New Year photo skills

Make 2021 your best-ever photo year, with our 29 New Year resolutions

We can all agree 2020 has been a year like no other. Like the rest of the world, we have no doubt that you’re probably keen to move forward into 2021 and get your photography aspirations back on top of the priority list. As with any new year, it’s a great time to assess your situation and what your goals are for the year, and to make some new year photography resolutions.

While we need to be considerate to the new normal we’ve adapted to live with, and respect any local, national or international Covid-19 restrictions that may be in place, we can all begin to think about our photography aspirations for the year and put our plans into action to meet our goals.

To help get you inspired for the year ahead, we’ve compiled a list of our top 29 resolutions. Whether your photography plans are to simply get out and shoot more or to refine a specific skill set, we have ideas that will inspire and suit everyone.

Whatever your photography hopes for the coming year are, go at them with full force – and make this year the one to shoot for!

1 GET YOURSELF SORTED

Use this part of the year to get all of your past and present images in order. That might mean backing up your raw files, or finally creating a comprehensive storage system where you can easily access previous work. Have a look at what you shot this year, and assess what you achieved. Also have a think about if you want or need to store all your old raw files. Remember it costs you money to do so. Reflecting on your work is important for moving forward, and deciding where you want to go.

2 WORK FROM HOME…

At the start of the year, begin an ongoing project you can achieve in the comfort of your own home. This could be anything from photographing food to taking abstract images of household objects. For one of my current projects, for example, I’ve taken shots of seaweed collected on a walk and turned them into abstract globes.

To find ideas for your home project, you could have a look at still-life photographers. If you go back in time, photographers such as Man Ray and Edward Weston are great inspirations for looking at everyday objects and presenting them in a new form. Contemporary photographers like Dina Belenko (thingswithstories.tilda.ws) and Deborah Farnault’s still-life collection (www.deborahfarnault. com) may also give you some inspiration.

Whatever your chosen subject, try to give your project a theme or an interesting context, to add another layer of interest to the result.

3 LEARN FROM THE PROS

Living in the modern world comes with many benefits: one of those being the amount of information we can easily access online to learn about photography or a specific photographic technique or genre.

While YouTube is a great resource, it can be tricky to separate the professionals from the amateurs, and you might not always be getting the right advice. By subscribing to a knowledgeable and professional platform like KelbyOne (kelbyone.

com) you have access to a range of courses and tuition across a variety of genres that you can watch at your own pace. Think of it as an investment in yourself.

4 INVEST IN A NEW LENS

While we can always make do, a lot of the time it can be frustrating if we don’t have the right tools for the job. So this year, treat yourself: save up some pocket money and invest in a new lens to make whatever tasks are on your list easier to achieve.

Whether you want a wide-angle lens for landscapes, a prime for portraits or a macro lens for close-ups, get something that will make your style work for you. You don’t need to spend a fortune either – alternative brands like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina are often more affordable than the leading camera manufacturers. Also consider buying second-hand (from a trusted source like Park Cameras or MPB) if you want to save money.

5 PLAN AHEAD FOR THE YEAR

If the subjects you like to shoot are seasonal, invest in a 2021 diary or wall planner. To be prepared, do your research now and mark important dates to remember in your calendar.

For example, if capturing blankets of blooming bluebells is on the top of your list, make a note to be prepared from late April. You can create reminders on your phone and set an alarm to give your brain a jog nearer the time!

There are many health benefits to connecting to nature and being out in the wild environment, so it’s a really positive move to make time in your busy schedule to get out and about. Remember to keep an eye on the weather forecast, and try to have some flexibility in your schedule so you can be ready to get the shot when the conditions are right.

GET YOUR YEARLY PLANNER SORTED CAPTURE SEASONS WITH THESE TIPS

6 WINTER JAN-MAR

Late winter and early spring bring back woodpeckers, starlings, wildfowl, owls and blue tits. Now’s also the time to capture cold winter scenes and keep an eye on the weather forecast for snow! Wrap up warm and be fully prepared when you go out and about, with appropriate gear and clothing.

7 SPRING APR-JUNE

In the spring to summer months, look out for bluebells, seabirds, toads, bees and cuckoos. This is a colourful time of year, with flowers and wildlife in abundance. Taking images in the midday sun is tricky, so for softer light shoot at the start and end of the day.

8 SUMMER JULY-SEPT

As the long summer months carry on, there are many creatures around to capture, from beautiful butterflies and fledgling birds to bats at dusk. Summer scenes of flowers, like close-ups of popping red poppies or landscapes of bright yellow sunflowers, also make great images.

9 AUTUMN OCT-DEC

As autumn comes into full swing, take advantage of the changing colours and the soft sunlight. If you like photographing animals, look out for deer, geese, starlings, waders, crows and jackdaws. As we move into December, frosty landscapes make great photo opportunities.

10 PACK SMART

We’ve all been guilty of lugging around too much kit! While it’s good to be prepared, it’s also backbreaking and slows you down.

This year, take more time to pack your bag, considering what you put in and whether you really need it.

Planning what you want to achieve from your photoshoot beforehand will help you decide on what to bring. While it’s a good idea to always have a backup memory card and battery, think about if you really need that extra lens or flashgun. Sometimes it can be good to have fewer options, as it forces you to make creative decisions with the kit you have… and your back will thank you for it, too.

11 PRINT YOUR IMAGES!

It would be a shame to spend so much time shooting loads of inspiring images and have them never materialise in the real world. So this year, make time to print your images – whether you print them at home or get a professional service to do it for you.

If you want to print big, WhiteWall has just announced its new Masterprint service, which can print images from 120 x 80cm to a massive 500 x 240cm! Each print is sealed under clear acrylic to bring out its colour and offer protection. Visit www.whitewall.com for more information.

12 BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY

With social restrictions and photography clubs temporarily shutting their doors, this has not been the easiest time to join a group of like-minded people. However, there are other ways to get involved in the photography community and engage with fellow enthusiasts. For example, you could join Facebook groups that reflect subjects of interest to you – or set one up if you can’t find anything that meets your needs. If you are keen to join a photography club, it’s worth getting in touch with your local group to see if it has opened its doors. There may be social distancing rules in place, or it might be engaging in online meetings. Just because we now have physical barriers it doesn’t mean that we can’t engage with fellow photographers – we just need to be careful and go about it in a new way.

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This year, spend more time taking photographs of people you care about. Not only will you have some great portraits of your beloved ones, you’ll also get to spend more time with them. Those we are closest with already feel calm and content in our company so take advantage of this to perfect your portrait skills and get great results.

We often approach our subject from our own eye level, as that is how we often view the world – but we’re missing a trick! Explore your subjects this year from every angle to capture something more unusual. This aim can be applied to whichever genre you enjoy shooting, and should be kept at the front of your mind next time you pick up the camera.

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Don’t let bad weather put you off: you can shoot amazing landscapes in pouring rain or thick mist. To be able to spend enough time outside to capture atmospheric shots, invest money in decent waterproofs. There are several brands that photographers lean towards – such as Paramo, North Face, and Rab – that are durable and watertight. Find a coat with many pockets, as these are useful for lens cloths, trigger releases and snacks. High-quality gear doesn’t come cheap, but when you’re faced with a storm and you get that amazing shot, you’ll be grateful for the investment! Check out our top recommendations at www.digitalcameraworld.com/jackets

We’ve all got gaps in our knowledge and skills base: however experienced you are as a photographer, there’s always room to learn more. Whatever your level is, this year think about the new techniques you want to master, and set some time aside to study them.

It might be that you want to get better at posing your models, or you have an urge to understand off-camera flash. It could be that you want to master hyperfocal distance to achieve crisp landscapes, or your focusing skills need refining. If you spread your time throughout the year and learn one new skill every three months, you’ll be an expert in four new techniques by the end of the year.