New Year's Resolutions - Image Making
- Thread starter Michael Slade
- Start date
Safado
Adventurer
My New Years Resolutions for photography are 3 fold.
1. Learn the new Body. Just recently upgraded and need to understand the tool, the capabilities, and how to leverage them to create what I see.
2. Open myself up for critique. I've really enjoyed lurking here for the past few months, reading, and learning from others critiques. However I know that I'll only improve myself by opening up some of my own images for public opinion...and that's a big step for me. I'm pretty hard on myself as it is, I just know I'm missing more, that a better trained eye can see.
3. Carpe Momento - All too often I find myself seeing the right scene, the right light, and passing on it because of life's distractions. I'd like to work on responding to that inner voice that compels me to capture the moment, and see where it takes me. Not sure if I'm up for a "pic of the day" type commitment yet, but I need to start somewhere.
We'll start there.
1. Learn the new Body. Just recently upgraded and need to understand the tool, the capabilities, and how to leverage them to create what I see.
2. Open myself up for critique. I've really enjoyed lurking here for the past few months, reading, and learning from others critiques. However I know that I'll only improve myself by opening up some of my own images for public opinion...and that's a big step for me. I'm pretty hard on myself as it is, I just know I'm missing more, that a better trained eye can see.
3. Carpe Momento - All too often I find myself seeing the right scene, the right light, and passing on it because of life's distractions. I'd like to work on responding to that inner voice that compels me to capture the moment, and see where it takes me. Not sure if I'm up for a "pic of the day" type commitment yet, but I need to start somewhere.
We'll start there.
photoman
Explorer
Are you in AZ?
Have a photo tour of Tonto National Monument scheduled for this Saturday afternoon.
Have a couple spots still open. If interested PM me and I'll provide the details.
nwoods
Expedition Leader
Time to resurrect this thread. Last year didn't work out so well for me. My camera went a little wonky early in the year. The exposure meter and shutter no longer liked working with each other. Every event I photographed resulted in hours and hours of post to extract something usable. I went through the year's photos with the intent to contribute to the Best of 2010 thread, and found I had nothing worth posting. What a bummer.
So what's on the horizon for the year ahead? Well, financially, next year, at least in the foreseeable future is probably the most difficult and bleak I've ever faced. However, I learned that one the boxes under the tree sounds just like a 7D when you shake it (well okay, no not really, but I've heard on good authority that my parents are indeed providing a 7D this year). On Black Friday, Adobe had some killer deals, so I picked up Lightroom 3 and PhotoShop CS5, and Premier 9 really inexpensively. So I'm pretty stoked! I will have a good camera, current software, and a beautiful family to capture on silicon.
If I can keep the Jeep, I am hoping to make some short videos of trips. I have a mental storyboard and soundtrack already scripted for a Mojave Trail trip. Beyond that, I still want to work on portrait shots, and some long exposure shots; water, nighttime, fireworks, etc... and I still would love to sell an image for money. That would be awesome.
Yosemite 2010
So what are you guys planning on working on?
So what's on the horizon for the year ahead? Well, financially, next year, at least in the foreseeable future is probably the most difficult and bleak I've ever faced. However, I learned that one the boxes under the tree sounds just like a 7D when you shake it (well okay, no not really, but I've heard on good authority that my parents are indeed providing a 7D this year). On Black Friday, Adobe had some killer deals, so I picked up Lightroom 3 and PhotoShop CS5, and Premier 9 really inexpensively. So I'm pretty stoked! I will have a good camera, current software, and a beautiful family to capture on silicon.
If I can keep the Jeep, I am hoping to make some short videos of trips. I have a mental storyboard and soundtrack already scripted for a Mojave Trail trip. Beyond that, I still want to work on portrait shots, and some long exposure shots; water, nighttime, fireworks, etc... and I still would love to sell an image for money. That would be awesome.
Yosemite 2010
So what are you guys planning on working on?
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Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
While 2010 was a very successful year for me, both personally as far as finding my legs visually, it was also a bit of a coming out party financially in that I was actually able to sell quite a few prints through art shows, and a couple of local vendors who were kind enough to hang my work in their establishments as 'for sale' items. So, for 2011 my goals are simple, and they are 1) to reciprocate success, 2) collaborate, and 3) continue to learn. I'll have more details and information on what that actually means shortly, or you can check back with my website under the Info & Contact section for details.
photoman
Explorer
Interesting topic.
Vision- Continue to expand on capturing dynamic light in landscapes and true emotion in people photography.
Style- continue to develop my own artistic style through unique compositions as well as post process work.
Photoshop- have a ton to learn here! Goals- Landscapes = merges, masks, and stitching. People = masks, textures, composits.
Business- gallery show (or two), actually advertise and market rather than relying strictly on word of mouth or chance.
Gear- depends on how successful everything else is.
2010 wasn't that great of a year for me in many aspects. A new job and starting a dual masters degree really took up a lot of my extra time so I didn't get out on many shoots or work on photography much at all.
I was able to get one gallery show completed this year. Sold off 95% of my gear and have started building a new system.
For 2011-
Do at least one more gallery show (all b&w) and see about hanging a couple pieces in other businesses.
Photoshop- same goals as 2010
Find the time to shoot and edit for money! Portraits, architecture, and even events or projects for the cities around me. Need to get back into the grove of making money at photography while still balancing work, school, and parenting.
taco2go
Explorer
No specific resolutions here, but I can definitely relate to the balancing of work and parenting.
This last year was the most productive for me in the three years since I began my tryst with the camera, but 2011 looks to be the busiest for me in terms of my career so
1. I hope to simply keep my sense of wonder at the world outside heeding the urge to capture some of it on my CF card
2. I want to see better, and see more, of other people’s work.
This last year was the most productive for me in the three years since I began my tryst with the camera, but 2011 looks to be the busiest for me in terms of my career so
1. I hope to simply keep my sense of wonder at the world outside heeding the urge to capture some of it on my CF card
2. I want to see better, and see more, of other people’s work.
yellocoyote
Adventurer
I've got a couple of classes lined up to attend this spring - I'm really looking forward to these. I'm hoping I can get some new inspiration and insight that I've been missing.
I also plan to dig into some post-processing techniques. I severely lack in that department.
Oh, and I started my own 365 Project in effort to track my progress... and a great excuse to take lots and lots of pictures!
I also plan to dig into some post-processing techniques. I severely lack in that department.
Oh, and I started my own 365 Project in effort to track my progress... and a great excuse to take lots and lots of pictures!
Snafu
Adventurer
I hope to learn more about setting up the camera for great shots...I keep finding it hard to really get what I want at the camera. I have to rely on editing afterward to achieve a desired look, or brighten, lighten, adjust the RGB....
I want to go deeper into the desert and really find a way to take interesting pictures...everyone has seen a cactus...but what about finding an interesting way to capture the one tucked into the rocks.
I'm hoping to expand into video...learn it, and create something I've not been able to work with.
I love art...I love using imagination even more...but I'm hoping to put it to use to create things that are even more capable of expression and communication.
I spend so much time alone in the emptiest of regions in the Southwest...I would really like to figure out how to get some pics that include me every now and then as well
I want to go deeper into the desert and really find a way to take interesting pictures...everyone has seen a cactus...but what about finding an interesting way to capture the one tucked into the rocks.
I'm hoping to expand into video...learn it, and create something I've not been able to work with.
I love art...I love using imagination even more...but I'm hoping to put it to use to create things that are even more capable of expression and communication.
I spend so much time alone in the emptiest of regions in the Southwest...I would really like to figure out how to get some pics that include me every now and then as well
Tucson T4R
Expedition Leader
My goal is to just get out more and shoot more. I figure if I shoot in enough different settings I may actually learn something. :elkgrin:
This last year I have learned a lot but I hope 2011 takes it to next level.
This last year I have learned a lot but I hope 2011 takes it to next level.
RusherRacing
Adventurer
I really want to improve my indoor photography - mainly light and understanding it better. Bounce lighting, off camera etc.. I know it is technical but it is something I currently don't have a good understanding of.
I also want to work on finishing my photobooks and document some of my travels so I can share them maybe on here but other places as well.
I also want to shoot fewer better quality photos. I waste significant amounts of time sorting out all the crap or looking at the same 5 photos of the same thing - I would rather have 1 really good one that has been properly post processed than 5.
I also want to work on finishing my photobooks and document some of my travels so I can share them maybe on here but other places as well.
I also want to shoot fewer better quality photos. I waste significant amounts of time sorting out all the crap or looking at the same 5 photos of the same thing - I would rather have 1 really good one that has been properly post processed than 5.
off-roader
Expedition Leader
For 2011 I hope to...
- learn to use my flash to compliment the ambient light, not overpower it (ala Scott Bourne's book 'Hot Shoe Diaries').
- learn to take/make 'realistic' hdr/tone mapped images.
- work on my landscape photography skills
- work on my portrait photography skills
On the equipment side...
- either upgrade to Photoshop CS5 or maybe try out lightroom (pc, not mac)
- maybe build an imaging workstation (rather than continue to use my laptop).
- if I win the lotto, buy either the new nikon 70-200 VR2 or the old nikon VR version to replace my old 80-200 f/2.8 push pull.:sombrero:
- learn to use my flash to compliment the ambient light, not overpower it (ala Scott Bourne's book 'Hot Shoe Diaries').
- learn to take/make 'realistic' hdr/tone mapped images.
- work on my landscape photography skills
- work on my portrait photography skills
On the equipment side...
- either upgrade to Photoshop CS5 or maybe try out lightroom (pc, not mac)
- maybe build an imaging workstation (rather than continue to use my laptop).
- if I win the lotto, buy either the new nikon 70-200 VR2 or the old nikon VR version to replace my old 80-200 f/2.8 push pull.:sombrero: