2017
I took part in the May Half and Half Challenge on the 365project. I spent lots of time looking at shots on the Instagram Half and Half project which inspired me so much – half and half shots achieved with composition, with a specific dividing line (either vertical, horizontal, or diagonal), by balancing two opposing visual elements such as light and shadow, colour and monotone, sharp focus juxtaposed with shallow depth of field. I really enjoyed exploring how this new way of looking at things worked and had a good month, suffused with colour and light, as you can see from the collage below!

2017 half and half
2018
I was enthusiastic about doing the theme again – after all, 2017 had been a personal success. I started out with the idea to do weekly mini-themes and set about trying to take shots for week one based on “above and below”. I took and posted some photos but wrote in my journal:
I am not happy with my 1/2 an 1/2 so far this month. They are soulless – I’m not shooting how it feels, I’m shootig what it looks like! Perhaps I should abandon the above and below idea and get creative next week?
In the spirit of sharing my successes and failures, here’s the ones I really didn’t like this month.
I did. I planned a few mini photo walks before work. I packed tea and breakfast and headed to work an hour earlier, parking in a different place to normal. I wandered around campus with my camera. The early autumn leaves were not completely dry and colourless yet and their rich, deep colours gave me some initial shots. Then I saw how they were backed up against drains and manholes – lots of geometric shapes and rust. My groove came back for a while! Thankfully, I had enough for the next 6 days!Travelling puts a spanner in the works
Then I went travelling and all hopes of finding interesting half and half shots died – or maybe I wasn’t looking carefully enough. The environment was too new, too different to look for alternative perspectives. But after a few days I began to see some possibilities and shot those, some of them ended up in the monthly calendar, but I wasn’t overly enthused by them.
At one point, after my return from Namibia, I decided not to finish the month. But then I remembered my promise to myself to do a full 365 this year and my tenacity and determination kicked in. I continued to post. In desperation, in the last few days, I scoured my 2017 archives for shots that I didn’t use and posted some of those. This month’s learning
I think I’ve learnt a lot. I guess I learn more when things don’t go as planned…
- Not every month is going to be wonderful, not every photo is as I want it to be. But I continued to take photos. I didn’t give in. I felt like it though.
- I can tell when my photos are not shot with love and passion
- Travelling wrecks havoc with themes – even with the best intentions
- Doing a number of structured themes for four months in a row has stifled my creativity. I normally sing the praises of themes, but I discovered this month that they do have their drawbacks – for me anyway! I’m not afraid to take a different perspective on this one!
And here’s the final monthly view! How do you think it compares to last year’s efforts? Do you have a favourite or a least favourite? I’d really like to hear your thoughts – leave me a comment or two!

2018 half and half
Until next month’s photography musings, enjoy the summer if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, or stay warm if you’re not!
Half and half – I’m going to go back and look at my photos with that perspective in mind! Thanks!
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It’s a really fun way to look, enjoy!
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I loved this Dark Horse … I am inspired by your musings and your art …I get what you mean by soul-less and that helps me understand what those “not working jus dont like it” things are that I create and discard with annoyance. They are soul-less. I find things made with love and therefore passion are completely different …easier to work with. I like a number of your new pics …if you code/name them I can tell you which are my favourites…and well done. By the way my artist aunt used to say she loved how the dry desert meets with the wet sea in namibia. (Her words were better)
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Hiya! Lovely to hear from you in this space, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and I’m dead chuffed that I inspore you! I’m also happy that this ‘spoke’ to you. I’m finding it more and more that certain shots just don’t work and get deleted immediately!
About the numbering, I can’t do that unless I re-upload… maybe you could just start counting from left and say whihc row / which collage… is that OK?
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Ok
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5th row 2 and 3 ….the aloes and stripes were from yr soul-less …but i love them
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Oh, how interesting to hear that.
😉
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Top row 3 …i have to go back and check each time …2018 may 1/2 and 1/2
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Thanks for doing that! Here’s the link to all of them on my 365 project if you want to see them bigger!
https://365project.org/tags/dashalfandhalf just click on the photo to see it on its own… hope it works, let me know
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Thx dh
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2nd row 2 and 3
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Glad you also like the leaves and metal bits – great minds!
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3rd row 3
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Aaah, a bit of rust, always a favourite!
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4th Row 2 …u know why 😉
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I can guess!
🙂
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