Inspiration, Motivation and Organisation! Beginners Guide to the 365 Project

Your 365 Project will become whatever you make it. Maybe you want to take a photo a day to document a year of your life, the highs with the lows, the mundane alongside the madness. Maybe you want to improve your photography skills by setting yourself challenges. Maybe you just want to share your photos with a community of fellow enthusiasts and find out what they think of your images.

Here anything goes, but along with a camera you will need the following:

• Inspiration


• Motivation


• Organisation

Inspiration

Whether you choose to follow a theme or not, the important thing is to have plenty of ideas to keep you picking your camera up. See what your fellow 365ers are up to, and keep checking in with our blog, we are always sharing creative ideas - take a look at these some we wrote earlier:

365 Project Ideas - how to think outside the box and an A-Z of ideas!
10 Photo Projects To Do Before You Die - other projects are great inspiration for 365ers
Night Time Long Exposure Tips - a how to guide for capturing light trails

Also, take part in the weekly theme, it might be a chance to try your hand at something different, and take your photography to new territory.

As well as having a list to work though, default shot ideas can be enormous help, keeping you snapping even when your creativity is running on empty. Remember the important thing is to take the photo, it does not have to be a masterpiece every time!

If you are out of ideas, why not make your default shot:

• A Selfie


• A picture of whatever is in front of you just before midnight


• The contents of your fridge


• Your dinner


• The view from your window

Keeping the default shot consistent could well become an interesting addition to your project, documenting the days where you were forced to take a shot, no matter what.

Motivation

Know what you want from the project, and keep your goal in sight. You may have joined the 365 Project to better your photography skills, or to document your life. Whatever you goal is, keep reminding yourself by:

• Putting a note on the fridge, or on your computer


• Setting a daily alarm on your phone


• Telling friends, family and colleagues about it

Motivation can be the toughest part of a long term project like this – but remember the tip to ‘Keep Your Eye On The Prize’. It is quite normal for 365ers to feel disheartened at some point, whether it is within the first month, or halfway through the project. Just think about why you are doing it and how you will feel after posting your 365th photo – a huge sense of achievement!

Organisation

Organisation is key, and a good routine will help you succeed! In What is a 365 Project Ross shares some golden rules for getting started, I also think they are vitally important to help you stay organised.

Take your camera everywhere! No camera, no picture!

If your organisational skills have let you down and you have found yourself without your camera, take a photo on your phone, or even someone else’s - remember that the important thing is making sure you take that picture!

Don't wait to post your images, get them uploaded within a day or two.

By uploading your images regularly, the task will seem less daunting and less time consuming - plus, if you update regularly, your followers will be able to see what you have been up to ad follow your progress too.

Start with a theme, to keep focussed and make it easier to remember to take your photo.

Carry your list of inspirational ideas wherever you go – you never know what might inspire your next shot somewhere new.

Don't stop, remember the goal and how good it will be at the end.

Even if you do miss a day, it is not the end of the world, keep at it and don’t lose heart.

Have you just started your project? Have you been going for a while? Why not share your inspirational, motivational and organisational tips in the comments below!

Photo's courtesy of Lesley Chisholm, Shailesh, Cathy Breen, Pictor and Sarah