The 365(6) Project
I mentioned the 365 Project on Monday and many of you were very interested. Technically since it's a leap year it's the 366 project, or maybe you can just have one day off this year. The 365 Project is all about capturing what you're doing every day, that way you don't end up a year from now feeling like your life flashed before your eyes; you can look back through your photos and see exactly what you did during the past year. It will be a visual reminder of your year, a photo diary of sorts. Whether your photos are of a mundane task that you're doing that day or a photo from your travels to an exotic destination, participating in a project like this will make you a better photographer. Taking photos of the things you do/see each day will encourage you to look at your surroundings a little more creatively, which will make you a better photographer. Trying to sum up your day in one image will also encourage you to be more creative, and your creativity muscles are like your other muscles, the more you work them the stronger they get! Using your camera every day will also help you learn it inside and out, which will also help you become a better photographer. Being a good photographer isn't an inborn skill, it's learned through lots of trial and error. Join us for this challenge and you'll be amazed at how your skills improve throughout the year.
365:1 - I started my 365 Project on Sunday, January 1, 2012. It was a lazy day for us here, this being the first year in a long time that I've spent it at home. Usually New Year's Day is spent at my parent's house feasting on sauerkraut and pork as my dad's family has for centuries. Even though we were home alone, we still made the traditional meal. Photo #1 of my 365 project features our meal, which has a long history in my family and it was the first day I've ever made it in my kitchen. My grandmother would be proud!
365:2 - On Monday, we went to my family's house to celebrate our Christmas, a little late. I took more than one photo, a few of our meal, the opening of gifts, and other things, but I settled on one of my mom's amaryllises as my 365 Project photo. Why did I choose this one? Because my mom has always had these blooming around the holidays since I can remember. When I see an amaryllis, I think of Christmas, thus I thought it was the perfect way to illustrate that our family Christmas was celebrated on that day.
365:3 - Like most people I was back to work on Tuesday, though for me that's at home. I spent most of my day looking at my computer screen and working with numbers (I dot a lot of accounting for my job). Being self-employed is wonderful, but it's also a challenge. I think a lot of people don't understand the amount of work that goes into owning and operating a business. I think many of the people I know who have "real" jobs think I sit around most of the day doing nothing. Yesterday, I spent 12 hours in front of my computer working. I decided a photo of my keyboard, specifically the number pad, was the way to go. I took a few different photos trying to find just the right one as you can see by the top photo below, this is a screen shot of my photo editing software. This is what the 365 Project is all about, trying to be creative with the mundane in your life!
I set up a Flickr set for my 365 photos, and I'll be uploading them once a week, and you'll probably find them on the Ethel facebook page as well in a 365 album. I'll probably be doing an update here every now and then as well. I'll also be doing a few posts here to give you some tips on improving your 365 images!
Who else is joining the 365 Challenge? Where will you be posting your images (link in the comments)?