365 Day DSLR Photo Challenge

If you look through my laptop files, you’ll (literally) find hundreds of photos from Finn’s first month of life. HUNDREDS. But if you look at the most recent folder, labeled “Finn’s 5th month,” you’ll only find a handful.

That’s true of most parents, I’m sure. It’s not that the novelty of having a new baby wears off that quickly, it’s just that life stops catering to the fact that you are a new parent, and other things begin to get in the way. There are more expectations outside of parenting, and those things take time away from spending all day, documenting every move your little one makes.

So, I’ve found myself reaching for my camera less and less. Life is busy, and, when I do get a chance to snap a quick photo of Finn, I usually just reach for my phone. As a result, my iPhone is overloaded with quick snapshots of varying quality, and we have less and less “good” photos of Finn.

Of course, as a photographer, my expectations of a “good photo” are higher than most. I look at photos for a living, and no matter how cute and candid they may be, iPhone pictures just don’t live up to what I know my DSLR is capable of.

Enter: the 365 Day DSLR Challenge, which I saw a couple photog moms participating in on social media. The premise is simple: take a photo of Finn every day for a year, using my “good” camera (a Canon 5D Mark III).

One of my new years resolutions was to begin the challenge on February 1st, but I kind of forgot. Good job sticking to those resolutions, Danielle! But I remembered, eventually, and started  on Sunday, February 6th. So, here’s my vow, Internets: I will photograph Finn every single day until February 6, 2017.

In order to make this challenge manageable, I’ve set some rules/goals for myself. Here they are:

• Don’t be a perfectionist. Every single photo isn’t going to be a masterpiece. Yes, I do covet all of those photo-perfect, carefully-curated social media feeds I follow. BUT THOSE MOMS MANAGE THOSE ACCOUNTS LIKE IT’S THEIR JOB. In fact, it is their job. And I already have one. So, I don’t want to get bogged down in my own perfectionism. This is about capturing Finn’s life–not about creating magazine-ready photos that are the envy of every Instagram mom out there. (Sidenote: I had to talk myself out of re-shooting today’s photo. This one may be tricky for me.)
• Let Sona take the photo, sometimes. One of my goals for this project is to capture our lives as a family, and I am part of that family. I’m always behind the camera. We have tons of photos of Sona and Finn together but very few with him and I. I hope to get some keepers over the next year.
• Accept the photographic realities/limitations of our lives. We live in a garden apartment, currently, and we get about 27 minutes of good photographic light a day. That’s just the reality. The lighting conditions in our home SUCK. (Loads of natural light is one of my must-haves as we search for a place to buy, btw.) We also sometimes have a messy house. And our cats have ripped our couch to shreds. And, sometimes, there will be piles of unemptied grocery bags in the background. That’s okay. Again, it’s not about perfection; it’s about reality.
• Don’t stage photos. Don’t prop Finn up like a doll, teasing him into the perfect, cherubic pose. Those photos can happen, too, but they just aren’t part of this project. My goal is to capture candids–and not staged moments.
• Aim for variety. Shoot during all times of the day. Capture the morning. Capture bath time. Capture tantrums. Capture everything, especially the stuff I wouldn’t capture, normally.
• Take my camera out of the house. It’s currently 15 degrees in Chicago, and I don’t see myself taking many outdoor photos in the very near future, but I do hope to, eventually. As we get out and about, I want the photos to reflect that.
• Don’t let this challenge stress me out. This is supposed to be fun; it’s not supposed to feel like another burdensome responsibility. Keep things in perspective.

I’ll share the photos, as I edit them. I’ll probably post them more regularly on Finn’s Instagram account (@allthefinn). Here are the first three.

This is going to take some serious dedication, and I’m not always the best at seeing things through to the end. Nonetheless, I know the results of this challenge will be something we cherish forever, and that should be enough to keep me going.