Capturing Excellence: My 2025 Vision for Photography Resolutions

A fresh year, a fresh you! Or that’s how all the post-holiday advertisements seem to portray it, at least. Will January 2025 be arid? Will it be plant-based? Nope and nope (at least for me)! I generally avoid making any New Year’s Resolutions as it merely sets me up for disappointment.

Nonetheless, this year, I’m taking a slightly different approach and establishing some photography resolutions for 2025. My goal is to infuse some thrill into both my work and personal life (you might be surprised how much being a photographer and writer isn’t as glamorous as Hollywood makes it out to be!), and perhaps you’ll find some ideas and motivation, as well! So, without any further delay, here are my primary photography resolutions for 2025!

Organize and actually execute a personal project

I’m an imaginative individual (just ask our Chief Editor!). I can come up with numerous fanciful concepts, and occasionally, one or two of them may indeed be feasible! However, where I falter is in the execution and completion of these concepts. I’m an expert at side endeavors and procrastination.

Concepts hold little value if you cannot enact and achieve them. Thus, in 2025, I will concentrate on one or two of these ideas and meticulously plan a creative personal project based on them. There’s no rush, but I will impose a deadline to ensure that I actually accomplish something. I’m uncertain what form this will take—whether it will be a stills project, a video project, or a combination of both. It might be a documentary journalistic endeavor, or perhaps something else entirely—stay tuned! One thing I’m certain of is that a personal project will propel you to new heights and help develop a much more captivating body of work quicker than you might expect.

Delve into film and experiment with all my vintage cameras

I possess several (OK, about 7 to 10) vintage cameras tucked away in my closet, some of which must still be operational. A few even have partially used rolls of film inside them. One belonged to my grandmother—a Kodak pocket camera that she used sparingly, stretching the roll of 12 photos to last the entire summer. I grew up during the film era; however, I didn’t fully immerse myself into photography until the early 2000s when the shift to digital began.

Today’s cameras are astonishing, and I’m immensely pleased with my Canon EOS R6II, but I can’t shake the feeling that modern cameras are becoming a tad too intelligent, diminishing some of the unpredictability that makes photography exciting. It will be enjoyable to learn some darkroom techniques and explore those quirks that distinguish film photography from its digital counterpart.

Create some cyanotypes

I’ve had a couple of cyanotype kits sitting idle in the back of my cupboard for quite some time now. Perhaps 2025 is the perfect opportunity to bring them out and create some art using just sunlight and a few chemicals! What could possibly go wrong?

On a serious note, cyanotype printing is a captivating early photographic method that requires a bit of experimentation to yield satisfactory results. It will be enjoyable to explore this process.

Acquire a new shooting technique

2024 wasn’t particularly fruitful in terms of pushing myself creatively in photography. The year prior, I dedicated substantial time and energy to learning how to capture VR 180 videos. It was a steep learning curve but also incredibly enjoyable. The year before that, I underwent a phase of mastering night sky photography. This past year, I didn’t feel inclined to tackle yet another complex skill and instead rested a bit too comfortably on my previous achievements.

Reflecting on 2024, I’m not entirely sure how the time slipped away. Certainly, I engaged in some interesting activities, but nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking. This year, I’d like to challenge myself once more. I am currently learning how to prepare for a full moon photoshoot this month using PhotoPills, and I will see how that unfolds. Sure, it’s not overly complicated or thrilling, and many have done it before, but for me, it’s a new experience, and that’s what truly matters.

Master a new editing technique

In a similar vein, we can also broaden our competencies in the realm of post-production. This year, I’m keen to delve deep into color grading with Davinci Resolve. It’s something I’ve sidestepped learning comprehensively for too long. While I possess enough knowledge to get by, now I’m eager to grasp the intricacies involved.

Moreover, with the price hike of Adobe’s photography plan taking effect, perhaps it would be wise for us to learn a different editing software in place of Lightroom and Photoshop. Affinity Photo and Capture One provide non-subscription alternatives. Admittedly, I’m somewhat hesitant about having to learn a new software, but acquiring the option for an alternative to Adobe’s products will be advantageous.

Embark on more ‘mini adventures’

The pinnacle of 2024 for me was a week-long photographic expedition to Iceland. I’d saved up for it for an entire year, and it’s something I’d anticipated for months. I’m delighted to say that it lived up to all my expectations, and despite the loss of my camera, I have no regrets.

I’m already plotting a significant adventure for the summer of 2025; however, I prefer not to have merely one trip to anticipate as I did in 2024. I am somewhat limited by budget and time, so I’m challenging myself to carve out time for a weekly ‘mini adventure’ instead of something distant and costly.

These minor adventures could be as uncomplicated as discovering a new neighborhood, taking a train to a new location, embarking on a day hike, or simply working from an alternative venue rather than the usual home setting. The key is to disrupt the routine, experience new surroundings, and bring my camera along. Maybe I’ll even merge this with my moon photography or film shooting!

If I manage to accomplish even half of these goals, one thing is for sure: 2025 will be an exhilarating year for photography, and I might even capture some outstanding photographs and develop as a photographer in the process!