The completion of Project 365, and the advent of Project 1000!

Project 365 – taking and posting a photo each and every day for a full year – is now complete. It has been a long, but rewarding, challenge and has had some very positive results. I’m glad I did it, and I’m equally glad it’s over.

While another 365 is not in the cards for a while, we (the local group who participated in this project) decided we would like to continue with some sort of Photo Challenge for 2012… something not as daunting as a 365.

I should add, for those who haven’t realized, that I have actually been doing TWO 365 projects this past year – one revolving around the Historic Gardens (THIS blog) and another one as my alter ego, The Garden Shutterbug, that was purely about the community and my personal development as a photographer. You can see the fruits of my TGS labour via my Shutterbug Blog at www.thegardenshutterbug.ca or my personal Flickr Collection.

I have included a link below that gives a bit of a wrap-up on Project 365 and provides details about what the plan is for a 2012 Photo Project. My Shutterbug persona will be taking on a different challenge than my Historic Gardens one, just to make life interesting! Because this is the Historic Gardens Blog, I will briefly describe plans for my Historic Gardens project and recommend you follow the link at the bottom to read up on the rest.

So, Project 1000: it’s pretty simple really – take and post/share 1000 photos of different aspects of the Historic Gardens before December 31. There will be no set schedule, no pre-selected themes: just lots of photos that show the best of what the Historic Gardens is all about. My motivation for this is also quite simple: I stumbled upon this “modernized” proverb:

“A journey of a thousand photos begins with a single click”

…and I immediately knew this was what I wanted to do in 2012.

I guess I’d better get “clicking”…

Read more: Wrap up comments for Project 365, and plans for 2012.

Project 365 – The Day After – A New Year

Project 365 – The Day After – A New Year, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 – A New Year.

The Day After: For some reason, in my little brain, my 365 project (which technically finished Dec 31) needed a final New Year’s Day shot to truly be complete. I guess it felt right to have the end shot on the same day as the start shot. My mind works in mysterious ways!

This final “bookend” shot is of my 2012 Historic Gardens calendar, freshly hung today for January 1. It seemed a fitting way to end a year long project.

Day 365 – 31Dec2011 – Hope Springs Eternal!

Day 365 – 31Dec2011 – Hope Springs Eternal!, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Hope Springs Eternal!

Day 365 – Yay! It’s Day 365 of 365, meaning my 365 day photo challenge is now officially complete! It has been a great learning experience, but I am definitely ready for a somewhat less onerous challenge for 2012.

Shown here is the Paulownia Tree at the Historic Gardens, buds set and waiting for spring. How optimistic such plants are, to set their flowers so early, before months of cold and snow, knowing they will become beautiful blossoms come spring.

Day 364 – 30Dec2011 – Ready for Spring

Day 364 – 30Dec2011 – Ready for Spring, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Ready for Spring.

Day 364 – The magnolia buds throughout the Historic Gardens have formed up and lie dormant awaiting the warm days of spring.

While many people think this is due to our very warm December, that is not the case – this is a normal thing for magnolias, rhodies and many other spring bloomers.

Day 363 – 29Dec2011 – Sunlit Kale

Day 363 – 29Dec2011 – Sunlit Kale, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Sunlit Kale.

Day 363 – Amazingly enough, the ornamental kale in the Innovative Garden is still very colourful and provides a highlight on a sunny day.

Day 362 – 28Dec2011 – Kerr Elm at Dusk

Day 362 – 28Dec2011 – Kerr Elm at Dusk, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Kerr Elm at Dusk.

Day 362 – I happened to be at the Gardens late in the afternoon today and noticed that the Kerr Elm (shown in its snow-covered glory a week ago) had a pink glow behind it, even in its eastern setting.

Day 361 – 27Dec2011 – Winter Vista

Day 361 – 27Dec2011 – Winter Vista, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Winter Vista.

Day 361 – With rain in the forecast, I thought I’d take a trek around the Historic Gardens and capture some snowy shots while I could. This scene is of our pond area, where in the summer many weddings are held.

Day 360 – 26Dec2011 – Christmas Ornament 2

Day 360 – 26Dec2011 – Christmas Ornament 2, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Christmas Ornament 2.

Day 360 – The Christmas holidays provided me with a bit of a challenge in fulfilling my requirement for a Historic Gardens themed photo each day. Luckily, my sister’s Christmas Tree has all the Historic Gardens ornaments hanging on it, providing the shot I needed.

Day 359 – 25Dec2011 – Christmas Ornament

Day 359 – 25Dec2011 – Christmas Ornament, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Christmas Ornament.

Day 359 – The Christmas holidays provided me with a bit of a challenge in fulfilling my requirement for a Historic Gardens themed photo each day. Luckily, my sister’s Christmas Tree has all the Historic Gardens ornaments hanging on it, providing the shot I needed.

Day 358 – 24Dec2011 – Snowy Broccoli

Day 358 – 24Dec2011 – Snowy Broccoli, originally uploaded by Historic Gardens.

Project 365 HG – Snowy Broccoli.

Day 358 – Some late blossoms on the broccoli in the Innovative Garden made an interesting snow shot…