Toronto Photography Meetup Group

So with the end of the year coming to a close, how many of you are withing striking distance to complete your 365 challenges? How many of you are looking to start one at the beginning of next year? Most importantly, how do/did you stay motivated to complete it? Did you carry your dslr around everywhere, or did you count cellphone pics when you were late at school/work and didn't have the chance to take the photos. I must admit that I only got 7 days into mine last year until the shutter stopped clicking haha. Post some photos if you have any good ones to share over your last year, and tips on how you were able to complete it!

I'm really tempted to do a 365... but I dunno if i want to be the subject

You don't have to be the subject, it can be 365 portraits if that's your thing. I was contemplating it but I can't commit to 365, so if I ever do something like this, I think it'll be more of a 52 type of project because once a week is all I can handle.

What is the purpose of shooting on days you don't feel like doing it?

Its a motivational thing, it helps you think more in depth about your work and helps you get inspired.

I do a 365 every other year with acrylic painting as the medium. Its a great exercise to undertake, you just have to keep in mind that not every day will be genius, it makes you put pen to paper so to speak and create.

I somewhat agree with Metrix. I've seen a lot of people doing the 365 project shooting for the sake of shooting (a photo of their desk, drink, a tree and etc). I suppose it is a learning stage or a means of motivating yourself to shoot something more creative than the day before.

However, there are others who have some really creative/inspiring 365 projects. I remember seeing one that was a strobist 365 and thought it was pretty neat.

Painting or sketching is creative by it's nature as it all comes out of your head, but a camera is just a recording device a tool. In my case a project of a photograph a day without the addition of a theme is not going to inspire me creatively, sort of like washing the dishes you do it so you have clean dishes.

It would be great if some one that has actually done the 365 thing would chime in here.

Samantha I can think of a theme for you. Take a photo a day and paint what you thing is on the photo without looking at it again until after you have finished the painting, just think of the great painting/photo diptychs you would have.

Heres a link to a 2 person cooperate 365 project

http://www.flickr.com/people/caliyork/

I would have to disagree that the camera is just a recording device, i see the camera just as any other artistic medium, like a paintbrush or charcoal its a tool to help create the art, photography's creativity is in the composition, the selection of subject just as you create on a canvas or paper you create with a viewfinder and to some extent in post.

You would be surprised that sometimes the theme of a 365 materializes after a few weeks, you don't go into intending to but by human nature one emerges, seeing what theme emerges is half the fun.

I like your idea though, that would an interesting diptych.

Where not really disagreeing. My point is not that the camera can be used creatively but that it doesn't have to be used creatively. It's easy to just take a photo a day without any consideration to creativity.

this is what i like to hear.

i'm pretty excited about doing this in january, after looking through some motivating 365 albums on flickr. i think it would be a good way to look back through a year and remember every day rather than just several big things that happened throughout the year.

i think at the beginning of this year (after the 7 days of it that actually happened) i was unmotivated because i was expecting every photo to be magnificent, but when i look back now i think that it's not so much about how good the photo looks as it is the memory that it brings back from that day. some of my photos from the first 7 days sucked, but at least i can actually remind myself of what happened that day to begin with.

365s are so passe. Why not do an 8760 instead?

I've never done a 365, I don't think I could handle it, but I applaud anyone who does it. Self-portrait 365, however, I can't stand. I don't need to see 365 pics of anyone, thanks.

to be honest, I carried a G9 in my pocket for the most part of 2009 but I didn't take a picture a day. Not even a picture a week.

If it's not too early for new year resolutions, then I'll take a picture a day in 2010.

why stop there?

7fps? 220752000 anyone?

LOL. How about the opposite challenge ... do not touch a camera for 365 days

I know that would also save a lot of us a ton of cash in 2010.

Soo true, I've spent my bonus 3 times over already, and I still haven't received it yet. Once I actually get it, new lens, new body, new computer. Why are my hobbies so expensive

I think I am going to partake in this exercise in 2010, as I realized that outside of shooting Snowcross and Sprint Cars, I never take a photo of anything else.

It really hit home, when my father passed away, and there just weren't that many photos of him with other family members or even of him doing stuff.

This despite the fact that there has always been at least one or two 35mm film or DSLR's and a couple point and shoots kicking around.

So here is hoping Santa brings me a Canon G 11 for X-mas,

Wait till you dip your toes in headphones/speakers world. Together with photography they should eat you alive.

I think that I have decided on a 52 (once a week) project. and it's seriously becoming a new year's resolution. BTW great site and the guy is as good at photographing people as writing the captions !!

last chance to commit to it, anyone starting tomorrow (i'm guessing the first photo will be when the clock strikes midnight)?

happy new year everybody!

I guess I may do it with either my DSLR or my old P&S

And I plan to be asleep at midnight

Ha ha ha ... I've done that for the last 3 yrs, but now work for a company where I won't get the bonus like my last one. So, I have no choice but stay status quo this year.

I still have to build a new computer, maybe next month

I'm going to give it a shot. Am heading out in a few minutes to get picture 1 of 365.

A bit of a different 365 day challenge to process at least 1 picture a day and then a 52 week challenge to add them to flickr at least once a week.

Hopefully this will help learn lightroom better and start on some more skills in CS3 as well. I only have very little knowledge of both of these programs.

I guess technically one can start this at anytime of the year, as long as they do it for the full 365 days or the full 52 weeks.

I think it gets hard if you make it hard, but if you just try and learn one thing from each day, you should be better at the end, provided old timers doesn't set in first.

I can see myself learning more about lighting, as it can be done in the confines of ones house all toasty and warm.