Will you join me?

 

As our city yesterday announced that beginning tomorrow (Monday, March 22, 2020) everyone needs to stay home, I wanted to see who would like to begin a 30-day photo journal with me as we balance home life in the midst of a pandemic.  We are smack dab in the middle of a historic season, a time that will be referenced for years to come.  Yet our daily life needs to continue, even though our normal has been upended.  We still need to buy groceries, the dog still needs to go for a walk, our kids still need love and security and a PB&J sandwich.

 

 

You do not need to have a fancy camera to participate, a cell phone camera will be perfect!  You do not need to have any training in photography to join.  This isn’t about the perfect picture, this is a documentary journal FOR YOU–a journal of those you love and the things you do within your own four walls over the next thirty days.  Let me explain my heart in this…

Freezing Time

 

 

There is something about a photograph that communicates more than words can.  It captures a moment in time and then suspends it.  These next few weeks hold a lot of uncertainty for all of us.  But we have an opportunity to learn and grow and discover beauty in the midst of the chaos around us.  I have been going back and forth on whether or not to start this project, and whether or not to ask you to join me.  What if I don’t finish it?  What if life becomes really hard?  What if the unthinkable happens, as it already is happening to the world around us…almost 800 people took their last breath in Italy alone yesterday.

 

 

But in the midst of this historic time, the daily images we take of the everyday around us will help us see beauty and a perspective that we may not always catch.  Details to give us pause and help us realize what is really important.  So much has been stripped away.  And yet what is most important remains.  At the end of these 30 days, I think you’ll see it.  Do it for yourself…do it for your family.   I’m confident you’ll love the end result as you flip back through your images with your family and friends–because this is about the essence of what you have together.

 

 

The Project

Here is how I’m envisioning this will work.  You can participate in one of two ways–or a combination of both:

1. Take one image a day as “a day in the life“ — it can be of anything to document your day.  If you have children and your kids want to join you, have them take an image, too!
2. Follow the daily prompts I put out on my Facebook Page (see more information below on details).  This might help you if you are feeling stuck or want to be challenged to look for a different perspective on your day.  I did a project like this two years ago and I found it to be so much fun.  Of course, if you’re just having one of those days where you don’t want to put two brain cells together (I have plenty of those, for sure), then you can jump back to the first option for that day and just take a picture–ANY picture–even if it’s only of your feet sticking out from under your covers in the middle of the afternoon.

 

 

Again, I want to stress that you do NOT need to have anything other than a cell phone camera to pull this off.  This is about capturing your next 30 days and NOT a photo contest!  However, regardless of the camera you use, if you want to learn a few things while you are home capturing your moments, this will be a great, low-pressure way to learn!  With my prompts, I will post an example image and a few words to explain the prompt.  If your creative juices aren’t moving yet, I have absolutely NO issue with you just copying what I do.  But my guess is, you’ll soon bring your own creativity to the table, and you probably will surprise yourself at how much you love the end result!

 

 

On the post with the prompt, I would ABSOLUTLEY LOVE to have you post your daily image in the comments!!  It will be a great way to build community together and encourage each other!  PLEASE hear me say again, THIS IS NOT A CONTEST!  So don’t feel intimidated to post your image!  And don’t hesitate to compliment or encourage another person on their image!  If you have captured something about your day, then you have done beautifully, I promise!  The end result is not a judge in a photo contest picking apart your technique and artistry.  The end result is 30 images in 30 days that your family can enjoy for weeks and months and years to come! 

 

The Participants

YOU.  I would love for YOU to participate!  If you have a family with kids at home, great!  If you are single, great!  If you are empty-nesters, great!  If you are anyone or everyone, that is perfect!  We all are navigating this in our various stages of life, and I think each and everyone has an important beauty to share.  Think a minute about your grandchildren who would love to see your daily life in action.  Think about how you could find new ways to document your love of nature or favorite pet.  Ponder a minute about whatever craziness or mundane things you tackle during your days and how you might capture it.

 

 

Let me tell you about what you will learn about me…I love to capture beauty and emotion and connection, but my reality is often messy and unconventional.  You may see that my kids often wear the same clothes for DAYS on end.  If I do a close up image with a dark background, you can be SURE that I’m hiding mess just out of the frame!  And sometimes, I’ll include that mess anyway, because it’s part of us and it makes me look back and laugh.  And I certainly am up for a good laugh these days!

 

 

Which brings me to…

The Prize!

For those of you who join me and finish this project, I want to offer a prize!

Please keep track of your images, post them, and have a way to show me you’ve finished the project.  For those who land on the other side, I will put your names in a drawing and the winner will receive a PROFESSIONALLY FINISHED PHOTO BOOK OF YOUR IMAGES…AND…IF YOU ARE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA (or can get to the St. Louis area), I WILL TAKE A FAMILY PORTRAIT of those who are home with you these next 30 days to include in your photo book!! Of course, that will need to take place after the quarantine is lifted!

 

 

How to join!

1. Follow my Amy Elizabeth Photography page HERE and request to join our private group for this project HERE.
2. Watch for my daily prompts posted to the 30 Days at Home Facebook group.
3. If you’d like to post your daily image, even if it doesn’t follow the daily prompt, you can set up a personal photo album in the group to keep track of your images.  (In the group, go to photos, then albums, then click to add an album.  Title the album with your name, then post your daily photos there.
4. If you have an extra minute, LIKE some of the other images posted and ENCOURAGE the participants.  (This will not be a place for critiques, nor a place for negativity of any kind.  Please ALWAYS use grace and kindness.)
5. Keep a folder of your daily images.  (It’s okay to miss a day or two, especially given the circumstances–this is supposed to bring joy, not stress!)
6. It would be SUPER HELPFUL to know if anyone is joining me.  If you’d like to give it a whirl–I certainly won’t be holding anyone’s feet to the fire to complete it–please comment in the comments either here or on the FB comment section so I know you’re jumping in.  If no one responds, I won’t annoy the feed with my prompts!

 

That should do it!

Before I close, I want to say that I’m sure there are probably things I’m forgetting.  I’d like to keep this simple, as I know we all will have some curve balls to navigate.  So let’s have patience as we kick things off.

And to give you a head’s up on tomorrow…I will let you know that DAY ONE’S prompt is THANKFUL.  Find something that makes you thankful tomorrow and snap that picture!

Blessings,

Amy