It’s a new year and we’re all making resolutions – one or two we might even keep. Let’s have a new challenge for this new year.

Photograph Something New

The first thing that comes to mind is photographing in a new style or genre.

In 2018, I focused a  lot on bettering my street photography skills. I even went to new places like Cuba and India as target rich environments so I could practice my street photography.

Woman walking the ghats in Varanasi India
In places like India, I could stand in one place and watch the world go by. In Varanasi literally hundreds of women were walking around the city right outside of my hotel room. I could practice my street photography skills to my heart’s content.

You don’t need to go to that extent, but maybe this week is the time to try out a photographic genre that’s new to you or at least relatively unfamiliar.

  • Landscape photographers might try a bit of portrait photography.
  • Portrait photographers try a bit of sports action.
  • Sports photographers try a bit of landscape.

When I try out a new genre, I always seem to find new skills that transfer into my travel photography and make it better. My sports photography practice came in handy on my recent trip to India. I guess you never know when you’ll find an impromptu cricket game going on on the streets of Varanasi, India or youths jumping into the Ganges.

Boy jumping into Ganges River in Varanasi
Youths jump into the Ganges River from elevated platforms making their daily bathing a bit more of a sport. Don’t be offended by the underpants – at least this youth was wearing them – his friend wasn’t! The best photo I’ll never be able to publish 🙂

Photographing something new might mean starting that new photographic project that you’ve been meaning to do but have never got around to. 2019 might be just the year to put it together. This week, take one new step towards your project.

This time last year my husband and I announced that we were going to India. We’d been meaning to do this for years, but each year something came up and we didn’t go. We decided to announce our intention in the new year and we made it happen! Now, I have my own photos of the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal in Agra India at dawn.

Take your first steps towards that new project – announce it to the world. Sometimes when we declare our intentions publicly we make them real and they happen.

For the last few years, I’ve made photographic resolutions at the new year. This year, my resolutions are to:

Or maybe make this challenge about photographing “newness”. It’s still winter where I am so I’m not going to be able to photograph the newness of-spring – flowers and such – but think about what else is new in your life. Maybe it’s a new place to live or a new relationship or a new hobby. 

The new year is about drawing a line in the sand – through what happened in 2018 and giving yourself a fresh outlook on life.

This year I’m looking to live a bit more slowly and a bit more Zen. Mind, body and soul need some attention in 2019. 

If you’re looking for a new way of thinking about and balancing your life try my recently published book available on Kindle that uses cairns (rock formations) as a symbol for a well-balanced life. I published a sample here.

Let me know what is new for you this year.