Photo challenge

[rootbeer1]

This "365 photos of yourself (often drinking a cup of coffee)" challenge has been mentioned several times in LJ recently. Here's some thoughts on the subject:

-- Sure, go ahead, post photos of yourself. But your other LJ posts should outnumber your photo-only posts, because unless you're Ansel Adams or Diane Arbus, you're using this challenge as a substitute for real communication and content. At the very least, your photo captions should be meaty and meaningful, or pithy but poetic.

-- You're going to be spending several minutes minimum per day to take the photo, upload the photo, code up the photo and the Live Journal post, etc. If you have that much tenacity and ability to stick to it on a daily basis, in the same amount of time per day you could do any number of activities that with greater long-term benefits. For example, you could memorize three words in a new language -- Spanish, Italian, Farsi, whatever. Spell them, define them, use them in conversation, really get to know them. Three words isn't too much to do in one day, and it would just take minutes. And at the end of the year, you'd know more than 1000 words in this new language. Wouldn't this be a greater accomplishment than having a collection of similar photos of yourself?

-- If you're taking a photo of yourself every day ... ask yourself, why? An experiment in personal discipline? An exercise in creativity? A visual biography? Following the pack? Discover your motivation, and try to bring this insight to the photos you take. (If your motivation is "a need for attention," don't kid yourself that your readers don't know your motivation already ...)

As a goal for the year, or a challenge to oneself, this photo-taking challenge seems, to me, to set its sights a bit too low.

Oh ... and if you take photos of yourself in your bathroom mirror, clean the mirror first. We don't need to see your toothpaste splatter!

Comments

[reslbear.livejournal.com]

PLEASE! The coffee meme is lost on those of us who DON'T drink coffee

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

I don't drink coffee either! But it seems like quite a few of these 365-a-day photos are done first thing in the morning, over coffee.

[reslbear.livejournal.com]

doesn't that seem more chore than original?

[animbear.livejournal.com]

Having seen Tim and Robert and now Richard do the 365 thing, I think it's great. I get to see photos of what they are doing, who they are doing things with. When did we go to Disneyland? It's on flickr. Working out at the gym we get to watch the changes in body structure. It's documenting yourself each day for year.

It's doesn't have to be poetry.

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

Doesn't mean it's not poetry. Having the reasons, knowing the reasons, and following through, is what can make it all worthwhile.

[fuzzygruf.livejournal.com]

Seeing shirtless pics of Tim IS poetry. Just sayin'.

[animbear.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling that if he had followed the advice here he never would have done it past the first weekend.

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

But Tim had a good reason for doing the photo challenge -- a visual documentation of his life to share with close friends who weren't present to see it. Why would he give it up if it suited his purposes and fulfilled the needs of his friends?

All that really irks me is the the same photo taken over and over again (possibly with coffee). That doesn't communicate much, other than "I can't be bothered to take a different photo."

(Please, don't assume I'm referring to Tim. I liked many of Tim's photos, and thought the "before I started working out, and after" ones were an especially good use of having the visual documentation of a whole year in his life available.)

(And don't assume I'm referring to Richard either! Richard could post a closeup of his thumb every day for a year, and I'd still enjoy it. It's Richard!)

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

Or Robert! Although Tim's and Robert's entries kind of blurred together, since they were frequent guest stars in each other's photos.

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

Or Jeff and Tim! Because they're cool guys and will no doubt put some thought into their photos.

[xianjessen.livejournal.com]

Wisenheimer, indeed. :)

You won't need to worry about me. I've been accused of fleeing from cameras. This icon picture is actually the first self-taken picture of me in over six years now that I think about it. Jim says our vacation photos make it look like he's traveling alone.

Taking a daily picture of myself might help me push through my photo phobia, but I think I'd rather learn Farsi...

[shake-it-up.livejournal.com]

Two small comments: I've read your opinion on timers vs mirrots before. Timers will shoot a shot but they won't fram a picture. I don't know how wooferstl does it but it's a big hassle getting a real shot using a timer. I've seen some charming "shots in the mirror" since I first read your comment.

Also, the attitude "it's my LJ"- it is still their journal for self-expression. But at the start of a new year, I did appreciate Steve's comments. Maybe I'll get to read regular posts again from friends who were tied up doing the photo challenge last year.

[timbear.livejournal.com]

wooferstl does it by having a great eye and a lot of practice ...

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

"unless you're Ansel Adams or Diane Arbus"

Your comments are good (and arthole's) but I have to say: please save me from those two.

Go ahead post 5 million pics of yourself, I'll skip em.

But start taking anal pedantically graded ten thousand shades of grey pictures of the Grand Canyon, or be the bitch freakmother of misanthropy and take mocking pics of odd disabled twins and I'll run screaming...

(seriously: I personally wouldn't hold those two up as 'good photography' even to beginners, there are really bad traits in both I'd rather people not learn)

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

I mentioned those two because they're well-known photographers. I like Adams' nature photography and don't really care for Arbus.

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

Well as long as you weren't holding them up as 'good' which you seemed to be - Ansel's photographs can be Ok/good but the methodology that photos MUST have each shades of grey in the 10-grade scale equally is stoopid, and Ms Arbus is just prussic acid for the soul.

[bear-with-me.livejournal.com]

So, I can't post the photo of me holding a fake grenade, making an angsty face on the top of El Capitan in Yosemite?

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

LOL - Only if you taking the piss out of them. ;-)

Twins allowed too...'come and play with us'.

You'd probably be dead by the exposure was taken, either by the grenade or meter readings to get 'all those greys' LOL

[mitjablazic.livejournal.com]

Well... very nice, profound and clever argumentation, but, it could be applied to all LJ activities... especially the second paragraph... but the toothpaste splatter made me die of loughing ;-)

[auntie-lukers.livejournal.com]

I know someone who did it 2 years ago, more in an artistic vein (vein not vain) and he seemed to find it an interesting challenge. He refused to let it get stale so he used it as a way to think/rethink/box/outside box. His choice on how he wanted to spend his time and since he's not bad to look at, well, that helps. If Sam Donaldson or Steve Buscemi wanted to start one I might protest....

[fuzzygruf.livejournal.com]

Ah, but what you consider "not bad to look at" is subjective. It could be that the same view makes others throw up a little.

Toothpaste splatter

[fuzzygruf.livejournal.com]

Maybe the toothpaste splatter meme is a good idea. We can watch it change over time and then figure out what days Juanita comes over to clean. Or what days someone didn't brush their teeth!

I had considered doing a 365-day project showing pics of my pet rock just to be spiteful. Luckily, I realized that even though my life is dull, my spite most certainly is not.

Re: Toothpaste splatter

[ibubtoo.livejournal.com]

"Luckily, I realized that even though my life is dull, my spite most certainly is not."

BEST LINE EVAR.

[blt4success66.livejournal.com]

One upside note on the toothpaste? At least I'm glad I'm not the only one.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

You and babaloo both have had things to say about this meme and since I don't use flickr, I am not doing the meme on that grounds (I use photobucket) but the idea of taking a photo everyday is a good one, but of yourself, um, not so much. Oh there is a challenge in it, but it's also set so low that it's easy to do without thinking it through first.

Um, yeah, the toothpaste spattered mirror shot, see it all the time in profiles, let alone anywhere else but I'm sorry to say, my mirror is kinda spattered too. :-)

Seriously, I am thinking of taking the idea or kernel of that meme and doing a photo a day challenge where I try to shoot something that relates to the day and it may not always be of me and then try to distill down my thoughts to a few sentences/paragraphs, ala Chris Glass and see what/where it takes me.

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

All I'm trying to say here, be thoughtful in your photo-taking and don't just do it by rote. Taking the lazy way out (the cliched cup of coffee photo) communicates very little.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Oh I totally agree with you there. Now if you happen to have that cup in your hand every once in a great while, I can forgive, but to have that repeated over and over and over, yeah, not so much.

[labeartorycub.livejournal.com]

Very well stated all the way around, and I chuckled at the toothpaste splatter comment!

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

Tempted to do a 365 Day Coffee Cup artwork now...could start really zoomed in, then pull out each day revealing more. Is that a stain? Is that a body? What happened? Whose house is this? What has just happened? Which type of coffee do they drink? And are they hot?

[tbass.livejournal.com]

A picture is worth a thousand words though, as they say..

So wouldn't you have to learn 365,000 new words in a year to make up for not taking 365 pictures? ;)

[foodpoisoningsf.livejournal.com]

I thought this was a great post. It goes to the heart of what we use the internet for, and creating content.

I like Ansel Adams. Diane Arbus broke the mold for other image-makers to go forward. Some people forget they actually used and manipulated glass plates and film. Digital images are too easy- such a cheap thrill.

[shake-it-up.livejournal.com]

I came back to this post from your later comment. Yes, people are a little sensitive about their right to put in their journal what they like. But I agree with you- most of us have limited time to put int journalling and a photo a day may take up that time. Where we used to be in touch, then we are just seeing random shots done for a somewhat compulsive reason.

For readers, there is always the "page down" option. For writers and bloggers, there's always consideration of how to make the journal effective for communication to others. It's something to consider.

[shake-it-up.livejournal.com]

I agree that one needs to be a little thick-skinned about caring constructive criticism, which Steve's post is an example of. Otherwise just post everything privately and not be responsible to any reader, friend or stranger.

[abearius.livejournal.com]

Concerning the picture in the mirror crap: Please! Do you work for the digital camera companies or something? Do they really need product placement in all those headless cock shots to promote sales in the gay market? Can't they afford to give you a model that has a timer on it?

And yes, clean your mirror, make your bed, and use bookends so that your shelves don't have that unintended Dr. Caligari effect.

[redbackfur.livejournal.com]

I've been away from you a long time
I never thought I'd missed you so
Somehow I feel
You love is real
Near you I long to/wanna be

Drah.....Mah....
How-I-Love-You
How-I-Love-You
My....dear old Drama!

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

*sob*

I hate drama! I want comedy! Comedy tonight!

...

[dorisduke.livejournal.com]

Comedy huh, well I find this all too funny ;-{) But then I do make really boring posts on my journal.

[fogbear.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Like most things, sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes it's not. That goes for taking a self-portrait every day, or for being a smart-aleck, or for trying to make suggestions that ending up sounding more like rules. Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, people don't say things quite as diplomatically as they might have. And, sometimes, people take things way too personally.

Me, well, I don't come here expecting to be entertained or even engaged; that way I'm usually delighted and rarely disappointed.

But more to the point: For many people, myself included, there is nothing quite as mortifying as a picture of themselves. I could see how forcing oneself to take and post a picture of yourself is a useful exercise in self-acceptance. Maybe someone needs a prop, like a coffee cup, to feel less self-conscious. And maybe by the end of 30 or 365 days, they've become much more comfortable with themselves.

Personally, I've enjoyed these exercises much more often than not. Meh.

[bear-with-me.livejournal.com]

How can you be so certain that it is toothpaste on the mirror, considering the large number of narcissists on LJ?

[rootbeer1.livejournal.com]

"Toothpaste" is a euphemism, dear.

[keanubear.livejournal.com]

Thank you thank you thank you!!

toothpaste revelations

[lodgersf.livejournal.com]

Some of the toothpaste splatters will reveal--if squint hard enough--the Virgin Mary.