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November 26, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

100 Percent Complete

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100 Percent Complete – 26/11/10

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect last year when I started my photography project 365. I really only had two goals, first to just to complete the project, secondly to become a better photographer. As I post up my last image today I would like to think I have achieved both.

The Rules

1) Take a photo each day for 365 days.

2) Post up each photo on the Internet, not necessarily on the day it was taken.

This sounded so simple at the beginning, I definitely did not realise quite what a commitment I was taking on. Even on a quick night I would take at least 30 to 60 minutes to upload select, process and post up a picture. That doesn’t even take into account the need for stopping in busy, awkward, public spots to capture each days photo. There is no time off for being ill, tiredness, hectic schedules, being on holiday or out for a romantic meal. The rules state a photo a day, and I’m proud to say I have stuck to that.

The Movie!

As well as the collage above, I put together a quick slideshow to the sounds of the Prodigy for the 365 days!

What have I achieved?

• I now have my own website http://prophecyblur.com that gets regular Google traffic and is currently on the first page if you search for “project 365 photo blog”.

• I’ve had several hundred comments from both my Blog and Flickr postings. Some of whom have become both friends and or inspirations (evolution of rayzr, Brian Palmer, Greg Mcmullin, eahNC, Fedora365, Adrian Park, Hewlbane, Jacob Schere, DevilFishMak, Timbo and Phil Roeder to name but a few).

• I’ve found some great groups and places to share my work with the Londonist (an amazing online magazine) and 365 Community (the best Flickr group bar none) standing out in particular.

• I’ve leant to experiment with my camera better using Aperture, Movement, Shutter Speed and generally better composition.

• I’ve discovered new techniques, my favorite being ‘Intentional Camera Movement’ that was introduced to me by my good friend Ray Rhodes.

• I’ve become much more confident and deliberate in both my photography and my post processing.

• I’ve had fun playing with Fake Polaroid’s, Cartoon(ifying) Images and making Diptychs and Triptychs forever changing the way I view photography.

• I’ve had a photo in a London gallery, and run what was described as a multimedia installation on my very last day.

• Finally and most importantly I genuinely feel I am a much better, more interesting photographer as a result.

The last stretch of the project was tough (really tough), I felt at times like a marathon runner just wanting to get to the end. I’m really pleased through the peaks and troughs of the project there are very few photos I am ashamed of. I have done this all (bar 2 photos) with my trusty Canon S90 which takes images that truly exceed its compact size, proving that the best camera really is the one in your pocket.

What next?

Definitely nothing involving regular posting on Flickr or my Blog, I need a gap to re-find the joy of photography again. I may look to reward myself with a somewhat more serious camera, although I still think I will ere on the side of compact. The front runner at the moment is waiting for the new Fuji Finepix X100, but then I have been hankering after a GF1 all year so who knows what I will get!

To all those who have followed me (including my mum) thank you for all the comments and support that have kept me going. I can only apologise to my most loyal commenter’s that I have been so bad at reciprocating recently. It has taken all my will power and energy just to get to the end of this project!

Once I have recovered, maybe enjoyed a Christmas break, I’ll be looking to get back out there taking photos again, but I definitely won’t be starting another Project 365 again anytime soon (if ever)! That and the fact I have a nice backlog of ‘almost 365’ images that I can start posting up now the project is done.

In conclusion?

If you are thinking of doing a Project 365 I would still say go for it, with the caveat that if you really want to get the most out of it, you have to be prepared for the commitment both on yourself and your family to make it through to the end.

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October 16, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

90 Percent Complete

90 Percent 950x950 90 Percent Complete

90 Percent Complete – 16/10/10

Again I feel that this last milestone has produced some really strong photo’s, even though I have found the daily grind of the project increasing on me. It was great to get away for a holiday and have some new and interesting things to photograph, i’m now really excited to know that i have only 41 days to go until i can complete this project, and refocus my photography in a slightly different way.

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September 10, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

80 Percent Complete

80 Percent 950x950 80 Percent Complete

80 Percent Complete – 10/09/10

This last milestone has been a bit of a turn-arround for me, may be the couple of small breaks i have had during it have helped? I have had a chance during the last 36 days to photography the streets of Paris, the buildings of Chantilly and the beaches in Wales! However i don’t think it has just been that, i feel that this month i have started to notice the benefit of all this hard (and it is very hard) work! Taking shots that i now realise are noticeably better than shots from before the start f the project. That said i will be very, very pleased to start hitting some of the milestones on my horizon now…300th Picture…..90% complete….5 to go….last day….and complete.

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August 5, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

70 Percent Complete

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70 Percent Complete – 05/08/10

Today marks the completion of 70% of my project 365. Another tough month, but again (as always) the highs outweigh the lows on my way to completing this project! It was particularly nice to have a break from London and my daily commute with a long weekend down in Brighton. Whilst i grumble about it now, I am sure i will be sad when this project is complete.

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June 30, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

60 Percent Complete

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60 Percent Complete – 30/06/10

Today marks the completion of 60% of my project 365. This month again i feel has produced some of my better shots of the project, which is giving me the much needed push to keep this going right until the end. I have also made the decision this month to at least have a little dabble in the world of film camera, picking myself up a classic Olympus OM-1N, just waiting to get some film into it and take it for a spin. I am thinking of trying to take some parallel film shots over the summer months to try and better learn the camera, so there may be a retrospective ‘Project 365 Film’ section on it’s way. Won’t go through all the photo stats this month, but the good thing with looking at film now, is i feel i am much more capable of taking a ‘single good shot’ than i was when i started this project. Some of that is with the assistance of the Live View and framing on digital, but i am very excited to see what i can produce with the old 19780′s classic icon smile 60 Percent Complete

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May 27, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

Project 365 (Part 1) the Book

Project 365 (Part 1) the Book – 27/05/10

I felt I had to do something with all those photo’s even if I am the only person that buys a copy of one half of my magnum opus! Other than a couple of prints on my wall already, this is making sure that these photos live in more than cyberspace.

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May 25, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

50 Percent Complete

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50 Percent Complete – 25/05/10

Today marks the completion of 50% of my project 365. Again another tough month, finding inspiration every day is proving very challenging, especially when work gets busy and you start feeling tired. However this month we finally got a much needed holiday to The Amalfi Coast in Italy which really helped. Also during this period i discovered ‘intentional camera movement’ which has been used for a number of shots (and bonus shots). Other significant milestones that have been acheived are:-

  • 227 Photos Posted
  • 1125 Comments on My Blog
  • 8905 Pages Visited on My Blog
  • 4320 Photos Taken on My Canon Powershot S90

Again, whilst it was another tough month, this has produced some of my favourite photos of the project so far.

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April 19, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

40 Percent Complete

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40 Percent Complete – 19/04/10

Today marks the completion of 40% of my project 365. This month has been tougher than the last, something i didn’t think would be possible. Looking back at the photos above though, i don’t know quite why i was so despondent at times. I believe i have taken some of my best photos during the last 36 days, and have continued to try and experiment rather than falling back onto comfortable shots. I am really looking forward to going on holiday in the not to distant future to get some much needed variety of scenery, as well as a break from work. I have also started to put together a mammoth Blurb book for this project, which it looks like i will need to restrain myself on to come in under the 440 page limit!! The good thing is that looking back the photos and commentary are already reminding me of days and thoughts that otherwise would have been forgotten. So here is to the perseverance to keep this going for another 36 days, and then the 186 that follow!!

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March 14, 2010 by ProphecyBlur

30 Percent Complete

30 Percent 950x950 30 Percent Complete

30 Percent Complete – 14/03/10

Today marks the completion of 30% of my project 365. This month has been tough, with a number of days where the project seemed like it was too hard. But looking back on this collage i’m really happy with what i have managed to produce over the last 36 days! I have now take 2411 photos on my little Powershot S90 during the course of this project, and i am definitely becoming more confident in my photography. I have also found how much i enjoy the post processing element of photography over past 108 days and am still enjoying and learning how to get the most out of Apple Aperture and the Nik Software plug-ins  I have for it.

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