I didn’t do a retrospective on my project 365 like some others did, but I was just explaining to some people yesterday how different it is for me to be taking pictures rather than capturing my life in text. I’ve always been observant, but then I usually try to translate what I see into words. It’s amazing how much control you have over a vision when you can frame it however you want with the right words. I’m still learning how to achieve the same thing using a camera. I have a new respect for those who are good at using an image to convey meaning. Many times, there’s only a split second to capture the look on someone’s face or a particular cast of light.
When I was in Tempe, my team was working on our presentation and I didn’t have anything to do, so I began taking pictures of everyone working. Some of those shots are some of my favorite photos. Sometimes, too, I’ll get to the end of a day and I haven’t taken a photo and I’ll think, “What was my day like and what image would represent that?” That’s how I’ve ended up with a keyboard shot, an iPod, and a to-do list. It’s interesting to think about the day in those terms. Rather than writing a journal entry or riffing off an article or a blog post, I have to capture a day using color, light, and focus. And I sometimes start to see things differently. I can see the places or people I see every day differently or I’ll look an new places more closely.
We’re only 44 days in. There’s still so much more to go, so many more things to capture. I will say that I’m really glad I’m doing this. It’s giving me a new perspective on the world.
