A Shot a Day

Recently I read an article in Popular Photography magazine about a man who made himself a commitment. That commitment was to go to the same park (it happened to be in his neighborhood) every day for a year and take a picture of something. This man visited the park on a regular basis. He sometimes found the park to be dull and uninviting. However, upon making the promise to himself, he ventured into the park every day, at different times, and took a picture. Every day for a year- rain or shine- a good day or bad, he made his way to the park. He learned something about himself. He discovered the art behind the little things in life. There is beauty all around. Everywhere we look- be it in the spider making a home in the side of a tree; a family walking a dog at twilight; an abandoned swing or slide. Everything has beauty. He also discovered something he didn't expect to. There were days which he felt bad, or had personal strifes. On those days it was particularly painful to make that trip to the park. It was on those days where he sometimes got the most enjoyment from the beauty of the park. Something in the nature, or perhaps in an idle person he saw there, made his melancholy mood lighter.

While I am not inclined to shoot at the same place for a year, I do love the idea behind "Project 365". You may have heard of it. The gist of it is to take a photo every day of the year and share it. Discover some beauty that is hidden in something that is important to you- even if it's just for a moment. Share it. Inspiration is a beautiful thing.

Today I had the pleasure of taking an instructional session from a photographer I respect immensely, Andie Smith. During our session we touched on this subject. It definitely gave me the kick I needed to take on this project, which is something I had been wanting to do for a while. Today's picture (or actually- pictures) come from my session with Andie. This is the City Hall building of Southlake, Texas. The angle on it does make it look as if I've had a little too much to drink, but I do like it for some reason! Notice the cow out front. I had to get closer to the cow as well.

If there is anything I've learned over the last few months, it's that there is beauty in the dawn. Darkness can hit any time- in the form of loss or failure, or just sadness. Taking a step back to enjoy the beauty of simple things can remind you of just why it is you get out of bed every morning.

That's all I have for now. Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Nikki! I hope you're having a great day, Nik!

~Amanda