What’s that voiceover on social media? And with that, the 2024 season comes to an end. Goodnight.
1 Jan 2025 — As I tried to fall asleep, I jolted up: I didn’t post a photo! And then my brain turned on and it was rather unsettling but I laid back down, slight unease fluttering in and out of my limbs. Somehow, I slept despite the strange feeling of missing a day. I did not care for the feeling but I know I’ll burn out if I push too far.
For the 2025 season, I’ll be doing a photo a week. It’s called Project 52. I started a spreadsheet, because — hello — and I’m really hopeful I counted right but let’s not pretend I’m good at math all of sudden… Que sera, sera.
Project 52. Online, you’ll find tons of groups, forums, collectives posting the prompt for the week. I always check them out to see if there’s any new ideas that I could turn into a lesson or what-have-you but I’m always left unenthused. And I like being “thused”.
So I’m making my own, with the help of a few people and their suggestions. The goal is to go a bit deeper than surface level. I definitely went deeper in 366/2024 but not always, some days I just photographed what I saw — a bird, a cloud, the moon. Don’t get me wrong, I love these photographs too but I want to work on narratives in photography. So my overarching goal is to create a narrative that evokes emotion and encourages viewers to engage with the story. But I want to zero in on one area, surrealism: a style of photography that uses creative techniques to create dreamlike images that represent unconscious ideas, emotions, and dreams.
Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be. When I was younger I thought goals were so foolish. I didn’t see the merit. But now I really like them, I like working toward something.
Before we embark on this new journey (Week 1: 6 Jan 2025), I wanted to pick my favorite from each month of 2024.
J A N U A R Y
24/366/2024
This one was untitled. January was full of creative ideas and I was proud of what I accomplished like 23/366 and the liquified eye in the clouds or the gold sweater/flower/eye liquify of 25/366 but when I posted 24/366, my chest did the flutter. I call it the “chest tinglies” and I tell art students to be on look out for it. When you get that feeling like you’re a bit scared to show the world who you are… [Cue Iris by Goo Goo Dolls — the live performance in the rain. And I don’t want the world to see me cause I don’t think that they’d understand.] That’s it. That’s the art you’re supposed to be making. It’s a bit out of your comfort zone and it’s true. The face on the left, that’s what did it. It’s how I felt, what I felt. And it was unfiltered.
F E B R U A R Y
33/366/2024 // placeholder
This may have been the month where I was the most adventurous. I was feeling brave. I found my love of “the portrait of a house” and 38/366 - the old green house at sunrise almost made it as my pick. I loved photographing the moon and I’m still attached to 60/366 although it is a rather ordinary photo. But this photo, was something I had always wanted to do. Adding text to a photograph in a way that fit, that was seamless. This song is the other reason it has to be the one for February. Sharing it feels like letting you read my journal and that’s pretty close to chest tinglies.
M A R C H
87/366/2024
Another untitled. I was really proud of how sharp I got the moon with a 300mm lens. I realized I would make it on this day. I knew some of the photos wouldn’t be up to my standard but I set expectations far too high for everything. But it was this day that I knew I would get to 366.
A P R I L
111/366/2024
I mean, just go read the post. I made this artwork based of Lifeline by Angels & Airwaves and again, it was so true.
111/366/2024
It was everything I wanted it to be. The six photos were exactly right.
M A Y
134/366/2024 // here comes the promise of summer
May was kinda rough. When I look back at the photos, each day holds a specific mood, memory and most of them are rough. This one felt a little like hope and another thing I dreamt up that came out just right.
J U N E
156/366/2024 // there is no way out
June was a rollercoaster, up, down and back. Both creatively and emotionally. But I think this is the one. I went deep into the world of collage and I love157/366 and 165/366. And the visit from Willow on 167/366.
J U L Y
206/366/2024 // sometimes it looks just like a movie
This is slightly misleading. It’s definitely number two on the favorites of July but… It’s not number one. Sometimes I love a photo so much that I keep it just for myself. And I’m going to keep the number one spot just for myself. This photo 206 — I fell in love with it the moment I framed it. It looks just like a movie set to me. It has poetry and it’s the end or the start of something or both and I just love it.
A U G U S T
220/366/2024 // i wish i could slow down time but not enough to slow you down
Another song I love dearly set to a visual. I did two different focus points — the grass, the tractor. I overlaid both photos and I was dumbfounded because why haven’t I always been doing this? It was like a knowledge quest was unlocked in this game. Something clicked into place.
S E P T E M B E R
249/366/2024
Another untitled, another moon, ‘nough said.
O C T O B E R
282/366/2024 // and you never really know where it goes up until it starts
I would never be caught alive in a hot air balloon. Absolutely not, no, nope. But man, I love to photograph them. I can’t believe it when I catch one. This one, over the corn field, sunrise. I mean — magic.
N O V E M B E R
315/366/2024 // staring at a dead end now, looking for another way out
November was another hard month. I have many I love but I think it’s this one. It feels like what’s on the inside.
D E C E M B E R
347/366/2024 // is that enough tension for you?
December was hard too. On this day, I did something I NEVER DO. I broke the rules of tension and triangles. All because a little birdy squared my shoulders and said, “I have an idea for you.” Thanks little bird. I really love this photo. And it’s so simple but I just wouldn’t have taken it. I would have framed it the way I always do. But I stepped out of the box and that’s pretty close to chest tinglies. Immediately after this, I went to Best Buy to pick up my new “moon” lens: NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. And there are very close seconds that showcase the moon in all her glory but this one broke the camels back so to speak.
T H E E N D.
366/2024. completed