Photography resolutions in 2025

My street photography activities has been ramping up since late 2024; an early start to a New Year's resolution is one way of maintaining a solid run throughout the year.

1. Do more in-depth blog posts. And often. Brevity is nice but not at the expense of content. Blogs have to be fed and my street photography is a feed source.

2. Go out on the street more, and always carry both analogue (film) and digital cameras. Certain colours, geometric patterns, and subject matter call for one or the other. When in doubt, use digital and convert it later in post. Hard work trumps talent, more often than not.

3. Don't be beholden to any style. Be a Cartier-Bresson, a Eugene Smith, a Daido Moriyama or a Fan Ho if in B&W. Be a Callahan, an Eggleston, or a Leavitt, if in colour. Just keep shooting and a  unique style will be evident when viewed holistically.

4. At all times, distill  images down to basics. Compose in camera and fine-tune in post. Simplify for a complex Minimalism. Find beauty in the aged, the weather-beaten, and the plain-looking. Wabi-Sabi aesthetic. With practice, one learns to previsualize whilst keeping an open mind for whatever come up. Listen to your instincts.

5. Tread the same path over and over again, and work to find fresh and revealing images on the same well-trodden path. The best photos are taken in familiar surroundings. My current favourite stretch is Dundas Street, from University to past Spadina, with side  steps north and south of Dundas. The quality of light and the degree of human activity will vary with the time of day and with different seasons.

6. Don't be afraid to ask people for permission to take their photos. Do so with "business cards on hand, or with a tablet linked to your online album. It's likely a yes (from my experience) but don't take a No as a personal slight. If it's a yes, leave your card and take down their contact info so you may send them their photo.

7. Take notes on the photo technical details as well as your personal impressions from the experience. To paraphrase a maxim: you don't get to where you want to be unless you know where you have been. Your photos are unique and like no other. Time will always confirm your photos' uniqueness.

Look on your street photography as your contribution to the Human Story. The dopamine hit is a nice bonus.