“Make time for meals with people you love this year, but beware overindulgence.” I’d call that good advice in general, but it’s going around a little more commonly in the last couple of days thanks to the movement of the moon. Aren’t traditions great?
It applies to all cultures; we can’t help it! In every cycle, the completion of a lap is both an inspiration to look back on what the last one contained as well as an opportunity to decide how the next one’s going to go. The second new year’s celebration of 2019 got me discussing renewed efforts and new commitments with my family—which, being a bunch of camera nerds, of course included photographic goals. For example:
My dad wants to focus on capturing more prosaic candid moments, which is (by pure chance) perfect for the aforementioned recommendations for the year of the Earth Pig. I know I’ve certainly had the chilling realization, looking back over my photos, that I have fewer photos than I would have guessed of the people and places most dear to me, simply because they made up the “normal” occurrences of life rather than the “Kodak moments,” so it’s a wise move.
My wife, on the other hand, is moving her focus the other direction, zooming in on specific projects that have been percolating for years—for example, since 2011, she’s been slowly gathering exact-match then-and-now photos of her grandfather’s pen-and-ink drawings. She’s finally completed an early prototype for a coffee-table book, and we’ve resolved to visit as many places as we can in the next few months—of the hundreds from which to choose—to expand it even more. (And even as I am writing this, she is finishing the design work for her sister’s year-overdue wedding album… look out, lab techs, there are a few lay-flat books coming your way!)
For my part, I have a vague notion of using my photos in a multi-media print presentation, pairing them with my writing (unexpected from a camera store blog writer, I know) and liberating ever more of them from hard drive purgatory.
Now, as you may have expected, it’s your turn! Give some structure to your photographic adventures this year by setting a goal for yourself.
- Try a 365-day challenge (great for building discipline!)
- Take a photo you want to display proudly on your wall…
- …or think of a specific wall and shoot to fit the room
- Get really good at shooting film, or black and white photos, or birds, or at anything else you find lacking in your skill set
- Get a photograph published
The sky is the limit! Any time you need advice, gear, or just somewhere to show off your results, stop by a Mike’s Camera near you, or get in touch with us on Facebook or Instagram (@mymikescamera). What are your biggest photographic goals?