In September 2022, I started grad school at Brown University and was slightly overwhelmed adjusting to the workload. I knew I was wasting a lot of time on my personal social media account and no longer felt aligned with what I was previously sharing online.
Gradually, I began sharing more photography-related content on my personal account, and for some reason, I felt like it didn’t belong there. I kept having a recurring feeling that I needed something to help me commit to working on my photography while in grad school.
Soon after, on a random Wednesday, I was walking through downtown Toulon with my camera and had a lightbulb moment. I decided I wanted to ditch personal social and commit to sharing a photo a day for 365 days on an old photo page (@mekennasmoments). As soon as I got back to my car, I posted a story on my personal page announcing it.
And then, on the next day, September 15, 2022, I began my 365-day photo challenge.
You can see my first post and read the rules I set for myself here.
I’m now 200 days in—and in this post, I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned so far.
- 9 Things I Discovered Sharing a Photo a Day
- 1. Having a system matters… a lot.
- 2. Planning ahead saves your sanity.
- 3. Accountability is everything.
- 4. Reflecting on your work helps you grow.
- 5. Intention beats attention.
- 6. A creative account feels better than a personal one.
- 7. Being yourself attracts your people.
- 8. Perfectionism fades with practice.
- 9. Progress is slow and gradual, and that's okay.
- Summary: 9 Things I Learned Sharing a Photo a Day For 200 days.
9 Things I Discovered Sharing a Photo a Day
1. Having a system matters… a lot.
When I jumped into this challenge, I didn’t exactly have a plan. I figured I’d just use the photos I already had. But when I sat down to find one to post, I realized something: I had thousands of unedited photos just sitting in Lightroom.
My workflow before the challenge? Pretty nonexistent. I’d come home from a shoot, maybe upload the pictures, randomly cull a few, edit one or two, and leave the rest untouched.
This challenge forced me to finally create a system, like the one I used back when I was photographing clients. Now, I upload photos immediately after a shoot, cull the best ones, edit them within a week or two, and save the edited versions in organized folders on my computer. I even started adding albums to my website.
That small shift has changed how I show up with my camera. I’m not scrambling for pictures anymore. I’m documenting and organizing in a way that actually supports my creativity.
2. Planning ahead saves your sanity.
For my photo-a-day challenge, I focused on sharing a photo a day rather than taking a photo a day. For this reason, I was able to post pictures I had already taken (a way to help myself sort through semi-recent pictures)
For the first few months, because I was unorganized, I didn’t have many edited images to choose from to post. So each day, when it was time to post, I went on Lightroom, picked and edited a photo for the day, and then shared it.
And it was stressful. It took me forever to find an image and even longer to post it on Instagram.
So much for reducing how much time I wasted on social media, right?
This photo challenge forced me to, begrudgingly, plan ahead.
From the moment I began this project, I created a photo album on my iPhone to store my posts in.
Eventually, I realized I could organize and plan my future posts there for free. So, I started to.
Now, I tend to have around 10 days of photos planned on an album in my iPhotos app. Just enough photos that I don’t feel panicked when it comes time to post but not too much that I don’t have to get out and take pictures.
Sure, I have always known that planning ahead is important, but this challenge has really solidified its importance to me.
3. Accountability is everything.
Have you ever tried to complete a challenge on your own and found yourself somehow forgetting about it or quitting it only a few days in? Well, you’re not alone. I have, too.
For this reason, I decided to share my pictures on my Instagram every day. I knew I needed something to keep me accountable. Otherwise, I knew I would find myself 30 days in and somehow forgetting about it.
The decision to commit to posting on social media and having an account to keep me accountable has been crucial. If I hadn’t announced that I was doing it, I am not sure if I would have followed through.
I can almost guarantee that nobody would notice if I missed a day, but I would know. I committed to sharing a photo a day. So, I HAVE shared a photo a day. Now, there is proof of that if you look at my Instagram page.
4. Reflecting on your work helps you grow.
When I began this photo challenge, I needed photos to post. So I looked back at all the images I took while living in France. I was bummed to discover that I had so many random shots of random things. I found myself wondering what the heck I was thinking when I took them.
In my non-client photography, I realized I never really knew what I was trying to accomplish before I went out to shoot. Most of the time, I just wanted to document everything. Which led to a lot of random images.
This photo challenge forced me to reflect on how I was using my camera and the images I was taking.
Since then, I have changed the way I approach my personal photography and what I shoot. I’ve tried shooting different subjects from different perspectives and worked on creating images that tell stories.
Now, when I use my camera, I always try to ask myself why I am taking an image and what I want to create.
Recommended read: 8 Reasons You Should Do a Photo Challenge
5. Intention beats attention.
I started this photo challenge with the intention to help myself get more consistent with photography and see where it would take me.
As soon as I started this project, I decided to disable my like count on my Instagram posts and focus on my intention. However, soon after beginning, I caught myself making reels to “grow” my account.
Yes, Instagram reels have more reach than static posts on my page but I intended to share a photo to help myself get better at photography… not to grow my account with reels (at this point).
I had to get real with myself and call myself out. Since then, I’ve focused back on my intentions and stopped sharing crappy reels (videos are not my thing, at least not yet). If I do have the urge to share a reel, it has to be in addition to my photo for that day.
This photo challenge showed me the importance of setting an intention for whatever it is you’re doing and calling yourself out if you stray away from it.
6. A creative account feels better than a personal one.
Ditching my personal social media account and switching to an account that focuses on photography has been a game-changer for me.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I was tired of having a personal social media account. I couldn’t help but cringe at myself when I looked back on my old stories and posts. I found myself no longer wanting to share my personal life or see what people I knew were doing. And I didn’t want to waste time pointlessly scrolling.
I felt out of alignment with myself and wanted to focus on other things in other areas of my life.
Since I ditched my personal account in 2022, I have so much more free time!
I don’t feel the need to share what I’m doing, what vacations I’m on, what workouts I’m doing, or any of that kinda stuff that no one really cares about anyway. I started learning to cook more things that I never made time for before, I picked up blogging again, and I just generally feel happier. Which is sad to admit.
So far, I am digging the shift. But I will say, I still don’t feel the desire to be on social media and I still catch myself wasting time occasionally. So, who knows, maybe after my 365-day photo challenge is up, I will ultimately quit Instagram, but for now, I’m here and willing to see where it takes me.
Recommended read: What is a 365-day Photo Challenge and is it Right For You?
7. Being yourself attracts your people.
For a long time, I felt like no one out there really got me. I’m a private person (INFJ here), and I used to mostly share about health and fitness—rarely anything about my love for photography.
But over the past 200 days, that’s changed. By consistently sharing what I actually care about, I’ve met others who care about it too. I’ve connected with photographers, travelers, and creatives from all over. And I no longer feel like I have to hide the parts of me that matter most.
Your people are out there. But if you don’t show them who you are, they won’t be able to find you.
8. Perfectionism fades with practice.
I am a terrible perfectionist. Like the worst out there. With literally everything I do.
I have a graveyard filled with personal projects I’ve given up on because I couldn’t “perfect” them.
I knew I wanted to improve my photography, but my perfectionist tendencies were holding me back.
On my personal page, I only ever used to share my “good images”. When I started this photo challenge, I told myself to experiment and forced myself to share the “experiments” online.
I knew the photos weren’t the best, and I knew I couldn’t perfect them. Despite that, I shared them anyway.
When I look back, sharing those less-than-perfect images was great for me.
The world didn’t end when I shared them. CRAZY RIGHT?
One of those “bad experiment” photos even got reposted by a large travel account. Go figure.
This challenge has reminded me that you cannot get better, if you don’t start and put yourself out there.
9. Progress is slow and gradual, and that’s okay.
Instead of trying to be perfect, I’ve focused on “getting 1% better every day”.
Thanks, James Clear.
Being okay with not being perfect right now is helping me get better in the long run.
I’m back to shooting full manual again, my editing has improved, my style has gotten more consistent, and I’m getting better at capturing images that communicate something!
After 200 days, I can confidently say that growth doesn’t happen overnight. My photos haven’t magically transformed. My following hasn’t exploded. But I’ve changed.
I’m more consistent. More intentional. More creative. And that’s the kind of progress that lasts.
I’ve learned this is all part of the process, to embrace it, and not judge myself too harshly.
Summary: 9 Things I Learned Sharing a Photo a Day For 200 days.
I didn’t expect a 365-day photo challenge to teach me so much. But here I am, 200 days in… more organized, more reflective, and more connected to my creativity than ever before.
If you’ve been craving consistency or looking for a way to reconnect with your camera, maybe it’s time to start your own challenge.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this, it’s that small, daily action adds up.
