Say goodbye

So, 365th photo. I didn't think I will make it but I got to what is apparent end of this project and it feels... weird.

I was thinking about this moment for quite some time and it's a mixed bag. Somehow it's a relief because I had periods of really being fed up with shooting daily. It's also a great satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment. I have also this pressing need of summarizing a year on Tookapic, so here it goes.

#i-can-do-camera - this one is quite obvious, I learned a thing or two (or even 20) about my gear and how to use it to achieve certain results. In the same time I'm quite aware I barely scratched the surface and there's a ton still to learn - like usage of flash for starters.

#post-processing-is-art - well, this is a great journey I made during the year. I understand a little bit better Lightroom and how to for example "save" screwed up photos. On many occassions I had photos which were totally unconvincing even for me and only with tricks in post processing I was able to turn them into interesting or at least bearable. I also learned how to process pictures for print. But still there's a huge gap between result in my head and result on the screen, so more learning for me.

#gear-junkie - ok, this seems unnessecary but I collected quite a few new toys during this period. I finally decided to move to FF, which is an experience of it's own but less of a "wow" than I expected. I also had a chance to use some upper grade lens and I saw the difference big enough to start to think about actually buying some. Yet again quite a few of photos were made with eons-old 350D and I'm still proud of them.

#go-out-and-shot - I heard a while ago that it's easy to take stunning photos in stunning places. A real challenge is to take an interesting shot of a dull and seemingly uninspiring place like your own neigborhood (happy for all of you who live in inspiring places of course). Couldn't agree more. When I'm traveling, the camera is just in my hands and photos pop-up on their own and many times I was really puzzled which photo to pick for Tookapic. Something hard was to capture something (actually anything) interesting in periods of daily routine - home-work-home, nothing new, nothing unexpected. But there's other side of the coin. There were quite a few occasions when taking a photo was the motivation to go somwhere or break the routine.

#social-animal-not - on a scale from 1 to 10 of participating in Tookapic socially I probably scored -100. I used this platform mainly as a diary and didn't do much to become popular or to socialize. At some point I stopped even to look actively for new interesting profiles. I didn't take part in any discussions but rather just silently built up photo library. Probably I missed something from overall Tookapic experience...

#probability-is-a-joke - seriously, what are the chances to end up on a photo of a fellow Tookapic user, in totally unplanned manner. Now, let's make it more complex - add chances of this photo being selected as one from a bunch from that day. True story: tookapic.com/photos/598341

#improvise-and-have-fun - no brainer either - I took multiple photos using inexpensive aids like sheets of printing paper, pieces of ordinary string, plasticine and so on. Bottom line: you don't need a Tesla-grade tech to set up a scene and have fun while doing so.

#comfort-zone-feels-nice - somehow I'm a little dissapointed with myself. Clearly, I refined certain types of photos and I feel quite comfortable with repeating them. Yet again, there are some topics or setups which proven just too big of a challenge for me. I made a very small effort to break this inability and when I was in a 5 to midnight situation I was falling back to good, known ideas. A little bit boring if you'd ask me.

#first-time-rocks - not directly related to Tookapic but an important event in my photo-life. For the first time in my life, I was asked to prepare a feature for a printed automotive magazine, learned how to shot cars in motion in the process and delivered a really good content. I was totally unprepared, done post-processing on iPad on vacation and had to wait over a month to see result in flesh. I wasn't so proud for really long time. Still, if someone would ask, I could live such a life - shot cars, prepare photos on a bench by the sea, sipping wine 😊

There's also one more thing I just need to write here: huge kudos to @pawelkadysz for keeping this platform alive and pushing it forward. I'm really impressed with what he has built, with his drive and just not giving up.

I didn't decide yet if I'm ready for second round... for now I think I need to press pause and see how it goes. For sure I don't feel like maintaining the streak (365 day one) for a second time.

To quote Beck: these are the words we use to say goodbye (youtube.com/watch?v=3B8uTd4Tfn...)...

(or not)

#selfie #portrait #saturday #studio #people #technology #smart #hand #lens #desktop #man #business #january #one #young #person #isolated #modern #looking #adult #attractive #say-goodbye #professional #fine-looking #i-can-do-camera #post-processing-is-art #gear-junkie #go-out-and-shot #social-animal-not #probability-is-a-joke #improvise-and-have-fun #comfort-zone-feels-nice #first-time-rocks