Monday, April 06, 2009

Projects - SoFoBoMo

I wish I were one of those people who could sit down and brainstorm, come up with a list of potential projects and then brainstorm another list of images that might fit the project. It is never that easy for me. I don't find projects. They find me.

Sometimes it takes a long time before I realize I have a project. I might be exploring how to use a piece of equipment when the subject matter begins to take shape and then I'll realize that it is a project. Sometimes I'm shooting something that I like, something to which I feel an emotional attachment. After shooting it for a while I realize that it is developing into a project. Or sometimes I keep shooting but never feel that I've been able to convey my feeling about the subject matter until some new idea comes along or a new way to shoot happens. Then I have a project.

Even after I say, "I'm working on a project" I seldom can just run with it. It is a slow process. Shoot, make some prints, study them, think about what they are saying and then shoot some more.....and some more. So........SoFoBoMo is going to be a challenge. Thirty-one days, that is all I've got to pull this together. I feel that I'm having to make some decisions too early. What if I start my project and I don't like it? What if I'm not inspired to come back and work on it the next day and the next? I can't quit. Too many friends have said that they are looking forward to seeing my book. I must come up with something. I'm hoping that just because I show up with the camera day after day that I'll end up with enough images for the book.

I find that SoFoBoMo is rolling around in my head most of the time. Today I tried out some ideas. I also downloaded the trial version of Cute PDF that La Belle Aurore blogged about. I think it will work for gathering multiple PDF pages into one PDF file. Thanks, Belle. Good news it is much cheaper than Adobe Acrobat 9. Now that some other dates have fallen into place, it looks like my 31 days will start on or about May 15 and the photographs will be made in Texas. Things are definitely shaping up.

While my progress might not be in a straight line, I am zigging and zagging forward.

2 comments:

GlorV1 said...

Well don't forget that with all that zigging and zagging, you have to take a break to refresh yourself. Have a great week.

Heather said...

Good luck on your project. Just as I told Phoebe about her ice skating competition from this past weekend, you'll be able to look back when it's completed and be proud of how hard you worked to complete it.

But yes, take some time to refresh yourself with breaks.