-7 days: Questions to ask yourself before starting a 365

When I completed my first 365 I was full of relief that it was finally over, but I also wasn't happy with the end results of my year spent taking pictures. When I started, my "statement of purpose" for my project was "I want to show my kids some day what a year in my life was like." Turns out, that wasn't what I really wanted. I wanted to create photos that illustrated a narrative where I could dress-up and play a character. I was following my statement of purpose and becoming more and more burdened by the project as time past. There were ups when I would dress-up for the pictures and tell a story, but there were a lot of downs because I just wasn't doing what I really wanted. I was following my own rules, but I was bored and getting drained of creative energy. My favorite time of the project was Christmas-time (which was only two and a half months in to it!) because I dressed up and experimented with lights, with story telling, and camera angles. After Christmas, there wasn't anything I felt like I could dress up for, so I fell back into the hand shots and mirror pictures. 

For my second 365, I had a better idea of what I wanted to do. I came up with some themes ahead of time and felt a lot more confident going in. However, my statement of purpose was just to "keep myself busy/distracted while my husband is deployed." I didn't have a clear goal of what I wanted visually, just what I wanted the project to do for me. I knew I wanted to be more illustrative and artsy, but the themes I had planned were the opposite of that! I had a lot of "featuring this" sort of themes, which would have worked great for a documentary sort of project, but it wasn't what I wanted. I am much happier with the results of my second project, though, because I realized pretty quickly into it that I needed to change my game plan to get the results I wanted. It did also satisfy my purpose of keeping myself busy while my husband was deployed, but when he got home and we added another furry family member to our household, I couldn't prioritize my project like I had when John was gone and my confidence in my photos suffered because my creativity was basically shot.

This time I have a specific plan: I want my photos to be illustrative and portray a narrative. I have several themes for the year and intend to come up with more. When there isn't a specific theme, I hope that my photos reflect my personal photo style. In some ways I am still figuring out my personal style, but for now I have a few guideline questions to ask myself: Does this photo look like it has been tucked away for ages in an album found in an attic full of treasures? Does this picture look like an illustration from a fantastical story? If it doesn't, can I justify its existence in my portfolio?

Ask yourself what you want from your 365. Do you want to document a year in your life or do you want something different? There is nothing wrong with documentation, but make sure it is what you really want to do so you don't disappoint yourself later on. You don't need a lot of themes or mini-series within your 365 to have a fun and successful project, but the faster you figure out what you want from your 365 the more you will get out of it! I was too stubborn to give up on my first 365 even with being disappointed with myself for weeks on end, and even though I finished it, I felt like it was a failed experiment for a long time. A strong sense of purpose can make all the difference in the world.

P.S. Merry Christmas!

-14 days: Equipment

As you prepare for your 365, you may be wondering what sort of equipment you will need. Here are what I consider the basics and helpful extras to have:

A camera. You can get creative with any sort of camera, whether it be on a phone, a point and shoot, or a fancy DSLR. Your skill level, finances, and commitment to photography will probably determine what sort of camera you enter the project with. I'm not here to tell you what camera to use, just to say that your camera is only a piece of equipment, you are the brain and you have the creativity!

Self-timer. Now that I have said what kind of camera you have doesn't matter, I am going to recommend you have one with a self-timer :P A self-timer gives you the option of not having to hold your camera at arm's length for every photo.

Remote. If your camera has the option to be remotely trigger, I highly recommend it! You can get into weird poses and not have to run back and forth to the camera to trigger the timer if you can just point a little remote. Having a remote totally changed my style of photography!

Tripod. You can stack books or DVD cases to get your camera at different heights, but a tripod is not only more portable than a stack of books, it can get much more diverse angles and is more stable.

Editing software. For my kind of work, this is essential. For others, this might not even be necessary.  There are lots of free editing programs if you don't have the money to spare on software. If you aren't sure you will like a paid program, look into a free trial to see if it fits well with you. Also, there are cheaper versions of some programs that strip away the super fancy features of the full program that might be a more pocket-book friendly alternative (Adobe Photoshop, for instance offers the "Elements" version of Photoshop for much cheaper than regular Photoshop).

And now for the extras!

Fun lenses. Having a fun lens or lens extension can add some spice to your photos if you are getting stuck in a rut, just make sure not to over use it!

 

Kaleidoscope-esque extension.

 Fish-eye extension

A stand in. I didn't really have a stand in my first two 365s (sometimes I would take pictures with other people and they would stand in for me, but this was rare), but it would have been very helpful to have when I was setting up my shots all alone. This time around my husband helped me make a portable stand that I can take places and I don't have to waste time doing the "trial and error" method of composing my images.

Props and costumes. Props can give you purpose in a photo. An image of a person sitting at a table doing nothing versus an image of a person sitting at a table with a cup have two different messages. The cup may be a special hand crafted item or it may be the fluid inside the cup that is important (like if the cup has tea versus egg nog). A prop can make an image say more than just "hi, this is another portrait of me," it tells a story, like "this is a portrait of me drinking egg nog from the cup my grandma made me for Christmas when I was 7"

What other things do you think you will need for your 365?

-21 days: Why self-portraits?

"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." -Frida Kahlo, painter.

Why take self-portraits?

Learn to put your best face forward. Many people hate being in front of the camera, I know several that made the specific choice to be behind the camera so they could avoid being in front of the lens. When you take a self-portrait everyday for a year, you will learn your angles, you learn how to position yourself in front of a camera, and you usually pick up some editing techniques along the way to minimize your flaws.

My skin is an issue for me. I have learned many techniques for how to edit the photo to make my skin look nice. Sometimes I don't care, but other times it is a detail I feel needs to be addressed with Photoshop ;)

You are your most convenient model. You are never without a model if you are willing to do self-portraits! Asking someone to pose for you can be a challenge, especially if you don't feel like leaving the house, and models can sometimes be unreliable. Your model won't ever show up to a photoshoot late if it is yourself ;) 

Explore and share your interests. You have complete control over your self-portrait, it is the perfect opportunity to analyze what your favorite things are and then share them! During my second 365 I did "Oz-month" for the month of May. I now have 31 days of Oz-themed photos because the books by L. Frank Baum have been very influential in my life. While planning that month I got to dig deeper into the books and learn even more about them.

Dressed up as Ozma of Oz during my second project.

See progress in yourself. A year can make a big difference in your appearance. By doing a portrait a day you will be creating a time capsule of yourself for that year. Because of my first 365 I have my entire 20th year of life to look back on. I know what I wore every day that year! With my second 365 I have most of my 24th year on record as well. The is going to be a tiny bit silly, but I can look back on my hair growth progess through my 365s, which is important to me! It may be something else for you, maybe weight loss or growing a beard, whatever it is, you can look back on it and see the changes.

During my first 365 project, I cut off over a foot of hair. I regret it now, but have the photos of the big cut to remind myself not to do it again.

Become humble. Some people might think that taking a self-portrait of yourself every day for a year is vain, but I would challenge anyone who said that to try it out! I have never been so humbled in my looks and in my photography skills as when I was doing my first 365. I felt ugly on many days and that I was foolish to ever think I was "good" at photography. Looking at your own face with all of its flaws blown up on a computer screen makes you the opposite of vain. You become aware of your flaws and will hopefully develop a realistic attitude about them. I eventually got tired of editing my bad skin during my 365 and now I am much more accepting of the skin I live in. It was a humbling process, not one that made me love my looks more.

-28 days: Why 365 days

Why do a year long photography project?

Several reasons!


Develop your photography skills. Any sort of skill takes time and dedication to develop. Committing to a 365 day project is hard work, but by exercising your photography skills every day you will be virtually guaranteed to see a difference at the end of the year. The time you invest in being creative and thoughtful will reward you with a keen eye and better pictures.

Photos from the beginning and the end of my first 365 project. Definitely a difference in creativity, composition, and technique.
Practice self-discipline and commitment. When was the last time you began and finished such a big project that was just for yourself? You may have others keeping you accountable for your 365, but when it comes down to it, the only person you let down if you fail is yourself. You can take a huge amount of pride in yourself for being disciplined enough to persist in this endeavor.


Record your life. Doing a photo project for a whole year is basically like keeping a visual diary. You will be able to look back at your year and see the challenges that you faced and how you overcame them. Also, your 365 may have been something you started for yourself, but 10 years down the line, it may be a collection of photos your children will enjoy looking through to see what their parent's life was like in 2014.

I was sick on New Year's Eve of my second 365. I probably wouldn't remember that if I hadn't taken a photo and written it down.
Learn more about yourself. During my first 365 I first realized that I was almost a hermit when I wasn't in classes. I had to make a big effort to get outside and step outside my comfort zone. I knew that I was a homebody, but didn't realize how much of one I was until my photos revealed it to me!

-31 days: 365 project #3

Hello! I'm Xenia, most reading this probably know me already, but I wanted to do an introduction post for those that don't. I'm 25, currently living in Anchorage, Alaska, married to an Army soldier, and this will be my third 365 self-portrait project. By the time I *start* the project on January 01st, 2014, I will have finished my Bachelor's degree in Art, emphasis in photography.

I got my first digital camera for Christmas 2003--when I was fifteen--and started taking self-portraits right away. I had NO idea what I was doing, but I liked learning and enjoyed the bonding that occurred by sharing pictures with my online friends. It was a 1.3 megapixel camera with no viewing screen, but it had a self-timer, so I began experimenting. I did have friends who occasionally modeled for me, but I was somewhat embarrassed to ask to take pictures of them, so I stuck with self-portraits.

My first 365 project began on my 20th birthday (September 20, 2008), I wanted to capture my "golden" year (when you turn the age of the day of the month you were born it is known as your "golden birthday") in photo form. I began the year with a picture of myself with my parents, because without them I wouldn't be who I am.

My second 365 began on the day my husband deployed for the 3rd time (November 28, 2011). It was my first winter in Alaska (and my first time living by myself), I didn't have many friends, and I knew I was going to need motivation to get dressed every day to prevent myself from slipping into a depression, so I resolved to keep myself accountable to my internet friends.

Now that I'm on my third 365 project, I sort of feel like a ~pro at this sort of thing, so I wanted to create this blog to encourage others to begin and finish their own 365s. I have seen many people begin these projects, but lose steam and quit part way through. 365s are a BIG commitment, but I feel like I have learned SO much through them (both about photography and about myself) that I recommend them to everyone.

I'm looking forward to this challenge and I am hoping that those reading this will be inspired to begin their own projects! Leave a comment if you are planning to do a 365 this January (or any time soon, really), or if you have any questions. Looking forward to hearing from you!

-Xenia

P.S. Happy Hanukkah!