So I managed to complete the first week of my 365 day project. It wasn’t incredibly hard to do, and I’m pretty pleased with most of the first seven pictures. I can see it getting much harder in the future; tonight I had to go for a drive to find a picture because I hadn’t got anything worthwhile during the day, and there’s only so many times I can go and photograph Kenilworth Castle. Also, because I got mostly pretty good pictures in the first week, I’ll find it difficult allowing myself to post a lower quality picture. On the other hand, I’ve looked at some of the photographs people have posted to 365 groups on flickr, and a lot of them are of much, much higher standard than my photos!
Since seeing your commitment to the 365 plan, I decided to give it a whirl as well.
So far, I’ve only missed one day (and it wasn’t really "missed", I just used someone else’s camera, so I don’t have the photos yet).
I’ve been already thinking about similar ideas, and adding some sort of additional project that is keyed to a specific subject… like taking a sunset photo everyday, regardless of the quality of that day’s sunset, where I am or what camera I have with me (iPhone, P&S or D80).
I think I would learn a lot, improve my photography skills and also come to appreciate different subjects this way.
Perhaps it would be neat (given your family’s stage) to post a photo every day of the growing child. I bet by his/her birthday, you’d be pretty pro at taking shots of a pregnant woman!
I like the idea that it’s not always easy to find a picture each day, and that sometimes you had to go out and search for one. It’s surely the same for any daily rhythm, any habit, that once you’ve committed to it’s practise, some days it presents a challenge, but, of course, what an interesting collection you’ll have by the end of it – a true snapshot of one year of your life.
My equivalent, is to find inspiration, to search for meaning in the mundane of each day, to distil beauty from the world around me, as if collecting berries, or manna each morning.
Thomas R. Smith says, "Whatever happens is our daily bread." We feed our souls from whatever we can extract from the days dealings, we collect gleanings that God leaves for us to find.
Today, looking at your photographs is some of my daily bread. Cheers.