Catch the Moment | 2015 365 Project

So many times in 2014 I felt like I was going to fail and not complete my 365 project and honestly I did fail. There were days that I didn't take a photo - none - but I gave myself a break and took a few extra to represent those days and kept going. After being pregnant and SICK then having a newborn and being sick - I just wanted to call it a day and say I'll try again next year, but I didn't. I made it to the end and I am proud. Even on the days there are photos taken with my iPhone - well to be honest some of the photos taken with my iPhone are some of my favorites - I still accomplished my goal.. for the most part.

My goals and reason for doing this are I want to be able to look back in a month, six months and in twenty fifteen and see the every day. I want to push my photography skill to the next level. I want to learn more, love more, seek more and I want every day to reflect something. Be it a celebration, a moment I didn't want to pass, a lesson learned or even just the normal every day routine I want to capture it, store it away, and share it here with you. I want to share the passion I have for photography, my family, and life. That is kind of the point of this blog. So, this is just taking it to a whole new level.  - Posted January 3, 2014

A favorite of Jonah - Just look a those lashes! 

The moments I was able to capture are so precious. There were celebrations and there were just regular old days that went by too fast. The winter turned to spring and the spring to summer - the Fall brought a baby and a boy who turned one year older. It was an adventure for sure and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store!

So, here we go again! Will you join me? 

Here are my personal goals for this year's project. If you are joining in, tell me your goals in the comments below! 

• Take a purposeful photo every day. Be intentional about my 365 photos - some days I take 100s of photos - but I really want my 365 photos to represent the day or the person or subject in a purposeful way. This won't happen every day - I'm realistic about that, but that's why we make goals right? Something to strive for. 

I can still remember looking over at him with MeMe's map in hand several times during this week. Love my inquisitive boy. I hope he gets to travel the world! 

•  Take a portrait of at least one family member per week. I am thinking of doing a series - something like Weekend Portraits: 52 Weeks of Us. I want this to include my husband and myself or any combination of our family members. 

Jonah and I - a few weeks after he became a big brother. We were really struggling in those weeks, but I love this photo and it helps me remember the bright spots!  

• Carry my Canon. I have a lot to carry with two little kids, but I still too often want to just use my iPhone and I probably still will some but I can really practice my art in the everyday if I bring my camera along. 

Taken with my iPhone - but still one of my favorites from the year! 

• Grow my art. I never want to stop growing and learning. I want to be able to see growth in straight out of the camera photos as well as how they look post processing when looking back over the year. 

We get one maybe two snows a year, so I get very little experience photographing it. There's always room to grow behind the camera!

Every Friday Mindi, Carrie and I will host a place for photographers of all kinds to share, explore, grow and connect. Our common goal: one photo, every day, for three hundred and sixty five days. Whether you are using a fancy smancy professional camera, your first DSLR, a point and shoot, or your ever-so-handy phone camera, we want to see your photos! We want to see the moments you caught each day. How amazing will it be to see each of us accomplish something that seems so big?

Here are a few guidelines for bloggers:

1. Link up the blog post including your photos taken the previous week (Thursday- Wednesday). Please link the direct blog post, not your homepage and select your favorite from the week as your thumbnail!
2. Use our Catch the Moment 365 button or link back to one of your hosts (Behind the Camera and Dreaming, Stavish Stills Photography, My Life, Our Journey) somewhere within the post.
3. By adding your link you are giving permission for your blog post and/or photos to be featured if we choose to do so. Watermarks will never be removed and photos never manipulated in any way.
4. The weekly link up will be open Friday mornings and close Thursday before midnight and you can add your link on any of your hosts’ blogs.
5. If you get behind, you can choose to take multiple photos in one day or just start that day where you left off and keep counting - it's your project and up to you! There was much discussion about this last year and everyone solved it different ways - point is we want you to keep going! 
6. If you miss a week (or two) of posting on your blog feel free to share multiple weeks in one post.
7. Most importantly, have fun, and support each other! Don't forget to visit the other participants, and leave some comment love! The more you participate the more feedback and encouragement you will get!

Suggestions for sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram:  

1.  If you are sharing a blog post or just a daily photo, use #catchthemoment365. That way we can all connect, comment, and support each other on social media.  
2. You can additionally choose a personal hashtag that will link your own photos from each day and post throughout the year (For example: #catchthemoment365BTCAD)