7 Great Ideas To Kickstart Your 365 Project

We blogged-a-plenty last year about ideas for photo projects, aiming to inspire anyone who felt a little lost for inspiration. The feedback we had was fantastic, so we thought we’d revisit some of our best ideas.

A-Z Projects

It is quite simple – on day one take a photo of something that begins with A or of an actual letter A that is part of a sign, label or word. Day two, move on to the letter B, and so on. There are enough letters in the alphabet to keep you going for nearly a month!

What not try a single letter project? Dedicate a week at a time (or a month if you are up for a challenge) to just one letter of the alphabet. Or Check out our amazing A to Z of 365 Project Ideas that includes project ideas that are based on ‘things’, abstract ideas and camera techniques.

Photo courtesy of Mike Hendren

Number Projects

This is the same as the alphabet project, but instead photograph the number or a collection of things that make up that number – you can take this project as far as you like to really test your commitment.

Colour Projects

Pick a colour, any colour, or work your way through the rainbow. You could start with a red week, followed by orange and then into yellow. You’ll end up with a great selection of images that will look fabulous as a collection in your album.

Texture projects

Rusty metal, natural wood, polished silver, delicate silk… We are surrounded by a wealth of great textures, and taking pictures of them is particularly rewarding with macro photography. Getting up close with plants, petals and water amongst many other textures will keep your project going week after week.

Mood Projects

Theming your photographs by mood may be challenging, but it is a great way to open yourself to pushing the boundaries of your photography. A Happy theme for a week could include pictures of people at a party, a dog chasing a ball or the simple pleasure on someone’s face as they open a gift. Deciding to collect emotions in pictures is particularly suited to street photography. If you’ve never tried it you can read all about it in a previous blogs about Capturing Candid Street Photography and How To Ask A Person For Permission.

Documentary Projects

What things in your life happen every day? That first cup of coffee? Looking in the mirror in the morning? Seeing the sunset at night? Having dinner? Deciding to base a project on the same thing that happens every day is a truly rewarding experience as you see how the scene changes subtly as the year goes by.

If you prefer the idea of having a project that looks a bit more dynamic as a collection, why not choose a specific time each day, say 7pm, and whatever you are doing, wherever you are... that is your picture!

Make a tick list!

What we often find is that the imagination is the only limitation, and once you’ve opened yourself up to all the possibilities that are around you, you’ll rarely be short of a project idea or two. Start by making yourself a list of photo ideas that you’d like to include in your project, and then get snapping.

Other posts you may be interested in:

10 Photo Projects To Do Before You Die
An A-Z of 365 project Ideas
Ideas for your 365 Project – Banish Photographers block (featuring an extensive A – Z list of extra ideas)
5 Inspirational Photo Series Projects

Have you already done some of these ideas? If you have, please share your images with us in the comments below, or have a go at an idea now and share your results with us – we can’t wait to see them!