I’ve photographed and selected 35+ photos for my SoFoBoMo book and am in the final post-processing stage with them. I hope to begin laying out and editing my book sometime later this week.
I don’t have a detailed schedule but I’m generally satisfied with progress thus far.
I can’t honestly say I absolutely love all the photos I’ve selected. I like them, but it would be easy to get stuck in a never ending loop–forever peering at finer and finer details or wanting to go out and shoot more.
To circumvent this I’ve accepted there’s a realistic point of being “good-enough.” It’s about finishing a book for me, not about being the best book or being the perfect book. It also helps to keep reminding myself this project is about having fun. If I’m not having fun during the process then I’ve crossed a boundary somewhere and need to lighten up. I don’t want the “fun part” to be only at the end when the book is finished.
I’m sure I’ll continue to face these self imposed challenges and doubts as I proceed into the creation phase. I’m also still bouncing around between a couple of titles.
Note: It’s my son’s 28th birthday today–Happy Birthday, Aaron.
Photo – Moss Pink Phlox growing along a granite outcropping.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Belated happy birthday to your son.
Your decision to go with photos that don’t satisfy you 100 percent, while you keep your eye on the original target (complete a book in 30 days) is a tough decision, I know. Still, many of us get stuck waiting for perfection. Yes, I did raise my hand. I am always relieved to hear that others struggle with finding this balance.
@Anita: Here my logic: I’ve honestly never felt I’ve taken a “perfect photo.” So, to believe I could do 35 in one months time would be insane–there’s always a point of “good-enough.” It doesn’t mean I’ve lower my standards–I’ve defined them.
What a wonderfully healthy position. It took me a long time to come to that, how about you? Some people realize these things early on in life. Some of us beat our heads against the wall for an embarrasingly long time. (I have a lot of lumps on my noggin’.)
Anita: So far it’s taken 56 years and I’m still working on it!
Even though I have quite a few years on you, I stillperiodically lose my way and collect another knot on my head. Sigh. At least we know what we are aiming for.