So, I’m getting ready to try this picture a day thing…. nine days of warm-up before I really launch into the full year. The idea of these sorts of projects is that they force you to live in the now — today, not tomorrow or yesterday — with the people and things and events that are here, not the missing. These are lessons that Thomas Merton and a host of eastern mystics haven’t been able to teach me, so maybe my camera will have more success.
My first photography teacher, Martin Springborg, did this and it resulted in a nice show and really cool book, Proof: Ruminations on the Everyday.
(Note: I’ll probably take more than one a day, so if you want to see the whole selection you can try the flickr feed.)
Excellent idea, I love it. A friend of mine did that with Polaroids.
What is the significance of 32?
Interestingly, while you may be focusing on the now during the creation of this project, it also creates a space for reflection once it’s done, or even throughout the process. You are saving and collecting. But if you are looking at the new “now,” so to speak, it is a good place for a fresh start.
Well, this would be the end of the 32nd year…. And I’ll be interested to see what sort of archive develops out of the project.