Eva Merry could not imagine life without a camera in her hands. This 19-year old photographer from Austria started taking her photography seriously when she joined Flickr in 2011. In 2012 she embarked on a 366 Project: one picture every day for 366 days. "The progress you make and the things you learn in this short period of time is amazing. I wouldn't say that I found my style completely, but it helped me to figure out what I love about photography and on what I want to focus most."

How long have you been taking photos?

I’ve always loved to take pictures. My first camera changed how I looked at things and it developed really fast from there. I started to take this seriously when I joined Flickr. I was so amazed by all the talent that I wanted to learn and grow.

What types of photos do you specialize in?

Portraits have always been my favorite. All faces are so unique, and I just love to capture them. I’m trying to teach myself how to retouch, so let’s see how that goes. When I stroll around to find new spots, I take nature shots too, but that’s just for fun and nothing I want to perfect.

What kind of equipment do you use?

Not much, actually. I use a Canon 5D Mark II and a 50mm f/1.4 most of the time. I always have a tripod and a remote control with me as well.

Can you tell us more about how you picked new subject matter for each day of a full year?

I can’t even believe that I really managed to do that. I couldn’t image it now, because life is so stressful. I had followed a bunch of projects before I decided to start my own. It took me a really long to take that step, but thinking back I don’t regret it at all. I remember coming home from school, picking up my camera, walking around my town and trying to think of something. It was hard and sometimes not, but it was so much fun. I would really recommend it to anyone who wants to challenge his creativity. My favorite is probably 223/266 because it was the first time I tried to Photoshop something into a picture, and it worked out pretty well.

How did you come up with a conceptual theme like this?

It’s probably a lame answer, but it was my own life at the moment. I didn’t know what to do, where to go or what I wanted my life to look like in a few years. I didn’t even have to think about this a lot. It felt so real at that time.

What have you learned from other photographers on Flickr?

That’s difficult. Mostly that art doesn’t have to be pretty. It should make you feel something. And I learned that creativity isn’t always there and everybody has those times when you feel really uninspired, but it passes.  Another thing I learned is that curves are amazing.

What was your inspiration for this photo? (above)

I guess I was just lucky there. I was at my favorite place that day and I took some tea with me because it was cold and as I was sitting there, thinking, watching the light disappear and I recognized the reflections, placed the cup to see the moon and took a picture.

What do you like about the Flickr community?

We all share the same interest and the same problems. It’s like a huge family, and it feels so good to talk to them, because they understand you more than anybody else.

I would recommend commenting on and “favoriting” pictures from others, and send them Flickr mail. My first friend on Flickr is now my best friend, and we’ve already met. So, if you like someone’s work, just talk to them and get to know them.

Thank you, Eva, for sharing about your photography with us! To check out Eva’s 366 Project and see more of her work, explore her photostream.