What I learned from my 365 Project

In 2019, I took on another 365 photo project and this week, I finally wrapped up the organizing of the photos and got to the really fun part. Putting the photos all together and creating slideshows that really tell the story of our year makes the time commitment completely worth it.

If you scroll all the way to the end, I’ve included the full length slideshow that covers one photo a day for the year. Yes, it is quite long but gives you an idea of what a finished product looks like and I hope that even if you just peek at it for 30 seconds, it motivates you to take on your own project. This year, I also created a condensed version of our 2019 that includes some photos that didn’t make the 365 project and some video clips from my iPhone because theres nothing quite like hearing those little voices. Here’s what I found myself thinking about as I pulled this year’s project together.

1. This project has gotten a little bit harder for me as the kids have gotten older. Sure, babies and toddlers are more needy than my kids are now at ages 7 and 10 but in some ways they were easier to document when they were really little. First, they weren’t off at school for 6 hours a day or out at sports, activities and play dates. But besides the logistics of just having less access to them now, there is SO much material to capture with babies and todders since nearly every experience is new to them.

With kids who are in school, much of the week is repetitive routine and I have to look deeper for the moments that stand out. Turns out, some of the best moments ARE the seemingly mundane things like eating dinner or being curled up on the couch with a book. Letting go of the idea of taking a magical photo every day (or even every week) and embracing reality is helpful.

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

2. Keeping the camera nearby or with me was key but so was giving myself permission to use the phone in a pinch. The goal is to use my DSLR and really play with different approaches to shooting. And for the 99% of the time from January through September, I used my DSLR.

But September-December is for photographers what tax season is to accountants. In some years, my 365 project has completely fallen apart come the busy fall, but this year, I embraced the phone on days when a DSLR shot was not going to happen. I still had the task of finding a moment and I didn’t lose momentum. I totally missed 1 or 2 days in late fall and in the past, that would have really bugged me. Now, I understand that old expression “Perfection is the enemy of done” and I’m more than happy with what I have.

MAY

JUNE

JULY

3. Doing something WITH the photos is so important and is the ultimate reward for sticking with a photo project. Individually, many of the images in a 365 project are just little snippets of our daily lives. Sure, some had elements like beautiful light but plenty were taken at night and are filled with less than attractive artificial light from inside our home. There are lots of cluttered backgrounds that are far from picture perfect.

But somehow it all comes together when you put the images in chronological order and then set it to music. Seeing the seasons change and watching my girls grow up before my eyes as each image flashes by and is bittersweet to say the least and is something that I hope they will someday treasure as much as I do now.

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Short version + video clips

Long version (full year)