I cannot begin to describe the benefits I've gotten from this endeavor. My eye has gotten so much better, my sense of what makes a good photo has improved, my ability to take the picture I see has improved (thanks in part to a nifty new camera). Even the inexorable demands of needing a photo every day, no matter if I'm feeling sick or have too many meetings or am snowbound or trapped in the intercontinental transportation system, have paid dividends. I've learned to find photos in unlikely spots, by looking for the unlikely, the incongruous, the visually striking little view among a vast landscape of boring mediocrity. It's not that hard -- all you have to do is make yourself concentrate, make yourself look, have the camera in your pocket.
As the year has drawn to its close I have thought a lot about whether to extend the photo project to next year. I do enjoy taking the photos, and suspect it wouldn't be nearly as much fun if I didn't have the discipline of posting them. But the daily deadline can sometimes be tedious, and I'm running out of failsafe photos to snap when it's 11 pm and I haven't gotten a picture yet today. You've already seen my thread drawer, my paintings and sculptures, the night view from my back porch, the ice in my cocktail glass.
I watched with great interest when Linda McLaughlin, who conducted a similar project starting a month before I did, reached the end of her year. She decided to maintain the routine of posting a photo every day, but removed the requirement that the photo be taken that very day. She pointed out, reasonably, that her archive of neat photos is fat enough to allow her to post old shots that are nevertheless new to her readers. I thought this was an excellent solution and so that's what I'm going to do for 2011.
Meanwhile, I'm also taking another good idea from Linda, inviting you to choose your favorite photo from the year, and I'll send you a print of it. Review the photos by clicking here. You probably don't want to post your email or street address in the comments, so send a note to artwithaneedle@gmail.com and tell me your favorite and how I should send it to you.
Thank you for reading the blog, and for looking at my daily pictures, and I hope you enjoy doing it next year as well.
I am so glad the photos will continue .... have a wonderful year.
ReplyDeleteJudy B
Congratulations on a great year of photos, and I'm really glad you're going to continue in a less rigorous fashion. As for choosing one--ONE???--are you nuts? That's like when someone asks me what my favorite color is. (Although I probably can't perceive 365 colors.)
ReplyDeleteMary Anne in Kentucky
I too have enjoyed your Art-a-day project. I was looking forward to seeing them again, all together, but I didn't find your live link to wherever you've archived them. I'm glad you're continuing. It's always good to see the world through someone else's eyes. You've encouraged me to look at things I might ordinarily miss. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteoops, Lynne, you're right! I went back and fixed the link, so I hope you'll come back and choose one!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I have thought often of doing this. I have committed to a Friday Focus image on my blog, (along with text expressing thoughts) and yesterday, while out shooting talked myself into a year long study of a small part of the Appomatax River...
ReplyDeleteChances are I DO shoot an image a day... So...
Nice work!
Thank you Kathy for such a wonderful year of photos, and sharing them with the blogger congregation! As for choosing one - I'll try, when I have more time, but that will be VERY tough. But I won't cheat and ask for more copies... For yourself, you should really put them into a photo book and have that made for you to actually look at. I'm certain that is going to be a nice thing to have. Or do you want the whole project to remain virtual?
ReplyDeleteGreat Job, Well Done!