Documenting A Day

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PHOTO CHALLENGE | Document a ‘day in the life’ series of images, whether staying at home, going to work, following routine, or running errands.

LOOK FOR THE DETAILS

  • Pockets of light

  • Objects that stand out to you

  • Self portrait opportunities

  • Something beautiful

  • Still life scenes

When holding a camera in your hands isn’t yet a job, it is an adventure. What can you capture, what can you create?

There are multiple ways to find you stride and “get into photography.” That course looks different for everyone, of course, but there are two ways to categorize what that looks like. You can work in an endless hustle to make it happen, which works well for some, or you can find a stride that suits you and master each step to get closer to where you want to be.

I’ve taken both courses and I’ve found that after that initial hustle, I was better suited to working through each piece of my photography journey until I was comfortable enough to move to the next. It’s a process.

While it can be exciting to get to that first paid client, they will be more inclined to hire you when they “know” you based on watching you grow and work through the process. Documenting and sharing your journey is exciting and people love to watch it unfold. It’s also a visual way to remember your own stages of growth.

With that said, one of the best forms of growing and learning is to practice. I’ve completed two 365-photo projects and various other challenges that required daily photos, and after nine years, no other experience was quite as formative as those.

Imagine what documenting a day in your life could do for you? Imagine that first set of images being bland, uninspiring, and frustrating. Take photos of your day for 30 days and see what changes. Now, I’m not actually telling you to take photos for 30 days, although it certainly can’t hurt, but I’d love to challenge and encourage you to spend a day intentionally seeking moments that stand out to you as beautiful, joyful, or memorable. Consider even documenting a daily ritual or routine you have. What are those things? What do they look like?

The relationship between you and your camera is an adventure. You become a force of creation that is solely unique and possibly to you.

Still unsure of where to start?

Just pick one thing—one moment—and start there. Get out your camera, walk around your home, take a few photos. Then let the inspiration flow. The one thing doesn’t have to be a prop either, or subject matter, it can be a room or a mood. You make that first decision and then that leads to the next and so on. Other times I have just started with a spot of beautiful light dancing across the floor and onto my bookshelf, and off I went!

Sometimes I just go for a walk with my camera. What do I see in the big scene? Then on the way back I look for details. Other times I’ll race out in some sort of weather, how can I show the mood and detail of the gloom and rain? Or I’ll bring something inside, find a clean space and start building a scene. There are endless directions and no rules.

Before you head out there, be sure to read about shooting with intention, watch the editing video, and share your progress along the way!