Ten Photos... and Counting...

Ansel Adams and the American West collection / MoFAstpete / CC NC-ND 2.0

I enjoy the photography of Ansel Adams. His black-and-white photos of nature shout out to me the designs of a creative God and at the same time they illustrate geometry in the world around us. It’s obvious that I spent many years teaching geometry in a high school classroom. I often illustrated concepts by using photos (taken by my husband) of geometry in everyday life on my bulletin board.

While it would take years to develop the skills of a photographer as talented as Ansel Adams, I can certainly improve the skills I do have. In an effort to become a better photographer I have decided to (again) initiate a Project 365. That’s one photograph taken and posted each day. I must admit that the last time I tried this was in 2009. There are 31 photos in that collection. This year I would like to make it all the way to 365 photos.

In addition to improving my photography skills I also want to add to my Stock Photography collection. Those are photos that I can use on my blog posts. I’ve used a few of my photos to illustrate my blog writing, but I still depend heavily on Creative Commons and Flickr.

I am temporarily posting my photos on my blog under the Project 365 / 2014 tab. I am also posting them in my Flickr account. And three of them (a random selection) display on the front page of my blog. As the number of photos in my collection increases I will decide which method is best for posting them.

Nancy Messieh and Saikat Basu wrote (for MakeUse Of) about Project 365 collections and other ways to improve your photography.

In their articles I found places to go for inspiration:

• Online communities
• Entertainment art
• Professional and classic art
• Tutorials
• Competitions

I learned about websites dedicated to one-photo-everyday projects:

• 365Project
• Blipfoto
• Photoblog
• Momentile
• Shuttercal
• Flickr
• Aminus

I read about projects that provide ideas for photos to shoot during a Project 365:

• Pick a lens
• Connect to the written word
• Take a daily self portrait
• Pick a theme
• Pick a photography style
• Go for Bokeh
• Pick a prop
• Pick a color
• Go on photo walks

I have been following four photography blogs. I learned about 10 more to check:

• Digital Photography School
• DIY Photography
• Photography Concentrate
• Inspire Me Baby
• Beyond Megapixels
• The Photo Argus
• PhotoJojo
• Strobist
• Canon Blogger
• Photofocus

And, finally, I now have a list of ways to help me build the “photo habit”:

• Photography inspiration every day
• Look at photography
• Don’t look at photography
• Look at everyday things
• Shoot around a single theme
• Shoot for a photo challenge
• Do a selfie
• Clear the clutter

Here are the articles and authors that will (hopefully) help me reach my goal of 365 photos in 2014:

8 Easy Ways to Get Started with a Photography Habit Today
Saikat Basu
January 8, 2014
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-easy-ways-get-started-photography-habit-today/

10 Blogs that will Make You into an Amazing Photographer
Saikat Basu
July 16, 2012
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-blogs-amazing-photographer-si/

Don’t Let Your Camera Collect Dust: 10 Inspiring Ideas for Photography
Nancy Messieh
April 20, 2013
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/dont-let-your-camera-collect-dust-10-inspiring-ideas-for-photography/

5 Methods to Find Inspiration for Your Photography Online
Nancy Messieh
February 28, 2011
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-methods-find-inspiration-photography/

Swap Your PJs for a Camera – Try Taking a Photo a Day and Improve Your Photography
Saikat Basu
August 10, 2012
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/swap-pjs-camera-photo-day-improve-photography/

Top 4 Photo Websites to Share One Photo Everyday
Nancy Messieh
March 29, 2010
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-4-photo-sharing-websites-share-photo-everyday/

Lots of resources. Now… to build that habit!