2013 Project 365 Favorites



Late into 2012, I decided that I wanted to get to know how to take better pictures with my camera.  We had purchased a DSLR shortly before the twins were born, and though I had vowed to learn to use my camera to its fullest when we had bought the camera, I had not ventured away from taking pictures in the camera's Auto mode.  It was easy to point and shoot, but I wasn't always happy with the results.  I knew that I could take better pictures, but I was stuck...on Auto.

 

So when I stumbled upon an invitation to join others in the commitment to take a daily photo through a Project 365 via Peas and Carrots Studio, I accepted the challenge with the hopes that doing so would not only help me to get to know my camera but also bring improvement to the pictures that I was taking.  I was already taking plenty of pictures, but I thought that joining a group of others who were also practicing photography would provide me with inspiration and motivation as I set out to take better pictures. 

 

A year and 365 pictures later, I now know my camera much better than I did at the start of the project, and I also believe that my photography skills have improved.  I spent the last year learning about my camera and about good photography from the other women in my Project 365 group, from books and blogs, and from family members and friends.  The improvement was gradual; I slowly eased my way out of Auto and into Manual mode over the first few months of the year as I began to understand the camera controls.  As I familiarized myself with my camera, I continued to read and research the work of other photographers to learn more about what it was that made a great picture so great. 

 

I know that I still have a lot to learn; I continue to read and research and practice (You should see the stack of books that I have on the topic!)  Lucky for me, I have a lot of time for reading and researching and practicing these days.  In all seriousness, I don't know what I would be doing here in Holland if it weren't for my camera.  It's given me some purpose, and it's brought me some happiness...even if it's attracted unwanted attention from Dutch locals at times! 

 

Part of my continued practice is participation in not one, but two Project 365 challenges this year.  I am submitting pictures to the Project 365 through Peas and Carrots Studio on Facebook and Flickr as I had last year, but I also joined the 365 project through Shutter Sisters on Flickr.

 

I will continue to post my 365 project pictures here on the blog, but I will do so only once a month, and no longer will I include a "backstory" for each of the pictures posted.  I constantly struggled to keep up with posting the pictures on a weekly basis last year, and writing the caption underneath each picture took longer than you would think!  At some point, I also hope to make the necessary changes to this blog to feature larger pictures.  Sidenote:  I actually told Jim that there's almost TOO much for me to do here!  I have books to read, DVDs to watch, two baby books to create, a blog to attend to, Lightroom to learn, toasties to eat, wine to drink...and then there's those pesky kids! 

 

It won't be until the end of January, then, that you next see any 365 project pictures posted here.  To tide you over until then, I have selected my favorite pictures (All 63 of them...it was hard to choose!) from last year's project and posted them below.  Hopefully, you'll notice an improvement from the pictures taken at the beginning of the year to those taken at the end.  You will definitely see the changes in Maddie and Will! 

 

I haven't "done" anything with the pictures taken for last year's Project 365; other participants have turned their submissions into calendars and poster-sized prints.  I would love to create a photo book using the pictures from last year's project.  I guess I have to add that to my list of things to do!  Maybe we should just stay here for a few more months so I can get everything done!

 

Not.