Project 366 Update #2 - A Little Help from K

Still batting a thousand when it comes to this year’s Project 366! Some of the content is pretty mundane, but other content is more inspiring or interesting. I take a minute or two to write a “short story” describing each picture, usually with a detail or two from our day, to provide a bit of context for each picture.

There have been days – maybe 10 or 12 of them so far this year – when it’s about time to head for bed and I realize I haven’t powered up a camera since some time yesterday. That’s when I rely on a little help from K, our youngest son. Aged 12, he can usually be counted on to have the patience and willingness to help me out by showing me one of his new Lego creations or some other little project he’s been working on, which then I do my best to photograph:

Lego racer — For a few years now, K has been designing custom Lego creations on the micro scale. There are a few advantages to including a regular stream of his Lego creations in our Project 366 photo set: 1) it's a great "fall back" subject in case the day is just about over and I've forgotten to shoot anything else; 2) it prompts me to show more, genuine interest in K's Lego creations than I otherwise might; and 3) I add these photos to both our Project 355 photo set and a new photo set I've set up called "Some of K's Lego Creations". As a result, K's starting to build a portfolio showcasing his Lego design work, has connected with other creative Lego builders inside flickr, and is excited to share his work with others.

Perler bead creations — Thanks to a classmate, who is just finishing up an art elective, K has suddenly discovered Perler Beads and has been busy creating some of the weapons found in some of his video games (think Zelda, Minecraft, etc). He's also working on simple designs related to Pokemon and trying to create a representation of each element (i.e. Wind, Fire, Water, Earth). Although he designs the bead layouts by himself, we chat when the iron comes out to fuse the beads together - mostly about the limitations / advantages of the different Perler boards, the colour selections available, etc., but sometimes about things a little more profound.

Geocoins used to be my “go to” subject matter if I was photoless at the end of a long day. But my passion for geocoins has waned and I’ve discovered that some extra one-on-one conversation time is a big benefit of enlisting K’s support for this project. He’ll occasionally pick-up a camera and try his hand at photography, too, but usually he’s content to contribute the content, not the medium.

If you find you’re missing the occasional day while working on your Photo-a-Day project, I suggest identifying a “go to” subject that allows you to hone your skills late in the day: your child, your pet, your vehicle, your hobby or something else that you can readily access. To keep things interesting, showcase a series of creations, different perspectives or try different effects available on your camera.

If you’re really getting into a slump, consider searching the internet for photo challenge ideas, such as the WordPress.com Weekly Photo Challenge. A photography theme for the week may be just what you need to give back into the routine of a photo-a-day.