Thirty-one days doesn’t seem like a long time, in many ways. But I challenged myself to produce a photo each day this month of January, 2016, knowing it would stretch me both creatively and in the time management department. I certainly did on both accounts. Overall, I’m pleased with the results. Probably more than I anticipated. There were evenings I was desperate as the clock moved into the later hours, and there were days I knew I had the image I needed early on. I used two different cameras and my iPhone for the work product, and really only resorted to one selfie. I shot 786 exposures to whittle down to my 31 shared photos, an average of just over 25 images per finished item. That doesn’t strike me as unanticipated. In the film days, I would have likely shot a 24-frame roll of T-Max or Tri-X, maybe HP5. So perhaps my harkening back to the days of film still somehow resonates with the quantity of exposures made to get the result. Some days, the image was conceived of well in advance, and then executed. Some days, something totally unexpected presented itself – a spray of soap suds across a windshield, or a friend’s sudden gesture by the fireplace. The goal of forcing myself to pre-visualize again in black and white was met, and I’ve enjoyed the constraint of ignoring many opportunities that were too color rich to render the same visual impact after processing. But I am looking forward to a little splash of color in my next shooting as well. I have gained a new level of admiration for the people – including several friends – who have made it through a 365-day project. That takes it to a whole other level. I may well have to do this again in the future.
Balance, In Life and Photos