It’s that time of year again, kids… the end. This is when nutty photographers and creative artists like myself become more reflective than the gold side of a 5-in-1 Lastolite TriGrip. All this thinking probably stems from our attention deficit-like nature and the inability to be outside playing in the warm light of sunshine. Either way, I’ve taken some time over the past week to really reflect on my craft and my vision so I’m ready to share with all of you my 2013 photography resolutions.

A Recap of the Past Year

Before we dive into my 2013 resolutions, I think it’s valuable to take a look at how well I was able to meet my resolutions for the past year. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• 

  “Hammer Down” (2012)

  Shoot Less, Shoot Better
  I’m pretty sure this saying is now a cornerstone in the foundation of my photography and always will be. Did I work on it? Most definitely. I took almost 50 percent less photographs this year than I did in 2011, but yielded a lot more portfolio-level work.

• Keep It Personal
  Unfortunately, I didn’t really pursue this one as much as I would have liked to. While I did limit the amount of unpaid portrait sessions I was doing and focused on more personal projects when I was out shooting, overall I spent more time focused on other priorities in my life: enrolling in graduate school, working on the new house, web design projects, etc.
• Build a Client & Fan Base
  I will always be working on this one as well, but with less of a “heads on” approach. I find that be more natural, open, honest, and sharing/interacting one-on-one with clients and those I meet at art fairs yields stronger and more reliable relationships overall. I definitely grew my client and fan base this year, but I have ideas on how to expound on those ideas I learned in 2013.
• Travel
  I am also going to carry this one over in 2013 as I’d like to do more traveling with photography in mind. I was able to travel within the region a decent bit and always took my camera with me plus I scratched three major “travel” items off my bucket list this year: meet Joe McNally, attend Photoshop World, and visit Washington, DC.
• Experiment
  I am happy to say I was able to expand my knowledge of some photography techniques I hadn’t tried up until this year. While I want to keep on experimenting and exploring my craft, as you’ll see in my resolutions below, I was able to play around with extended shutter speeds and long exposures, capturing streaming water, night photography, and a variety of new post-processing techniques.

New Resolutions for a New Year

Do you hear that drum roll? That must mean it’s time for the main course. So, without further adieu, let’s dive into what I hope to master in 2013.

• 

  “Artsy” (2012)

  Interact/Educate/Update
  The blog is almost two years old now as are my social media sites so I’d like to spend the next year focusing in on them. I hope to offer more frequent postings on a variety of photography topics for both photographers and models/clients alike. I am also hoping to better engage my readers and fans with some fun and exciting content including getting my toes wet in the world of video.

• Travel
  As I said above, I hope to do a little more traveling this year than last year with my eye specifically on places to photograph. This may be tough with my wedding happening in October, but my goal is to visit at least two places that I’ve never been and revisit one that I have.
• Projects & Concepts
  I had this idea in mind for 2012, but it didn’t pan out as well as I would like so I’m going to challenge myself to developing at least two of my photo shoot concept ideas and start the capture process, if not finish.
• Workshops
  I planned and executed my first HDR Workshop a few months ago; I loved putting it together so much that I’d like to explore other opportunities to share my love for photography and my passion for teaching with those in the central Illinois area who would like to attend. Stay tuned right here on the site as I will share the details here first!
• Experiment
  Just like last year, I want to push my boundaries. For Christmas, I received my first film camera: a Diana+ lomography camera. I’m super excited to explore some multiple exposure and pinhole images with that. In addition, I plan on exploring the use of light-painting beyond what I did in 2012. Lastly, I would like to spend some time working on extended exposures and night photography including light trails.

Well, that about wraps it up for me!

Do you have any New Year resolutions for 2013, photography-related or otherwise? Share them in the comments below!

Rocky Shore

I feel weird saying this with only two days left in the year, but… it’s that time of year again. This is the time when the gyms start to get hounded with new members looking to burn off all those holiday calories and we all start making resolutions that we pretend to keep until spring.

For me, I don’t make personal resolutions every year; I make them as I go along throughout the year as I need to. As for my photography, though, for some reason I find it worthwhile to come up with a short list of things I want to do or goals I want to strive for in the coming year. It helps to have a road map (do they still have those?) to where I am going or at least where I want to go.

So, just like last year, here are my photography resolutions for 2012.

• Shoot Less, Shoot Better
  You might wonder why I have this resolution carrying over from 2011. Well, to be honest, it still applies. While I do feel that my photographic vision has become more and more focused, I think that every photographer can always learn to be better, myself included. Now, what does this resolution really mean? Simply put, it means to take my time, plan out my shots and concepts, and verifying what I see in the frame before I snap the shutter. This allows for better compositions out of the camera and less time in the editing bay.
• Keep It Personal
  This is partly carried over from last year’s resolutions as well. I spent most of 2011 working on client or model projects while developing a whole list of concepts and ideas that I want to shoot for personal development. With that in mind, I want to take 2012 and really work on these ideas and concepts.
• Build a Client & Fan Base
  While I base most of my resolutions on the technical side of photography, as a professional, I also understand that marketing and clients are the key to real success, both in fine art and portraiture. I spent 2010 building my portrait business and 2011 on exploring the fine art side of things; 2012 will be my year to push both of them to a new level with the help of a solid base of fans and clients. Now that you know that, I am counting on all of you to spread the word. Through the use of this blog and my monthly email newsletter as well as the power of social media via Facebook and Twitter, I plan on providing loads of fun, interesting, and valuable content to all my friends and fans.
• Travel
  This is a pretty simple one. It has been years since I’ve actually taken a vacation where I wasn’t doing something for work, a wedding, funeral, or some other obligation. This year, I would like to travel a bit more, even if it is only around Illinois and the Midwest. I would also like to explore places locally I’ve never been. And, as always, my trusty camera will be in tow.
• Experiment
  Along with a list of personal concepts, projects, and ideas, I have gathered a series of different photographic “experiments” that I would like to try. While I spent the first few years of my photographic “life” shooting everything and anything I could, I’ve come to realize that there is a whole other level of things to shoot. Some of the highlights I hope to hit is playing around with some low light/night images, light painting, extreme exposures (slow and ultra fast shutter speeds), and some fun flash/Strobist techniques.

Well, kids, I spent hours coming up with a range of resolutions I wanted to put together and realized I should make it short and sweet, not to mention obtainable over a year. There they are in all their glory.

Now, you tell me, what sort of resolutions, personal or professional, are you setting for yourself in 2012?