How I failed with “One photo a day” challenge and what I’ve learned from it
I started 2025 with a one and only resolution: to grab a camera every single day of the year.
I wanted to dedicate this year entirely to photography. The idea was simple - for 365 days, I would take (and publish) at least one photo each day.
For more than half a year, I didn’t part with my camera at all.
During those six months, I took thousands of “everyday” photos - the kind I took when I had no time for proper photo walks or dedicated photo sessions. At the same time, I went out shooting far more often than ever before.
It was a record-breaking half year of photographing the coast, with intense photo trips abroad, several successful portrait sessions that I initiated and carried out (often unpaid), just to hone my craft.
I shot with a digital camera, film, and Polaroid. In all sorts of conditions - indoors, outdoors, and at night.
There were days when I really did take only one photo. But most often, I came back with entire series.
And then, after about half a year, a combination of different external factors stopped me in my tracks for couple of days, I gave up.
At first, I tortured myself with guilt over failing my own challenge. It took me a couple of weeks to let go and give myself time.
When I once again felt the urge to pick up my camera - this time without strict rules - I realized that this six-month “innocent game” had actually been a process of pushing my own limits, one that changed my photography for good.
I’ve already written about the benefits of self-assignments, and I encourage you to read that piece if you sometimes struggle with a lack of inspiration.
But in this particular case - what exactly changed, what did I notice, what were the consequences?
Disclaimer: My goal was to train my photographic muscle, not to perform at the highest level. It was supposed to be fun. Be careful with this, because as creatures often prone to competing (including with ourselves), it's easy for us to go to extremes and turn fun game into destructive contest.
From there, it's only a short step to burnout.
I learned to see in frames
Being forced to take at least one photo I could be satisfied with pushed my brain into a different mode - one where I was constantly looking at the world in terms of frames and compositions. After a while, I started seeing photo opportunities everywhere.
That’s also when some of my favorite images were created - simple captures of completely ordinary, everyday scenes.
I built solid foundations for my style
Such an intense and regular practice had an irreversible impact on the way I photograph. Quite naturally, I began to intuitively navigate toward certain subjects and scenes, while rejecting others that no longer interested me. In this way, I gained clarity about what I enjoy photographing (and how), and what I don’t.
Eventually, it was around that time that I also decided to step away from most of the paid commissions.
I built the habit of regular practice
Up until then, I used to say that photography was my passion, yet there were weeks when my camera just sat untouched on the shelf. Once I took on the challenge, I carried it with me everywhere and reached for it more often than ever before. In that practice - in scanning for frames and going through the full process of making photographs - I found a kind of meditative quality that helped me stay present in the moment.
I also realized that, just like an athlete or a musician, if I want to be good at what I do, I need to practice regularly.
I stopped looking for excuses
No light, no time, no ideas, no inspiration… - none of these should ever be a reason not to pick up my camera. Shooting in extreme conditions (think: a small town, when you only have half an hour after work, when dusk has already fallen) raised the bar for me and became a true challenge.
Every time I came back home with a successful photo, it became a source of satisfaction - proof that I had pushed past my own limitations.
I refined and sped up my workflow
Naturally, taking and publishing photos every single day forced me to make quicker selections and edits. Over those six months, my editing skills in Lightroom skyrocketed, and I grew to enjoy that part of the process far more than ever before.
I also started treating the entire journey as one cohesive process - from the moment I packed my camera into the bag, through pressing the shutter, to exporting the final image - and I learned to find joy in every step along the way.
I don't have to travel to take exotic photos
This belief, I bet, is shared by every beginner and intermediate photographer, especially those with a little thing for travel.
This might be used an excuse not to photograph when you’re at home. The truth is you don't have to travel to the other side of the world to capture photos that delight people... at the other end of the world. Your backyard is exotic to anyone who doesn't live there.
If you treat your surroundings like they matter, they will.
When you feel stuck
Even though I ended my challenge after six months, its impact on my photography practice has been huge.
If you ever feel like you lack structure, motivation, or inspiration to shoot - and you’d like to take your skills to another level - I can’t recommend enough trying a challenge like this.
Of course, you don’t need to be as extreme as I was. But setting yourself even a small degree of regular creative rhythm - whether in photography or any other form of creative work - will undoubtedly bring you closer to your goals.
I created a guide (well, a mini-course is a better word), which will help you make more compelling, clean pictures.
It includes a little bit of theory, example images and practical tips/exercises.
Do you want to start making minimalistic, clean images that stand out? That guide is for you. And yes, it’s FREE.