What I learned from my 365 Day photo challenge

In 2015 I did a 365 day photo challenge.

When I first started it I wasn't really sure what it was, it started as a love of photography and a bucket list challenge to take a photo a day for a year which I had seen on Pinterest.

I started on the first of January 2015, and decided to use Facebook and a writing site I was on as a way to share my photos and to keep myself motivated. My dad decided to do the challenge with me, as did my brother and a friend I had met online. Through the year we all met several challenges, the worst for me was when my Granddad died in July.

For me the challenge was always to physically take a photo a day, although both my dad and brother went for the approach of taking some photos and choosing old photos for other days. I don't think either approach is right or wrong it just depends on you, it's your challenge. I also will say whilst I took a photo every day, there were days and even whole weeks were for various reasons I didn't post a photo every day.

I think the biggest thing I learned from this challenge was that if I was determined and motivated enough I could do it. Taking a photo everyday sounds such a little thing, but the challenge of finding something different each day, when the weathers bad, you've had a long day at work or you have personal problems, can at times be quite hard, and I have to say a cute furry pet cat comes in handy. The hardest months for me were January and November, during January I was still trying to get into the swing of it, and by November the weather was lousy I'd photographed most things in my house and lacked motivation. The thing that pulled me through was that I didn't want to give in so close to the end, and I knew December would be an easier month. The thing that helped most in January was support from others. one of the things I loved most about the challenge was it made me look at things around me in a new way. and to really appreciate the small day to day things.

One of the things I recommend is getting support from the people around you, the biggest support was my husband, there were many times he'd drive out of his way so I could get a photo, or would sit through 50 photos helping me to pick which one I wanted as my photo of the day. Secondly there was my dad, and brother and internet friend, who actually gave up mid way through the year, but there support at various points in the year was invaluable. Finally there was Facebook and my writing site, the first provided mixed support. Many of my friends were very supportive, others went with the approach of just accepting it, and a couple who I like to think of as less adventurous questioned why I was bothering. On my writing site everyone was much more supportive, maybe because of the nature of people who are attracted to such sites. They tend to be international, and to be in general be more open minded and encouraging of others.

From a photography point of view I learned a lot about using my camera, at the start of the year I had a fuji  compact which was quite bulky, but in August my parents kindly bought me a Sony cybershot hx60, which I love. The new camera is still a compact, but it takes lovely photos and has a 30 times zoom which is perfect for a keen amateur like me. It also is small enough to fit in a pocket, which is good for a challenge like this.

With this challenge I really took the time to try to explore what my camera could do, and whilst I realised the limitations of a compact I was also pleased with the effects I could get. I especially liked the various in built filters, such as cartoon and black and white with one colour. I think from a photography point of view the 365 day challenge definitely helps you to take better photos, and encourages you to learn new photography skills.

Finally I have made the photos into a photo book, which I love. It's great to have a photo record of 2015, and to see that despite some lows it was a great year. This year me and my dad are undertaking a 52 week challenge. That's to take a photo each week, we are doing it with a bit of a twist though as each photo has to show something historical.