2023 goals + thoughts on getting back into photography
2022 was the year I started getting back into photography after the pandemic. It’s been a long break, and an even longer period of time since I first picked up my DSLR - ever.
Looking back, last year felt like a warm out. Hitting hard on the camera button and just firing off the shutter, hoping for that one out of a hundred to be the best. It worked, but not very efficiently. There were a few photos that I really liked, but was it really worth the other couple hundred of photos that now sit in my storage unedited?
Like I said, it was a good warm up. 2023, will be a year where I focus on composition and reason. Slowing down. No more spamming the shutter, no more empty photos. This year I want to put a reason behind most, if not all the photos I take - perhaps some scenes are just really pretty and that’s all there is to it.
I’ve also found a somewhat good balance of enjoying life and capturing life. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect balance but it’s currently doable. I no longer constantly take photos of every single thing that's happening like I used to pre-pandemic, but I also haven’t completely let go of the fear of missing that perfect shot.
I wouldn’t say these are solid goals specific to my photography skills or photography as a career (just yet), but I think these are valuable goals as a creative, and my approach to how I will continue photography sustainably. Do I want to make this a career? Yes, of course. With the number of years I have under my belt, I’d hope it’d get to a point where this is more than a hobby. Do I think I can call myself professional after all those years? No, not with how inconsistent all those years of experience have been.
I’d wrap it up here for now, because if I keep going this will be more than just about 2023. I’d say this is also a soft launch post since it feels a bit too raw for me to blast it all over my socials with a following right now - let's make that another goal (more personal perhaps): to feel more confident in sharing my work, who else is going to gas me up if not myself?
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