Well, I figure now is as good a time as any to write about my 365 photo blog. I've had people ask about it during the year; make comments on it; be inspired by it; and probably 'de-friend' me on facebook because they're tired of seeing it! lol. So I guess I'll just answer the five basic questions we are all taught to answer in essays in school!
WHY? Last year I read a status on my internet friend's facebook page about her starting her 365 photo challenge. So I emailed her and asked her about it and if she'd mind if I joined in. (thanks, Christel in South Africa :o) So I set my own 'rules' and got started. I enjoy photography and have been often told that I take good pictures so I figured I'd work on improving and by doing this challenge I'd hoped that would happen.WHAT? My self-made 'rules' stated that every day I would post a photo that met two criteria: 1, that I, myself, had taken it; and 2, that it was, in fact, taken on that day. I have successfully taken every photo myself, sometimes using my timer. I have only twice used photos not taken on the proper day....once in Hawaii and once when I actually forgot!!! *gasp* haha.... I have managed to successfully post my photo on the current day every day except for twice.....the one time I forgot, and the other day when we got home from U2 past midnight and thus the blog date reads for the next day. :o(
HOW? I was originally going to just use Flickr to post my pictures, as that is what my internet friend used, as well as my cousin and his wife. So the first day I used Flickr but it didn't upload to facebook, which is where I ultimately wanted my project to be viewed daily by my friends and family. So the second day, I made a blog at blogger.com and so my first picture from January 1st actually says January 2 on my blog. Facebook will automatically check my blog and upload my new post to my facebook page. There are settings on facebook to do that, or you can click the facebook link on the blog to do it manually (as Danae does). I still add my picture each day to Flickr and to my blog. It's become a habit. I'm not sure what I will do with the Flickr account when this is done, but there it is. I know that with the blog there is a link that I can go to that will take all my posts and format them into a book which is what I plan to do when this is complete. It will be a great keepsake of the journey this project has taken me on.
WHEN? Well, I guess that is an obvious question! 2010. I take my pictures any time during the day... I always carry my camera in my purse. There have been a couple of days when I'm getting into bed and realize that I forgot to do my picture so I crawl out of bed and go look for something to take a picture of! lol. The funniest place I uploaded a picture was in the Air NZ private lounge shower room in LA. We had special NZ Koru Club cards with our flights to Hawaii and then I could still use it when I went to Canada. When I landed in LA I went to the lounge to see if I could use it but because my connecting flight wasn't 
Air NZ they said I couldn't, but they took pity on me because I'd just had the long 12 hour flight and said I could use the showers to get freshened up and then leave. Since the lounge had free internet access and I saw the passwords on the counter, I sat on the floor in the shower room and quickly uploaded this picture. haha...that was a funny memory.
Air NZ they said I couldn't, but they took pity on me because I'd just had the long 12 hour flight and said I could use the showers to get freshened up and then leave. Since the lounge had free internet access and I saw the passwords on the counter, I sat on the floor in the shower room and quickly uploaded this picture. haha...that was a funny memory.WHERE? Well, I guess.... ANYWHERE! I started out the year using one word that singularly described the photo or the mood of the photo. I've tried not to make it a written blog, by adding too much text to the photo, but instead letting the photo speak for itself. I wanted to take mostly 'artsy' photos, but as the year progressed I realized that oftentimes the 'art' is in the 'everyday' things of life. I've captured the reflection of the palm tree from our front yard in the drops of rain on my car window. I've captured a drop of dew on a blade of grass. I've captured special times with my family. I've captured random moments in others' lives. Each picture tells a story and captures a moment in time. There have been days when I've
not had anything 'significant' happen or come across anything awe-inspiring, but on those days all I have to do is set my camera to 'macro' and walk into my garden and see the minute details that God has placed right under our noses that we miss every day. I've also set short term themes, like different colors of flowers, black & white, alliteration, etc. that have given me ideas for pictures.
WHO? Who am I doing this for? Well, ultimately it's for me. It's a choice I made to create a hobby project for myself. I didn't do it for the accolades or comments. I didn't do it to annoy anyone, or intrude on anyone's space, or to embarrass anyone by posting their picture. I didn't do it to prove to anyone other than myself that I could. However, having said all that, I am thankful and blessed for the wonderful feedback I do receive and it's fun to hear who all follows along on my little adventure! I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am.
Lessons I've learned and there are many:
- There is ALWAYS something to take a picture of! We live in a beautiful world filled with incredible people, places & things that God created for His pleasure and ours. You only have to walk out the door or look in the mirror to see something 'photo-worthy'.
- I am competitive, committed and capable of great discipline. When I say I'm going to do something, I must do it. It's probably one of the reasons why I have never liked when people flippantly say 'we must get together' and then never do. If you say you're going to do something, THEN DO IT! So I said I was going to do this and so in my mind I then must do it! I commit to something and I follow through to the best of my ability. I have realized that by combining these two things it leads me to great self-discipline..(most of the time.... :o)
- Through the self-discipline of this personal challenge, I believe it enabled me to succeed in other areas of my life this year - my no-sugar for 6 months (Jan-June), my 40 days in a row at the gym (Jan-Feb), committing to and following through with getting back into teaching after 20 years, having a weekly family/friends dinner. There have been days/times when these things haven't happened or situations occurred whereby the 'rules' weren't followed, but as in all things in life, you get back up and get back on the horse and keep going and don't get too hung up on rules!
- I've learned to let go of the need for approval. When you do something like this photo project, you kind of hope that people will like it and provide feedback. You love the days when you get lots of comments on a photo, and then you worry about the days when no one says anything. You doubt yourself, your abilities, why you're doing it, etc... Whilst it is very wonderful to hear feedback, I've had to tell myself that ultimately I am doing this for myself and if no one says anything I still must carry on. I'm not doing it for pats on the back.
- I've also learned that there are sometimes when I just want to be anonymous and stop. Sometimes I feel like it's become just about an addiction. I don't want that to happen. I don't like the feeling that I 'have' to go on the computer/internet. I don't like the feeling that others know what is happening in our lives but yet, we don't know what's happening in their's. (I like to feel involved and part of our loved one's lives, but sometimes feel like it's one-sided and my photo blog perpetuates that). But it's just a feeling that goes away after awhile and when I remind myself of why I'm doing this.
- Lastly (at least, the last thing I'll write about as this is getting very long) is that I've learned that God has chosen to use me to inspire people. This is humbling, yet encouraging. If my little life in this corner of the world, can bring joy, encouragement, entertainment, inspiration to others; if it can show people a life fullfilled serving our great God, and gracious Lord Jesus Christ, then I will keep on keeping on, and be thankful for the gifts and abilities He has given me to live life in a 'fishbowl' and share our adventures with others.
Thanks for reading (if you've made it this far) and thanks for the comments and words of encouragment you've given me (if you have :o). I'm trying to figure out a good way for a 'guest book' photo/place for people to comment who've been following along over the year. Watch for it!
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