Hi everyone!
I've added the option to subscribe by email or by joining my blog (down the right) so don't forget to do that before you leave! This is the first of twelve posts in which I will be talking about my journey through Project 365. I'm not just writing this for the fans of my photography, but for myself. Maybe I'm trying to find some sort of closure from going through the project, or maybe I just miss it too much and want to relive it. I don't know, but maybe something fruitful will actually come out of this. It might not appeal to you. It might even bore you... But if I can inspire even one of you to pick up your camera, guitar or paintbrush and make some beautiful art, it'll be worth it. So here goes...
The first month of Project 365 involved some major turning points in my life.
I finally decided to get a remote from eBay for my selfportraits (it still works!), I took my first iPhone shot of the project and my first hairflip shot. I also hit 10,000 views on my photostream, made my first ever feature on Flickr Explore's FrontPage and had 17 other photos appearing on Explore.
The end of the first month was also the end of a relationship with my boyfriend at the time whom I had moved away from to study. I think that was the point when I convinced myself that change might not be a bad thing. I put my thoughts and efforts into my photography and my studies instead. I try to find inspiration in everything that happens around me and things are never really as bad as they seem. Or if they are, things can always be a lot worse! But, I digress...
I've recently been toying with the idea of setting up a small backdrop/lighting set-up in the spare room, but I think it all comes down to money. I also want the Nikkor 50 f/1.4... Though I won't let myself until I manage to get at least 10 paid shoots. I have two coming up in the next two weeks, so I'm on my way there!
From the beginning of the project I had already begun developing my own editing style, and was pretty comfortable with my post-processing. (You probably notice all the soft pink tones and pale backgrounds.) I also picked up my stepdad's old Pentax MX and took some film photos but didn't get around to developing them until much later, only realising recently how much I really appreciate the magic of film. One day I'll get around to learning how to develop and set up my own dark room. I don't know.
A couple of people have asked me to share the Lightroom presets that I use for editing my photos. To be honest, I don't really want to. It's not that I'm selfish or anything like that. I think it's more of the fact that I made these presets for my own style of photography, and giving that to someone else is like letting them create some sort of imitation work that has 'Danièle' written all over it. It's flattering, don't get me wrong. I just think it's important to be individual and unique in creating your own work, and reproducing your work to look like somebody else's just seems odd and unnatural to me.
i agree-after all, its only right the effort made to make a particular style should be entitled to its creator; there's no magic in the art if we all seek to make reproductions of someone else.
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