2025 Goals
First photo of 2025
I think enough time has passed that I am able and should make a blog about all of my goals for 2025. This is definitely going to be a big list and I want to go into some details on why a specific thing is on this list.
This photo is so fucking awesome!
Shoot Film for an entire week.
No Sony A7RV, just whatever camera I decide and whatever film, part of me wants to do this on 120, the other part is not sure if I am fully ready for that yet. That might be an awesome reason to though.
2. Write More Blogs.
I want to get better at really explaining more of what I am talking about in a more organized order. I sometimes have my ideas and get all over the place with what I am sharing and I love it, but I am not sure how it is for someone else to read and I would just like to organize it better.
3. Photo Book of the River Industry.
I have already explained in Goodbye 2024 that this year 2025 I will be setting a goal to creat a photo book with select photos I take at work only during this year. I have already gotten the project started and these books will only be gifted to select people and not for sale. I want to make sure I hit this project as hard as I can.
4. Shoot Food Photography.
Taking photos of food is not something I am familiar with doing at all and I think learning to, and shooting photos for a restaurant and them using the photos for a ‘‘digital menu’’ would be pretty awesome to try.
5. Shoot a Full Week in Black & White
Again it has never been a secret that Black & White is my favorite and I think forcing myself to shoot and edit every photo for a full week in Black & White will be really awesome to try and do.
6. Shoot More Videos.
A video about me for the website and YouTube Channel would be cool to make, especially with finally understanding and being more familiar with S-Log3 and DaVinci. I still have a lot more to learn with setting up shots with video like I do photo, I just don’t know if that ‘‘I can see it before I do it’’ thing is going to kick in with video like it has photography, but that is why I want to shoot more ands get more used to it all.
7. More Negative Scanning.
Getting better at scanning, CLEANING THE GLASS OF THE SCANNER, and just editing the negatives is another thing I would like to focus on more this year. I am still in the very early stages of figuring all of this out. I just now have come up with my own scanning settings that I like and I think show the best results but I know I can improve all together and learn more.
8. Only Shoot When I Really Want.
Something I have already started at the end of 2024 is also something I want to continue doing. It is not easy though, going to a party or event and leaving my camera behind or bringing it and not getting it out just feels guilty, but I am already this year starting to get that dysmorphia going and feeling like everything I am doing is wrong and could/should be better and it mostly happens when I am forcing myself to shoot in situations I should hangout and relax so focusing on when I truly want to shoot is a big thing this year.
9. Teach More on the Website.
1 Blog a month dedicated to teaching something about photography, understanding ISO, or understanding Exposure, how to use depth, things like this would be so fun to write about and teach, while also refreshing myself and giving me more reason to restart.
10. Clean Up 50 Bags of Trash from the Riverfronts.
in our area we have 2 riverfronts we frequent and our biggest complaint and mood killer is when we go and try to kayak and/or take photos and see just how much trash is built up everywhere. I think it would be good for us to spend some time this year and clean up trash at both of the fronts. My goal is to clean up at least 50 bags during the Spring and Summer.
11. Read 1 Book a Month
I did not read a lot last year, or the year before, or year before that. I think the last book I read I listened to someone else read it. Delilah is learning to read and I want to encourage her and set the example that learning is good for you. It will help me achieve another goal of mine too.
12. Less Screen Time.
The goal reading more will help with, I know last year I cut my screen time in half or more when leaving social media I did not have something to endlessly scroll. I want even less screen time this year. I want my most screen time to be when I am running on treadmill.
13. 100 Miles in 1 Month.
Just like that they keep playing into the next. I don’t have a set month just when it happens it happens. I want to run 100 miles in a month on treadmill this year. Last year when I went to river school I was at 98 miles for that month and I just could not do class, and study, and the driving, and run. I was mentally destroyed from worrying I would fail my test and letting myself down physically. I want to achieve that this year.
14. Compete in 3 Marathons.
Delilah and I did our first one last year which was 4 miles and I want to at least participate in 3 this year. It will be really good for me to force myself to be physical in a public setting. Something I have a huge issue with is lifting weight and running in public, I have just never had a fun time with it.
15. Learn to Tattoo.
So when I was 16 years old I had it set that at some point in my life I would do tattoos for someone. I have always drawn, graphic design was fun too but I have not drawn in a couple years. I think finally getting the stuff and practicing and eventually tattooing myself this year would be so much fun to do.
16. Photo a Tattoo Artist.
I have actually been trying to do this since 2023, but unfortunately it’s not something that has been easy to do. I have called, emailed, and waited to hear back from so many places and people but for some reason it’s not something that seems wanted. I think if I was an artist if a photographer wanted to sit in on a session and photo my work while working and doing portraits of me at work I would be all over it! One place I called almost killed me trying this entirely because they made the whole conversation awkward and made me feel weird about what I was trying to do and I just hung up on them.
I have my work related goals and things too, but that’s something I will keep between myself and work. It is going to be a big year. I am excited for everything to come and all the things I will learn and be able to share. I think what I am most excited for is at the end of the year seeing my Photo Book in hand for the first time. It is crazy thinking about something that far away though. None of these goals are to far to achieve, as long as I stay on top of myself this year I will cross everything off this list. I will been coming back to this blog often throughout this year.
