My 2011 in Review

Earlier this year I set forth a series of goals for the year. As this year draws to a close I thought I might revisit those goals, assess my progress with them, and assess where I got off track in either a constructive or obstructive way.

In all I feel pretty good about the year. I feel I have grown as a photographer, made some new friends, helped some people, and produced some work I find acceptable.

First, I published a number of books through blurb.com, some for public release and others for private consumption. The challenge of making books is quite large. I discovered I have a lot to learn regarding layout, design and typeface but I am emboldened by my efforts and look forward to several new works this year that should be quite fun.

Second, I did not quite enter three prints in gallery shows this year. I entered two. This was mostly due to economics rather than desire. Neither print sold, despite some interest, and they now hang in my office. (For those who are curious, I chose the ones shown above and below this paragraph.) The thought of spending another $100-$150 to mat and frame another image for a show took a backseat to diapers and baby food this time around. I learned a lot about myself though during this time. It feels like quite a risk to put one’s art out there on public display and I’m glad I did. However, I went with some “safe” prints I though people would like and if I did it again I might take more risks.

Third, I did not enter any prints in juried competitions. My hope here was to learn something from the feedback received. Once again I opted not to pay to enter. I did, however, attend the jurying of the NM State Fair photography competition and found it eye opening. Mostly I walked away with difficulty understanding how a subjective experience can be scored and compared with another and so thought the whole process silly. I doubt I’ll enter a competition in the future. I may, however, opt to enter a portfolio for review and feedback instead. As it was I was invited to join an online group of peers for support and feedback on projects in the works and so far I have found that to better suit my needs and support my growth as an artist.

Fourth, I not only completed one photographic project for someone else, I completed two! I always find such things stressful, and my wife concurs. So while shooting for someone else forces me to explore photography at the edges of my skill level I have also discovered I like shooting for myself first. That is what is important to me; my own interpretation of my subjects. Still, shooting my brother’s packaging plant for his website and my friend’s goddaughter’s baptism garnered me some images I am proud of and taught me some photographic skills I did not yet know. In the case of my brother’s job, it also afforded me the opportunity to begin a project based around my nephew’s high school baseball team-a current work in progress.

Fifth, I do feel I supported another artist this year. My neighbor is a published and acclaimed romance novelist and I found myself encouraging her, doing research for her, troubleshooting for her, and cheering for her as she developed her own website, wrote a new novel, and got it self-published and available for download or print on demand from a number of sites. I really enjoyed watching her learn and grow and produce.

Sixth, I shot a lot in black and white this year. A lot. In fact, for the past several months I’ve had my LCD set to black and white the whole time. I’ve published more in black and white this year than ever and feel I’m beginning to “see” much more in that medium. While I didn’t read any print books regarding black and white, I did read Andrew Gibson’s great ebooks “The Magic of Black and White, Part 1 & 2” as well as Piet Van den Eynde’s “The Power of Black and White” from Craft & Vision. These three books formed the basic skill set I developed my black and white photography on-they helped me that much.

Seventh, I didn’t quite achieve 100 blog posts this year. Life has a way of affecting that, especially with family and job taking precedence. But I have posted consistently and that was what this goal was meant to achieve. So I’ll keep it around for another year perhaps…

Eighth, I can say I did lots of photography just for the fun of it. Lately that has involved making images of my family as they go about their day in and around our house. So much so they never blink anymore when I pick up a camera and shove it their faces. In fact, my 3 year old has taken to picking up my old film camera and giving me a taste of my own medicine.

Ninth, alas….no weight loss this year. Barring the onset of a stomach bug I don’t imagine I will lose any before the year is out either. So that remains a goal as well. Why is this a photographic goal? Well, when you feel better, you move better. And when you move better, you can photograph from more interesting points of view. And that translates to more interesting images.

All in all I feel I can give myself credit for 8 out of 9 of my goals this year. Not too bad. Stay tuned for next year’s goals-I’m going to do them in a slightly different way. Something I learned reading a photography book this fall and I am excited about it. In the meantime I might try to catch that stomach flu…