5 Good Photography Resolutions for 2020

Monday 23 December 2019, 15:30 by Michelle Peeters | 8,286 views | 7 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

As I have just moved from Eindhoven to Wamel, probably losing my studio and some regular clients in the process, I thought it would be a good idea to make some photography resolutions for the coming year. Here are five ideas.

The Veerhuis in Wamel

1. Photograph more often for fun

Wamel is very different from Eindhoven, especially for a nature lover like me. The surroundings invite you to get out much more often, camera in hand of course. When I lived in Eindhoven, I did have my own studio, but I mainly photographed for businesses.

Portraits, 500 children from the primary school opposite every year, the occasional pet, products and regular whole families who all fitted easily into the studio and for whom I could keep enough distance to avoid distorted portraits.

I will probably miss this luxury position a lot. I do now have a mobile, lightweight studio set with Elinchrom lights, light shapers and a battery, plus a whole set of backdrops, but you do have to set it all up every time.

The advantage is that you can easily do shoots on location, even in a meadow, because you are no longer dependent on mains power. Now that I will probably have more time because of fewer business shoots, the time may be right to photograph more 'for fun'.

The Lemelerberg
Another advantage of working at Photofacts is that I regularly get to test cameras for them and also need a lot of my own photos for articles. This should already be enough reason to regularly step outside and capture all the nearby natural beauty, but it is still good to note it as a resolution.

2. Build up a new client base

Because I will probably lose a number of regular clients, despite having a mobile studio and the distance between Wamel and Eindhoven being only about a 40-minute drive, I will have to look for new clients!

But how do you go about that? Start calling again, do cold acquisition, get rejected hundreds of times, not a very appealing idea... Because I have never specialised and have always taken on all sorts of work, I can handle a wide variety of jobs, which could now be a major advantage!

There is a lot of business activity in Beneden-Leeuwen, 2.5 kilometres from Wamel. There is a primary school, a funeral business, an estate agent, a travel agency, various nurseries and shops. I am going to visit them personally to offer my services. Armed with a flyer showing my portfolio and referring to my website.

Different layers from the Lemelerberg

3. Meet people through a photography club

Wamel has a photography club. I have never been part of a photography club, often because of a lack of time, but now seems like the right time.

Joining a photography club can offer several advantages. You quickly get to know people there, kindred spirits perhaps, you can expand your local network and you may learn something from it!

It can also encourage you to go out and photograph for fun more often.

4. Organise my photography gear

Because I spent 3.5 months staying in a holiday cottage on the Lemelerberg as an interim period between the house in Eindhoven and the one in Wamel, I was constantly losing things. This caused a lot of panic, because work and photo assignments, often on location, continued as usual.

In the end, I stuffed the equipment I usually always needed into a large camera backpack, which I then took with me. At least I did not forget anything!

Now that I am finally properly settled again, it is time to give everything a good, systematic place. All the lights, light shapers and triggers together, all the lenses neatly sorted and the various cameras.

In such a logical way that everything is easy to find and I do not have to think for too long about what to take with me for a particular shoot. This will still be a challenge!

5. Learn more about modern techniques

I have been working with Canon DSLRs for about 30 years, first analogue and now digital, of course. I can manage very well with them, but I always do things in the same, rather basic way.

That means I still do not dare to rely on the latest techniques, which can take a lot of the thinking out of your hands. So I do not use them either.

This is a shame, because these often artificial intelligence-like techniques can save you a lot of work and often produce better results too, without requiring any extra effort.

My fifth and final resolution for the coming year is therefore to learn more about all the ins and outs of my current camera and also start exploring mirrorless cameras, making full use of all the available options. Testing lots of cameras for Photofacts can be a great help with this!

Using AI, or artificial intelligence, techniques is of course not limited to cameras, but also extends to all kinds of photo-editing programmes. Just think of Luminar, a programme that really takes all the thinking out of your hands.

Want to know more about Luminar?

If you want to know more about Luminar, one of the most interesting Lightroom plug-ins, which also presents itself as a genuine Lightroom alternative, there is a potentially very interesting course waiting for you at Photofacts Academy, taught by Piet van den Eynde.

You can follow this and other courses for two weeks with a free trial membership.

Your photography resolutions?

What are your photography resolutions for 2020?
Let us know in the comments!

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