365 in 2007

Reflections on Project 365

2008-01-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

I have thought about finishing Project 365 ever since I started. A year ago, I was full of enthusiasm for the resolution to take a picture every single day of 2007. Some days it didn't seem hard at all, but it wasn't long before I ran into the hard days, and whenever, especially in the first half of the year, I thought about how many more days there were to go, I found it really daunting.

From the beginning I set rigid standards for myself. I had to take a picture every day. I had to either actually click the shutter or set the self-timer on the camera myself. I couldn't use a picture that had been taken by someone else or on some previous day. I couldn't miss a single day taking pictures, though I never promised to post my picture every day on time. It did not start out, for me, as a blogging project or internet related at all; the blog was just a place to collect the images and, to a degree, hold me accountable. So I posted Sunday pictures on Monday mornings and occasionally missed posting a day's picture by a day or so for various reasons.

But I never missed taking a picture.

My daughter has persevered by my side in the project. She has been every bit as disciplined as I, and her encouragement along the way has been a real boon. There were many evenings when one or the other realized she had not yet taken a picture and a reminder saved the day. We made a good team.

Aimée tried to choose a picture for the day that somehow represented that day. I cared less about that and more about taking quality pictures. Some of her pictures don't really represent her days at all, and many of mine are not very good, but it helped to have goals in mind nonetheless.

When I started I hoped the exercise would improve my photography. It has done that, I think, and a whole lot more. I learned to use the macro setting on my camera for closeups, learned more about depth of field, learned not to use the flash whenever possible, and, near the end of the year, learned some ways to make the flash a little less damaging to the picture. Looking at Aimée's pictures helped me improve my framing of shots--she has such a good eye. And I learned to take lots and lots and lots of pictures in hopes of getting one or two good ones.

The other major benefit for me was the way the project increased my awareness of my natural surroundings. Many afternoons in the spring, summer, and fall, I found myself pictureless and went outside in search of something to photograph. I discovered a world of wonder in my yard. Oh, I knew there were squirrels and chipmunks and turkeys and spiders and flowers and grasses and trees out there before, but wanting a good picture meant much more careful looking, more waiting and watching. Did you know spiders build the most amazing webs in the fall? And what are chipmunks doing when they sit very still for a long time making that chirping noise that makes their throats wiggle? What were those agitated squirrels looking at as they quivered and chattered on those low branches? I have a better sense for what blooms when and what insects are likely to be out and about when, which plants the dragonflies and damselflies like best, and where to look for mushrooms in the grass. I am better acquainted with the screech of the blue jay and the screech of the hawk, the rustle of turkeys (they care not a whit about noise!) and the smaller rustles of the chipmunks.

My eyes were wide when I had my camera around my neck, but that sense of looking and listening and being aware of my surroundings spilled over so that I have been more alert more of the time even when I wasn't on the hunt for a picture. I see hands in the grocery store that I would like to photograph, a couple on the street, the sky as I'm driving, the birds inside Costco (which I meant to photograph this year but never did).

And so, what now? There were times in the year--in the summer and fall, mostly, when it was relatively easy to find a good picture outside--when I thought I'd do Project 365 again. But as soon as winter set in, not the pretty snowfall winter but the cold, wet, feeling-stuck-inside winter, I knew I couldn't do another winter taking still lifes indoors just to get a picture. Maybe another year--but not this year. I must admit that while I was really looking forward to the end this month, last night after midnight, when I had completed the challenge and taken my last picture, I felt a little let down: It's over. I did it, and that feels great, but... It's over, and that's a little sad. Not sad enough to make me do it again in 2008, but a little sad. I will miss the discipline, the feeling of doing something most people don't do (and succeeding), the excuse to carry my camera everywhere.

I fully expect to continue to take pictures. I've taken up digital scrapbooking, and I need pictures to scrap! And I still enjoy photography, perhaps even more than I did when I started the project a year ago. I won't be posting here any more, though. If you're interested in the view into my life that the pictures this year has provided, bookmark my other web site, Honeypot Rambles, and look for pictures--and words--there. I am unlikely to post daily, but I may make an effort to post even more regularly now that I'm not posting here. And thanks for the views and comments and encouragement along the way!

One last word, to my e-list friends who are just starting or restarting Project 365 as I end: Have fun with it, stick with it, and enjoy the ride! I am just a little bit envious. Just a little bit.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T23:00:00.000-05:00

It was hard to pick a picture for this final Project 365 post. Should it be extra-special? Extra-representative of my day, or perhaps my year? In the end I went with the happiest picture of the evening, and I wish you all a very happy new year!

Farkle

2007-12-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

The family got the dice game Farkle for Christmas. Aimée and I have played several times, but Sunday afternoon the boys had their first shot. Naturally, I creamed them.

Sunlight Through Trees

2007-12-29T20:25:00.001-05:00

Isn't that a clever title? (Two more days! But who's counting?)

Magnetic Poetry

2007-12-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

The weather the past week or so has been pretty blah, so I am wishing for some cold and snow! I wrote this little gem earlier in the month when we had some good winter weather.

Sharing a Funny

2007-12-27T21:25:00.001-05:00

Sick Boy

2007-12-26T18:15:00.001-05:00

He came down with a stomach bug last night. At least it was after Christmas!

Christmas Morning

2007-12-25T21:29:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my faithful readers! Hope your day was as good as ours.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

2007-12-24T21:48:00.001-05:00

Christopher reprising his annual role as Santa Claus in the kids' production acting out the Clement Moore poem, a tradition from my own childhood.

Putting Their Heads Together

2007-12-23T18:57:00.000-05:00

...to solve a sudoku puzzle in the Sunday paper.

Lights

2007-12-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

Our lit-up wreath and our tree from the outside.

Model C

2007-12-21T20:40:00.001-05:00

Last Self-Portrait

2007-12-20T21:13:00.001-05:00

Of 2007. Not sure how many I'll do in 2008!

Mail Delivery

2007-12-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

I asked the boys to bring me the mail, so Ben sledded down the driveway with it. Great service!

Cold Beverage of Choice

2007-12-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

I took better pictures today, but they had Christmas secrets in them and so cannot be posted in public! This is my favorite cold beverage, but diet Coke is a close second. Aren't you glad you stopped by today?

Shadows on Snow

2007-12-17T20:18:00.001-05:00

In the morning sunlight--it caught my eye and called for a slight postponement of Latin so I could get a picture.

Snowed In

2007-12-16T20:56:00.000-05:00

We had a very quiet Sunday--no church thanks to a nasty snow-sleet-ice storm. Aimée spent hours in front of the fire reading.

Christmas Program

2007-12-15T21:02:00.001-05:00

Big and Little

2007-12-14T20:14:00.001-05:00

I got my Christmas present early! This week my new iMac arrived; it was supposed to be a surprise under the tree on Christmas, but the fraud detection folks at the bank called and spoiled the surprise. So I got to open it up as soon as it arrived, and it is now up and running and wonderful. I am still quite fond of my little iBook, though, and hope they continue to get along nicely.

Sledding

2007-12-13T18:50:00.001-05:00

We got a real snowstorm today, and the kids had fun sliding down the driveway. I love winter!

Ruth's Tree

2007-12-12T21:22:00.001-05:00

It's a lousy picture (taken with my cell phone--that's my excuse, anyway), but a very pretty tree. Only 1300 lights!

Jingle Bells

2007-12-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

These are part of a wreath of bells that hangs inside our back door. I like bells.

Weird Light

2007-12-10T21:33:00.000-05:00

Trees in the headlights in the library parking lot tonight--kind of eerie!

Junior Photographer

2007-12-09T21:32:00.001-05:00

At our church's annual Christmas handbell concert.

Tracks

2007-12-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

Out the Back Window

2007-12-07T20:50:00.001-05:00

A little snow squall blew through this afternoon--very pretty!

Tara

2007-12-06T21:23:00.001-05:00

Tara and I have been meeting on Thursday nights at Barnes & Noble to discuss this excellent book. It has been great to spend time with her, and I love how we can share honestly about our struggles to follow Jesus.

Christmas Tree

2007-12-05T20:23:00.002-05:00

Slow shutter speed, camera in motion--isn't this fun? Go try it out.

Cookie Monster

2007-12-04T21:36:00.001-05:00

Cookie decorating! Yum.

Icy Morning

2007-12-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Tired of Posing

2007-12-02T21:05:00.000-05:00

I was trying to get a fabulous picture for our Christmas cards. This ain't it.

Something Red

2007-12-01T22:01:00.001-05:00

Valerie Fowler, a digital designer, is providing picture prompts for every day in December at her blog. I am more than a little weary of this discipline, so any prompts are welcome. Today's was "something red," which sounds very festive, but I didn't want a big red bow on a wreath because that seemed just too predictable. So here you go.

Boy of the Week

2007-11-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

So many pictures of this kid this week, perhaps because all the other members of the family are sick of having their pictures taken? (How am I ever to get a Christmas card picture out of these people?!)

Wet Siding

2007-11-29T21:40:00.001-05:00

Tonight's Purchase

2007-11-28T22:20:00.001-05:00

The (artificial) tree is up, so I had to hurry and purchase the artificial aroma to match.

Conqueror

2007-11-27T22:02:00.001-05:00

He conquered the pumpkin in the name of science (to count the seeds). What a hero.

Back to School

2007-11-26T22:04:00.001-05:00

Our first day back at the books after a week-long Thanksgiving break.

Tree Trimming

2007-11-25T21:38:00.000-05:00

Earlier than usual this year--not sure what got into us!

Stratego

2007-11-24T21:51:00.001-05:00

Three what? I wasn't paying attention.

Thankful

2007-11-23T22:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, on Thanksgiving Day, we all wrote on a banner things for which we're thankful. It's an eclectic hodge-podge, and it reflects well who we are.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T19:47:00.001-05:00

We've had such a nice day, just us--lots of laughing and being silly and just enjoying one another (and eating, of course).

Licensed to Drive

2007-11-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

It has been a long journey--but she got her license today. I'm so proud of her for persevering in a hard thing.

November Snow

2007-11-20T19:57:00.001-05:00

First snow I've seen this season.

November Field

2007-11-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

Sunday's Reading

2007-11-18T21:36:00.000-05:00

Finished Mayflower and flipped through some digital scrapbooking magazines.

Dave

2007-11-17T22:11:00.001-05:00

One of tonight's dinner guests, which included our church's deacons and their families as well as a missionary couple our church supports.

Blustery

2007-11-16T20:55:00.000-05:00

Never mind the leaf blower outside the frame of the picture...

Reading

2007-11-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

He is reading The Children's Homer for school.

Morning View

2007-11-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

I took pictures this morning while it was foggy and then a few after the fog had lifted. It was hard to pick a favorite, but I went with this one because I like the light and the notion that that path leads somewhere interesting, not just to a swamp.

Catalog Season

2007-11-13T21:56:00.001-05:00

In today's mail: Land's End, Eddie Bauer, Hanna Andersson, REI, The Teaching Company, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Delia's, and Greathall Productions.

Dave at Work

2007-11-12T21:19:00.000-05:00

In our basement.

Elisabeth

2007-11-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

Light

2007-11-10T21:21:00.000-05:00

Afternoon light coming through the trees in our yard.

Scary

2007-11-09T19:18:00.000-05:00

Here I am, first thing in the morning: no shower, no coffee, no nuthin'. Am I brave to post this, or what?!

His Hair...

2007-11-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

points to the sky, the place he'd rather be.

Geese

2007-11-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

Picture hunting this afternoon took me to a pond full of Canada geese (and one swan).

Aimee's Eye

2007-11-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

Through her new glasses.

Flock

2007-11-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Grackles, in the woods behind our house. Big flock! My mother always hated grackles, but I rather like them.

Laura

2007-11-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

Laura and I had a good time together this morning in the nursery.

Autumn Arch

2007-11-03T20:57:00.000-04:00

Nina's Sunset

2007-11-02T21:59:00.000-04:00

OK, it wasn't really just Nina's sunset, but I wasn't paying attention out the window, and when Nina saw this out her window she had the thoughtfulness to IM me so I could take a picture. Now, that's a friend!

Aimee

2007-11-01T21:36:00.000-04:00

Woods

2007-10-31T20:19:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Kipper!

2007-10-30T21:43:00.000-04:00

My baby is 11 years old. Wow.

October Self-Portrait

2007-10-29T21:18:00.000-04:00

I determined in January to do a self-portrait every month. I really don't enjoy it--don't feel at all creative taking them, don't enjoy looking at them. But, now that I've done October: Only two more to go!

First Fire of Fall

2007-10-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

Dave & Bob

2007-10-27T21:01:00.000-04:00

At tonight's church supper.

Something New

2007-10-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

Am I too old for these shoes? (Don't answer that. I like 'em. So there.)

Sky

2007-10-25T20:32:00.000-04:00

Almost Bare

2007-10-24T21:49:00.000-04:00

Trying On Glasses

2007-10-23T21:16:00.000-04:00

More Leaves

2007-10-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

His Look

2007-10-21T22:06:00.000-04:00

Late Bloomer

2007-10-20T19:03:00.000-04:00

I think the plants are a tad confused by our 80-degree weather in mid-October!

My Girl

2007-10-19T20:31:00.000-04:00

Foggy Morning

2007-10-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Yellow

2007-10-17T21:28:00.000-04:00

Red

2007-10-16T21:18:00.000-04:00

All Three

2007-10-15T19:43:00.000-04:00

Taken today at the orchard, where we got a pumpkin and cider and donuts.

Tara & Oliver

2007-10-14T21:57:00.000-04:00

Two of our lunch guests. Who's ready for a nap?

Janet

2007-10-13T22:16:00.000-04:00

We are having the pleasure this weekend of hosting a missionary couple during our church's missions conference; this is Janet, who with her husband and two children spent some 15 years serving the Lord in Pakistan.

Maple Leaves

2007-10-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

Water Droplets

2007-10-11T21:05:00.000-04:00

Click on the picture to see it big; it's worth it.

Ruth

2007-10-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

Ruth and I pray together every Wednesday for our kids. It's great to look at the Scriptures, worship, and lift up our kids before the Lord together, and I appreciate her faithfulness to this task over the years.

Aimee

2007-10-09T21:35:00.000-04:00

Blue Jay

2007-10-08T22:12:00.000-04:00

Sick Boy

2007-10-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

Kipper and I both felt lousy Sunday, he with a cold and I with some kind of stomach ailment.

More Bat Mitzvah Girl

2007-10-06T19:38:00.000-04:00

Here's Molly again, this time holding the Torah scroll with her parents, my brother Rick and his wife, Lisa. Molly did a great job during the service, and she's a terrific kid!

Bat Mitzvah Girl

2007-10-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend celebrating my niece Molly at her Bat Mitzvah; she's the one in pink. The others are her sister (also standing) and two cousins from Pittsburgh.

Leaves & Acorns

2007-10-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but I really like this picture. The textures, maybe? Whatever. It's certainly seasonal.

Spiderweb

2007-10-03T22:05:00.000-04:00

Our front shrubs were covered with these amazing, delicate webs, all damp from an early morning drizzle. I have some pictures that include a spider as well, but I loved this shot, which shows the cuplike structure of the web.

A Boy and His Stick

2007-10-02T18:57:00.000-04:00

Fungi

2007-10-01T20:59:00.001-04:00

"Coffee Hour"

2007-09-30T21:41:00.000-04:00

Or, more accurately for these kids, "donut minute."

Painting the Trim

2007-09-29T18:33:00.000-04:00

My man, doing a great job.

Yellow Mums

2007-09-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

Red Leaves

2007-09-27T21:09:00.000-04:00

It's been in the upper 80s and low 90s this week, unseasonably warm, but the leaves are changing nonetheless.

Kipper in the Window, At Night

2007-09-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

Cheerios

2007-09-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

Baseball

2007-09-24T21:17:00.000-04:00