tips on completing a Project 366 {a guest post by mary ann}

Hey, blogger friends! I'm Mary Ann, and I'm delighted to be guest posting for Francesca today! Don't you just love her blog? One of the things that she and I have in common is a love for photography (duh), but more specifically, we're both working on a Project 366 this year - taking a picture every day for the whole year. Today, I thought it might be fun to share some of the things I've learned about this project. Hopefully, it'll be helpful to any of you who are currently working on or thinking about starting a 365/366 project.

001. When in doubt, go outside. In my opinion, the light is always way better in my backyard than in the back room, and you'll notice interesting details to photograph just by taking a walk around the block.

002. Take pictures that tell a story. I'm doing a Project 366 to improve my photography, but also to record memories of this year. Use your pictures like a digital time capsule!

cleaning up the last of the Christmas tree

his 15th birthday

for Valentine's Day

003. Play around with your camera's settings. You can make a scene that looks okay on auto mode look much more interesting by going a little crazy with the editing or the perspective. 

small aperture (f/22) = twinkly light effect

 

slow shutter speeds = motion blur

004. Get up close. A messy kitchen table might not look like the best picture subject, but one specific object on it might. Look out for the little details and spots with good lighting.

  

  

005. If you're feeling extra un-inspired, enlist help. I like to go on mini photo shoots with my brother, who is also good at finding things that he thinks might be interesting as a photo subject, like the feather earring pictured below. Other people can come up with some good ideas for you!

006. Photograph the weather. One of the most interesting things about my 366 is that I'm able to see how the season has slowly changed since January. From frosty mornings and snow to sunny blue skies and new sprouts, I'm determined to capture it all.

  

And that's it for me! Thanks for letting me guest post, Francesca - hopefully you learned a little something, too! If you want to see more, you can find my 366 project here, or visit me at my main blog.

- mary ann :)

thanks for posting mary ann! -francesca-