stay calm & snap on.

I've heard and read over and over again that a photographer should shoot everyday in order to get better at their craft and learn more about themselves. As a part-time photographer, I can't do that... that's why I'm part-time. I have a full-time job in the corporate world, a social life, and a Tobyshark among other things, so it's impossible to put away some time during the day to shoot for me... or so I thought...

This is a Tobyshark.

I ran across this website called Big Picture Classes while following a fun, feminine photography blog, The Shutter Sisters. They were offering a 31 day, online class called Picture the Holidays. For $30, I would receive 1 email every day in December challenging me to stop in the midst of my hectic life, reflect on the holiday season, and capture the provided theme through the lens of my camera all the while giving me helpful tips for photography in general. I didn't jump on it right away. I kept coming up with reasons why I thought I shouldn't or couldn't take this class: shooting every day, $30 to reflect on the holidays - am I actually going to learn something or get something out of it? As I weighed the pros and cons carefully, I reflected back on the pictures I took in the Sonoma Valley, Alcatraz Island, and San Francisco, and how much fun I had taking them. There was no pressure to impress a client or to get shots that would build my portfolio - these were for me to remember this vacation. After I returned from my trip with great images, I felt renewed. The rut I was in had faded and I was ready to get back to work. Shooting for fun should be a constant in my life since it's the reason I decided to make this a potential career anyways.

So. I signed up for the class.  I can make the time. It'll take some effort on my part - making myself get up a littler earlier in the morning so I have time to sit down at my computer and reflect on the daily assignment then shoot before I go to work, and make sure I set sometime aside when I get home to choose my image for editing and upload it to the community gallery they have set up for us. It's only the 2nd day, and I'm enjoying it. I like the fact that it makes you think beyond the surface of the literal. The December 1st assignment talked about holding on to gratitude for the holiday season and prompted us to shoot something that we are grateful for. Not only did I shoot one concept that I was grateful for, it made me think of all the other things I was grateful for too. Gah, there were so many! Powerful tool, this project :) I'll be sharing my daily photos in a Facebook album.

There's still time to sign up - they are taking new students until December 10th. If you can't participate this time, they have other classes like Picture Winter  and other seasons as well that will offered later. If you don't want to dish out the money or shoot everyday, this chick does a similar thing on her blog called You Capture. She suggests a feeling or abstract concept once a week, and asks her readers to go shoot it. And I must add, this isn't just for professional photographers. It's for anyone who wants to slow life down a tad and reflect. You can use a fancy smancy DSLR, or your point-and-shoot - hell, she even says she welcomes cell phone pictures.

On a totally unrelated - but kinda related - note, I bought this poster tonight:
  

I plan on hanging it up in my office where I do all my post-processing and blogging. As life continues to get busier and my personal and photography schedule fills up, I hope this will serve as a constant reminder to me keep my photography venture fun and to reflect on why I began this in the first place. Day 2 of my photography project, and I'm already looking forward to more self-reflection.

Hi, 2011 - you're already looking bright from here.