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| Looking forward by looking back. (click to enlarge) Fujifilm X-T4; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 55mm; 1/60th sec. @ f/11; ISO 640 |
I've posted this information a couple of years ago but I think it is worth repeating with a bit of additional editing, of course. I hope you find it helpful.
It is the end of the calendar year and there are several things I do at this time of year that you might find helpful to ensure your photographic success for next year. Here are my suggestions as to a few things you may want to check and consider as the new year arrives. You may have other things you do as well. If so, share them with us in the comments so we all can benefit.
1) Pull out all of your gear, make an inventory of it in case of loss or theft, check everything for good working order and clean your gear thoroughly. When you clean every nook and cranny, you get a better idea of its condition. Examine each lens and look for any debris or fungus that may be attached to one of the internal glass elements. If your lenses will allow, adjust the aperture to close the blades and check for any oil on the blades. If you feel comfortable doing so, clean you camera's sensor. However, make sure you have the knowledge and right tools to do so safely. If you have any reservations about cleaning your sensor, send it to the manufacturer or a manufacturer's authorized service center. They will clean your sensor and check all camera functions and make sure everything meets factory specifications. It used to be called a CLA or Clean, Lube and Adjust. I don't know if it is still called that today.
2) There might have been firmware updates for your cameras and/or lenses that you missed. It is a good time to check the manufacturer's website and complete those updates so you now have the latest and best functionality.
3) You might want to also check and reformat all of your spare memory cards and charge all of your spare batteries as well. A couple of months ago, I pulled out my spare batteries only to find them almost fully discharged. I wasn't expecting that. I now check them monthly and ensure they are fully charged.
4) Check and reset the internal clocks in all of your cameras to synchronize them. I have found clocks on my digital cameras notoriously inaccurate, losing or gaining quite a bit of time over the period of a year. If you use more than one camera when out photographing and want to keep your images in chronological order after uploading to Lightroom or another editing program, it makes it much easier if your clocks in your cameras are synchronized.
5) At this point, I also check all my camera's settings and reset them to my default settings so the next time I pick it up, in my mind I know exactly how everything is set. Changing settings 'on the fly' for a particular circumstance under pressure then becomes a bit easier because you know the camera's baseline settings.
6) If your camera has the ability to program a group of settings, usually designated C1, C2, C3, etc., you may want to review those to make any changes to reflect your changing photographic needs or changing preferences you might have. Also, checking them now ensures that they haven't been accidentally changed or unknowingly reset after a firmware update.
7) Change the copyright settings in your cameras if your cameras allow you to include copyright metadata and you use a specific year. I do. In all of my cameras I include the copyright symbol (©), the year and my name. I then make sure that the information is "enabled" or "attached" to each image file as they are created. Many cameras allow you to create a copyright but in some you also have to enable it or "attach" it through a different menu item.
8) If you use Lightroom Classic, change your import metadata settings to reflect the new year's copyright. You might also want to check your IPTC data to ensure all of your information that will be attached to your image files is correct. This may apply to other editing software as well. For all of my imports into Lightroom, I include my name, address, website, email, telephone number and the year with the copyright symbol (©) so the information is baked into each file's metadata upon importation. I then no longer have to worry about whether or not my images can be identified. Since I include the year an image was made, I go in on January 1st and update that preset with the new year. I also create a new Lightroom export preset to reflect the new year. That way, I can include the date and copyright into the title of each photo I send to this blog, Instagram or otherwise publish. There then will be no question who is the owner and that my images are copyright protected.
9) It is also a great time of the year to thoroughly check your computer, run a complete virus scan, clean the registry of obsolete items, clean the trash/recycle bin of items, optimize or defragment your hard drives, etc. I hope you regularly back up all of your images and documents with at least one copy on-site and another off-site. If you don't now is a great time to do that as well.
1) Pull out all of your gear, make an inventory of it in case of loss or theft, check everything for good working order and clean your gear thoroughly. When you clean every nook and cranny, you get a better idea of its condition. Examine each lens and look for any debris or fungus that may be attached to one of the internal glass elements. If your lenses will allow, adjust the aperture to close the blades and check for any oil on the blades. If you feel comfortable doing so, clean you camera's sensor. However, make sure you have the knowledge and right tools to do so safely. If you have any reservations about cleaning your sensor, send it to the manufacturer or a manufacturer's authorized service center. They will clean your sensor and check all camera functions and make sure everything meets factory specifications. It used to be called a CLA or Clean, Lube and Adjust. I don't know if it is still called that today.
2) There might have been firmware updates for your cameras and/or lenses that you missed. It is a good time to check the manufacturer's website and complete those updates so you now have the latest and best functionality.
4) Check and reset the internal clocks in all of your cameras to synchronize them. I have found clocks on my digital cameras notoriously inaccurate, losing or gaining quite a bit of time over the period of a year. If you use more than one camera when out photographing and want to keep your images in chronological order after uploading to Lightroom or another editing program, it makes it much easier if your clocks in your cameras are synchronized.
5) At this point, I also check all my camera's settings and reset them to my default settings so the next time I pick it up, in my mind I know exactly how everything is set. Changing settings 'on the fly' for a particular circumstance under pressure then becomes a bit easier because you know the camera's baseline settings.
6) If your camera has the ability to program a group of settings, usually designated C1, C2, C3, etc., you may want to review those to make any changes to reflect your changing photographic needs or changing preferences you might have. Also, checking them now ensures that they haven't been accidentally changed or unknowingly reset after a firmware update.
7) Change the copyright settings in your cameras if your cameras allow you to include copyright metadata and you use a specific year. I do. In all of my cameras I include the copyright symbol (©), the year and my name. I then make sure that the information is "enabled" or "attached" to each image file as they are created. Many cameras allow you to create a copyright but in some you also have to enable it or "attach" it through a different menu item.
8) If you use Lightroom Classic, change your import metadata settings to reflect the new year's copyright. You might also want to check your IPTC data to ensure all of your information that will be attached to your image files is correct. This may apply to other editing software as well. For all of my imports into Lightroom, I include my name, address, website, email, telephone number and the year with the copyright symbol (©) so the information is baked into each file's metadata upon importation. I then no longer have to worry about whether or not my images can be identified. Since I include the year an image was made, I go in on January 1st and update that preset with the new year. I also create a new Lightroom export preset to reflect the new year. That way, I can include the date and copyright into the title of each photo I send to this blog, Instagram or otherwise publish. There then will be no question who is the owner and that my images are copyright protected.
9) It is also a great time of the year to thoroughly check your computer, run a complete virus scan, clean the registry of obsolete items, clean the trash/recycle bin of items, optimize or defragment your hard drives, etc. I hope you regularly back up all of your images and documents with at least one copy on-site and another off-site. If you don't now is a great time to do that as well.
Our computers are an integral part of our photo editing workflow and neglecting your virus software, recommended maintenance and/or backup of our files can be a recipe for disaster.
10) Do an analysis of your photography for 2021. How many images did you make? Did you accomplish what you set out to accomplish? Did you produce the images you wanted to produce? Where do you need to improve? What focal lengths did you use most? What apertures do you seem to prefer? What shutter speeds? Has your vision changed, say, from wide angle to telephoto in nature? Was your gear adequate? Ask yourself those types of questions so you can get a feel for what you have done to help you figure out what you may need or want to do in the future.
11) Lastly, but something I think is important. Take some time to thoroughly think through what you want to accomplish photographically for 2022. What is it that you want to photograph, where do you want to go, what new techniques do you want to learn, etc.?
10) Do an analysis of your photography for 2021. How many images did you make? Did you accomplish what you set out to accomplish? Did you produce the images you wanted to produce? Where do you need to improve? What focal lengths did you use most? What apertures do you seem to prefer? What shutter speeds? Has your vision changed, say, from wide angle to telephoto in nature? Was your gear adequate? Ask yourself those types of questions so you can get a feel for what you have done to help you figure out what you may need or want to do in the future.
11) Lastly, but something I think is important. Take some time to thoroughly think through what you want to accomplish photographically for 2022. What is it that you want to photograph, where do you want to go, what new techniques do you want to learn, etc.?
Now is the time to make plans and create a road map on how to accomplish your goals. Set some photographic goals for yourself then break them down into steps so you can incrementally achieve them, i.e., create a clear path forward. It's easier to start with the end in mind, then work your way backwards, step by step, to where you are now. Have you been meaning to start a new project or complete an old one?
You may want to make a list of what gear you may need and don't already own to accomplish your photographic goals. You can save a bit of money if you know what you will need and wait until that gear is on sale. Most of the time different manufacturers put their gear on sale the same months year after year. That is when I buy mine. You may also realize that there is gear you no longer use nor want. Selling gear that is no longer in use is a good way to offset the cost of new gear that you need.
12) Just one more. An important bonus suggestion. Do everything you can to have fun with your photography next year. That may be my most important suggestion. If you aren't having fun with your photography, then you are doing something wrong.
If you have additional suggestions for things to do at the end of each year that can be helpful to others, please leave a comment so we all can benefit.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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