Frank Wise Photography: 2011 365 Group

The images that you see here were all shot and used as part of my 365 photography challenge this year. The premise is simple. Shoot and post 1 image a day, every day, for 365 days. The reality is that it's just not that simple.

Life has a funny way of getting in your way sometimes. We get busy, have major milestones, traumatic events, vacations, illnesses, any number of things that can happen on our way to creating, capturing, and posting 1 image a day. But I managed to make it happen, and I will complete that task this year, my first ever. And when going back through the images (some good, some were just a snapshot to keep the streak alive), I'm amazed at all the things I've gotten to do this year, how much my kids have changed, some of the challenges and hurdles my family have been through. It's an amazing little photo diary of a life lived. I'm very proud of this collection of 365 images. I've earned every single one of them. I have the scars, smiles, memories, and images to prove it.

So I'm going to do it again. And I invite you to join me. 1 image a day. Should be easy, right?

So here is how this years group will work. First, you need a Flickr account, as that is where our group will be hosted. Flickr is free for a basic account. The group we ran this year limited posting to 1 image a day. If you missed posting today, you couldn't make it up. For the 2011 group, I have changed that to make it 7 images posted a week. That means if you go camping for the weekend, have an emergency, or forget to post, you can still catch up. Every 7 days, you can post 7 images. So you can shoot your 1 image everyday, and post them on the weekends. But I highly encourage you to try and post daily, as that seems to work best, and as a constant reminder.

The flickr group I set up is Focused on 365 2011. Go join now, but no posting until 1/1/11. You will get to know some great people. You'll be inspired. You'll be attached to the other member's lives. You'll be happy for them, saddened for them, amazed by them. And you will learn more about photography. I promise. 1 image a day. Sounds easy, right?

I hope you'll join me. And if you do, remember to be an active participant. There is a discussion board for questions, thoughts and ideas. Comment on the other members images. Get invested. Get more out of it. Have fun. And then this time next year, spend some time and reflect on your year. It's all there. And you can prove it. You have the pictures...