Wheel of the Year Photo Project

25th November 2005 · 26 Comments

I’ve had this great idea for a photo project. Well okay, maybe not completely mine – I got the idea from an article in Granta magazine. It’s a way of creating a photo record of you and your neighbourhood over the course of 2006. Anyone up for it?

Here’s the rules:

Step 1: on January 1st, take 12 photographs around your neighbourhood. These locations must be places that you can get the exact same shot of throughout the year – so make a note of exactly where you stood, the composition of the shot, etc. Post a link to your work in progress on the Wheel of the Year Entries page.
Step 2: on February 1st and each 1st of the month throughout 2006, go back to those same 12 places and take the exact same photo as you did on January 1st. Remember to update us with your link on the entries page!
Step 3: by December 1st 2006, you should have a 12×12 grid of photographs recording the changes of the passing year in your neighbourhood. Upload it to your webspace of choice and don’t forget to send us that link!

Important considerations:

Choose your locations carefully. You’ve got just over a month to think through where you would like them to be. I suggest local and fairly close together, mainly because you’re committing to retracing your steps every 1st of the month. If you’ve spaced them too widely or made them awkward to get to, then you’ll have an excuse to give up half way through, or fail to get them done on the right day. Doesn’t really matter if you’re a day early or a day late one month due to personal circumstances, but would be more satisfying to have them on the 1st each month.
Get other people involved. These sorts of projects are so much more fun if lots of people get involved – would be fantastic if we could see the change of the seasons all over the world.
Remember variety is the spice of life. 12 tree pictures would be fairly dull, although a landscape in at least one of them should probably be compulsory! Be creative with your ideas. I’ve listed some brainstorm suggestions below – if anyone has some other great ideas, post them in the comments section and the best ones I’ll add to the list.

Some ideas I came up with while brainstorming with Zippy last night (I’m sure you can come up with some better ones!):

a room inside your house – are you a constant decorator/furniture rearranger? Want to see how bad your habit is?
your garden
your street
a local shop display window – do they do fantastic displays for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter?
yourself – see your change of clothes as the weather changes, change of hairstyle, more wrinkles being added ;)
a bus queue – at the same time of day – are the same people there? How has their clothing changed with the time of year?
a local nature reserve or park – what wildlife visits at what times of the year?
a large building site – record the progress
a newborn baby – the first year are the fastest changes that you’ll see in a child
you could theme the 12 shots – I’m tempted by doing a Hanbury Hall sequence – a stately home I love very much near us. Alternatively you could do a theme around your local town centre with shots of the main shopping area, bus stop, shop displays, and down by the river… use your imagination if just outside your front door doesn’t inspire
find a high viewpoint somewhere near home and make the 12 photos a 360 degree view from the top

So … what do you think?

UPDATE: a Flickr group has been set up for the project, conveniently called Wheel of the Year. If you’re a Flickr user, please feel free to join up and chat about ideas, etc!

UPDATE 29/12: I’ve amended the information above to include details of where to submit your links!

Tags: Say 'Cheese'!

26 responses so far ↓

1 Lisa // 25th Nov 2005 at 11:27 am

That sounds really fun. Only we (please please please) are moving…
Perhaps I’ll join in later.
2 Pewari // 25th Nov 2005 at 11:30 am

Hmm, then how about doing it about people and rooms rather than outdoor locality? You could have pictures of each of you… rooms as they’re gradually packed up and then the new ones as they find their own character… or pick things that could be easily translateable to the new neighbourhood – local shop (so for first few pics it would be the current one, then the new one….), the nearest tree to your house – okay, it would change to a different tree, but it would still be a record of your 2006 changes :)
3 sylvia // 25th Nov 2005 at 12:33 pm

That’s a very cool idea! Will you remind me? :)
4 Pewari // 25th Nov 2005 at 12:34 pm

I shall put you on the “hassle lots” list, sylvia ;)
5 valb // 25th Nov 2005 at 12:44 pm

Sounds like a great idea Pewari – I’ll put it on my “to do” list for next year (which should probably now be transferred onto a toilet roll as it’s soooo long!) Don’t forget to put a reminder on your blog a day or two before please!
6 Miss L // 25th Nov 2005 at 6:30 pm

This sounds bill – I wll even try to do it!
7 Pewari // 25th Nov 2005 at 6:35 pm

Sounds “bill”? Does that mean you think I’m quackers, Miss L? ;)
8 Blue Witch // 26th Nov 2005 at 10:58 am

As pictures are the only ‘proof’ of what goes on around one’s locality if there are, for example, planning issues in the future, I’ve already been doing this, albeit on a more ad hoc basis than 1st of every month.

I’ll be more disciplined in 2006, so will be ‘semi-in’, but I don’t think I’ll do 12, as I know I won’t keep it up. Maybe 6.
9 Jane // 26th Nov 2005 at 12:14 pm

Ooh, I want to be “semi-in” as well! I love the idea, already have a couple of locations in mind, and will try to do 12s. But don’t shoot me if I don’t manage it :-) Can I put them on Fotothing? Oh and actually, Pewari, this fits perfectly with you wanting to see how our newly-planted ant privacy screen develops…
10 Pewari // 26th Nov 2005 at 12:19 pm

I promise not to shoot anyone if they get less than 12 photos, k? Course you can put them on Fotothing – we’ll work out sort of consistent tagging at some point (and a Flickr group as well probably) so it’s easy to see participants’ photos. Ant privacy screen sounds a perfect subject!!

Incidentally, I’ve just noticed that the Guardian News Blog has a link to this page on its link log – so hopefully that will contribute towards building up some momentum :)
11 Lisa // 26th Nov 2005 at 1:22 pm

Hmm. I don’t suppose it *has* to be the same location either, does it (even without moving house). Or am I spoiling your project? I was thinking I could shoot, for example, the nicest plant in the garden, which would change seasonally. Holly followed by bulbs followed by roses…
12 Pewari // 26th Nov 2005 at 2:13 pm

Hey, go ahead – interpret it how it suits you best!
13 Kathy // 27th Nov 2005 at 12:02 am

This sounds fun! Had you ever seen the movie “Smoke” (from a Paul Auster story) where this one guy takes a picture on the corner every day for years (I think 10) and while it’s the same picture, it’s always different…
14 tangerinecath // 27th Nov 2005 at 11:00 am

Count me in! I’ve never done anything like this before though and I’m not much of a photographer so don’t expect any works of art but it sounds like fun.
15 Based On A True Story... // 19th Dec 2005 at 3:25 pm

[...] I’ve signed up for a Wheel of the Year photo group. The idea came from Pewari’s Prattle. [...]
16 Following Flidhais » Blog Archive » whinge, grumble, whine, pout. // 20th Dec 2005 at 12:59 am

[...] Before I go, something I hope a few will join in on as well, a creative ongoing project thatlooks to be a lot of fun as I already do something a bit seasonally. Here is a fantastic wheel of the year photo project that I’d like to do for 2006 found via here [...]
17 Garnet // 20th Dec 2005 at 7:40 pm

Sounds like a wonderful idea! I’ll join in!
18 John // 20th Dec 2005 at 9:19 pm

What a wonderful idea.
19 Following Flidhais » Blog Archive » Wheel of the Year project // 26th Dec 2005 at 7:14 pm

[...] I am taking this week to come up with 12 different areas to take photos for the Wheel of the Year Photo Project. Since I live very rurally and on a mountain, we are limited to a mile or two in which to find subjects, winter months could be sketchy. So if anyone has ideas, or wishes to see something I’ve shared here before captured once a month for the next year please let me know. I am stumped as most of what I have to offer are trees and..um…trees. [...]
20 My Honey and Me » Wheel of the Year in Photos // 27th Dec 2005 at 8:27 pm

[...] I’ve been inspired by Steph to participate in this Wheel of the Year project. In preparation, I’m coming up with a dozen locations to take these pictures every month. Here’s what I have so far: [...]
21 shadowmuse // 2nd Jan 2006 at 8:19 am

[...] Of course it had to be the hottest day ever on the day I had decided to choose my photos for The Wheel of the Year project. Pewari has come up with this nifty idea and I think it’s a great way to watch how aspects of our lives or surroundings change that we may not normally take a look at. My entry is here if you want to check it out and take a look at others entries while you’re there too. [...]
22 Caroline // 24th Jan 2006 at 7:22 pm

Hi everyone, I’m jumping on the band wagon, but rather late!! I found out about this project through Lisa’s blog, and thought it was a fab idea, but that was on Jan 5th, and then I went on holiday only to return and immediately move flat!! Talk about a busy start to the year….
And my good intentions about getting photos uploaded have been hampered by the fact that I downloaded several onto my Dad’s pc and now can’t get access to them! If only he had broadband!! Anyway, I have finally managed to get some photos uploaded (thankyou lisa!!) and hope by February that I will have got organised, and will then carry out the project according to it’s original idea!! Can you forgive me??
23 Pewari // 24th Jan 2006 at 7:54 pm

Course we forgive you! Carry on carry on :)
24 Caroline // 30th Jan 2006 at 9:36 pm

ooohhhh! I’m so excited! At last I have all 12 of my pictures on the web!! So that’s January completed by 30th!! Will get much speedier from now on! Am looking forward to seeing everyone’s entries for Feb!
25 Pam Sekula // 8th Nov 2011 at 4:33 pm

Hi!
Was googling “Wheel of the Year” and got a good pic for my FB book. Then “found” you! Love this idea and want to pass it along to circles of friends … hope that’s ok. I’ll give credit to you and the link, too. Great idea and since “we all”(and you all) are pretty creative, this might stir up some more yearly ideas! BB & have a wonderful New Year. Pam
26 Pewari // 8th Nov 2011 at 4:36 pm

Oh please do, Pam! I love the idea of it being resurrected with someone else :)

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