A One Photo a Day Project (also called a 365 Project) can be deeply rewarding. It has the potential to change your photography, and it may even change your life.
You may wonder if you will keep up with a 365 Project and that is a valid concern. What I suggest to you is go with the flow and take each day as it comes. 365 is quite a commitment thoʼ the rewards will be extraordinary for you whether youʼre just beginning with photography or are a seasoned pro.
By the end of the project, I guarantee your photographic skills will increased tremendously. Itʼs also possible youʼll be a very different person with a different outlook on the world around you.
This blog post is about starting and staying with a One Photo a Day Project. Weʼll talk about different ways you can personally define the project and how to stay motivated over time. Iʼll finish with a few tips to make your daily photographic journey a success.
WHY DO A ONE PHOTO A DAY PROJECT?
There are many reasons to do a One Photo a Day Project, not all of which have to do with photography.
Many photographers start a One Photo a Day Project to improve their photographic skills or get themselves out of a photographic rut.
Doing anything every day almost guarantees that your skills will improve. Each day you can explore a different photographic technique or genre. You can try street photography today and make a landscape tomorrow. The project gives you permission and time to explore your photography at a deeper level.
Others do the project to document their daily lives. We see this a lot at Instagram thoʼ I canʼt say there is much creativity put into most peopleʼs selfies.
Families grow and change. We sometimes forget to take a moment and document everyday life. We might take vacation photos but forget to take a photo today, thinking it too common to photograph. Cell phone cameras have made it so easy to document everyday life that we sometimes just forget to do it. A One Photo a Day Project makes every day a special photographic opportunity.
A One Photo a Day Project just might be brilliant for therapeutic reasons. Photography will give you a reason to get out of the house. You could go out with your camera and for at least a few minutes forget the problems of the world and lord knows we have a lot of those. The journey each day to find a photo – to find one beautiful thing you could share with the world – will be therapeutic. Curiosity and a desire to learn will break you out of old habits and make you think ahead rather than dwell on current or past problems.
Whatever your reasons for starting, the journey of a One Photo a Day Project can change your outlook. Each day go out and look for and see compositions everywhere. Very quickly, your outlook will change. Youʼll begin to see light and beauty. You could literally visually order your world.
Creating a One Photo a Day Project gives you the framework for improving your photography and maybe even your outlook on life.
HOW TO START A ONE PHOTO A DAY PROJECT
Thereʼs no secret to starting a One Photo a Day Project. Take out your camera or your phone and snap a picture.
Go and do it now. Step away from your screen and take a photograph. Take a photo of the room youʼre in, or step out your front door and take a photo. Youʼve officially started your project.
It doesnʼt matter how you start. It matters that you started. Tomorrow you can plan better, but today is the day to get started.
Not every photo has to be good. We all have to start somewhere. Thereʼs a good chance that the photo you just took to start your One Photo a Day Project will be better than mine.
To start your One Photo a Day Project, let go of perfection. This project is a journey and there will be good days and bad. Itʼs not about the quality of the image, itʼs about the experience of finding and making the image.
PERSONALIZING YOUR ONE PHOTO A DAY PROJECT
Starting a One Photo a Day Project can be daunting, especially if youʼre doing a 365 Project. Itʼs a BIG commitment to take a photo every day for an entire year. Some get overwhelmed before they even start.
We get hung up on the “one photo a day” commitment, but the important word in the One Photo a Day Project is “project.”
Itʼs your project. Make your own rules and let them evolve. Make the project work for you.
First, you donʼt have to commit to one photo a day for a full year. Choose your own time period. This could be a week or a month or some arbitrary amount of time.
A popular alternative to a One Photo a Day Project is a One Photo a Week Project. Make 52 photos in a year rather than 365. Weekend photographers can sink their teeth into this since it fits perfectly with their schedule.
A “100” Project roughly doubles the output of a weekly project. Make 100 photos this year. This project allows for more or less productive weeks throughout the year. Posting on social media with a numbering system helps keep track of where you are. Label your photos 1/100,
2/100, etc. Youʼre announcing your final goal and tracking your progress towards the goal, which provides additional motivation.
Itʼs your project. Make rules for yourself and stick to them. The framework adds consistency to your photography.
STAYING MOTIVATED
Some days itʼs hard to be motivated to take a photo. Life can get in the way of being creative and finding a photo. After a while, it may be difficult to find things to photograph. Themes and a social network both provide that extra creative push you need to get the next shot.
THEMES
If youʼre struggling to find that next thing to photograph, youʼre not alone. Many photographers need daily inspiration. Luckily, there are many sources of daily and weekly photographic themes. Simply search “photo themes” and dozens of sources will appear. The website 365project.org runs daily and weekly challenges to help keep you motivated. Flickr also has many groups based around themes. One of the biggest is Flickr Friday, which hosts a weekly photo challenge. Photo competition websites like GuruShots and Viewbug are based around themes.
Itʼs not really about winning the challenge or competition but having an idea and a deadline for posting an image. Themes will keep you motivated to capture images.
These sources provide you with a lot of diverse photographic ideas, but you can also have a theme for your entire project.
If you like to photograph people or seek to improve your street photography, a popular themed project is “100 Strangers.” The goal – you guessed it – is to photograph 100 strangers. This project focuses on taking street portraits and getting to know a little something about 100 new people. There is a Flickr group for this project where you can post your photos and interact with other photographers.
The 100 Strangers Project can easily be adapted. If your goal is to focus on studio work, the project may be reframed as “100 Portraits.” If you like to photograph wildlife or landscapes, the project could instead be “100 Birds” or “100 Trees.”
Color-based projects are always fun. I followed a photographer doing a 365 Project where photos each month focused on a different color. A “7-Rainbows” Project is a color-based project where each photo focuses on a color of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) – in order.
An “ABC” Project focuses on making 26 photos for the year – or about two per month – with the subject of each photo starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Just donʼt forget X. Themes give your project direction and help motivate you to take the next image. And the next.
POST TO SOCIAL MEDIA
One Photo a Day Projects are popular and communities form around the experience. Knowing that there are thousands of people around the world doing the same project you are can be highly motivating.
Posting your photos on social media becomes an event. Itʼs a way of announcing that youʼve completed the next step on your journey. Youʼll get feedback from others, usually positive, which can help with motivation.
There is also a website called 365project where your photos are organized into a calendar.
You can easily see what youʼve photographed a month ago or a year ago.
And if youʼre like me, youʼll take a photo simply so that you donʼt have a blank space on your calendar. It is a silly motivation, but it will get you out of the house with a camera in your hand – whatever works.
Initially, you might be uncomfortable about sharing your photos publicly, but a project like this could very well end up being just what you need to build your confidence as a photographer. Some days youʼll take a photo only because of obligation.
There are many other places to find a community of photographers doing a One Photo a Day Project.
Here are a few Instagram hashtags devoted to this project: 365photochallenge
Flickr has many groups for posting daily photos including the Project 365 group. But donʼt just post your photo and run. Take a few minutes and look at what other photographers are posting. There are many great ideas and chances are youʼll be inspired. You might see an idea for a subject or a photographic technique that you want to try. You might even plan your next dayʼs photograph based on something another photographer
posted.
Posting daily photos on social media provides motivation and a sense of camaraderie with others who are on a similar photographic journey.
11 TIPS TO COMPLETING YOUR ONE PHOTO A DAY PROJECT
Finally, here are a few tips to help you succeed during your One Photo a Day Project.
TIP #1: PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES ARE EVERYWHERE
Once you start looking for photo opportunities, youʼll find them everywhere: walking down the street, driving home from work, even in your own home.
TIP #2: CARRY YOUR CAMERA ALL THE TIME
We all have a camera in our pockets, but if youʼre using an SLR or DSLR, make sure you always have it with you. You never know when youʼll find a photo opportunity.
TIP #3: FEW PHOTOS ARE FOUND SITTING ON YOUR SOFA
Walk out your front door and take a photo! That crack in the sidewalk can be photographically interesting if you really look.
TIP #4: BUILD PHOTOGRAPHY TIME INTO YOUR LIFE
Make this project part of your daily life. Build it into your schedule. It doesnʼt have to be a lot of time. It only takes a fraction of a second to take a photograph.
TIP #5: NOT EVERY PHOTO HAS TO BE EPIC
Some days youʼll only
have time for a quick pic, but itʼs important to still stop, however briefly, and capture the moment. It might be an average moment – lifeʼs full of them.
TIP #6: LEARN NEW PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES
With photography, thereʼs always something new to learn. If your motivation lags, try out a new photographic technique or a new photo app. Explore the world with different eyes.
TIP #7: BE SOCIAL
Find someone to share the project with. Look for local photography meetups, classes, or clubs. Go on a photo walk. Others can help motivate you.
TIP #8: FIND YOUR NICHE
In photography, thereʼs a place for everyone. If you like to photograph something, chances are others like to photograph it, too. Look for a Flickr group or Instagram hashtag that fits your interest.
TIP #9: REPEAT PHOTOGRAPHS
You donʼt always have to find something new to photograph each day. Return to places or photograph the same people at different times. Youʼll always find something fresh.
TIP #10: TAKE MANY PHOTOS
Donʼt just take one photo a day. When you find something interesting to photograph, take many shots. You never know which one youʼll like best.
TIP #11: CELEBRATE YOUR GOALS
Set yourself small goals and celebrate them. Making an eBook of your favorite moments at the end of a month or a year lets you see how far youʼve come.
Final Thoughts
A One Photo a Day Project can be life-changing. By the end of the project, you will see the world very differently and your photographic skills could increased tenfold.
Thereʼs no secret to starting a One Photo a Day Project. Walk out your door and snap a photo. The project is about consistency.
But donʼt worry about it. Itʼs your project and you can make of it what you want. You know yourself and your life. Do the project for 30 days or do one photo a week for a year.
Start with no real expectations, open your mind and your heart, learn more about photography, the place you live and learn more about yourself.
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