For a full year I have strapped my camera to my back, placed it in my backpack, or put it in the front seat of my truck to meet my goal of taking a picture a day for 365 days. My intent of the project was to simply take a picture each day to improve my photography skills. Looking at the results I am shocked by how the project changed my view of photography and my photography skillset. You can read a full review of the top ten things I learned by heading to the link below. In the meantime, please flip through the gallery!
10 Things I learned By Creating an Image for 365 Days
January 1 : My niece is all smiles on New Year’s Day
January 2nd : A muskrat makes an unexpected appearance along the road at Sax Zim Bog during a day of birding.
January 3rd : Cold whip up over Ottertail Lake in Minnesota. A sundog – the essence of cold weather- hangs in the sky
January 4th : The skyline of Milwaukee Wisconsin during a beautiful sunset
January 5th : A brown trout is hoisted through a hole in Lake Michigan
January 6th : A Cedar Waxwing hangs in the crab apple trees along the road, dining at 15 below
January 7th : A cold wind whips up mist from the river and pushes the windchills to 30 below.
January 8th : My plane departs out of Seattle, WA showing the extent of the city and lights
January 9th : An alder cone is encrusted in ice for the long winter
January 12th : In front of the Alaska Range the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the foreground like Zeus had returned to Olympus
January 13th : My first sunset since returning to Alaska because of clouds the previous days
January 14th : The moon sets during the morning and is framed by snow-covered trees
January 17th : The Alaska Range south of Fairbanks is lit up but a beautiful sunset
January 15th : A sharp tip
January 16th : In my office you never know what you’ll find on your desk!
January 17th : Jumbled Ice on the Tanana River forms dunes of a frozen desert
January 18th : Comet Lovejoy over Ester Dome, AK
January 19th : Hoar frost covers a black spruce bow in the hills above Fairbanks, Alaska.
January 20th : Snow covered birches form a tentacle tunnel to my house.
January 21st : Empty your mind.
January 22nd : Sharps, but not sharp
January 23rd : Bearing snow in the Fairbanks area
January 24th : Cabin in the woods in the Fairbanks area
January 26th : Aurora borealis and a setting moon – images taken near -40 degrees!
January 27th : Temperatures hovered around -30 degrees as the sun setting the steam to pink.
January 28th : Mountain Ash Berries, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
January 29th : Bohemian Waxwings take flight at University of Alaska Fairbanks
January 30th : Pastels reflect off the stainless steel sculpture at the UAF Museum of the North
January 31st : As the ice fog rolls into lower campus of the University of Fairbanks, light pillars form
February 1st : Aurora borealis north of Fairbanks, Alaska
February 2nd : Sunrise over the University of Alaska Fairbank’s ice climbing wall
February 3rd : Wood siding on the authentic sod hut at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
February 4th : Inversions and the full moon at University of Alaska Fairbanks
February 5th : Unders of a horseshoe crab
February 6th : Full moon over Cold Climate Housing Research center
February 7th : Sled dog at Black Spruce Dog Sledding
February 8th : Aurora borealis panorama. Taken 02/07 at 10:30 PM, however, since the aurora extended past midnight I’m counting it for the 8th
February 10th : Downy Woodpecker at the suet
February 11th : Blue lights on campus
February 12 : Sunshine off the Wood Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
February 13th : Star trails over my house. Compiled in Star Trails Software
February 14th : Drilling holes in the Tanana River for burbot – needed some reach! Lots of ice.
February 15th : Ice companions
February 16th : A red aurora from a coronal hole
February 17th : “Looking Through”
February 18th : Totem Pole at the University of Alaska Museum of the North
February 19th : On the tracks
February 20th : Ice climbers at University of Alaska Fairbanks
February 21st : Look both ways, Mr. red-backed vole
February 22nd : On the Ice
February 23rd : “Gyroscopic Wings”
February 25th : Capo on the 1st
February 26th : Moon over the Village
February 27th : Mallards on the Chena River
February 28th : Auroral split
March 1st : Remnants of the melt
March 2nd : A Beautiful day at the University’s Museum of the North
March 3rd : Getting cussed at from a limb
March 4th : Melting
March 5th : Snow day outside of the office
March 6th : The Alaskan Range
March 7th : Sharptail in the snow
March 8th : In Flight
March 9th : The Ice Dragon
March 10th : Sun Dog
March 12th Ted Stevens International Airport
March 13th : McAllen, Texas
March 14th : Common Paraque
March 15th : Eastern Screech Owl
March 16th Latana
March 17th : Master Pollinator
March 18th : Engagement!
March 19th : Green Anole Lizard
March 20th : Green Jay
March 21st : Invasive Cane Toda
March 22nd : Seattle’s light Pollution
March 23rd : Wickerhsam Dome Aurora
March 24th : Snowshoe hare
March 25th : Literary Classics
March 27th : An amazing piece from Perrin Teal-Sullivan’s art gallery “Here is where we moved the mountains”
March 28th : George the happy sled dog!
March 29th : Aurora selfie, crooning under the aurora
March 30th : A wonderful clear sunset over the Alaskan Range as seen from Fairbanks
March 31st : March Hare
April 1st : Twilight on the musem
April 2nd : Fly Traps
April 3rd : 2nd grade art show
April 4th : White Mountains lookout
April 5th : On the trail
April 6th : Hess village
April 9th : Purple splendor
April 10th : Early morning purple
April 11th : Mendenhall Ice Caves
April 13th : From the Baranof
April 14th : Kingfisher pair
April 15th : Skunk Cabbage
April 16th : North Douglas Beach, Juneau, Alaska
April 17th : Eagle Beach, Juneau
April 18th : Spinning
April 19th : Dusk
April 20th : Dream Catcher
April 21st : Home
April 22nd : One last show
April 23rd : Dark nights and car lights
April 24th : Spring!
April 25th : Vernal Pools
April 26th : New goose in the old growth
April 28th : Labrador tea
April 29th : Yearling moose
April 30th : Spring Hare
May 1st : Bumble bee on a willow
May 2nd : Moonlight in the birches
May 3rd : Northern Shovelor
May 4th : Bufflehead
May 5th : Baby reindeer
May 6th : Great-horned Owl
May 7th : Summer sundog
May 8th : Blossoming Birch
May 9th : Rusty Blackbird
May 10th : Dinner time
May 11th : Moving out of frame
May 13th : Meadow Vole
May 14th : Sunset
May 15th : The Golden Hour
May 16th : Leading to the Mountain
May 17th : Equisetum.
May 18th : Ballerina
May 19th : On the Tanana
May 20th : Sunset
May 21st : Spotted Sandpiper at Wander Lake
May 22nd : The Yawn
May 23rd : Memorial Day Weekend
May 24th : The adventure begins at Circle, Alaska
May 25th : Sweepers
May 26th : Sunrise
May 28th : Best side of a green-wing teal
May 29th : Singing your heart out
May 30th : Widgeon on the Wing
May 31st : Edge of a front
June 1st : Cross fox in Fort Yukon, Alaska
June 2nd : Swallow aerobatics
June 3rd : Bluebells
June 4th : Wild Rose
June 5th : Stormy Sky
June 6th : 7 legs
June 7th : Rain after the storm
June 8th : Alpine arnica
June 9th : Mount Denali
June 10th : Caribou in Denali NP
June 12th : Family
June 13th : Daisy
June 14th : Can You Hear Me NOW?!
June 15th : Looking beyond the nest.
June 16th : Forest Floor
June 17th : Anniversary!
June 18th : Yukon River Sunset
June 19th : Northern Hawk Owl
June 20th : Longspur chick on the tundra
June 21st : Solstice at Finger Mountain, Alaska
June 22nd : Yellow Paintbrush
June 23rd : Heavy smoke in Fairbanks
June 24th : Persistent heavy smoke in Fairbanks, Alaska
June 25th : Flowers under a smokey sun
June 27th : Summer tomatoes in the rain
June 28th : Steese Highway Butterfly
June 29th : Great-horned owlets
June 30th : Smokey sunset from Ester Dome
July 1st : Stamen of the fireweed
July 2nd : Sled dog puppies
July 4th : Wandering Tattler
July 5th : Fireweed in front of the mountains along the Denali Highway
July 6th : Looking back at Matanuska Glacier
July 7th : Fishing at sunset in Homer, Alaska
July 8th : Talons outstretched
July 9th : Anenome in the tidepool
July 10th : Tufted Puffine, SeaLife Center, Seward, Alaska
July 11th : Breeching humpback, Seward, Alaska
July 13th : A young eagle between Skilak and Bing’s Landing
July 14th : Purple aster after the rain, Denali National Park
July 15th : Sitka burnet and Red burnet, Denali National Park
July 16th : Denali adventurers
July 17th : Summer garden bounty
July 18th : Sawyer’s tools
July 19th : For sale
July 20th : A carpet of fireweed at Creamer’s Field, Fairbanks, Alaska
July 21st : A young spruce grouse
July 22nd : Ladybug having dinner
July 23rd : A spider waits in a shimmering web
July 24th : A low sunset illuminates a field of invasive bird vetch
July 25th : A small toadstool springs through the sphagnum moss
July 26th : Red-necked grebes on a second nest while the half grown chicks look ok
July 28th : Happy sled dog puppies at Black Spruce Dog Sledding
July 29th : Another rain squall brings a small rainbow over the house
July 30th : Sharp-shinned Hawk
July 31st : Double Rainbow!
August 1st : Newly waning moon
August 2nd : Mountain Avens in seed
August 3rd : Ant tending aphids
August 4th : Fresh salmon on the grill
August 5th : Raindrops on lupine leaves
August 6th : Large flowers!
August 7th : Lily portrait
August 8th : Northern Wheatear, Steese Highway
August 9th : Moose in my yard
August 10th : Waiting for the train to pass
August 12th : Double spruce grouse
August 13th : Spooky mushrooms at night
August 14th : Damselfly in the sunset
August 15th : First aurora of the year!
August 16th : Dramatic clouds in a sunset over Chena River
August 17th : Mushrooms in the dark
August 18th : Raven sentinel
August 19th : crimson fall
August 20th : Sandhill silhouttee
August 21st : Sunrise over ranier
August 23rd : north star timelapse
August 24th : Midwest milky way
August 25th : Ruby-throated hummingbird
August 26th : slight aurora in central Minnesota
August 28th : white lilies at the lake
August 29th : best friends
August 30th : Juvenile common loon
August 31st : Katy-did at night.
September 1st : Viceroy butterfly, Maplewood State Park
September 2nd : A dewy morning
September 3rd : Meadow Blazing Star
September 4th : Thunderstorm over a a lake
September 5th : Monarch Butterfly on Meadow Blazing Star
September 6th : Balancing act
September 7th : Night in the city
September 8th : A river of autumn
September 9th : Golden Birches
September 10th : Sunset through the spruces
September 12th : Autumn Snow
September 13th : Moose hunting
September 14th : Pitcher plant cap
September 15th : Tiny life on the leaves
September 16th : Soggy Sandhill Cranes
September 17th : Autumn fungi
September 18th : Great to see the sun again
September 19th : Red squirrel with some rainbow nesting material
September 20th : Ruffed-grouse
September 21st : Coleus
September 22nd : Stars over the Stars-and-stripes
September 23rd : Light pollution
September 24th : Single beam
September 25th : Gray Jay, Gray Day
September 27th : Flag head
September 28th : Recording studio
September 29th : On the Bus
September 30th : Lacewing on snow
October 1st : Sunrise at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks
October 2nd : A 5 day power outage at my house due to snow meant I had to heat with my range-top
October 3rd : My African Cichlid “G”
October 4th : Spruce Grouse on my Way to work
October 5th : Overlooking the Totem at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
October 6th : Streaks of purple in a beautiful sun-kissed aurora display
October 7th : A veil in front of the aurora
October 8th : Spinning around the North Star
October 9th : Stars over my house and the Aurora Borealis
October 10th : Birch bark in the sunlight
October 13th : Belly-crawling for a spruce grouse
October 14th : Sunrise through the spruces
October 15th : Sunrise over Fairbanks
October 16th : Aurora Borealis through my window.
October 18th : A Black-capped Chickadee keeping an eye out
October 19th : Green glow of the Aurora Borealis
October 20th : Fast moving, moonlit clouds
October 21st : Window to the Alaska Range
October 22nd : Can geometry
October 23rd : Auroral Reflection
October 24th : High clouds at Sunrise
October 25th : Experimental composite combining a star-spin and human subject (me)
October 26th : 6 String shadows
October 27th – Hard and soft apples
October 30th : Light tunnel in Detroit Airport
October 31st : Reunited with my Maine Family.
November 1st : Photographing a beautiful wedding
November 2nd : Fall foliage in Maine
November 3rd : Sebago Lake, Maine from the air
November 4th : Enjoying a glass of wine
November 6th : Welcoming Baby Beckett into the world
November 7th : Star spin over deer camp
November 8th : Sunrise of a successful hunt
November 9th : Sailfin Tang
November 10th : Sky High
November 11th : Star spin over a winter wonderland
November 12th : Sunset over the University of Alaska, Fairbanks
November 14th : Sunset in a winter wonderland
November 16th : A bright portion of sundog in the sky
November 17th : Sunset
November 18th : Raven banter
November 19th : Take a Seat for the Aurora
November 20th : A burst of sunrise illuminating old fox tracks
November 22nd : Snow day abstract
November 23rd : Pink sunrise
November 24th : Cooking Essentials
November 25th : Black-capped Chickadee
November 26th : Stars
November 27th : Moonlit Wonderland
December 1st : Sunburst through a winter wonderland
December 2nd : Blurry eyed
December 3rd : Reflections
December 5th : Burst of Aurora in a winter wonderland
December 6th : Full sky aurora
December 7th : Starspin and the Christmas Spirit
December 8th : Milky Way Panorama in Fairbanks Alaska
December 9th : The Takeoff
December 10th : The Ladyslipper
December 11th : Great-horned Owl
December 12th : Waiting for dinner
December 13th : Moving on the runway
December 14th : Home for Christmas
December 15th : First ever rooster pheasant sighting in the yard!
December 17th : Downy woodpecker staying warm in the snow
December 18th : Making lefse with Grandpa
December 19th : A full mouth and a happy hand
December 22nd : Woody the woodpecker
December 23rd : Canadas overhead
December 24th : Full Moon on Christmas Eve
December 25th : First Christmas
December 26th : Big family of swans
December 27th : Cedar Waxwing eyeing a meal
December 28th : Winter plumage Gold Finch
December 29th : Starfish
December 30th : Old flowers in the sunset
Your photography is like none I have ever seen before. I have thoroughly enjoyed viewing your pages, all the photos and videos. Absolutely beautiful! I a completely awestruck. Thank you for being such a great photographer and sharing your works with others. I appreciate what you do, and all the hard work you put in to create these phenomenal and perfect images.
Wow! Thank you so much Diana! If you would like, sign up for the email of the blog:). I post about once per week, so it won’t plug up your inbox! I really enjoy maintaining this blog, so it’s great to get reviews like yours! 🙂 Thanks again!
Awwww, you still have the monkey! I love this project, Ian, and the fact you started it out with the princess of our family! I will eagerly look for the new “image of the day”!
Sorry, just getting to this. Lots more images now! And yes, that monkey has his little spot on the shelf 🙂
I love how ambitious this is!
Yeah, It was much harder right off the bat. But now that I’ve settled into carrying my camera everywhere and prowling for shots I am finding it easier to get subjects. Looking forward to challenging myself!
Your mom has often sent me links to this page and I love looking at all the great pictures. I do think the January 1st picture is the best, though. 🙂
Hi Deb! Great to hear from you, and thanks for stopping by! 🙂 That January 1st picture is a keeper for sure! She’s a photogenic little girl. Say hi to Jerry for me – sixth grade seems a loooonng time ago!!
Ian, I sit in awe at the pictures you capture. I really like the layout with the circles. I am interested in a collage of your photos for my guest bathroom. We will need to talk about this.
Love to you,
Pat
Hey Aunty Pat! that would be GREAT!! Exciting! :D:D See you soon!
Cool idea! Great Work!
Thanks Caprice!