September 2024

Welcome September!

Summer is winding down and the weather is getting cooler here in the Western Hemisphere. The trees are starting to turn. The kids are returning to school. Apples and pumpkin spice are making their return to our markets and coffee shops. I love this time of year.

There is a sense of starting again that comes along with September. January is notoriously the month of starting over but I think September runs a close second. There’s a sense of renewal in air. If you have been keeping up with a photo a day, just think, you are 75% through the year. Take this time to reflect on how far you’ve come over the past 9 months. If you’ve fallen off the wagon a bit or completely, fear not. Jump back in and make the last 25% of the year a resounding success. It’s a great time to start fresh. Grab that pumpkin spice coffee and get out there and photograph all the best that fall has to offer.

“Let’s kick off September with a healthy dose of hope, with a side of enthusiasm.”
author unknown

Explaining the Prompts

This year we are pleased to announce a whole new look to 365 Picture Today. We asked! You answered! Instead of weekly themes, we will be featuring specific days with specific tasks.

Where I Stand

This prompt will occur on the last day of every month! You get to be as creative as you like, but the challenge is to include your feet in the photograph. It will be fun to see the different environments our photography journey takes us to.

Colour Day

Colour day is back by popular demand! Instead of a full week of colour we are introducing "colour day". It will be occurring once a month with a beautiful colour chosen by your creative team. It is completely up to you to include either a little or a lot of the specified colour.

Macro Monday

On Macro Monday we focus on the little details! On the 2nd 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

This is an exciting, new and super fun challenge for 2024! 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! Once a 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 member know what we look like!

Scavenger Hunt

The scavenger hunt is a quarterly challenge. We will give you some specific words to use to go camera hunting with. This is a fun challenge that also includes your chance to make a collage.

My World

On the 5th day of every month you will take a picture in the same place. This will show the changing seasons, or just the subtle changes of the that environment. If you cannot be in the same place every month, just take a picture of where you are and what your world looks like on that day.

Guest Prompt

Once a month we 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 bit better.

SEPTEMBER

Day 245 - September 1 - Fence

Day 245 - September 1

Fence

Do you love fences? They can be so interesting to photograph with their many styles, textures, and colors. But they can also provide wonderful leading lines. I wanted the old crepe myrtle in this charming garden to be the focus of my picture. Placing it in the gate opening with the fence flanking both sides directs the eye right to the tree. The addition of the other fence behind the tree frames it further and defines the fore-, middle-, and backgrounds. How much more interesting than just a tree!

Keep on the lookout for a fence today. It can be the subject itself or it can be put to use as a leading line element. Which will you choose?

Leslie

Day 246 - September 2 - Take a hike

Day 246 - September 2

Take a hike

The way is the goal - Confucious

Today is the day to get outside and take a hike! If you don't have time for a hike, try an urban walk and show us your neighbourhood or your city streets and parks. It is always fun to see where everyone lives. The important thing is to get outside on this gorgeous day in September.

If you can take a hike, go for it!

Lysle

Day 247 - September 3 - Bowl of...

Day 247 - September 3

Bowl of...

Share what's in your bowl?

It's that simple... we promise!

Amy

Day 248 - September 4 - The write stuff

Day 248 - September 4

The write stuff

Writing is a lost art. Most people communicate via e-mail or text message. Even grocery lists are made through apps.

I rarely write a letter these days, but I still make lists and take Bible Study notes by hand. I find I remember things so much better if I write them down.

What kinds of things do you write: Letters, cards, thank you notes, study notes, grocery or packing lists?

Garnett

Day 249 - September 5 - My World

Day 249 - September 5

My World

Seasonal Photo

It's time for your monthy My World photo. Where will you take yours today? Are you photographing the same place every month or are you mixing it up?

I decided that this year I would visit a different bakery, coffee shop or donut shop on the 5th of each month. I've enjoyed this prompt immensly. My friends like it too. We get together on the 5th and decide where to go for our monthly treat. We enjoy a treat and I get to take my photo!

This photo was taken at a Chinese bakery in Ottawa's Chinatown. I'm glad the signs were written in English as well as Chinese. My Chinese is a bit rusty these days.

Diane

Day 250 - September 6 - Corridor

Day 250 - September 6

Corridor

Corridors can be long, bright, and inviting. Or, they can be off the beaten path and be a bit mysterious. I had fun creating. in my mind, a story to go along with this off of the path corridor - the darkness, several doors on either side, the woman in black, the fancy table, the abandoned walker and the tiny slit in the curtain at the end. It almost makes for the solution to a game of CLUE. I'm sure that the reality of this scene is not nearly as interesting as the story in my head.

Find a corridor that makes you want to tell its story. Feel free to share your story; or, let us make up our own!

Kris

Day 251 - September 7 - A panorama

Day 251 - September 7

A panorama

Panorama refers to a wide and unbroken view of an area.

As you can see from the sample photo, this is a great viewpoint of St. Michaels Mount, Cornwall, UK.

You can use your phone camera app to create a panorama view, or you can stitch together photos to make a great view.

Try to take a photo of an area that is wide open.

Lee

Day 252 - September 8 - Long Exposure

Day 252 - September 8

Long Exposure

Technical Day

Yahoo! It is technical day and today we are trying long exposure! Let's try it with water today. You can find a waterfall, a fountain, a fast moving river or stream, a water hose or your kitchen faucet to create a beautiful milky blurry photograph to be proud of.

Long exposure photography is not as difficult as it sounds and the results can be stunning. Long exposure is acheived by simply controlling the amount of time of your exposure. By using a long exposure time you slow down the action of the water and make it look dreamy and soft.

First off, unless you are very steady handed, you will need a tripod or a place to set your camera down to keep it very still! With your camera on Manual or Aperature Priority set your aperature to f/8 to f/14 and your shutter speed to anything between 1 and 30 seconds and use a low ISO. (It is a good idea to set your camera shutter to a 2 second delay to avoid any camera shake.) You will need low light for long exposure photography therefore morning or evening are the best time unless or use a neutral density filter.

You may have to experiment a bit! Keep trying different shutter speeds to acheive the dreamy look you want!

Lysle

Day 253 - September 9 - Goodnight Moon

Day 253 - September 9

Goodnight Moon

Many of you will be familiar with the beloved children's book, "Goodnight Moon". For those who might not be, it's about a comforting nightly routine filled with simple objects that help transition us from day to night.

Consider pulling from the story when composing your photo. Get creative and have some fun!

Amy

Day 254 - September 10 - I spy

Day 254 - September 10

I spy

Let's make this a fun prompt today. Before you pick up your camera or phone to take your daily photo, choose what it is you want to go hunting for. I spy with my little eye something that is small, square, squishy, hard, bumpy, whatever. Decide first and then go on the hunt for it.

What will you spy with your little eye? I went on the hunt for something round and yellow. I found a tractor that fit the bill perfectly. Happy hunting!

Diane

Day 255 - September 11 - A pair

Day 255 - September 11

A pair

With today's prompt, you have many different options. Look for two of something. Anything. Pairs of socks, shoes, pairs of pears, animals, children.... I'm guessing once you start looking that you will see pairs everywhere!

Garnett

Day 256 - September 12 - Learning is fun

Day 256 - September 12

Learning is fun

As a lifelong learner, I believe whole-heartedly that learning, at any age, is fun. For me, however, watching little ones discover that learning is fun is one of the greatest experiences. This little guy has discovered that learning all things math is the most fun. When we visit, he hands me his notebook and asks for math problems to do. This is a great way to entertain a five-year-old!

What kind of learning do you find fun? Or, do you find it fun to watch others learn new things? Either way, take a photo that celebrates the idea that learning is fun.

Kris

Day 257 - September 13 - Walkway

Day 257 - September 13

Walkway

This walkway in the Eden Project in Cornwall is pretty cool. As you can see, they turn on the steam when you are crossing it and it makes for a great photo.

The meaning of walkway is "a passage or path between two places, those especially raised above ground". Think bridges etc!

What walkway will you find today!

Lee

Day 258 - September 14 - Olive Green

Day 258 - September 14

Olive Green

Color Day

Magnolias are quintessential trees of the Southern United States. Thomas Jefferson was awed by them, claiming they were one of the most beautiful trees he’d ever seen. And he’s justified. The trees soar to the sky. The flowers are bowl-sized, white and fragrant. The leaves are huge, stiff as plastic, glossy green on the top, but velvety and olive-toned underneath as you can see here.

Today is Color Day and this month’s color is olive green. There’s a lot of wiggle room to interpret the color, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find your subject. Explore!

Leslie

Day 259 - September 15 - Feeling small

Day 259 - September 15

Feeling small

There’s nothing better than feeling small in nature.
It's the best way to instill a fresh sense of awe.
Unknown

Explore from a different height, get down low, or try a change of perspective today!

Amy

Day 260 - September 16 - What a difference

Day 260 - September 16

What a difference

There are so many ways to approach this prompt. I decided to make some changes to an old photo and watch the difference they made. The color version of my photo emphasizes the deep blue desert sky and incredible height of the saguaro. In black and white and a tight crop, the photo becomes almost abstract, focusing on the dramatic contours of the plant.

You're welcome to try this with an old photo of your own today. Copy it, apply some changes, and compare the differences. Post them both so we can see the difference, too. (Collaging isn’t necessary.) Ask for feedback if you like. This isn’t a technical day, just some inspiration!

If that isn’t your style, how else can you demonstrate a big difference? Ingredients and the final dish? The light at different times of day? The emotional swing of a child? Lots of different ways to go with this one!

Leslie

Day 261 - September 17 - Sweet tooth

Day 261 - September 17

Sweet tooth

Do you have a sweet tooth? Today is all about sugar. You can make today's prompt easy or challenge yourself for a little more fun. If you want easy, simply photograph some form of sugar. It can be sugar granules, cubes or a bowl of sugar. It can be powdered sugar on top of a doughnut. It can be sugar icing on a cake. If you want a challenge, try pouring sugar on an object using long exposure. For the example photo, I clipped my spoon over the sink and poured sugar over the berry. My settings were: ISO 100; F22; 30 second exposure.

Garnett

Day 262 - September 18 - Prompt Free

Day 262 - September 18

Prompt Free

Today is a blank canvas for which all of the other prompts have prepared you.

Keep your eyes open and have fun!

Prompt Free

Day 263 - September 19 - Decay

Day 263 - September 19

Decay

Decay can be pretty, In fact, flowers really do make a great subject when they are decaying.

What can you find that is decaying that looks pretty good?

Lee

Day 264 - September 20 - A portrait

Day 264 - September 20

A portrait

Guest Prompt

Let’s do a “back to school” portrait. I chose to recreate my senior portrait. Can you tell I graduated in 1984?!?

Whether you take a “senior” portrait or a portrait of your kids or grandkids for back to school, I hope you have fun!

Laura Loney

Day 265 - September 21 - Not a portrait

Day 265 - September 21

Not a portrait

When is a portrait and not a portrait? I think it is pretty much any photograph where by you question exactly who the portrait is of! It can be a photograph taken from behind, in blur, manipulated by processing and any number of methods to disguise the subject.

Why not try a photograph in congnito! Grab a mask, a scarf, a wig or some funny glasses and tell a story that makes the viewer wonder whom the subject is! I dressed up my husband for some fun with this photograph.

Lysle

Day 266 - September 22 - Last drop

Day 266 - September 22

Last drop

Do you have a favourite beverage? Whatever it is, I'm sure it's good to the last drop! This was the last drop of tea that was able to fit in this mug! Anymore and I would have had tea everywhere.

If you want to capture the last drop as it falls into your favourite beverage here are a few pointers. Use a high shutter speed as it will freeze the drop and keep it in focus. Using a tripod will allow you to keep your camera steady. Focus your camera on the middle of the cup or where you expect the drop to fall. You can use a spoon to help you set your focus. Once set, put set your focus to manual to avoid it from hunting for focus. Continuous shooting will help you capture the precise moment the drop hits the cup. Having a second pair of hands can also be useful. Having someone to do the dropping helps to free you up to work the camera.

If you're not into capturing the last drop, show us your favourite beverage. The one that's good to the last drop!

Diane

Day 267 - September 23 - Make 'em laugh

Day 267 - September 23

Make 'em laugh

This prompt should put a smile on your face... literally! Today, photograph you or someone else laughing; or, something that makes you laugh!

Garnett

Day 268 - September 24 - History

Day 268 - September 24

History

What do you think of when someone mentions history? World history? National history? Family history? Yesterday? Think about what history means to you. What does your relationship to history look like?

Kris

Day 269 - September 25 - Blend

Day 269 - September 25

Blend

Challenge Day

It is CHALLENGE DAY!

Today we are challenging you to blend two or more photos together! I wrote a blog a few years ago on how to make a double exposure - click here to read!

If you don't want to blend two photos together, just find something that is a blend.

Lee

Day 270 - September 26 - Supplies

Day 270 - September 26

Supplies

Health care in the 18th century was rudimentary for a civilian. Imagine how much more for a soldier on the field of battle. These are surgeon’s tools that would be used to extract bullets from the wounded. Remember that there were no antiseptics nor anesthetics at that time. More died of their wounds later than on the field outright. I think the latter were the lucky ones.

Find some supplies of your own and tell us a bit about their use and meaningfulness. Grizzliness not required.

Leslie

Day 271 - September 27 - Jump

Day 271 - September 27

Jump

Jumping: because sometimes simply walking through life isn't enough....

It is jump day! You get to decide if you want to be the jumper, find a jumper, or fake a jump! You can jump in the air, jump off of something, or play checkers and make a jump move. Dogs and horses and children and frogs are also great jumpers!

I jump on every hike I do! I cannot always find someone willing to participate so it is most often me doing the jumping. In this situation, I will admit that I use a 'human tripod' to take the photograph. I set the camera up and ask my helper to simply press the shutter button. If you are lucky enough to find a 'jumper' it is super easy (and fun) to do!

Here is how you take a jumping picture! Use a fast shutter speed (1/1000 or faster) and set your camera to a wide aperature to blur the background and make your subject standout. I use multiply shots on my camera in order to record the jump from take off to set down and then I choose the shot with the most air!

Go jump!

Lysle

Day 272 - September 28 - Follow me

Day 272 - September 28

Follow me

Picture Me

It's selfie day! That time of month to include yourself in the daily prompt.

Today make sure to glance over your shoulder you never know what's behind you :)

Amy

Day 273 - September 29 - Organic

Day 273 - September 29

Organic

The term "Organic" basically describes things that are related to nature. We normally refer to organic as “healthful” or describing foods grown without artificial pesticides or fertilizers.

This time of year I love to pick apples. There is something about going into an orchard and picking with your own hands that is very satisfying.

Garnett

Day 274 - September 30 - Where I Stand

Day 274 - September 30

Where I Stand

"Nana, you don't have on the right shoes to play soccer."

"Neither do you!"

"Well, my orange shoes have magic kicking powers."

These days, I feel like I give more attention to what I put on my feet than I do the clothing I put on my body- not because I am trying to foot-fashionable, but because I want to be comfortable! The "right" shoes can make all the difference!

As you photograph Where I Stand today, do you find yourself wearing the "right" shoes? Maybe even shoes with magical powers? Or, like me on this day, totally wearing the wrong shoes for the occasion? Either way, photograph where you stand.

Kris