Gallery365
A Year of Seeing
August – The Month of Noticing
This month we are going to do things a little differently. The Month of Noticing. Each month we will introduce a new aspect or theme to how we see. Which will impact how we capture that in a photograph.
You may find yourself taking pictures you’d never expected.
Gallery 365 was a personal project which began with a simple daily prompt, started during Covid in lockdown when my own creativity had gone quiet and my mojo had disappeared . People started joining in , it became a growing community, that I’ve been showing up for to hopefully inspire others to find their own inner creative .
In the years I’ve been doing it , I’ve realised it has always been about something much deeper.
Photography is simply our way of expressing that .
The real practice here is learning to notice again. We take life around us for granted at times , and forget to see things with the wonder we did as a child.
Connecting .
It’s good to sometimes step back.
To slow down.
To do a double take .
To become curious about the ordinary things we so often overlook.
As I get older I’ve come to believe that the way we see, shapes far more than just the photographs we take .
It shapes how we see ourselves, the way we see each other , and how we experience the world around us.
This month, I’d like us to really think about noticing.
Like REALLY noticing .
Not searching for super impressive places or dramatic moments, but discovering that the magical and the extraordinary has often been there all along. The little things. Right in front of our noses .
In places that we forgot to give attention to.
When I go out with my grandchildren they help me remind myself of the wonder of seeing like a child .
They get excited by the smallest of things.
So do I .
Then again I’m that girl who cries at sunrises and sunsets ,gets excited by the moon, could lay looking up at clouds all day , takes pictures of empty benches , and someone else’s shadow .
Gets excited seeing a spiderweb. A falling leaf. Oily rainbows in a puddle .
Things we walk past everyday are magical if we let them be.
Do I sound like a mad woman? Or do you get me?
Maybe I am a little mad , creative brains usually are , but I also know that being in the moment, being grateful for the little things , and seeing beyond the obvious have improved my photography and my inner wellbeing . I love noticing. I love photographing those moments.
Fancy joining in? Come on, you might find you enjoy it as much as I do .
No fancy equipment needed.
Eyes, and heart are the best equipment, you just need a camera or phone to capture what you see and feel.
Each day I’ll share a Latin word.
Not as an instruction, it’s left free and open to your own interpretation and way of seeing.
It’s an invitation. I used to call them prompts , but I think an invitation is more appropriate .
Look the words up if you wish. Maybe guess and see if you are close ! Follow the meanings that resonate with you. Let your own curiosity to lead you.
There is no right interpretation.
There is no right photograph.
Only your own way of seeing.
Sometimes I go out and imagine I’m on holiday. Like I’ve just landed somewhere I’ve never been before. When we are in a new place we treat it differently , with wonder. Now I do that wherever I go , like I’m seeing it for the first time.
This Week’s Invitations
Monday 3 August – Sunday 9 August 2026
Monday 3 August — Animadversio
Observation • Attention • The act of noticing
Tuesday 4 August — Subtilitas
Subtlety • Fineness • That which is easily overlooked
Wednesday 5 August — Vicinitas
Nearness • Proximity • What is close
Thursday 6 August — Memoria
Memory • Remembrance • Recollection
Friday 7 August — Reperio
To discover • To find • To uncover
Saturday 8 August — Textura
Texture • Surface • Fabric
Sunday 9 August — Conspectus
View • Survey • Outlook • Perspective
One word.
One invitation.
Countless ways of seeing.
Alongside our daily invitations, our weekly Gallery 365 traditions continue.
Saturday mono celebrates the expressive possibilities of black and white photography. Sunday music explores the connection between music, memory and photography through images and lyrics we share together.
Whether you’ve been here for years or are joining us for the first time, thank you for being part of Gallery 365. I’ve loved how my simple idea has grown into such a creative thoughtful community .
I hope the weekly invitations encourage you to slow down, become curious and discover beauty in places you might otherwise have passed by. Jump in whenever, there’s no pressure to participate every day, just show up when you can .
I’d love to see where this week’s words take you. Share your photographs with us , and your thoughts and reflections in the comments, and take time to explore how others have interpreted the same invitation. That’s where the real connections and conversation begins.
Keep seeing.
Sonya x