Tag Archives: Leica

Many of us who started a Project366 on the first day of this year are quickly approaching the final marker.  Today is day 311 for me.

This is my second Project366 and I have to say it’s going to be my last one.  In my earlier, more adventurous times, the challenge of a photograph every day seemed like a good learning opportunity and a project kept me personally accountable.  I was also committed to others who follow along on Flickr where I chose to share my project.  It was a good learning experience, my skills have definitely grown and I’ve matured as a photographer in many ways.  I’m increasingly selective in the shots I take but with a Project366, not as selective as I intend to be after the end of the year.

Taking the shot that I know works is becoming increasingly hard.  My standards have elevated and are not nearly as low as they were when I began my first Project366 in 2010.  Back then, one of my shots was of an empty “Good & Plenty bag on the sidewalk…yikes!  I look back on that shot which is still up on Flickr with horror and wonder now what I was thinking.

While, I’d never consider a shot like that now, I still need to grab a photograph every day.  The pressure to deliver is constant.  There’s almost not an hour in my day that I don’t think about what great shot might be possible with the time remaining.   My perspective is all wrong though.  My job has to come first and when I can the daily shot rises to the top.  The problem is that many of us have high pressure job responsibilities narrowing our opportunity to shoot.  It really sounds like whining and a lame excuse doesn’t it?  Well it is and it isn’t.  The reality of making sure my non photography related responsibilities are done completely and to the best of my ability leaves my passion for photography on the curb for most of the day.

So, opportunities for an acceptable contribution to my project are mainly limited to the time I have after work.  Generally that’s enough time but it’s still a challenge after a hard day.  It’s a daily question as I make my way from the office to the parking garage and consider the commute home.  What do I want to shoot to get my daily shot?  Where should I go?  Do I want to stray off the beaten path for a new and fresh location to shoot.  How much time out my way will it be, how many miles?  Will there be traffic?  With the increasing price of gas I’ve also considered how much it might cost by adding an extra 20 or 30 miles to my trip home.

Now the upside is that I have some decent shots that I wouldn’t otherwise have.  The project forces me to shoot and sometimes presents opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise show themselves.  The downside, and this is more serious for me now, is that I have had to settle for some photographs that I’m not happy with.  Even more chilling, I feel compelled to publish them on Flickr to be accountable to my commitment.  While I don’t consider Flickr as my portfolio, I do want to move towards photographs that are more representational of my style which is increasingly social photography in black and white.  I also want to put my best work out there all the time now.  And that’s the crux, my project photos are not always my best work.  If not for the commitment, they wouldn’t be posted.

So, this will be my last Project366.  It’s been a great learning experience.  I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to shoot lots of photographs every day but needs a bit of a push to get out and do it.  For me, I’ve had that experience and it did help to push me along.

My photography will always have room for improvement, I don’t anticipate the learning will ever end.  By no means am I at a point where I can say I don’t need to stay sharp by shooting every day.  I do.  But there are days when my shots are just not good enough to share.  But I’ll take a less stressful daily shooting experience and use it to improve my skills, technique and photographs.