Marching Into March
And the beat goes on! We are marching into another month of opportunity to document the sacred and the mundane moments of our everyday life. Whether it is a celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday, March Madness, the vernal equinox, the first or last blooms of the season, a St. Patrick's Day celebration, or a day spent with a cup of coffee and a good book, photographing what is going on in our days, no matter where we are or what we are doing, offers us the gift of gratitude.
Our color this month is purple, a favorite of many. Perhaps you'll spot purple in the first crocus of the year. Or, in the liturgical color of the Lenten season. Maybe it will be the contrasting color in the next painting or quilting project that you have undertaken. It is always amazing how when we are consciously aware of a particular color we start to see it everywhere, even in inconspicuous places.
Some food for thought:
"Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.” – Peter Adams
Remember that in the end, a "good" photo is not one that can only be taken with a fancy camera and manipulated with expensive software and lots of a time. A "good" photo is one that calls forth an emotional response from the viewer. This 365 day project is for you. You are the viewer that is most important in this circumstance. If others happen to be touched by your images, that's a bonus, not a goal. Let your photos tell your story and stir your heart.
We will be continuing with many of the same prompt categories as last year but we do have a few changes for you to note. We hope you like the modifications that we have made.
MONTHLY CHALLENGES
A PICTURE IS WORTH...
You know the saying that “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words? Well, on the 13th of each month you will have the opportunity to include words in your photo. You can use a letter board, include a saying on a photo using a writing app or even photograph something that has words on it such as a sign. The choice is yours.
PICTURE A CHARACTER
This one is for all you lego enthusiasts! Each month you will be encouraged to break out the lego, playmobil, little people, action figures or any other type of toy character you want to use with your prompt.
IN MY HANDS
We are replacing the monthly Where I Stand prompt with a monthly “In My Hands” prompt. On the 15th of each month, you are encouraged to photograph what is in your hands on that day. You can be as creative as you want but the challenge is to include you hand in your daily photo.
COLOUR WEEK
We are returning back to a colour week instead of just a day. The colour will be introduced on the Sunday and you can include it as little or as much as you’d like during that week. You can choose to include the colour for only one day of the week, three or four days, or even the whole week if you like.
MACRO MONDAY
On Macro Monday we focus on the little details! On the first Monday of every month we are asking you to use your macro skills to enhance the prompt of the day. We encourage you to get in close! You can use your macro lens, macro filters or simply crop your photos.
CHALLENGE DAY
We introduced this prompt last year and it was well received. Therefore, we will continue to include it in our monthly prompts. On this day we will be offering you a photography challenge and ask you to recreate it.
TECHNICAL DAY
This one is for the inner techies in all of us! On Technical Day we will be giving out instructions on specific photography technical skills. There will be a variety of skills explained to help you learn or enhance your abilities. We can all learn from one another.
PICTURE ME
It's selfie day! On the first day of the month, we will be asking you to include a picture of yourself in the daily prompt. This gives us a chance to let our community members know what we look like!
QUARTERLY CHALLENGES
SCAVENGER HUNT
The scavenger hunt is a quarterly challenge. We will give some specific words to use to go camera hunting with. You will be asked to take 4 photos while on your scavenger hunt. This is a fun challenge that also includes your chance to make a collage.
SEASONAL PHOTO – MY WORLD
We will revisiting the My World prompt again this year but it will be quarterly instead of monthly. Once a quarter, starting in January, you will take a picture in the same place. You will be asked to revisit this prompt once each quarter and document the noted changes. This will show the changing seasons or changes in your environment. If you cannot be in the same place each quarter, just take a picture of where you are and what your world looks like on that day.
GUEST PROMPT
Once a quarter will honour a member of our community with a Community Profile and the chance to write a prompt with an accompanying photograph! It is a special day for community members and a chance for all of us to get to know one another just a little better.
