On Projects
I’ve been absolutely swamped at work the last couple months, and it looks like I have another two weeks of intense work ahead, followed by a little break. So I haven’t had much time for photography. It was kind of a minor miracle, really, that I managed the SoFoBoMo project, and I did that only by letting some other non-work pursuits fall by the wayside. So I’m really looking forward to that break, to get a chance to resume some photography. Except…
I’ve got this nagging feeling that I’m not going to be content to just resume a haphazard, catch-what-can photography routine. No, I think SoFoBoMo changed the rules of the game. It delivered a whole lot more than just learning how to put together a book. There were several benefits, but I think the most important one for me was doing a focused photography project. I’ve certainly had themes before, or times when I’ve been into certain styles, or subjects; but before SoFoBoMo I had never embarked on such a narrowly focused project. In the same way that removing variables from your camera workflow can enable things (think prime lenses, for example), it really helped me get into a certain mindset much more quickly when I was out shooting.
It’s enough to get me pondering some different project ideas. I’m not saying I won’t be on the lookout for the great random grab, but I’d like to have a couple of different projects going on and firmly entrenched in the back of my mind to give me some firm direction to fall back on when I am in a mind to pull out the camera. Hmmmm…
