Project 365: pros and cons of a photo-a-day
At the end of 2019 one of Emma’s camera club members put out a tentative post in our Facebook group: "would anyone like to join me doing a photo-a-day project in 2020”? Lorna can’t have expected nearly 100 people would raise their hand and commit to a P365 (or in this case, P366).
On day 300 of the project Emma interviewed the group to find out the highs and lows, and to glean whatever advice she could for anyone wanting to start a new year-long daily photo project.
Why did you start the photo-a-day project?
“I wanted something else to make me take photographs.”
“We had planned to move this year (which we eventually did) and I wanted to document our home, street, local hangouts etc. properly… then lockdown happened. I'll always be grateful I documented that time.”
“My aim was simple: one photo a day to reflect something I'd done that day, even if it was just an ordinary day.”
“I'd done three before, and then failed halfway through 2017 because, well, life and various overwhelmings. I decided 2020 was the year to re-start the 365 (or 366, this year). Because, sitting happily in my wonderful new home, putting books onto shelves and stopping to browse through those completed 365 photobooks, it was suddenly wonderful. All those memories. Time to record more.”
How do you feel now, on day 300?
“It feels like an accomplishment, particularly in such a strange year, to have reached the 300 days point. I have gone from vowing never to do it again to wondering whether to continue in to next year.”
“During the day I'm always on the lookout for a subject. I think my observation skills are improving. It’s been a challenge some days, especially the grey wet days and lockdown restrictions. But maybe that has been the best way to boost the creative juices.”
“I'm absolutely over the moon that I've kept it up.”
“I chose a theme - Things That Make Me Smile. At the beginning of the year when I chose this theme I didn't realise how much things would change and how much smiling would seem so difficult at times. I think having to think about something that made me smile throughout the day made some of those dark (depressing) days seem a little brighter.”
“I think 366 has been instrumental in making me feel I am a confident photographer.”
“This is what I get out of a 365: not 365 fabulous once-in-a- lifetime photos, but 365 memories - which makes it unique for a photochallenge; all the others are about getting as excellent an image as possible. And years down the line, it'll be the mundane ones that make you smile.”
“I'm still loving it. Not everything is taken by camera, I've used my mobile quite a lot as I felt guilty taking my camera out during lockdown.”
“I really enjoy the friendships I've made virtually in what has been an unprecedented year.”
“I feel a sense of achievement having got this far, although a lot may be put down to this year being so weird.”
“The feeling of comradeship from this lovely group really has kept me going. We all have the same aim and are likeminded and find great inspiration from each other.”
Thoughts from people who stopped
“I did think about starting again but decided instead to just be proud that I made it for 8 months.”
“I stopped at the beginning of this month when it very much looked like the sale of our flat was going to fall through. We've moved now and all is well, I've started photographing daily again and am basically pretending that hiatus didn't happen. I don't feel bad about it.”
“During lockdown I started losing motivation and posted my last photo on the 6th May. I carried on taking a photo a day for about a month but didn’t post them – the whole process of posting was becoming tedious and it took the joy out of actually taking the photos. I’d like to do it again but I won’t try to post every photo – maybe just keep them in a folder on my computer and post a few on Instagram.”
Advice for people thinking about having a go
“Just pick up your camera, sometimes I think that's probably the hardest part. OK, I didn't do this myself but sometimes life just gets in the way and that's OK. Don't beat yourself up if you missed a day/some weeks or you started after everyone else.”
“Another boon of doing the 365: learning what the light is doing at different times of the year.”
“I have learnt that not every shot has to be an award winner, and its OK to use whatever camera I have with me at the time - quite often my phone camera.”
“Get started. Don't think about the end - take each day as it comes. Accept that some days you might be going through the motions, but even the mundane is part of your history and will be interesting to look back on.”
“Keep it simple, make it a challenge to yourself but a doable challenge. There are days when you won't feel like going out with your 'big' camera, or editing shots. Try not to compare your photos to others.”
“Your technique will improve, you'll learn more, you'll be inspired by others... but ultimately, it's about the memories. Which is why it doesn't matter two hoots whether your photo is of an orca balancing a beachball on its nose with an aurora in the background, or that crack in the bookshelf you glued back together today and took a blurry photo of because you didn't have anything else.”
“Some days will be tougher than others so don't get upset if you end up having to take what I call a utility photo.”
“Some days there will be so many images you struggle to choose just one and on others you feel that there is absolutely nothing to even bother pointing the camera at. This is normal but as you progress the ideas for the ‘off’ days start forming in your mind and you keep them on back burner for such times. I have a box now with feathers, glass jars, shells, marbles etc for those days I struggle with so there will always be something to photograph.”
“Think about where any photographic opportunities might lie in your day ahead and plan to shoot those. For so many days I have left it until late in the day and had to rush round finding a last minute shot.”
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All words and images in this post are from members of Lorna McHardy’s “Informal P366” group: Maureen Neathway, Belinda Brown, Caroline Morten, Kath Smith, Helen Marchant, Manda Jane Rodwell, Sharon Koole, Hilary Dickson, Lorna McHardy, Christine Johnstone, Di Maitland, Jennie Raymond, Moyra Cuthill, Dianne Whalley, Karen Brickley, Alison Cooney, Alyson Rafferty, Jane Tyrer, Hilary Ratcliffe, Tamsin Spain, Jennifer Payne.