Consistency, So Far…

Consistency Isn’t Easy

I am now 12 weeks into creating a themed photo each week for 52 Frames. I won’t say I am a master at consistency so far, but I have been consistent…so far. It has been challenging for sure. Some weeks I had lots of time but little inspiration. Some weeks I had so little time and grand ideas. But accountability really does work for me, and so does measuring something and keeping track – consistency. There’s absolutely no way I want to ruin a good streak!

Blogging about it, on the other hand, has been more challenging! In the last month I have spent more time in a car than behind a lens or sitting at my computer. I also had some other obligations (I’ll share soon!) that had to be a priority. But I am catching up now.

My Weekly Submissions

I am not proud of all of them, but I am proud that I submitted something each week. Looking at all of the submissions in the weekly album at 52 Frames each week inspires me to be more creative, think further outside my comfort zone and play more. Here are my submissions for the last six weeks:

Week 7, Shot With A Phone

The Week 7 Challenge was a bit tough because I use my phone for snapshots and my cameras for photography. I played a lot with my phone in week 7, but a chance visit to Sierra Cider for their Halloween-themed Tortured Orchard provided some awesomely creepy opportunities.

Week 8, Face A Fear

Face a Fear – ugh. Truly a very hard one for me. Most of the things I’m afraid of are nebulous, but to say dying is one of them is not an understatement. Going to the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event in Hornitos, California ended up being my subject matter.

Week 9, Wabi Sabi

I think I liked this challenge the best so far! I love the idea of Wabi Sabi, an idea that comes from a Japanese concept that centers on the beauty and acceptance of imperfection and impermanence. Looking for beauty in things that are not new and shiny, rusty, wrinkled, cracked and chipped was fun. I don’t have a lensbaby, so I mimicked one with a free-lensing technique.

Week 10, Fill The Frame

Filling the frame is easy, but with what?! We were camping in an area that had burned and I came upon this very large stump. Breaking off when it burned, the stump revealed the beautiful orange heartwood, along with the tree rings that documented this tree’s life. The preserved story of this tree’s life was moving to me. The devastation all around me was heartbreaking, but I knew I had my photo. I climbed up on a very big boulder to photograph this at 200mm for the extra challenge.

Week 11, Inspired By A Photographer

This week was a mess, of all weeks! Using the 52 Frames generator, I got photographer Fan Ho. Excited to try to emulate his Fan Ho’s photography, I thought a lot about what I could try. But Thanksgiving week had other plans for my time. I made this photograph, on Sunday, just hours before an image had to be submitted. I loved the shadows here and hastily threw a composition together. Looking forward to a do-over!

Week 12, A Common Object

Another tough week; I had to drive to SoCal and back (soooo much driving!) and I got the flu. Both really hampered my photo time and creativity. Especially my creativity. It was hard to just think when my head felt like it was an over-inflated exercise ball. I saw this milkweed pod down by my mailbox when I got home on Saturday, then promptly forgot about it and left it in the car. On Sunday, the realization that a photo submission was due got me in gear. I retrieved the seed pod and decided it would just have to do. I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out this well. Although it was another near miss because of a late Sunday submission, this image was ultimately selected as one of 52 Picks in an album of 2049 submissions. Not bad under the circumstances.

How about you? Have you ever tried to nail down consistency? Create a new good habit? What was the most interesting thing you learned? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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