As the year is winding down, I am thinking about 2026 and what I want to do next year when it comes to photography. One of my favorite projects is the 365 day project that I started in 2012. I started it because I wanted to learn photography, and I wanted to take all the moments that stood still daily. I promised that I would do the project every other year so that I wouldn’t burn out and give myself some breathing room to relax. Since 2012, I’ve been doing this project, and I said I would stop when my kids grew up. Well…after 2026, my youngest will be grown and off to college, so this will be the last year I do the project 365. (I’ll still take photos, but it won’t be a daily thing als,o she graduates in 2027 and since I only do the project every other year, I would be going into 2028, and by then she will be 19) I’m a little sad but I wanted to give some tips on how I shoot photos every day and why it’s good practice if you want to get into photography or just do this as a hobby.
I keep my camera near, and I carry a small one with me everywhere I go. I like using my phone but I don’t want to put all my pictures on it. As a photographer, it’s good for me to practice on my camera, that’s how I’ve learned throughout the past years by actually doing the work. Keep your camera handy and if you are using a phone, well that’s always around.
Set a timer this helps me to not forget to take the photo. I set two timers a day and if I miss the first timer and forget I have the second one. Also it helps if you create prompts for yourself makes it easier to know what you want to take photos of for the day.
If you forget a day no worries just take two the next day no one will know the goal is to shoot daily but life is always lifing so if you miss a day don’t beat yourself up. You can also incorprate the kids (if their older) to help you and have them take pics daily on their phone.
Sometimes I shoot stuff that makes no sense but it’s fun to see a picture of something that stands still because that same picture you took may look different a week or a month or even a year from now.
Don’t worry if the photo is blurry or if it’s dark or the lighting is off. The key is to take the picture and improve as you go.
It’s good practice to shoot daily because…..
- it keeps the brain going. Daily you will be thinking of things to shoot and helps you build a habit
- It encourages interaction. You have no idea how many client’s I’ve gotten just by having my camera with me daily out and about
- keeps the body in motion. Sometimes I have had to run to catch the photo, or climb something or even get down on eye level. It helps if I’m carrying that extra camera as weight too
- improves creativity. I shoot daily to improve the look and get better with what my eye sees. Each time I snap the photo I’m thinking of creative ways to stand out from the crowd in my own photography work
Whatever you do just do it. That’s the motto for 2026.
Will you be doing a project for next year?
