Monday, January 12, 2009

Because. I need more things to do.

Somewhere in the middle of my never ending to-do list I have written, "Reconnect with camera and learn all the settings." When I purchased my camera a year ago, I asked for the top-of-the-line model with all the bells and whistles. Turns out that all those features are for very serious photographers and today I am left with hundreds of pages, of a manual, to study.

I have big plans in store.

They start with a personal challenge I have been meaning to do for some time now. Taking one "good" picture a day for one entire year. This time next year I plan on creating a photo book with all 365 pictures printed.

My aunt, mother of three teenagers, often tells me that I should enjoy *this* time while the kids are young. That is the real reasoning behind my madness. Take more pictures. Learn more about photography. Enjoy this time with my young children. And in the end, have a great coffee table book chronicling one year of our lives.

Follow my year long journey on flickr... that little collage in my sidebar (that Maria helped me with) will take you there.

I challenge you too. Do the 365.

62classy comments:

Melissa ♥ Spoiled Mommy said...

Alright OHMommy, I am JOINING you!!
I have wanted to do it as well BUT I didnt want to mess w/flickr-I tried and got annoyed.But Im going to try again...thanks for the kick in the butt and me truly loving this picture...its perfect!

Laura said...

That is an awesome challenge...and what a great keepsake of the year in review!

Love the photo for today!

Anonymous said...

Have you read this:

http://shuttersisters.com/home/2009/1/12/tips-for-shooting-one-photo-a-day-for-365-days.html

?

You are the classic classy momma ... always adding something to your to-do list!

Indy said...

Can't join you here. Still working on the basics like clean underwear for all. Enjoy!

Val said...

I still don't have my great new camera, but I might just have to try this. What a great idea.

Unknown said...

Do you mind if I just watch? Because I REALLY don't need something ELSE to do right now. But I'm gonna LOVE watching you.

Meg said...

Great idea, but it's not taking the pictures. It's the uploading, retouching, and organizing that would put me over the edge.

Anonymous said...

This is awesome! I am trying to take more pics too. I also hit one of my personal goals to have a family picture or two and some pics with my girls. I did both before the end of the year and it feels great. I don't want my kids to go back later in life and ask where our "family" was or why I was not in pictures. Sometimes we have to come out from behind the camera too. I cannot wait to see your page. We have a page on flickr too. I love it!

Irene said...

I have been doing this project for 211 days now, and I have missed 2 days so far, accidentally. What I did, when I missed, was to take a photo of a post-it note stating "missed 1 day". You may want to think about what you will do when you miss. Because, believe me, you probably will. Some people start over (yuck), some just keep going and add a day on the end, and some just keep going. I personally like the post-it note idea the best because I actually can see missed days when I review my photos.

I thought I could easily do this project, but it is actually quite HARD! There have been quite a few days when I realized, right before bed, that I missed a photo. I am SO tired, and SO not into grabbing my camera, but force myself by taking just a junky photo of anything around my house.

However, I also have to say that this project is the PERFECT way to force you to learn your camera and how to take better photos. I may have some crappy photos, but I also have days when I really wasn't in the mood to take photos, and I forced myself, only to get an absolutely amazing photo. You will start to try new things and learn more as you get bored taking the same exact type of photos every. single. day.

And, you are right, getting the whole year documented in photos is way cool. I love going back and looking at all my photos so far - like a visual diary! And I will take your idea and make a book when I am done. That will be way cool.

Good luck!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Knock your socks off friend. I will sit idly by, watching your progress. Maybe you can put your book out to purchase and then I can have a great coffee table book as well?

Hailey said...

We got a D40 for Christmas. Maybe I should make this my goal too. Such a cute idea!

Heather said...

I have been taking photos since the 3rd of January. I need to start uploading them to flickr. I also need to upgrade to a pro membership with flickr.

I was going to turn my 365 photos into a DVD slideshow set to music. The family really liked the one I made this year of way less photos. A coffee table book sounds great as well. Do you mind if I "steal" this idea?

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

I still don't have a camera I'm happy with. My good camera isn't digital and my digital isn't good. So... I'm left taking mediocre digital pictures and just dealing with it. Because now that I've gone digital, I can't go back...

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, this sounds like a great idea!! Can't wait to see the pictures!

Rhea said...

I was never very interested in the 365 photo challenge, because I take tons of photos. Way too many.

BUT, I love the idea of making a photo book at the end of the year. That really appeals to me.

the planet of janet said...

because i do "weekly winners" at sarcastic mom's place, i shudder (shutter? ha) to think about forcing myself to take one special one every day.

however, that being said, because i organized my weekly winners into folder for 2008, i have a reasonably ordered journal of the year.

and i LOVE your coffee table book idea.

therefore i am officially stealing it for 2008. and beyond!

Blessings From Above said...

This is a great idea and will be a wonderful keepsake for your family. I am guilty of just capturing the "big" moments like birthdays, 1st day of school, etc. While I am sure I will not stick too taking a new picture everyday, I will try to take more everyday pictures.

Good luck!

GypsiAdventure said...

This is so exciting...Yay for you!!
~K

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

I think at this current juncture, I will watch what you learn (and maybe what you teach), and go from there. Maybe next year.

Right now, I can't even remember to take a picture a week it seems!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Lynn C Mama to 3 said...

Damn.... I don't know how to use my fancy shmancy camera either. Can we do it with a disposable one from CVS???

Tyne said...

Oh, I really want to play, I do. But my goal for this year is to get dressed before 4 everyday and get a picture a month with ME in it!!! Which will help if I am dressed.

Nan Patience said...

Photography is a great hobby. Enjoy!

Courtney said...

Uhhhh, a challenge. I may take it on, but I am afraid I would fail, so who knows! Good for you though.

Autumn said...

Just the thought of trying it makes me want to cry! I have ten bazzillion unedited photos on my computer right now...
Good for you for doing it. It sounds like a wonderful idea.

tiarastantrums said...

Yep - I started the 365 on Jan 1st!! one photo a day of each child - I wanted to get the 3 together per day - then decided one per week, hee hee that is not going to work either - so back to the once a month photo together - which I have done since the 3rd was born! I already make scrapbooks by month, by year(s) so I can see how they grow by month - by year!

I just told hubbie Friday night that I wanted to take a Digital Photography class at our local community college this semester!

Briya said...

OOH, I want to do this...but first I need to dig out my camera..

Mom said...

I so want to do this but now I am already behind 11 days!

Ashley said...

I was going to do this...and then I realized I didn't know what to take photos of during the winter...

Amy said...

I don't need another thing to do. But am happy to watch your progress on this!

Don Mills Diva said...

What a great idea!

Maybe one day...

Heather of the EO said...

I've seen so many people doing this around the blogosphere. It's like everyone caught the 365 bug. Very cool. I'm loving playing along in my own very simple way. I'm just posting my daily photos once a week on my blog. I LOVE the idea of making them in to a book. You rock :)

Bethany said...

cool idea! can't wait to see how it turns out!

Anonymous said...

I am a couple of months from finishing my project 365 (since I started on a random day in March rather than something logical like Jan 1).

Since I was always chasing my kids with a camera anyway, remembering to take a picture has not been that hard, but getting one really good picture every day has not been so easy. It can be really frustrating to pick one picture for each day when you get several great shots all on the same day and then nothing good on others.

Can't wait to see how yours turns out!

3 Peanuts said...

I have a flckr account and have been thinking about this one too. Okay--I am in:)

Ali said...

i cannot believe you have a d200. *jealous*

Anonymous said...

I tried this last year.. and FAILED. I can't wait to watch you kick the butt out of it!!!

Jaina said...

Good luck! I'm trying to reconnect with my camera. We'll see how it goes.

Momo Fali said...

I wish I could get my crap together and do this. It overwhelms me!

Anonymous said...

I soooo want to do this!!

Can you be my yoda?

enthalpymama said...

I was feeling rather peachy that I had enough from last year to print one per month. You mean, blogging two or three times a week isn't impressive in itself?? Darn.

Indy - No clean underwear here either, but not sure its made the list yet =).

Crystal D said...

Love the idea... maybe for next year. LOL I have no idea how to really use my camera either. But I got all these photography books for Christmas, so my first goal for this year is to actually READ them. Next year I'll take the 365 pictures. :)
I could however do the "take 365" of one thing and get one good shot challenge.

McMommy said...

OMG. The thought of taking a pic a day scares me. I mean, sometimes I forgot to take my thyroid medication everyday and that's MEDICALLY NECESSARY. So you know I would screw up taking a pic.

My new gameplan is to just print your book and use it on my coffee table. If my kids are all "Hey that isn't us!" I will play dumb and say "What do you mean? Of course it is!"

Jessica said...

I saw something similar to this on another's blog & I think it's a GREAT idea! I think I should try doing some form/fashion of this! Thanks for the challenge! :)

Flea said...

Oh what fun! My challenge is to be writing all year - the cows, a new blog, my old blog, a book. But I look forward to your photos!

The 5 Bickies said...

This is a GREAT idea....not sure I can do every day but I sure would like once a week! 52 still makes a nice book, right?

amanda said...

i love this idea. my cousin is doing it as well. maybe just maybe i'll fall into peer pressure and do it too.

Tonya said...

What a neat idea!

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Do you know that I'm doing a 365 again, but in black and white?

I also wrote about it, here: http://blissfullydomestic.com/photo-bliss/are-you-up-for-the-365-challenge/

Off to make sure we are friends on flickr.

love!

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

Great challenge!!

I don't think I have taken a pic every single day, but pretty darn close....

Welcome to club Mamarrazi...and have fun clickin away:)

Lisa

Dennis and Leslie said...

I love this idea. I don't have children to take pictures of though, so all of them would be pictures of my mini schnauzer :(

A Crafty Mom said...

Great picture . . . and way to go on doing the challenge! I've thought about it but I take a ton of pictures anyway, so hopefully I'll have enough. But reading the manual is on my list too, I got a Nikon D70 for Christmas that would love someone who knows what she's doing to handle it :-)

Kat said...

Me too!
I asked for a Nikon D40 for Christmas because everyone said it is so easy. My hubby one-upped me and got me a D60 instead. Very similar but I am still pretty confused. I just don't have the time to study it like I would like to. Ugh.
;)

Anonymous said...

well, as tempting as it is...i think i'll just enjoy your pictures. i am a horrible photographer. i use my cell phone camera because i can't figure out how to use my digital camera...whose instructions might as well be written in a long lost language...
but, i love this picture!! it's adorable!!
xo

C♥ said...

Agreeing to take the challenge. Haha.

What kind of camera do you use?!

Miss Lisa said...

Awesome idea--my brain is on such overload right now, I'm not sure I could do it. But I do brush and floss everyday ;)

Miss said...

365 is fun! You'll enjoy it!

Clare said...

i love the 365 idea!! i think i will give it a try next year:)

Raising Z and Lil C said...

Okay...I think I am going to give this a try :) I am a few short already but I think I have photos from most of the days of this month :) Thanks for the challenge!

April said...

That's an awesome idea!

Christy said...

I have always wanted to do this, thinking of starting it in April while on my mat leave this year.

I love the idea of making a photo book out of the results though!

AreWeThereYet? said...

lOVELY idea. You are so creative. What a neat goal.

teresa

Tonya Staab said...

Great idea.

I think I might make this a challenge for next year though, I'm already feeling quite defeated by the challenges for this year *sigh*.

Off to check out your photos so far. I bet they are fabulous.

 

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