the dailypic 5000 yr14 252 Forward 5K

A redo of the first dailypic. If you have any interest in browsing the whole set, they are collected here.

Just another day. Let me start with a thank you to all who look at this. I know there are few who have been here since the start. I know many more that check-in ‘now and then,’ and there are even those who are daily viewers. All of you are appreciated. As much as this project is shared with anyone who wants to look, I do not admit enough… this is for me. Selfish, I understand, but true. The photos, the words, the topics, all for me. I need them. Or I needed them. October 1, 2009 I turned 36 years old. I woke at 5:30, was in the truck on the way to a job I was not crazy about by 6 with a camera on the front seat next to me. 6:10 am I took the first dailypic. The camera was in the truck because I was asked to take headshots that day at work. I had mentioned in a meeting I used to take photos, and just bought a new camera and was asked the day before if I would. It was my birthday, I did not want to do ‘real’ work that day so I said sure – I have often thought if I had not been asked to do that if this project would have started. I had been playing with the idea of a daily photo project to get me back into photography, my birthday falls on the first of a month so why not make it a month’s worth. I have told the story many times, but I have left things out, no one likes the darker stuff. I am more secure with the dark these days, I own it. I needed to take these photos over the years. I did not know at the time how many I would need to take, turns out it is thousands.

I owned a business at 22. One Hour photo. Developed film, printed photos, sold frames, took passport photos, I loved it. It was a different world, a bank gave me money at 22 (with the assistance of family), and I OWNED it. It was a success until it wasn’t. 1999 came around and brought digital, killing film, I could see the way things were going, and I made the decision to sell, my business would be obsolete in months if I did not. That led me to Eastman Kodak, another job I loved. I was working for Kodak, and I loved photography, a perfect marriage, until that digital beast that killed my photo lab found me there too. I lost that job, and we as a world really lost Kodak. Then the Corporate Chapter of my life began, it lasted three jobs for almost 20 years, now there was some good, I always found I worked with good people, but I never felt I belonged or fulfilled. I was not supposed to be in any of the jobs I had – the sad part is not only did I know this, they did too. Pretending is hard, tiring, and frustrating. By the time that 36th Birthday rolled around, I missed my photography career – that I had assumed I would have still had way back at 22. I was bitter against digital imaging for taking it away from me, I had stopped taking photos altogether, and frankly, I was not a happy person. Outside my family, I found very little rewarding until I started taking a photo every day. A simple act that became an important part of my sanity.

I made a decision about a year ago that I should consider ending this project. Day 5000 sounded like a number to go out on. A lot has changed since that 36th Birthday. I am no longer in corporate. I am no longer unfulfilled. I am no longer unhappy. I am in a new Chapter. I own a business again. It was built on the backs of all my corporate jobs. I was able to use those jobs to sustain me until it was time to leave them, I found a purpose for them. They used me, I used them. I built my brand, identified as a photographer, expanded my services, built my studio, learned, I learned so much, reading, blogs, practicing, traveling, and listening. I am still learning, I am about to start a whole new project of incorporating film back into my life, something I am very excited about. More on that later. The constant through everything from that day in 2009 to today is the dailypic. Five thousand days of my sanity. I am not here without it. I looked forward to leaving cubicles and going to find a photo. It made days easier to tolerate. It has sent me on trips. It has taken me on adventures with my family, I have learned new techniques simply to post a photo. I have gotten clients from it, made friends, found community. As I said, I am selfish, I did these photos for me.

The bonus is you all. Others who found interest in some of them. In my head, you all stopped reading these paragraphs long ago, and I am OK with that. Maybe my kids will find this post in the future and find something interesting in it. The dailypic is part of their lives too. They were 11 and 8 when it started and are now adults. Many of those early photos were ideas they had – they are owners of this too. As I got closer to that 5000 mark and was considering letting it go, it felt wrong. The reason I was going to stop is it is harder these days. It seems to be more of a chore than it used to be. I finally figured out why and it all clicked. I am happier. I am in a better space. It is no longer the best part of some boring days, for most of my days are filled with great things that I control, all revolving around photography. I am in this new space due in part to the dailypic though, so it deserves to be here. Maybe it will change, evolve, maybe I take a day off now and then, I need to get back to some simple photos, allow myself to just share a moment of my day, they do not need to all be winners, we will see what happens, but for now it moves forward with me. February 16, 2037, is 10,000 days.

tr/trp