My favorites from this year’s 365 project—and why I won’t be doing one next year

My first 365 project (take a photo a day for the year, share it on social media) was in 2020, which proved to be a good year for it. I used a single camera and lens combo for that project, the Fujifilm X-T2 with 23mm f1.4 lens. This went along with walking a lot, which got me in a better headspace and physically healthier. Photography-wise, I ended the year… fine. I definitely shot more photos than in years before.

My second 365 project was in 2023. This came at a time when I’d decided to take photography more seriously as a hobby and I wanted to try all sorts of things. It served its purpose, but by the end I was ready to quit the project. I finished, but declared I wouldn’t be doing another one in 2024—and then changed my mind at the last minute when I saw many other people committing to their own 365. I should’ve stuck to my guns.

Why I won’t be doing another 365

I don’t need it and it’s in the way.

I need practice, I’m nowhere near as consistent as I want to be. But I don’t need motivation in the form of a forcing function. I recommend a 365 (or 52, or any other variety of the same idea) project when you’re having trouble getting off the couch and finding photos. I now see photos everywhere, I often shoot without hesitation or even any clear objective (project, blog post, etc.) for the final outcome.

Except that because of the project looming over everything I do photographically, many times I’ll see a photo, know I already got “my photo” for the day and file away the scene to get “next time.” That may or may not actually happen. Oof.

The project threatens to become a replacement for the real photography work I want to do. It’s batting practice that is helpful until it makes you afraid to face a real pitcher. I want to figure out projects that result in a set of work that tells the story of a place or an idea or a feeling.

More articulate people than I could talk about how projects geared toward social media sharing alone make you less creative than projects geared toward the creation of art for its own sake, but I can only allude to a vague feeling about that aspect. I want to share my art with whoever’s eyeballs will look at it, but I want it to be art I obsessed over, not art that checked a box.

So I might post less often, but who knows. I have thousands of archive photos I haven’t even given a proper look that likely contain better examples of what I want to contribute to the photography world, so some of those will show up online.

Favorites

I’ve picked out my 28 favorite photos from my 2024 365 (366 because Leap Year) project. These are not necessarily my favorite photos I took this year, but they are the best of those chosen (often hastily) for the project. On this site I often post a gallery of photos with little explanation, but bear with me as I include a note about what exactly I liked about each of these.

Day 25, Jan 23

Every once in a while I remember I have a drone. Often at least one of its batteries has a charge (seriously, these things die fast when just sitting around). Sometimes these events align with interesting weather. This was one of those times, launched from my yard.

Day 163, Jun 11

We visited a restaurant we used to love in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was fine. As we were leaving, during gorgeous golden hour light, I saw this car parked out front. I literally ran to our car, grabbed the GFX, and ran back.

Day 3, Jan 3

My daughter and I drive by the end of this lake a lot on the way to and from her theater rehearsals. Fire hydrants are as photography subject cliché as old cars and shooting through fences. But maybe not when they stick out of a seemingly unlimited supply of water?

Day 51, Feb 20

Speaking of photography clichés. On another evening of driving to or from theater rehearsal, my daughter filled the MINI while I found a photo. I don’t usually shoot gas stations, so I give myself a pass. Besides, it was night and I hadn’t got my photo yet that day.

Day 62, Mar 2

We’ve lived in Maine for a long time now, but we still love exploring small towns around the state. I took this photo on one such outing in Boothbay Harbor. I used the water as negative space to keep the shot nice and clean and keep attention on the boats.

Day 222, Aug 9

On one of the days I remembered I had a drone, I wanted to see if I could use it to get a self portrait. I don’t think the M6 I’m holding in the photo even had film in it, all photography is lies. I sliced my pinky finger pretty deep trying to land the drone on my hand. But I got the shot and that’s all that matters.

Day 20, Jan 20

This was one of those days when you’re out all day, shooting a lot, then you swing by a Barnes & Noble for a hot drink and a photo book browse and find a shot in the parking lot.

Day 175, Jun 23

Mount Rushmore wasn’t on our original road trip itinerary, it kind of blows. But we were in the Black Hills anyway and the kids hadn’t seen it, so we stopped. Maybe there’s one American President worthy of destroying a mountain to honor. And I liked that guy’s hat.

Day 179, Jun 27

The Soo Locks are so cool. This guy’s job is to throw a rope to boat crews and tie them off while the water rises or lowers. The viewing platform provided a nice top-down angle.

Day 233, Aug 20

There is an oil pipeline near our house. Every several years a crew clears the brush build up. In the meantime, nature takes over everything. I’m team nature.

Day 170, Jun 18

The Tetons. Not much to say here. Easier to find a shot than to plan a baby candy heist. I loved every minute of shooting here. I particularly liked this composition with the foreground flowers and the mid-ground tree. The “Kodak Gold” color edit with slightly magenta shadows really worked for me.

Day 196, Jul 14

The rainbow road in Reykjavik is a popular attraction, so the challenge was to find a less obvious photo. I liked this shot of the scuffed ground, with two sets of shoes standing fully in their lanes.

Day 113, Apr 22

I had to fly to Kansas City for a work thing and took just the X100VI. I started getting bored on the plane, saw this guy staring out the window, and took the shot. Straight out of camera.

Day 133, May 12

Our explorations of small towns took us outside Maine to the coast of New Hampshire. I saw this car parked in Hampton Beach, and loved the composition with the plain Hotel sign and flag in the background.

Day 147, May 26

There is often great light over Portland, Maine at the end of the day when viewed from Bug Light. At this particular moment, the sunset was reflecting off the picnic table as picnickers eschewed the table and lounged in the grass.

Day 273, Sep 28

Once or twice a year, I not only remember I have a drone, but also remember to charge its batteries before I take it with me on an outing. The previous year I shot this same location in the dead of winter when everything was covered in snow and ice. This time was fall colors. I loved how several compositions from that day turned out, but especially liked this one with the bright tree at lower left and the river leading into the frame from the right.

Day 176, Jun 24

My daughter wanted to see the Mall of America on our way through the Midwest. This shot of the man in the red shirt walking by a line of red carts—contrasted against the pale blue of the skywalk with lines everywhere and the red repeating across the frame—made me grin as soon as I shot it. The mall, though, sucked.

Day 200, Jul 18

I was in New York twice this year. The second time was to celebrate my youngest’s birthday with a whirlwind trip to see Hamilton. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to Central Park and saw this elaborate set I believe they built for the John Wick movies. Some performers led to a small crowd, with interesting silhouettes happening against the fountain in the background.

Day 345, Dec 10

The house behind this field puts a lot of their old stuff by the road for passers by to take off their hands. This freezer and refrigerator were set out a couple days before one of the first snows of the season. Appliances in a field almost made me stop for a photo. Appliances that keep things cold in a field of snow definitely made me stop.

Day 194, Jul 12

Our visit to Iceland this summer was one of the great experiences of my life. One of our favorite spots was the black sand beach by Vik. It’s a popular horseback tour spot, so if you visit, watch your step. When I saw this row of riders going by, I snapped as quickly as a could, knowing one of the exposures would have the distant Reynisdrangar rock formations nicely spaced between the riders.

Day 216, Aug 3

I’ve taken thousands of photos in and around Belfast, Maine, one of my favorite places on earth. Most of them are not of the graveyard of appliances behind the local furniture and appliance store’s warehouse.

Day 223, Aug 10

This photo is fine, maybe good, probably not great. But it does contain one of the coolest cars I’ve encountered in person (I’m no expert, but I think it’s a ‘68 Shelby GT500, otherwise known as Eleanor). And surfers. And nice light.

Day 208, Jul 26

Another spot where the light frequently gets really great when I happen to be there. That would be Thompson’s Point in Portland, Maine, which has an outdoor summer concert series. This was taken while waiting for the opening act at the Head and the Heart concert.

Day 244, Aug 31

With everything else going on this summer, we got to the water park a little late this year. I took a single camera photo that day and this is it. The colors in the edit spoke to me, and the ride in the background continues to terrify even when I’m not on it.

Day 270, Sep 26

Down the street there used to be a small vegetable farm that would sell its wares. Then they stopped selling. Then the gardens stopped being maintained. Then the house and grounds fell into disrepair. Then a business bought the place, tore down one end of the building and used the lot to park trucks. As the place continued to crumble, I intended to photograph it every time I drove by. I never did, until one day when the rest of the building had been torn down, some of it hauled away, and the rest set on fire.

Day 314, Nov 9

A similar story to the fridge and freezer in a field. Same road, across the street, one or two houses down. This set of furniture sat out by the road for a couple weeks. I finally stopped to get a photo and a couple days later the furniture was gone. Unlike most junk tossed into nature, this set seemed to fit its surroundings. Dust mites and rot aside, I would sit in such a scene and read a book for hours.

Day 321, Nov 16

This outing proved disappointing in one regard. I later forgot I’d shot most of a roll of Ektachrome in my M6 and opened the camera, exposing the roll. Oh well. But I’d also taken plenty of digital photos, so not a total waste. When I saw the sun shining behind the sidewalk above me, I framed the shot, metered just light enough to see some detail in the lobster traps and rocks, and waited for someone to walk into the light. Snap.

Day 160, Jun 8

A last minute addition to day 1 of a 3 week road trip, Niagara Falls was an amazing experience. We took the Maid of the Mist boat tour right down by the falls. The power was deafening, we were drenched. My favorite photos were of people reacting to the majesty and discomfort, not those of the falls themselves.

Revelations looking back

I’m starting to swing back to 35mm instead of 50mm. Looking back through the project, a fair number (not all) of the Mitakon photos feel too tight. Maybe 43mm is the answer…

Heck, I’ve even enjoyed many 24mm and 28mm.

The “Kodachrome” look worked more often than not. That said, cool it with the warming.

The best photo of the day is often not where I thought it’d come from. Some outings had hundreds of photos from photogenic locations and the photo I picked was taken in a parking lot on the way home.

2024 Photography milestones

X100VI as daily carry. This involved finding the right bag that fit the camera just right, along with wallet, keys, etc. It’s easy to grab off the hook every time I leave the house. Sometimes I swap the X100 with the XF10. A recent change is to switch to a Bellroy 6l sling, which lets me add the Leica M6 to that carry, while still remaining very small and light.

Film, scanning. I shot a lot more film this year (based on Lightroom folder counts, 351 film photos in 2023 and 1,410 in 2024). I fine tuned my scanning process to be more repeatable at higher quality. If I were to improve this process even further, it’d involve something like the Valoi Easy35 or Easy120 to eliminate camera leveling and stray light.

First Leica. My partner and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this year and her gift to me was a Leica M6. To continue my obsession with shallow depth of field, I chose a Voigtländer 50mm f1.2 lens to pair with it. I’m very happy with this setup, especially the camera. As mentioned above, my new daily carry bag also allows me to always have the M6 with me. I still love shallow photos, but a potential change would be a lighter, possibly wider lens, maybe something like a 40mm f2 or 35mm f1.4. I would love to carry a digital Leica M someday, but I really love my Fujifilm gear as well, so there’s no rush.

Digital processing I’m happy with. For much of the year, I tweaked a Lightroom preset to get to a “Kodachrome” look. It works well in many situations, but I wasn’t always fond of the result. I decided to see if someone else’s presets might help me get to outcomes I felt better about. I found Very Good Presets and ended up purchasing quite a few of their offerings. I like the way the presets are put together: a main look and then modifier sub-presets. Most of the time I can get to a look I’m very pleased with without touching a slider.

I’ve also been using quite a few B&W photos straight out of (Fujifilm) camera. I started with a film recipe meant to emulate Tri-X. (Its killer innovation is an intentionally high ISO range which pairs with the grain simulation to create a more film-like grain structure.) I tweaked that recipe a bit (original version in the photo from Day 113 above) and have been very happy with the outcome. I still shoot a RAW alongside the JPG, but don’t usually need it. And in the case of RAW’s I’d like to get to the same look, the Very Good Presets Tri-X is close. I’m able to get the RAW looking virtually identical to the Fujifilm JPG with little effort.

The main improvement needed across my work, and especially in editing, is consistency. My photos are all over the place. I don’t want to be locked in too tightly, I am a hobbyist who doesn’t need to demonstrate a particular style to land clients. But I want to be consistently delighted with the final edits of the photos I deem worthy of sharing with others.

Removing EXIF data before posting. On Glass, part of the fun for many (myself included) is to look at what camera and lens combo was used to take a photo. Originally when I started incorporating film scans into my posts, I removed the EXIF data because the camera I used to digitize the negative wasn’t the camera the photo was taken on. Then I accidentally left that Lightroom export preset active when exporting digital photos. And then I realized that for me, the practice of gawking at gear was getting in the way of enjoying a photo for its own qualities. I now post photos from many different cameras and lenses, leaving only the date on the digital files. And even that was only to “prove” the 365 photo was taken on the day I said it was. Now that I’m done with that project, I may remove the date as well.

In most cases, I doubt a viewer could guess at the camera and lens. The downside is that my photos have fewer data points, so appear in fewer places, and are seen by fewer people. That’s okay. If someone asks how I shot a photo, I tell them. Sometimes I talk about it in the photo description or in a blog post. But a photo that’s captioned by its gear loses something, in my opinion, and has a harder time achieving timelessness. I also don’t know or care what mic was used to record my favorite music, or what brush a painter used to make a masterpiece.

Personally, I find that my weakness for shiny gear makes me equate a photo I appreciate with the “need” to acquire the gear used to create it. Without that visible labeling, I find myself appreciating the beauty, skill and/or luck, and importantly, the mystery behind the photo itself.

But! As I went to upload the 28 photos I consider to be my favorites, I noticed something interesting about which cameras were used to take them. In order of usage:

• Fujijfilm X100VI (13). I guess carrying it every day makes it get used. Undeniably a great camera and proof that trendy doesn’t mean incapable.

• Fujifilm GFX 50s ii (8). Paired with Mitakon 65mm f1.4 for all of them. This camera and lens combo was used for most photos in this project, but not the most favorites. Interesting. But I still love the almost large format feel of the shallow depth and will continue to revel in what this lens can do wide open. (I also plan to add Mitakon’s newer 80mm f.1.6 at some point.)

• Tie: Fujifilm X-H2 and DJI Mini Pro 3 (3 each). Photos from the X-H2 are all travel photos, using the 16-80mm f4 lens. I fell in love with that combo as a do-everything photo and video setup. The drone photos are (shockingly) all aerials taken relatively near my home.

• Fujifilm XF10 (1). My oldest digital camera, formerly my daily carry when I had a smaller bag. Every time I use it I’m amazed at the photos. Not just “good for an old camera” but just good. Still a great option when I want to pair down my every day carry for a specific purpose, like going to an event where my bag will be checked and big cameras are frowned on. The one favorite I chose from this camera was taken at a concert.

Failures

I didn’t do the project I said I’d do. I have certainly taken some photos that would fit in such a project, but there was a lengthy gap between the beginning of the year and any significant travel, and I lost interest in the idea.

I didn’t start a YouTube channel like I’ve hinted at for years. I may actually do this soon (really!), but it didn’t happen this year. I don’t like channels with nothing to contribute and I didn’t want to be that guy. But I did pay more attention to my blog this year, and I think that’s a better accomplishment anyway.

Consistency in style and quality still eludes me. This is my biggest focus and the main reason I don’t want to continue forcing a photo every day. I don’t need motivation, the main reason to do a 365 (or similar) project. I shoot all the damn time. What I need is to plan shoots and projects and arrive at more photos of which I’m unequivocally proud.

What about you?

If you’ve got an end-of-year breakdown, let’s get some eyes on it. Leave a comment with a link and I promise I’ll take a look.