The New Year is a traditional time when we choose to take good resolutions. The majority are not held, but here are a few suggestions for good photographic resolutions, and some tips for holding them.
Above all, an excellent year to all of you, I wish it will be filled with beautiful pictures and beautiful photographic moments! 😉
Taking stock
First of all, I find that the most important thing at the end of one year is not to know what you want to do with the next, but to take stock, calmly 😉 From what you’ve accomplishedand also what you would have liked to accomplish (it’s completely normal not to do everything you would have liked to do 😉 ) We’ll stay in the picture, but I think it applies to all areas of life. Ask yourself these questions:
- What are your 10 best photos of the year, and why ? (no, you don’t need someone else’s opinion: which are the best for you ?)
- What did you learn this year in pictures?
- What are the technical aspects that you master ? What are your gaps in this area?
- Have you found yourself a field of predilection ?
- What has gotten into you blocked ? (technique, ideas, material, etc…)
- Is this blog the best in the world? 😀
Seriously, really get a pencil and paper, and… note these answers. Dig really deep to understand all this. It’s very important. It’s the basis for making good resolutions that will be useful and motivate you, because you’ll know why 😉 (I always say that the why is the most important, but maybe it’s because I’m from the generation [wh]Y 😉 )
Besides, I have a better idea: share your experience as a commentI’d love to read this! 🙂
How do you keep your resolutions?
Nevertheless, I will give you a few suggestions as to what I think are important and should be the subject of your good resolutions, but it’s all useless if you don’t apply them…. So let’s start with a few useful tips on how not to give up after a month (or less).
Test for 30 days
It’s a trick that works well in many areas, I’ve tried it for a whole bunch of things. The principle is very simple: you force yourself to apply your decision for 30 days. For example, take one picture a day. The important thing is not to deviate from this for a month.
If after 30 days, it’s no longer an effort for you (and believe me, most of the time you’ve gotten used to it), you can go on, without even thinking about it. This is very useful for establish a habitwithout making a decision that seems a bit hard to take, such as “take one picture a day for a year”. It’s easier to hold on to, and at the same time, insidiously, you’ll get used to it, and maybe even get hooked 😉
That’s for example what I did when I started playing guitar: the first 6 months are difficult because the fingers are very painful, but I made the decision at one point to play every day for 1 month (even just 10 or 15 minutes). As a result, in the end, I tolerated the pain much better, and above all I was almost addicted to that little moment… musical dailyand I went on for a while. Now I don’t play every day, but it doesn’t hurt anymore even if I stop for a month 😉
Make it part of your routine
It depends on what kind of resolution we’re talking about (it’s not always possible), but here again we play on force of habit. Once something becomes part of your daily life, it is difficult to get rid of it.
For example, you will probably regularly check your mailbox (even though you know there will be more bills than postcards :P), without even thinking about it.
So, why don’t you incorporate a fun time to your daily routine? 😉
Set achievable and quantifiable objectives
There’s no point in giving yourself goals that are very difficult to achieve: you won’t get there, and that will discourage you. Better you set something realistic, and stick to it.. Plus, it’s more rewarding! 🙂 In the same way, don’t set yourself 12 good resolutions. One or two is more than enough.
Also ensure that it is quantifiable. Saying ” I’ll take more pictures this year. “, it’s not not quantifiable: you won’t be able to know if you’ve met your goal. You could count your photos at the end of the year, but what happens if the numbers are very close? What is a success?
On the other hand… I will take my camera with me at least twice a week and I will take at least one picture a month that I like. », it’s quantifiable. You’ll see. motivatesand it makes you realize where you’re at.
Make a public commitment
Those who are a little interested in human psychology know it: we are very much subject to the societal pressure. What others do, and what they think of what we do, matters, at least if they are people we value.
The good news is you can use this to your advantage: make a commitment to friendspeople you care about, people you’re close to, people you care about. Tell them your photographic goal for the year: they will often ask you for news, and it’ll motivate you to keep going.. Let’s just agree: it’s okay not to always respect what we said to each other. But having friends who follow it, it’s motivating! 😉
What are the “right” resolutions?
Of course, the best ones are the ones you’ve got personaland in particular those that are consistent with your little photographic review of the year.
But here are a few suggestions that I’m sure you won’t be surprised to see me give, I’m sure 😉.
1. Make time for the photo
I know we all have busy lives, and sometimes it’s hard to find the time to take pictures. The best way to do that is to plan special times for it. Like a ritual. It could be on a family walk on Sunday, coming home from work every day or on Friday, during your lunch break, …
You probably don’t realize it, but your daily life is filled with small gapswhich you can fill in with the photo. When you take public transport for example…
Find those moments, and give yourself a goal! 😉
2. Take your device with you more often
Without necessarily freeing up time in particular, having your camera with you will ensure that you don’t miss any photographic opportunity. But more importantly, you should not forget it on a daily basis: you need to look around to detect opportunities and use it. Otherwise, you’ll quickly get discouraged from taking it with you every day (if it’s a reflex, for example), or even forget it altogether (if you’ve chosen to carry only the 😉 smartphone).
3. Shoot in RAW
It seems infinitely complex when you haven’t touched it yet, and then you wonder if it’s really useful after all.
Besides, it’s going to take some time… I’ve known these hesitations. I think you understand that I don’t regret trying 😀.
Honestly, it’s time to take the plunge. Yeah, it takes a while, especially at first. And when you start, you get a little lost. But it’s a whole section of the picture you’re missing.
You can set simple goals, such as developing one photo a week for a year. It won’t take you too much time or effort, and I guarantee you’ll have learned a lot!
(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the article on RAW).
4. Experience
Make a list of photo styles that you’ve never practiced before: architecture, sports, whatever… And think you’ll try three this year for example. Or 5, or 10, it all depends on your motivation 😉
Think about the opportunities you’ll have: visiting a nice city for architecture, your son’s soccer game for sport, etc.
You may discover a passion for a field of photography that you never thought of before! And in any case, you will learn something, especially technically. Indeed, each discipline has its constraints, and confronting them allows you to think about them, to look for solutions, and thus to better understand photography. This will certainly make you a better photographer.
5. Think (a lot) more before you trigger
Rather than taking more pictures (which is not a bad thing, but perhaps not the most important thing), try to spend more time on each photo. Take care of your settings, your composition. It is not necessarily to spend 10 minutes on each shot (it depends on the situation, and your experience), but simply to think carefully, especially about your positioning.
For example, I’m not a landscape photographer at heart, but for this image you can see on the right, it’s the fact of taking time that played the most important role. I only took 2 shots of this place with this composition (plus 3 others while trying other points of view, but less convincing than my initial vision). Only, it took me one minute to position myself correctly (to the great despair of my friends :P).
If you want a making-of of this photo, ask for a comment 😉
So, once again, I hope that this year 2012 will bring you a lot of good things both in photography and in the rest, and that these tips as well as the others will help you to progress in photography and to really enjoy yourself! 🙂
And don’t forget to share the article! 🙂
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