Better Photography in 365 Days

Every year, digital cameras are more affordable, with features designed for anyone to pick up a camera and start shooting. They don't call them point-and-shoots for nothing. But most people take photographs only on special occasions or vacation trips. Other would-be photographers wonder how they can learn to use the advance features of their camera and take better photos. No matter how expensive your cameras is or how many books you may read on the subject, there's no better way to learn photography than shooting lots and lots of photos on a regular basis. Thus, one method for becoming a shutterbug is by taking photos everyday or, at minimum, one good photo per week. Just as star athletes and musicians get better at what they do through daily practice, digital photography requires the same level of discipline and passion. 

Many amateur and professional photographers do year-long daily photo projects, sometimes called Photo Du Jour, Photo a Day, or 365 Days. They post their daily photos on a website or blog, and one notable photographer has even published a book based on his 365-days project.

Besides owning a camera, you don't have to purchase anything or join a group to get started; nor do you have to wait for the beginning of year to kick off your project. But there are groups on Flickr.com that you will give you support and confidence in reaching your goals.



Why a Photo per Day?
1. Learning to take better photos doesn't happen overnight. It's a skill and an art that you learn over time. Taking a photo per day will get you better results as a photographer than taking photos only on special occasions or when you feel inspired to do so. One major difference between amateur and professional photographers is that the latter takes lots more photos so as to get one or two good ones.

2. Committing to shooting a photo a day will encourage you to look at everything as a potential photograph. You will want to take your camera with you nearly everywhere you go so that you don't miss a photo opportunity. 

3. If you want to take good quality photos, you will want to learn how to use your camera. Shooting a picture a day will encourage you to learn the useful features of your camera so that you can take the best photos possible.

4. Completing a year-long project or even a 30-day project will be an inspiring achievement. You can make prints of your photos and put them in an album or publish them through an online website. 
 
How It's Done
1. First decide what type of photo project you will do. How many days can you commit to a daily photo project? An entire year may feel bit overwhelming at first, so you might start off with a just a 30-day challenge. Some Fickrites have completed year-long projects and have courageously started a second and third year project. So don't think the project is impossible.

2. Some photo-per-day projects revolve around daily self-portraits, while other projects take on a more of a photolog approach in which you take photos of your daily experiences and happenings. Your project might revolve around a theme such as documenting a group of people, or taking daily photos of your children. Check out the popular Flickr groups for ideas and examples of what others are doing. Some Flickr groups that are open only to members starting their project at the beginning of the year, but the groups listed below allow you to jump in and get started any day. You will also find encouraging discussion threads in these groups, in which photo ideas, challenges, and contests are posted.

Flickr Photo-a-Day and Week Groups:
30-Day Photo Challenge
Project 365
365 Days Self-Portrait Group
365 Community
One Object 365
Project 365 for Kids
365 Days Library Project
365 or less
30-Day Project for Scrapbookers
Twitter 365 Project
52 Weeks
52 Weeks for Dogs
52 Weeks of self-portraits
52 Weeks musically inspired
(Project 366-1.png)

3. If your new photography, set your camera to automatic mode and get the best shots you can.  Focus on finding good subjects to photograph and learn good composition techniques. At the same time, start reading your camera manual and a good book on digital photography so that you can learn how to use the advance features of your camera to get better results.

4. Have a place to post your photos. At minimum, post them in an iPhoto album, and even better create and post your photos in a blog. Join a Flickr.com group and commit to both posting your photos on your Flickr photostream and to one or more of the daily Flickr groups. By publicly sharing your photos, you might feel more compelled to stick with the project. Let your friends and family know that you have started the project so that they can encourage you to

 it going. If you create a system for uploading, managing, and processing your photos, the project will be less time consuming.



5. Make a schedule for taking photos. You might shoot photos on your daily commute to your job or school. If you can, take photos in the morning before you get too busy during the day. Make a list of places and subjects for photo opportunities. If you decide to do a self-portrait project, you-the subject-will available will always be available. Other photo opportunities include family members, macro shots of flowers and other objects around your house. Tourist spots in your city and urban and rural areas are good places to take photos. Stay on the lookout for events in your community that you can photograph. 

7. Study the photos of others. Don't be shy about emulating photos you like. You don't always have to be original. Reshoot a subject. If on one day a shot didn't turn out the way you wanted, try it again on another day.

8. Choose your best photo from a photo shoot. Taking a photo per day doesn't mean that you take just a single shot of a subject. Take several shots of a subject from different angles and choose the best one. With digital photography, there's no added expense for taking lots of pictures. You're only limited to the size of your media card.

Don't Give UP
Your first month or so of your project may be very easy for you, but as you start getting into day 100 or more, you might feel challenged for ideas. You might let a few days slide because of illness or other day-to-day responsibilities. Don't get overwhelmed. Hang in there and make the project your own. You're not trying to compete with others. You're competing only with yourself. If being a member of a group feels too overwhelming, stop your membership and keep your project private. Like any other disciplines, if you stick to it, it will become habitual and easier to accomplish.

What Others Have to Say
In preparation for writing this article, I asked a current group of photo-per-day photographer to share how the project is helping them. One group member sums up the experience of most people completing a photo a day project:

I think I agree with everyone else - more than anything, this project makes me actually use my camera. Last year I can count on one hand the number of times I actually used my camera, this year I can honestly say I've used my camera every single day so far

I'd also say that I'm learning new techniques and seeing things in different ways but I'd also have to credit that to Flickr and the people here - looking through their pictures is some of the most inspiring things.

And on that note, I'd say that getting involved with other people doing 365 (whether that be on flickr or irl) is a way to keep up with 365... if people seem interested in your project, it motivates you to not only continue, but also to be more creative and produce better work.