Already a new year? I feel like I just started my Project52 2013 not so long ago, and definitely don't feel like it's done yet. I have to catch up on counting and matching which sessions go to which week, and wrap it up.
I don't do new year resolutions. But I believe yearly projects are concrete and productive. I'm glad I took up on Portrait52 project in 2013, that helped me kick-start my photography business. My goal for 2014 is to ramp up the business while maintaining a personal project to take up on new skills.
Here are a few project ideas I have in mind.
1) Follow Strobist tutorials once a week (once a week with external flash).
It's been 2 or 3 years that I've be lurking around Strobist.com now and then, but without serious commitment of following the tutorials there, I go nowhere. During my 365 project, I tried many techniques and lighting scenarios to get different pictures each day. But after that year, my speedlites have been mostly taking a rest for 2 years. I miss those days when I created something new and learned a new lighting scenario. A weekly project sounds like a commitment for lighting.
2) Printing. I should learn about professional printing to take my photography business to the next level of offering. But professional printing costs a lot!
3) B&W: Hard to master this many shades of gray. If I dedicate a whole year to really leaning monochrome, sounds like a good idea too.
4) landscape: I'm really bad in landscape. I probably don't have enough appreciation of nature and landscape to really see the beauty of it, let alone making a good photography out of it. The only way to conquer the fear is to do it enough. Eek! Really daunting just to think about getting out of the house every week to go hiking or go somewhere nice every week. Scratching this off my list now. 2 weeks in Peru already took up all my hiking quota for the next ~5 years.
5) skin-lighting for dark people. Too specific, can be part of a bigger lighting project.
6) On-location strobe lighting of portraits.
This will be a continuation of my 2013 Portrait52 project, but with strobes only. Playing around with strobes in the house on tiny object arrangement on the table or sink is one thing, but lighting people on-location with strobes is a totally different story. I need to revise my 2013 Portrait52 project which focused on working strangers. Non-strangers are okay for this year. Enough confidence photographing strangers from 2013 project and from regular portrait sessions. I will focus on the on-location lighting technique. I will never get any stranger with huge light modifier on the street anyway. Then I can combine those two skills.
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Okay, that's what I wrote up last month and now I'm a month behind any sort of project. I might skip projects this year or start a few months later. I have been down lately and in no interest to pick up any project. We'll see.
I don't do new year resolutions. But I believe yearly projects are concrete and productive. I'm glad I took up on Portrait52 project in 2013, that helped me kick-start my photography business. My goal for 2014 is to ramp up the business while maintaining a personal project to take up on new skills.
Here are a few project ideas I have in mind.
1) Follow Strobist tutorials once a week (once a week with external flash).
It's been 2 or 3 years that I've be lurking around Strobist.com now and then, but without serious commitment of following the tutorials there, I go nowhere. During my 365 project, I tried many techniques and lighting scenarios to get different pictures each day. But after that year, my speedlites have been mostly taking a rest for 2 years. I miss those days when I created something new and learned a new lighting scenario. A weekly project sounds like a commitment for lighting.
2) Printing. I should learn about professional printing to take my photography business to the next level of offering. But professional printing costs a lot!
3) B&W: Hard to master this many shades of gray. If I dedicate a whole year to really leaning monochrome, sounds like a good idea too.
4) landscape: I'm really bad in landscape. I probably don't have enough appreciation of nature and landscape to really see the beauty of it, let alone making a good photography out of it. The only way to conquer the fear is to do it enough. Eek! Really daunting just to think about getting out of the house every week to go hiking or go somewhere nice every week. Scratching this off my list now. 2 weeks in Peru already took up all my hiking quota for the next ~5 years.
5) skin-lighting for dark people. Too specific, can be part of a bigger lighting project.
6) On-location strobe lighting of portraits.
This will be a continuation of my 2013 Portrait52 project, but with strobes only. Playing around with strobes in the house on tiny object arrangement on the table or sink is one thing, but lighting people on-location with strobes is a totally different story. I need to revise my 2013 Portrait52 project which focused on working strangers. Non-strangers are okay for this year. Enough confidence photographing strangers from 2013 project and from regular portrait sessions. I will focus on the on-location lighting technique. I will never get any stranger with huge light modifier on the street anyway. Then I can combine those two skills.
----------
Okay, that's what I wrote up last month and now I'm a month behind any sort of project. I might skip projects this year or start a few months later. I have been down lately and in no interest to pick up any project. We'll see.
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