Time to reflect - annual reviews and goal setting

[Max von MeiselMaus]

I have been taking this photography thing seriously for about 18 months now and have reached the stage at which a pause for thought and some structured planning would help. It is nearly the year's end, so seems as good a time as any to embark on it. Now I need some ideas for how best to go about this.

So, do any of you do periodic reflexive work? If so, what are the sorts of questions you ask yourself? Which of these are the most useful in getting you to consider what you have done and how you have done it? If you have set goals in the past, did you find they were useful in structuring your progress, or did they just get in the way?

And, out of curiosity, what sorts of goals will you be setting yourself for 2016, if you are the sort to set goals?

[Shadowman]

This forum inspires me to do so. The image from 2015 that means the most to me

My goals are probably the same as when I joined this forum and my review of this year's images showed me that I'm slowly working on mine and just have one or two that I haven't undertaken yet.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Max,

Have you seen this thread?
Project 52 Challenge - Any Volunteers for 2016?
It is one option.

Please see:
2016 Project 52 - Guidelines, FAQ and Index


When I was actively shooting, I just used to try to improve whatever area was causing me the most grief at the time, I didn't formally analyse to determine a path of learning.
Talking of which, there's always Donald's solution; some form of course (a degree in his case).

Cheers, Dave

[Max von MeiselMaus]

John, I will have a think about what to stick in that thread. I have enjoyed reading the posts. Thanks for flagging that up (I missed it).

Dave, I would love to do one of those sorts of challenges, but I suspect I would fail miserably. One a month is a lot more realistic for me than one a day, though, so perhaps I should give it some more thought. I don't like starting things without at least some realistic expectation I can do them.

As for a formal course, I have decided against that. I have been trying to finally start my PhD for the last two years and one thing then another gets in the way. So, I am going to continue to prioritise that instead. I just don't have enough lucid hours in a day to all the things I want to do.

However, being self taught I realise that there are many gaps in my knowledge, more than I am aware of, I suspect. So, perhaps working my way systematically through some type of self-directed learning will reassure me that I am not missing some huge chunk of information that I should have discovered right at the beginning.

So, does no one do a formal review of their year's work? Do people do reflexive stuff at all? It can be incredibly useful (not that I do it nearly enough).

[Geoff F]

In many ways I am too busy with today's work to spend too much time reflecting back; although when I have time I do return to images which I shot some time ago; and ditch so many of them.

It now seems surprising that so many of those wonderful photos which I shot 10 years ago have 'deteriorated' into third rate images now.

But I do go back over the past year for several practical reasons. I produce a calendar each year, just for friends so I have to sort out 12 images for that and various organisations are given photos which may be of use to them in the future. For example, wildlife which I have photographed on their reserves etc.

[Mike Buckley]

I occasionally review general issues and goals but I'm not tied to any particular period of time for conducting them. I also maintain a growing list of subjects and concepts that I want to photograph in my makeshift studio. That list and my periodic general reviews have been very helpful over the years, not just because my photography has improved as a result but also because the process of taking everything into consideration is so darned enjoyable.

One of my goals (also not tied to any particular deadline) is to expand my hobby of photographing wine and wine bottles to include a style of tabletops and/or backgrounds that are reminiscent of styles that are commonly used for making portraits. Another goal is to make a project of photographing very inexpensive items that are purchased at "dollar stores," yard sales and the like.

[Donald]

A bit like Geoff who looks at images once thought wonderful and thinks 'Mmmm?', I find that regular reviews of the content of my website serves the purpose. I did read advise that one should, on an ongoing basis, review and refresh a website, if you have one. I do and, finally, I think I have got myself into a routine and discipline of doing that.

But as well as just individual images, there is the question of the content/structure of a set, or album. We did have a tremendously constructive discussion on here about that and I certainly took great advice from the contributions of others as to what we should about when constructing an album.

[Dave Humphries]

Dave, I would love to do one of those sorts of challenges, but I suspect I would fail miserably. One a month is a lot more realistic for me than one a day, though, so perhaps I should give it some more thought. I don't like starting things without at least some realistic expectation I can do them.

It is one a week, not one a day Max, so no excuses


Says he (me) who dropped out after 16 weeks of 2014's P52 and never even started in 2015

[Max von MeiselMaus]

It is one a week, not one a day Max, so no excuses


Says he (me) who dropped out after 16 weeks of 2014's P52 and never even started in 2015

See? I don't like starting things and not finish them. My "proper" photography is still life, and that takes time to plan and acquire bits for and set up. Doing that once a week would drive me insane. I suppose it would be a push to get out and just click away at the outside world, which is already set up.

In my art student years, the reflection was considered a very important, if not essential, aspect of work and was done after every piece. It helps you do the right thing more systematically and avoid doing the wrong thing, so you produce what you want more reliably. It also helps you see what it is you might have unconsciously been doing with your work, and so help you take control of that and be able to develop it.

However, I have not yet applied this method to my photographs and am not sure I remember what the useful questions were, beyond "what worked?", "what didn't work?" and "how would you do it differently next time?" I will put my thinking head on and see if I can reconstruct it.

Donald, do you know where that discussion was? I think I must have missed that too, but would be interested to read it.

[James G]

Max, I am not good at reflexive reviews, but I do have a kind of end of year process that I follow for my photography.
I take all the images/shoots for previous 12 months, and transfer them into a historical archive.
All my 'finished' images, (as far back as the last century ) sit in a 'live' file which I convert to a rolling slideshow that becomes my screensaver for the coming year.
This slideshow sits on my desktop, my 'traveling' laptop, and on a 'sandpit' system I use to maintain system integrity when applying upgrades, new software etc.

I estimate that I get to see all these images at least once a quarter, which keeps me in touch with my earlier efforts, and often prompts me to review images and shoots I have forgotten about, or at least not thought about in a while.

In a wider context, I still indulge an outrageous number of interests and enthusiasms, which means I have projects I'm working on at just about every stage of progression. (A crazy? example.... I bought an Airfix model to build a year ago, with the specific intention of starting it when Janet goes into hospital for a lung transplant...)
It is currently at the side of my desk in the study where I see it every morning!

However, linking all these projects, interests and new ideas, is a battered Moleskin Notebook (3rd generation I think), in which I record ideas, facts, useful links, reading lists, things to check out later, etc.

Periodically, not specifically at this time of year, I go though my little black book and generate a (handwritten) aide-memoir of the things I want to concentrate on. I tend to keep it on my desk, scribbling additions, new ideas, etc, until I run out of space at which point I transfer items back to my little black book, and generate the latest list.

What interests me about my own behaviour is that I do not use electronic tracking/recording, preferring the 'comfort' of the black book... This despite a very long IT career.

Right now though, I really hope to be giving a priority to the construction model soon!

[Max von MeiselMaus]

James, you sound unnervingly like me. I keep a notebook with me at all times and it is STUFFED with all the projects (photographic and not) that I want to do. And the list just grows... I haven't ever gone through the books and taken the ideas out and listed them properly, but that might actually be a very good idea. I suspect I have many forgotten ideas in previous incarnations of The Notebook that I have just forgotten about. I do keep them all, though, so perhaps it is time to trawl through and see how long the list becomes. Page and pages...

And the number of bits of stuff I have for projects I have never got around to is embarrassing. For your Airfix Model (do it!) I have a dollshouse kit, clays, wire, feathers, fur and fabrics, along with a world of other making stuff just waiting for its moment in the sun. I have unfinished things I sculpted, lost heart with and put aside (I do pick them up periodically for a quick whittle, then they sit of the pile for another year). Hence my reluctance to commit to yet another project I probably won't finish.

I like the idea of the annual collection of the year's shots. That at least puts it all together in one place and I suppose you can see development and progression by looking at a few of those. I will try that. Thanks for the idea.

[Adzman808]

Photography is a very broad spectrum, and FWIW I've tried to focus on what I like to shoot, not on what perhaps I'd like to shoot.

For example, I know nothing of a studio, I'm terrible with flash... These are big knowledge holes! But instead of being desperate to acquire knowledge of these things purely because I don't know about them, I've instead tried the best I can without them

I know that sounds like a cop out, but sincerely, I believe the secret of success (for want of a better word) lies in working with limits

Of the things I do like to shoot, this past year I've tried to drill into myself to be able to (only to myself I guess) show my working out, so to speak... Did I do something and it failed, or was I not really fully aware of the frame, the camera setting etc and that's why what happened, happened..

I'm a long, LONG way from controlling what I want in a frame, and I might never get there, but if I can't define what I want, then I know it's an impossible journey to get control of the various things that I want to make the pictures I like.

I'm not sure that was much help...?!

[Max von MeiselMaus]

Adam, that is. In terms of limits, I agree with you. However, I am a perfectionist and, if I need a particular skill to achieve what I want to achieve, I will move heaven and Earth to try to acquire it (or give up early in frustration. The downside of perfectionism, and I am working on that one). I also haven't moved onto flash, and I do indoor work. However, before launching off and spending lots of time, money and effort learning to do flash, I analysed what advantage it would give me. Perhaps it is just a justification for not going down that scary alleyway but, after laying out all the pros and cons, I decided that continuous light of the type I use doesn't have enough disadvantages to merit moving on. I know, I know, I will have to do it one day, but it is not a current priority.

And the "showing working" is exactly the sort of reflexive work we should be doing every time we shoot. That way we don't continually make the same mistakes and can capitalise on our successes.

At this point, however, I am looking to do a wider evaluation. As my post above about my many, many competing hobbies shows, I am a blunderbuss. I fire off in all directions; start projects, move onto something else, have an idea, don't do anything with it, and it isn't a very efficient way of working. I want to be a sniper rifle and decide what would be the best target and then use the best means by which to achieve it. Hence my plan for an annual (or annual-and-a-half, in my case) review.

Thank you all for your input so far in this. It is setting off a world of thoughts on how to tackle this. I would still be interested if anyone else embarks on this sort of navel gazing (and there is no point suggesting I don't do it and just get the camera out and shoot. I don't work like that. I have periods of activity, then dissatisfaction with what I am achieving, then analysis of why I am dissatisfied before going off and finding out how to fix that. Then another period of activity. And it works. I am progressing).

So, if anyone else proceeds like that, how do you structure it? What is the best way to evaluate your work and identify how it can be pushed on to the next stage?

[Mike Buckley]

But instead of being desperate to acquire knowledge of these things purely because I don't know about them, I've instead tried the best I can without them

I know that sounds like a cop out

That doesn't sound at all like a cop out to me; just the opposite, it sounds like a very rational approach to how one likes to spend one's time.

[Mike Buckley]

Max,

When it comes to doing indoor work, I can't think of anything off the top of my head that can be done with flash that can't be done with continuous-light lamps so long as:

• You don't have to stop action that is too fast to stop using continuous light.
• The scene you are photographing is small enough that it can be sufficiently lit by the relatively low power of continuous-light lamps.
• The gels you might use are large enough to cover the continuous-light lamps. (It's extremely easy to cover a flash head with about 100 more gels than are available at the larger size required to cover even small continuous-light lamps.)

So, barring the above situations, there is no need to learn how to use flash.

[Shadowman]

Photography is a very broad spectrum, and FWIW I've tried to focus on what I like to shoot, not on what perhaps I'd like to shoot.

For example, I know nothing of a studio, I'm terrible with flash... These are big knowledge holes! But instead of being desperate to acquire knowledge of these things purely because I don't know about them, I've instead tried the best I can without them

I know that sounds like a cop out, but sincerely, I believe the secret of success (for want of a better word) lies in working with limits
I'm not sure that was much help...?!

I've spent the better part of a year tackling lowlight photography with and without flash (on-camera) and would eventually like to incorporate off-camera flash as it can be used very creatively for lowlight work.

[tbob]

I will not be much of a help I am afraid because I do hardly any organized retrospection or analysis of my past work. And setting goals consists of trying to get out more than once a week to shoot whatever catches my fancy. I do try to avoid the more obvious clangers in shooting, composing and processing, so some learning and thought is going on. However I have the attention span of a gnat. Organized reflection is beyond my capacities.

I wish you luck on your endeavours to improve. I truly admire your dedication.

[Manfred M]

Some 40+ years ago I made a New Year's resolution to never make any more New Year's resolutions. I have stuck to my plan.

I do my best to resist setting myself up for failures by having unobtainable goals. That doesn't mean I don't have "stretch targets" as this makes me work harder because they are achievable. If the goals are too hard and I won't be able to make; that is a waste of time and effort, I try to avoid at all costs.

Photographically, I plan to continue my incremental improvements and will continue to shoot in the genres that I already enjoy. I have no interest in macro photography. sports photography or becoming a birder, so other than the occasional opportunistic image in those genres, I don't expect much along those lines.

I definitely intend to continue with landscape work (including urban landscapes), architectural photography, portraiture, street photography, some event photography and some product photography. I plan to continue to shoot existing light, small flash and studio flash. If the opportunity presents itself, I hope to try some outdoor shots with studio lighting.

Hmm. That more or less looks what I did last year and the year before and the year before that...

[Max von MeiselMaus]

Mike, thank you for the reassurance. I can leave flash for another lifetime, I think.

Trevor, I am an over thinker (as you can probably tell) and I need the discipline of plans of action or I would spend a lot of time achieving nothing (which I do anyway, but try to minimise it). And I am thoroughly enjoying this photography lark and am determined to master it. It's quicker than painting, at least.

Manfred, that sounds suspiciously like a plan. I have been adding genres outside my usual as it gives a different perspective and kicks ones out of a rut. And I have been finding it very refreshing. So, that is a useful thing to do. Should I have a go at a couple more? Probably. More to add to the list of goals.

[Manfred M]

Manfred, that sounds suspiciously like a plan.

As someone who planned and executed projects throughout most of my working career, I find that "continue to do the same", sound suspiciously like no plan at all.