Photo Projects to Inspire You in the New Year

2018 is almost here, bringing with it a chance for a fresh start and new energy. Maybe you’re thinking about your one-word intention or considering some new years resolutions to get your year started. Me? I’m thinking about photo projects that inspire me.

I will be the first to admit that I am a little obsessed with photo projects. I always have at least one, if not more, that I’m working on. This doesn’t mean I’m always taking photos though. Quite the opposite – I can go months without doing more than pulling out the phone for a quick snapshot. But those photos, those quick snapshots, may end up being a photo project of their own one day. To me, a photo project is whatever I happen to be paying attention to.

Beautiful things happen when you start paying attention. Looking at life through my lens allows me to slow down, see things a little bit differently, find new appreciation for what’s going on.

Thank about what you would like to photograph this year. It doesn’t matter if you do a photo a day, focus on a season or a photograph a specific theme. Just pick up your camera a little bit more, find the things you want to pay attention to and photograph them.

Need a spark of inspiration to get you started?

Photo Projects to Inspire You

Summer Memories

Summer is my favorite season because as a family we spend so much of it outside playing in the nice weather. We’ve made it a family tradition to take a little trip, just the 3 of us somewhere fun for the weekend. These little trips inspire me to get out my camera (either my fancy camera or my phone camera) more often because I know these times won’t last forever. Capturing our family smiling in the sunshine doing something fun together, no matter what it is, makes it easy to snap a few memories and keep them to look back on or even share with family and friends. Even something as simple as stopping for milkshakes on a hot day can be a perfect photo opportunity to preserve a bit of our day for years to come. Is it Summer time yet??

~Carrie Scheetz, Columbus OH Momtography Teacher

My Daily Cup

As my photography journey has grow and evolved I’ve become less inspired by the more traditional photography projects: project 365, 52, etc… I reached a point on my journey where projects like that felt forced as opposed to inspired. These days I’m more interested in documenting a slice of my life experience. With that sentiment in mind I was drawn a few years ago to my daily cup of coffee. A ritual I do every day to calm me and prepare me for the day. I started to document ‘My Daily Cup’ – in mugs of coffee, cups of tea, the unexpected smoothie, or bottles of water. After about 28 days I felt complete and like my creativity of capturing the same ritual had been stretched just a bit out of the ordinary into something inspired.

~Beryl Young, Momtography & Teentography Founder

Light Falling On Cedars

Growing up in CT, I never liked being cold but I always love what the world is like after a snow. It’s quiet because there is now insulation and it’s bright from the light bouncing off all the white. When it first snows the crystals get caught in the branches particularly on pine trees until the air warms or wind blows and the trees lose the decoration. At our first snow this year, I wanted to capture some of this snowy magic. I was looking for drama and thought I’d need strong directional light through trees but I also wanted to be out early enough before the sun melted the snow. I was hoping for the beams of light to look like a starburst. Using my 70-200mm lens, I was lucky to catch some falling snow so I ended up with more of a dreamy (yet still dramatic) shot. Next time I’ll carry an extra lens, but again set out as early as possible.

~Sarah Cruz, Photographer & Momtography Community Member

Project 365

The first photo project that I seriously attempted was a 365 where you take a photo every day. Ambitious, right? I had felt in a rut with my photos lately, so when a good friend posted she was starting a FB group for this project, I got very excited. I didn’t finish it, but got through 90 days, which I felt was an accomplishment. I learned so much about my style and I became a lot faster at getting my settings correct on my camera. I am now able to capture more of those important moments with my kids! I also learned how to take photos indoors at night since the first 90 days of the year are dark. I really had to embrace grain in photos!

~Casey Raines, Photographer & Orange County CA Momtography Teacher

Holding Hands

I adore the idea of photography projects and gravitate towards projects that allow me to take time and do things at my own laid back pace. The idea that keeps coming back to me is a yearly photo of me holding my child’s hand. And every year we take the picture, same hands being held. When my children get older theses photos would be amazing examples of them as they grew in comparison to my own hand.

~Andrea Goodwin, Momtography Community Member

Life From Our Table

One of my all time favorite photo projects is my “Life From Our Table” series. It started during a class where we were prompted to take a picture of the same thing every day for 30 days. Frustrated by the mess that lives on my dining room table, I chose to photograph that in the hopes it’d motivate me to keep it clean. Instead I ended up embracing the mess and falling in love with the life we live there.

~Jen Doolittle, Momtography & Teentography Community Director +

Want more photo projects to inspire you?