirmy 2-year-old who has no idea how to pose. I certainly wouldn’t use the word “cooperative” when describing her as a subject. I challenge myself to try and find new photos each day, which means I constantly need to find unique ways to capture her interacting with the world. Having to shoot every day forces me to deal with less-than-desirable shooting conditions, especially living in a house as dark as mine. But, the most exciting outcome of the project is the photos, which document a time Eliza will probably never remember, but one day be able to relive through these images.
My work on this project has definitely influenced how I approach portrait sessions, with a goal of turning day-to-day experiences into something beautiful. And if you really want to know, yes, I have missed a day. One day! On September 18 I did not take a picture. I didn’t even realise I had missed the day until a couple of weeks later when I was catching up on my post-processing. I blame it on jet lag, or just pure exhaustion.
If you want to follow along with my daily photos, they’re linked at the top of this page. Thanks also to my Facebook friends who have “liked” and commented on my photos. It makes my day, and makes the effort even more worth it. If you have your own 365 project, I’d love to see it… feel free to add a link in the comments section of this post.
Finally, I’ll leave you with today’s photo. Michael, Eliza and I walked down to the lake this afternoon. There was a lot of fluffy pollen blowing around and I thought it might make a good photo; however, I ended up liking this one the most. I think she would have walked over this bridge 100 times had we not stopped her.
