How to evaluate your own photography work

With the new year approaching, it’s important to reflect on the year and your own photography work and experiences throughout the year.

When you set goals for the new year, it is important to evaluate your current state and see what changes you need to make in order to accomplish those goals. This includes looking at all aspects of your life, including your photography work.

In order to get better at anything, you need to be honest with yourself about where you are and identify areas for improvement. Here are a few questions to help guide your evaluation process so that you can start 2023 off on the right foot with your photography work.

And while this applies to looking at your work and preparing for the new year, you can follow these steps for any new timeline — such as a new quarter, a new month, etc.

What have you accomplished?

The first step in evaluating your photography work is to take a moment and reflect on what you have accomplished. What projects have you completed? Which photographs have garnered the most attention? It’s important to recognize your accomplishments, no matter how big or small they may be — even if it was just one successful project or one great shot.

I like to look at it from both a business standpoint and a skillset standpoint.

On the business side, what have you done to grow your photography business? Did you launch any new products or services? Managed to land any big clients? Did you gain more followers or make more sales in a certain area?

On the skillset side, what techniques and processes have you learned that will help improve your work going forward? What have you noticed about your work that you can build upon in the new year?

What didn’t work?

It is equally important to take a look at what didn’t work. Ask yourself why it didn’t work, and if there are any changes you can make in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future. This could include taking more time for research or collaboration before beginning a project or making sure to plan out each step of the process.

You should also look at any patterns in your work that you want to break. Are there certain techniques you rely on too heavily? Are there any areas of your skill set that need more improvement?

It’s okay if things don’t always go as planned — but acknowledging where you may have gone wrong and identifying how to avoid similar problems in the future will help you grow as a photographer.

Where can you make improvements?

Once you have identified what has and hasn’t worked, the next step is to think about where you can make improvements. Think about any goals or projects that may have been put on the backburner — now is a great time to revisit them and see if there are any changes you need to make in order to move forward.

Another way to frame this question is what are you currently struggling with as a photographer?

Is there a particular technique that you need to master or processes you want to streamline? Working towards improvement in identified areas will help you progress and reach your goals.

Once you figure it out, make sure to write these improvements down on a piece of paper or in your favorite digital note-taking service as you should be revisiting this every so often.

What techniques or knowledge do you need to practice or learn to make these improvements?

Now that you have identified what areas you need to develop in order to reach your goals, the next step is to figure out exactly how you’ll do so.

Are there certain techniques that you need to practice more? Or maybe it’s just a matter of finding the right resources or mentors who can help guide you.

For example, if you want to improve your portrait photography skills, then look for tutorials or courses that can help teach you the basics. And if it’s a skillset such as understanding light and color, then I suggest reading up on some books about lighting theory or color theory or also learning photography online from expert photographers.

The key here is to find methods that best fit your learning style and to have the patience to learn them properly.

Whatever it may be, make sure to take the time to research and find out what techniques or pieces of knowledge you need to acquire in order for you to move forward.

Being self-reflective during this process is very important as it will help you gain insights into where you need to improve, as well as allow you to create a plan of action that’s tailored towards reaching your goals. By the end of this exercise, hopefully, you’ll have a better understanding of what changes are necessary in order for your work to progress and reach the level of success you’re striving for.

While I believe a good photographer is made by their skillset and approach to a scene and not necessarily their gear, having the right tools can help make a project go smoother.

If you’ve identified gaps in your skill set or areas that need improvement, then consider if there are any new pieces of gear or software that could help you reach those goals.

For example, if your goal is to improve your landscape photography skills, then investing in a sturdy tripod and a quality wide-angle lens could help you capture sharper images with less blur.

On the other hand, if you’re trying to learn more about post-processing techniques such as retouching or color grading, then it might be worthwhile investing in new software like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom to help give your photos the look and feel you want.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a financial investment either — sometimes just spending more time learning a technique or taking an online course can be enough to help reach your goals.

Determine what success means to you

Finally, I believe it’s important to pause and think about what success actually means.

Success could mean different things for each photographer — maybe it’s having your work featured in a magazine, building a personal brand, or booking more paid gigs; or maybe it’s simply being able to take photos that you are truly proud of.

Whatever success means to you, make sure to remind yourself of that and set achievable goals that align with those values. This will be a great motivator as you continue to pursue your goals and strive for improvement in the new year.

If you take the time to evaluate your photography work and create an actionable plan for what changes you want to make, then you’ll be off to a great start and ready to take on the new year of photography with confidence. Best of luck!

Good luck and happy shooting!