365 progress: March 2012

My conclusion thus far is that a 365 project is a hell of a lot more difficult than I realised. Starting out, I think my photography actually got worse, not better. Lots of terrible photos taken at the end of the day - of anything - just so I had a photo. Obviously it takes practice to get into the mind set! Then I started trying to log the photos as I went along on Instagram, which meant I posted my photo for day 8 very early in the day only to take at least three better ones later on... it's all very confusing! So, as April progresses I'm giving myself less rules while I try and get the hang of this. I won't pick the photo till the end of the day (or even the day after) and I'll just try to keep taking pictures, hopefully with some sort of composition - because right now my Instagram feed is absolutely terrible.

My summary calendar - when I saw this I was shocked by how dark all my pictures are...

Day 1: Birthday dinner - Dan took the brunt of my forgetfulness

Day 2: Taco

Day 3: Our apartment

Day 4: View from the bedroom window with a long exposure

Day 5: My very glamorous staircase at work

Day 6: The indoor washing line - Valentines still on the wall

Day 7: Waiting for the trolley home (Dan had a puncture)

Day 8: Lying in bed, watching Taco and the flag flying

Day 9: Plotting...

365: March 2012: New Life

Tomorrow is my Birthday. As well as making me 29 and this blog four years old, this birthday is my first as a married woman (wives get better presents right?) and my first living in America. It also means the start of my 365 project and I've decided my first task.

*drum roll*

For the remains of March my task will be to photograph (and appreciate without being miserable and homesick) my new life. My new HUSBAND, my new country, my new city, my new apartment, my new CAT, my new job, my new bike. I like the ones in capitals best of all, so they might get more photos than the others.

Here's a special bonus picture of Taco Belle being cute:

Project 365

I mentioned briefly that I have a new phone - an iPhone to be precise - and as I've had to be self controlled for several years before having the means to get on the smart phone bandwagon, I'm now fully immersed. I am *trying* to be restrained and not download every app I can think of all at once, but it's truly amazing what this little gizmo can do. 

One creative project I've thought I'd like to do previously, but didn't really seem practical at the time, was some sort of photo 365 project. Now I'm obsessed with Instagram [a small selection of my recent photos litter this post] and taking pictures on my phone, it seems a bit more do-able. Having to cart around our lovely Canon SLR everyday was never really an option, just because it's kind of heavy and not practical for every situation. Also, there's no way I can find time to knit/craft everyday - but I'm sure I can take a photo of something. The act of doing something a little bit creative everyday will hopefully be a rewarding.

My 29th birthday is just over the horizon, and that seems like a good day to start a 365 project. To give myself some sort of focus and make the job a little easier I thought I might create some themes to pursue, in advance, on a weekly or monthly basis. To go into a whole year of images could be disastrous if I don't have something to focus on - equally I know I'll get bored if I have the same theme for a year. So now I have ten days to think of my first theme. I'm going to post the themes and the results here to try and keep me true to my word. If any one wants to join in, drop me a message!