25 February 2008

sweet like sugar



the 365 project, she is finished. let me tell you, I am really missing it. not that I need a reason to take photographs on the daily. um, maybe I do. this project had me lugging my camera with me absolutely everywhere I went, every single day until it became as much a part of me as my own two eyes. attached itself to the fabric of my day in ways I am now unable (and unwilling) to undo. which was sort of the point, I guess. that and all that comes with the process of self-documentation. plus, I just really wanted to see if I could do it.

I couldn't have asked for a more interesting year to document. cross country travels and a move to a brand new city in a brand new part of the country. inevitably, some days were easier than others. some days found me shooting everything in sight while others seemed to have nothing to offer. early on in the process, certain questions emerged: was it about the best photograph of the day? or the photograph that best documented what happened on that particular day? I refused to define this aspect of the project and so it vacillated somewhere in between. sometimes I favored the quieter, more unexpected shots over the ones that screamed the major events of the day. okay, and sometimes I didn't. which is what made the project more like something I couldn't wait to get to everyday and less like the tedious chore I thought it might turn out to be. I couldn't wait to see what story the day would end up telling, even if it was just about little red tomatoes spilling out over the counter.

it's a fascinating thing, looking at my year from beginning to end. more so to see how I changed as a photographer. what subjects, what angles I favored, what came easy, what didn't. one year later and I am as hungry as I was in the beginning. simply put, I want more. I want to know more, see more, do more. and this I know for sure: I work best when there's a specific task at hand. but then, I have always known this. I am a girl who needs an assignment.

and so now I am a girl without an assignment. and I'm feeling a little lost, slightly unnerved. since the end of january, I have been scrawling out the possibilities of new projects on tiny scraps of paper. I'm anxious to get started, I'm feeling ridiculously ansy. oh, the end is sweet and all, but the beginning of a new project is where I want to be. nothing tastes sweeter than the beginning of the beginning.

(my entire 365 set is here)

20 comments:

  1. i'm starting again - i've been without a photo a day for about a month now and i'm ready.

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  2. i'm completely with you on the assignment thing.

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  3. Congrats on your lovely accomplishment. Such a joy to see the world through your eyes. I'm sure your next inspiration will be just as brilliant.

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  4. how about 52 weeks?? regardless, the awesomeness of this is making me crazy. i told myself i would do a 365 when i got that dslr. will you help me keep that promise?

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  5. wow - that is a HUGE accomplishment and congratulations. if it were dubbed, i would say it looked like "a year of colour"

    you've got a great eye for colour and and composition!

    i look forward to seeing what you do next!

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  6. Your 365 set is so beautiful and inspiring. I can't wait to see what you do next. I have no doubt it will be fabulous.

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  7. congrats on a year of amazing photos!!!!

    you can always come up w/ another assignment - it will come....

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  8. it was nice to go back and revisit the photos...many of them are in my favorites. you have such a wonderful eye and the colors! oh, the colors!

    looking forward to whatever you have up your sleeve...

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  9. Congrats on getting into Artful Blogging!!! I was most excited about your blog! I love photobooths too! I'd love for you to check out my blog and see what you think :)

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  10. i loved looking at your 365 project! i know how you feel about not knowing what to do next. it's like when i'm knitting a sweater for two months and then i'm finished. it's an uneasy feeling.

    jackie (cc's sister)

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  11. mmm-hmm. I also, am a girl who needs an assignment. i love projects and the being able to "define" completion, achievement. it's clear that you successfully completed this project. I take so much inspiration from your project mentality.

    as for the quality of the photos ... I think it's obvious you are an entirely successful photographer as well. if only it was clear whether my own 365 project will be so beautiful. I'll suspend judgment until I'm finished.

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  12. cheers to another assignment, beginning, and adventure. can't wait to begin some with you (soon!)

    xoxobesos,
    j.

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  13. ahh, looking at the photos (yes, the WHOLE year) made my night. otherwise i would have been sitting at the reference desk bored to tears. thank you! :) xo, celia

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  14. congrats on an assignment well done! You always come up with some awesome collab. projects. I look forward to participating on your next one.

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  15. congratulations. your project is beautiful!!!

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  16. beautiful!

    i'm thinking that i do better with an assignment, too. thank you for helping me get that into words.

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  17. andrea,
    what an amazing and colorful project...i love how you frame your
    photo's. what kind of camera do you use these days.

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  18. You should be very proud of yourself. That is huge thing to do! I love the image selection for your grid design for this post. Too many fun colorful photos...well, actually we can never have too many good ones can we??? Great stuff!

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  19. you rock! so inspiring... don't stop. hey, i'll be in portland in late april for a book event would love to visit.

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  20. I wish I had a book of all of your photos...it would be grand to be able to flip through them when needing a shot of colorful inspiration. Plus, I love holding stuff in my hands and not clicking on them.
    Congratulations. I think you've inspired many of us!

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