In honor of my 28th year of existence and my somewhat new found love for photography, I started something new last week. I'm joining the masses to participate in Project 365, which should technically be Project 366 because it's a leap year. I'll take a picture a day for a year to create a photo journey of all the little things in my life. Sometimes the pictures will be portraits of friends or (yet another) snapshot of my beautiful bulldogs. As I've already found, though, Project 365 seems to give me the motivation to capture moments that I previously never would have though of noting. Many people started on January 1st. But true to my style, I had to ponder the idea for a bit-look at other people's albums, think about what I would have photographed that day, and decide whether I wanted to make the commitment to do something every day for an entire year. As long as I keep up with uploading, editing, and sharing, it really shouldn't be that much of a time commitment. I started on my birthday, but you could really start on any day. If you even remotely enjoy stashing memories and/or photography, I invite you to join me! If there's enough interest (aka one other person), we could even start our own Flickr group for Disaboomers!
Without further delay, here are my pictures so far.
Day 1: Adam and I pose after my birthday dinner at Bahama Breeze.
Day 2: A rare foggy morning as seen from my back porch
Day 3: Waiting for the elevator to take me to my floor on a Friday afternoon
Day 4: How many wheelers does it take to change a light bulb? One-if he can climb!
Day 5: Up close and personal with Bailey B.
I actually haven't snapped today's picture yet,so I really need to get on that! I won't post my entries daily but you're welcome to keep up with my year by viewing my Flickr set. Now that I've completed day 5, I'm clearly an expert in this endeavor so I'd like to share a few tips that have helped me get through the long, hard road. OK-so neither of the previous statements are true, but I'm trying to keep the following in mind:
1. Think outside the frame.
Choose your subject to represent something memorable from that day, but also consider objects, people, and places that you wouldn't normally photograph. Be original but make it meaningful to you. Don't hesitate to tell those around you that you've signed on because you might be surprised what suggestions those around you offer.
2. If you decide to take the plunge, follow through!
No matter what you're mood, take at least one picture every single day. The more the merrier because then you can select the most representative photo for that day's entry. While persistence is the key, remember it's supposed to be fun. The goal is to create a visual memory book of your year. It's not intended to stress you out and topple your already overflowing list of to do's.
3. Share
We are not alone in our Project365 geekhood so announce your participation proudly. Share your pictures on a blog or through a photo group (like this one on Flickr or another site). Not only is it fun, but you'll be more likely to stay motivated throughout the year if you see other people's ideas and have more people expecting you to finish than just yourself. If a larger online audience isn't your thing, feel free to message me. I'd be happy to pester, nag, stalk encourage you to follow through with your goal.
Good luck and have fun!
