Smart photography goals for 2023

Do you have any photography goals for 2023? Goals are an admirable and desirable thing to do, but it needs to be backed up. It needs to be achievable. Using a few helpful acronyms can be a great way to break them down.

SMART goals

One of my favorite acronyms to help figure out where to start is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time.

• In other words, be specific about WHAT your goal is, and decide what success looks like
• It needs to be measurable to show progress, stay motivated and be able to evaluate
• It needs to be attainable; small gains are better than something impossible
• Make sure it is actually relevant to your core goals and beliefs
• Set a realistic time frame to achieve results

HARD goals

There are other acronyms such as HARD: Heartfelt, Animated, Required, and Difficult. The thought being if it is difficult the rewards are more satisfying and enthusiastic.

But what to set?

Ultimately it boils down to WHAT you WANT. So what are some goals you could set for yourself for 2023?

• Learn a new technique
• Learn a new genre
• Really learn your camera or read the manual
• Join a local photographic group (or an online one)
• Read a book or two
• Find & follow 5 new and inspirational people on YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram etc.
• Really dig deep into editing or lighting or something else
• Do you have a lens you never use? Stick it on your camera and leave it there
• Do a 365 challenge (it doesn’t have to start Jan 1st)
• Do a 52-week challenge (if 365 seems daunting)
• Do a 12-month challenge (as in creating something once a month, personal projects and such)
• Dive deep into journaling

It doesn’t really matter WHAT your goal is; just set a few, even start with just one. Don’t overwhelm yourself and pick ten then drop all of them after a month. Do one, then another, then another. Even if your goal only takes a weekend to complete…that’s great. Then you can set another. And it doesn’t have to just be your photography either. What goals can you set for your business or personal life?

Personally, I want to hold, bigger, more elaborate photoshoots and collaborative shoots I started in 2022 and really enjoy them. I also would like to attend more workshops myself. Even a professional or experienced photographer can learn something and it’s a great way to explore different styles or genres.

So what will your personal or photography goals be for 2023?