This post:

• Is about my 365 photo project
• Is kind of a year-in-review post
• Is as close to a year-in-review post as I'll do

I finished my 365 project on Friday. I didn't take any photos on Saturday.* I didn't want to take any photos on Saturday. I didn't want to take any on Sunday, either. That's my way of saying I'm not doing another 365 project.

The project started with a fair idea: if I could prove that I was dedicated enough to photography to practice every day, and if I could get better at it, I would buy a better camera. I started out happy with my pictures, but quickly ran out of ideas. There was no time to take a photo before work and I was out of daylight by the time I got home. I liked taking pictures with my iPhone, but eventually I ran out of ideas. 

Despite some odd and downright bad entries in my 365 project, I realized my lack of inspiration could be blamed on geography. In five months I had concluded that, despite my job as a journalist, there are  not enough exciting things that happen to me to make a 365 project worthwhile. Maybe it was because I'm a journalist that I ran out of things to take pictures of. I travelled during the day to interesting places, but the end result was usually the same--a few minutes watching someone at a podium or sitting in someone's house, followed by a rush to get back to the office and file my story. After work I was too tired and it was too dark to take more photos. 

But because I was trying, and because my photos improved, I upgraded to a DSLR. Then I upgraded lenses. Then I got a bit too into looking at new gear and backed off a bit. That's when I think I hit my stride. Not all of the pictures ended up looking better, but I found a comfortable routine. I wasn't hungry for more gear and I resolved to get as much as possible out of my camera. Sure there were photos that were last-minute, uninspired and confusing (or were they art?!), but the average quality improved because I was making myself be content with what I had. I was focusing more and exploring all of the features of not only my DSLR, but of my point-and-shoots and iPhone (which I still love taking pictures with). Instagram got me back into iPhone photography late in the year, but at that point I had already decided not to repeat my project, because I knew a flashy new technology wasn't going to sustain me for another year.

There was too much filler. No matter how hard I tried to find interesting subjects, I couldn't escape that those subjects were in the same places I went to every day. How many shots of things in my apartment can I post online before I realize I'm just trying to fill up my memory card? It's like letting your iPod play without headphones plugged in just so you can charge it later, because it's already down to 15% and you don't want to leave the house later with it any lower than that. (I'm not the only person who does this, am I?)

So for this year, I think I'll take a photo of the week. Or maybe not. Maybe I'll just post whatever photos I like, and only take pictures when I feel like it. I used to criticize Linda for deleting photos she didn't like immediately after she took them while I left my camera in burst mode and sorted it all out later. But now I'm left with a bulging hard drive and a lot of lackluster jpegs of the same old stuff. 

I guess my 365 project did make me a better photographer. It taught me scrutiny and quality control, even if it took all year for me to finally practice it.

*A friend points out that I did, in fact, take photos on Saturday. I guess it was automatic. I didn't realize I was doing it. I think the post still holds up.