With the beginning of the new year (give or take a week, I know I’m late to the game), a lot of people have declared new year resolutions. Go to the gym more often, eat clean, etc. I’ve never been the type to come up with new year resolutions, much less stick to them.

However, I do have some goals for the new year photography-wise. These are varied and may not happen because of COVID-19, but they’re goals I’m going to try to keep in the back of my mind to improve myself as a photographer. I suggest you create a list also! Let me know if I missed anything that you’re going to work on.

1. Self-Portraits

I’m not the best as self-portraits. I have a few good pictures, but most of the pictures I’ve taken of myself, selfie-style or utilizing a tripod, I cringe at. With the pandemic and a differing schedule from most of my friends and family, I really want to get better at self-portraits so I can continue to grow as a photographer.

This includes using more intricate concepts for the self-shoots, so it’s not just the same boring headshot or outfit check. Which, (look at me, all smooth-like), brings us to my next goal:

2. Conceptualize Photoshoots

In general, the photoshoots I have are more “I-want-an-Instagram-picture-let’s-go-take-some-photos”. I have a few exceptions, mainly when I did shoots for my AP art class in highschool or when I’m doing some sort of trendy challenge.

This year, I want to start being more creative with the photoshoots I have. Not to nix the classic Instagram shoot, but I want to start getting into some more editorial and stylized shoots. If you have any suggestions, please leave them down below! I’ll probably make a post about any of these sorts of photoshoots I do.

3. Collaborate

This is the goal that will probably be most impacted by COVID-19. Obviously, it’s not super safe to be doing a lot of collaborations with others. Even if it was, I’m not currently at school, so it does make it a little bit harder to find other creators to collaborate with. However, as I said in one of my last posts, I do have a possible chance to collaborate with some guys I met during the last shoot I did with my sister.

At the end of the day, I really just want to expand my skills, and shooting with different people will definitely help to do that. Also, it will give me some much needed practice with directing a shoot, something I’m still working on.

4. Editing

My editing style is very minimal. Most of the time, I just adjust exposure and contrast, and sometimes a few other details. However, an important skill of photographers is the ability to use Photoshop. I have a little experience using the application, but pretty much the bare minimum. I really want to get a better grasp of how to use Photoshop to manipulate pictures, especially when it comes to removing unwanted people/objects in the background of photos.

5. Film Photography

I’ve always loved the aesthetic of film photography. There’s a sort of eccentric quality to it, and I love that. However, my use of film photography is pretty much limited to using the Huji app on my phone. (Highly recommend, though not exactly the same thing. Like, at all.) I have some disposable cameras that I’ve used sporadically, but I haven’t even gotten around to developing them.

What I’m hoping to do this year is to do some actual film photography. I have an old film camera, and I’m expecting some other film cameras from my grandad at some point. Using these, I’m hoping to begin truly experimenting with film, and hopefully gain some experience in dark rooms.

These are the main photography goals of mine for this year. Hopefully, I’ll be able to give y’all some positive updates on here soon. What are your goals for the year? Let me know.

See you guys next time!