I am inspired this year to do the Big Project, but will be using it to stay in focus with my photo goals, and the difference will be that I am actually creating a plan--at least enough of one that designates my goals and when I am feeling a bit untethered or overwhelmed, I can return to it to get refocused. I took the Big Project Planning Sheet seriously and it helped me alot. It actually clarified for me what were the things that were most important for me to accomplish; it was not what I originally thought it would be. For example, there are many things I have wanted to learn and a few things I have bought that I need to take time to learn, so its been more about the "I shoulds" and finally realized the "shoulds" are not motivating me, so I was able to refocus on what is actually important to me.... I know, big intro to my project plan, but thank you for reading! I decided the three things most important to me are taking photos for photo cards that would be more appealing to males. I have been making flower photo cards for a few years just to send to friends and family, and every time I make one for a male, I wonder which flower photo is most masculine (not to say men don't appreciate flowers, I just want some options and it to feel more personal for the individual.) So, coming up with a list of subjects to photograph that will vary my photo card options. My second goal is to continue creating flower images I am proud of and decided to approach it with more planning versus like I typically do and pick flowers randomly. I am going to go through my current flower photos and choose my favorites and images I could improve upon and start from there...that way I can focus on specific techniques, like composition, angles, and lighting that still need improvement! I have never done anything this focused before and I think I will gain more. The third goal is gaining more confidence in editing with Lightroom. I believe my editing skills are very novice and I don't know how to use all of the Lightroom tools, so I am going to break them down and learn them. Even breaking down my goals to these above things, I realize is still a significant undertaking, so my next steps are to actually make a plan and post that plan into the Big Project group. I also enjoy doing 52 Frames, a weekly photo challenge, but I always end up stopping, but I have found having themes encourages me to do images I would never normally do, so I also made a list of photo themes/challenges to choose from, especially if I need a break from the above. So, I realize, it is still an unfocused set of goals, but I feel like its a good start. The final thing I am going to do is every Sunday, decide what my photo goal is for the week and set time to do it. That way I will have a focus. I know, this was a book, so if you got through it, thank you for letting me share my thoughts for this year.

Posted by Carrie Batyik at 2025-01-04 14:27:27 UTC