Adopt A Personal Photography Project | KC Crow Lifestyle Storyteller

What exactly do I mean when I say you should “adopt a personal photography project?” When I was first starting to really dive into becoming a better photographer after Clayton was born, I joined the forum “Clickin Moms.” I am now a Click Pro and Lifetime forum member. It is such a fabulous community of women in all walks of life who have a love for photography in common with each other. I took classes through the workshops offered by their parent company (and still do – next one is The World Around You – a landscape class in April) and I was addicted to reading the various tutorials or before & after posts.

One of the best things that I learned early on that you can do to improve your photography skills is to adopt a personal photography project that essentially forces you to (1) pick up your camera regularly and (2) shoot with intention.

Some examples of personal photography projects are:

monthly projects (e.g. take a self portrait every month or take a photo every month using flash);
daily projects normally called a 365,
the subject of this post – weekly projects (hence the 52).

The way the Project 52 works is this. Each week I receive a prompt which tells me what I will be trying to shoot during that week. I don’t have to come up with the prompts myself, I access them directly in the Clickin Moms forum. If you are already a member and are interested in this project, you’ll find it under “Contests and Events.” This really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because it definitely isn’t a contest but I digress.

I have chosen to personally modify the Clickin Mom’s P52 so that each week I will consider the prompt given and then work on taking a photograph that ties into the story of our daily life within the parameters of the weekly prompt. It sounds more confusing than it is I promise! I am also journalling each week to go along with the image I’m using for the project. Ultimately, the printed image and corresponding journalling will be put into a dedicated 6×8 album.

This isn’t something that is intended to cause me stress or add to my already sometimes crippling “mom guilt” – if I don’t get every week done, that’s okay. I just find it worthwhile to have a framework or a system in place that makes me think intentionally about what I want to shoot and document in our daily lives. It helps me to see more in the mundane and seek out the beauty that is often hidden in the details. I do not believe that this is a “special ability” – it is a skill that we all can learn.

We all start somewhere.

If you are just starting out with documenting your own life and are less confident with your camera, try not to compare your beginning with my middle. Just know that every month, I grow as a photographer and as our family historian and that is because I do the work. I pick up the camera almost every day and make notes on my phone about little details that I want to remember to write about. This is something that has become a habit in my life and it can for you as well. For me, it starts by adopting personal photography project to set up my intentions.

I would love to hear about any personal photography projects or memory keeping projects you are tackling this year! Please leave a comment below and tell me about them. Or if you’re not sure about starting a personal photography project, what are your hesitations or road blocks you’re facing?

My 2019 Personal Photography Project 52

I plan to share my images, journaling and album spreads for my Project 52 weekly and will link back to those individual posts at the bottom of this page. If it’s not a clickable link, that just means that I haven’t completed the prompt yet (and remember I’m not going to let myself feel guilty about that).

Week 1: This is Me

Week 2: Intentions

Week 3: Guilty Pleasures

Week 4: My Favorite Thing

Week 5: Black + White Portrait

Week 6: Black + White Landscape

Week 7: Black + White Close Up / Macro

Week 8: Photographer’s Choice

Week 9: Documentary / Less Than Ideal Light

Week 10: Documentary / Own the Frame

Week 11: Documentary / Shoot Through the Scene

Week 12: Documentary / The Decisive Moment

The products that I used for my Project 52 featured here are mostly from Ali Edwards and include: 6×8 Navy Pleather Album, 6×8 Page Protector (5A), Chipboard from Essentials Kit, Stamp from Pieces story kit, and stickers from One Little Word. Other items featured here and available on Amazon are:

Westcott Titanium Bonded Scissors With Soft Grip Handles, 5″ Pointed

D-worthy Retro Wooden Handle & Base Roller Date Stamp, Rubber Stamp for DIY Craft Card Making Planner Scrapbooking (Navy)