By Mary Jewett

Guest Columnist

Eight years and one week ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to take a photo every day and share it with friends online. At that point, I was a casual photo taker and would rarely share what I was seeing with the world. I determined that some of my friends would appreciate at least a few of the pictures I was taking. 

In the beginning, I had a small point-and-shoot camera with limited zoom capabilities. Each day, I would wander around Bridgton, searching for something special and new to share. The project defined every day of my life for a year. The challenge of seeing and capturing beauty determined where I would go each day and opened up new and frustrating questions. How would I adjust for bad weather? What if I worked a long day and never got outside? What about those terribly short, brown days in early December? At the end of the year, I had acquired a critical eye, an obscene number of digital photos, and three new cameras and a tripod. I had run into several roadblocks with my little point-and-shoot and was forced to graduate to a DSLR camera when I wanted to capture the stars.

After that project ended, on Dec. 31, 2013, I decided I would take a year off and start up again in 2015. The project had been successful. I expanded my photography skills, improved my naturalist’s eye, and made a few people in my life smile when seeing my photos. 

2021 will be my fifth year celebrating life with a daily photograph, and I feel that this is a much-needed distraction for me. The project forces me to get outside, to strive for excellence every day, to accept disappointment when I don’t get the perfect shot, and to wake up each day ready to see. 

I have decided to share one of my daily photos from my original New Year’s resolution project in 2013. This photo was not taken while wandering around the Maine countryside. On day number 168, I was wandering around the countryside of Western Ireland, a trip I took on a whim which provided a week’s worth of fabulous daily photos. No matter where I was, or how tired, I would always post a photo online to share my day. This day, I explored the famed Cliffs of Moher and was rewarded with one of my favorite daily photos. 

The most remarkable thing about this project is that, when I look at each picture, I can remember the moment I took it. From the most mundane spring crocus photo to the cliffs and castles of Ireland, each photo represents an intention I set to find this one moment to capture.

These days most people have a camera with them all the time. I want to encourage readers to share their favorite nature photos with others. We are very lucky to live in a place where it isn’t too difficult to see the natural world every day. If you have Facebook or Instagram you can use the hashtag #bnewsearthnotes to help add a little more beauty to the world. You can also add the Bridgton Newsas your location, to recognize the role our small-town newspaper plays in keeping us all connected. And, if you are lucky enough not to be connected through social media, I still encourage you to go in search of something beautiful each day. 

Also: wear a mask. 

Mary Jewett of Bridgton is an educator and CBI coordinator at Lakes Environmental Association.