We’re nearly one month down as we go into the last week of January and I’m really surprised at how fast it’s gone. I think having this project has really helped with that as there’s not much else to do in January when it’s pretty cold wet and miserable. Anyway this week I made the decision to take my camera out with me every time I left the house (unless it was raining as my camera isn’t weather sealed) to see what I could find. Some days this was just when taking the dog for a walk, others when I had to pop to the shop.
Just Hanging Around – 22/01/2026
Caught this little blue tit hopping around the trees in the garden once the rain had finally stopped for the day and couldn’t help taking a few shot of them. Bird photography is hard, they are fast and most shots ended up blurry, I could also do with having a longer range lens than the 55-20mm lens I used for this. However, there’s something that fascinates me about birds and this is something I’d love to try and get better at. Taken with my Canon 250D and 55-250mm lens.
Hidden Elegance – 23/01/2026
Snowdrops, the first sign that winter will shortly be coming to an end and spring will finally grace us with it’s presence. As you can see this was a particularly miserable and wet day but there’s a patch of these beauties out the front of my house which always make me smile when I see them. I couldn’t resist getting a moody shot of these dainty flowers that seem to be able to withstand the winter weather. Taken using my Canon 250D and 24mm lens.
Always Looking Out – 24/01/2026
Finally a dry, clear day and an early morning dog walk with my camera. There wasn’t any agenda to what I was going to take photos of just anything that caught my eye. About half way round I spotted this crow at the top of a tree watching out over the field. Before this I was actually wishing I’d taken a shorter lens but that regret soon disappeared. Captured using my Canon 250D and 55-250mm lens.
Mama’s Little Model – 25/01/2026
Today brought the chance to test out some studio lights in my shed where I’ve set up a small studio space. The lights really help and allow me to use faster shutter speeds and a lower ISO. I’m still playing around with the location and height of the lights but it’s definitely one step closer. I’ve also ordered some other colour backdrops to test out. Taken using my Canon 250D and 18-55mm lens.
Lost In The Hope – 26/01/2026
When I first started this challenge, I decided that I’d so a self portrait once a month as a bit of a progression and documentation of myself throughout the year. I’d realised very late in the day that I’d not actually taken a photo and late in the month that I’d not yet done a self portrait. So this is me in the evening after a shower, in black and white. Taken and printed with my Instax Mini Evo.
No One Needs To Be Alone – 27/01/2026
Midweek tends to mean I’m only able to get out to walk the dog, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take photos while out with him. This little Starling was hanging out all on it’s own on the top of this roof. Starlings are usually very social and seen in groups, maybe some of them are like introverts and just need 5 minutes to themselves? That’s something I heavily relate to. I like the way the roof leads you to the bird and the space of the sky around him. Again though a longer reach lens would have been helpful in this situation. Taken on my Canon 250D and 55-250mm lens.
For the love of dogs – 28/01/2026
Had to run to the shop today and took a detour through the nature reserve on my way back when this fella quite literally ran into me. I love seeing dogs running free and wild. His mom apologised for him ruining my photos, I think he made them better, to the point that I had to crop into make him the focus rather the landscape shot I was trying to take. Captured with my Canon 250D and 18-55mm lens.
So we’re nearly at the end of January and this week’s photos have definitely had an animal and nature focus to them. I think this is something I want to lean into but one of the points of this challenge is to experiment and try new things so I’ll try to not make all the weeks like this one but I will also say you’ll probably see lots more dogs, birds, animals and nature here over the next 11 months.
Carrie Jane 