Personal Projects: what to do while the snow falls

 Well, the holidays are finally over, the days are getting ever so slightly longer and the Christmas decorations are put away for another year. My word of the year is Forward; it's time to move forward and make a success of the new year ahead. As I filed my sales tax report for last year, I observed that I made quite a bit more money than the year before. I would like to continue that trend, while being open to changes and opportunities that may come along. I have had my business for almost twenty years, although for many of those years it was merely a side hustle.  I am a much better photographer than I was twenty years ago but I also know I have plenty to learn, about photography and especially about business! It's not as simple as looking at what worked in 2023 and doing more of the same; changes come along all the time and we have to be prepared to change what we do and how we do it. Social media is full of people selling advice on how to make more money with your photography but the truth is, photography is changing as fast as anything else in 2024.  I am looking forward to the new year, with it's limitless possibilities, as well as it's challenges.

January is not usually a busy month for photographers so it's the perfect time to take on some personal projects.  Personal projects are a way to keep my skills sharp as well as learning new ones. I want to start a series of challenges with my photography group at the Senior Center, designed to work on a different skill each week, working from a book I purchased. It's also a good time to sort through old photos and videos. I mean, if you have a big box of family photos to go through, why not do it while the snow is falling outside?  The winter weather has a way of slowing things down and a storm is on the way for next week.

I spent a quiet Saturday, recently, looking through the family photos I have taken of my daughter and her family every Christmas since the grandchildren started coming along. I discovered, after some digging, that I had taken pictures every year since 2008, and I have collected them into a book which I will have printed for her. It is fascinating to see the family grow, from one tiny baby at Christmas 2008 to three lanky teens and pre-teens in 2023! Many of the pictures were taken in front of the same tree in the same family room.  It was almost like time travel! This was something of a revelation!  What a wonderful record of the last 16 years! What an awesome example of the value of regular family photos!

This is what I do. It's important. It makes a permanent record of those passing moments that make up a life history. I am a memory keeper. I am a story teller. I am a photographer. I wouldn't want to be anything else!