2014 Photography Goals

It is always exciting to turn over a calendar and start with a fresh slate and a new box of chalk. I have taken a critical eye of where I stand with my photography, and inventoried my skill set. I’ve got firm footing in several areas, but I am lacking in others. With pressing health issues no longer an overriding priority in our lives, I can take some time now to embark in a couple of new directions.

Charleston, South Carolina

Should I be content? Perhaps. But it is not my nature. I want to learn and have fun with this medium. I want to get out, experience life, and see new things. And I want to best capture what I see, at least in my mind’s eye, with digital photography. 

Start with the end in mind.

~ Stephen Covey ~

I want to practice some more with HDR (high dynamic range) photography. So far, I’ve only dipped my toes in the waters. I also would like to try some nighttime and long-exposure photography. Panoramas really interest me, so I’d like to do more of them when faced with wide landscape vistas. I’ve had a new company approach me to try out some of their editing software, so I need to give them a test run. Also, Mr. Jim bought me a Wacom tablet for Christmas so that I can use during my digital darkroom efforts, particularly for brushwork. And let me tell you, there is nothing like a new electronic gadget to bring a sense of stupidity and helplessness to your day!

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have mastered,

you will never grow.

~ C. R. Lawton ~

I have, once again, signed up for lynda.com training on a monthly basis (see link on sidebar). I also have an abundance of photography training courses at my disposal through an annual membership with KelbyOne. This is the time of year that I really hunker down and watch training videos. And I have to practice what I learn, which requires hands-on time with camera equipment and using my computer in digital darkroom techniques.

Change is the end result of all true learning.

~ Leo Buscaglia ~

There are only so many hours in the day. Something has to give. So I will slow down the frequency of my blog posts for the next couple of months. I will also be reducing the amount of blog visiting and commenting. Please notice that I didn’t say that I would stop altogether! This is not a blogging break. It’s just a little slowdown so that I can spend more time learning my craft.

You can’t wait for inspiration.

You have to go after it with a club.

~ Jack London ~

The calendar has changed for you too, so where do you plan to go with your photography this year? Are you content with what you know and the quality of your images? If yes, then let me give you a high five! If you are not content, what do you want to learn, and how do you intend to go about getting it done in 2014?

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important

as what you become by achieving your goals.

~ Henry David Thoreau ~