I haven’t told anyone about this project except for my boyfriend. Not that its a huge, super secret or anything.
I started a 365 Project this year.
A what?!
A project in which I take one photograph every day. I did not invent this project and it is not original in any way shape or form. Lots of photographers pursue this endeavor – I wonder how many are successful – and now I am traveling down this path too.
Wanna know when I decided to start this project? Spur of the moment on January 1st around 7pm. These are not perfect conditions for beginning a long term project – no planning, thinking it through, pep-talks or anything. This isn’t my usual style, but why not??
It’s been kind of difficult because I have 4 jobs and already am craving even ten minutes of free time on any given day, so to start this and think I’ll be successful at it is not logical, but I’m trying. Not every photograph is perfect, thought provoking or artistic and because of my lack of free time as is, I cannot post a photo every day like everyone else does. Instead, I have to make this work for me, so I am going to have a cumulative post at the end of each month showcasing what I’ve done every day. I’m a very honest person, so trust me – the dates and details are true.
My hopes for this project, as I continue through are that I will improve my photography skills (which seems logical – the more you practice, the better you are) and that I will eventually not be able to live without my camera. I would like to get more into travel, culture and lifestyle photography, so this could pave the way for that.
I also have a slight plan for this project to help me learn. This first month I photographed everything on a Canon 60D Camera with a 24-70mm lens and have edited everything in Lightroom (A new program I am learning how to use – this project has helped me learn how to use it!), then made my diptych or triptychs in Photoshop CS6.
Next month I plan to photograph everything on my phone. Cengiz has been bugging me for years to get a better phone with a better camera and telling me about how great camera phones are and his philosophies about social media, the changes in photography, and being able to spread news in an instant through the medium. He has finally inspired me (during my last trip to Chicago in December). Since then I have been photographing with my phone and editing my photos using Pixlr Express. I plan to look more into this process during the month of February. In March, who knows. Like I said – If I’m going to use what little free time I have pursuing this project, then I better make this a learning experience!
Here’s what I have so far:
January 1. This is a photograph of a slingshot & ammo. My concept for this shot, with a bookshelf oh-so-blurred, at a time when this topic is so heated in out nation, is that “even ‘smart’ and ‘educated’ people are armed” and “not all who are armed will use their weapon for evil”.
January 2. Bagheerah, destructor of all things green and alive. I came home to my two air plants ripped to shreds all over the floor. I put them back together in their ‘vase’ and hung them back on the curtain. As I was cleaning and photographing the pieces Gheerah jumped back up and was attempting to get them again! As of right now, they are officially dead. ((R.I.P. Air Plants))
January 3. On this day I spent the entirety of it preparing for the following day. I went to sleep philosophically thinking about how I spent the whole day preparing for a day that wasn’t promised to me.
January 4. This is one of those days in which I work 2 jobs and have no time to think let alone take a creative photograph, so around 11pm, right before bed, I photographed this plant. I went with the Uta Barth look.
January 5. I did a photo shoot with Boxed Wine today. It was casual & fun. The photographs crack me up every time I see them!
January 6. Hanging out in the man cave, watching my boyfriend do stuff. He had just shined up these brass bullets and was sifting through them.
January 7. Ryan came over, cooked me dinner (delicious!!) and gave me an orchid – my favorite flower. We used printer paper to reflect light onto the flower and I messed the whole thing up by shooting this terrible composition. Oh-well! 365!?
January 8. As I posted above, I work 4 jobs. On some days I literally only get 10 minutes to change my outfit at home between jobs and then I come home at night in time for bed. On days like that my only pure happiness is that Just Subs is in-between my first job and home and I am able to order the best sandwich in the universe to scarf down before running to the next job. I don’t often have the extra time to eat between jobs, but on the days I do, this sandwich is righteous and pure heaven.
January 9. I honestly don’t know what happened. I didn’t realize until the next day that I had forgotten to photograph something.
January 10. Today, a former student of mine came to visit and he brought me a gift. A Foreigner vinyl record album!! He is definitely the coolest kid ever. I obviously went home and immediately put it on.
January 11. I got to spend a little bit of time before bed playing with Bagheerah. This is her favorite toy.
January 12. Palecek Family Christmas Party. This year we decided to do an ugly sweater theme & I helped my cousin, Charlie, set up a photo booth. It was all his idea and it was awesome!! These are some of the photographs.
January 13. My dad has dreamed his whole life of building boats. Literally the last 30+ years. He finally makes one and he makes it for me?!? What?! How on earth am I so lucky?? This is unbelievable! So I went to visit the garage in which they’re building it and it looks awesome so far! I especially liked all of these clamps!
January 14. Skeleton Keys. I collect them. I have a lot of them. Here are some photographs of them.
January 15. I have a habit of reading through my Facebook new feed every night before bed. Come on – I can’t be the only one that does this!
January 16. I’m not very proud of this one, but here it is anyway. A silhouette (ish) of one of my many plants.
January 17. Adventure books are my greatest escape. I absolutely love to get lost amongst the pages of non-fiction adventure writing. This one is REALLY OLD and is about John Wesley Powell’s Adventure down the Colorado River in the 1800’s. This book interests me most because I spent a couple weeks on a road trip this past summer exploring the area he once explored so I know the names of places he writes about and can visualize the beautiful landscape he describes perfectly.
January 18. My Love. The Mamiya RB67. <3
January 19. A night at Ryan’s house spent playing palace, drinking Angry Orchards and listening to bluegrass music via his new DVD. Perfection.
January 20. We went on a hike today in Vernon. Look at this wood chip pile left behind by a beaver! SO COOL!
January 21. Gheerah’s all riled up and crazy.
January 22. Once again – I woke up on the 23rd wondering how on earth I just completely forgot to photograph anything the day before. I guess this is now a 363 Project. 🙁
January 23. Contemplating the concepts of balance and focus.
January 24. My biggest regret in life is giving up piano lessons. My grandmother was right.
January 25. Ryan, showing off his rubber band ball. He’s very proud.
January 26. Today we painted Ryan’s bedroom! It looks great!!!
January 27. This is a photo of my father working on the canoe he is building me. I love this photo and I’m in love with my home-crafted canoe. Luckiest girl ever.
January 28. Ya know those days when you’re warm in your car driving home and when you get there you don’t want to get out because of the weather? Yea.
January 29. Walgreens brand Sudafed and cough drops, please save me.
January 30. One of the coolest things about my house is the old doors with skeleton key locks. Love them.
January 31. This is my lap in its current state, as I write this. Gheerah snuggled up. She always puts a smile on my face with her unconditional love.
Above, I wrote about the learning experience I wanted this project to be. So far, I don’t believe I’ve learned anything but perseverence. I’m not super psyched on any of the above images & I’ve noticed I’ve used it to document my days more than create anything interesting. I also am seeing a lot of repetition in images of my cat – mostly because I live alone, work a lot and don’t see too many people outside of work, which I haven’t photographed at yet. Oh well. Perseverance is something, right!? Just gotta keep on truckin’ & do my best.
I have high hopes for next month. Starting tomorrow I will photograph with my cell phone every day and edit with pixlr express. I will have a learning curve – I need to figure out how to use my cell phone camera!! haha I hope to have a better appreciation for this new phase of photography by the first of March. We will see.
Much love & Many thanks to everyone reading this post & offering support. <3
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