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As photographers, and creatives as a whole, I feel like we’re always hustling and chasing for the next thing. Whether that is the next audition, or the next shoot, or the next meeting, or even as practical and specific as ‘Hm, I wonder which next piece of kit will be the one to elevate our work’. And whilst exciting as that is to look forward to the future, I feel like it diminishes the whole purpose of being present. And maybe, even so, along the way we sometimes do in fact forget that passion as to why we’re even hustling in the first place anyway.
Leeds photographer Mark Wheelwright did the “photo a day” challenge in december, which might I add- BIG fan of. This ‘trend’ or shall I put it as an ‘approach’ in my opinion isn’t just a creative exercise, but also a massive mindset shift. By doing a photo-a-day, it’s about staying loyal to being consistent with your art, being aware of it, and collaborating with yourself to see how far you’ve come. By doing this, it also helps to learn and see potential in everyday moments (art, as cringy as it sounds, is literally everywhere).
In terms of photography, it is a growing skill, and with skill- it improves with repetition. A ‘photo a day’ piece removes the pressure of perfection and replaces it with consistency. Realistically, you don’t need every image to be a masterpiece, what matters is that you are showing up for yourself and your art daily, camera in hand, and making a conscious creative decision.
Over time, this daily practice would then help to sharpen your eye and start noticing the little gems that are placed around you- these small observations would add up and translate directly into stronger client work and more positive work environment.
I think one of the biggest challenges that photographers face, especially during the quiet periods, is getting to that ‘stuck’ feeling, or that there’s ‘nothing to shoot’. A photo-a-day will definitely prove that wrong instantly- when you commit to daily output, you are then forced to look at ordinary scenes differently. From buildings, to bus stops, to coffee shops, these things that you normally walk past become opportunities, and that is an additional plus to doing it.
As well as this, it helps to build trust and familiarity, meaning that when people see these photos more regularly, they then start recognising your style, your colour choices, and the way you see the world. Simple terms is that over time- regoniction turns into connections, and connections turns into enquiries (more collaboration!).
When it comes to client work, of course it will come with expectations. However, a personal daily project removes these limitations, which in time can be quite mind-consuming. This kind of creative freedom is very important and essential for growth. With that in mind, a lot of strong ideas come from low-pressure experimentation, and doing a photo a day allows you to play! Everything is a learning experience, and will drive you more closer to why you wanted to take this career on board in the first place.
To end this piece, I asked Mark to say a few words to help gain some insight:
“The photo a day thing I am doing is just driving to take a shot every day which will inevitably get harder and harder to maintain quality and keep inspired as you don’t always find yourself in a beautiful location so really have to try and find something with some kind of artistry.
So today was an example-. I had 20 mins on a break in an industrial site, not always gonna be able to find something but that’s part of the fun I guess !!
We can do a focus on the camera which is a retro style compact camera, which I now carry everywhere 24/7”
