ASSIGNMENT: TAKE A PHOTO A DAY FOR A YEAR

In early 2008 a design firm asked if they could use some images - the more random the better. The project was to pair an image to a solid Pantone color - inspired by Charles and Ray Eames 'House Of Cards' product. I had twelve portfolios of odd images that I had kept over the years, but they were completely unorganzied. The project needed at least 400 images to edit down to 48 - I was coming up short so I decided to take a photo every day. Once the project for the design firm delivered I continued the photo-a-day assignment. From June 1st 2008, to June 1st 2009 I took a photograph every day with an old D100 and a 1.2/50mm lens - I had a set of macro rings I found at the flea market - just in case.

Cartier Bresson became known for the phrase 'decisive moment' - and said, "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative,".

During this project (as I towed my camera everywhere) the 'decisive moment' became more and more evident to me in practice. I would see an object or pattern and 'click' - that would be my photo of the day. Every few days I would organize the images by date and upload them to this web site, keeping a high and low resolution version only. When I looked at them by month, the 'decisive moment' became my 'decisive memory'. I could remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. The assignment serves as a visual diary, which I continue to make.

None of the images were cropped or digitally enhanced - I cleaned the lens on rare occasion.
All 365 images are compiled in the order they were shot into this 1 minute 15 second movie.