What You Learn In A Month

It was time for a personal challenge.  SHOOT AN IMAGE A DAY.  Not an instagram image, not a random image, but an image that holds true to my aesthetic, topics, and brand.  For much of my career I've reveled at how I've treated my camera.  A specific tool for specific images.  It was a philosophy that helped me create a concise and visually intertwined portfolio, I had no regrets.  Shooting daily (or loosely as I considered) just had never been my approach. 

7/1/15.  What better way to start a month long project than on the night of a full moon?  Michigan Central looking better than ever, although this was one of the last days it would stand in it's full skeletal form. 

Since this frequency of photography had my comfort zone in a choke hold, I was afraid.  Afraid of not getting a "good" photo each day.  Afraid of straying from my style, watering down my portfolio, and distilling the self editing habits I considered so valuable.  I decided this 31 day project was the perfect challenge to break those mental roadblocks and consciously set out to make a great photo each day.

While there were a few days of slight complacency (and one missed day), most of the month reignited my urge to explore the city and find different ways to portray it.  Some images were spontaneous, several were scouting missions, and some were re-shoots.  I did my best to continue adding images to my Detroit project "RUMORS," but other days I had to switch gears and work within different settings.  Several of the images were reflections my day being filled with personal obligations, leaving nearly no time to shoot.  Throughout the month I chased and followed developing storylines within the city.  Part of the month saw me breaking into entirely new realms of photography, interior real estate and and aerial images.  It's a format that spread out over 31 images tells a story of place, process, and experimentation.

WEEK 1

7/2/15.  Day 2 and I already could barely keep on track.  I was busy building furniture for the store and I could only squeexe in this image of black walnut wood grain.  Lotttttts of sanding. 

7/3/15.  This is honestly a historic image.  Abandoned for over 25 years, Detroit's symbol of urban decay Michigan Central Station received it's FIRST FULL SET of windows.  The change was real. 

7/4/15.  Happy 4th from the Motorcity Casino and their valet's wavy LED lights. 

WEEK 2

7/5/15.  When a new mural pops up, you know.  This one is a few blocks from our home. 

7/6/15.  Black and gold right here in the D.  Well actually Southfield, but close enough. 

7/7/15.  The Red Wings are getting a new arena, but not before some historical buildings are given the boot.  The Hotel Park Ave (left) just days before implosion. 

7/8/15.  Spotted while on the freeway, this trippy acrhitecture couldn't escape my lens. 

7/9/15.  The apprentice strikes again!  An image included in an ongoing series featuring the shoddy (yet beautful) work in some parts of town.  

7/10/15.  A fitting final sunset over the Hotel Park Ave.  Implosion less than 12 hours away. 

7/11/15.  The biggest crowd I've experienced yet in Detroit.  8AM, 200 lbs of dynamite, and imploding some history makes for qute the spectacle. 

WEEK 3

7/12/15.  This Belle Isle visit had to be cut short, thus resukting in more of a scouting visit. 

7/13/15.  Revisited the Forest Arms renovation in Midtown after previously shooting the project in February. 

7/14/15.  Some days were a struggle to get an image... this was how the struggle looked that day. 

7/15/15.  The grids and lines of the city really can keep me creativily occupied. 

7/16/15.  While tame, I got my first chance to explore an abandonded wharehouse.  Ugh the possibilities....

7/17/15.  An updated image of an ongoing renovation project in Midtown, Detroit. 

7/18/15.  At times Detroit looks more like a graphic novel than real life.  Happy for those times. 

WEEK 4

7/19/15.  Turns out I just really love trippy colorful reflections. 

7/20/15.  The place that unknowlding turned me into the artist I am today. 

7/21/15.  Family day at the best waterfall in Western, PA.

7/23/15.  A perfect example of how this project works:  11pm and nothing better than exnteraining your neices. 

7/25/15.  A proper return to Detroit.  Roosevelt Park, just blocks from home. 

7/24/15.  The last residence I occupied in Pittsburgh, PA over 8 years ago.  Felt nice to wander the neighborhood with my camera for the first time. 

WEEK 5

7/26/15.  Aerial photography, CHECK!  After pondering aerial iamges for months, I was officially in.  GAME. CHANGER.

7/27/15.  Decided to dip my toes into some real estate photography.  Take chances when you can.   

7/28/15.  Empty yet interesting.  Another day of real estate photography. 

7/29/15.  When a good LA buddy is visiting all you have time for is a quick neighborhood sunset/moonrise. 

7/30/15.  Third time to Belle Isle in the month and FINALLY got some images to add to the series "Psychedelic Detroit Interiors: P1"

After reflecting on the project, I have a new metric for understanding progress.  I learned that this shooting frequency really strengthens the storytelling muscle..  The thought "what am I going to shoot today" is now weaving through my mind by the time I pour my coffee in the morning.  It's a way to alter patterns, create new habits, and revise the ritual of creating.  After these 31 days, I'm already thinking about next month, and all of them after that. 

7/31/15.  From the stoop of our home, Eldorado General Store, a full moon rises to close out the month long project.