2 months to go...and dragging

[bobhate]

I set out on this PaD thing on May 21st of last year. With a bit more than 2 months to go, I've been absolutely dragging.

At times it's been a real blast. I used to get up early in the morning and drive my small town looking for shots. At about the 4 month mark I hit a real wall. In one month I found myself recycling some old shots for my daily entries - breaking my own particular hard and fast rule at the same time. I rationalized that at least I was editing and posting those shots that day.

Over the nearly 10 months I've probably shot and posted original Pad shots 95% of the time.

I've learned a lot by following other folks along. I've been dismayed at times by the damn hit counters. I wish I could shut them off. Do I really have to know that my fabulous photo yesterday had 5 hits? Do I want to know that? Yet one month some lousy shot of a wheelbarrow brought me more than 300 hits? That doesn't make sense. (See, I NEED to be able to shut the hit counters off.)

I'm close enough to May 21 of 2006 to know I can do a whole year of this, but I hate how it's felt like a chore. And I know that nobody is MAKING me do it, but with 10 months in, I want to finish. I don't know why I think that simply doing it for a year and hating it is worth something. I guess I'm hung up by thinking I should be "accomplishing" something.

Today's a bad day to be thinking these thoughts. Other days the PaD is a natural and organic part of the day. Whoops, there's a nice pic. Put that baby up on pbase.com and just keep living. Other days I feel as though it's a job. And, uh, I already HAVE a job.

So, thanks for the therapy. I do like the photo I did today, though, so maybe that should be good enough.


Cheers,
303 H8

[troonly]

Yep been there.
I did 'enjoy' getting to and passing 12 months, and still have good/bad days.
Up to you really, no rules, but if today's a bad day - tomorrow might be that magical one

Cheers

Ian

[gpaai]

Welcome to the club. Your issues are pretty common really if that makes you feel any better. For the last two months make a game out of it. Post challenges on the forum with others such as B&W or duotone week. Or same subject different angle week. Just remember this is first and foremost for personal gain. The hit count is ok to see what others like, but for me personally it got to the point that I had to stop worrying about that. If I had a bad day image wise I would post a comment to bring life to the photo. All things I'm sure you have figured out already.

Have a blast!

Gary

[bobhate]

Welcome to the club. Your issues are pretty common really if that makes you feel any better.

It does. And many great folks on pbase have made the journey a real pleasure. I do it for fun most days, but I never anticipated the "chore" like part of it some days. I have a real respect for folks who do the year, and I started out wanting to find out what THAT was all about. So I've learned and it's been fun.

Thanks for the supportive comments.

[bbellngr]

Try a couple of things. One, pick a new gallery theme/subject then do PADs for it. Work the subject(s) as many ways as you can. Use different DoFs, picture angles, shot from below, from above, any way you would not normally shoot. Another thing you might try is to take your lens with the widest angle and shoot only with that; or use your lens with the most tele and only use that. "Limiting" yourself like this can actually let your eye find new images. Go to somewhere you have not been before and work it. Could be a waterfall, could be the building next door. Shot portraits of folks you know, or don't. Do your daily rat-run and shot the folks you normally interact with but of whom you would likely never get a picture of. DON'T take pictures of squirrels, ducks or birds a feeders. Take vitamins.