Congratulations to Chris Maki!

Congrats to Chris! He completed his 365 project on December 31 with this photo:


Chris' project is filled with scenery around Alberta, Canada as well as some good work with flash. Below is his finisher's interview along with some of his photos.

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
My good friend Jason and I were talking about photography, and suggested I check out our mutual friend Erin's husband Dustin's Project 365. I started following his photostream in my RSS reader about a quarter of the way into his project. As 2009 was coming to a close, I started to toy with the idea of doing my own 365 as a way to further my knowledge and skills. On January 1, 2010 I was sitting around watching TV; and at around 8:00pm I remembered that I was going to start this project. I went to my basement and took my first shot.


How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
Developmental, divergent, determined.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
I was most surprised by my ability to see it through to completion…That is, provided that I shoot something today, December 31st. I'm pretty sure I'll get around to it though.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I've learned so much during the course of this project, I'm not sure I could quantify it all. There were huge developments in both my creative and technical areas, as well as personal development due to the discipline required to complete such a project. Everyone makes their own rules when doing one of these projects, but mine were quite strict. I would shoot something everyday before midnight in the timezone I was in. I wouldn't necessarily publish that day, definitely not while traveling.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
While I flirted with the idea of giving up several times over the course of the year, no one day was harder than day 296.

On this day my mother passed away unexpectedly. The one thing that kept me going was how supportive of my photography she was and knowing that she would have wanted me to continue.

What are your future photography plans?
I plan to continue shooting and developing my skills to the point where the income from photography outweighs the cost of new gear. I'm not sure if this will be through wedding photography, portraiture or fine art, but that's the plan for now.

Congrats again to Chris! Here is the admin favorites along with the slide show of Chris' completed project.

Congratulations to A. Aleksandravičius!

Congrats to Andrius! He completed his 365 project on December 31 with this photo:


Andrius' project is filled with great colors, an eye for nature and his cats. Below is his finisher's interview and some of his photos.

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I was inspired to start the 365 project by Walter Ezell 365 Breakfasts set. When a friend of mine F. Dirginčius started this project, then I said to myself “yes, i can!”.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
Colorful and bokehlicious photography.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
This is the first my picture of a summer lightning. We were camping out and a storm come. It was the scariest night in my life but also so amazing.


What did you learn during the course of your project?
Every day I’m taking my camera with my now and every day now is a day of looking for a pick of a day.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
I was on holiday at Turkey at 2009. I didn’t make any photo of a cup of Turkish tea there. So I remember this sad fact and I did it this year. This cup is not of a Turkish tea but it looks like it, doesn’t it?


What are your future photography plans?
Project 365 2011;)

Congrats again to Andrius! Here is an admin favorite along with a slideshow of his completed project:

Congrats to Simply Lewis!

Congrats to Lewis! He completed his 365 project on December 31 with this photo:



Lewis' project is filled with great views into London and beyond. Below is his finisher's interview and some of his photos.

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
My wife decided to take on the 365 and so I joined her. Not exactly a considered decision, more a spur of the moment thing.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
Opportunistic, pretty much what happens to catch my eye, rarely planned.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
On some days just how hard it can be to find a subject, combination of lack of time, poor light and minimal inspiration. Especially towards the end there were quite a few moments of desperation.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
Certainly broadened the range of subjects that I shoot, never used to like photographing people and am now quite confident doing so. Similarly never took still life or product type shots, much less deliberately constructed them. This is a good example:

On the technical side have a much better understanding of what my two cameras (Canon 5D2 and Ricoh GR Digital 2) are capable of and what to do in terms of post processing to achieve the desired result.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
One of the few times I set out with a specific goal was to get some shots of the Red Kites that can be seen at Watlington Hill. Was an amazing days shooting and for once was spoilt for choice for my daily shot:

What I didn’t capture was the moment when one of the birds swooped down and directly over me. It was so close that I felt the draft from the wings.

What are your future photography plans?
Continue to enjoy my hobby.

Favourite photos from my 365 are listed below. This was tough, a bit like choosing my Desert Island Disc (if this means nothing to you take a look at this explanation)



Congrats again to Lewis! Here is an admin favorite along with a slideshow of his completed project.

Congratulations to SkinnyOrangeCat!

Congratulations to Lori! She completed her 365 Project on December 31 with this photo:



Lori's project is filled with great color and macros and fantastic shots of animals. I've enjoyed visiting her stream and seeing images from her project! Below is her finisher's interview and some of her photos-

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
Encouragement from friends and family - in particular my husband - and then looking through 365 galleries on flickr.



How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
"up close" - usually it is a challenge for me to back away and get a larger view.



What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
I really surprised myself by finding the time to do this - that is what worried me the most this time last year. It really became a habit to start looking for photos where I wouldn't normally have done so.



What did you learn during the course of your project?
I now look for photographs everywhere....



Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?

We went to Yellowstone during the year which gave me a lot of photo opportunities. One of my favorite is of a simple squirrel, though. Everyone was busy taking photos of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, but I thought this Squirrel deserved some attention. He stayed quite still while I took his photo and then made a lot of chatter - like he was cursing me out :)



What are your future photography plans?
I just ordered some Alien Bees and a light tent - I want to learn more about using light to enhance photographs. I also plan to continue with another 365.

Here's the address to Lori's completed project, enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnyorangecat/sets/72157622999486785/show/

Congratulations to The Cleveland Kid!

Congratulations to Tim, he completed his 365 Project today! Tim's stream is a wonderful visual diary of his year, and I really enjoyed seeing his take on midwestern photography- his love for his surroundings seems to come through his photos. Tim has done some freelance sport photos this year with great results. He also coupled photos with songs of the day, a practice that I find really fun and creative. He also has plenty of great black and white photos and architectural images in his stream. Check out his project!

Here's his final project shot, his finisher's interview, some of his favorite photos from the year and a slideshow of his entire project.



What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
Last Christmas I got a new camera and happened to hear about one of the 365 groups on Flickr and thought it might be fun to see how far I could get…I really had no idea that I would stick through to the end of this project!

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
My photography is very urban in nature; I try and find the beauty in midwest city living and the sprawling suburbs that surround them.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
My biggest surprise during the project was how I really had to work to create new scenes for the viewer. One rule I had was never to duplicate an image, but that led me to explore more areas nearby other shots I took and thus made me more aware of my surroundings in the city. I tried to look at it from the vantage point of the viewer…perhaps they've never been to Cleveland, or maybe they have and just never saw the areas I photographed. I wanted to mainly get people interested and excited about the city and the fact that it offers so many visually stimulating things to take pictures of.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I learned that not ever shot is going to be a gem. There were countless times where I would come home from work, uninterested in making a really good effort at my 365 and just shot whatever I could find.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
I sure can…on the 90th day of 365, a few friends and I climbed up this abandoned building that will be getting knocked down soon and we got the most incredible view of the city that I've ever seen. I put together a panorama and added it as "90/365: Conquered." Inside the building was just gross…you could smell the mold and asbestos, and to this day I'm not sure what I touched in the stairwells on the way up because it was completely pitch black…all in all though it was worth it for the view of Cleveland, one that won't exist much longer.



What are your future photography plans?
Well I'm planning on doing a 365 for 2011. Other than that I've taken up shooting with 35mm film as well as started up some freelance sports photography work on the side. I'd like to start learning how to process my own film too, so we'll see!

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360 -



A now famous lighthouse in Cleveland was completely frozen over on Lake Erie and it's been the subject of many photos including National Geographic. I remember walking very cautiously in the windy and icy conditions to get this shot and freezing my tail off.

260 -



My girlfriend took me to one of her favorite places in Wisconsin, House on the Rock. This carousel was filled with all sorts of eye catching treasures…toys, diamonds, mirrors, and I had to get a shot of it at full speed; which considering this was a long exposure photo was about two miles an hour.

79 -



This photo is a bit deceiving. My buddy's feet are in the shot, but what you don't see to the left of the photo is the thirty foot drop into a small creek. Located in Van Buren, Ohio, the landscape offers so many cool shots.

259 -



I'd never been to Chicago before this day, and I took some free time and went to see the Sears/Willis Tower. If you ever get the chance to do the glass floor at the top, do it. Take a deep breath, and do it.

Congratulations Ivo Noppen!

Congratulations to Ivo Noppen who completed his 365 Project today! His year of photos contains many striking and creative photos, great macros, lovely portraits and nature shots, and wonderful fantasy "deformed" food creations. He has a great way of using punchy, bright colors in some of his shots that create cool graphic results. Here is Ivo's final shot of his project and his finisher's interview.



What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
Once a year, I cover the freshman's introduction event of the University of Twente. This event basically involves shooting about one and a half week on a fulltime basis with 6-7 other photographers. Life after this event always felt quite 'empty'. After 2009's event, I got hooked to some Flickr streams from people doing 365 projects like Dustin Diaz and Katie Lee. After much debating with myself my primal instinct of taking lots of photos eventually won and on December 31st, 2009 I decided to start a 365 project the very next day.



How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
My photography focuses on the details of everyday life. I can take quite some time taking photos of seemingly boring things like iron railway bridges, stacks of wood etc. Also, I can be intrigued by lines, curves and colours resulting in abstract visions of reality.
My photography also includes more and more styled conceptual still life. At the start of my 365 I had to learn quite a bit about lighting, and by reading and doing I improved during this project.



What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
What surprised me the most in the beginning of this project was the massive amount of people starting a 365 project on the first of January. In my direct environment, within the first 10-20 days I met three or four other people doing the same. However, the others all quit their project in the first 6-7 months.
Another surprise was the relative ease at which I got through this project. Sure there were some tough times when the juice wasn't flowing or when my schedule was chock-full. But overall, by bringing my camera almost everywhere or planning my shoot upfront, I managed quite easily.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I learnt that you can do things you didn't know before by just hanging on to your goals. Some people didn't think I would actually persevere and probably give up before the 3rd month. To be able to bring such a project to a good end you will sometimes have to prioritize your photography to squeeze out a shot just before 0.00, and more importantly, you have to learn to recognize and break your "photographers-block" when you're in a bad period.

Another thing I learned is to be ever mindful. Take in those little details and the shot of the day comes naturally. For day 364 for example, I saw this brick-pattern under a bridge, which my girlfriend hadn't seen after living nearby for 1,5 years.


What are your future photography plans?
In the future I will continue with my detail photography and try to get even more knowledge of lighting and studio photography. Furthermore I think working with people is something I will expand further (in portraits etc), because I really like the interaction between photographer and model.

Congratulations again to Ivo! Here are a couple admin favorites and a slideshow of his completed project.

Congratulations eahNC!

Congratulations to Beth! She completed her 365 today and it has been a pleasure to follow her 365 Project this year and see the world through her eyes! Here, in her own words, Beth describes her project:

What a ride!! I started my 365, having been familiar with the idea of 365's but not really with flickr. It was a steep learning curve for flickr, photoshop, and new processing techniques. I still have quite a lot to learn about photography and processing, but I do think that my 365 has inspired my confidence. Techniques can be learned. Skills can be honed. I CAN straighten my images before I capture them! I can compose a shot in my head before looking through the viewfinder. I feel like my style tends to bounce around, but that's
also my choice. I like a lot of different styles and choose not to commit! After 365 days, I'm comfortable with that. I've learned not to compare my stream to others. The 365 Community group has amazing talent; many talents far above my abilities. One of my greatest honors this year was have an image chosen as the picture of the week for this group. Thank you! I am so grateful to my contacts for their encouragement, even though I had no idea that
"contacts" would become part of the experience. You all are an integral part of making a 365 fun and interesting. Thank you!

The most difficult challenges for me were finding the time to make a shot, and finding something interesting for a subject. Sometimes I resorted to shots from the car. OK, many times. But as a suburban mom of 3, that's where I spend a lot of my time. Next year I look forward to spending more time investigating photography and
processing techniques that I didn't have time to explore this year. Such as trying to get an image of the stars to work out. But especially, taking more portraits and capturing interactions.

I've chosen some images that I feel represent compositions that I wouldn't have "seen" before starting my 365, and/or that incorporate elements that are now more integral to my photography than before. And a couple that involve getting up early... because, let's face it, so often it's all about the light.


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Congratulations again to eahNC! Here is her 365/365 photo, a couple of my favorites from her project and a slideshow of her project, filled with wonderful subjects and gorgeous light:

POTW for December 18-26th :)!

Hope you all are enjoying the winter holidays! Below are our photos of the week, nominated by the members of our group.

If you see something in the group pool that you just love, be sure to add it to the nominations discussion thread.

And we are also seeking a new icon for January. Be sure to stop by and submit one of your own fav shots!

Cheers!

POTW for December 12-18

December keeps marching right along. With shorter days (at least in the northern hemisphere), it can be challenging to get a photo at times. Congrats to fedora365, marco|g and MarianneLoMonaco for this week's photos of the week!

If you like any of those chosen this week, be sure to visit the photographers stream and leave a comment, they will be happy you did.

POTW for December 6-11

Another great week of photos, it's always a challenge to pick only three.

You know the drill: if you like any of those chosen this week, be sure to visit the photographers stream and leave a comment, they will be happy you did.

Where would a 365 be without the "neon lights through rain on windshield" shot? by justmakeit


The Shy Stranger by helle-belle


341/365 Make a wish upon a star... **Explored! by fedora365