It’s a couple weeks in to my 365 day photo challenge and i’m finding it a little easier than expected. Coming up with picture ideas for my 365 day photo challenge was one of my greatest concerns. It didn’t help that I started this January 1st in a snowy climate. The winters often force people indoors for obvious reasons. So what do you take photos of when it’s freezing outside? Well I decided to create a 365 photo project theme that would work for me. It was simple and easy to remember. Take a photo each day with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9. That’s it, sounds simple right?
Some ideas for taking a photo each day for your 365 day challenge
At first I ran through all the photos I’ve taken in the past 6 months and thought i’d lean on them for some inspiration. What I noticed was that these photos were themselves drawn from other sources of inspiration. Take the Sony A7 and it’s amazing ability to capture stunning photos, it’s an ideal camera for any picture a day challenge. My review of the Sony A7 with sample photos was a good source of inspiration in as much as I wanted to use this camera as one of my go to setups. So what is the formula I’m using to get ideas for my photography projects. The biggest tip I can give for a 365 challenge is to get as much inspiration and ideas on what to take pictures of is look everywhere. Open your eyes to the world around you at work on your commute at home or outdoors. You’ll find yourself drawn to your comfort zone when you have to take a picture everyday but try to push that envelope as far as you can. While I’m looking around for ideas I keep a mental list of what might work since I need to capture a picture everyday for a year. Either that day or in the day’s to come I return to the idea in my mind and shoot away. I also have a backup plan just in case. I’m surprised how often the plan B shot is the one that I use and still keep in my original 365 photo challenge theme. Here is a list of ideas for your 365 photo challenge.
Ideas and inspiration for your 365 day projects and challenges
- Landscape photos
- Close up or macro photos of interesting objects
- People
- Play on color – either more or less
- Black and white – add some drama to an otherwise dull photo
- Change your perspective – take 15 photos of an object from all angles
- Check out other photographers and draw ideas from them
- Play with focus – master the full blur
These are some ideas on where to start and what to look out for. Now that I’ve started this challenge I see the world completely differently. I’m almost obsessed with seeing things through the lens. Check out my photo gallery for some ideas as well my 365 day photo challenge Flickr album to see all my photos.
I’ve found the best place to warehouse or store my photos for this challenge is on Flickr instead of creating a photo a day blog. You can visit my main Flickr page directly or view my 365 photo day challenge album below.
The key to success here is to create your own photo a day challenge and stick with it. It’s not easy all the time but in the end the reward is well worth it.
One photo every day – it’s worth it!
