Ianqui's 365 Project

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

January 31: One month retrospective

I read Billie's retrospective on her Project 365, and thought it was such a great idea that I'm going to copy her here.

I was looking over my photos so far (I don't have it in me to copy Billie's montage right now!), and I see a couple of themes, but fewer than I expected. I know that I love taking pictures of people, and along with that, I love my 70-300mm lens. Sometimes I wish I could ask people to pose for me, but I think that I actually like getting the surprise shot. More recently I've discovered that I think night photography is really cool, but to do it right, I need to get serious with a tripod. I guess I'll wait for it to get a little warmer for that!

I've discovered that I find still-lifes and product photography to be pretty difficult. Some people have a great sense of how to get an interesting perspective on an object, but I struggle with that. I wonder—does that mean I should practice, or focus on what I like?

Most notably, and somewhat regrettably, I've developed a snobbish attachment to my dSLR, and I don't like using the Powershot A95 anymore. When I first conceived of the project, I thought it would be more about documenting my life in photos, but now I'm thinking of it as a unique opportunity to develop my photography skills. I wonder if my opinion on that will change as the charge to continue taking photos every day presses on.

Thanks to everyone for following along so far, and I'm looking forward to continuing!

8 Comments:

At 2/01/2007 7:53 AM, Blogger jo(e) said...

What I've always loved about your photos is the New York City theme. Yeah, that seems like it would be obvious but many of the Flickr photographers take shot after shot that does not in any way reveal where they are. Your photos are very place-based. Not an introspective look at your own life, but observations about the lives of strangers who live in close proximity.

 
At 2/01/2007 10:50 AM, Blogger Rev Dr Mom said...

I love your pictures, and I like when you talk about how you got them, because I am learning a lot from you.

My Project 365 lament is that I haven't had time to get out and really work with my camera.....but I have 11 more months!

 
At 2/01/2007 2:06 PM, Blogger Liane said...

i love your photos, they really seem to show what nyc is like. you're good at that, and i think you should get to enjoy doing that more. if you don't like still-life, and you don't imagine needing to learn for any reason, then why bother?

the best part of this 365 has been reading the comments and hints you (and others give) on how you got a photo to look a certain way, etc.

 
At 2/01/2007 2:22 PM, Blogger Overread said...

I agree with liane and jo(e) - I really see a lot of your pictures as a celebration of nyc as it is actually seen by a human who lives there, not a made-for-tv drama. I miss the city and love your pictures for bringing me back.

Oh, and you just happen to have a wonderful eye for moments and people. Great job and keep it up! I'll be here for the next 11!

 
At 2/01/2007 4:44 PM, Blogger Billie said...

What everyone else said. :-)

I have thoroughly enjoyed your photos and I am striving to create them here (in Texas). At least I will strive to see a similar interestingness in Texans as you do in New Yorkers.

 
At 2/01/2007 4:58 PM, Blogger Ianqui said...

Thanks for all of your kind comments, everyone. I'm looking forward to continuing the project along with all of you!

 
At 2/01/2007 8:36 PM, Blogger Scrivener said...

I think they all said it pretty well. I do think that one of the nice things about this project lasting over time is that you can more or less let things evolve organically. In other words, right now you're really enjoying using the dSLR and the zoom lens and taking shots of people, but maybe a month of that and you'll start really wanting to try more of the still-life thing, and then you can.

 
At 2/04/2007 9:33 PM, Blogger Andromeda Jazmon said...

I love your photos. I love seeing NYC through your eyes. I love the people and faces. And I love reading all your thoughts and comments about photography.

 

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