Meta: Yes, I know, a tripod would make a shot like this better, but I'm wondering if maybe a tripod would break the "rules" here. I mean, when you start going to all the trouble to haul a tripod out somewhere to set up a picture, aren't you trying too hard to call yourself an "amateur" or "snapshooter" anymore? I don't want to be trying too hard. I barely want to try.
Speaking of trying, though, and within this little meta-monologue, this daily-photo effort has been passed the 1/3 of a year mark — I've been doing it for more than four months. That's a lot of photos, and a few of them I do like, but a lot of them — too many, I fear — are filler photos, the best I could do on short notice. It's a little harder than I thought to have one good photo ready every day, especially when your daily activities just don't present much to take a good picture of. Also, the implicit limitation that I won't post pictures of people I know means a lot of the pictures I do take can't become candidates for posting. I didn't start out thinking I would never post a picture of someone I knew, but I've so far mostly resisted doing so because I know that, even though I don't care too much about putting all sorts of details of my life online, I know other people can be much more sensitive to that.
So 1/3 of the way through a year of posting a daily photo, it's harder than I thought, and takes more time than I thought. I still think it's worthwhile, though, because it gives me an excuse to take pictures of all kinds of things I might normally just pass by, and more important, it's meant I have my camera with me much more often so I experience fewer of those moments where you see something you'd really like to remember and think "Oh! I wish I had my camera!" So far, so good.
Oh, and one more thing: I'll take requests. Is there something in D.C. you'd like a picture of? Tell me what and where (via comments or email) and I'll see if I can find it and get a shot for you.
