10 Photography Resolutions You Should Be Making

it’s natural to start fresh at the beginning of the year.  every new year is like a new beginning, a time for us to hit the reset button and strive to do more or do better.  as photographers, this is the time when we should be thinking about our goals with photography and how we are going to achieve them.  we should be thinking about where we want to go with our photography and how we are going to get there.  with everyone making resolutions at the new year, here are 10 photography resolutions you should be making.  and for fun, i am sharing my 10 photography resolutions that i hope to achieve this year.

there’s no better time than the new year to finally conquer manual mode.  i put off learning manual mode for a long time and manual mode confused me, until i read this.

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10 Photography Resolutions You Should Be Making

1.  Your Overall Resolution

your overall resolution should be your big ticket goal.  when you think about your journey with photography, what is the one thing you want to achieve this year?  what is the one thing that will make you feel more successful as a photographer and make you feel super proud of yourself?  for me:  this year i want my photography to be published in a magazine.

2.  Your Biggest Struggle Resolution

as we enter the new year, think of your biggest struggle with photography.  what is something that seems to trick you or make you fumble with your camera each and every time.  pick your biggest struggle with photography and make a resolution to tackle it this year.  turn your struggle into an accomplishment.  for me:  this year i want to stop being intimidated by low light and photograph successfully in low light scenarios.

3.  Your Technical Resolution

how are you with technically maneuvering your camera?  are you photographing in manual mode?  are you nailing your focus?  think about your photographs from the technical perspective and write down how you can get better photographs this year straight out of camera.  for me:  this year i want to nail exposure better straight out of camera, instead of relying on editing to correct my exposure afterwards.

4.  Your Editing Resolution

think of your editing process and how to approach post processing.  what are some of your struggles?  how do you want to get better?  whether you want to learn more about editing in lightroom, want to try a new editing software or want to quicken your editing process, think of how you can become a better editor.  for me:  i want to learn how to create more realistic skin tones in post processing.

need help learning your software?  check out how to learn lightroom and photoshop.

5.  Your Brave Resolution

it is very important for us to be brave with our photography.  when we take risks, we learn so much about ourselves and our skill.  think about something you want to be brave about, whether it is teaching a photography course or taking on a different type of photography client.  for me:  i want to photograph newborn twins.

6.  Your Photography Purchase Resolution

i believe in working hard, playing hard.  as we work hard to become even better photographers, it is natural and necessary to make fun photography purchases to either reward ourselves or to improve our photography.  think about a purchase that you would really like to make this year pertaining to your photography and outline how you will achieve that purchase.  for me:  i want to purchase a macro lens to offer macro photographs to my newborn clients.

7.  Your Photography Education Resolution

it’s always important that we feed our thirst to learn more about photography.  think of something that you would really like to learn more about and pinpoint a workshop or photography book you would like to take or read this year.  for me:  i want to learn more about video this year.

if your goal is to finally pinpoint and develop a photography style that is unique to you, be sure to check out my ebook the styled photographer, and see why it’s helping so many photographers find their own style and become passionate about photography again.

8.  Your One Photograph Goal

when we enter the new year, it’s natural for us to think about all the new things that this year is going to bring.  some of us know about vacations that will we be taking, people we will get to meet or see again, or special events that are going to occur.  think of one specific photograph that you want to take, and take really well, this year and prepare yourself to be successful at it.  for me:  i want to take a really good portrait of my daughter on her first birthday.

9.  Your Bad Habit Goal

sometimes photography resolutions are about breaking bad habits, and we all have some bad habits with photography that we could do without.  think about some of your bad habits that you would like to break this year and how you can work towards leaving them behind.  for me:  this year i want to stop photographing in continuous shooting mode.

10.  Your Photography Project Goal

when photographers think about photography projects, they think about huge time commitments.  but photography projects don’t have to be big, they can also be smaller photography projects.  think about a photography project that you would like to complete this year and outline how you will be successful at it.  for me:  this year i want to complete a project 52, taking one photo a week for the entire year.

want to start a photography project, but need some ideas?  check out what 5 photography projects every photographer should do.

let the new year be a time for new and better beginning for you as a photographer.  whether you finally make the plunge to go into business, finally get that wide angle lens you’ve been dreaming of, finally start a photography project, or tackle something that intimidates you, be sure you grow as a photographer this year.  pour yourself a glass of wine, write down a list of your photography resolutions and make them happen!

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