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I'm a big fan of documenting daily life, even before I was introduced to Project Life, Capture Your 365, One Little Word, Project 365 etc. Usually, I'm the one with the camera in my hand no matter where we are or what we are doing.
In 2010, I attempted Project 365. I made it just over 90 days consecutively before I gave up. My goal was to take an artistic and technically great picture every single day for a year. I had no idea how hard that would be. But, even in those 90 days, I'm so glad to have the images that I ended up with - here are a few (you can see the whole set HERE):
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A lot of people make New Year's resolutions to take better pictures, or take more pictures - maybe you got a new camera for Christmas and you want to use it fully. For whatever reasons you may have, and whatever your goals may be, there's a resource to help you stay motivated.
This is a fantastic site for anyone doing a 365 Project, but especially if you are stretching your photography wings to improve your technique. You can interact with a community of like-minded people doing the same thing and stay motivated and get inspired by some amazing photographers. I used this site in 2010, and let me tell you, once you connect with people, they really hold you accountable to stick to it.
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This is my first year as a member of the CY365 community but I like what I see so far. Again, there is a sense of community, so you connect with other people doing the same thing you are. You can sign up for daily prompts, too, to give you ideas of what to photograph each day. Katrina Kennedy puts together a monthly list of prompts that you can print out and keep visible - refer to it daily, weekly, or whenever you just need an idea of what to shoot. Do them in order or randomly - it's totally up to you!
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Shutterfly
Yes, Shutterfly. Their blog, to be more specific. I have been a member of Shutterfly for...oh, I don't know, 7 years-ish? Something like that. Their blog is a great source of inspiration for photo inspiration. Here are a couple links that I've come across recently:
Slice of Life: Kids Were Here...
A Daily Treasure Hunt by Jessica Deane
This is so cute. She challenged herself to take pictures of her kids...wait for it...without her kids being in the pictures. Messes they made, things they created, toys left in their usual spot, etc. You can incorporate this into your 365 - perhaps once a week or once a month, photograph a little something left by your little one.
The Shutterfly blog has several "My Life in 5 Pictures..." from different people, but I really like Ali's take on it. Sweet images. To incorporate this into your own 365, you could take one week each month and document things happening right now, in that moment, that make your life sweet, blessed, and just worth living.
by Becky Higgins
Now that Becky Higgins has partnered with Shutterfly to carry her digital Project Life albums, it's only fitting that she offer her advice on documenting life! And since I'm seriously one of her biggest fans, I had to include a link to her recent blog post on Shutterfly. She shares some great tips for capturing those moments in between the posed shots, and reminds us to let go of the camera sometimes and be in your own photos! (I need to take that piece of advice myself!)
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by Rebecca Cooper
I love me some Rebecca Cooper - she's so stinkin' sweet! But she's a super talented photographer, too. And because she's so sweet and talented, she has come up with several checklists for different seasons to give you ideas of memorable Kodak moments that you might want to capture. These lists would be great to keep handy for those days when you just can't think of what to photograph. Refer to her list and you've got tons of ideas, instantly!
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365 Days, 365 Photo Ideas
This is a simple 2-page PDF file with 365 ideas for photos to document the everyday. Another great resource for brainstorming.
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As for my own 365 + 1 (it is a leap year, after all!), I have been scribbling some ideas of my own. Here's what I have so far:
Monthly
- Marley's height
- a family portrait
- a date night with Mark
- self-portrait
Weekly
- my feet where I stand (different perspective)
- picture taken with my phone
- evidence of life being lived (borrowing from Jessica Deane's idea)
- representation of my One Little Word, strength
Special Days
- 2.22 - Marley's 10th birthday - A photo of her holding the number 10
- 2.29 - Leap Day - A photo of us jumping, of course!
- 12.12 - Some form of triple 12, or maybe 12 of something...
My list is ever-evolving, as will be my photos this year. I love having some direction and inspiration. It will definitely keep me focused. And when I go back and look at my 90+ photos from my first 365 attempt, as well as my 2010 and 2011 albums, it reminds me that it's worth it. I wouldn't trade these memories for anything in the world!
Happy Shooting!
Great post with some great links, pinning for reference, thank you!
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