App of the Week: Project 365

Title: Project 365
Cost: $0.99 (free version also available)
Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (requires iOs 4.0 or later)

Photo journaling is a fun and powerful way to document an important occasion or even a whole year.’  Inspired by the photography website Photojojo, the Project 365 app helps users capture one shot per day, organize the collection of images, and share the results with friends and family.

Photojojo describes Project 365 as a “big undertaking with big payoffs.” They encourage photographers to take a picture a day, and their arguments are convincing:

1.’ ‘  ‘ Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)
2.’ ‘  ‘ Your year-long photo album will be an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast.
3.’ ‘  ‘  Taking a photo a day will make you a better photographer. Using your camera every day will help you learn its limits. You will get better at composing your shots, you’ll start to care about lighting, and you’ll become more creative with your photography when you’re forced to come up with something new every single day (Photojojo, 2006).

One can do a 365 photo journal without an app (a Google search reveals many Project 365 blogs and Flickr accounts), but it takes a lot of discipline to remember to take a photo every day. This simple app makes it easy to organize the images in an appealing calendar and to share photos with family and friends. My favorite part about this app is the daily reminders to take a picture.’  The ability to post pictures to Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr is another useful feature.

Although I only tested the pro version of this app, I read on the developer’s blog that there is a free version available. According to the description, many of the most important features (posting to Facebook, organizing photos, etc.) are available in the free app, but the extra .99 for the pro version allows users to upload and backup photos online. This feature might be tempting for those who frequently lose their phones.

The main weakness of this app is the photo editing functionality.’  Users can do some basic editing within the app (e.g. crop, change orientation), but some photographers may want more editing tools. Fortunately, the app allows you to select and use photos from your iPhone album. This allows you to snap a photo with your camera, edit with another app, and then upload into your 365 project.

This app will appeal to teens who love to document their lives with pictures, but it is especially useful for capturing pictures during senior year or a study abroad experience. Of course, it is fun to see how life changes in a normal year too! The app paired with a decent cellphone camera will help teens successfully capture a year’s worth of photos.

Teen librarians could use this app to capture 365 days at the library. Karen Jensen from the Teen Librarian’s Toolbox is collecting 2,012 images to show that libraries are still relevant to teens in 2012.’  Similar to the 2012 project, this app can help librarians advocate for teen services. Imagine the impact of 365 pictures showing how teens use your library–not just occasionally but everyday!

For more YALSA App of the Week posts, visit the App of the Week Archive.