Photo A Day Project - January

This year I work on the Photo a Day Project. It really helps me take better photos because I’m taking more photos and looking at different perspectives. I also look at other people’s photos and see what pictures I liked. Then I try to figure out what appealed to me about their photos. Once I know that, I try to apply that knowledge to my own photos. Here are the pictures that I took in January.

1. 1/1/2025 Early morning, 2. 1/2/2025 Orchids, 3. Untitled, 4. 1/4/2025 sign, 5. 1/5/2025 Iguana, 6. 1/6/2025 mailbox garden, 7. 1/7/2025 Sun, 8. 1/8/2025 Hummingbird Windchime, 9. 1/9/2025 Garden gnome, 10. 1/10/2025 Guitar, 11. 1/11/2025 Caboose., 12. 1/12/2025 Ghost Horses sweater, 13. 1/13/2025 Hawk, 14. 1/14/2025 Chicken ad, 15. 1/15/2025 Painting, 16. 1/16/2025 Jupiter Lighthouse, 17. 1/17/2025 Stainglass, 18. 1/18/2025 Sunflowers, 19. 1/19/2025 sleeping cat, 20. 1/20/2025 Work in Progress - Mosaic Crocheted Blanket, 21. 1/21/2025 Pitiful Cat, 22. 1/22/2025 Table Lamp, 23. 1/23/2025 Fishing Lures, 24. 1/24/2025 Cloudless Sulphuric caterpillar, 25. 1/25/2025 ladybug, 26. 1/26/2025 Preparing to Make a Cocoon, 27. 1/27/2025 Brown Basilisk, 28. 1/28/2025 Socks with stamps, 29. 1/29/2025 Colorful threads, 30. 1/30/2025 Enjoying the shade, 31. 1/31/2025 Nap time!

November 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos. 

Here are my photos from November

1. 11/1/23 Rainbow, 2. 11/2/23 Morning Sky, 3. 11/3/23 Gnome At Sea, 4. 11/4/23 Alcazaba, 5. 11/5/23 Sunset, 6. 11/6/23Canapes, 7. 11/8/23 Funchal, Portugal, 8. 11/7/23 Robot, 9. 11/9/23 Yuri, 10. 11/10/23 Morning Sky, 11. 11/11/23 Cappucino Swan, 12. 11/12/23 Cocktail party, 13. 11/13/23 Yuri, 14. 11/14/23 Gifts, 15. 11/15/23 St. Maarten Sign, 16. 11/16/23 Having a Whale of a Time!, 17. 11/17/23 San Juan, Puerto Rico, 18. 11/18/23 Red sky at morning..., 19. 11/19/23 Trampoline Artists, 20. 11/20/23 Miami, 21. 11/21/23 Lunch at Oriental Plaza, 22. 11/22/23 Lighthouse, 23. 11/23/23 Sunset, 24. 11/24/23 Miami, 25. 11/25/23 Alligator, 26. 11/26/23 Christmas suit, 27. 11/28/23 Stamp Club, 28. 11:27/23 Snake plant bloom, 29. 11/29/23 relaxed kitty, 30. 11/30/23 Fluffy clouds

October 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos. 

Here are my photos from October

1. 10/2/23 Dental Assistant station, 2. 10/1/23 Flowerpot, 3. 10/3/2023 Skeleton attack, 4. 10/4/2023 Beautyberry, 5. 10/5/23 Feathers, 6. 10/6/23 Horse quilt, 7. 10/7/23 Decorated Pumpkins, 8. 10/8/23 Hibachi Grill, 9. 10/9/23 Rose hips, 10. 10/10/23 Northern Mockingbird, 11. 10/11/23 Waffle irons, 12. 10/12/23 Cooked Octopus, 13. 10/13/23 Dark clouds, 14. 10/14/23 Orchids, 15. 10/15/23 Hibiscus, 16. 10/16/23 Bloom, 17. 10/17/23 Night Sky, 18. 10/18/23 Squeaky, 19. 10/19/23 Rooftop couple, 20. 10/20/23 Cockscomb, 21. 10/21/23 Stamp Show, 22. 10/22/23 Shrimp Plant, 23. 10/23/23 Castor Bean Plant, 24. 10/24/23 Clouds from a plane, 25. 10/25/23 Lady in red, 26. 10/26/23 Peek a boo, 27. 10/27/23 Fish Looking Building, 28. 10/28/23 Valencia, 29. 10/29/23 Ancient Wall, 30. 10/30/23 Ship Officers, 31. 10/31/23 Christopher Columbus's Home

August 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos. 

Here are my photos from August:

Here are my photos from August:

1. 8/1/2023 Tea bags, 2. 8/2/2023 Dirty engine, 3. 8/3/2023 Phone stand, 4. 8/4/2023 Unfinished lizard, 5. 08/05/2023 Finished lizard, 6. 8/6/2023 Evening Clouds, 7. 8/7/2023 Airplane, 8. 8/8/2023 colorful house, 9. 8/9/2023 Bird, 10. 8/10/2023 Paper sculpture, 11. 8/11/2023 Camera purse, 12. 8/12/2023 The Beatles, 13. 8/13/2023 Dun Laoghaire, 14. 8/14/2023 Steam Engine, 15. 8/15/2023 Celtic cross, 16. 8/16/2023 Yarn bombing, 17. 8/17/2023 Portree, Isle of Skye, 18. 8/18/2023 Edinburgh Castle, 19. 8/19/2023 Invergordon Train Bridge, 20. 8/20/2023 Apple crisp a la mode, 21. 8/21/2023 Jamieson and Smith Wool Shop, 22. 8/22.2023 Lido Deck, 23. 8/23/23 Denmark, 24. 8/24/2023 Before lunch opens, 25. 8/25/2023 Seals, 26. 8/26/2023 Lighthouse, 27. 8/27/2023 Faroe Islands, 28. 8/28/2023 Icelandic sunrise, 29. 8/29/2023 Stairs on the Hiking Trail, 30. 8/30/2023 Grundarfoss, 31. 8/31/2023 Rainbow Road32. Not available33. Not available34. Not available35. Not available

July 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos. 

Here are my photos from June:

1. 7/1/2023 Fountain, 2. 7/2/2023 Cross, 3. 7/3/2023 Flood, 4. 7/4/2023 Fireworks, 5. 7/5/2023 Cool drink, 6. 7/6/2023 Ceiling fan, 7. 7/7/2023 Spinning Project, 8. 7/8/2023 Egg, 9. 7/9/2023 Cross, 10. 7/10/2023 Liquid death, 11. 7/11/2023 Handspun, 12. 7/12/2023 A Man and his toy, 13. 7/13/2023 Fiber and Protein lesson, 14. 7/14/2023 Cloud face, 15. 7/15/2023 worm or baby snake, 16. 7/16/2023 Church, 17. 7/17/2023 Furman Lake, 18. 7/18/2023 Empty gym, 19. 7/20/2023 Kindness Board, 20. 7/19/2023 Pepperoni Pizza, 21. 7/21/2023 Roses, 22. 7/22/2023 Maema Cardigan, 23. 7/23/2023 USA gnomes, 24. 7/24/2023 Weights, 25. 7/25/2023 Jumbo knitting needles, 26. 7/26/2023 visiting, 27. 7/27/2023 Twisting Trails Sock, 28. 7/28/2023 Rock wall, 29. 7/29/2023 Stamps, 30. 7/30/2023 Magnets, 31. 7/31/2023 Knick knacks32. Not available

June 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos.

Here are my photos from June:

1. 6/1/2023 yarn dyeing, 2. 6/2/2023 Pile of weeds, 3. 6/3/2023 Edging the sidewalk, 4. 6/4/2023 Liberty Bridge, 5. 6/5/2023 Korean hotpot restaurant, 6. 6/6/2023 Mr. McBee, 7. 6/7/2023 Gnome in flower pot, 8. 6/8/2023 Upcoming project, 9. 6/9/2023 Empty restaurant, 10. 6/10/2023 Cupcakes, 11. 6/11/2023 Summer, 12. 6/12/2023 Mowing the lawn, 13. 6/13/2023 Pay Phone, 14. 6/14/2023 Eyeball, 15. 6/16/2023 Caterpillar Tire, 16. 6/18/2023 Thistle, 17. 2023-06-18 Lock on the Mississippi River, 18. 6/19/2023 World's Largest Nickel, 19. 6/15/2023 Alien Ship, 20. 6/20/2023 The Spam Museum, 21. 6/21/2023 Zombie Knitpocalypse, 22. 6/22/2023 Hot!!, 23. 6/23/2023 5K participants, 24. 6/24/2023 Souvenir Yarn, 25. Untitled, 26. 6/26/2023 Typewriters, 27. 6/27/2023 Missiles, 28. 6/28/2023 Sweet Potatoes, 29. 6/29/2023 Vortex Shawl, 30. 6/30/2023 Echinacea

May 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos. 

Here are my photos from May:

1. 5/1/2023 chair carving, 2. 5/2/2023 Frappuccino samples, 3. 5/03/2023 Chili's restaurant, 4. 5/4/2023 Empty Waiting Room, 5. 5/5/2022 Day after surgery, 6. 5/6/2023 Crowning of a King, 7. 5/7/2023 Sheldon the Seahorse, 8. 5/8/2023 Roses, 9. 5/9/2023 Riding lawnmowers, 10. 5/10/2023 Quiche, 11. 5/11/2023 Fruits and Vegetables, 12. 5/12/2023 Thank you gnomes, 13. 5/13/2023 New Riding Lawnmower, 14. 5/14/2023 Flamingo plant, 15. 5/15/2023 Daylily, 16. 5/16/2023 Rainbow, 17. 5/17/2023 Purple Heart plant, 18. 5/18/2023 Daylily with water droplets, 19. 5/19/2023 Postcard, 20. 5/20/2023 Saturday market, 21. 5/21/2023 Petunias, 22. 5/22/2023 Dentist at work., 23. 5/23/2023 Shasta daisy, 24. 5/24/2023 up on a ladder, 25. 5/25/2023 Sweet soap sacks, 26. 5/26/2023 Yardwork, 27. 5/27/2023 The mountains, 28. 5/28/2023 We like books, 29. 5/29/2023 Looking for fruit, 30. 5/30/2023 Just hanging out, 31. 5/31/2023 Spring Forth Shawl

March 2023 Photo A Day Project

I’m still enjoying my Photo a Day project on Flickr. I find it helpful to look at other people’s photos and see what I like about them, what makes them stand out to me, and the composition of the photo. I believe these will help me take better photos.

Here are my photos from March:

 

February 2023 Photo A Day Project

I enjoyed taking photos in January and picking my favorite one each day. This would be a fun activity for students. I post these on Flickr and share them with a group. Then they are able to comment on my photos and I also can look at their photos. This is helping me take better pictures. 

Here are my photos from February: 

Photo a Day Project 2019

I submitted one photo each day during 2019 on Flickr. I really enjoyed the project but it takes a big commitment to upload a photo each day. I’m glad I only do this every other year but I feel it has helped me take better photos. I have a big problem with composition and I enjoyed seeing other people’s photos for inspiration.  I want to share the photos that I took each month’s photos with you.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

January 2019 Photo A Day Project

I’m really glad to be back doing the Photo A Day project. I do this every other year and it is a lot of fun but it is a commitment too. By the end of the year, I really have to push myself to stay on track. When I do this project, it helps me take better photos because I’m looking at other people’s photos too. I try to think about why some photos catch my eye and why some don’t appeal to me. This helps me when I’m taking my own photos. I also like seeing photos from other countries and I learn more about that country by seeing these visual stories.

I think students can also learn in the same way by doing this project. If taking on the project for a whole year is too daunting, maybe try for a week or a month. It will be fun to see what the students come up with.

Here are photos from my January album:

Photography Update

I realize that I haven’t shared much with you on my Photo a Day project this year. I will link to each month’s photos up to last month.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

I think by taking photos each day and choosing the best one that fits the assignment, I’m really improving my photography skills. I’m really enjoying the challenge of completing the daily assignment whenever possible. If you haven’t tried this, I would suggest that you give it a whirl because it is well worth taking the time to do this if you want to improve your photography skills.

Original mosaic by Pat Hensley

The Fun of Photography

I recently bought a new camera at Wolf Camera (Greenville, SC) and I am ecstatic! (This is not an ad for Wolf Camera and I’m not being paid for this!) I bought a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. At first we priced them at Wolf Camera and Best Buy but the better buy was at Wolf Camera which surprised me. At Wolf Camera, included in the price was a telephoto lens but this was not included with the camera at Best Buy. Also included with the camera and lens were 4 free photography classes. I love my new camera!

I really enjoyed the classes that Wolf Camera offers because I have learned so much from actually seeing and doing with a real person. In fact, the instructor said that these classes were free for customers and I could return as many times as I wanted to them. There are 4 classes that are repeated over and over. Even adults sometimes need to hear the same things over and over before it sinks in, especially when there is so much information to learn.

Wow! The customer service that is offered here is phenomenal. Whenever I have a question about getting my camera to do what I want, there is always someone there willing to answer my question. I have never gotten any camera from Wolf Camera before but I can promise you that it will definitely be the place I go for my camera needs. Again, this is a great example of how customer service can really make a difference in a business! This would be another great lesson for the classroom!

I have some hiking and camping trips coming up and I can’t wait to use my camera to take many photos. Instead of a camera bag, I bought a diaper bag to hold my camera. There are plenty of pockets and I’m hoping that someone seeing it in my car might not want to risk breaking in a car for a diaper bag where they might for a camera bag.

I am doing the Photo A Day Project again where I take pictures each day and choose one for the photo of the day. I am also using assignments given by Today’s Posting and I really like how these assignments are helping me learn about my camera and about taking photos. I am learning to look at things differently and from different perspectives. This would be great lessons for the classroom. The lesson could be short and to the point but I believe students would learn a lot. Maybe instead of a photo a day, there could be a photo a week and students could share their best photo for the week.

Students could also use photography for projects and this would be a great way to assess their learning. Students who have trouble writing would be able to take photos to get their points across. Then they could explain the connection between their photo and the information they feel is important. Students might even find out that they have a knack for photography!

It seems like the more I practice and the more I learn, the more fun photography is!

Do you take a lot of photos? Do you use them or photography in class? What kind of projects would be great to do in a classroom? Please share!

2012 Photo a Day Project

After taking a year off, I have decided to do the Photo a Day project again. I really missed doing it last year and I’m glad to be back to this project.

I noticed that when I had the pressure of finding a photo a day to share with others, I looked at things in a different way. I had a different perspective. This year I have joined a group called Today’s Posting that gives a daily assignment. These assignments help direct me to finding a photo a day. Sometime I use the assignment and sometimes I don’t.

I also like looking at the gallery and seeing how other people interpreted the assignment and what photo they came up with. By commenting on photos and receiving comments on mine, I feel that I am growing in my photo taking skills.

You can see my photo stream on Flickr or the blog I created for my Photo a Day Project.

You are welcome to come look at my photos, comment on them or even join in!

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Photo A Day Project: August 2010

I’m into my second year of this project and I’m still enjoying it. It is actually easier the second year because some of the things I do have become a habit.

· I take my camera with me everywhere (even the grocery store.)

· Since it is a digital camera, I take lots of photos all day long.

· My husband has gotten involved with helping me find the “right” photo for the day.

· Sometimes I go to Daily Shoot for inspiration for the day and when I tell my husband, he is full of suggestions for this.

· I look at many things I’ve taken for granted differently.

· I am now noticing things I’ve never noticed before.

· I try to look at things differently and from different angles. I feel like I’m also doing this with the things I read or watch on TV.

I think this would be a great activity to do with students. Maybe a group of students could be assigned the photo of the day and take many pictures. Then the class could vote on the picture to be used for that day. Each week a different group would have this responsibility. It could open up many different discussions such as why the photo should be chosen or it could spark a discussion about the subject.

Do you do this project? If so, please share the link to your photos. What other ways could you see this project being used in the classroom?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Mosaic by Pat Hensley (August set of Flickr photos)

June Photo A Day Challenge

I have made it a half of a year continuing with the Photo A Day Challenge on Flickr. If you haven’t done this before, you might give it a try. You might try it was a week challenge or a month challenge. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t start at the beginning of the year. The reason that I suggest this is that I have found so many benefits for this and want to share them with you.

I look closer at the world around me. I am more attentive to the little things. When I first started, I mostly looked at the big picture. This project has helped me look for the details.

I try to find something interesting every day. I’m not talking about just interesting to me but thinking about what might be interesting to others.

I am collecting photos that I may use in presentations that are more interesting than clip art. I think about photos that I have looked for when I am creating presentations and when I see something that might fit; I take a photo of it.

When I am at a loss for an idea, I got to The Daily Shoot which gives an assignment for the day. Sometimes that can inspire me.

It can get others involved in helping me look for good shots too. When I’m with my friends and mention that I am taking pictures for this project, they get caught up in the hunt too. At times, they will call me over to take a photo of something they think would make a good photo of the day. At the end of the day, I have lots of photos to choose from.

At the end of the month, I like to look at all of the photos I took that month to see what caught my eye and if I see any trends or themes for the month.

After reflecting about this project, I wonder how I could get my class to do something like this.

I could do it as a class project and have students give suggestions about what they think would make a great photo. If there was more than one digital camera, students could take turns getting a photo of something. Or if there was only one camera, students could have a designated day to be responsible for taking the photos that day and then turning in the camera to the teacher. The students could vote on the photo they think should be the designated Photo of the Day.

Students can take turns coming up for a theme of the month and looking for photos that fit that them.

The Photos of the Day can be used as story starters for creative writing.

Have you done this project before or are you doing it now? Please let me know and give the link to your photos so I can look at them. If you have ideas how this project can be used in the classroom, please share that too!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: June Photos of the Day by Pat Hensley