Photo A Day: August 2014

243 days down, 0 to go.

August was a huge struggle for me. I was physically and creatively drained and it was hard for me to keep up with this challenge. I like having my Instagram feed chronological - that's how it's supposed to be! But when I started falling behind on the challenge, it really held up the rest of the photos I wanted to share. After a while, there was no point in tagging #latergram because all my photos became later and later grams.

Even up until the 29th, I really thought I could catch up. I only had 9 prompts to catch up with. But by the 31st, I knew I wasn't going to finish off the month and on the first day of September, I had absolutely no desire to start off the new months of prompts at all.

So that's that. Photo a day has been a good challenge for me over the past one and a half years, but all good things must come to an end and this challenge has run its course and now I'm done with it.

I'll still be on Instagram, just not participating in FMS's photo a day anymore.


See previous months here: January, February, March, April, May, June, July

Photo A Day: July 2014

212 days down, 153 to go.

July was a great month for this photo challenge. I liked the prompts and I had plenty of photographic opportunities. For the first two weeks of July, the boys were home on school holiday and then we took a third week off together to visit Straddie. When we got back, big changes started happening with Caleb starting school and my daily routine shifting.

With my constant companion in school for half the day now, I'm wondering if my photographic interests will shift, or if they'll stay the same.

On with August:

I'm participating via Instagram. Follow along @btsoi.
If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (August), you can find the details here.
See previous months here: January, February, March, April, May, June

Photo A Day: June 2014

181 days down, 184 to go.

June was a good month. It was busy and so full but somehow, there were calm and peaceful moments in between as well. Most of these photos capture the quieter moments. Towards the end of the month, things got pretty rough for me - I was overwhelmed by all the things I had on my plate but looking at this grid, I really can't remember that feeling anymore.

Despite the cold weather, we spent a lot of time outside. It was mostly for Nathan's sporting activities but also, I just can't get enough of being by the water. The best thing about going to the beach in winter is that it's practically empty. It's a little too chilly for most Australians but we don't mind - benefits of growing up in colder climates!

Let's get started on the second half of this year!

I'm participating via Instagram. Follow along @btsoi.
If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (July), you can find the details here.
See previous months here: January, February, March, April, May

Photo A Day: May 2014

151 days down, 214 to go.

May was an eventful month that gave me lots to document and I am so grateful for that. It's hard to come up with new content consistently so months like this really help to boost my creativity. One of the things I'm working on is discovering my own style and verbalizing it. Do I have a distinct style of photography or are my photos an eclectic mix of styles?

I've realized that Caleb is the main human subject in my photos, because he is always with me. If it weren't for him, my photos would only be of things and I'm trying to lean away from that.

I'm looking forward to June's prompts. It looks like there's a lot I can play around with this coming month:

I'm participating via Instagram. Follow along @btsoi.
If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (June), you can find the details here.
See previous months here: January, February, March, April

Photo A Day: April 2014

120 days down, 245 to go.

I'm a little surprised that the boys aren't a bigger part of my Photo A Day grid since they were with me for about 75% of the month. I guess it goes to show that this is just a snippet of what goes on in my Instagram feed!

This month went alright. It definitely wasn't my favourite month, prompt-wise, especially in the last week and a half. My biggest problem is when I get stuck on one prompt, I refuse to just skip over it. When that happens, all the days after that are held up until I find something to fill in that spot so ever so often, you'll see a few days of absolute silence on my feed, followed by a huge tidal wave of photos as I catch up.

Anyway, here we go with May!

I'm participating via Instagram. Follow along @btsoi.
If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (May), you can find the details here.
See previous months here: January, February, March

Photo A Day: March 2014

90 days down, 275 to go.

I am so grateful to have this photo challenge as a reminder to take photos every day. I've hit a few creative walls this month and there are days where I feel like there's really nothing to take pictures of and you can see the mediocre effort put into the photos for those certain prompts. Sure, there's always my boys, maybe some food but I want to take pictures that reflect where I am that day.

I've had a lot of friends come up to me this month and ask me about Fat Mum Slim photo a day and on some level, I'm glad that the effort I put into keeping up with this challenge is being noticed. I've encouraged them to join me on this project but I also understand that it's a huge commitment and that's not for everyone.

So whoever wants to continue on with me, here's April's prompts!

I'm participating via Instagram. Follow along @btsoi.

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (April), you can find the details here.

See previous months here: January, February

Photo A Day: February 2014

59 days down, 306 to go.

In 28 days, I captured photos in three countries with drastically different climates. I love seeing how similar but different our lives are in all those places. Food and sunlight were the major players this month and I'm looking forward to capturing more of that in the next month.

Here we go with March.

I'm participating via Instagram. Follow along @btsoi.

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (March), you can find the details here.
See previous months here: January

Photo A Day: January 2014

31 days down, 334 to go.

At the start of the year, I wasn't sure if I was up for another year of daily photo prompts but I'm glad I started documenting. January was filled with all sorts of adventures and I'm glad to have captured it all.

It's definitely a lot of work to keep up with the prompts, especially when I'm not interested in a particular prompt, but I enjoy the challenge the rest of the time. I haven't decided if I'll stick with it all the way through the year like I did in 2013 but I'll keep going until I decide I've had enough.

February's prompts are up!

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (February), you can find the details here.

Photo A Day: December

364 days down, 1 to go.

Talk about saving the best for last. I think this was the best month to document this year - there was just so much going on this month. Within one month, we managed to set foot in four different countries, and experience both the heat of summer and cold of winter.

This was the most dynamic to capture and I'm grateful for being able to end off the year this way. I still haven't decided what type of daily photo challenge I'll participate in next year (if at all) but I'm glad I was able to stick it through this year and capture something every day.

Here are the links to my photo grids from the rest of the year:
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November

Photo A Day: November

334 days down, 31 to go.

November was another hectic month. For our family, it's the month leading up to two birthdays, Christmas and usually some traveling so that doesn't leave me a lot of time to be creative.

Somehow, I managed to capture a photo for each prompt. There were times when I'd go for a week without posting a photo and then I'd catch up all at once. It's not perfect, but it's done.

And just like that, we're down to the last month! I'm excited to see what will be captured in December.

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (December), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October

Photo A Day: October

304 days down, 61 to go.

Man, this month just blew right past me.

I was glad to have little pockets of time throughout the month to get out of the house and actually do things though, because let's face it, it's really hard to document life when you're not really doing anything.

I'm excited to be nearing the end of this project!

Here we with November:

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (November), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September

Photo A Day: September

273 days down, 92 to go.

I cannot believe there's less than 100 days left in this year!

September brought with it warmer weather and more time spent outside. The month was full of school events and trips to the coast which made for some brighter pictures but it also meant that some days I was so busy living my life that I forgot to document it.

The photos I use for this Photo A Day challenge are ones I'd normally post anyway. But there were prompts that I couldn't really be bothered with and you can tell by the photos. I had to force them, they feel out of place and I don't like it.

Looking forward to next year, I'm hoping to continue with a daily photo challenge but I'd like to keep my options open and perhaps venture away from the Fat Mum Slim prompts. Does anyone have a good alternative?

Here are October's prompts:

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (October), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August

Photo A Day: August

243 days down, 122 to go.

August was a toughie for me. It started off well, and then we were hit with a tsunami of housework and  make-up lessons for extracurriculars and it just drained all my energy and creativity. Towards the middle of the month, I ran out of fuel and for a week, I just had no pictures to choose from for each prompt. I was very, very close to giving up. 

But I've decided that giving up on this project is not an option for me so I sat with my phone, filled in those gaps and got right back on track. 

So here we go with September!

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (September), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July

Photo A Day: July

212 days down, 153 to go.

It's been a super busy month. With my family in town and our trip down to Sydney, I've had some new subjects to photograph. I'm loving the moments we've captured so far and I'm pretty happy that I could keep up with this project despite our change in routine.

There's not a whole lot else to say except that I hope I can take more of my photos during the day to help lighten up this grid!

Here are the prompts for August:

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (August), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April, May, June

Photo A Day: June

181 days down, 184 to go.

We're pretty much at the halfway mark now.

This month started off well then half way through, I kind of let go and whatever happened, happened. Mostly, that just means there were days I didn't take pictures so I just filled in the gaps by taking pictures a few days later. A few prompts have pictures from the "wrong" date, but I'm not sweating it. I'm doing this for myself and this is how it works for me this month.

July's going to be a busy month for our family. This will either help me take lots of pictures, and let me have plenty to choose from for each prompt, or it will throw me way off. We'll see how it pans out, but either way, I'm not worried.

Here are the prompts for July:

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (July), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April, May

Photo A Day: May

151 days down, 214 to go.

I didn't realize how dark my photos were this month until I put them all together. I suppose this reflects the change in weather here. Daylight hours are decreasing and there have been long periods of rain. This month was tough for me - the prompts were rather uninspiring but I got the job done and I'm moving on.

This month, I signed up for the The Phone Photography Project class at Big Picture Classes. It doesn't start until July 1, but I'm so excited because a bunch of the teachers are people I follow on Instagram, and because I'm always looking for new ways to see things. Hopefully this will give me a different perspective on some of the less interesting prompts.

Looking forward, here are the prompts for June:

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (June), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March, April

Photo A Day: April

120 days down, 245 to go.

I had a much easier time keeping up with the prompts this month. Maybe it's because I'm starting to shoot pictures a little more freely, or because once I see something I want to take a picture of, I'm taking the time to frame it better. Or it could be that I'm learning to catch the light. Whatever it is, I'm starting to appreciate my own photos a little more, and that's important.

One of the things I struggle with is not being satisfied with my Instagram shots. Ever so often, I'll sit and look at my Instagram profile and I'll critique them as a group. They're too brown. They're not well lit. I convince myself that it's okay because I take pictures of life and it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful, but part of me still can't shrug the fact that I can do better.

So I look around for inspiration.

There are a two people on Instagram I follow because their photos are consistently absolutely gorgeous and their pictures resonate with something inside me.

Alice Gao | lifestyle + food

Adam Goldberg | food + travel

At the beginning of the month, I discovered this series on YouTube called #nofilter that highlights Instagram's biggest stars and I was thrilled to find one on Alice. The clip isn't even two minutes long but I find it so refreshing and inspiring. Check it out if you have a spare minute.

Here's the list of prompts for May:

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (May), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February, March

Photo A Day: March

90 days down, 275 to go.

I tried a little harder to get my photos done on time this month but once again, there were prompts that I was a day or two behind on. I still use photos I took the day of the prompt, but sometimes I'm just so tired at the end of the day, I don't get around to choosing and processing my Instagram on time.

Anyway, I've been following the Fat Mum Slim prompts up until now but I've discovered another list by Adam Powell. I think I discovered him after he liked a couple of my photos on Instagram, and he takes some pretty sweet pictures. Check out his Instagram feed. And here's a fun fact: Adam has two boys named Nathaniel and Caleb. I'm finding it's a very popular combination of names for brothers.

I've thought about switching over to his lists but I'm not particularly fond of changing things part way through, so I'll stick with FMS for now.

Here's the April list:

Let's do this!

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (April), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January, February

Photo A Day: February

59 days down, 306 to go.

This month, I really wasn't motivated to take pictures. I'm not sure if the prompts weren't inspiring for me or if I was just in a creative rut but it was difficult to get the photos done. There were times when I was two or more prompts behind and it really irritated me. I was okay with being a day behind but any more seemed like I was missing the point of this exercise. I never actually missed a prompt so I suppose I should give myself credit for that.

One of the more tedious parts of doing Photo A Day is making my grid. Of course, it's not mandatory but I like seeing all the photos for that month in one spot. I load each photo into PSE and place them into a template I designed. I wanted the grid to resemble the calendar month the pictures were from.

At the end of last month, I saw a fellow Photo A Day-er post the exact same type of grid on Instagram, complete with the month and days of the week at the top. I had to know if they had a simpler method and it turns out they use a photo app called Collect (and it's free!).

Collect is fantastic for this purpose and even has space for you to write a little note about the photo. I loved it and would definitely use it for my Photo A Day except that for whatever reason, my phone refuses to save my Instagram pictures into my photo album. Bummer.

Anyway, here's March's list:

And go!

I'm participating via Instagram. 

If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (March), you can find the details here.

See previous months: January

Photo A Day: January

31 days down, 334 to go.

I did it! I managed to get a photo for each prompt and here they are:

I'll admit, some days were easier than others. For some prompts, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to capture and for others, I took many shots throughout the day that would represent that prompt and chose my favourite.

A few of my photos didn't get posted until the morning after, but I'm not too worried about it. My goal is to exercise creativity and develop an eye for photography. So far, it has challenged me to take photos I normally wouldn't take, in ways I normally wouldn't have done so I'd say things are definitely moving in the right direction.

Moving on to February!

I'm participating via Instagram.
If you'd like to join me or find out more about Photo A Day (February), you can find the details here.