Goals

So last year was a real low point for me. I’m determined to do better in 2023. So I’ve been looking at my goals and trying to make them manageable.

I have a well-earned reputation as a bit of a flake when it comes to projects. I get an ideas and get really excited about it. But then when it takes too long, I forget about it. Or sometimes it’s because I get another idea. And the cycle keeps repeating.

My biggest goal for the year is a film project. I have most of the equipment I need, except for another tripod and 2 decent quality light stands. I’m going to start small with this. And I may decide to do a small crowdfunding campaign to help with travel expenses later in the year.

I’ve also set a smaller goal of getting out an e-book. I’ve been writing more the last few weeks. It will be a collection of my short stories. I may put out a print edition as well. This one is on the back burner though.

My third goal is kind of in-between these two. You see, I decided that when it comes to my photography, I would no longer worry about making money. I’m going to do what I want and try to improve my skills. I also want to try new things. I shot a high school basketball game at my alma mater, De La Salle H.S. I’m actually waiting to hear from the school regarding the usage this week.

Anyway, I found a concert/ tour photographer named David Bergman. This guy has been a professional photographer for decades and currently offers a concert photography workshop that is relatively inexpensive. Looking into it, I got really excited. The whole thing sounded awesome.

Then something else happened.

Remember that sort of ADHD problem I mentioned earlier? Well. It turns out that one of my favorite music artists of all time is coming to New Orleans. Tori Amos will be here in a few months. And now I really want to shoot her concert. But I would need to rent some equipment. Renting lenses can be costly. You’re probably looking at a minimum of $100 a week most of the time. Not too bad on it’s own. But that got me thinking about Bergman’s workshop. The workshop itself is only $700. But then there is travel and accomodations. And equipment rental. I’d probably be looking at around $1500 all told, which is a little more than the cost of one of the lenses I would have rented.

So I realized I had a decision to make. I would love to do the workshop. It looks awesome. I know I would learn a lot. But would I learn enough to justify the cost? Especially when there is a big concert here that I want to shoot. And the thing is, no matter how much you study, you learn the most by doing it.

Ultimately, I chose to buy the lens. It’s a good purchase. It’s less than the cost of the workshop trip (though there is the fact that I’m paying it all at once). And I think it was the right thing to do. Of course, there is no guarantee that I can get a photo pass to the concert. I’ve been working on that all weekend. I actually found a couple of leads. And I’m putting together a portfolio. It’s live now here on my website. I'm also contacting venues for other shows to add to my portfolio. There’s one this week at the House of Blues. Hopefully I hear back.

So. Here’s to 2023. Big year, right? Well. At the very least, a good year.