I bought my Nikon D3100 late in October of 2012 and to this day my only regret is that I haven’t used it more. I had grandiose plans in 2013 to take TONS of photos and learn ALL about Photoshop. Yet another thing that did not happen quite as I had planned. This year, I just want to make a pony to use my camera more, and apply what I have learned in Photoshop up to this point in what I do. In the process though, I am sure I will lots! To help out with this, I have decided to cable in the phenomenon of “photography projects”. I’ve seen them ask over the interwebs and in the blogosphere and have decided to just jump on board, if only just to get myself using my camera more.
In keeping with the idea of using my camera more and using photography projects to do so, I have come up with s few ideas for projects to use:
1) A Day in the Life – This project is exactly what it sounds like. I have seen pictures of this project all over, and thought it would be a neat one to try. What I am mulling over with this one is exactly how to do it, as there are a few difference approaches. One approach is just taking photos randomly throughout the day, while another is to take photos every hour, for example. I also don’t know exactly what day I would use. I can’t really use a weekday as it would be rather strange taking the camera to work (and I’m also not sure it would even be allowed), but I also don’t know what kind of weekend day I would use. I am sure I will decide on the fly, and just photograph a day I feel will be exciting enough to share on the blog.
2) Self-Portrait-A-Month – This one, again, is exactly what it sounds like. Personally, it feels a little bit vain, but realistically there are next to no current photos of me and this project will help to remedy that. I plan to be creative. Don’t expect anything like the cell phone “selfies” you see all over Facebook and Instagram! As vain as it feels, I am kind of looking forward to this one.
3) Photos of Unusual Subjects – I’ve already learned in the few things that I have done with my camera that I gravitate toward photographing certain things. Aside from my stepsister’s wedding I haven’t taken photos of much aside from flowers and some still-life shots around home. I want to get more creative and take photos of subjects I wouldn’t normally photograph. I think it could be fun and will go hand-in-hand with the next project.
4) Weekend Wanders – I haven’t seen this project anywhere else aside from a photography blog I follow. I love seeing her photos of places she visits and the weekends and I have loved the idea since she started it. I am going to do a similar project here locally, though maybe not as frequently. I’m thinking one weekend a month or so. Who wouldn’t love just randomly wandering around the city discovering new sights on the weekend? I’m very excited to start this one as soon as I can.
Of course, with these projects that will have me taking more photos, it also means that I will have that many more photos I need to print and put on display! I am going to make a concerted effort this year to round-up my very best shots and have them printed and framed. By the end of the year I hope I will have a nice collection to put on the wall somewhere around here.