10 Reasons Why You Should Do a 365 Project

365 PROJECT


It's June and already I've been through many changes over these past six months. Since starting this project I'm certain that photography is not only a passion, but an obsession. I cannot leave the house without a camera whether it'd be my point and shoots, rangefinders, or DSLR's. The idea that I could capture SOMETHING keeps me motivated. So.. why should anyone try to attempt a 365 project? Here are my 10 reasons.


1. Motivation to find pictures everyday

If you're like me you start to find pictures in almost everything. To certain people it can be quite annoying, but to others you see a world that many cannot see. You look at the light, you think about your exposures, and you start to see how you want to frame the subject. It's great practice and exercise. It helps you take and create pictures in your mind and in your camera.

2. Helps your framing and composition

Honestly, I feel that my framing was lacking impact, but since I started doing new things with my framing I started to discover new angles and ways of how I would compose my subjects. I started seeing things in my frames that had better relationship compositions through certain angles than straight on.

3. Find projects within a project

Shooting everyday helped me develop new projects such as "A Stranger A Friend" and "Film Noir City Jazz". These kinds of things allowed me to see what I was looking for in a daily basis, what rolled through my mind, and what it meant to me as an individual. Still, I have other projects that are in the process of being completed because of the 365.

4. Helps you try new things.

For the longest time I hated photographing landscapes. Until I was forced to shoot it for a final project I started looking at landscapes in my own way rather than seeing the typical stuff I saw in other classes I took. I went back and searched for frames I captured earlier this year and started to realize that I had finished my project already. In the series I Saw The Light: A Cities Landscape I wanted to capture San Francisco's buildings in a time of day that had this certain spotlight illuminating on the window. It had such an atmospheric mood to it and because of the project I got an A.

5. Gives you something to do.

Seriously... stop sitting around! Go out there and shoot!

6. You see repetitions

When looking at your images you start to see repetition in certain subjects, angles, exposures, and lighting styles. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you are looking for or what you didn't expect to look for. If anything it helps you develop more projects or ideas for more projects.

7. You shoot more

The more you get the better you get in my opinion. Being able to have all this material and just really focusing on your images helps identify your style and who you are as a person. I know that I still have a long way to go to really have a definitive style, but being able to shoot as much as I can will only get me there faster than anyone else.

8. Your pictures become stories

As I photograph daily I start to find a story through each image. I start to think about what I want to say with my pictures and how I want people to feel about them. Some are self explanatory while others take a while to understand. In the end I try to create a voice for each image I take.

9. Your Editing Gets Better

Though you're on the fly with editing you start to see what images you want to post up already. The start of the editing process is in my head before it transfers to the computer. Each image I'm taking I'm thinking "hmm.. this could be on my 365 entry of the day." After looking through the images I decide whether I want to show a little or a lot. Depending on what I write down in the entry will depend on what images will be posted.

10. You're Able To See the Progress You've Made

With each post you look back on can help you become more aware of what you shoot. Some days can be good and some days can be bad, but you see the progress and you learn from it. Look at the images and try to tell yourself "how I can make this better?". Look at the images and see what worked and what didn't work.


These are my Top 10 Reasons. It may help encourage you to go out there and do it. Try it and see if it's something you can be committed to.