On project 365, take 2. Maybe.

By curiousillusion ( December 23, 2009 at 8:18 pm) · Filed under photography, ,

I’m jealous.  I’ll admit it.  I’m thoroughly jealous.  A lot of my flickr friends are counting down to the end of their 365 projects and I’m watching it happen, thinking “why isn’t this me?”  I should be one of them finishing up, I should be excited to nearly be done… instead I’m kicking myself for quitting.

I mean, when I quit I was thoroughly uninspired.  It was nice to not HAVE to take a picture for a change, and days went by without me using my camera.  But then I got Lola.  And shooting with a dslr is such a different experience, I can’t help but play with her every day.  And literally, every single day that I’ve had her, I’ve taken a picture with her. Not just because of the 24 Days of Christmas project… but because I want to take pictures.  Suddenly, it’s fun again.

I don’t know what I’m getting at.  When I knew I was getting the dslr, I figured I could commit myself to project 52.  That seemed like an attainable goal.  I didn’t think I wanted to do project 365 again because I didn’t want to post crummy pictures.  When I’m done with whatever project I do, I want to have a collection of pictures that I’m proud of.  And towards the end of my project, I knew my pictures were not good – I was being lazy and taking bad pictures, hence why I quit.  To me, project 365 is supposed to encourage me to learn more about my camera, to practice different techniques (both with the camera and in photoshop) and to produce pictures that, while not necessarily good to others, are something I can be proud of.  But 365 days is a long time.  A very long time.  A lot of pictures.  Gulp.

So.  That’s my thought process right now.  Part of me is really wanting to do project 365, to actually stick with it and complete it and have it be something I can say I actually finished.  Another part of me is scared I’ll fall into the same rut as last time, and I’ll end up taking awful pictures and I just don’t want to go there again.  I don’t know what I’m going to do.  I have 8 days to figure it out, if I want to start January 1st.  Sigh.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks

Related posts:

  1. On being a quitter… I wasn’t raised to be a quitter.  Plus I tend...
  2. Blogging… interrupted. So I had decided that I needed to get better...
  3. Project 365 rewind – buh bye July! Another week, another 365 post.  This week caught me off...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

« « The could’ve been.| Checking it off the list… » »
  • I'm with everyone else. Do it! You're already going to do it. You just have to upload the pics, and say, "See how awesome I am?!" Then all we have to do is have a LOVE FEST!

    You'll be proud of yourself for doing it.
  • ddiemont
    well someone has to do a 365 in 2010... and it sure as heck ain't gonna be me :-)

    i would recommend doing it just to learn your camera better... the D90 is one hell of a tool... but there is a lot to learn in that little toy, and without picking up and playing with it all the time you'll miss the shots that you really want to get when the time comes to get the shots...

    just don't be like me and get burnt out on commenting... that was by far and away the hardest part of the 365 for me... i got so tied up in the commenting aspect that the photography aspect became somewhat secondary... and then you are missing the point of the project i assume ;-)

    if you do give it another whirl, good luck :-)
  • I think I am going to go ahead with it, for that reason... it'd be nice to know enough about the camera that when I have a specific shot in mind, I'll actually know what to do about it. Somewhat, anyway.

    And you've totally just mentioned the downfall of my 365 - commenting. I got tired of doing it and so I quit. And when I quit commenting, I quit visiting other streams (which are always a source of inspiration) and then I just started taking pics with my iPhone. Not a good idea. If you look at my last 2 months of pictures (and please don't) they suck.

    Okay, so if I go for it... I'll expect you to visit my stream at least once a day. Okay maybe not that much, but you know I'll need at least some support!
  • I think you should do it. We can do it together. :)
  • It definitly makes a huge difference having a DSLR when you complete the project. My second year has been so much better than my first for that very reason. But you will still have ruts and days when you can't be bothered or don't have time. So when I started my 2nd year, I was realistic. This is MY project so I can choose the rules. I had a list of possible photos I could take through the year. I wasn't hard on myself if I hadn't got my photo done by a certain point in the day. I replicated photos I'd taken in my first year, but this time I made them better. And most importantly, I sometimes took more than one photo in a day and saved them for the days that I didn't have time! It worked for me and made the project so much more enjoyable :)
  • Do it up! I know you can do it and you'll feel so good about it when it's done. I am actually going to start it up. Is using flickr easier than posting them on a blog? I have set up a blog specifically for my pictures because I think that is the route I'd like to go.

    Anyway, back to you.... Chances are, with Lola, you'd be taking pictures every day anyway! I got mine in August and still pick it up just about every day to play with it. It sure is amazing.
    Do it up!
  • I am thinking about starting again too. Looking back on mine I LOVE that I have a visual diary of those 3 months I was taking pictures. I remember exactly what day something happened on because of the pictures I took. Which is totally awesome. My memory is getting worse and worse and I love what the project did to help me remember all the little things. So I want to do it again but go into it knowing that not every day is going to be a stellar picture and not every day is going to be awesome. But by the end of the year I will be able to look back and remember all the times that were had both good and bad.

    Anyway, I am also still not 100% sure I am going to do it, but I really really think I want to give it another go.
  • In my opinion, don't pressure yourself; I mean, after seeing the pictures you've taken, it's evident that you have talent.

    If you're going to participate in Project 365, I would advise you to keep in mind one thing: it's all about having fun while capturing a piece of time. Even if you think the picture is "crummy," post it; others for sure will find something interesting in it.

    Another way to look at this project is that it could be something where you can see how much you've learned and how much better you've gotten at photography since you started it. That's what my photoblog is to me, a place where I can see my progress as a hobbyist photographer.

    If you participate in this project, don't see it as a challenge but, like you said, as an encouragement to learn new things… and learn new things, you will (gee, I felt like Yoda for a second there). However, if you decide not to participate, there's always 2011 :)

    Whatever decision you take, I'll cheer for you.
  • TotallyHeather
    I think Lola would really like it if you tried Project 365 with her. I think this time it would be different. Only because you'd be learning all the time. And you'd get to show off Lola.
  • joe
    you must do it. your work is getting better each day, you love your camera, I think you will remain inspired for the whole year. plus it would be great to see you every day!
  • AnnaGay
    Well, I say do it, but I am biased towards the 365 bandwagon :) I think with the DSLR, you're going to find a lot more inspiration than you did with a P&S. While I understand that you want a collection of shots you're proud of, not every single one of your 365 pics will be a work of art (nobody has 365 perfectly composed and beautiful shots day in and day out), but the majority of them WILL be amazing, and you will be proud of them. Sure, there'll be a lemon here and there (it happens to everyone!) but overall, you'll have a lot of pictures that you'll be very proud of.

    In the end, it's up to you :) But, I think you're capabale of it, because you came so close before, and now that you have the DSLR, the sky's the limit. Look at your shot today - AMAZING!!!!
  • Scott Wenstrom
    My advice....go for it! (this from a guy who is considering lowering the bar a tad and doing a 52 week thing in 2010) But, I'm very satisfied with my 365 this year. Even if it did become a drag at times. I think it has made me a better photographer.
  • Lucy
    Yeah you should do it, a lot of the days I had bad pics but I'm happy overall. Some of the lazy days I just took a self portrait. Also It would be good to have about 100-200 good photos instead of only 52. You are also good at photography :D
  • Do it. Put the bar up high and strive for it!
blog comments powered by Disqus