2014 is the year you accelerate your photography. What are your top 2 goals?

[grahamclarkphoto]

Photography is a highly dynamic medium and is constantly changing. Out of all the arts, it’s the most closely bound to technology, as well as the most attuned to the advances in technology. We should, as photographers, therefore be always trying to develop our understanding of photography.

What better time to do that than with a new year upon us. 2014 is sure to be a year of incredible tech advances, but it should also be one of change for our inner vision as well.
My top three goals this year are to:

• De-emphasize my relationship with the technical aspects of photography, focus more on the creative
• Build a photography website focused on articles, reviews, videos with a non-profit component
• Create courses on photography to help others ramp up their learning faster

TOP NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHERS
To help me understand this a bit more clearly I asked a number of photographer friends what their 2014 photography resolutions were, and this is what a few of them had to say:


John Mazzei | John Mazzei Photography | 500px / John Mazzei / Photos

• Take a class to get feedback on my work, possibly a portfolio development class
• Have a show of my work
• Develop my post production skills with the eventual goal of developing a “voice” or a “look” of my own
• Shoot more in San Francisco, my home city, namely more industrial and street photography
• Complete my 365 Project Three Hundred Sixty Five in Two Thousand Fourteen - a set on Flickr

Bruce Cooper | Bruce Cooper | Bruce Cooper

• Respect shadows more. To quote cinematographer John Alton: “Don’t fear the dark, fear the light.” I want to see and to feel magic and mystery in my photos, the way that others I respect like you do this.
• Shoot daily. I go through periods where I do not even lift the camera out of the bag. I took part of my savings to buy a pancake lens – the 40mm f 2.8 Canon – so, no excuses about size and weight anymore.

David Collado | https://www.facebook.com/DavidColladoPhoto

• Dominate photograph techniques, especially the correct use of the deep of field.
• To become knowing more and more locations to photograph.
• And a third one, still reading and looking to improve my photographs composition

Jalen Robinson | Jalen Robinson Photography

• My first goal for my photography is to focus less on the numbers and technicalities and more so working on how I “see” and getting more creative. Finding 99 other ways to take the same photo that I already have.
• My second goal is to further develop my portfolio and my website. Expanding my photography and getting out of my comfort zone. As well as building a better looking site (I’m majoring in graphic design so school should help with that).

Fred Sims

• Keep one of my cameras with me in my car on a daily basis. I find I miss many opportunities to make interesting photos.
• Keep one of my cameras on a tripod ready for a bird shoot in my back yard. In my area, there are many species passing through this time of the year.

Randy Johnson | Flickr: rakjohns' Photostream

• Stop waiting on opportunities to take photos and create my own! (would love to take a photography trip)
• Improve my skill level using the camera to capture the SHOT!

MAKE YOUR 2014 RESOLUTIONS NOW
These are pretty darn inspiring for getting the momentum going. Shooting everyday is a consistent one, and also I think an excellent one as it helps you accelerate your inner vision as well as your pre-visualization.


What are your top new years resolutions for 2014? What actionable goals do you have that you’re focusing on?

Write below your top 2 along with your website URL, if you have one.

 

[480sparky]

............Write below your top 2 along with your website URL, if you have one.

1. Still be breathing.
2. Still be shooting.

www.imaginationimagesofiowa.com

 

[Tailgunner]

- Continue breathing
- Continue shooting
- Travel photography
- Print and sell @ area art shows

I've also signed up for some Photoshop classes this year.

 

[grahamclarkphoto]

sounds like a great way to accelerate your photography to the next level.

 

[minicoop1985]

My goals:

1. Obtain a better understanding of lighting.
2. Try new methods-keep things fresh and new.


Will these result in better photos? I have no idea. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[amolitor]

- Keep shooting for this one portfolio I'm working on. This will be about month 10 and I have something like 30-32 keepers. I figure by the end of the year I ought to have it wrapped.
- Keep thinking and writing about photography.

I'm not really looking to accelerate anything, to be honest.

 

[TheFantasticG]

1) shoot things I normally don't like motorcycle and human portraits

2) take a photography based trip this year and thus use my site more: http://gplimages.com

 

[amolitor]

And may I say, Graham, you certainly do have a big network of interlocking web sites now.

 

[grahamclarkphoto]

And may I say, Graham, you certainly do have a big network of interlocking web sites now.

4 is a big network? :|

 

[bribrius]

to learn. But im really afraid ill just end up being another person with a expensive camera that photoshops everything and a "sunny day" kind of person. Im really hoping i can keep my mind on using manual, not photoshopping or cropping anything unless i have to or its for kicks. Really learning and not being so dependent on tech or gear. And being happy with a photo i took in a blizzard even if it didn't come out quite right because it is mine and i stood in the snow to get it. i still haven't gotten over the idea of digital cameras actually. Seems if you take a thousand photos (they don't cost anything without film but a little time) one of the thousand at least should be decent enough to show people and let them think you know what you are doing. And if it isn't, you can always process it too look good enough anyway...

Anyway, im trying to not use auto, and moving up to my next camera, im thinking about it. Might be mirrorless, but i still want to have to do it the hard way. My sister has a old pentax film camera from fifteen years ago. I should probably just get that from her and use that. The camera i have now is digital, my second digital shot with a film Kodak before that. i still kind of miss it to be honest. The pictures sucked compared to whats out now. But it seemed more real than looking at this lcd display.