With the new year approaching, photographers everywhere are loading up their cameras with fresh memory cards, charged batteries, and maybe some new glass they got for the holidays. Many will embark upon the notorious and ambitious 365 Project, or something similar, in which the photographer must shoot and publish a photo every day for a year.
I tried that once. Twice, actually. I ended up hating it and didn't get past day 15 either time.
But why, you ask? Didn't it exercise my "creative muscles", didn't it challenge me to take pictures in constantly varying scenarios, thus making me a better photographer? In short, yes and no. But mostly no. I found myself exploring techniques in the first few days that I'd never tried before, which was immensely valuable; I use some of these techniques to this day. The problem for me was that it was VERY impractical to find something completely fresh to photograph, every single day, and to always carry a camera that I found worth using every day. But that's not the only reason I stopped this project. Some days, I was exhausted from other daily activities, and had just enough mental energy left to remember to breathe and drive home without crashing. It was thus inconceivable (but I still tried), to find something to photograph. I found myself taking the same picture I had a week earlier, or taking a photo for the sake of taking a photo. In short, I was uninspired, performing a chore instead of a creative exercise.
Indeed...(Picture Of The Day) Copyright Katrina Kennedy
Have you ever photographed when you're not inspired? It's terrible. My camera felt alien, no photo I took looked good enough for even a second glance, and I briefly questioned where my involvement in photography was going. Luckily, that feeling nearly always passed, but when I'm trying to shoot an image up to my standards (which should be highest of all) every single day, I get tired of doing what I love. For me, it was an exercise that tumbled into irrelevance. Throughout history, every creative person has had periods of "creative block". We're human. We get worn out, physically and mentally, and sometimes just need to relax, watch our favorite episode of the Simpsons, and have a beer rather than force ourselves to go outside and photograph something. When we aren't inspired, even potentially great photo opportunities will be missed because of our occasional and natural lack of motivation.
The project did teach me a lesson, however: I don't shoot recreationally anymore unless I am naturally in the right mindset. Luckily, though, I am often in that very mood. The "365 Project" also showed me that our creativity does not need to be constantly on, and works best when it has a full charge, if you will.
Some of us have Herculean creativity and patience, and have been able to complete the year-long project with good results. With the advent of Instagram and other apps that turn your phone into a mobile Rolleiflex of sorts, perhaps the project will help more people achieve that kind of goal. I applaud and cheer them on, but I'm not going to be one of them this year. I can't fight the way my mind works. Instead, I'm doing a "52 Project". I'll do my best to post a few photos every week, hopefully trying some new techniques as often as possible. That's a pace that will reward my creativity, my inner critic, and most importantly, my sanity.
Smartphones are making the 365 Project easier...here's my shot from day 9 (of 10) this past year
If you're thinking of embarking on the 365 Project for 2013, don't let me discourage you. Give it a shot (ha!), you may take to it just fine. But once you feel yourself taking a picture just to tick a box off of your daily "to-do" list, chances are you'll feel the way I do. Relax. Don't feel bad about failing this New Years' Resolution. Let yourself mentally regroup and take photographs for the sheer pleasure of taking photographs.
Tim Kauger is a blogger and photographer based in Short Hills, NJ. You can visit his website here.