The Project Is Dead, Long Live The Project

Not Project 365 // Day Nothing, Year Null

Forgive the stream of consciousness type post. I need to write this and I have been so badly neglecting my blog I can’t risk taking the time to carefully craft this post as I would probably never get around to posting it.

 

The days and weeks leading up to February 2, 2008 were filled with questions.

Should I really start a daily photography project called Project 365? How long will I stick with it? Do I really have the creativity to find something interesting to shoot each day? Am I crazy?

I had seen a few sites (most notably Bryan’s) that had folks shooting and posting a new photo every day that was taken that day. It seemed like a great idea. A way to not only create daily content for my blog, but to create a record of the year, a way to challenge myself to be creative, a way to get better behind the camera.

By no means did I fancy myself a photographer. In fact I would cringe any time “photographer” or “photography” was used in discussions about what I was about to set off on. Those were words that implied a level of skill or vision that I didn’t believe I possessed.

I was just a guy with a camera, trying something new. What I discovered was that I was indeed a photographer, and I was able to create photographs, not just snap shots, pictures. It’s a fine line, and one that I feel a bit pretentious drawing sometimes, but I am proud to say that I have a talent and I am proud that I have been able to grow and share my growth.

I plugged away on my Project 365 for over a thousand days. Blowing past the first year and then the second year. Steaming towards the finish line of year three when I took a full time 9-5.  When I started the project I was working part time in the evenings and at home with my kids during the daylight hours.

I wasn’t totally crazy about working evenings (I missed little league games, softball games, basketball games, school concerts, dinner with the family, this, that and the other thing too…) but it afforded me the time to be with my kids a fair amount in a way that many people aren’t lucky enough to experience (especially during school vacations).

It also afforded me the flexibility to shoot. A lot. It afforded me the flexibility to grow as a photographer.

I found it increasingly tough to keep up with my shooting when I started my new gig in January.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my new job, I LOVE working days. But it really did kill off my 365 chances. For now.

I will still post photos. Frequently. Not one for each day, but I will keep at it. I may even rev up a 365 again in the near(ish) future. But until that day comes, I hope you enjoy what I do post. I thank everybody who has visited, commented or otherwise supported me in my journey.

Stay tuned…..