As I entered my last day in the life series for 2016, I started thinking how my shooting changed through the year. It’s such a great creative exercise that I encourage anyone to try it, even if only once. And I wanted to leave you with a few tips too.
You don’t have to shoot every single moment, nor do you need many frames for one moment. In fact this day in the life, I shot far less than any of them. Part of that has to do with my development as a photographer (my vision is more defined) and part of it has to do with knowing what and how I will shoot and what I’ll get out of it. Shooting your own day in the life is tough because you are living it and shooting it. Nearly impossible if you ask me. So cut yourself a break if you don’t capture every moment, or every moment perfectly.
Use a wide angle lens. I work with primes so it’s easiest for me to default to my 35mm. I’m sure to capture what I need with it. My house is old and has a lot of walls so the spaces are often not suited to anything longer. I also don’t want to worry about changing lenses. I did at times switch lenses if I thought about it or had time,but it was rare.
Put yourself in the shot. Something I didn’t do but maybe a couple of times. I wish I’d done it more. It would feel more cohesive and a part of my life. You don’t even need a tripod. Simply set the camera on a flat surface and use the delayed timer or a remote.
Decide and focus on a theme or vision for the day. I encourage you to try this because you’ll end up with shots that relate more to each other. You’ll also make it easier on yourself because you’ll know when to shoot. And your photos will have purpose. Ask yourself why you are shooting that day and what it is you want captured.
Use this time to work on one technique. You’ll have your camera the entire day – try out something new all day and you may find yourself loving it or pretty good at it. I did this a couple of times like using my lensbaby, framing and layering.
Enjoy!