Jan 5, 2018

Needless to say photography has turned into one of my biggest passions.

It has become the one thing I feel like I spend the majority of my time and money on.  I’m luck enough to start making money off of it, but for a long time it was just something I loved.   Something I devoted any free time to and something I’ve become a voracious student with.  That being said I think I’m like everyone with the new year right at my feet I want to realign my goals and hit the ground running.

one.  Shoot in RAW.

Ok technically I already do this! But I’ve had so many readers reach out and say they are so so happy they finally switched over to RAW files after watching my live videos.

So if you do anything this year.. shoot in RAW. It’s amazing and you won’t believe how you ever shot with jpegs.

two.  Invest in education.

There are so many things I can waste my money on anymore and it feels like it’s easy to get distracted by the things that lose their value the quickest.  But the one purchase I’ve never ever regretted is education.  I recently invested in Ben Sasso’s posing class and even purchased a Pinterest guide to up my knowledge. (Both I’ve over the moon about by the way!)

Even if you aren’t into photography, whatever your passion is, become a voracious student. Never stop learning and you’ll never stop growing.

three. Upgrade to what you need, not what you want.

Getting the newest of the new equipment is always so exciting!  This year I finally upgraded my little a5100 to a much newer Sony a6500. Why did I finally upgrade? I was starting to feel held back.  The 5100, while an amazing starter camera, lacked the focus precision control I needed  a n d  a viewfinder.  Meaning taking photos in broad daylight was starting to become virtually impossible.

Like most people I immediately set my sights for Sony’s full frame a7r ii.  But after talking to L, aside from the rave reviews it was a camera that was maybe beyond my needs. (And let’s be honest – price range.)  The a7r ii has a lot of stuff I want… but nothing I necessarily need.

Online reviews are amazing.  But they don’t know your unique situation or your needs.

four.  Try something new

This past year as I found my schedule more and more bogged down with projects (projects I’m grateful for) I found less and less time to create.  Just to adventure and create. Not over think or follow my meticulous planned shot lists.

This year I want to make sure I’m building in a minimum of 2 hours of just fun shooting. No pressure, no plan.

five.  Shoot film

Somewhere between trying something new and intention, lies my obsession with film.  I’ve heard so many photographers praise film’s guidance on being intentional with photography.  It’s not just  point, click and shoot.  It slows the process down and forces you to think.

It’s also a heck of a lot scarier not having a lcd screen to check and make sure everything is as it should be.

With all my hopes for the new year I just want to keep enjoying photography.  Making money and growing is somewhat necessary, but I think for 2018 I just want to keep loving what I get to do.

What are you going to focus on with photography this year? Or whatever you choose as your passion?