This blog is normally supposed to be about the photos but as the 100 days project comes to a close I wanted to set down a few thoughts about how it went, and what I learned and where I go from here. In a way it seems like I’ve been doing this forever and in another like it went by in the blink of an eye.
The great challenge of a 100 days project is to make photography a priority for at least a little while every day. When my brother died 37 days into the project I very nearly abandoned it. But in the end I had to ask myself what better incentive did I need to commit myself to spending time doing what I love every day of my life? So, it was hard, but I kept at it.
Some days it was more like a chore than an opportunity to pursue my passion. Now that I am getting to the end it is more like a habit, a routine, just something I do every day. I could just keep going on but I am not going to for a number of reasons.
First, I don’t think I do my best photography when I am under pressure to produce something. The way I like to roll is to have a project that I work on once a month or once a week where I can devote full days to photography and not just a few minutes so I have something to post the next day. In the end I didn’t get out to shoot every day but I did at least process something from the period of the project. I do like the idea of committing some time to processing every day because 1) it helps keep my skills sharp and 2) it keeps photography on the front burner even if I am not out shooting. So I will continue with that aspect.
Second, I don’t like to share my mistakes and failures. As I got further into the project it was a little easier to go back in time to earlier days of the project and find something I could make a decent image out of; but I can’t say I am proud of every image I posted in the past 100 days. I will continue to do my image of the week on the photo blog. That gives me a little more time and freedom to come up with something really good.
Third, there will, no doubt, be another opportunity for a 100 days challenge and if I don’t put it aside for now I won’t have that to pick up in the future to stretch myself again. And it is a stretching, an exercise that helps one to keep skills sharp and learn new ones. I did a lot of experimenting with software and processing techniques when I just didn’t have anything I liked. That was how I came up with my favorite image of the project which will be hanging in the dining room of my new house as a reminder of the value of a 100 hundred days project.
And finally, I will soon be moving in to said new house so photography will have to take a back seat at least for a couple of weeks. I had envisioned that the moving in would be part of the project and I would have to work around it but it was not to be.
So what else did I learn? I learned that photography is a lot more fun when you are not weighed down by 25 lbs of equipment. I would say about 90% of the images I shot during the project were done with my EOS M. I love the freedom it gives me and I love unobtrusiveness of being able to walk around with just a small camera and no tripod. Yes, there are times when the big lens and the tripod are the right tools for the job but I am going to come home with a lot more images if I allow myself the freedom of a mirror-less camera in the situations where it is appropriate. I sometimes see myself on a scouting mission with the little camera to be followed up by a serious visit with the full regalia.
I have found myself drawn more and more to impressionistic photography. So, precise sharpness is not as critical as in traditional photography. Another nod to the little camera. Unfortunately, I am still eternally frustrated by the lack of a telephoto lens for the EOS M, the absence of an electronic viewfinder and the clunkiness of changing settings. So, sorry Canon, I have decided to trade up to a Fujifilm XE2 system which will include a wide angle and a telephoto zoom lens and a 60mm Macro lens.
I also turn more and more to macro photography. Partly because I am too lazy to get up for sunrise and too food oriented to skip dinner to shoot sunsets. But seriously, there are plenty of landscape photographers in the world and precious few beautiful landscapes. I will, of course, continue to shoot the Oregon Coast. That was one of my reasons for coming home. But one thing the project proved is that there is always something in the backyard to shoot. It is freeing in a way to know that I don’t have to be constantly traveling in order to add new images to my portfolio.
So, I am taking a break for a few weeks to get my house and studio set up. Then look out world, I will have no more distractions to keep me from pursing my passion. I just have to decide on one of the many projects in my head to commit to. What will it be???