[matthew]

I'm considering starting a daily photography project.

Has anyone done one before, and what were your experiences?
• Was there a set ending-point?
• Were there other 'rules'?
• What (if anything) did you learn from it?

I'm planning on using a little P&S, and my main goal (aside from the experience, etc) is to make me always carry a camera. I've set up a blog for it (here) that outlines what I've come up with so far, but it's not too late for me to revise it or pull the plug entirely. The jury's still out. :/

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on the subject.

[Toad]

I dunno. Anytime I have ever forced myself to do any pleasurable activity on a daily basis, it became a drag and just another thing to feel guilty about. Your results may vary.

[Pavel]

hmmm Matthew, it seems that you are trying to force yourself to take photos. I tend to agree with Robert - it should be fun. Think instead of a challenge (that does not involve any purchase - a challenge in itself). I would focus on areas which are not your strengths. For you it could be:
1) Light and shadow in the city that show mood
2) Light and shadow as a part of a graphic image
I think that doing 20 photos of each would widen your approach to photography and it could be fun. I would love to see the prints of these next time we meet

P

[Wedding Shooter]

My daily photography project - reduce the back log of clients work

[matthew]

Rob, I hear you and you have a good point. Part of my idea for the project is to build in a two-week delay, so that I'm doing the blog posts long before they appear. This way I can go on vacation without needing a computer, take occasional breaks from posting (but not taking) photos, and it gives me a grace period to pull the plug if I decide that this really isn't for me. To make a short story long, I found myself sitting here tonight and not wanting to go through the rigmarole of downloading from the camera, tweaking a few of the images, uploading the picks to the server, and then posting one of them. Given that this project could easily last a year or more, that's not a good sign. :/ (although an eye-fi card could help… )


Pavel, what is this not-buying-things option?
I hear you, and I appreciate your thoughts. I'll see what I can do for next time - but shadows have been hard to find these days.Hopefully we'll see the sun again soon…

Chris, there are worse problems to have, I suppose.

[Zig]

I dunno...setting oneself a daily project sounds horrendously Sisyphean and camera-clubby on the surface...yet I'd reckon there's much to recommed a "by kit" rather than "by subject/theme" approach, maybe, like limiting oneself to one lens or even one focal length, or a very slow/fast ISO.
I could see funfunfun, however, with doing something with one of the following:
using a x6+ ND filter + tripod every day;
shooting from exactly the same spot, with same lens, framing everyday...whether in macro of a natural mini-scene, or of the same well-used point in a town;
shooting shopping-trolleys as symbols of neglect...you'd be amazed at just how mnay scenarios these things turn up in.
I think any one of the above would be really great for getting a different slant on the world and using the camera less as an objective-recording tool, more as a "lateral-connector" of an inner mood or urge.
I'm unsure if I've put that very clearly but, I reckon you in particular would produce a series of stunners.

[nia]

Dear Matthew, this is a wonderful idea, I loved it. Actually, with my camera, I have been trying to take pictures daily... Like a photographical diary. This is great fun! And you never know what will be your subject/object, or anything, in your photograph. Camera lives with you, your day But of course, I didn't make it such a project like yours, this is great idea and I am sure, it would be so enjoyable and inspirational for us too. I will be impatiently looking forward your new porject! Good Luck and have enjoyable times, and don't let your camera to die

Thanks and Love,
nia

[Toad]

I'm thinking that Don Schaeffer should weigh in on this one. He's probably the most daily shooter I know.

[Toad]

...although an eye-fi card could help…

Its funny that you should mention eye-fi. A photographer buddy and I were kicking this idea around the other day, and we came to the conclusion that there were some compelling arguments for buying an eye-fi card including automatic geotagging, wireless backups to a remote server when travelling, and easier workflows.

To my display, I found out the eye-fi is not supported for the M9. Not only is there a danger of damaging the M9's card slot due to an extended prong on the eye-fi - but the all metal construction of the M9 limits the wireless range to about 10-15 feet.

So much for me. My buddy shoots a Nikon D700 - and when we checked it out, we found out that none of the cameras without *native* SD-HC compatibility are supported either - so much for the D700. Might work for a point and shoot like you are proposing though.

[Zig]

"eye-fi"...that's a new term on me...oo-er...

[matthew]

Zig, I do know exactly what you mean, and yes, this sort of self-inflicted project does seem almost punitive. I suppose what I'm doing is a "by hardware" exercise, since it's being conducted entirely with the point-and-shoot camera that I'm trying to get in the habit of using. I really like film and the cameras that use it, but they're not much good for the spontaneous, the timely, or the trivial. While the built-in delay doesn't help with the timely, today I was on the street and stopped to take some photos of reflections in puddles. I haven't done that since I first started playing with cameras.

Nia, you've described exactly what I'm hoping for: a photographic diary, with my subjects chosen on a whim because I always have the camera with me. I'm hoping also that it will force me to lead a more interesting life as I try to find photos of things that I haven't done before. After all, I can't only take photos of my daily commute to and from work.

Rob, I've checked their website, and apparently the eye-fi cards are compatible with my GH1 and the predecessor to my P&S. (Fingers crossed with the hope that the past is a good predictor for the future.) It seems indolent, but the act of having to cable up the camera/card reader to the laptop really is a nuisance, especially now that I'm doing it daily. I'm doing a photo-trip to New York this Saturday, so perhaps I'll be able to find one cheaply there, and if not I'll get the more expensive model that can transfer raw files when I get home.

meanwhile… while the project hasn't "gone live" yet, this is my third day of actually doing it. I've just finished my third photo post, and am starting to get a sense of the workload that's involved. (I'm writing the blog posts each day and schedule them to be published two weeks later.) I've added 41 photos to the support gallery, so there are only 4959 more to go – assuming that I don't pull the plug before it's too late to pretend that it never happened.

[nia]

Nia, you've described exactly what I'm hoping for: a photographic diary, with my subjects chosen on a whim because I always have the camera with me. I'm hoping also that it will force me to lead a more interesting life as I try to find photos of things that I haven't done before. After all, I can't only take photos of my daily commute to and from work.

I am sure this project will be so interesting and beautiful. This is also exciting too! Good luck once again dear Matthew,

Thanks and Love,
nia