My Daily Photo

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by john dill


Today marks the end of a wonderful journey in photography. A little over a year ago, near the end of December, 2013, I was challenged to make a photograph and publish it every single day in 2014. I am happy to report that I achieved that goal. But in a larger sense, the satisfaction of achieving a difficult goal pales in comparison to the knowledge I've gained along the way.

I learned that achieving any great goal requires steadfast commitment to that goal. Having achieved other difficult goals in my life, I had a hunch that this would not be the most important thing I would learn, and it wasn't. There were many times that I did not want to post a photograph, but I found a way. A prolonged hospital stay, several illnesses along the way, family problems, internet outages, camera failures and software failures were simply challenges that had to be met. Each time, through creative means, I found a way.

I learned a lot about the subject matter that I enjoy as a photographer. If you peruse my entire year's worth of photos, you will see that there are commonalities. I like old rusty pickup trucks. I like barns, beautiful Victorian houses, and of course wildlife. I began to learn what sort of pictures I liked to take, and that has helped me immensely in the selection of equipment. I will shortly be making some new purchases, and I now know what kind of equipment I will need.

Of course, I know a lot more about photography now too. More importantly, I know a lot more about what I don't know. Just as is the case with learning what sort of gear one must possess, one must also know what one needs to learn. I would say that learning more about Lightroom, Photoshop and perhaps digital high dynamic range photography will be my focus of study this year.

None of these insights could have been gained without a total emersion in the everyday life of a photographer. I learned to:

1. Never leave home without ALL of my photographic gear.
2. Never pass up a shot. When I see it, take it.
3. Always be looking for that photo that is hidden in plain sight.
4. Never say "I'll fix it in post."
5. Always fix it in post.
6. Don't fix problems in post that aren't there. Sometimes, you get it right the first time.
7. Listen to others even if you don't like what they are telling you. Critics are your best friend.
8. Study other people's photos, especially if you like the photos.
9. Nobody's an ammature. There is something to learn from everybody.
10. Have fun.

For anyone who has followed my photography journey over the past year, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you will stay tuned for more photos. There will be more. Thankfully, however, I will no longer be under the constant pressure of having to post a photo every day.

I am going out to do some January 1st errands now, and I will be taking my camera gear along.