10 Photography Projects for the New Year to keep you Creative

Every year I try and take part in some kind of project not only to keep creative but so I have something fun to show for the end of the year. I’ve joined groups for 365’s and project 52’s and made it the entire year a handful of times, sometimes I’ve gave up after a few months or missed a day here and there and would beat myself up for ‘failing’ and give up on the whole thing, instead of carrying on and seeing what I ended up with at the end of the year.

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Lockdown over 2020 was the perfect excuse to start a wee project and give things a bash I wouldn’t normally. I will be the first to tell you that being home all day for me can be so uninspiring.

I started a project when the kids were wee call Home Stories and started to shoot the stories of the every day, making it fun and looking for those wee details. Kids post bath wrapped in towels, them napping on the sofa, flushed cheeks when they were poorly, all the things I wanted to keep that would remind me of when they were little. Sometimes I would set up without alerting them and shoot with me in the frame too.

Here are some ideas for starting your own project from some I’ve done in the past, you can find groups to join that will help keep you accountable, or you can dip in and out for a little bit of fun!

365 DAYS
A photo a day for the entire year. This one takes commitment. You can choose one subject matter, I did mine with Ruby when she was little. Some shots were creative and fun and some were just every day moments. You could shoot landscapes or animals, or a bit of everything.

52 WEEKS
One image a week for the year leaving you with 52 images at the end. usually this starts on the first Monday of the year and you produce one image between the Mon-Sun space.

A DAY IN THE LIFE
Once a month I would shoot a Day in the Life. Sometimes I’d shoot with friends and we would share it together on blogs, sometimes I’d wake up and decide that today was the day to shoot one. You can do these as often as you like, or as little which makes them easier and more fun.

10 ON 10
If shooting an entire day feels a little overwhelming, this one is for you.
10 images on the 10th day of the month, a mini Day in the Life if you will. You could even do this as a ‘stories’ project on instagram and have a highlight to look back on at the end of the year.

ON THE HOUR
For a whole day you can shoot an image on the hour (or a chosen time) of the day. This one is also brilliant for instagram stories and you can add a time stamp to each image to show the time too.

THE KIDS WERE HERE
This is a project I’ve seen done so many times and the outcomes can be hilarious. It’s exactly what it says, document the things that kids do. The squished toothpaste tubes, dirty socks on the floor, the loo roll all pulled out, sticky hand prints on the walls. Instead of letting it drive you wild, document it!

LIGHT SEEKER
Theres beautiful light no matter where you look, streaming in from a window, kids faces lit up with a device or a tiny rainbow from a slither of light thats hitting in a mirror. Take time to look around and notice the light at different times of day in your home and document it for a whole day each month/week.

100 DAYS
This was one of the first I found on Flickr (remember that) and you take an image a day for 100 days. Long before I had children I would photograph woodlands and sunsets, so 100 sunsets in a row would be something wouldn’t it? You can, or don’t have to stick to a theme at all

BLACK AND WHITE
I adore a black and white images, they are timeless and can make an ok image striking. Set yourself the challenge of shooting only in black and white for one day a week, or month. Or use this along with one of the other projects above.

PICK UP A NEW TOOL
Always wanted to try a roll of film, or video? Set yourself a wee challenge to use something new once a month and build a little skill set. Shoot like you are using film. Take 1 second of video every day for the whole year (there are apps for this) or do mini day in the life’s with video. The options are endless with this one!