Your 2026 New Year's photography resolutions
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Vietnam - Mamiya 7 - Fuji Provia 100F. Photo: Community member MyReality |
In last week's Question of the week, our community eagerly awaited the arrival of 2026 with a healthy list of New Year's resolutions, ranging from committing to a better understanding of current gear to rethinking old habits. Many of you also said, "I need to slow down!" when preparing for that perfect shot. While a great opportunity doesn't always wait for us, it was clear from your resolutions that you felt it would help to take more time setting up the shot when possible.
Sharing your resolutions
For the resolutions quoted below, we aimed to showcase a variety of experiences and interesting stories. I was especially impressed with SJSNIKON's commitment to their photo collection of 60,000 images dedicated to Dutch cultural heritage. Nice work! And great job faunagraphy for capturing a great shot of that tiger without it capturing you first :-).
For the photos shared, we were able to include nearly all of the submissions. Thank you for including a photo with your responses when possible. It makes it a lot more fun when we can share them with your comments.
Read on for a spotlight selection of contributions, and then join our forum community to share your great photos and the stories they tell.
DaveZSmitty: I recently bought a refurbished D7500, and I'm getting used to using the back LCD to make my changes, unlike my D7000, which had a top screen behind the shutter button. So, I'm training my muscle memory for the new camera in 2026.
tilted_horizon: I'm a primes guy, but I'm going to do the opposite and use zooms as my main lenses, with the goal of getting better at seeing compositions within a bigger scene and zooming in to isolate them. Also, be aggressive in deleting pointless photos. I think it was HCB who said something like, There is no salvage, there is only yes or no. If I stick to that philosophy, I'll have about five keepers in 2026 :).
Hike Pics: To sell/donate a LOT of my cameras, at least half of them. They are taking up way too much space in my studio. Funny thing is, I said the same exact thing early this year!
Click here to see everyone's resolutions
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A wild opportunity to capture a great photo with a tiger. Photo: Community member faunagraphy |
faunagraphy: My New Year's resolution is to try to be less of a technical perfectionist. This goes against my nature - often, I am out in nature experiencing things that would be the envy of many people, and yet, I return home unhappy because my photos fall short of my idea of perfection. They could always be more detailed or sharper; perhaps the shutter speed was too low or too high, or perhaps my compositions should have been wider or tighter. If a photo is slightly out of focus, or slightly blurry, or without the max possible amount of detail, it's a "lost opportunity" - no matter how compelling a story it tells.
Satyaa: Figure out how to get good value from using my gear, without buying more gear that I "want" (not need).
SJSNIKON: Happy New Year, everybody! My New Year's resolution in the photographic field is to prepare my 60,000+ photo collection on Dutch cultural heritage for transfer into the collection of the cultural heritage organization where I work when I retire (in a few years).
Keith Cooper: Two related things - print more and print bigger, and produce at least one large print that stops people, makes them look, and prompts them to wonder how I did it. By large, I mean needing at least 64" roll paper.
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A lonely tree on a grassy hill-top with the sun shining through. Photo: Community member DuckShots |
DuckShots: Funny you should ask, because I had just made a list. Tired of my wall hangings, which need a bit of freshening up with recent photos. I need to be more disciplined in shooting and filing self-portraits, something I do to maintain my skills in light of the absence of people who will sit for a portrait. I shoot every day, a practice I will maintain, but these shoots should include more exploration. No more books. I need to go back and review what I have.
dollarslice: Think about what else I can do with existing photography versus constantly feeling the need to go shoot more. Last year I put together a small book of black and white photos I've made, next I want to make one of my color work. I also desperately need to back up and organize all my files.
AfzalKhanVisuals: From 2026, I am planning to change a few things in my photography. These ideas are not entirely new, but they feel necessary. One thing is to push photography further into storytelling, not just images, but the art of stories. Stories of human behavior, fleeting moments, nature, and the quiet truth of being human.
Sam Bennett: I want to leave a more substantial "paper trail." So much of what I do is for social media - whether it's for myself or the venues that I work for. That's all well and good, but as I get older, I want to ensure that what I do is available in a tangible form. So I've started printing more - even if it's these tiny Instax prints. When I photograph bands, I typically finish processing the "quick picks" for the marketing team, so it's easy to print these out and hand them to the band.
Taken as a whole, these resolutions show that you are thinking strategically about what you want from your photography this year. There’s less emphasis on chasing perfection or new gear, and more on printing work, telling better stories, editing with purpose, and creating something that we can all admire.
Keep watch for the next Question of the week every other Wednesday to participate in this series. New questions are posted here on the homepage and in the forums. We can't wait to read and share your stories!
What are your resolutions for this year? Click here to join the discussion!