PAD Project Experience... Day 60 Review.

Brian Mosley · #1 April 16th, 2010, 04:06 AM

Hello everyone,

following on from our Day 30 Review, I'm hoping that we can share our thoughts and feelings here as we reach Day 60... I have a personal goal to reach 90 Days of PAD entries, by which time I expect to have established an unconscious habit.

But 90 days is a long time, so having a review at days 30 and 60 is a big help... and now the novelty of getting the project started and enjoying seeing the first few people join has passed, it's a continual challenge to stay focused and positive!

One by-product of our success has been a huge number of images to review and give comments to - when the site was disrupted a few days ago, I wasn't able to post comments for a couple of days and it really hit me how many images were being posted.

So firstly, I would say - don't sweat having to comment on every PAD entry from every member, just do your best... because the encouragement is a huge motivator for everyone in the group! remember to bookmark the latest PAD entries in time order... so that you can dip in and comment easily.

Secondly, lock onto your next milestone... do whatever it takes to get yourself here and share your experience with us... it will really help to inspire those who follow.

Also, why not plan some kind of presentation... maybe a book (blurb is good), an article or a slideshow to celebrate your 90 day project? I'm looking forward to having 90 images to work with, where I did my best every day.

Finally, remember that every challenge you face leaves you stronger

and that we're all rooting for you, and enjoy seeing every PAD you post... everyone needs everyone else to succeed.

Cheers

Brian

mauve · #2 April 16th, 2010, 04:40 AM

TY Brian. I miss not being able to post as much as I wish at the moment, and I struggle as well to post at least one picture every day. But eyeing you all going on is a good motivation and a much needed mind rest from my other occupations.

LisaO · #3 May 23rd, 2010, 07:29 PM

60 Day PAD Review

Day 31-60
Still Life 2
Street 3
Plants and Flowers 11
Environmental and Landscape 11
People 4

I continue to enjoy participating in the PAD. It seems to have become part of my routine. It is probably easiest to do this time of year with long days, pleasant weather and always new flowers in bloom. It will probably get more difficult to keep up during inopportune times. I don't know how long I plan to keep up with this project but I am enjoying all the images I am making and I'm sure I wouldn't have done most of them without the PAD project. So what I like best about it is it keeps me shooting and active in photography which has been a lifelong love for me.

The double edge sword is, on the other had it is quite time consuming, coming up with a subject, getting there, shooting it, processing and posting the images. In addition the comment process can be trying. Since the PAD that gets entries from around the world when you are sort of towards the end of the dateline I think one's work can get lost in the shuffle. Commenting on others blogs is also time consuming but I think it's an important part of the PAD but it can be frustrating as not everyone comments on others work and some who are prolific posters don't support the other PADers. Not that one should have to comment on every post but most PADers appreciate even a bit of feedback.

I recently stopped posting images to the mu43 gallery and have been directly linking from flickr, my mu43 space was dwindling, I saw compression artifacts in the images and one less step.

I general I'm a happy PADer day 60 'til who knows when.

flyby · #4 May 24th, 2010, 12:16 AM

I have very much enjoyed my first 60 days and am now at Day 90. Three months of taking a picture everyday has been both enjoyable and a real challenge. I have become, I think, a better taker of pictures. Like Lisa above, I find it a challenge to come up with subject matter, plan a trip to shoot and then come back and process it in time to make that day's activity..being dead last in the time zone variables.

Having reached day 90, I have decided not to push myself into doing a picture everyday, but to post frequently as possible with subject matter that I find interesting and worthy of posting. I can tell you having gone from an average of 8-10 responses to a post down to 3 or 4 is disheartening. I think feedback, any feedback is essential in keeping one motivated. Yet, I also know how time consuming posting each day in response to a new photo by a fellow Pader is and am myself, guilty of sometimes passing up new entries for the sake of personal time.

All in all, I have throughly enjoyed taking part in this venture. I have gained new friends and respect for the abilities of all those who have and are participating. It's not an easy task..this photo a day..not with all the constraints of everyday life..yet day after day most of us post a new picture..we push ourselves to do things we've never done, to photograph something that may never have occurred to us previously, we learn to see with different eyes and take chances we may have never taken prior to being a PADer.

For that I am grateful. It has been a good journey and well worth the sacrifices along the way.

Brian Mosley · #5 May 24th, 2010, 12:22 AM

Thanks Lisa, I really enjoy your contributions to the PAD, and keen eye for detail in your very constructive comments... I found it very challenging around day 60, but had a definite goal of 90 days which I stuck with, in the expectation that a positive habit would be established by then.

I'm now well beyond day 90 on the strength of that habit alone - just because it's easier to carry on given the benefits of staying focused than to walk away. I now post what I like (occasionally more images than a single PAD) when I like (although it still seems to be daily, I don't feel pressure - more of a daily routine) and rather than execting comments, just feel that I want to share and stay connected with my friends in the PAD group

I do try to comment on everything, but beyond day 90 it feels like I'm more of an 'associate' to the core PAD group making their own way through the project.

Ultimately, I think the 90 day project is a hugely worthwhile project and we share something very special with those who take the journey with us!

Thanks again, looking forward to following your PAD at least to day 90 - and whether the habit works for you as strongly as it has for me

Cheers

Brian

Ian_Holmes · #6 May 31st, 2010, 06:09 PM

That second 30 days really flew by. I was struggling at times in the first 30 days but that could have been the weather conditions.
So the second was a lot more fun than the first 30. The most important thing I did was switch to shooting RAW and sometimes I did deliberately go and shoot certain scenes to see what I could do with them in RAW. I think that I've also been a bit more experimental and creative as well both in the camera and pp.
Carrying the camera is now second nature and I don't think twice about carrying it wherever I go.
What next for the next 30 days? I have no idea...