After watching Cesar Kuriyama’s TedTalk : One second every day, I decided to take on a seconds project of my own.
This summer I recorded 1 second a day, every day (minus one day where I unfortunately forgot). Here it is: Seconds of Summer. And here’s what I learned from it:
1. Some days, I already know what the highlight will be.
If I had something new/interesting planned, like going to sixflags or flying to San Diego, this was easy. I already knew I wanted a shot of a rollercoaster or an airplane etc. That was exciting and it made that event all the more significant. I could look back and say: that was a great second/day.
2. Sometimes the best seconds go unrecorded.
Even though sometimes I knew what I wanted to capture, on occasion I’d be so into the moment that I’d fail to document it at all. I’d look back on it with a hint of regret: that would have been a great second! But at the same time, what I liked about this project was that it forced me to be more in the moment. Though (as a street photographer) I took photographs of my entire vacation and instagrammed things throughout the summer, it was nice to have this minimalist form of documentation as well. And in a way, I was happy that I didn’t record these because it meant I was so into it I didn’t stop to document; I just enjoyed it.
3. Some days, not much happens.
The hardest days to select seconds were days when I didn’t do much. Though I wanted to have an eventful summer there are several shots that are just netflix. And that’s okay. Not every day is shamu and art galleries.
4. Say yes more.
I have hermit tendencies. After a long day of working out or studying or commuting, I just want to stay in: I’m tired; I don’t want to do anything. But this video project had me saying yes more because I was “chasing seconds”. Why not go out and capture a pleasant second downtown or with friends instead of recording another second of myself on Steam (or worse, forgetting to record anything at all).
I look back on this project with fond memories of my summer. And while I don’t think I’ll continue this project into the fall I’m looking forward to all the amazing moments I will experience this semester, whether they’re captured or not.
College In The Cornfield 