Everyday
It is almost two years since I discovered the 365 projects on Flickr and made a conscious decision to take a photograph every day. It was an interesting challenge, some days I would think there was nothing to photograph, no interesting knitting or baking, no child pulling a funny face; so I would make myself look around for alternatives. The exercise was good for me, it made appreciate odd corners of my day, it made me notice so much more. Before I knew it I was spotting potential photograps everywhere, I had learned how to open my eyes a little wider.
I was mostly drawn to photographing things that I found attractive and sometimes these could be the most ordinary of objects or scenes, the exercise taught me to look for beauty in the ordinary and perhaps this practise went some way towards contributing to the general quality of my life. It became an exercise in appreciating all that I had to be grateful about.
I know it sounds rather a grand statement but sometimes, when we are bogged down in our daily routines, perhaps overwhelmed by daily grind it can be a very positive tonic to make yourself look around for the things that make you happy. Taking regular pictures has provided me with such a rich view of our day to day family life because in addtion to that one a day photograph the habit of keeping the camera to hand made me record so many details of our lives, little things that are good to look back on, memories to anchor us in time and place.
Lately I have lost my way with 365, when we moved and were without internet and then a slower connection than I was used to, I lost my habit of regular Flickr posting. Gradually, perhaps without the focus of posting my pictures in my 365 folder, I stopped taking so many photographs.
So yesterday I took up my camera and walked around the house, immediately I was noticing things that hadn't caught my attention before and it was a good feeling. The smallest things served to make me smile.
The light catching the corner of a picture frame in the downstairs loo.
The contents of a pocket emptied following a woodland walk; I have been annoyed by this little pile for two days, irritated that they had been just emptied out and abandoned but with camera in hand I looked at them afresh. A little work of art, beautiful, shiny colour.
A dog caught napping on the sofa.
Neglected, sometimes dusty, little corners of my day to day life, they feel spruced up and sparkle anew. I think we all need reminding to open our eyes a little wider from time to time, there is so much to be gained.
It is almost two years since I discovered the 365 projects on Flickr and made a conscious decision to take a photograph every day. It was an interesting challenge, some days I would think there was nothing to photograph, no interesting knitting or baking, no child pulling a funny face; so I would make myself look around for alternatives. The exercise was good for me, it made appreciate odd corners of my day, it made me notice so much more. Before I knew it I was spotting potential photograps everywhere, I had learned how to open my eyes a little wider.
I was mostly drawn to photographing things that I found attractive and sometimes these could be the most ordinary of objects or scenes, the exercise taught me to look for beauty in the ordinary and perhaps this practise went some way towards contributing to the general quality of my life. It became an exercise in appreciating all that I had to be grateful about.
I know it sounds rather a grand statement but sometimes, when we are bogged down in our daily routines, perhaps overwhelmed by daily grind it can be a very positive tonic to make yourself look around for the things that make you happy. Taking regular pictures has provided me with such a rich view of our day to day family life because in addtion to that one a day photograph the habit of keeping the camera to hand made me record so many details of our lives, little things that are good to look back on, memories to anchor us in time and place.
Lately I have lost my way with 365, when we moved and were without internet and then a slower connection than I was used to, I lost my habit of regular Flickr posting. Gradually, perhaps without the focus of posting my pictures in my 365 folder, I stopped taking so many photographs.
So yesterday I took up my camera and walked around the house, immediately I was noticing things that hadn't caught my attention before and it was a good feeling. The smallest things served to make me smile.
The light catching the corner of a picture frame in the downstairs loo.
The contents of a pocket emptied following a woodland walk; I have been annoyed by this little pile for two days, irritated that they had been just emptied out and abandoned but with camera in hand I looked at them afresh. A little work of art, beautiful, shiny colour.
A dog caught napping on the sofa.
Neglected, sometimes dusty, little corners of my day to day life, they feel spruced up and sparkle anew. I think we all need reminding to open our eyes a little wider from time to time, there is so much to be gained.
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