> 4 minute read

Creating a 365 Project

A picture a day for an entire year – that’s the commitment you’ll need to complete a 365 photo project. And we can’t recommend it highly enough.

At some time or another, every photographer undergoes something of an existential crisis when they wonder: why exactly am I creating all of these pictures? The problem is that we make way more pictures than we know what to do with. A select few get printed for the wall, others are turned into photo books, and more are shared on social media, but often we lack a reason for creating photos in the first place. If you feel like this, what you need is a project.

A photo project can come in all kinds of different guises. You might be photographing a local sports team’s season or documenting a change going on in your neighbourhood – the key is to pick something you are passionate about. But if you are struggling to find a theme you can really get into with your camera, what about turning it on yourself? Or, to be more precise, your life.

A 365 project is the name given by photographers to a commitment to make at least one picture every day for an entire year, no matter where they are or what they are doing. These pictures can be as simple as a snap of something that makes you smile, or as disciplined as a selfie taken at exactly the same time of day no matter what. It will become a record of the year in pictures – something you can look back over in the future.

What to Do With 365 Pictures?

Social media or blogging really lends itself to 365 projects. You can write something to accompany each picture if you wish – a diary entry, a news headline, or the weather report, perhaps. Or you can leave the images to speak for themselves. When the project is complete, you can turn it into a photo book – a permanent record of your year.

A 365 project is a big commitment, and it’s natural to have some problems sticking to the undertaking, but here are some things you can do to make the process easier.

• Get used to carrying your camera everywhere with you. With the right lens, your X Series camera should fit nicely into your bag or jacket pocket.
• If you’ve never done a 365 before, don’t make it too difficult by placing restrictions on where, when, or how you make pictures. But if you are a 365 veteran, why not add an extra challenge?
• If you are busy, or away for a few days, don’t sweat about posting online. As long as you create a picture sometime in that 24-hour period, then you can post a whole bunch of images in one go to catch up.
• If you’re stuck for inspiration, try to be open to new ideas and photograph things that you wouldn’t normally. The whole point of a 365 project is to broaden your creative horizons.

We really recommend having a go at a 365 project. It’s hard work, but extremely rewarding and it will ultimately turn you into a much better photographer, too.

Your Next Steps

• CHALLENGE Take up our 365 challenge! Post your daily picture on your social media using the hashtags #learnwithfujifilm and #365. We can’t wait to see what you come up with. You can also submit your work here for a chance to be featured on our social media channels.