Project 365: Half-way there!!

Wow, can you believe I’ve made it to Day 183 of my Project 365? One photo every day for half a year!

(Oh my sweet lord, you mean I’m only half way done? I have to come up with ANOTHER 182 photos in the next six months? Yikes!)

Seriously, I am quite proud of myself. I can honestly say I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this project on January 20 of this year. I think it’s pretty safe to say I’ve fulfilled my early goals of “flex[ing] my creative muscles and to learn[ing] to see the world in new ways.” I haven’t missed a single day yet, although there have been a few when I was a day or so late posting them. And I really had no idea when I started that I wouldn’t simply be taking “a” picture each day — in fact, I’m sure I average ten to a dozen for each one that gets posted. Thank goodness for large hard drives!

This project has been one of the most validating, one of the most intriguing, and one of the most irritating things I’ve ever done. There have been more than a few times that I’ve rued the day I set out on such an ill-conceived voyage, and many days when I’ve been delighted that I did. There’s no question my photographic skills have improved, and I think I’ve even learned a thing or two along the way. *grin*

Here’s five things I’ve learned so far about Project 365, about photography, and about myself:

1. No matter how good or how terrible the picture of the day, there’s another one due in 24 hours. You know those days when you’ve written what you know is a really good blog post, and you just sit on it and admire it a while, letting it enjoy it’s spot of honour at the top of the page for a couple of days? With the 365 project, no matter how outstanding the picture is, you’ve got to replace it the very next day. And, almost without fail, the picture you take the next day is nowhere near as worthy. Inspiration runs in fits and starts. (Corollary: no matter how uninspired you feel, no matter how lackluster your effort, no matter how embarrassingly hackneyed the image, tomorrow is another day and a fresh start. Shake it off and take another picture!)

2. Amazing pictures lurk in the most mundane places. Some of my favourite images have been of things that I would never have thought to even photograph if I weren’t trolling the universe for photo opportunities every moment of every day. (Yes, it is that bad. I have lost the ability to turn off my photo-seeking radar!) But the constant picture-seeking has led me to put the camera to my face in situations where it would have never occured to me to do, and I’ve become a better photographer for it. Corollary: take your camera EVERYWHERE. You just never know when, you know, your van might catch on fire or something.

3. Post-processing is your friend. When I started out, I was a purist and a snob. I thought “photoshopped” images were somehow less ‘true’ or worthy than straight out of the camera (SOOC) images. Ah, how foolish and naive I was. More than half of the images I post have at least a touch of post-processing, whether to bring out the colours, adjust the exposure, or erase the dust marks from a dirty lens. It’s fun to play with things like sepia tones and b&w as well. I now believe that Photoshop and other post-processing programs are just another in the arsenal of tools a photographer uses to achieve the image you set out to create. On the other hand, I’m a believer in a light touch. I think you should have the skills to do the lion’s share of the work with the camera, and I’m not fond of the idea of using post-processing to do stuff like slenderize people or remove objects entirely from the frame.

4. Admire the picture you took, not the picture you missed. This is something I learned from reading the books of Canadian photographer Freeman Patterson, and I think it’s one of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned. You know how you see a good photo opportunity and you take a few shots, but they just don’t come out like you’d planned? I’m slowly learning to evaluate and assess the image on its own merit, and not in comparison to the shot I imagined but didn’t get. When I’m looking at my pictures at the end of the day (an arduous process worth a blog post of its own some day!) I’m often surprised that the shot that I thought at the time was a throw-away turned out to be my favourite of the day — or sometimes one of my all-time faves.

5. When you’re taking a photo each day, you can’t help but see — really see — the world around you. I think this is one of the most unexpected, and best, benefits of doing the 365 project. I’m no longer oblivious to the world around me. I am amazed by how the light changes by time of day and by season. I see contrasts, shadows and tones everywhere. I see the fine details in architecture, in flowers, in smiles. I crane my neck looking for new angles, new perspectives, new ways to see things — even when I don’t have my camera around my neck.

It’s kind of ironic, really, that I set out to expand my photographic repertoire beyond simply taking pictures of my family, and yet of all things I’m most pleased about, it’s that I can take better pictures of the boys! The landscapes and the creative shots and the other stuff is fun, but in 30 years, these are the pictures that will really matter.

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante. View all posts by DaniGirl