Why you might want to try a 365 project…

We’ve all done it. You pick up a camera one day and suddenly you’re all in. You want to spend your time shooting, learning and scratching that itch until it goes away.

But then you have a run of lousy, uninspiring weather and the camera goes away for a few weeks. You feel uninspired and the skills you’ve been slowly building during those inspired days start to slowly ebb away.

What if you weren’t allowed those off days? What if you had to shoot no matter what?

Sometimes it is better to try and fail than it is to wait for a perfect time that may never come…

Those people who know me well may know that I live with depression. I’ve come to realise over time that many of us walk that fine line between OK and really blinkin’ awful. Me, I’ll have periods of heightened activity and focus, followed by days where I can’t face anyone or do anything.

However, those good days are an opportunity to put structures in place to keep me going through the bad days. Getting outside and walking regardless of the weather is one great way of keeping things going, but if you are going out for a walk, you might as well take your camera and look for things to shoot, right?

With a 365 project you need to produce something, anything, each and every day, rain or shine. Yes, some days you may come home with nothing particularly special, but you may get more, learn more and feel more than you would if you had never started.

Gradually you’ll start to spot opportunities, or see the mundane in new and interesting ways.

I’ve done a couple of 365 projects now. I remember the days of those years far more vividly than all the others, for better or worse. I can look at any one photo and transport myself back to that day. Best of all, shooting every day taught me a great deal about myself, my photography and I even came away with some photographs that are still in my list of favourites.

My latest 365 project you can follow along here:

This year I’m doing the whole year with one camera and one lens, a 50mm f1.8 prime. Limitations help to focus the mind –but that’s a topic for another day.