I was recently asked, "when did I get the
photography bug?" I paused before I answered. Why? Simply because I cannot remember a time
when I was not fascinated by cameras and taking pictures. I remember as a
small child being very intrigued with my parent’s boxy Kodak instamatic with the
square flash bulb that rotated around after flashing.
I vividly remember the Christmas
I received my very own Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera with the flip flash. I
think that camera is still tucked in a drawer somewhere in my parents’ house. It
was a tiny black little camera that fit my hands perfectly. As I kid, I was not
sure whose pockets the camera was supposed to fit in, it certainly not my
little kid pockets, but the wrist strap ensured I would not lose it.
Over the years I have owned several cameras since that first
pocket camera. Let's see there were several point and shoot film 35mm, a Disk camera, a
35mm SLR, a bevy of point and shoot digital cameras and a DSLR. Oh and I cannot
forget the camera on my iPhone. For the last 18 years I have mainly shot with Canons, but I do have a
Sony point and click that I love to use for food pictures (for food and wine
pairings) and there was that Fuji point and click camera that I killed from
overuse.
When I have a spare minute there are several photo blogs
that I peruse. Always on the hunt for tips and tricks to improve my photography
skills, I noticed I was reading a lot about weekly (project 52) or daily (Project
365) photography projects. So at the start of this year I embarked on both a
weekly photo project call
52 Week Photography Challenge (Facebook group) and a daily photo project, otherwise known as a Project
365. Each Monday, during the 52 Week Photgraphy Challenge, a photography theme is
picked and then participants have week to submit photos.
The Project 365 is a
bit more challenging because the goal is to take a photo every day.
Like almost everything in the world these days
there is an “App for that”. Project 365 does have an App (for the iPhone) and the App makes it very
easy to store your project in one place. Plus it will send you a reminder to
take your daily picture. Some days I come up or spot my picture early in the
day, other times it is well into the day or evening before the photo
opportunity strikes. I enjoy this part of my daily routine, becauseit keeps
my mindful and in the present. The pictures for the Project 52, I use many of the
bevy of the digital cameras I own. I generally use my iPhone for the pictures I take
for the Project 365, since it is the camera I almost always have with me.
I have added a tab to this blog to post the pictures I take
each week for the 52 Week Photography Challenge. There is a second
52 Week project I am contemplating joining, but two things are slowing me down.
The first is time. The second, this second Project 52 has some really serious
photographers participating. I should be using my DSLR for this second project,
which means I have to figure how to get out of auto and program mode. No, I am not intimidated.... who am I kidding? yes, I am! Maybe this
second project is something I can aspire to in 2015. In the mean time I will have
fun with the two current photo projects.
