I want to share my thoughts about my upcoming photographic projects after reading Shelly’s blog posts about the five words that she is letting define her year 2017 . As always, I’m inspired to do a new project in the beginning of the New Year and this year maybe even more so. I still haven’t decided if I’ll do a 365-project or not.
My first 365-project was completed in 2011 and it was all about toys, I called it CClones. I have done two other 365-projects but they have been all about self-portraits (Ser du mig? (a.k.a. Do you see me?)).
I’ve been leaning towards doing a new 365-project in 2017 because of the insights they give me as a photographer. One way to be successful with a 365 project is to create routines around the photography. If you’re doing a picture a day you have to plan it, when and were will I photograph, with whom and so on. These long projects also give me, as a photographer, opportunity to experiment, which is great. In my earlier 365-projects I have had some ground rules because they helps me to limit the choices in the project. But those rules don’t always help. They can also make it difficult because at some point I always get tired of myself and of my own pictures. This means that I have to reinvent myself for better and for worse.
I have started the year with the ambition that maybe I will do a 365-project. We’ll see if it ends up being a complete 365-project or not. But I have at minimum decided to do a “52 project”. This means that I will publish one picture a week; this is also a project I’ve done before. This year the theme is reflection or reflections. The rules for this project are simple:
– I will try to do 52 photos of toys (or one toy)
– I will publish them each week (on my webpage and/or instagram).
– The theme is reflection in the literal sense but also in a figurative sense.
Initially I think this project will reflect upon themes like beauty, photography, popular culture and daily life. Another aspect of this project will be to try to write about it regularly, most likely on this blog but also in Swedish on one of my other blogs. Maybe this will work out, or not…
Besides my project about reflections I’ve also decided to do a portrait project with my husband as the model which I’m calling: There are 52 weeks in a year. The goal of this project is to make a picture every week, neither more nor less. So my 2017 projects are:
- Reflections with Leia (a 52 week project with toys)
- There are 52 weeks in a year (a 52 week project with my husband Peter)
Are you planning to do any projects during 2017?
I don’t think I have the stamina or attention span for a 365x or 52x, so I wish you well with yours.
My project (aside from supporting Toy Photographers on Google+) is to find my own style. I’ve dabbled for a year with different things, but I’ve been inspired by Luigi Priori’s ‘Benny’s adventures in space’ series on Flickr. Luigi’s images have a trademark look about them. Like your favourite syndicated comic strip, you keep on returning for familiar, but new journeys. If I can make that happen this year I’ll be very happy.
Thank you Tony, I try to not put so much thought to it, it’s only one day – and another thing to put in the list of things you have to do, like brushing you teeth 🙂
My experience is that to do a project under a period is a very good way to find your own language or stile. When you do photos day after day you seem to find the essens of what is you and what you like. But that is me, your way may be a totally different one. I really look forward to follow your journey 🙂
I’m attempting to do a 365-project, to post a photo with one (or more) Lego minifigure(s) on Instagram every day this year. No particular theme, no aspirations to high art… just a desire to make time to take a photo every day.
Hopefully 346 days from now, I will have learned something about setting up better shots. Maybe I’ll have discovered a style or figured out something else that will make me a better photographer. We’ll see.
Oh, that sounds like a good ambition – just to do one picture a day for a year 🙂 I wish you all the best… A 365-project is so much fun 🙂