Another reboot. I tried to do this theme several years ago, right after my colors project. I was way too restrictive with my parameters at the time, and I let it go after just ninety days or so.

This time, I knew I wanted to shoot Polaroids for a year. I opened the project with no set agenda, but very quickly I decided I wanted a specific subject matter. I went with typography because I thought it would make for interesting photos considering the media.

The focal length on the vintage cameras I'm using is set at 4-6 feet, the camera doesn't do low contrast well, there are only 3 options for exposure, and the film is extremely finicky. In short, there's not a lot of nuance shooting with this camera. There's also color discrepancy with the photos and frames secondary to the the available light when scanning them with my phone app. I'm not going to kill myself to make those align.

The cameras: Polaroid One Step, USA Constitution Bicentennial edition with 600 film, Polaroid One Step supplement, SX-70 film or 600 with filter.

The parameters: Typography (with the exception of a couple of shots at the beginning.) The camera forced me to shoot only large lettering, so all photos are public instructions or advertising on buildings.

A reboot on my Faces theme, I wanted to do another project that featured people coupled with a conversation every day. I allowed myself the freedom to compose each photo differently and I gave my subjects an out if they were willing to play along, but didn't want to show their face in the photo.

I asked another question again, as I learned last time this was a great way to make a connection and start conversations. This is part of what I wanted out of the project: connections and conversations. We're so divided now and so addicted to dopamine hits from all kinds of sources, especially our phones. We all know on some level something is profoundly wrong. Conversations are a small but effective way to slowly begin righting the wrong.

The camera: Pentax k1-i

The parameters: 16x9 again, all color, fisheye lens for some arty fun and a serious challenge for me.

The idea was to shoot a year on film using the same film, camera, lens, developer, and subject matter. I immediately encountered issues, of course. I did a test roll a week before to ensure the camera I chose, a Canon F1, didn't have light leaks. However, I used a new developer and had the ratio incorrect when I mixed it. (It turns out HC110 has TWO ratios floating around on the web, a European ratio and an American ratio.) I overcooked a few rolls of film before figuring this out. And then I discovered I had light leaks in the F1 anyway. So a week into the project, I started over using a different camera.

This is to say nothing of my film conundrum. I wanted to shoot Kodak Tri-X, my absolute favorite. But it's been a while since I shot film regularly, and the cost of it had risen dramatically, something I didn't realize until I went to order my first stash. For everyday shooting for a year, I couldn't justify the expense of Tri-X, so I decided to switch to Ilford HP5+. It's not my favorite, but we learned to get along.

The camera: Canon T70 with 20-35mm lens

My tenth (!) project, and the first one in which I used another person's suggestion for a theme. A friend mentioned it could also serve as a creative metaphor: do I continue doing them past this year, or do my projects take on a different flavor? I'm leaning towards the former, as I know I still have the emotional stamina to continue. For now, anyway. (I do think taking a good break between projects helps enormously.)

The camera: Pentaxk1, any glass.

The parameters: all digital but no phone photos, 5:7 aspect ratio, color, and only doorways in buildings.

2020 was wretched. At the end of it, my self-esteem was in the toilet for reasons that aren't important, and I wanted a project that would force me out of my comfort zone. Plus after lockdowns and masks and a general feeling of malaise, I felt like making a connection with other people would be good. So I chose "faces" as my theme with the personal challenge to approach strangers and talk to them.

In the beginning, I thought I may change up the question every quarter or so, but as the pandemic lingered and Delta and then Omicron hit the scene, my original question remained relevant throughout. I asked almost everyone (with one or two exceptions) "What 3 words would you use to describe 2020?" The answers ran the gamut from tragic to uplifting. Some had difficulty answering, some were pretty quick with their responses, everyone seemed a bit taken aback by the inquiry, but no one refused to play. It was a good project for me despite it taking a long time to hit my stride with it, and I had some great conversations with people along the way.

The cameras: Pentax k1-ii, various lenses, but almost exclusively 50mm in the second half of the project with iPhone supplement.

The parameters: 9x16 aspect ratio, some kind of face in each photo.