Photographers often fall into the rut of only using their cameras for professional work, and I’m no exception. At home, my camera often stays in the bag and I grab my phone to catch those every day moments happening around me. Nothing wrong with that of course. But once in awhile I give myself a little exercise. Have my camera somewhere easily accessible, and take one intentional photo a day, of life going on around me.
As a mom, my everyday life can look a bit mundane. Toddler play. Reading books on the couch. Cooking. Taking care of the house. Time outside. It’s really simple and (dare I say it) sometimes boring. While I honestly am quite content with my life, it’s sometimes hard to find beauty in the everyday things. Everything is so familiar, so normal.
I decided January was the perfect month to do an intentional photo a day. I don’t have much going on this time of year, both personally and professionally. It would stretch my creative muscles. For two weeks in the month of January I did this exercise. And through it, my eyes were open to things I hadn’t seen before.
What did I learn? I’ll share it with you. But first, enjoy a few photos from this “intentional photo a day” exercise!


Our home, after a light snow. Morning light had just peeked over the trees and Evy was still sleeping. Everything was so peaceful. I grabbed my camera, pulled on my snow boots (okay, my Muck boots) and ran out to catch the light.

Fresh sourdough bread. There is not much better on a winter morning than the smell of fresh baked bread filling your kitchen. I can’t resist cutting myself a slice still warm from the oven, slathered with butter and the honey we harvested last summer. YUM.

These stuffed animals are part of Evy’s world, the most favored one named “Pink Pig” is always given the privilege of wearing her heart shaped sunglasses. She sleeps with (all of them) every night, and almost every day she lines them up in order of size. That exuberant smile is something I see daily. 2 year olds are such a joy and while this photo won’t mean much to others, it’s something that will bring tears when I pull it out in 10 years. Time stand still!

Sunlight brings life to me during the cold winter months. When we first built this house I asked Steve for large windows in our bedroom, so the sun could pour in.

We don’t allow pets in the house. Despite the rule, our cat spends almost every single minute of every day outside on the porch, staring us down as we go about our business. Does he love us or want to kill us? With cats, you never can tell.

Books, both hers and mine. Toys for her, sunlight and curtains and beautiful wall art for me. Grateful for this little living room that has seen so many beautiful mundane days.

Morning after an icy snow. Power lines were down everywhere but the ice on the trees made everything look completely magical.

Bran muffins fresh from the oven. I have a childhood memory of my sweet Grandma W. who used to make these when we would come to Indiana to visit her. She owned a Bed and Breakfast and was a fantastic cook. I searched and searched for a recipe that tasted like hers and after a lot of tweaking, I finally made one that *almost* matched the one in my memory.

Checking the animals from the kitchen window. Our morning routine that will not be broken. Is sunlight not one of God’s greatest gifts??

Childhood innocence in a photo. My favorite little profile in the world!

The reason I don’t mind being alone at home.

Winter sunset colors. So calming. Growing up on a farm, evening sunsets were something I would drink in daily, usually while out doing chores or eating dinner with my family on a summer evening outside. I still love this time of day so much.
So what did I learn through this exercise?
- Creativity is a muscle that needs to be stretched.
Forcing myself to take pretty photos of everyday life stretches my creative muscles differently than shooting beautiful events like weddings, where beauty is in every corner. - Beauty is everywhere if you take the time to look.
One of the things that I love about doing this “photo a day” in the dreary winter months is that there doesn’t seem to be much beauty to photograph. So you really have to open your eyes. And suddenly you start to see it, in the little things. - Taking photos from different perspectives makes them more visually interesting.
Throughout this exercise I took photos of some things very close up, some things very wide, some things exactly as the eye sees them. Seeing things from a different perspective than I was used to made the collection of photos so much more interesting! - Shooting something you’re not used to shooting makes you a better photographer.
I shoot lots of weddings and portraits, beautifully curated events and portrait sessions that are crafted with intention. While those type of sessions are what I love, it’s so good to get my camera out and shoot differently than what I’m used to. It makes me work harder, and keeps me learning.
Try it, and let me know what you learned!
xoxo,
Jess

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Jessica Lapp is a wedding and portrait photographer serving clients all over the state of Virginia, including DC, Richmond, and Charlottesville. Elegant wedding photography on film and digital, for couples who want to remember the most beautiful day of their lives in an exquisite way. Learn more about the wedding experience here!
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