POTD The End: Crash and Burn
My Photo of the Day project imploded
I’ve been avoiding posting an update since April, mainly because I’ve struggled with how to share the end of my POTD (Photo of the Day) project. To be honest, it fell apart quite suddenly, and the turning point was a family trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast in May.
I had high hopes for the trip—I’ve always loved Italy, and I was excited to take my Nikon Z8 along to capture the holiday in high-resolution digital. But at the same time, I was dreading the obligation of the Rolleiflex, forced to take daily black-and-white film shots as part of the project. I knew the logistics—bringing film, keeping it cool, dealing with airport scanners—would be a burden. In a moment of impulse, I also packed some color slide film, which turned out to be a mistake. I rather childishly found myself rushing through the black-and-white shots just to get to the color film—completely undermining the whole purpose of the project.
By the time I got back to the U.S., I had lost all motivation. The final straw? A particularly stubborn border guard at Rome airport insisted my film go through the scanner (funnily enough the much -maligned TSA in the U.S. has always been great about hand-checking film). That whole experience just sealed the deal for me.
The truth is, my commitment had been slipping even before Italy. The trip just hastened the inevitable. Now, I’ve got 50 rolls of undeveloped film sitting in my fridge, and no real urge to process them.
The bright spot in all of this is that I’m still printing in the darkroom! That part of the process is something I’ll continue to explore. And maybe, by forcing myself to develop those remaining rolls and share them, I’ll find some of the original spark that kept me going.
As for this Substack—originally centered around the POTD project—I’m not entirely sure where to take it next. There are so many incredible photographers here sharing their work and insights, and I want to find a new direction that excites me and hopefully interests others. For now, I’ll leave you with a few more shots from the abandoned project.
The Oceanic
Rocket the Corgi
The House in the Lake
Night Scene
I'm sure I will - just need to make start on them.
You took on a huge project! I would have failed much earlier to commit to this daily. I hope you don’t feel too bad about this and see it more as an experience you have learned from. I have started projects which still wait for me to return. I think it’s part of the creative process. Letting it go opens up room for new ideas and projects and maybe you can incorporate some of the photos of this project in the next one. .
I totally understand your hesitance with your Substack. There are so many great photographers here who put out not just excellent photographs but also great writing - it is intimidating and makes one doubt about one’s own talents or means writing a newsletter. I don’t See it as a competition, but as a big nurturing community and everybody brings something to the table.
I hope you will stay active here. Your photos are great. I would love to here more about your experience in the darkroom.