No daily photo today [Edit – Just took one!]– my day was split between freelance work, admin and seeing family. So I thought I’d write a note about how and why I do my daily photos. I’d love to be able to make an unbroken series of photos every day for a long period, but the longest I’ve managed so far is about 71.
So how do I do it? I simply grab a camera for a few minutes a day, and find something worth photographing. Just now I’m in Norfolk (see recent photos), so many of my daily photos have something about the sea (or the seaside) about them. When I took daily photos while living and working in London, city streets featured often. I do try to avoid repetition and find something original for each photo. But some themes crop up now and then. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many good photos I’ve managed in a sub-ten-minute outing. Sometimes even the discards are good! And I’ve found that it’s much more about seeing something interesting than trying lots of technical fiddling. But with a bit more time in Norfolk, I’m trying to stretch things with images that need a bit more thought and effort. The bottom line, though, is that with some imagination, you could build an impressive collection of daily photos with about three minutes a day. Perhaps without even leaving the house!
So camera choice is far from critical. If you’re interested, I mostly use a Nikon D70s or a Ricoh GRDII. The main rule I follow is that if I didn’t take something on a given day (like today), then I don’t pick an older image to fill the gap. This is vital, because otherwise the daily photo would simply involve dusting off old photos from the archive. The ‘freshly caught’ criterion gives me the impetus to get out there and look for new ideas. I also avoid revisiting locations or themes, even if I find weather or lighting tricky on the day I see it. Again, this encourages me to keep looking and stay imaginative.
So, for me, trying to keep up with a daily photo is a great way of keeping my photo skills up to scratch. Many photographers have pointed out that the key to great photos is seeing them to begin with. The technical side benefits from practice too. The discipline of trying to get a ‘publishable’ image each day means that I am regularly producing and reviewing work. It’s also very liberating to know that tomorrow is another day, and I might get that image! Why not give it a try yourself?
things that might have been otherwise 