I find it interesting looking at other people's photos on here, some are simply stunning every day and clearly taken by very talented photographers. I don't usually follow these though as what I really love are the photos that tell a story of people's everyday lives.
I started the project as a way to document my year and it developed into a desire to improve my photography. However, I also want to be able to look back at my year of photos (hopefully in an album) and see what I did this year. So I don't always use my best photo, but often the one that sums up my day or has a special meaning. For example, yesterday I took a photo of a red squirrel at a wildlife park I regularly visit, it's the first time I've seen the squirrel so was really excited about it. I probably took better photos yesterday but this is the one that makes me smile.
Anyway, this is mostly curiosity to see how and why people are doing the 365 project and hopefully a way to find some new people to follow.
Mine is a mix. I'm doing it to learn and pursue photography. I like to follow all kinds of people with all styles of photography too.
For me, some days may be relevant to the day and some days are just experimental.
For example, the other day I went to a street festival and I used a picture of a sign that I thought described my day. I also included other photos of the day in my alternative folder. I also did a photo of my wedding invites while I was making them!
Today, though, I tried something experimental. I wanted to do a selfie but I only like my eyes. It's Friday 13th so I found a tutorial to make me look evil.
I learn from both. The festival taught me to photograph in a hectic forever changing environment where I had to be fast for photo ops. And today's photo taught me some new photoshop techniques.
Taking pictures with my small camera is only a hobby (I do not aspire to own a dSLR or become a professional photographer) so I'm doing the project only as a personal challenge to myself, to see if I can commit to a year-long project, to see if I can remain focused. I can't say I'm doing it to improve my photography because I only shoot what I want, I'm not going to learn everything there is to learn, I have no bucket list. (No water crowns, no panning, no ICM, etc for me.) I can't say I'm doing it to keep a photo diary of sorts either, my photos don't document my life in a year, I don't want them to.
Interesting discussion....I started because I was looking for a website that I had to take a photo a day (a daily themed one) I googled "photo a day" and ended up here.
It has become a place to learn for me. I am not documenting my daily life here all all anymore. The discussions, challenges and photos have taught me more about the art and techniques of Photography than I could have imagined. I want to try as many things and learn as much as I can in the year.
I never would have thought I would love it here so much.
I started as a hobby in an effort to 1) concentrate and see more of the area I live in; 2) improve my skills in photography - not with the view to becoming a pro/selling shots, just to take better shots and 3) take some time for myself. I've started wanting to take better shots and only uploading shots I think are 'good'. I'm doing this more for myself, just to see if I can do this photo a day thing. The amazing shots I see on here are an added bonus!
I like playing with my camera and some days I plan an outing just to get a particular photo. But mostly I'm using 365 as a journal. I love looking back on old photos and remember the day it was taken and the stories behind it.
I joined because I have always been fascinated with photography and people that take interesting pictures. I wanted to emulate that. I decided in February of this year I was going to buy a DSLR and take fabulous photos. I needed to learn how to use the camera and I thought 365 would keep me motivated to keep learning to use my camera. It has exceeded my expectations. The community here is so encouraging and helpful, I have learned so much since joining. Still have a long way to go an taking my baby steps. Fate seems to keep pointing me in the direction of photography and I hope to make a small living at is some day.
@scuffer Great thread! I joined the project because I have been really into the hobby for the last 2 years and wanted to be forced to take a daily photograph of my day to day life and post it, good or bad. My original plan was to save my best work for flickr and just post whatever on the project. Well, after about a week, that plan went out the window as I started following some very talented photographers here. I love the project and it has "raised the bar" on my photography measurably. Now I try my best to post an excellent photograph each and every day here. I spend much more time now on the project than I do on flickr, this is a much nicer community.
I started with my friend back in June 2011 when we decided to challenge ourselves to shoot a photo-a-day for a year & see if we could do it!
I've mostly used this project to improve my photography & try new things as I've always enjoyed photography but never really done that much before 365 :)
This site is amazing for new ideas & explanations on how to do things which is wonderful!
my sister asked me to join this site, i had not been doing photography for years and not digital at all. i did and after a few months she dropped out - really busy - but i agree with all of what others have said. i have learned so much here, the threads and forums are amazing, but the people are what make me keep coming back every time i start to doubt myself. nothing like positive feedback from a community of people who love what they are doing and share your interests.
My husband suggested it after reading an article in a local paper. I was always making photo scrap books of all of our adventures. But I wanted to know more about taking the shots so I wouldn't have to take 100 to get one I really liked. i wanted to get away from the automatic setting too. I have tried some experiments and have found that very rewarding but I usually take my shots with an eye to using it in a card. I sell cards and photos in a local market and I do craft fairs with greeting, note cards and photos. I have to say since I started this my eye has gotten better and people seem to be buying more of what I take. So I guess that is a good thing. I plan to do a coffee table hard cover photo book of all of my PP shots when I finish. I'm addicted.
It has changed over time, first it was to try and take a photo a day and get to know my DSLR better, now I do it because I love taking photos, I photograph things that make me happy and I want to continue learning and improving my skills.
I first decided to do this project to learn more about photography, and I realized that it could be a good tool to get feedback about the year(s)... So sometimes, when I have got time, I try to "work" on my shoot, and the other days I shoot something linked with the event of the day :)
This project is really an addiction now... and I love discovering the work of the others 365ers, and their world, and I love the idea that some of them could become friends! :)
I've spent many years working on other peoples photos and decided that it was time I tried my hand at it. I purchased my first camera in December and had heard about 365 before. Seemed like a good reason to motivate myself to try and shoot every day. I don't have the time or inspiration every day and I try to keep my quality level up so I've no problem posting multiple images from one day, especially when I get up at 4am!
My progress has been rapid over the last few months and I've even sold a few prints. I know this would not have happened without 365. A lot of days I simply would not have gone out shooting and would have missed some great opportunities.
Its also nice to get some feedback on my photos and have the opportunity to see the work of some really talented photographers. The atmosphere here is quite relaxed normally which is good, especially when I've thought about stopping. A few kinds words from my followers kept me going and I've done some of my best work since.
I finally was able to save up money to buy my Nikon, something i wanted for a long time. I would only use it every now and than. A friend of mine told me about this site and i got hooked right away.
365 to me has given me the motivation to take my camera everywhere and take a photo everyday. Even if i dont make it somewhere to take pictures i try and be creative with the ones i take around the house.
It is also a challenge to me to complete the photo a day every day for a year. I missed one day due to surgery recovery which really bothers me but oh well. But it is a leap year so i guess i will still get the 365.
It will be a great accomplishment to say to myself that i completed this project how it was meant to be completed. you will not find in my album any photos that weren't taken on that day.
i have also met some great photographers and love looking at everyones work.
Like so many others, I started off with one direction only to be led into another. I have taken pictures forever, it seems, but raising kids and working full-time took over my time and I started using the disposable cameras. They were easy and I could put them in my pocket.
I did some dark room work years ago and found I really enjoyed having control over what developed. Ha! Pun intended. Later, as I continued to use the disposables, I realized I was unhappy with the results because I no longer had any contol of the processing. I was no longer doing darkroom work. So, I started taking pictures less and less.
As I was taking pictures less, I was continually drawn back into taking pictures. It's just something that has always been a part of me. So, when I got my hands on my daughter's digital camera everything changed. Kids get all the good toys, eh?
Now, the photography bug has reappeared and I'm taking food pics weekly. This turned into gardening pics which led me into doing photowalks, which evenually led to here.
It was this site that really gave me the needed outlet to learn about the art of photography. Sure, I started out with just taking a daily picture but as I learned more about editing and photography I felt this project change and it's still changing. I've since joined a couple photography clubs, entered pictures into a competition, shared pictures with the city, created a webpage for our photowalks, and officially been named photographer for a local gardening organization. I don't know where I'm headed but I am excited about photography again and am more than willing to see where it takes me.
I don't expect to ever stop learning and there is so much to learn. That is what keeps things fresh for me. Everyday I wonder if today will be the day I don't see something that I can photograph but I always find something, always. So, I keep taking pictures because I truly enjoy the whole process and today's technology is making it easier and easier for me to be a part of all of it.
Cause I've taken classes & bought a lot of gear! If I don't use my new skills I'll lose them :) 365 forces me to think of something everyday. Plus photography is addicting, at least for me and 365 helps.
What a lovely gathering of responses here, thank you everyone. It is a great place to come and I often read through the discussions, especially if a question pops up that I've been wondering about.
It seems great how we all seem to have got more than expected from the project, especially putting photos on this site.
@scuffer
hi corinne, i shoot my project mostly the same as you do. some shots i will try and seek out if i have an idea, but others are a diary accoun ton my days through the year.
i did a book lasy year through blurb, they were fab, and delivery was in a few days from USA to UK. I'm on my second year now, i had a break but missed it so much i had to do it again. its helping my health and as a result i'm looking at joining a photography club in september and will start entering competitions and hopefully progress to exhibitions if i develop enough
I started the project to create a discipline of having my camera in my hand more regularly and to document a photo journal of a year in my life. I have since found this community to be a place of strengths, resolve, friendship, global connections, triumphing over adversity, sharing blessings and sorrows, and ART beyond anything I would have imagined. My eyes have been opened wide in a way I would never have dreamed possible - even to the extent that after having lived in my "adopted" city for almost 16 years, I find myself deeply LOVING this place as I might never have without the "eyes" 365 has opened for me. If my photographs improve in the meantime, I will always feel doubly blessed. I gave up a "completed" musical career when we moved here 16 years ago and in the transition lost a very important part of "self". . . this project has given me back the ability to create and capture my own version of art, amateurish though it may be. (and son of a gun. . .if my hands are busy, I don't snack as much! ;->)
Thanks for starting a deep and thought-provoking thread.
My project is all about picking up my camera every day. It's about discipline. I didn't think I'd have the discipline to pick up my camera every day, go out and take shots, or stay inside and manufacture shots. I figured I'd end up with a lot of shots of my toes because I hadn't gone out, so panicked at the last minute.
I've surprised myself, but going out every day, taking at least one, usually one hundred shots every day, then sorting through them to post the best shot I could find in the lot for that day. Sometimes I feel I succeed and other days, the post is, EH.
I think I have a lot less EH shots now than I did a year and a half ago. Sometimes, my shots tell a story. Two days ago, I had a particular subject in mind, I set it up and took it. Had to go back out and retake it again because I wasn't satisfied with the first results, but the second take gave me an image of my wife and me getting ready to celebrate our silver anniversary that I'm going to enlarge and frame.
My first year, I was diligent and took a photo every day (well, nearly). I thought to improve my skills and for fun. Now that I'm in year 3, I just snap when/where I can and I upload stuff. It's still fun, but I'm not as strict as a photo every single day.
Last year i did it religiously as a project i took very seriously but family and time took over. Now i add some shots here and there that i love for example i have just added some i took when i was in Barcelona. I still love photography though!
The idea was to learn my camera thoroughly, impose some discipline and rediscover my enthusiasm for photography. Successful on all counts, but what I didn't think through was the time involved in keeping the standard up. On working days that can be difficult, and looking forward to winter when I'll have half an hour of daylight in which to take a photo and eat my lunch, it could be quite a challenge.
What will keep me going of course are the people who are kind enough to make encouraging comments, and whose work serves as a constant inspiration.
I realise how lucky I am being at home with my boys so I don't have to fit in around work, it also means I can get out and about and get some different shots. I sometimes think other people may not be very interested in photos of my boys but they are the main part of my day to day life so I share photos of them on here too.
I did it to get myself outside, moving around and paying attention to my surroundings. I was following the advice of a friend who said I should be a tourist where I live. I'm excited every time I see a beautiful flower or bug or bird, so I might well post a photo very similar to one I've already posted just because it made me happy again that day.
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For me, some days may be relevant to the day and some days are just experimental.
For example, the other day I went to a street festival and I used a picture of a sign that I thought described my day. I also included other photos of the day in my alternative folder. I also did a photo of my wedding invites while I was making them!
Today, though, I tried something experimental. I wanted to do a selfie but I only like my eyes. It's Friday 13th so I found a tutorial to make me look evil.
I learn from both. The festival taught me to photograph in a hectic forever changing environment where I had to be fast for photo ops. And today's photo taught me some new photoshop techniques.
I love your squirrel photo by the way! So cute!
I think like you, I like to experiment, especially on quiet days when I'm not doing much.
I love that you looked up how to make yourself look evil!
Just passing the time, and having fun. 8)
It has become a place to learn for me. I am not documenting my daily life here all all anymore. The discussions, challenges and photos have taught me more about the art and techniques of Photography than I could have imagined. I want to try as many things and learn as much as I can in the year.
I never would have thought I would love it here so much.
I like your squirrel shot too.
I've mostly used this project to improve my photography & try new things as I've always enjoyed photography but never really done that much before 365 :)
This site is amazing for new ideas & explanations on how to do things which is wonderful!
This project is really an addiction now... and I love discovering the work of the others 365ers, and their world, and I love the idea that some of them could become friends! :)
My progress has been rapid over the last few months and I've even sold a few prints. I know this would not have happened without 365. A lot of days I simply would not have gone out shooting and would have missed some great opportunities.
Its also nice to get some feedback on my photos and have the opportunity to see the work of some really talented photographers. The atmosphere here is quite relaxed normally which is good, especially when I've thought about stopping. A few kinds words from my followers kept me going and I've done some of my best work since.
365 to me has given me the motivation to take my camera everywhere and take a photo everyday. Even if i dont make it somewhere to take pictures i try and be creative with the ones i take around the house.
It is also a challenge to me to complete the photo a day every day for a year. I missed one day due to surgery recovery which really bothers me but oh well. But it is a leap year so i guess i will still get the 365.
It will be a great accomplishment to say to myself that i completed this project how it was meant to be completed. you will not find in my album any photos that weren't taken on that day.
i have also met some great photographers and love looking at everyones work.
I did some dark room work years ago and found I really enjoyed having control over what developed. Ha! Pun intended. Later, as I continued to use the disposables, I realized I was unhappy with the results because I no longer had any contol of the processing. I was no longer doing darkroom work. So, I started taking pictures less and less.
As I was taking pictures less, I was continually drawn back into taking pictures. It's just something that has always been a part of me. So, when I got my hands on my daughter's digital camera everything changed. Kids get all the good toys, eh?
Now, the photography bug has reappeared and I'm taking food pics weekly. This turned into gardening pics which led me into doing photowalks, which evenually led to here.
It was this site that really gave me the needed outlet to learn about the art of photography. Sure, I started out with just taking a daily picture but as I learned more about editing and photography I felt this project change and it's still changing. I've since joined a couple photography clubs, entered pictures into a competition, shared pictures with the city, created a webpage for our photowalks, and officially been named photographer for a local gardening organization. I don't know where I'm headed but I am excited about photography again and am more than willing to see where it takes me.
I don't expect to ever stop learning and there is so much to learn. That is what keeps things fresh for me. Everyday I wonder if today will be the day I don't see something that I can photograph but I always find something, always. So, I keep taking pictures because I truly enjoy the whole process and today's technology is making it easier and easier for me to be a part of all of it.
It seems great how we all seem to have got more than expected from the project, especially putting photos on this site.
hi corinne, i shoot my project mostly the same as you do. some shots i will try and seek out if i have an idea, but others are a diary accoun ton my days through the year.
i did a book lasy year through blurb, they were fab, and delivery was in a few days from USA to UK. I'm on my second year now, i had a break but missed it so much i had to do it again. its helping my health and as a result i'm looking at joining a photography club in september and will start entering competitions and hopefully progress to exhibitions if i develop enough
Thanks for starting a deep and thought-provoking thread.
My project is all about picking up my camera every day. It's about discipline. I didn't think I'd have the discipline to pick up my camera every day, go out and take shots, or stay inside and manufacture shots. I figured I'd end up with a lot of shots of my toes because I hadn't gone out, so panicked at the last minute.
I've surprised myself, but going out every day, taking at least one, usually one hundred shots every day, then sorting through them to post the best shot I could find in the lot for that day. Sometimes I feel I succeed and other days, the post is, EH.
I think I have a lot less EH shots now than I did a year and a half ago. Sometimes, my shots tell a story. Two days ago, I had a particular subject in mind, I set it up and took it. Had to go back out and retake it again because I wasn't satisfied with the first results, but the second take gave me an image of my wife and me getting ready to celebrate our silver anniversary that I'm going to enlarge and frame.
What will keep me going of course are the people who are kind enough to make encouraging comments, and whose work serves as a constant inspiration.