So, you might be starting a 365 project. I have taken a photo every day for an entire year… four times. So, here’s what I did, and what I learned.
So, you might be starting a 365 project. I have taken a photo every day for an entire year… four times. So, here’s what I did, and what I learned.
I uploaded every photo to a set on Flickr:
If you look at each year, you’ll notice that I tagged and described photos differently (depending on the year). I like the tagging system of year 3 the best. I recommend adding all 365 photos to Flickr. Once a photo is uploaded to Flickr, you have to manually add it to a set (Actions > Add to Set > Project 365). This step is tedious, but allows you to maintain organization throughout the year.
Think about what camera(s) you’ll be using. For year 4, I only used my iPhone 4 and Instagram. That made it easy to upload to Tumblr and Flickr, but was limiting in the types of photos I could take. I also forced myself to decide on the instagram-a-day AS I WAS TAKING IT. If I found a more interesting/epic shot later in the day, too bad. In contrast, for my first three years, I had no limitations on my camera. I’d recommend this style for a first year 365 project. Make sure you always have a camera with you–if you don’t have an iPhone, but a decent Canon point-and-shoot camera and always keep it with you. Always.
Some people have monthly themes (February: high key, June: self-portrait, etc), or take a similar shot each day of the week (black and white Fridays, macro Tuesdays, etc.). I never did this. It works for some people, though, and it makes following people a bit more interesting.
Create a blog/website to host your 365 photos. These days, I recommend Tumblr. Use your Tumblr website for ONLY 365 photos–it makes life significantly easier that way. Avoid photos of your kids that aren’t part of the 365 project–they’re cute, but the websiteshould have exactly 365 posts. At some point, you’ll miss a post and you’ll need to figure out which photo didn’t get uploaded to Tumblr. Having extra photos makes that more difficult.
For my fourth year of photo-a-day, I named the photos chronologically: Instagram 1/365, Instagram 2/365, etc. It made it easier to organize and quicker to upload, but it’s not as creative.
Some people struggle with remembering to take a photo every day. I never did, though I did take many shots as I was about to fall asleep. If you need a reminder, there’s an iPhone app called Project 365–it can remind you to take a photo at a given time every day. So, if you need it, set a reminder every night at 10pm, and the app will help ensure that you take a photo every day… it won’t, however, ensure that the photo is great. Don’t worry about that–just worry about consistently taking photos. If you can regularly take photos, the quality will improve.
Feel free to begin this project on any date–my projects began mid-December and early November. It doesn’t need to be January 1 to December 31. Once you get into a habit, it will be strange to not think of taking a photo every day. Keep at it, and remember that quantity will improve the quality.
