Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Year's Resolution



Welcome to Snap 365! My name is Jonathan and this is my New Year's resolution: take at least one photo every day for an entire year. I believe that by resolving to do this, my photography will improve and I should see a noticeable change from Day 1 to Day 365. If I don't see an improvement over a period of one year then... oh well! It should be fun anyway!

I am relatively new to photography, having only devoted a small amount of time doing anything more than pointing and clicking. I hope that over the period of these 365 days I will start to develop a real style in my work, which I hope the readers of this blog will be able to recognize. Though the main goal of this project is to complete it (I have never completed any New Year's resolution), I believe in time that will actually become a secondary or even a tertiary goal. Ideally, the need to improve and the need to develop a recognizable style will become my primary and secondary goals. Whatever my priorities, keeping it fun has to be at the top. If I don't enjoy it, then really, what's the point?

As I just mentioned I am new to photography, but I do have a predetermined philosophy: photography is photography and digital art is digital art. I believe there is a certain point where a photo can become overly processed and it transforms into digital art. I am here for photography, not digital art. As an artist of a few other mediums (including digital art), I believe that you should trust the tools you have to get the job done. My camera is a tool just like a paintbrush or pencil. If I can't get the job done, for the most part, with my camera then I scrap the shot. I do not believe in spending hours and hours processing a photo. Although I have no problem with photographers that do spend more time processing than shooting, personally, I would like to keep things as organic as possible.

Accompanying each photo in the blog will be a technical summary of how I achieved the shot as well as some personal thoughts of the experience. Photos can bring out strong emotions and ideas and I do plan on sharing my views with each photo. I will be keeping the outline of each blog consistent, so if you just want to see the photo and technical data, then the first half of the blog will be important to you. Likewise, if you care more about my views and experience in taking the photo, then feel free to skip the first paragraph or two to get to the "good stuff".

January 1, 2012, is in two more days, so I have a little bit of planning to do and work to complete on the blog, but my next post will be my first photo so please remember to check back! I do hope that everyone who reads this blog enjoys it and follows it throughout its entirety. Please feel free to comment, critique (politely), and share with anyone whom you believe may enjoy it. Your advice and questions are always welcome. You can leave them in the comments section or you can email me directly at jphoto365@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!