My 'A Photo A Day' Project

I decided that as an incentive to use my camera more, I would start a daily photography project. This challenge would involve taking a photo every day for as long as I could possibly keep it up. The only rule was that the photograph had to be taken on the day. I couldn't use one from yesterday or last week, it had to be that day.

For several years my camera was relatively unused. I would take photographs every now and again, mostly when I went on holiday or on specific trips. I never really thought about taking photos right on my doorstep. I figured that there was nothing special nearby, so how could I take nice photographs when I'd seen everything before? Looking back on this I can't believe how wrong I was, or how I could have been so narrow minded!

I started the project on 11th July 2011 and took a whole years worth of photographs. 366 to be exact, as 2012 was a leap year... just to make things a little more difficult! If you'd like to see all 366 photos you can click here, or on the link at the very bottom of this post.

When I first started the project I only intended to take snapshots and never sell them. They would be almost like a photo diary of my everyday life. One thing that surprised me most was how quickly this changed and evolved. Within the first week I decided to make each photo the very best it could be and something people would want to look at on an individual basis. I didn't want the number of photographs to be impressive, but rather each one on its own.

As I'm sure you can imagine, trying to find a new and exciting photograph to take every single day wasn't an easy task. Some days were a breeze and I'd use the first photo I'd taken straight after waking up. Other days were a real struggle and I'd literally have to hunt for a subject. This challenge pushed me and forced me to see things in a whole new light. Very quickly I realised there was so much beauty in the world, even right under my nose. As cliche as that sounds, it couldn't be more true. When you take the time to stop and look closely, your eyes are opened up to a whole new world. I noticed this because I was forced to find something to photograph in an environment I thought I knew.

This project is really what got me interested in macro photography. I decided to buy a macro lens just after the start of the project, as my standard 18-55mm lens didn't allow me to get the shots I was after. This new lens, along with the task of taking a daily photograph really helped me learn and improve at photography. I've always enjoyed the hands on approach to learning and this project is to thank for what I can do today. If you are thinking of starting a daily photo challenge I really cannot recommend it enough.

As the project went on I never once thought about quitting. I just wanted to reach that final day in July and look back on what I'd done over a year. Because of this project, photography is now such an important part of my life and I use my camera more than ever. In fact, I built this website because of it.

If you have any questions about my 'A Photo A Day' project, please contact me and I'd be happy to answer them.

You can see all the 366 photographs I took during the project by clicking the link below:

Click here to view all the photos from my 'A Photo A Day' project