New Year, New Project 365.

It has been a few months since I last posted on this blog. The main reason was due to a major difference of opinions on my photography group, which caused a lot of distress for me. So I walked away before they destroyed my passion for photography altogether. To be honest, it was a good thing for me as it gave me a chance to photograph what I wanted, without restrictions and without the critical comments, which were never constructive.

I entered Wiki Loves Monuments 2014 and surpassed my result from the previous year. I did not place in the UK portion, but I did place 7th in the France competition, with a shot, which at the time, was not a favourite of mine. Four days before Christmas, I got the shock of my life and the best news to end the year with, that photo had placed 2nd overall in the International competition. It reignited my passion for photography in a big way, boosted my confidence and gave me the courage to finally face my fear of manual mode.

So this year, I have decided to do my own photo a day, which I am calling Project 365. I have no set themes, no planned shots. I am just shooting in manual, learning and experimenting each day. By the end of this year, I want to be confident in using the full manual mode. I have already started in Aperture Manual, which I have found quite easy to understand, it is just the shutter speed that scares me now, but that is something for me to work on.

All the photos I have taken so far have been posted to:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllacottPhotography
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/EllacottPhoto

However, I will start posting to this blog as well, on a weekly basis as before, with the manual settings I used. So keep an eye out for my new posts.