Tookapic

My top posting, based on likes at tookapic.

After 775 straight days shooting and posting a picture each day on tookapic, I finally missed a day. It's not that I didn't have a shot worth posting (I posted plenty of quick snaps to keep the streak going), it's that I didn't have a shot- period. Just plain forgot to pick up the camera and shoot something for the first time in 2 years, 45 days.

I would like to put in a plug for the tookapic website and community. The exercise of posting everyday was certainly challenging and rewarding. I highly recommend a 365 project to everyone. You don't always turn in your best work, and some days you're even a little embarassed to post what you have, but you also learn how to pick out a 'safe" shot on most days, something you can feel good about posting even if it isn't the greatest thing in the world. I remember reading somewhere a professional photographer mentioned that as a strategy - get the safe shot early so you have something to submit if the great shot doesn't happen. A sports guy, if I remember.

More importantly, the community on tookapic is tremendous. It's a lot like the community around here on blogger, but much larger. There's nothing but encouragement and support, negativity is nonexistent. You can request constructive feedback if you like, and even then you can expect mostly positive feedback with a gentle nudge to maybe think about this or that next time around. As the community is mostly based in Europe (Poland is the birthplace of tookapic) there are also frequent physical meetups among tookapic-ers in various locations. I had the pleasure of meeting "Jewels" on her trip to NY last spring.

So I've relieved myself of the pressure to post every day and wanted to return to my old blog as well. I will continue with tookapic but plan to be a bit more picky about what I post.