Hey everyone, happy Wednesday and happy New Year! I’m really looking forward to the year ahead and I wanted to take some time to break down some ideas I’ve had about gearing up and getting my kit in shape for 2019.
Right off the bat, I feel that it’s important to go over my goals because if I don’t even know what my goals are for the year, how am I supposed to take steps towards them? When it comes to the long-term, I have a few ideas, but mostly I’ve been thinking about experimenting and playing around with my photography in the year ahead. I’ve written up a small “want-to-do” list down below;
I want to build a simple, 1-light studio setup for at-home product and macro photography, which should be versatile enough that I can re-use some of the lighting equipment for portraits, as well.
I want to get a simple, but effective gimbal for experimenting with videography and travel/stock footage.
I want to experiment with more, planned, at-home projects.
I’ve tried to keep these goals flexible, but not so vague that I get lost trying to achieve them. I’ve also tried to stay away from any specific product or brand name because I feel that’s a recipe for overspending money I don’t need to. Another thing I left out of this list is lenses. If there’s something that all photographers can get behind, it’s that really good glass, is very, very expensive. I have a few items on my shopping list (like a new wide-angle FX-format lens for landscapes and interiors), but for the most part I am looking to work mostly with what I have ine my lineup right now. The way I that I see it is that the money I would be spending on lenses is money I could be spending on equipment for different projects, which is something I value a little more than having “the perfect lens” for each situation. I also think that this line of thinking is a good way to get me to get experience with being more flexible when it comes to equipment and cost restrictions.
Also, as a brief aside, when it comes to equipment I need to get for my professional work, I think that the gear I have now is more than enough for most of the simple jobs I’m looking to take on.
So that’s it for now! It’s only the beginning and so far I have some at-home project ideas I’d like to plan and work on, as well as a few pieces of equipment I’d like to pick up just to play around and experiment with. As we move a bit deeper into 2019, I will most likely develop a more refined list for each goal, along with some equipment ideas and choices. I’m greatly looking forward to executing on some ideas this year and I can’t wait to share that journey with you guys, too!
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m wishing you all a great 2019 and a very productive year of photography!
- Zig