For those of you who have followed this blog for a while you will have seen me planning for the year before and I will have encouraged you if you haven't already to do likewise, this year is no different.
However we need to learn from our past mistakes and plans sometimes need to be changed, as became apparent last year, when I had to reappraised where I was going in respect to my personal project work. To get myself back on track I set myself some half yearly goals, as my biggest mistake had been to simple roll over my goals from the previous years plan, which turned out to be rather a disaster as my works focus had changed from mainly location to being much more studio based.
In a couple of Podcasts to start the year "Lenswork" Editor Brooks Jensen looks at his recent failures and ways to correct these for 2014, I think this is very good advise, although not everyone likes the word "failure" I would suggest that only by failing can we develop or photographic skills, never mind our life skills. Myself I often refer to failures more as "work in progress" where something didn't quite work photographically as I had wanted it to, and I will keep a note or some images as a reminder to revisit this at a later date with a new approach. We have the luxury to do this with personal project work, we don't however commercially and I have certainly had a few challenges last year in that respect, fortunately digital photography does allow us those mistakes that film wouldn't !
Brooks Jensen in his review identifies firstly his technical issues, that of having the correct focus, some issues around motion blur, and missed opportunities where he didn't have his camera to hand. I certainly agree with the last one, if I am not on a paid shoot or doing my own project work, do I carry my carry my camera with me …….. ? No ! The only camera I have is a mobile phone, although better than nothing they are very limiting. It is not as if I am short of cameras, I have at least a dozen working film and digital cameras to choose from. So for me this year having a camera to hand will be my number one priority.
Brooks in his personal review also moves away from the technical issues to take an introspective look at his years work, and identifies failures where he hasn't plan well enough, had been too lazy or fatigued to really seize the opportunity, the biggest issue is for him however was the striving for perfection and the disappointment at not capturing what he had in his minds eye, I am sure their are others who will relate to this as I certainly do, and I think sometimes we fail to see that we did our best on that occasion.
I would seriously recommend Lenswork to anyone not familiar with it as unlike all those glossy photographic magazines full of adverts and focused entirely to encourage you not to think for yourself, Lenswork actually encourages it !
For more information go to the Lenswork Website
So what of my own analysis and projects for 2014 ? I will divide the year up into quarters, I have immediate project work that I want to do, a revisit to some of 2013 work with the plan to put the most complimentary images into collections, like the picture above of LED hoops in use, which featured heavily in my projects last year but then lost some momentum. Likewise the work below:
Blacklight (UV):
Also 50's Pin Up:
Burlesque and a study of other performing arts :
Also more work in the area of abstract macro photography and water droplets:
The other work which is immediate is to build on an the idea "Tribal Skin" for a collection which came about my working with this very unique model :
The year will start for me with an Exhibition of one of my previously exhibited collection "BP RM MB 10". Which although great exposure for my work know I also need to have some new collection ready in the wings for a new major exhibition in 2015.
I urge you to to look at your work as introspectively as Brooks Jensen and put together a plan of what you will doing in 2014 and where it will take you to.
A Very Happy and Creative New Year.
Marc;-)