365 Days of Del

4th January 2011

Post

And finally…

And so here comes the final post for this blog and it’s going to be all about what I’ve learned throughout the past year. 

When I first embarked on this 365 project, I had one aim in mind that that was to improve my photography skills. Do I think I’ve achieved this? Yes, and I’ve picked up some other great skills too that will compliment my photography in the future. Here are some top tips for anyone embarking on 365 projects of their own… 

1. Be organised

Always make sure that you have some kind of camera on you at all times. This can be from a DSLR to a camera phone…anything, just make sure you’ve got something. I say this because there were many pictures in my 365 that were only possible because I’d taken a camera on a walk, in to town or with me to work. 

2. Take a look around

Possibly one of my top tips for photography in general is to remember to look behind you. While you’re trying to take the perfect shot of Autumnal leaves, the most wonderful sunset could be happening right behind you. If you’re not “feeling” a picture from a particular angle, look around, can you spot anything else?

3. Plan ahead and explore your local environment

I was quite fortunate in that my workplace is in the centre of London so it was quite easy for me to pop out at lunchtime and find myself outside Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament or Trafalgar Square for photo opportunities. But I did always keep a note of interesting places to stroll around if I wasn’t feeling particularly inspirational. Keeping this buffer to hand was very useful!

4. Don’t be disheartened

I lost count of the number of times I got home from work and desperately rummaged round the house for something to photograph (see pictures of food and views from bed as examples!). Don’t be disheartened if this happens, use it as an excuse to bake something yummy and show it off to everyone, or arrange some books in an interesting way. There are far more photo opportunities in your house than you think!

5. Back up your photos

Another top tip for photographers in general - always keep a backup of your photos! Don’t rely on one external hard drive, look at online storage solutions too (I shall be doing this myself soon!).

Taking on this sort of project is hard work, but incredibly rewarding and I would recommend it to anyone. I’m taking a break from it this year but will still have a camera with me at all times for those opportunistic snaps. I’ll also be taking my new DSLR out on walks around the local countryside and will setup a Flickr account to upload these photos too (at the moment they all seem to end up on Facebook - something I want to move away from).

And finally, if you’re embarking on a 365 project, or are thinking about it and want some advice please let me know and I’ll be happy to help. 

365 Del signing out…