project 365, a year in review

So I did it. An entire year, 365 days, documented in pictures.



Did I miss some days? Absolutely. Several times throughout the year there were days when I just had absolutely no inspiration or desire to pick up the camera. Or I did, but the pictures were so boring or just plain bad that I could not bring myself to post them. Thus, my Project 365 began on March 5, 2008 and ended on April 5, 2009.

That said, doing this project absolutely inspired me and changed the way I take pictures. I have come to love documenting the little details of our day to day life. I got my first SLR camera in my twenties, and began taking pictures like mad when my first daughter was born, but generally I photographed occasions, with people posed and dressed nicely.

When you take a picture a day, you wind up with a lot of pictures of your kids dirty and/or in pajamas doing lots of ordinary everyday things. And strangely enough, these are the pictures that I have come to love the most. Yes, I will still do the posed shots from time to time. In fact, I have big plans to get some nice shots of my girls looking clean and pretty in their Easter dresses this week. But I also hope to continue documenting the day to day reality, because now, looking back, I am very glad to have these details documented in pictures.

I also learned soooo much about my camera over the course of the year. In fact, I recently bought a shiny new Nikon D90 and two new lenses, a 50mm 1.8 and a 18-200 mm, both of which I love.

Prior to starting this project, I shot most of my pictures in Auto or maybe, maybe, one of the program modes like Portrait or Sport. Spending so much time with my camera with no particular pressure to get a great shot of a special event really helped me to learn exactly how Shutter Speed, Aperature and ISO work together. Finally, I GET IT. I feel like I have made great progress as a photographer.

And editing? A year ago I had no idea how to use Photoshop and now I could not live with out it.

It is funny, but after a year, taking a picture a day has become a habit. Sunday was my last official day, but I just automatically think about what I am going to get a picture of each day. And I do hope to continue to document our day to day life, maybe not with a picture every single day, but pretty close.

So to anyone who is looking for a way to grow as a photographer I would definitely recommend that you start your own Project 365. Now. Just do it. You will not regret it.