On to year two

I got my first ever camera with the intent of being a photographer in May of 2023. It was a Panasonic Lumix G7. So that was one year and seven months ago. When May 2025 arrives, I’ll be two years into my photography journey. So I’m thinking about what I want to do in year two. I didn’t really think about what I wanted to do in year one. It just happened organically, I guess.

Launch my first creative project

I went to Breakthrough Sounds studio in Valley View for a creative meetup in September. When I was there, I shared an idea that I wanted to bring to life, but the blocker was money. I’d need a lot of it to make it happen. So I temporarily put a hold on trying to bring that project to life. However, it’s been on my mind as of late, and I feel like I need to try to make it happen.

To be honest, I’ve been going back and forth with myself on the best approach for the project. One way is harder. I’ve been having to rework the idea to make it manageable. Because, you know, it’s just me doing it.

But my goal is to start approaching collaborators for the project this month. To be honest, I’m terrified about doing this project because I don’t know if I’m going to do it right. I feel like there’s a right way to do it, or a way to do it that people will like. But it’s my project, so I should do it in a way that I will like. If I like it, hopefully everyone else will, too. And I’m doing this project for me, too.

So yeah. I have to start talking to people this month, which means I need to finalize the project plan. So I’ll be doing that this month with the goal of dropping the project by the end of the spring. It will probably be a long term project, too.

Tend to my business

I didn’t get into photography intending to make any money from it; I did it for fun and because I enjoyed it!

Also, I needed a second hobby besides guitar. 😬

Eventually, people started asking to buy my photos, which was pretty cool. And some folks hired me for portraits and event coverage. I’m at a point now where I’m thinking about forming a small business. I don’t even have business cards. Problem is that because I never necessarily intended this to become a small business, I don’t really have any business plans.

If someone does want to hire me, I guess I want to have an actual factual business to help me handle finances better.

Do more studio work

So, by and large, I am a candid photographer. I like photographing people in their natural environments. Looking for those special moments. That’s definitely where my strengths lie. I haven’t done much studio work, much posed work. And I would like to do more of that. Last November I did a shoot with Kisha and her family. The shoot went well, and I left thinking, “I should do more shoots in the studio more often.”

Because I could market myself as a candid photographer and do just fine with that, but I want to be a bit more versatile with my work. If you look at my portfolio, it’s mostly candid shots.

I don’t know how I’ll get more studio experience, though. I’m sure I could tap into my network and find some models. I would also like to learn from an expert though, or simply be an assistant on someone else’s shoot. I usually do better when I’m learning from someone else.

Take photos somewhere else other than Cleveland.

Listen.

Cleveland is great! The bomb dot com. But I think I want to start traveling more and taking photos in new places. I could go back to Chicago for a photography trip. I’ve been wanting to go to Yosemite National Park to photograph the mountains for a year now. I was supposed to go for my 32nd birthday, but I lost my job over the summer and got Covid, so I had to nix that idea.

Going to Chicago, Yosemite, even New York sounds really appealing to me right now.

~

Anyway, that’s all I can think about for this year. Launch that dang project, photograph a new place, and maybe be a small business owner.

I’m going to eat dinner. It’s a chicken thigh (blech), broccoli, and potato wedges. I’m back on my lifting schedule in the gym. Trying to regain all the muscle I lost after Covid. It’s going…slowly. But going!