365 Project - KISS
/I mentioned in my Be a Better Photographer Tip #53 [Project 365 & Gimmicks] that I was considering starting a 365 project again (results of my last attempt a few years ago). Well the first 8 days of 2013 were easy, traveling through beautiful Costa Rica and Panama there was something new and exciting to photograph every day.
Now and I am back home and although Southern Vermont blanketed by snow is no less photogenic it is a struggle to see past what is to my eyes "ordinary" AND to find the time. Mostly to find the time. Here is my plan with an emphasis on keeping it simple(KISS) and not giving up the whole thing if I miss a day. . or two.
- Take a photo each day - My goal will be to use my DLSR 98% of the time but if I have taken a cell phone photo that I am particularly proud of that can work too.
- Review the photos with some regularity. The back of the camera is not a substitute for seeing the photo on a big screen and inspecting the photo along with the metadata - seeing your settings side by side with the image is a great way to understand the relationship of exposure, depth of field, movement blur etc.
- Upload these photos with some regularity - probably to a Facebook album, maybe to Blip and anywhere else I feel like sharing.
- Provide a few additional challenges, themes or ideas to keep it fresh- This might seem to fly in the face of keeping it simple but you do run the risk of hitting a mental road block and giving up for lack of creativity. Sites like http://projectlife365.com provide ideas/challenges for each day, helping to keep the brain juices flowing. Plus it is really fun to meet a challenge and then review how others approached or interpreted the same challenge.
I will be back with some more ideas soon - in the meantime pick that camera up an snap a photo, then do it again tomorrow and the day after. You certainly aren't going to improve your photography by putting it off. And don't hesitate to give me a shout and ask how I am doing with the challenge.
