Photo 365 (366)

There’s something very special about the first month of the new year. It always feels like a blank slate, a chance to move on from whatever was holding you back last year, a promise of things to come, a whole year full of opportunities just waiting to happen.

It’s silly really because time is just a human construct and we could choose to start fresh on any given rotation of the sun but Jan 1^st provides a marker point and the older I get, the faster those 365 (or 366 this year) rotations seems to disappear, so I really savour these first, ambitious days of January, when anything seems possible.

For the last few years I’ve completed a 365 photo project. The premise is simple; take a photo each and every day of the year and publish it.

I’ve read lots of blog pieces from the ‘put down your device’ naysayers who lament the way many of us view our lives through a lens. I actually find these quite amusing, especially the ones that bag social media and the internet – and yet the piece is published … on the internet! ‘Live in the moment’, ‘make memories, not videos’, etc, etc. But what is a photograph, if it’s not a memory? A memory that lives, not only in my rapidly deteriorating grey matter, but one that can be shared

My completed 365s are the ultimate photo album. Rather than taking you away from the moment, the discipline of taking at least one photo every day forces you to concentrate on the minutiae of daily life, to look for something memorable in every day, not just the ‘special’ occasions. For sure, my 365 shows me birthdays and victories and spectacular holiday moments but it also reminds me of the other glorious parts of my life; the first ripe plums on our trees, Spring heralding daffodils, sunsets, laughter, trivial, happy moments from the daily grind of teaching that would otherwise be lost. The 365 is like a gift to yourself because at the end you have a spectacular, chronicled, visual diary of your life.

I have tried posting my 365 projects in a few different places. Originally, I posted to the 365project.org website. This is a great forum for photography because of the challenges they set and the support of other amateur photographers. The hard part is getting around to uploading your photos from the camera each week.

In 2015, I chose Instagram because it’s so easy to post on the run with my iPhone and because the phone saves Inta pics into one folder so they’re easy to see as a series.

Since my first go at this project, back in 2011, I’ve tried to up the challenge by applying a theme to each year’s photos. This makes it much harder. This year’s theme was #trysomethingnew and was more about me pushing my comfort zone than the actual photography. As a result, I’ve tried lots of new recipes and eaten things I’ve never tried before and I’ve pushed my own fear limits to climb to high places, including the Swiss Alps, the Eiffel Tower and the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Since I was holding my breath and closing my eyes for some of those experiences, it’s a good thing I have photographic evidence!

Instagram 2015 #trysomethingnew

One of my greatest regrets is that I didn’t start doing this earlier. I admire and envy the photographers who have chronicled their own or their children’s lives with daily or yearly photos. How amazing it must be to look back and reflect in that way. Still, regret is a wasted emotion so I’m determined to chronicle the back half of my life. Hopefully my grand children and great grand children will find it of historic amusement, if nothing else.

This year I’m going with Insta again (#thingsthatmakemehappy) but I’m also posting to a Flickr group (#2016 ) because they have very strict rules about posting on the same day as taking so it provides another level up in the challenge. I’m also hoping to integrate the 365 into my teaching with a #theresmoretomortlake tag for the kids to contribute to. From my dslr camera I’m going to put as much as possible onto 365.org as well. And then, I really want to do a portrait series because people are just so interesting!

Insta 2015 : #thingsthatmakemehappy

The hardest part is always choosing just one photo and that’s why I’m cheating by running different sites.

If you’ve never had a go at taking a photo a day, this is the year to try it.
Here are my top tips for a successful project:
- Take lots of photos and then edit each night on your phone/camera.
- Take a photo early in each day. You can always get a better one as the day progresses but there's nothing worse than getting to bed time and having nothing captured.
-Keep your originals in a 365 folder on your computer or a portable drive. Then if you want to print them at the end of the year, they're easy to find and in chronological order.
-Don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. With most sites you can cheat a bit by filling in the gaps with an extra from the day before or the day after - NB; not Flickr though - miss more than one day and you're out!

Flickr- 2016 one photo a day

- Choose a theme or go for a site that has weekly or monthly topic challenges. This definitely helps with motivation and inspiration. On 365 org you can even pair up with a mentor who will look at your photos and choose a challenge for you.

And if you do start a photo a day challenge this year, please add me on Instagram or wherever you post so that I can follow your adventures too.

365 org : Anne De Manser
Instagram: @kwaussies
Flickr : @Aannne