My 365 Project

This is my 365 project.  (There are many like it, but this one is mine.)  😀

What is a 365 project.  For me it’s a way to stay connected to my personal photography even when I don’t want to.  I’ve been wanting to do a 365 project for several years now and I’ve always let the month of January go by without starting because it seemed daunting, or too much of a commitment.  I have noticed lately, though, that I’m shooting less and less of my family and my life in the manner I used to when I first fell in love with photography.  So I’m using my 365 to find everyday ways to be creative; to find inspiration in the mundane.

There are truly many 365 templates out there to help you grow in your daily shooting.  I think this is what has kept me away from my own project for so long.  I’m an indecisive person at heart and busy like everyone else and I just couldn’t figure out what list of daily inspirational photo ideas to use, nor did I think I could actually stick to the list, thus leading to disappointment for something that I didn’t really even have to do in the first place.  I don’t like to disappoint myself, so instead I have no strict plan for my 365 project, except to shoot my life daily, even when I’m sick of my camera, which usually happens around November.

I did decide to give myself a few guidelines just to make sure I was growing in some fashion (but they are just guidelines, so please don’t beat me up if you happen to notice I’ve strayed in any way.) 

1. Shoot my 365 with my FujiFilm mirror less camera.  Only because I really love this camera and don’t get enough time learning how to use it to the best of my ability.  I’ve used a mirror less for a few years now to shoot my family life with because it’s small and easy to take about, and draws much less attention.

2. Shoot only with natural light.  I am a strobe and flash photographer in my business and love the look I can get with auxiliary light, but who has time to set that up with an on-the-go family.  I still, however, want my 365 images to be powerful so I’ll use this opportunity to really look for light and shadows and how to use them to tell a story, and make great imagery.

3. Shoot mostly things involving my family.  There are several reasons for this, but mostly because I love them dearly and it’s easy to shoot what you love! But I don’t think I’m being entirely lazy on this one because 365 days of shooting your kids and your husband could be hard to keep interesting.  I think this will force me to look at my daily life differently, searching out what’s really unique, and sharing my everyday with anyone who can find the beauty in it.

I've been sitting in these seats all weekend. Learning from awesome photographers in the industry and sharpening my craft.

14 Jan. This is what happens when I have no children to photograph for five days of #my365.

13 Jan. Who knew bowling was such an emotional sport. Drama kid!

Day 11 - Not sure I like the bad habits Caden is picking up from his fur sister. Stop begging for food... both of you!

Day 10 - Most mornings daddy does the hair in our house. True story... when the movie Frozen came out he wanted to buy a book that taught how to braid hairstyles inspired by Elsa and Anna.

Day 9 - We finally took the Christmas tree down, but first there was some father-son face smooshing bonding time.

Day 8 - 8 Jan - the kids celebrated Three Kings Day at school today. Jaxon found the bean in his cake and wore this paper crown on his walk home in the freezing cold, instead of his warm hat. He was so proud I couldn’t get mad.

Day 7 - I honestly don’t know if she is making fun of me because I’m always taking pictures or if she is mimicking the weird binocular thing her dad does when he’s being playful. If she‘s making fun of me then the joke’s on her because we have a long year ahead of us.

Day 6 - We hung new curtains today and it was an unexpected cause for celebration. We’ve lived in this house for almost 5 years and never changed out the curtains and blinds we moved into. The girls put on their fun dresses and fancy headbands and sat on the spinny chair in front of the new light.

Day 5 - The dog needs love too, and she’s really obnoxious when she doesn’t get it. Plus, she doesn’t care that it’s below freezing outside, she still wants to be walked. She’s lucky she’s cute.

Day 4 - Runaway Donut! Nothing ruins snow tubing faster than wind. Oh, and maybe the lack of snow on your favorite sledding hill. Still a good snow day though.

Day 3 - It‘s little things like staying within the lines that we often take for granted. She has been working so hard at keeping her coloring neat and tidy and you can see the fierce concentration. I want to strive for that kind of focus in the little (and the big) things I do as well.

Day 2 - My Tuesdays are filled with long car rides to Crossfit with a little bit of playtime for the kiddos as a thank you for sticking in our with mommy in the cold cold gym.

Day 1 of 365. The first thing I see in the new year is my son's face. It's early and we're both tired and bleary-eyed. The image is technically a bit imperfect, just like my year will probably be. But I love it all the same.