I’m getting close to the finish line – September 30 – of my 3rd 365. Chances are I’ll continue on for a fourth year; the visual diary that grows from doing a 365 has become indispensable to me.

A 365 is the story of a year (whether the story is true or not is impossible to answer and largely irrelevant anyway). Moreover, when you do more than one year in a row, you get a chance to compare days: I experienced this on that date, but what happened on that day one year ago? How have I changed since then?

Picking a few random dates, this is what I discovered:

November 11
On this date I am – unsurprisingly – focused on how I dislike winter, but the date includes evidence of how there is no light without the dark and no rainbow without bad weather.

In 2011 I was doing a month of black and white, and was frequently turning my lens to the signs of the coming winter. 1111-1

In 2012 I remember how down I was from the fact that it was already dark when I walked home from work; at the same time I tried finding some joy in the dark by testing my two-months-new camera in bad lighting. 1111-2

In 2013 I wasn’t focused on impending wintry gloom at all, but rather on the most fantastic rainbow I have ever seen. 1111-3

February 19
This date is all about moving – travelling to unknown places or walking through familiar spaces.

In 2011 we had travelled northwards to Trøndelag to celebrate a baptism. I was fairly new at phone photography at this point, and was slowly learning how fun it is to experiment with apps. 0219-1

In 2012 I was out for a Sunday walk and caught my own reflection in a window. 0219-2

In 2013 I walked home from work and discovered that the world was slowly starting to take on colours again after a long winter. 0219-3

August 27
Today’s date has been all about the sweets so far:

In 2011 we had a quiet Saturday evening in with some chocolate. 0827-1

In 2012 I shot these tempting muffins while buying coffee in the morning on my way to work. 0827-2

It remains to be seen which image will represent August 27 2013.


I have two tips for anyone who wants to practice photography through a 365. It’s obvious and it’s been said before, but it bears repeating:

(1) Always have a camera available. My 365 has become almost exclusively mobile, since my phone is always with me.

(2) Silence your inner critic. If you’re feeling uninspired, shoot something anyway, if only the light through the blinds in your bedroom when you go to bed. If the resulting image feels uninspired, you will have a matching record of your mood, and you will have learned what made it uninspired and perhaps even what could have made for a better image.

Keep shooting!

~ Jenny