Here it is, one month into the project, and I am 12 pictures behind. I was able to take some pictures along the way, so I uploaded what I had and filled in the blanks with other shots. I feel like I cheated since I changed the dates on a few of them. I want to enjoy this project, but I am having a hard time finding the time to do it. Any suggestions on how to find more time? Or more interesting subjects?? I am only following five people so far (and one person following me), so maybe I just need some more exposure. Thanks for any help you can give me!
I'm not even a month in yet but have already realised that it's just not going to be possible for me to take a decent picture every day. I've decided that I'll do my best to get a picture on the day but if it doesn't work out then I'll at least get some once a week that I can post. It does feel a little like cheating but there aren't any real rules so you need to make up your own rules that work in your own situation
Remember this is really YOUR project so you can decide how you want to do it. I don't have many followers either yet and so far I only follow a few. I just haven't had time yet to spend a lot of time looking at other people's work. I think some people that have a lot of followers early on are people who already know others on 365 project. It does seem to work that way at least in the early stages as far as I can see.
I'm sure others who have been here longer will have more advice but hang in there and be patient with yourself. Also, when you do have time take a look around at other work and you'll see there can be inspiration in almost anything. Something I need to get a lot better at seeing too!
Sorry, I don't thing anyone here can help you find more time. Anything that requires interaction everyday takes committment and diligence. If you can't find the time then maybe this is not the right time to do this type of project. That certainly does not mean failure. Sometimes we want to participate in something but the reality of life just won't let it happen. That's OK. You will know when things are right for you. :-)
it can be pretty overwhelming at times... especially if you want to get that "perfect" shot... in looking at other people's photos i am finding that the ones that work best are the simplest... shots where they weren't trying to get the whole story in the frame, just a piece of it... those with clean lines and little noise in the background... that sort of thing does not come naturally to me, so i find it hard to emulate... but i really like looking at all the others pictures and thinking about what makes them "work" - what i like about them, how they inspire me... they give me ideas of what to try, and then i have something to post... as for finding the time - don't let that be your trap... keep the camera on the counter and snap whatever comes to mind... the kids, the soap bubbles in the sink, the sugar bowl, the ittybitty bloom on the african violet... whatever is there... if you look at some of the pictures others have posted, this accounts for some of the very best - you don't need to get fancy in your subjects - you just need to get out there and take pictures! go for it... you can do it!
Don't worry about having fillers. Do the project for you. Comment on other people's pictures. Browse the latest pages and comment. Comment on discussions. As my husband reminded me early on in my project - it's yours. Do it for you and be happy with what you do. I had a rough start with mine. A year later (tomorrow is end of year 1 for me), I've come a long way, learned a lot, and made loads of friends.
I am new to 365 but is seems to me that people are very welcoming and helpful if you put yourself out there like you are right now. Maybe ask more specific questions regarding your work, ask for comments on your photos and start commenting on other people's pics. Read the articles when you can, there are some great tips. It looks like you are a very active mom and have great subjects right at home and at work. Get your kids involved with it too. My son luvs taking pics and helps me edit some of mine. (he is 8) I hope this helps, just keep shooting and never feel like a failure!
The project is meant to be enjoyable. I have missed several days myself because of time. Just keep taking pictures and post when you can. Look at other people's pictures to get ideas on how to make your pictures interesting. It also helps to edit the picture to find the best color, perspective or interest. Hope this helps
Just remember that this project is for you, not for anybody else, it really doesn't matter to any of us if you get behind. No-one is going to judge you, just get involved, follow people & comment on photo's. It will happen, just do it :)
I'm going to follow you to see how you go.
I know what you are going through so you are not alone. :)
Finding inspiration very be difficult and finding the time can be harder.
Let me start with inspiration:
I would start following other people. have a look at the latest photos section and follow the people that catch your eye. And if anything copy them.
For my I use my everyday boring subjects and work with them. I try and turn my daily events into something of interest. It also helps if you make links with people - follow them, they follow you. I find that the encouragement I get from this community keeps me going and I am 100% sure that without it I would stop tomorrow.
As for finding them time. When I wake up I am thinking about what photo I can going to take but I always have a back up photo.. In saying that, I will take photo of random stuff and if my main image doesn't work out then I use my backup.
It only take a few minutes to snap a photo of something that has caught your eye, so keep your camera close. I never put mine away and in fact I have have a few that just ly around the house so they are always there.
Oh by the way, I am going to follow you to help you with your motivation, so if you post a photo, tag me in the comments and I will come past and give you some words of encouragement and if wanted advice.
I found it really hard at first to get a nice daily photo and to upload it. By the end of the first month, I found that I had to make the project my own to keep my sanity. One thing that really has helped me is to take shots throughout the day. In the evening, I select one shot to share. In the late evening or in the morning, I get the shot ready by doing any processing I want to do and add a watermark. In the early morning, I upload the shot. I explored various themes last year, shot things in a journal type fashion and things that just caught my eye, and tried to find my photo niches. I still find it very difficult to keep up with all aspects of the 365 project. I have just been uploading my daily shot this week, as I am sick with a bad head cold. Normally, I get on the Internet about this time of the evening and comment on the photos of the people I am following. I have been busy working on several projects in January so I have not had the time to reply back to the comments others have made on my shots. For me, finding the balance and the timing in my life to do 365 is the key for me. The benefits of 365 are great, so I hope you can find your 365 groove.
@seehafer Hey Charlotte, in the beginning I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a portfolio or a photo diary. Then I thought, 'it can be wahtever I want". I lean towards the portfolio side but ssome days it just happens to document what I was doing that day. Some days it's hard to pick just one so i am glad that sometimes I have to use a filler. In any case I want to put it all in a book for 2012 next year so I can reflect on something. I am usually the person that finds it hard to finish things but so far so good!! Easiest to keep your camera on you all the time an the inspiration will come!!
I just looked at several of your photos and wrote a few comments. I noticed that a lot of your photos seem to be telling the story of your life. How about concentrating on making the 365 project into a daily journal where you record the special or the every day moments of your family life. You could write a few lines describing each photo and/or event. This would be a good way to record your family's life and be a good way for you to save the memories. This would also be a way to simplify your project by giving it one focus. However, as I said earlier---it is your project. You will be the one who will have the ultimate decision on which direction to take your project. I wish you the best!
Hi I'm Bruni.. I started my project January of 2010 and I only have 165 followers of which a lot are no longer with the program and somd who say I follow you and never leave you a commentso there in no way to tell if they take the time to even look at your pictures..now looking at other 365ers photos and liking what you see is the right way to go. try commenting on their pictures and in time they will look at yours I'm sure..I had sat out to find more followers and that's how I went about it..or look at some of theirs, tell them that you like what you see and then I say I like to follow you. this program is not just for taking pictures and posting them.. of course it's ok if that is what you prefer than thats fine but I find the other interesting part is when you interact with these people and become friends..then you're looking forward each day to seeing what they posted. I also find when you follow someone that's been on the 365 for a while they went through what you're going through right now..look at their postings and see if you like any.that way you can find subjects.. also try to be be versitile. now after all this I have the nerve to tell you that I like to follow you if that's ok with you.
I am 31 days in too and I feel your pain. If I have a good day shooting some stuff, I will post a few from that date, a couple days in a row. I dont post a picture every single day, of that day. Its usually within a one to three day time frame. Some days I do take pictures but nothing worth posting. Hang in there. I think some days we are just more inspired than others. Ive made alot of great friendships on here already and enjoy the people I have been following. I try to follow those who follow me. Everyone has something to offer my learning experience. I will follow you!
do what you do and be what you be. it's your project. you'll gain followers and probably even a little group of people that you interact with quite a lot. I've even met people from this site in person who live 1500 miles away from me! :) no one will be stressed if you don't post every day - so don't let it stress you out! :) I like @daisy 's idea about using your project as a journal to show great parts of each day :) have fun!!
For me, I don't try to get the "perfect picture" every day. I just take SOMETHING. It can be something as silly and simple as the carpet on my floor, as long as it looks a little different than it does when I see it every day. The project isn't about being perfect all the time, just take something, anything. It takes 2.5 seconds to take a picture of something if you're not trying for perfection. The ultimate goal of photography, the way I see it, is to change the way you see the world and enable you to see the beauty in life that you couldn't before seeing it through a lens.
My aha moment was on day twelve. I was feeling pressured and didn't like it. I decided I needed to take a step back and decide what I wanted this project to be and what my goals were. I decided on a few realistic goals and prioritized them. That has made things easier and more fun.
As many others have said... it's your project and there are no rules but your own. So be easy on yourself and give yourself the freedom to post when and what you want. I follow some folks who sometimes take several photos in one day that are great and they post them throughout the next few days... or post them all several days later. I frequently go a few days without posting, but I do try to take a photo every day. I like the idea of using 365 as a photo journal of your daily life. Mine is part that and part creativity and part learning. If I still had kids at home I would be tempted to make my project a daily recording of their lives, but my kiddos are all grown up and my daily life alternates between totally boring and frantically busy! I'd love it if you had time to check it out and you will see that many of my shots are less than perfect... especially the ones in the beginning! I am going to take a look at your album as soon as I post this... Good luck and relax... :)
Well, a bunch of my photos are junk, because I run out of time and just snap something for the day, or try to experiment and fail, lol. I say keep trying if its something you want to do. My goal was to be a better photographer, I still have a long way to go, so I am still here. I had a couple weeks of fillers last year. Its no big deal. Snap on!
I can relate to the too busy thing. I try to just take a photo at work, or on way to work or way home...or take some photo, but maybe not post that one for that day. Maybe on the weekend, when I had more time and sunlight, I took a bunch of nice ones....then I use those as filler..but I DO take at least one photo of something daily. Have you heard of the book challenge? You pick a book and any page...look at line one...pick out a word you could depict in a photo. Day two, turn page, look at second line and pick a word out to depict from that line...and so on. If you do a tag search for "book word challenge" you'll see some of us doing that in the fall..that helped me...ALOT! Hang in there! Just do the best you can!
I'm only a month in too. I'm not a full time photographer, I have a full time day job, a very lively 20 month old boy, hubby that can be high maintenance and I'm trying to finish my house. I took on this project solely for ME! It forces me to take a few mins for myself each day, makes me look for interesting compositions and subjects to improve my skills, sitting down to download, edit and post helps with my editing skills - I literally carry my camera EVERYWHERE.
Essentially, the way I see it is that its about YOU, your self improvement and a record of YOUR life, life though your eyes. If you have a day where you take 10 awesome photos, save them for the days where you are too busy or just have no "mojo". I almost had to use a filler yesterday but spotted 2 birds sitting on a wire and snapped away, ended up getting my shot - completely unexpected. *The shot was inspired by one I'd seen on here so look around!
My savior has been taking shots of sunsets, clouds and flowers - and after everyone has gone to bed, take half an hour or so editing them and playing around with different effects - there is free software everywhere - Picasa, Picnik (only til April), pixlr.com, you can even get free trials of photoshop etc
At the end of the day, just relax and enjoy it.... Its all GOOD
50 lashings with a wet noodle!!!!! oh.... wait... it is your project... um... never mind...
the first rule of 365 is have fun. if ya fall behind, no worries, fall back to rule number 1 - have fun.
Relax, enjoy, take your time that is the best advice I can give. This project is meant to be enjoyed and shared, there is no written rule really that you follow,it is up to you. :)
I'm in first month too, and I absolutley know where you're coming from. I feel the project is constantly in the back of my mind ("hmmm would that bin liner make a good photo??" ) I started out trying to make this a photo journal of my year - but to be honest I go from work to the gym to home and back again 5 days a week so it was getting tricky real quick !! what to take became my biggest problem, so I expanded my scope. I have a list of "100 things that make me happy" from another blog site, and my bucket list (Hence where taking a photo a day for a year came from) so if I'm stuck for subject matter I look at how I can incorporate those as fillers. I also steal every composition and idea I like from this site :) Keep pluggin away Charlotte and if you dont get a photo every day, who cares!! Take two on Sunday :)
I love the idea of "100 things that make me happy"!
As for the rules as others have stated, just do what you can, and have fun. I joined this project with the intention of just simply taking more pictures. I barely manage one a week when I am working (different when on holidays), but even looking back at what I have done reminds me that this is more than I would normally do. (I tend to do photography for a few weeks/months then put it away for a few weeks/months, simply out of lack of time etc.
I just mentioned the 100 things to my fiance and we also discussed doing an Alphabet project (one letter per day) to just help with thinking outside the square a bit too :)
It's your project! Use it as you have to If you don't have the time to take pics, then either upload a filler or leave a blank...who really cares if it takes 2 years to reach 365
As everyone has told you, it only depends on you how you do your project.
For me it is very important to take a photo a day, and post it, because I tend to forget about photography for long periods of time, so, what I want is to make photos every single day. Another thing important for me is not to spend too long time in the computer, because a couple years before I begun a 365 and gave it up after 70 photos. I was trying to get a very elaborated work with textures, and so I spent hours and hours with the photoshop. Besides, I had to comment back to my friends, and at the end all was too much for me, I didn't have the time, nor the will to be all day long in the computer.
This time, I am taking it easy. I post here and in the flickr, the same photo. I don't care about commenting. I am concerned about photography, not about making friends. In flickr I fav the photos I like, which in fact is better to reach the explore than the comments. Here I watch some photos, post in some threads, and read the opinions of people. but I am not looking for a social network. Most of the time I don't know what to say about a great photo. All what I want to say, I say it with my photos.
And about the pictures, one day will be interesting and the next will be plain bad. But what I can tell you is that you will get better and better during the project. No matter how you do it, how long it takes to you, if you enjoy of it, just go on with it, and if it causes pain to you, just give it up, but before you do it, give yourself the opportunity to enjoy of it. If you like to be commented, you must comment in others pictures, otherwise, no matter how good your photo is, no one will tell you anything. Do as you like. Or not, it is up to you.
@seehafer the rules of this site are very much up to you...for example I am a father of four and work full time and often do not have much money to drive around looking for shots...a lot of us shoot and pull from our photo shoot for the week irregardlessof dates in fact just shy of completing my one year here I have taken up to two months off and am just getting back into it :) this is your project your rules and its all about learning as you go so god bless you and your project
@seehafer if you sit down and ask yourself why you're doing this project, maybe it might help you. Are you trying to get that awesome shot everyday? Are you using it to document your year? Are you just trying to get better at photography?
Personally if you're doing option 1, I think you'll be dissapointed as you'll never get that perfect shot every day. I did it to document my year and was glad I did. I took photos of the bad days, the boring days and some of my photos (especially the starting ones) were aweful, but you know what, thats the point. Now when I go back and look through my first year i'm amazed by how much i've grown and it makes me smile... well sometimes it makes me cringe when i look at the bad ones lol.
so if you're working all day, heck, take your Point and shoot and shoot your desk - on the walk home, go down a different street than you would normally, shoot that. Use google maps, find something interesting in your path, google it to find out about it if it interests you. Are you at home, shoot the area you spent most of your time in. Is it a "me" day - selfie time! If you do this every day, you WILL get better at photography, it just happens but persist with it. After all, how long does it take to pull the camera / phone out and snap a shot? :)
WOW!!! Thanks to everyone that sent a reply! I have a renewed sense of determination and confidence in this project. I am home sick today, so that gave me time to read through everything. I am just amazed at how supportive everyone is. Thank you all for giving me a boost when I really needed it. I am still figuring things out on the site, and look forward to growing my skills this year. :)
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I'm not even a month in yet but have already realised that it's just not going to be possible for me to take a decent picture every day. I've decided that I'll do my best to get a picture on the day but if it doesn't work out then I'll at least get some once a week that I can post. It does feel a little like cheating but there aren't any real rules so you need to make up your own rules that work in your own situation
Remember this is really YOUR project so you can decide how you want to do it. I don't have many followers either yet and so far I only follow a few. I just haven't had time yet to spend a lot of time looking at other people's work. I think some people that have a lot of followers early on are people who already know others on 365 project. It does seem to work that way at least in the early stages as far as I can see.
I'm sure others who have been here longer will have more advice but hang in there and be patient with yourself. Also, when you do have time take a look around at other work and you'll see there can be inspiration in almost anything. Something I need to get a lot better at seeing too!
I'm going to follow you to see how you go.
Finding inspiration very be difficult and finding the time can be harder.
Let me start with inspiration:
I would start following other people. have a look at the latest photos section and follow the people that catch your eye. And if anything copy them.
For my I use my everyday boring subjects and work with them. I try and turn my daily events into something of interest. It also helps if you make links with people - follow them, they follow you. I find that the encouragement I get from this community keeps me going and I am 100% sure that without it I would stop tomorrow.
As for finding them time. When I wake up I am thinking about what photo I can going to take but I always have a back up photo.. In saying that, I will take photo of random stuff and if my main image doesn't work out then I use my backup.
It only take a few minutes to snap a photo of something that has caught your eye, so keep your camera close. I never put mine away and in fact I have have a few that just ly around the house so they are always there.
Oh by the way, I am going to follow you to help you with your motivation, so if you post a photo, tag me in the comments and I will come past and give you some words of encouragement and if wanted advice.
I'm only a month in too. I'm not a full time photographer, I have a full time day job, a very lively 20 month old boy, hubby that can be high maintenance and I'm trying to finish my house. I took on this project solely for ME! It forces me to take a few mins for myself each day, makes me look for interesting compositions and subjects to improve my skills, sitting down to download, edit and post helps with my editing skills - I literally carry my camera EVERYWHERE.
Essentially, the way I see it is that its about YOU, your self improvement and a record of YOUR life, life though your eyes. If you have a day where you take 10 awesome photos, save them for the days where you are too busy or just have no "mojo". I almost had to use a filler yesterday but spotted 2 birds sitting on a wire and snapped away, ended up getting my shot - completely unexpected. *The shot was inspired by one I'd seen on here so look around!
My savior has been taking shots of sunsets, clouds and flowers - and after everyone has gone to bed, take half an hour or so editing them and playing around with different effects - there is free software everywhere - Picasa, Picnik (only til April), pixlr.com, you can even get free trials of photoshop etc
At the end of the day, just relax and enjoy it.... Its all GOOD
the first rule of 365 is have fun. if ya fall behind, no worries, fall back to rule number 1 - have fun.
As for the rules as others have stated, just do what you can, and have fun. I joined this project with the intention of just simply taking more pictures. I barely manage one a week when I am working (different when on holidays), but even looking back at what I have done reminds me that this is more than I would normally do. (I tend to do photography for a few weeks/months then put it away for a few weeks/months, simply out of lack of time etc.
I just mentioned the 100 things to my fiance and we also discussed doing an Alphabet project (one letter per day) to just help with thinking outside the square a bit too :)
Enjoy 365 whichever way you want to :)
Just have as much fun as you can
For me it is very important to take a photo a day, and post it, because I tend to forget about photography for long periods of time, so, what I want is to make photos every single day. Another thing important for me is not to spend too long time in the computer, because a couple years before I begun a 365 and gave it up after 70 photos. I was trying to get a very elaborated work with textures, and so I spent hours and hours with the photoshop. Besides, I had to comment back to my friends, and at the end all was too much for me, I didn't have the time, nor the will to be all day long in the computer.
This time, I am taking it easy. I post here and in the flickr, the same photo. I don't care about commenting. I am concerned about photography, not about making friends. In flickr I fav the photos I like, which in fact is better to reach the explore than the comments. Here I watch some photos, post in some threads, and read the opinions of people. but I am not looking for a social network. Most of the time I don't know what to say about a great photo. All what I want to say, I say it with my photos.
And about the pictures, one day will be interesting and the next will be plain bad. But what I can tell you is that you will get better and better during the project. No matter how you do it, how long it takes to you, if you enjoy of it, just go on with it, and if it causes pain to you, just give it up, but before you do it, give yourself the opportunity to enjoy of it. If you like to be commented, you must comment in others pictures, otherwise, no matter how good your photo is, no one will tell you anything. Do as you like. Or not, it is up to you.
Personally if you're doing option 1, I think you'll be dissapointed as you'll never get that perfect shot every day. I did it to document my year and was glad I did. I took photos of the bad days, the boring days and some of my photos (especially the starting ones) were aweful, but you know what, thats the point. Now when I go back and look through my first year i'm amazed by how much i've grown and it makes me smile... well sometimes it makes me cringe when i look at the bad ones lol.
so if you're working all day, heck, take your Point and shoot and shoot your desk - on the walk home, go down a different street than you would normally, shoot that. Use google maps, find something interesting in your path, google it to find out about it if it interests you. Are you at home, shoot the area you spent most of your time in. Is it a "me" day - selfie time! If you do this every day, you WILL get better at photography, it just happens but persist with it. After all, how long does it take to pull the camera / phone out and snap a shot? :)
good luck!