Why I did a 365 project, and why you should too!

Guest post by Christian Mohn
Christian Mohn is an amateur photographer, but that doesn’t stop him from being serious about his photography. Currently an admin for the Twitter Photo Challenge group (TWPhCh) on Flickr, while rebuilding his own photo site opticalpork.com. Recently finished his 365 Project and you can follow his Flickr stream for more photos.

365 days, 365 photos.

Think about it for a minute. It sounds easy doesn’t it? I mean, it only takes a minute or so every day, and you’re done, right?

#TwPhCh is Scary! (#222/365), by Christian Mohn

How I got my 365 project started

I decided, in the spur of the moment, to start my own 365 project on the 1^st of January 2009. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought it through nor really considered what was involved or how much work it really was. Perhaps that’s why I also managed to pull it off, the distinct lack of planning and complete spontaneity that triggered it. I gave myself little or no restrictions, only that I would shoot at least one photograph each day for the whole of 2009. I did not limit myself to a specific theme or technique, the main idea was to force myself into getting somewhat creative with my photography.

For me, the intention was two-fold;

1. Become a better photographer
2. Be creative

The basic idea was that if you repeat something often enough, you will get better at it. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The thing is, it sounds easy but as the days go by, you suddenly realize that you might be running out of ideas and inspiration. After all, most of us don’t lead spectacular lives with lots of traveling and new places to explore every day. Some days are just that, days that has no particular meaning nor did anything special happen. In my opinion, those are the days that are really interesting, at least when it comes to this project. It’s easy to document exciting things, family events and other “big” events that happen in our lives.

The normal, somewhat mundane, day is a different matter all together. These are the days that challenge you, almost dare you to do something creative and think outside the box.

Take Me to Your Leader (#48/365), by Christian Mohn

The important thing to remember is this; Don’t Stop! There will be times you want to give up. There will be times that you think that there is nothing left to take a photo of, but you are wrong. There is always a great photo right in front of you, just waiting for you to see it and capture it.

4 tips for a successful 365 project

1. Don’t forget your camera

   Bring your camera with you. Self explanatory, but important none the less. If you don’t bring your camera with you, how are you supposed to be able to photograph anything? Turn it into a habit. Take it with you everywhere, no trip is too small. There are photo-ops everywhere, and I mean, everywhere.

2. Be public

   Be very public about your project. Let people know, and even better get more people involved. Chances are that if you team up with others, publicly announce the project and otherwise market it in a way that people notice, you are more likely to actually be able to pull it off. After all, it’s much easier to give up of no-one knows you even started, right? You can even turn it into a competition if you like, all just to make sure you get the proper incentive to keep on shooting. Also, you do want people to see your photos, don’t you?

3. Publish as soon as you can

   Try to post your images online as soon as possible. I generally tried to post the photos the same day they were taken, but sometimes that’s just not possible. You might be traveling without online access, and that’s fine. If you can’t publish for a day or two, don’t worry. Just make sure you have taken the shots, and upload them as soon as you can. If you wait too long, your backlog will come back and bite you and perhaps even overwhelm you, and you don’t want that. Make sure you have an easy method of posting the images too, either to Flickr or some other service. The most important thing is that it should be quick and easy to get your photos published.

4. Play, learn and have fun

   This might be, besides having your camera with you at all times, the best tip I have to offer. Have fun! Play! Learn! Don’t be afraid to try out something new, and don’t be afraid of posting a less than perfect picture. This project should be all about enjoying photography and learning how to master your camera.

Tunnel Vision (#301/365), by Christian Mohn

What did I get out of it?

For one, I’ve proven that my interest for photography is genuine. Pushing through this project has solidified it as something I’m really interested in continuing to invest time and resources to. In fact, this project was pretty much the driving force behind replacing my old, and somewhat beat-up, Canon 350D camera and replace it with a shiny new Canon 50D.

Secondly, I’ve proven to myself that I can persevere and undertake ambitious projects. Sure, there were times I was certain that I wouldn’t, but in the end I’m very glad I did.

Has it made me a better photographer? I think it has, but you can judge that by going through my Project 365 on Flickr.

Editor’s choice

Thank you for an interesting article, Christian! These 5 photos are my favorites from your 365 Days project:

Everyday Attrition

Ghouls in my Coffee

Blue (Wants to be Real)

Plant of Color

Art Imitates Life

If you liked this post, you may also like:

1. Explore yourself with a self-portrait project on Flickr