Project 365 2010- come on, you know you want to.

On January 1st 2007, after gulping down a couple of bottles of champagne in my bed at midnight after I'd learned my cat had the choice of being euthanised or drowning in his own internal fluids, I started something that changed my life. Project 365.

I'm not entirely sure who had the idea first. Photojojo has a good write-up on the subject, but the idea is simple enough to be expressed in one sentence:

Take one photo a day, every day, for one year.

Or three years as has been my case, as I can't stop. 2010 will be my fourth run, and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed the previous three. If you like to take pictures, you should give this a go, too (Kat, I am looking in the vague direction of distant Indiana as I type, so consider yourself tagged).

Questions you might be asking yourself right now:

Why do this?

• Why not? Okay, seriously: I didn't think it would be a big deal, but having a photographic diary to look back on after a year is a very cool thing. I have tried keeping a written diary several times in the course of my life and the result was always a notebook of illegible scribbles abandoned halfway through, of so little interest to me years after the deed that I've burned or shredded them all without reading. With photos, it is easy- I have a mnemonic of my year which I can show to anyone without boring them to death or risking revealing anything too private. Usually. ;) 

• Your photography will improve. I'm aiming this at people too careful to call themselves pros- those who, much like me, have a pretty good idea of what's going on in their camera, but need a good googling whenever they need to approach a subject seriously. Taking a photo every day, most likely in different lighting and setting, will make you more aware of how your camera works and what you can tweak to get a better shot. It will also give you 365 opportunities to try out that trick or technique you always wanted to have a go at.

• You will never miss another photo-op again. Why? Because you'll be taking your camera with you everywhere, that's why. Trust me, the habit forms, and it's a good one. I used to be one of those people who, although aware of owning a camera, never actually thought they were good enough photogs to bother encumbering themselves with it on a daily basis. Imagine if I had gone on my (in?)famous square-rig sail to the Equator with that attitude!

• Your photos will get more exposure. This advice not to be used as a dirty means of advertising, but there are tons of photo 365 enthusiast groups out there. On Flickr, I'm currently posting my everyday photos here . Shuttercal is also a nice place to go. Have a google, join a group, a board, a forum, a community. Make some friends, and see what the same day looks like in different corners of the world.

Personally, I try to tag and geotag my photos as soon as I upload them, especially if they reflect current events, that way people who search the web for a photo of something specific have a better chance of finding my shot. Photos are a medium that demands sharing. That is also why I've decided to put a Creative Commons license on all of my subsequent P365 photos. In case you don't know, this means anyone can use those photos however they like, as long as they give me credit.  In other words, help yourselves:

My Project 365 Collection on Flickr

The rights to most of my non-365 photos remain reserved, however, so please ask if you want anything from outside the set.

And let me know if you start up a P365, and where you'll be blogging it. I used to put mine up at Livejournal and that worked fine for three years, but from 2010 I will be posting the photos here, with a relevant tag. :)

Cheers to 365+ more photos in 2010!