31 Days of Taking Great Photos in Your Backyard

 

31 Days
© Avard Woolaver

Happy October!

This month’s project is a bit of a departure for my blog: 31 days of taking meaningful photos, right where you are. (I’m using the phrase “in your backyard,” but of course plenty of readers don’t have a backyard. The idea is to continually practice looking for the beauty that surrounds us, wherever we are.)

What’s “31 Days”?

Every October, the blogging team over at 31 Days of Writing puts together a month-long blog link-up. It covers a number of categories, and participants write on their chosen topic throughout the month of October.

Here’s what I will be writing about this month:

On Mondays, “Taking Meaningful Portraits”;

On Tuesdays, “Documenting the Present”;

On Wednesdays, “Making Use of Unique Points of View”;

On Thursdays, “Capturing Light”;

On Fridays, “Moving on from Missed Opportunities”;

On Saturdays, “Using Childhood Memories to Add Resonance”;

On Sundays, “Celebrating the Rhythm of the Seasons.”

I’ll be delighted if you read along throughout the month. And I urge you the check out the other bloggers involved in 31 Days. People write about a wide range of topics in various categories. Some writers focus on offering helpful tips; others share inspiration or take readers through the steps of projects they’re working on.

My blog focuses on photography–specifically, I spend a lot of my time exploring New Topography (i.e., the human-altered landscape). To those who aren’t familiar with this phrase, this movement came into prominence through the work of photographers like William Eggleston, Robert Adams, and Stephen Shore. Lee Friedlander, though he wasn’t precisely aligned with the New Topographers, is another photography giant whose work has always fascinated me.

What I’ll Be Sharing in October

This month I’ll be sharing short essays, one each day, on the topics listed above, along with photos. I’ll also be doing my regular blog entries, including interviews with photographers whose work I admire.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading some of these posts. If you want to subscribe (click on the button over on my sidebar), you’ll receive updates automatically as they appear on the blog. And I’d love to hear your thoughts on anything posted here!

Sunday, October 1: Photographing Fall

Monday, October 2: Family Milestones

Tuesday, October 3: We Don’t Know the Future

Wednesday, October 4: Use a Window as a Frame

Thursday, October 5: The Light of Autumn

Friday, October 6: Film Used to Cost a Lot

Saturday, October 7: When I Was Young, Everything Was Black and White

Sunday, October 8: Annual Traditions Are Overrated

Monday, October 9: Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, October 10: With Information, Sometimes More is More

Wednesday, October 11: For a Change of Perspective, Stand on a Balcony or Climb a Tree

Thursday, October 12: For Golden Hour Light, Get up Early

Friday, October 13: The Moose Was a One-Time Thing

Saturday, October 14: Memory of Where They Used to Be

Sunday, October 15: Seasonal Chores Are Great Photo Opportunities

Monday, October 16: For Portraits, Look for Open Shade

Tuesday, October 17: The Best Camera Is the One You Have with You

Wednesday, October 18: Think of What is in the Foreground

Thursday, October 19: For Night Photos, Use Your Headlights

Friday October 20: Had My Camera; Saw a Deer

Saturday, October 21: Small Events Are Our Lives

Sunday, October 22: Photographing Snow Is Really Photographing Wind

Monday, October 23: With a Pet, Try for Candid Shots

Tuesday, October 24: Change Is a Funny Thing

Wednesday, October 25: Watch the Clouds and Sky

Thursday, October 26: Experiment with Your Flash

Friday, October 27: You Can Always Make a Note and Wait Till Next Year

Saturday, October 28: Photos Remind Me of Songs

Sunday, October 29: A Frosty Morning Can Be a Gift

Monday, October 30: Allow Your Shadow in Your Photo Sometimes

Tuesday, October 31: Holiday Decorations Make Great Photos

 

2 Comments

  1. What a brilliant idea. I look forward to reading some of your essays and I will definitely check out some of the other writers too.

    October 2, 2017
    • avardw said:

      Thank you, Larry.

      October 2, 2017

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