• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My Favourite Lens

Vintage Lenses and Film | Information, Inspiration, and Creation

  • photography guides
  • reviews
    • film reviews
    • vintage lens reviews
    • camera reviews
    • book reviews
  • photo essays
    • film photo essays
    • vintage lens photo essays
    • digital photo essays
  • projects
    • shoot all the films
    • lee sixty five
  • resources
    • start a blog
    • guest post
    • blogging resources
    • lightroom presets
    • prints + merch
You are here: Home / #leesixtyfive / The #leesixtyfive Project: Photographs 1 – 30

The #leesixtyfive Project: Photographs 1 – 30

#leesixtyfive project

Image shot with F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and processed with Vintage Film Lightroom presets

I don’t remember the exact date, but sometime before 21st July 2017, I had a realisation.

Despite having this website, I wasn’t really doing much street photography.

There was a steady stream of articles getting written and published, but they would typically contain just three shots from a bigger batch that I’d taken during a full day spent shooting.

However, this was often weeks and sometimes months earlier.

Because these batches would sustain me for quite a few articles, I simply wasn’t shooting as often as I could or should be.

So to get myself out with my camera more, I decided to start a 365 project. That is, shooting and uploading a photograph every day for a year.

I think most people do these over a calendar year, starting from January 1st. This being the summer, I didn’t want to wait six months.

So the #leesixtyfive project started on my birthday – the 21st of July.

Now we’re a month in, I want to reflect on how it’s been going.

geese and cranes, #shanghai Shot with the vintage F.Zuiko 38mm F1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 21, 2017 at 2:49am PDT

Not every photograph has been a masterpiece

That’s the first photograph I uploaded for the #leesixtyfive project.

It’s not one of my favourites, which in some ways is a shame. It’d be nice to have started this thing with a bang.

But one thing I’ve learnt from this first month is that you can’t expect to come back with a masterpiece every time you go out.

Some of the photographs I’ve used for this probably wouldn’t have made it into a normal article on this site.

I won’t say exactly which because I don’t want to sway your opinion of any of them, but you can presume they’ve been left until the end instead of being embedded throughout this piece.  😀

The best and most surprising thing about having a few sub par photographs is that I’ve found myself not really caring.

Of course, you would prefer every shot to be outstanding. Too many bad shots will dilute the whole project. But there’s a balance to be had, and uploading a couple of 6/10 photographs here and there is better than breaking the streak.

The body of work as a whole is what’s important.

too many cooks, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 10, 2017 at 10:47pm PDT

5 guys, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the vintage F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 29, 2017 at 4:15am PDT

twin towers, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the vintage F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 26, 2017 at 8:36am PDT




Some photographs have been surprisingly good

That sounds egotistical but I can explain.

I wrote an article a while ago explaining how one hour of street photography is enough. The first month of the #leesixtyfive project has reinforced this belief for me.

There have been days where I’ve been very pushed for time, have taken my camera to wherever it was I needed to be, shot scenes that I thought were maybes at most, and have come back very pleasantly surprised with the result.

That ‘twin towers’ photograph up there was taken while travelling around one evening looking at new apartments. I got home later, tired and stressed, wondering if I’d got anything worth using.

Turns out I had.

Other shots needed less than one hour.

They were some days where I knew the first scene I shot had given me a keeper straight away.

The ‘business time’ photograph below is an example of this.

I think shooting every day sharpens your eye. It’s like writing every day, or running every day. You just maintain a level that drops off when you stop.

It feels like shooting every day has helped me assess a scene and get a good photograph more instinctively, which is where the surprise that it is a good photograph comes from.

business time, #shanghai #leesixtyfive Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 10, 2017 at 8:36am PDT

A project that gets (some) people’s attention

I’ve written before about being wary of social proof with your street photography; about how the number of Instagram likes it gets isn’t a reliable measure of how good (or bad) it is.

I maintain that a single photograph with 100 likes is probably not twice as good as one with 50. It might not even be better at all (with ‘better’ being subjective, of course).

But that’s not to say we can’t use likes as a measure of something else.

If we compare cumulative likes over two periods of time, I think they can at least be an indicator of how many people you’ve reached over those periods.

The 30 days before I started the #leesixtyfive project, I uploaded 13 photographs to Instagram. At the time of writing, they’d got 644 likes, at an average of just over 49 each.

The 30 photographs I’ve uploaded so far for the #leesixtyfive project have garnered 1152 likes at an average of just over 38 each.

I’m not too bothered about those averages. It’s the 644 vs 1152 cumulative likes that are interesting to me.

Discounting potential likes from bots, which Instagram have been busy purging, every like is someone seeing my photograph and being moved to make a small gesture on their phone.

The #leesixtyfive project has seen that number almost double compared to the previous month.

Some people will get 1152 likes on a single photograph, of course. I’m not there, and that’s cool. I’m where I am, and that’s in the middle of a project I’m very excited about continuing to its end.

I guess this is all a convoluted way of saying something kind of obvious: the more stuff you make and put out, the more people will notice what you’re doing.

That’s more people that might remember your name. They might check out some other pictures on your account. They might even go visit your blog.

street scene, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 2, 2017 at 7:23am PDT

a light clean, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 3, 2017 at 6:21am PDT




Failing at the #leesixtyfive project already?

A confession, because I’m an honest person.

The idea of shooting and uploading a photograph every single day for the whole year is great, but I’ve already faltered on sticking to it.

I have uploaded every day, but on a couple of occasions the photograph was taken the previous day.

You can see this in the images above. I didn’t run into that same cleaning lady two days straight.

Some may say this diminishes the project, but I’m okay with it.

I’ve been out with my camera probably 28 days out of the 30. If not for this project, I might have been out with it just once or twice. That alone is a great upside to doing this.

The intention to stick to the format is there, but sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes I go out and come back with nothing worth uploading, and have a good one left over from the previous day. So why not use it?

I’m not uploading photographs from months ago and claiming them to be recent.

Everything uploaded for the project has been shot for the project. Most of them were shot on the day of uploading, with a couple shot at most 1 or 2 days before they were uploaded.

That’s well within my personal parameters.

dog day, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 31, 2017 at 5:49am PDT

tea shop, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 6, 2017 at 5:53am PDT

The future of the #leesixtyfive project

For the first month of this project I’ve just been quietly including a #leesixtyfive hashtag on my Instagram uploads.

I didn’t want to tell anyone about it in case it died after a few days. Now it’s a month in and I’ve written this, I guess I’ve got to keep going for the full year.

I’ve no idea where this project will go over the next 11 months. I don’t know if the style of photograph will stay the same throughout or change.

The plan is just to keep shooting and uploading, and to write an update post like this after every 30 shots.

Then at the end of the year I’ll have 365 photographs taken and 12 blog articles created documenting them, which will be a decent body of work for me. 😀

The final point I want to make here is one of semantics.

I’ve seen people refer to their own #365project as a #365challenge.

That to me makes it sound like a grind. Like something you’re maybe not even enjoying.

That might be exactly what some people need, but I prefer to think of mine as a project.

Then I can view it as something I’m making because I want to and not something I’m forcing myself to do.

If it’s not enjoyable then what’s the point?

———

… p.s. if you’re new to the #leesixtyfive and want to catch up with the other updates, click on any or all of the following links: 1 – 30, 31 – 60, 61 – 90, 91 – 120, 121 – 150, 151 – 180, 181 – 210, 211 – 240, 241 – 270, 271 – 300, 301 – 330, 331 – 365  🙂

… p.p.s. if you’ve enjoyed this particular update of the project and think others will too, why not share or pin it?

I'm Lee and I'm doing a 365 photography project. So naturally I called it the #leesixtyfive project. This is the first update. Come see where it all began.

rubbish bike, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets – which you can get at a price you choose yourself! Link in bio, mate.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 15, 2017 at 5:58am PDT

no strings attached, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets… that are available to you at a price you feel like paying mate. Link in bio ?

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 16, 2017 at 8:17am PDT

hail to the hotel, #shanghai Shot with the vintage Super-Takumar 28mm f3.5 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 25, 2017 at 4:56am PDT

fill in the gaps, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 4, 2017 at 4:32am PDT

sniffer dog, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets. ?

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 17, 2017 at 6:04am PDT

grey area, #shanghai #leesixtyfive Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 7, 2017 at 6:39am PDT

been swimming, #shanghai #leesixtyfive Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 30, 2017 at 4:38am PDT

not a great wall, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets – which are available on the blog at a price you can choose! ? Link bio ofc

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 18, 2017 at 6:43am PDT

cigarette break, #shanghai Shot with the vintage #Yashica 45mm f1.7 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 22, 2017 at 4:07am PDT

gone fishing, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets… … which are available on my website for a price you can choose! Check the link in bio. ?

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 13, 2017 at 6:53am PDT

frames, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets – available now at a price you choose! Link in bio ?

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 14, 2017 at 8:07am PDT

eyes on the road, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the vintage Super-Takumar 28mm f3.5 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 24, 2017 at 7:37am PDT

run down, #shanghai Shot with the vintage Super-Takumar 28mm f3.5 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 23, 2017 at 3:59am PDT

massive balls, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets… … which are available on my website for a price you can choose! Check the link in bio. ?

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 12, 2017 at 8:32am PDT

check me, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the vintage F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 28, 2017 at 9:01am PDT

eyes on the road again, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets which are available to you at a price you can choose ? Link in bio!

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 19, 2017 at 8:04am PDT

in vest in #shanghai Shot with the classic Super-Takumar 28mm f3.5 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 5, 2017 at 6:35am PDT

chair, woman, mao #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 8, 2017 at 5:31am PDT

break time, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 9, 2017 at 3:54am PDT

family portrait, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the vintage F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Jul 27, 2017 at 3:50am PDT

lion boy, #shanghai #streetphotography Shot with the classic F.Zuiko 38mm f1.8 and edited with Vintage Film Lightroom presets.

A post shared by Lee Webb (@myfavouritelee) on Aug 1, 2017 at 5:11am PDT

Related Posts

The #leesixtyfive Project: Photographs 301 – 330
The #leesixtyfive Project: Photographs 271 – 300
The #leesixtyfive Project: Photographs 241 – 270
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • A Little Taste of London Underground Film Photography [Kodak Tri-X 400]
  • Some City of London Film Photography [Kodak Tri-X 400]
  • Multi-Project Shooting With a Lesser-Known Kodak Film [Kodak Pro Image 100]
  • Kodak Pro Image 100 35mm Film Review
  • Sony Alpha A6100 vs A6400 vs A6600 Comparison – the Differences and Similarities

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

Footer

Recent Posts

  • A Little Taste of London Underground Film Photography [Kodak Tri-X 400]
  • Some City of London Film Photography [Kodak Tri-X 400]
  • Multi-Project Shooting With a Lesser-Known Kodak Film [Kodak Pro Image 100]
  • Kodak Pro Image 100 35mm Film Review
  • Sony Alpha A6100 vs A6400 vs A6600 Comparison – the Differences and Similarities

The Small Print

  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Copyright + Usage
  • Privacy Policy

Come Say Hello

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 My Favourite Lens

wpDiscuz