How Photo A Day Helped Me Improve

Yes, I finished the month of April, I started out strong but some days I was just not feeling the process and everything I have to do to get one shot to share, and thought to myself "there's no contract, I don't have to do this, I will quit. But no, I didn't quit, I finished the month! Yay!

The challenge of taking a well thought out subject that fits the prompt, adding a few elements here and there to make the composition not look like a snap I took in a hurry with my phone without much planning is one of the things I really struggle with, to the point where I took about a hundred photos just to get one that really made me happy. Therefore, this photo-a-day has turned into a stressful hobby instead of something I enjoy. 

So, this month, my plan of action is to read and be familiar with the prompts. I have printed a blank calendar that will go on my fridge, and I will brainstorm ahead of time. As far as the execution of the plan, I am going to limit myself into 10 shots and be done. 

I am doing this photography challenge to help me improve, so that when I am faced with real life subjects, I know how to compose, I know my lighting, I know what and how. However, while practicing, I need to keep this in my mind; I cannot be taking 100 shots of the same thing! I am making it a goal for the rest of the year to limit myself to 10 shots per prompt, (because I won't have that luxury when I am actually photographing people in real time). So, 10 well thought out shots and stop. This is going to be hard but I am determined to stick with it. I don't want to be snap happy.

I hope this encourages you to do the same. If picking up your camera everyday is a hard thing to do and you're serious about photography, this challenge will push you to do it, even though there is no contract or agreement that you must finish it, in your mind you always think "I am not a quitter". 

So, I am going to conclude this with a collage of the shots I took with my real camera (there was one day that I took one with my smart phone because I was running around and wouldn't be able to post the same day if I took it with my dslr) and then a few of my favorite shots.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and if you are interested in the challenge I'm in, check out www.bethadilly.com. She is an awesome photographer, I adore her style.

xo