Jan 5thDabbling frivolously, irresponsibly and noncommittally

New Year’s resolutions really aren’t my bag.  When a change is needed, I just go for it.  Not that making change any time of the year lasts any longer than it does at the turn of the calendar . . . . But I came across a great list of photography resolutions that just plain sounded like fun at Photojojo.  Which ones am I likely to (or already engaged in) pull off?

• Get organized – Not likely, but a noble goal.  Maybe I can get my stuff backed up a little better.
• Show off – I have put more of my stuff up on my own walls with intentions for more.  There are some shots from a recent photo outing with some friends that I want to get printed.  Making a book sounds like fun.  Entering contests always makes me feel totally like a wannabe next to some of the other outstanding photography that is out there, but I should probably make more of an effort to enter some contests - if only to keep me from complacency.  Sharing online – I just found Pixelpipe thanks to the Photojojo post, so maybe that will make it easier to get the shareable stuff out there.
• Try something new – This one is in mid process with the Canon-Bender digital view cam combination.  Boy, have I got a lot to learn about camera movements – even on an APC-S sized sensor! Once I get the hang of it, I’ll likely start trying my hand at some 4×5 film shots.  At least until someone comes out with a 4×5 digital sensor at a consumer price (not in a million years!).  At that point, I wouldn’t see any reason at all to stick with film.  One thing I’m looking forward to trying with the new set up is trying to stitch together some panoramic shots that will hopefully be free of a lot of the usual distortions.  New perspectives – since I’ve kind of determined that I want to focus this year on finding my own vision rather than just perfecting my technique, the idea of deliberately choosing different perspectives than I normally would is appealing.
• Do some good – This appeals to me on a couple of counts.  First of all, as a Christian, I’m quite sure that I’ve been blessed so that I can be a blessing.  Second, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts (The Mindful Eye) recently, and Marian from the Netherlands did exactly that by taking her camera into a nursing home and doing portraits of the residents (see “challenge myself” below about taking pictures of people I don’t know).  I thought it was a really neat idea and started to play around in my imagination with doing something similar. (The imagination play is always the first step to doing anything outside my comfort zone.)  I don’t have any old equipment to give away.  Everything I have is constantly being used.  Teaching someone what I know is appealing.  I like to teach, and I could certainly cover the basics.
• Challenge myself – There is a group of 2 or 3 of us at church who have been getting together once a month or so to go out and shoot at different locations.  The first was a covered bridge tour.  Another memorable one was an abandoned brick factory nearby, an old cemetery (stones from the early 1800s), and an old grist mill.  Last outing was to a local garden center that was kind enough to let us wander around for a couple of hours taking pictures.  Next will hopefully be a nearby art glass studio.  I also want to start giving myself specific assignments just to increase my range of subject matter.  My favorites have always been (from the first time we went to Colorado when I was 16) the outdoor shots, and that’s where I really want to focus in the coming year.  The greater challenge, though, will be for me to take more pictures of people, especially people I don’t know. 
• Start a project – It’s already 5 days late to start a photo-a-day blog for the new year (I know . . . I can start anytime I want to ).  I’ll have to think about what I would want to do here, if anything.
• Take my camera everywhere – Definitely – maybe just the Canon, though.  The Bender is a bit unwieldy to be taking along EVERYWHERE.  If I remember it, my phone has a reasonable 3.2 MP camera in it, I just don’t like relying on it for any kind of creativity.

So there you have it.  If I’m going to do any New Year’s resolutions at all, this would be the kind that I would be willing to dabble with – frivolously, irresponsibly and noncommittally – and maybe I just might stick with some in the process.