2012 - Your photographic projects for the year

[Charlotte]

So the 12 days of Christmas are over and I've really enjoyed making a photograph a day and uploading it.  I've been looking forward to the New Year because it's always a good time to embark on a new project and I have several that I'm going to try. 

Firstly, I've signed up for the 100 Strangers group on Flickr and yesterday was my first day out on the street, approaching people and shooting portraits of them.  I'm not sure whether I'll manage a whole hundred during the year, but the group's about learning, not collecting pixels.


Stranger #1 by lyope, on Flickr

My second project is to join up with some other photographers in real life to share knowledge, get constructive criticism and go on some group shoots.  I've been along to an evening meetup (half print competition and half evening down the pub) with the Ealing and Hampshire House Photographic Society.  They like to tell everyone that as they were founded in 1892, they're one of the oldest surviving Photographic Societies in the World.  I suspect some of the members might have been there at the start.  They're a nice bunch of folks, though and I'm hoping to learn a lot with them.

I'm considering a 365 project as well; one photo a day, every day throughout the year.  I'm not going to hold myself to this because it's a recipe for failure if I miss one or get really down on a set of images I don't like.  So I'll just say that I'm going to try and pick up my camera every day and see what happens.  I'd like to print up a book at this time next year and be able to say that it represents my 2012 in photographs.

So what are you going to do this year?

[clarion]

 We shall, with the help of the loan of books from Jurek's interesting collection, be recreating Emile Zola's photographs of Norwood.

Copy of photo from interwebs, not Jurek's book:

http://www.staylace.com/updatelogs/graphics/zola.jpg

ETA: My other photographic project for the year is to use my Minox 35 for some good old film photography, and get my Minox DC5211 back in action.  It's a lovely thing.

[perpetual dan]

I've also joined the local photography club, which is very enjoyable.
Projects ... I enjoy landscapes, but am trying to get better at a more abstract / graphic approach to them.

[Kim]

Mine is to take some photographs.  With a camera.

I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's the first step I usually fail on.

[clarion]

Kim, I think you've uncovered my main problem too

Project 4: Get more familiar with my camera(s)*


* Perhaps that (s) is part of the problem.  When I used one camera almost all the time, whether that was my OM-1, my Kiev-4, my Minox 35GT or my Fuji GS645S at various times, I knew them in detail, and got much better results.

[David Martin]

I'm saving towards n+1 and hoping the new D400 (when it comes out) is affordable and DX. 

I enjoyed the one a day - pushed me a bit.

Several races to photograph. And some Audaxes. I'm trying new ways to print (currently have some laser prints stuck to spare kitchen tiles with acrylic, face down. I tried (badly) hand colouring one first. Interesting to see how that works) It is part of a project to generate some novel art work for a friends wall as she is redecorating her mum's old flat.

I might be persuaded to do a calendar again. It was fun though stressful and it will be a 'print on demand' for the heck of it rather than for any worthy cause.

I have a compact camera or my phne with me most of the time so have to force myself to stop and take pictures.

..d

[ed_o_brain]

Good to see so many people getting enthused.
Looking forward to some impromptu meets with Flickr folk as/when I have time to fit them in.

I'm also working on my own photo a day project.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ed_o_brain/sets/72157628682613789/detail/

[andrewc]

Mine is to take some photographs.  With a camera.

I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's the first step I usually fail on.

Yes.  To get out and take some photos other than when I go on bike tours.  Also to do something with them when I get back apart from dumping them onto a hard drive and uploading them straight to Flickr.  I've got a copy of Aperture on the Mac, it's time I learned to use it properly.

[geraldc]

I think I'm going to learn by copying. If I see a photo I like, I'll find out how they did it, and then try it out myself. It's all that creative lighting hooha half the time.

[Polar Bear]

Stuck for ideas at Christmas we went through our photographs and produced calendars for family and friends.   Using Vistaprint it was easy to get them printed etc. and they've been a hit.   Our project this year is to take a suitable picture every month for the next calendar.   

 

[rogerzilla]

1. Take a decent photo of snowdrops.  There are swathes of them in the village and I missed them by a couple of weeks last year.

2. Get a decent landscape picture.  As landscape photograophy seems to consist of sitting in a camper van for a week, waiting for the right light, I am no good at it.

[IanDG]

More playing and experimenting with toy cameras and the like - some of my recent snaps


The Ullapool Road by windy_, on Flickr


Tree, Castle Grounds, Stornoway by windy_, on Flickr

Develop my 'Stornoway the Holga Way' blog further:

http://stornowayholgaway.blogspot.com/

Start playing with printing techniques - eg. cyanotype and van dyke - and sort myself out so that I can think about creating a dark room.

[Kim]

Supplemental objective: get over the whole following-the-rules approach as to what makes a good photograph.

I'm unreasonably pleased with this one, shot by barakta in full-auto mode on our Cannon compact, and mildly GIMPed-about-with by me:



The composition's (mostly) random.  The autofocus has autofocussed on the 'wrong' place.  There's camera shake, sensor noise and it would have seriously benefited from some off-camera flash.  But somehow the grittiness of the photography complements the grimace-and-death-grip pose of Mr Gerwinium (a can't-ride-a-bike non-cyclist) as he gathers speed rolling feet-first downhill on the baraktacycle in the dark.

[ed_o_brain]

kewl baraktacycle

This is today's entry in my #366. No idea how I'm going to keep this up!!

#8

Manchester Derby Day Skyline by Daniel Cadden Photo, on Flickr

[PH]

I'm determined this is the year I get to grips with processing.  I've had the software for a while, both Lightroom and Elements, I've also got the recommended Elements Missing Manual, which is supposed to be simple to follow, I'm still struggling with it. I might invest in a course, though the local ones seem expensive.  I can often see where a photo could be improved, I need to know how.
   

[Charlotte]

Great to hear so many people with plans for 2012.  I think half of what it's about is commitment, tenacity and just finding the time.  Even if it's half an hour here or there to add another few shutter cycles to your camera.

I was out on the streets first thing this morning making a little more headway on the project I mentioned above.  I love the way that every time I come home from shooting some pictures, I've learned something new.


Stranger #2 by lyope, on Flickr

[David Martin]

I would find it rather difficult to walk up to unknown attractive young ladies in the street and ask to take their picture. Twice. It's quite hard to walk after having the camera surgically removed.

There are some things a 40-something bloke just really can't get away with easily.

[SiD]

1. I've some really old, cheap film cameras a load of of Kodak and enough Diaphine to last a liretime, so i'd really like to do some film processing having never attempted it before.

2. I moved to a very rural location a number of years ago and hence the opportunity for Street photography dried and and with it my use of all cameras. I like to start documenting what's going on in this very small rural community i'm now in.

3. Sell the big Canon 40D and lenses I have sitting on a shelf, along with the G9 and other compacts and go for something small and new and simple.

[ed_o_brain]

I would find it rather difficult to walk up to unknown attractive young ladies in the street and ask to take their picture. Twice. It's quite hard to walk after having the camera surgically removed.

There are some things a 40-something bloke just really can't get away with easily.

You know, I recon I could do it.
It's all about the demeanour with which you do it.

Been getting much more confident with the camera in those sorts of situations. Be polite and honest about what you are doing. Show them some examples on your phone or what have you. Also helps I suppose if you can give them a business card.

[SiD]

In reply to the above - if you get a cheap hardback book made up of your work from Blurb or any of the other book makers, carry it around in your bag, it can open a lot of doors and be very reassuring.

[dippy2]

1. I've some really old, cheap film cameras a load of of Kodak and enough Diaphine to last a liretime, so i'd really like to do some film processing having never attempted it before.

2. I moved to a very rural location a number of years ago and hence the opportunity for Street photography dried and and with it my use of all cameras. I like to start documenting what's going on in this very small rural community i'm now in.

3. Sell the big Canon 40D and lenses I have sitting on a shelf, along with the G9 and other compacts and go for something small and new and simple.

Sid if your looking to give Film a go, I can loan you a Nikon F4s and Lens. Im not to far away from you so could drop it off to you.

[IanDG]

2. I moved to a very rural location a number of years ago and hence the opportunity for Street photography dried and and with it my use of all cameras. I like to start documenting what's going on in this very small rural community i'm now in.

For inspiration

A friends blog - http://islandcrofters.blogspot.com/

A wonderful video on James Ravilious - http://youtu.be/TYg8mxvUgJE

[mike]

it's all about people for me this year, but i'm doing it the easy way compared to Charlotte and am setting up model shoots. I've done half a dozen so far, some more involved than others, and have a couple of big ones coming up which will all have a model, hair stylist, makeup artist, clothes borrowed from a shop in town and me responsible for finding the location, deciding the look, organising the logistics and - seemingly the quickest bit of all - posing the model and taking the photos

it's a near-vertical learning curve at the moment, but am absolutely loving it.   Apart from one disasterous shoot where I got *nothing* any good, the feedback is OK and shops in town seem happy to lend us stuff on the strength of the stuff I'm showing them, and it's very satisfying to see my work appearing on someone else's portfolio. 

I find it much harder than landscape photos because it's more about relationships with people, which is why I'm making myself do it.  I wanted this year to be the one where I move away from 'taking photos of things', not that I'm very good at that either, but people photos are the ones I love to look at, so that's what I need to get better at taking! 

I've even done a website, so I can pretend to be a professional - although there's a hellish long way to go before I can start charging for it!  www.simpleimages.co.uk for the very bored    Lots more photos going up soon, hopefully.

[David Martin]

I would find it rather difficult to walk up to unknown attractive young ladies in the street and ask to take their picture. Twice. It's quite hard to walk after having the camera surgically removed.

There are some things a 40-something bloke just really can't get away with easily.

You know, I recon I could do it.
It's all about the demeanour with which you do it.

Been getting much more confident with the camera in those sorts of situations. Be polite and honest about what you are doing. Show them some examples on your phone or what have you. Also helps I suppose if you can give them a business card.

I suppose I am not someone who is keen on invading other peoples personal space. I'm bad enough at talking to peopel and getting them to do what I want when I am taking pics officially, let alone something for my own private gratification.

[IanDG]

I would find it rather difficult to walk up to unknown attractive young ladies in the street and ask to take their picture. Twice. It's quite hard to walk after having the camera surgically removed.

There are some things a 40-something bloke just really can't get away with easily.

You know, I recon I could do it.
It's all about the demeanour with which you do it.

Been getting much more confident with the camera in those sorts of situations. Be polite and honest about what you are doing. Show them some examples on your phone or what have you. Also helps I suppose if you can give them a business card.

I suppose I am not someone who is keen on invading other peoples personal space. I'm bad enough at talking to peopel and getting them to do what I want when I am taking pics officially, let alone something for my own private gratification.

Ditto - I think it's called 'being a scientist'