A Look Back At 2016 And A Look Ahead To 2017
A Look Back At 2016
I am spending the last couple of days of 2016 slowing down. Taking a break from the daily grind. Spending time with my family. Reflecting on the year that's passed. 2016 was a fantastic year for me and my photography. Much more upside than downside. A few of the highlights I'm reflecting on:
- Photo workshops: This really was a big one. Getting my workshops off the ground was a ton of work, and a lot of it not glamorous at all. And I'm so glad I did it. I hosted four workshops in San Diego this year - and they were great. I met a bunch of great photographers and had a blast sharing San Diego with them. A huge and special thanks to Tom B. (you know who you are!) who began nudging me in 2015 to host workshops. Tom, thank you, my man.
- Education & Training: Jees, I was busy writing and filming in 2016. I released 4 video training products and 2 eBooks. That's above and beyond the twice weekly free videos to my YouTube channel. And a little bonus - the YouTube subscribers crossed the 1K mark this year!
- Photography: Of course, I took a bunch of photos, and my keeper rate was pretty good. I added about 2000 photos to my professional library this year (which means I probably took 4000). Of that, around 300 have been processed and rated as keepers. Not bad at all.
- Gear: I actually bought a lot of gear in 2016. I sold off the bulk of my Nikon gear and bought a Sony A6000 as a backup body to my A7R. Most of what I bought, though, is behind the scenes stuff. Studio lights, storage, microphones, webcams, a new desktop machine. A bunch of other miscellaneous things I can't even remember right now. The common goal behind these purchases is to improve my training products and make them top notch quality.
- New Friends: Through workshops, this blog, and YouTube, I've gotten to know many, many photographers. It's hard to express how
A Look Ahead To 2017
I'm also well into planning for 2017. Boy, have I got plans. As I skim my notebook, I think I might need plans to organize my plans. Some things you know about already, others are in the works. Here's a peek at what's in store:
- More Photo Workshops: This one you already know about. I launched the 2017 San Diego workshops a month or so ago. And I'm in planning for a couple of other workshops in the latter half of 2017. There is one in particular I am very, very excited about... but it's a little too early to talk about. Still more planning to do.
- ON1 Plus Coaching: I'll be joining Hudson Henry in March 2017 as a guest coach in the ON1 Plus Community. If you've ever stopped by this blog before (heck, that must be true if you've bothered to read this far!) you know I love ON1's products and use them to process many of my photos. I hope I'll see some of you in ON1 Plus in March!
- More Video Courses: I enjoyed creating the Making The Shot videos in 2016. I'm hoping to do more of those in 2017. I also have plans for a more advanced post processing training course. Still in its infancy... but there's a lot of 2017 ahead to work on it!
- eBooks: This one... well, maybe. Although videos are a great medium for teaching, there is value in the printed word. Today's search tools still bias text, and books are easy to search. I have an outline for a new book. Ok, more than an outline. I've written a chapter or two. I'm still on the fence if I'll proceed with it. If I do, it'll be out quickly. You'll know it when you see it. :-)
- In The Field & In Post: I fully plan to continue the In The Field and In Post video series on YouTube (and here, of course). I continue to be a firm believer that photography is a holistic endeavor. Camera work, post processing work, and the photographer's vision all come together to create a photo. If you haven't checked out those videos, I hope you'll give them a look.
I know I've said this many times - and frankly, I'll keep saying it - Thank You for spending a few minutes of your day with me. There are tons of great photographers out there and I really, really appreciate you visiting my page, checking out my work, and spreading the word.
See you all in 2017!
