The F-22 Raptor looks fast just taxiing down the taxiway at OshKosh.
Post an Image a Day x 365
2015 Project 365 Review: Post an Image a Day An image a day; sounds easy doesn’t it. You capture one image each day and post it the same day, for a year. Since this project was my third Project 365, my goal this year, as last year, was to post an image each day taken from images captured that day, the previous week, the same month, the same year, or past years. As you will see, even accomplishing my goal was much easier said than done. Life gets in the way; more on that later.
Similar to last year, I decided to post images I like to shoot without any particular theme. These images came from my daily walkabouts, work travel, vacation, photo trips, and general daily routine. Although the majority of the images posted were landscape, wildlife, people, and aviation images, some were fine art, architecture, flowers, and seascapes with a few simply off-the-wall snaps. Also, a few vintage images were scanned from years gone by.
%
Wildlife
%
Landscapes
%
People/Pets
%
Aviation
The Challenges...
Seemingly easy you say; let’s just chat about the challenges for an amateur photog. The challenges this year continued to be much like last year’s.
. Working, commuting, errands, housework, yard maintenance, children, and family all take time leaving precious little for capturing, post processing, posting, and printing images.
. Keeping a camera, suitable to capture the images you like, with you most of your day.
. Carrying heavy camera equipment and, possibly, supporting gear.
. Watching the weather. Weather can make a nice easy image capture into mission impossible.
. Keeping the internet available most of the time.
. Stealing a few minutes each day to capture images. Then, more time that night to process and post the images.
. Finding the types of images desired in the local environment; particularly dramatic landscapes and wildlife.
. Choosing the daily image and writing a short message.
The Results...
And, again this year, an image was posted every day; not always was the image captured that day. Yes, that’s 365 posts with 367 images posted daily in 2015. In order to post an image each day, the photographer must make capturing and posting images one of those “things we do no matter what” each day. Sounds good, how can you post each day no matter what? I’m not sure about others; the following approach helped me:
. Purchased camera equipment that fit my lifestyle as well as met my standards for handling, functionality, and quality.
. Streamlined my post processing infrastructure and image data base to post an image in 15 minutes.
. Left time in my schedule to process and post each night.
. Carried a camera with me much of my day.
. Learned to post varying quality of images.
. Found additional walkabout routes.
Metrics
- Same Day 23%
- Within a Week 32%
- Same Month 4%
- Same Year 10%
- Past Years 31%
Date Captured vs. Posted
Actually, these statistics are a bit surprising to me. Certainly, I am happy to see that 55% of my posts were on the same day or within a week of the image’s capture; a bit of an increase from last year. My workload in 2015 must have caused the percentage of images from years past to go up, again.
Looking back at how difficult a year of postings can be, I still feel good about the results; given my work schedule, personal lifestyle, and my desire to post mostly wildlife, landscapes, and aviation images.
Quality Measures
Judging the quality of an image is always a non-exact process. Certainly, my quality structure looks much more qualitative than quantitative. To me, a snapshot is a quick click capturing the moment. An image to be posted also contains interest in a subject many folks might enjoy; yet it may lack a bit technically. The real quality measure of an image becomes evident when it is printed. The printable image must be technically fine with good composition. To find it’s way into my portfolio, the image must have outstanding technical quality and captivating composition.
%
Snapshot
%
Postable
%
Printable
%
Portfolio
- Nikon 1 V3 52%
- Nikon 1 V1 30%
- Nikon D3x 8%
- Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR 36%
- Nikon 1 VR 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 26%
- Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.4G 12%
- Nikon 1 VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-ZOOM 7%
What was in my bag?
What equipment did I use? What are the best cameras and lenses for this project? Although these are questions frequently asked, I firmly believe the quality of the captured image is directly related to the vision and skill of the photographer and only indirectly related to the equipment used. That said; we all know that certain images can’t be captured at all without certain types of cameras and/or lenses. The graphs show the equipment used for the majority of this 2015 project. Except for the addition of the Nikon 1 V3 and the 30-110mm lens, it did not change much from last year.
The statistics on equipment used should not be surprising. The Nikon 1 V1 and the Nikon 1 V3 with their light weight and 2.7 crop factor mated with the 70-300mm lens makes an excellent combination for daily walkabouts looking for critters with a maximum 810mm lens. Add the 10-30mm and the 50mm f1.4 in the day pack and be ready for the majority of images encountered on a walkabout. Finally, the 30-110mm lens has quickly become my walkabout lens.
Reflections
Completing a Project 365 is not for the faint of heart. It’s the marathon of photography. Although I completed similar projects in 2013 and 2014, I considered quitting this project early. The project forced my to rethink my image capture and post processing priorities.
It was a year like all years, filled with those events which alter and illuminate our time. The images chosen for this project reflect the events in my life without necessarily being images of the events themselves. This project has been my third project 365; hopefully more will come, but I am considering a change next year. Perhaps, I’ll consider using weekly or monthly themes.
Flying mostly behind flat glass, fight directors, and autopilots make for safer cross country flights. Flying a Piper Super Cub on floats make for better stick and rudder skills and a bunch of fun.