Congrats to riebhoff!!!

Congratulations to Rick! Yay. He finished his project earlier in December. Woo hoo!

And he finished off with this shot. What a fine example in cloning. Wow. How many students do you see?

Since he finished his project, he has been busy getting ready for a show! It is up now through January 16th. So if you are in the Bay Area, be sure to stop by and check it out.

Through his project, we meet his lovely wife and his three daughters. Such cuties. He also gave us an inside peak to some of the Giants games! Yay.

Below he has answered some of our questions and we are featuring some of his top pics from the year.

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I took my first photography class about four years ago and in class we watched Jim Brandenburg's "Chased buy the Light". If you have never seen this before, check it out, it's amazing. In it, he took only one shot a day for an entire year. I was really inspired to do something similar at some point and about a year ago I started Googling away, trying to find his work. I stumbled onto the 365 Community blog while searching. After reading and viewing the blog posts of those who had just finished the project, I was completely blown away and started my own 365 a few days later.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
I certainly have not settled on a particular style. I wanted to try everything in this year, TTV, HDR, portraiture, macro, sports photography...I have a solid amount of ADHD and my photostream certainly portrays that...

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
What surprised me the most was the support of the people around me. A 365 project seemed like such a solo journey, but there is no way I would have finished it if not for my wife, who I bugged countless times to help me choose my shot of the day. The Flickr community was just fabulous as well, especially the 365 Community members. Jenny, Susie, Phil and so many others made the journey one that I will not forget. Thanks!

What are your future photography plans?
I actually have a show of my 365 opening on January 2nd. It goes through the 18th at the school I teach at, and I am still nervously excited to put it all together. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area in that time frame and want to check it out, let me know. Other than that, I am contemplating another 365 after the first of the year. I already miss posting to our group, so maybe I will start sooner...

And here are a couple admin favs. :)

Would you like to see more? Check out the link to a selection of his 365 project in the slideshow below.

Congrats to fedora365!!!

Whoot. Congratulations to Fedora. She also finished her project on New Year's Eve day. :) What a great day to finish up. Lots of celebrating going on.

And what a ride... through her project we got to know a little more about her, the area where she lives and we got to follow along on her vacations to Germany, Austria and Italy.

Featured below are the answers to our questions and some of her favorites from this past year.

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I had seen a couple of 365 projects in flickr, but I started mine because I had purchased a new camera, the Canon Powershot SX200 IS and I really wanted to learn to use it well.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
This one is difficult, my favorite photographs are always on vacation, I love to photograph nature, cities and new places.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
How much I learned about photography in general, about post processing and about using my cam! Also how difficult it was to make a photo everyday(even though it sounds simple, you always want to make something better)
And how many cool people and friends you make here in flickr!

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I learned to really use my camera, all the functions, and that makes me very happy. Also, how important it is to always have a camera with me, there are a lot of unique shots to miss if you don´t have one. I learned to look at things differently, and now I try to see the beauty in things. I am in constant search of the sun flare!
I learned about composition, about light in the photos, about angles, post processing, and specially what I like and don’t like in my photos.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
On day 161 we were in a park in London and I saw squirrels nearby. Always wanted to photograph squirrels as they are so cute, of I took lots of photos of one that was close by. Never gave it another thought until I was searching for the photo of the day. I chose one where there was a cute squirrel, and when I showed it to my husband he noticed that that squirrel was a little it too happy with his peanut ; ) Ended up being `censored` ; )

What are your future photography plans?
Even though I really enjoyed this 365 project, it has been exhausting and tiring at times when I had no inspiration at all. That is why I am not going to make another one. But at the same time, I love taking photos and I don’t want to loose the practice. That is why I am thinking of doing a 52 weeks project next year. Still not sure if I am going to make one of self portraits, or one of life in general, or maybe both ; )

Some of her favorites from this past year.
102/365 Pink Skies
This photo was a front page explore and special to me because being under those trees felt magical…

199/365 Blue eyed boy
Love this photo of my husband, specially because his pupil looks like a little heart

268/365 The view from Taormina
Couldn´t help but fall in love with this city in Sicily

295/365 Autum light...
The eternal search for the sun flare.

333/365 Snow in November
Never expected something this beautiful when snow surprised us in November!

Here a few admin pics! Was hard to choose just a couple.

To see more, check out the slideshow here.

Congratulations to Tamarak2010!

Congratulations to Tamara who finished her 365 on 31st December with this lovely seasonal shot

Tamara's stream is full of wonderful portraits and shots from her daily life. Tamara kindly provided answers to our interview questions and shared some of her favorite shots.

1) What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I had heard about the 365 Project a number of years ago - here I thought it must have been late in 2007, but it looks like it was in 2006 with this newsletter that I received from Photojojo content.photojojo.com/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/ ...anyway, I tried and failed at one in 2008 and then decided in 2010 to try again...I had always loved the idea of the project and I also knew that one way to expand your style and to learn more about your medium was to practice and make it a part of your life - and what better way to do that with photography than with a Project 365?

2) How would you describe your photography in just a few words?

I tend to lean towards the artsy side of things - I like blur and distortion...but I also like detail. This doesn't mean that I only take artsy shots...but those are the ones that I tend to like best of my photography.

3) What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?

I was happy to find that I grew artistically during the year. I had hoped to learn more technically, but didn't, really - I was surprised by that...maybe in year 2! I shouldn't be surprised by both the findings - they are typical for me - I learned enough technically to grow artistically, but I had thought that I would learn more on the technical side of things.

4) What did you learn during the course of your project?

I honed my 'art of seeing' skills...I allowed myself to push the boundaries and so, like I said before, grew artistically.

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

Not really...other than the fact that over the year my kids resigned themselves to the fact that their mother "takes pictures of weird stuff...".

6) What are your future photography plans?

Photography has always been a part of my life...when my kids were young and growing, it became more a documentary kind of thing, now I have my first grandchild, so the documenting will continue...but this project has also taught me, or reminded me, of the importance of always having my camera with me, so I will continue to carry it with me - I have also decided to go for a second year, so, for sure I will have camera in hand! I also paint and the practice of 'seeing' helps in that area as well...I used to only have shows of my paintings, now my photography is included as well...so far I have had either shows of my paintings or ones of my photography - I would like to move towards combining the mediums in my shows.

My favorite shots - that is a hard one!

I like that one because it is one of my favorite 'Night Blurs' - this is a way of photographing that I started during this past year and I might not have done that if I hadn't been making myself take a photo a day.

This is another set of photographs I started taking this year...flash photography of flowers at night...

This one may not be one of my best shots, but it is one I like...it is a good example of the main thing that this year has taught me - always have my camera with me!

Congrats again to Tamara! Here are a couple of admin favourites from the year and a slideshow of her complete 365.

Congratulations to Sevenman!

Congratulations to Chris who completed his 365 on 31st December with this photo

Chris kindly agreed to answer our finisher interview questions and choose some of his favourites from his project.

1) What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?

I was inspired to start my first 365 project because I'd watched and listened to friends do it, I'd always sort of liked the idea of photography, and doing a 365 Project myself seemed like a good way to do photography. So I bought a point & shoot and started my first 365.

2) How would you describe your photography in just a few words?

One friend has said that I shoot creepy lonely urban stuff in a documentary, photojournalist style. Another friend has noted that I take a lot of pictures that should have people in them but don't. I can't deny either description.

3) What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?

The most surprising thing has been discovering the hard way just how much our eyes and our minds lie to us about what we're seeing and carefully not seeing.

4) What did you learn during the course of your project?

I've learned to look and to see. I've learned that sometimes, taking a camera along doesn't improve the experience. I've learned that if something catches my eye, I should take a picture even if I don't understand what I'm attracted by and I think the picture is bad; even if it is, I can learn from it. I've learned to not blindly trust my camera and that I'm happier if I trust my gut. I've learned that I can't shoot to a theme or a plan and that trying to do so just annoys me.

(I regret the inability to shoot to a theme; I would really like to do a better job of participating in the 365 Community themes, but I am terrible at it.)

Finally, I've learned that I can't predict which of my pictures will resonate with people and which ones won't. Sometimes I can't even predict which one of my pictures I'll like best after a week. It's humbling.

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

My day 306 picture. One of the things that gets me into semi-trouble when I am off biking on my own is that I am kind of bad at deciding when to turn around to ride back; I keep thinking that I can go on for a bit more, and then a bit more, and this point feels like an arbitrary stopping point so I could go on a bit more, and before I know it I am all the way off in Port Credit at sunset, knowing that I am going to be riding back in the dark most of the way and get home rather late.

I don't regret it in the least on this day, though. Through a combination of circumstances this was the last good weekday bike ride I got in this year, and I knew it would be before I set out; I was leaving work early, the rest of the week was going to have bad weather, and then daylight savings time would turn into standard time and I would lose an hour of evening light.

(That I knew this was basically my last such photo of the year is one reason I gave it the title that I did.)

6) What are your future photography plans?

I'm going to do another year of the 365 project. I won't try to make any resolutions for it, because I've learned better; I'll just take pictures however I feel like it, and hope it works out.

This is four of Chris' favourites from his 365 with his reasons why

A nice example of what I think of my 'typical photograph'

One of my better people photographs and a bike ride picture; I do a lot of bike riding

A picture I am inordinately fond of because I made it work

I am contractually obligated to include a bicycle picture (and the group ride picture doesn't count)

Congrats again to Chris! Here are a couple of admin favourites from the year and a slideshow of his complete 365.

Congratulations Photo Frenzy~!

Congratulations to Manda! She completed her 365 Project with this photo:



Manda kindly agreed to answer our finisher interview questions and share her favorite photos from the project. Enjoy!

What inspired you to begin a 365 Project?
I saw other people in the flickr community with #/365 on their pictures and was curious what it was all about. When I found out and saw there was a community dedicated to people participating in the challenge I figured, why not? It was almost a new year when I decided to do it and I planned to start at the beginning of the year and go to the end. I thought the challenge would be a good way to encourage myself to expand my knowledge and creativity in regards to photography. I also wanted to encourage myself to use my camera more.

How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
I would say I've still got that amateur vibe going on and I definitely lean more towards the natural world and tend to prefer a more natural looking image as well.

What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
I was surprised with how challenging it actually can be. I found myself a lot of times really thinking hard about what picture I could take today. I didn't think it would be so hard, but I am also not usually the type of person to just take a random shot for the sake of it. I really like my pictures to mean something.

What did you learn during the course of your project?
I learned that you can't really force yourself to be creative. It was also really hard for me to just take a random picture of something, because it isn't what I usually do. I learned that I should stick to what I'm comfortable photographing.

Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
There are stories behind a lot of my 365 photographs. Lots of good memories too. One that really stands out as a highlight of the year was taken back in January. I was snowshoeing through the bush with my Dad and we had been seeing a Pileated Woodpecker off and on over the winter in the area. It was our first year to see them so we were pretty thrilled with finding them so frequently. On that particular day we found one on a tree that it really seemed to like and had visited quite often, judging by the amount of holes in it. After taking a few pictures of it from a fair distance away I was able to quietly sneak over till I was about 6 feet from it. Then I just sat in the snow and watched it. It might not be that interesting, but for someone who likes birds, it was really cool to see this large woodpecker just doing what it does. I found out after that Pileated Woodpeckers are usually really hard to approach without them flying off. That just made it even more special to me.

What are your future photography plans?

In the future I don't really have anything special planned. I just want to get out there and get as many great shots as I can. I'm hoping to get some great wildlife and bird photos, but nothing specific. I want to upgrade some of my equipment and generally just have a lot of fun with the whole thing. I think it will work out a lot better now that I'm not forcing myself to photograph something every day.



The first picture I ever took for this challenge is one of my favourites. It is a close up of a patch on the side of my fedora. It isn't really special or perfect by any means, but I just can't help but like it. In a sense I guess it's just a little window open for people to catch a glimpse of who I am.



I like this one for the composition and just the overall way it looks. I think this was back when I first figured out that you could make points of light into bokeh so I was playing around with my fiber optic light. I think this one turned out great.



I like this picture because even in its simplicity it manages to look like more than just a photograph. It looks more like a painting and it seems to almost have an element of light emerging from the darkness. And to think it was just one of those pictures taken because I needed something for that day. This just happened to be what I photographed.

Congratulations 5Mae!

Congratulations to Sarah-Mae! She completed her 365 with this exuberant shot!



Her project is filled with fun shots, great portraits and lots of light and color. 5Mae kindly provided answers to our interview questions and shared some of her favorite shots. Enjoy!

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
I was inspired to start the project by Dustin Diaz
photography.dustindiaz.com/


How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
I don't really know how to describe my photography, Amateur?



What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
That it was so hard, and that I finished it!



What did you learn during the course of your project?
I learned I can do anything I put my mind to, and how to use my Nikon D3000 (first DSLR)



What are your future photography plans?
I plan to continue learning and post a photo once a week in 2011 (at www.sarah-mae.com and on flickr)

Congratulations ept_0202!I

Congratulations to Paige who finished her Project 365 in December with this photo:



Paige's project serves as a lovely glimpse into her world. She describes her project this wayI started a 365 project to see if I could do it (I abandoned an early attempt). I wanted to track my life everyday for one full year. I found the project to sometimes be easy and other times to be tedious - kinda like life. I did the entire project on my point and shoot camera.
I want to keep taking pictures and improve my photography skills. I hope to soon acquire a DLSR and continue to take photos.

Congratulations again to Paige! Here are some of her favorites from her year of photos:

Congratulations to moongipsies!

Congratulations to Elaine! She completed her Project 365 this week! Yay! Her photos are beautiful, full of color and light.



Elanie kindly agreed to answer our finisher interview questions and choose some of her favorites from her project. Enjoy!

What inspired you to begin your 365 Project?
This was actually my second 365 project... because I had so much fun doing the first one and writing/ posting pics on my daily blog (www.moongipsies.blogspot.com)...



How would you describe your photography in just a few words?
For me... the saying " The best camera is the one you have with you"... is true. For most of my 365 project this year, my camera was a simple Kodak point and shoot. So I would describe my photography as spontaneous, inspired... and vibrant.



What surprised you the most about doing the 365 project?
That I don't do well with themes. For the month of December 2010; I decided to do a theme of "games and toys"... I thought it would be easier to have a set "stock" of subjects. Fail.
Also... I was published several times this year with some of my project photos... something that was a complete (and very pleasant) surprise!



What did you learn during the course of your project?
That is doesn't matter how many megapixels you have... or how many gizmos you have... what's more important is your vision.



Do you have an interesting story about taking one of your 365 photos that you would like to share?
My father became quite ill with cancer during my project this year, and passed away on August 18th. Looking back, it is interesting to see how this deeply effected my photography during that time.



What are your future photography plans?
Starting a third 365 project... continuing my daily blog of photos and writing... and publishing a book!