Be a Better Photographer (& human) in 365 Days: Part 1

When you had a fresh squishy baby you probably kept a camera within arm’s reach to capture each little newborn squirm & smile and maybe that love for a camera led you to start a business, but as the demands of life grew your zeal for photographing your daily life seemed to wither. I’ve heard countless stories of photographers who stopped documenting their own family life when memory-keeping transitioned from a joy to a job.

Do you long to go back to your roots of photographing your own family to fuel that passion & creativity you once had? If you’ve ever found yourself saying “I want to do a 365 next year, but it seems overwhelming!”  then let’s talk! A 365 project keeps the camera in your hands each day to capture the exciting, as well as the humdrum-daily-life in either photos or video (I do both! CHECK OUT WHAT A 365 FILM LOOKS LIKE BELOW).

I want to walk alongside you as we both document our 1st loves, our family! Here’s a clink of the champagne glass to the daily pursuit of one image a day so that by this time next year you have a heap of tangible evidence that you live & love! Let’s get started!

Putting a camera in your hands daily allows you to be more attuned to who you are as a person & who you want to become as an artist.

No matter where you’re at in your photography journey, you will see HEAPS of growth in a year if you’re intentional when you create so before you even snap a photo on January 1st (or whenever you decide to start!) I want you to spend some time considering your goals for the project.

Make these goals specific to your wants/needs of your life right now & your desires of WHO you want to be in the future.

Here’s TWO categories of goals I want you to consider, jot down 1-2 goals in each category:

1.    Creative & Technical Goals

2.   Deeper Meaning Goals

Let’s brainstorm ideas of goals that would fit into these 2 categories & GET EXCITED about what your work will look like in a year’s time!

CREATIVE & TECHNICAL GOALS: Let’s streeeetch those creative muscles! Instead of making a broad statement like “I want to be a better photographer.” dig deep into what that means to you.

Here’s some ideas:

• Do you want to know exactly how your camera works without having to think about the knobs & dials?

• Do you want to successfully utilize any type of light from day to night & back again?

• Do you want to frame your subjects more creatively so that the viewers eyes know exactly where to look?

• How about becoming a better storyteller with each click of the shutter? or

• Learning to work as documentary as possible or

• Showing connection & relationships or Self-portraiture OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN DREAM UP!

You are going to take this technical goal & You Tube the heck out of it! Read books on using light or take a class on storytelling. Whatever your goal, learn this 1 goal (maybe 2) INSIDE & OUT! Oh & also if you happen to get board with one focus through the year, your in luck because YOU MAKE THE RULES, so go ahead & spice life up & pick a new goal if needed.

The beauty of a project like this is artists in all different stages can work along-side each other to encourage & build each other up even with vastly different goals!

MEANING GOALS: What is the deep meaning behind the project? I know, this one takes some time to really sit with yourself & discover what makes you tick, but your imagery will be vastly more meaningful if you get this squared away!

Here’s some ideas:

• I want my kids (& myself) to see what deep love feels like.

• I want to see the beauty in the mundane life.

• In dark seasons, I want to find hope.

• I want my kids (and myself) to know what a loving family feels like.

• I want to point to Jesus.

• I want my kids to see a present mom in the photos they treasure forever.

• I’m sad…I desire joy.

You are going to be intentional to keep the MEANING of your project on your mind. To start out each day I would write this goal down (or maybe keep sticky notes around your house that states your purpose), because it’s more than a photo project, it’s a life project. We want to make this goal (like “hope”) be the automatic place our minds go when we need it (like when were in a difficult day). To do this we will need to reframe our hearts & minds continually.

The reason behind a 365 is as unique as you! Don’t make this surface-level, reflect the life you desire.

The goals you jot down are going to guide what you create & how you create them for the next year. Give these two goals a ponder & meet me back here so we can talk about the PRACTICALITY of keeping the camera in your hand!

Want some direction about taking MEANINFUL PHOTOS of your family? I made this for you! It’s FREE, so DOWNLOAD away! Are you in? Get excited to know yourself better & become a better artist along the way! Let me know if you decide to take on a 365 photo or film (see example below) project so I can cheer you on!!