My Daily Snaps

We put our Christmas decorations away this afternoon. It's a pretty quick and easy task, really. Everything loads up nicely into one small plastic tub. Just before I closed the lid on this job, I snapped a photo of our packed away holiday decor.  With that snap, I realized I have just one - count 'em, ONE - photo left.

A year ago today, during a day trip to New Orleans, Paul spotted an interesting item in a gift shop. It was a photo album with 366 sleeves - one for each day of the year. That little find planted a seed that sprouted last New Year's Day, as I made a commitment to take a photo every day in 2012.

My "rules" were simple. My daily photo didn't have to be a masterpiece. Actually, it didn't even have to be good. It just had to be. Any basic snapshot would be just fine. For consistency, I decided on a 3x5 horizontal format. I'd use whatever camera I had in my possession. To keep myself accountable, I created an album for my daily snaps on Facebook, where any friends who were interested could see my work. I knew I wouldn't always be able to post my photo on the day it was taken. So, I gave myself permission to post the pics whenever I could. But I would take one every day.

I have a long list of projects I've launched on New Year's Day with the intention to keep them going throughout the year. Like most humans, my new habits usually faded away within a few weeks. One year I had a goal to meditate for at least 10 minutes daily. That lasted a record 110 days! Needless to say, the goal of doing anything beyond life's necessities for 365 consecutive days remained elusive.

For the first two weeks of this year, my daily snaps were a direct reflection of the day's happenings. On Day 15, I couldn't think of what to shoot. So, I grabbed a cat. I told myself I wouldn't take too many photos of our two cats this year. And, as it turns out, our furry friends were the subject of the day just 17 times. (Not bad!)

Most of the photos are a glimpse at the scenery or events du jour. It's a wonderful, visual journal of the year. Family and friends were the second most popular subject, with about 30 or so photos. I posted 20 daily pics of our moose in various locales. That's just a few more photos than the cats! My beloved husband was the next most popular subject, with a dozen or so photos of him doing all kinds of things. Our travels this year traversed 17 states, but only four state welcome signs became a picture of the day. Though I've never been one to photograph food, I was desperate enough on six days this year to shoot something on a plate. (And, those are some of the worst photos of the year!) For every food shot I posted, I managed to snap an equal number of photos where alcohol was the star. (And, the booze shots look so much better!)

And, what was my least photographed subject? That's easy. Me! Just one shot is a self portrait. And, that depicted me as a burned out blogger! With the exception of a few group shots with family and friends, the rest of the year, I've been behind the camera. And, that's how I like it.

There were days when it was tough to pick a photo, because I had so many beautiful ones from which to choose. Other days evoked a few moments of panic to take a shot before we headed off to bed. (That's usually when I snapped a cat...or Paul!) But, every day I remembered my assignment. I didn't miss a single day. (And, I can safely say I will not miss tomorrow!)

And, what has this diligent exercise taught me? I've learned that interesting composition and beauty can be found at Home Depot, the post office and the grocery store.  I've learned that when you take photos at Walmart, nobody notices. Actually, very few people ever notice anywhere. I've learned that fluorescent light really sucks. But, you can snap a decent photo in it, anyway. I've learned to always have a camera with me. (I hope I always will.) And, that an iPhone has a decent camera! I've learned to see the world in a 3x5 landscape photo. It's an interesting point of view! I've learned that posting a snap a day means its easy to fill a hard drive with photos. And, when you delete photos in iPhoto they're not really deleted (and are still taking up space). I've learned that when you take photos of a cat, most of them will be blurry. If you try to shoot two cats at once, you are guaranteed they'll all be blurry. I've learned that if you take photos every day, it's easy to find pictures for your travel blog. (But, it doesn't make it any easier to keep said blog up-to-date!) Most of all, I've been reminded that I am married to a very patient man. The collective time that Paul has had to wait this year while I've focused in on everything from produce to peonies has spanned many hours. Thanks, Dear!

Tomorrow, I'll close out my year of daily snaps. It's been fun. Will I do it again next year?

Nope. I've decided to give my shutter a break and channel my creative juices in other ways. This year was pictures. Next year will be words. I'll write every day. And, I might just do it in this here blog. I still have a day or two to decide.

Meanwhile, I'm passing the torch to Paul. He's decided to take on a Daily Snap project of his own next year. I'm not really sure how it will take shape. But, I'm excited that we'll have a visual journal of the coming year, just as we have of the one coming to a close. I hope he has as much fun with his project as I have with mine. And, I promise to be as patient and supportive as he has been.

With a new year just around the corner, what creative project are you ready (and willing) to tackle?