Roth 365x7 - The Third Odyssey

Each and every day there are things in our lives that are worth noticing and worth remembering.

This is how I started this project 7 years ago on the first post of this blog. Through 2008 I managed to take a picture every day. One of the things I learned by doing this is that some days there are lots of things to see and remember, and some days not so much. This was a lesson that was reinforced when I started a second attempt in December 2010, and is a big reason why that attempt ended after 145 days.

Since then I have been sporadically posting pictures from the archive. While this allows me to be more selective in what I post, it provides no motivation to shoot, and thus no motivation to notice or remember - which was the point of this.

What I needed was a more balanced approach that would give me motivation, but also flexibility to let some days go by without being forced to post subpar pictures of colanders or salmon. That is how the idea of a 365x7 was born. Instead of having to take one good picture everyday, I must now take seven good pictures every seven days.

To be honest, I am already worried about accomplishing this challenge. The dreary weeks of winter still stretch out ahead. The routines chaos of life is already returning after a nice holiday respite. Even at this moment I wonder what seven good pictures I can take this week. But then I remind myself that the opportunities are there, it is just a matter of seeing them. And, it is supposed to be hard - that is why it  is called a challenge.

Day 62 - Another Day - 11 Feb 2011

Here is a shot from my Random-Stuff-on-my-Desk series. The orb is one half of a yin-yang meditation set that I got in Epcot China in 1989. Not sure if it is yin or yang. Probably yin. It is perched on a Gorilla Pod which you are supposed to put the camera on, but who am I to follow directions?

Here's Lookin' at Me

Guest artist today - my five year old daughter. The shot this with available light using a 90mm macro lens in Aperture Priority mode.

Just Me

Day 362



When you are looking at pictures of people, it is easy to tell which one is the photographer, because he is the one who is not in the picture. Usually. I sort of addressed this problem by handing down my own camera to my wife, who tends to think I'm fairly easy on the eyes. That did not help me get into Roth365 very often however. So on this day, when I saw this handsome kid looking back at me, I just had to take his picture.

66 to Go

Day 300



I was really hoping to do something special to celebrate Day 300. Instead I reused an idea that I had already used three times before, on the first day of each season. It is not as easy as it seems to come up with 300 original ideas. Regardless, the streak is alive.

Long Day

Day 224



Even though I work from home, there are times when I have to go into the office. Since I live in Maryland and the office is in Manhattan, it makes for a long commute. Add to that nearly a half day of work (by half day, I mean 12 hours), and you have a very tired Andy arriving at the hotel at 11:30 PM. With just a half hour to go in this day, I sadly realized that I was the most interesting thing in the room, so here I am.

See Hear Speak

8 January 2008



I was going to call this "Three For Tuesday". This is something I've been meaning to try for a while. I am not totally thrilled with the result, so expect another version of this at some point.

Tomorrow

Each and every day there are things in our lives that are worth noticing and worth remembering. Too often, these things are overlooked because our attention is focused elsewhere.

The purpose of this project is to help me get better at seeing these wonderful treasures, and at capturing images of them. To do this, I will take a picture each and every day, no matter what, no excuses. These pictures must meet a certain quality threshold set by me - thus the reason it is called A Keeper Today - and not just A Photo Today.

I hope you come along with me on this journey through 2008 - through my lens.