January 2020

WELCOME TO 2020 and 365 Picture Today!

We are excited to be sharing this journey of a photo a day with each of you.

A new year, a new month, a new project...with new comes both excitement and probably a bit of anxiety. We all feel it; you are not alone! Committing to a project that encourages us to do something every single day for an entire year can feel overwhelming, especially on day one of 365! Remember that each of those 365 days also brings with it newness, an opportunity to start fresh.

Our goal for 365PictureToday is to create and cultivate an attitude within this community that every day is important and worthy of being documented. Today may feel mundane, boring, or even sad; it is still important. In some way, big or small, it changed you. As Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) said, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

As a point of departure for this year’s prompts, we are using the National Holiday Calendar. It has some silly and some serious holidays and observances. The January prompts are intended to be an introduction to how that format will work. Our hope also is that they will help those who are new to photography learn the basic language and terms associated with picture taking as well as spark some creativity in those who are seasoned photographers.

We are all beginning something new together. The 365PictureToday team is filled with anxiety and excitement as we all step into 2020 together. We want to create a project and a place where each of you feels encouraged, safe, and challenged to become a better photographer and a better person. We also want to hear from you. What do you like so far? What do you wish to see from us? You’ll find contact information for each member of the team on page 14. Please use it!

Happy New Year to each of you!

365PictureToday Team

 

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January 2020

REPEATING PROMPTS

The goal of this project is to document the people, places, things, emotions, and occasions that, when taken as a whole, express the beauty that is our everyday life.  The daily prompts are intended to serve as inspiration.  We know that some of you will find them a comfort and others may feel that they are a constraint.  Whatever your feelings about a day’s given prompt, know that there are no “prompt police.”  It is most important that your daily photos reflect your authentic self.

That said, shooting to a specific prompt, especially when doing so may feel a bit challenging, can help you to expand your creative thinking and improve your skills as a photographer.  In addition to the daily prompts from the National Day Calendar, we will also include additional challenges on specified days each month.  They are as follows:

3 - BLACK AND WHITE
Shooting in black in white or converting a color photo to black and white asks us to look at an image a little differently. Shape and texture become more important when color is eliminated.  Even if you are not a fan of black and white photography, giving it a try on this one day a month may teach you how to look at all of your subjects in a new and more creative way.

7 - SELF PORTRAIT
It is important for us to put ourselves in front of the camera at least once each month.  Not only does this give our loved one’s photos of us, it also reminds us of how others feel when we ask them to step in front of our cameras.

10 - GUEST WRITER
Each month we will have an opportunity to get to know more about one of you, a member of our community, and your thoughts on taking a photo a day by inviting you to write a daily prompt.

15 - PICTURE YOUR DAY
Where are you today?  Show us where you sit, stand, work, or live.  This would be a great day to take a photo in the same location each month throughout the year to see how things change with the seasons.     

23 - COLOR DAY
On the 23rd of each month, we will all be hunting something of the same color to photograph.  You will be surprised how easy it is to find some colors and how “not so easy” it is to find others.

29 - PHONE PHOTO
Phone photos are always acceptable on any day.  There are days when it is the only camera, we have with us.  The more we embrace the notion that phone photos are not “cheating” and learn to use the cameras on our phones, the more versatile and well-equipped we will be when it comes to catching all those surprise moments.  Let’s face it, most of us have our phones with us all that time.  That is not the case with our “big” cameras.

3RD MONDAY - MACRO
Macro photography affords us the opportunity to see little details in a big way.  It challenges both our technical and our creative skills.  On the third Monday of each month the prompt will ask us to get up close and personal with something by using macro photography.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIP OF THE MONTH

SHOOT EVERY DAY

Like any skill, the more you do it, the better you can get. The best camera you have is the one in your hand, so if you aren’t out with your DSLR kit, don’t be afraid to take great photos with your phone camera or a point-and-shoot. Photography is photography, make pictures with a camera. Any camera.

365PictureToday Creative Team

Amy
Amy
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Diane
Diane
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Garnett
Garnett
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Kris
Kris
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Lee
Lee
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Leslie's selfie
Leslie
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Lysle
Lysle
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SNIPPETS FROM THE TEAM

AMY

I was always the one at family gatherings and holidays wielding the camera so when I stumbled upon a “photo of the day” challenge back in 2014 it seemed a natural fit little did I know how transformative and addicting it would be; the fact that everyday held photo possibilities was eye opening!  I live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, married and have a daughter in college.


GARNETT

I received my first DSLR in 2014 and was determined to shoot in manual mode. I started taking a photo a day in January 2015. Not only did I learn to shoot in manual, but now I have a photo business for charity that keeps me busy and fulfilled in my retirement. I live in Southeast Virginia with my hubby and we have 3 grown children and 9 grandchildren.


KRIS

I first realized that I had an interest in taking pictures in sixth grade when I worked on a Photography badge in Girl Scouts. I took lots of pictures during the next 40+ years of my life, but knew little about what I was doing. That all changed on January 1, 2013 when I started learning about and practicing photography by taking a photo a day.  I live in Dallas, TX with my husband, 3 dogs, and a cat. I have 2 grown daughters and an 8 month old grandson.


LEE

I have always been interested in photography but didn’t practice enough, so I decided to start taking a photo a day back in January 2014, which improved my photos within six months, practice makes perfect apparently, but the more I know I realise that I have still a lot to learn.  I have live in Belgium for the last 24 years, with my husband, I have four grown up children and a dog!  

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