Last year, I participated in the 2008 Challenge. It was a great experience, and I learned quite a bit from it. I have compiled the resulting photos into a video and written up some thoughts about the experience. In summary:
- Planning is essential
- Don’t wait until the last minute
- Make the project public
- Tag the photos and make a set
Trevor has graciously permitted me to link to the entire post on my blog.
@Andrew Yes, that is a big difference. But having the theme change each day also means that you don’t have to plan 52 ways to shoot the same theme. 🙂
Also, the themes are common enough that everybody should be able to shoot it over the course of a day.
@john, Yes, it looks like I’ll be able to publish several posts, throughout the year, that recap how we’re doing.
The video is indeed excellent.
The point about organising is going to be difficult this year because the subject is set every day and not released until that day. It’s not like you can plan shots ahead — you have to simply react to what you’re given each day. I’m actually enjoying that aspect of the challenge a lot. It’s the complete opposite of planning ahead, but it means you’re really having to think laterally about how to get a particular shot.
I was busy this afternoon but in the back of my mind I was wondering where I’d get a decent shot of a window. 🙂
By the way, is there going to be some kind of “looking back” posts regarding the 2009 challenge before next year? It would be great to see some kind of summary of the shots people have taken.
Jeremy, your participation last year is what kept me going. There were times I considered reorganizing my blogging efforts back into one blog. But, starting off this year so strong, I’m thankful I didn’t.
Your work on last year’s challenge was awesome. The idea about shooting churches and firehouses, really paid off.
Nicely done. Oh, and the video is sweet.