2026 Photography Resolutions: What Comes Next?
After a rather fruitful 2025 in which I managed to fulfill more resolutions than the ones I failed to meet, I decided to come up with yet another ambitious to-do list for 2026. This year, some of last years’s plans repeat, while others are going to be adapted to my current reality and the developments of last year’s resolutions.
Ambitious as it may sound, I always like to set very high bars for myself. And when it comes to dreams and aspirations, the idea of pushing for my own growth and dreaming big has never left me.
Me posing for a session.|Credit: Sherrie Ann Stafford
So, some of the ambitions this year are similar to 2025. My hope is that I continue to challenge myself while also getting the satisfaction of completing projects or ideas started. Even if I don’t fulfill them all, I am going to try to.
Resolutions for 2026
Continue shooting every day (or almost): The habit of carrying my camera everywhere I go has never left me. I don’t think it ever will. Doing it has provided me with the chance to take some very good photos, and I intend to keep on doing it.
Keep on learning: I did my best to l;earn something new every now and then last year. However, it now a goal of mine to be better at editing in Affinity Photo, the primary editing software that I normally use. Although I feel comfortable in it, I believe I need to get into more specialized editing in order to do this more commercially. I also want to experiment more with lights and external flash, and explore other types of photography.
Shoot more baseball: Although I went to at least one game a series this Hartford Yard Goats season, I intend to attend more this year. My connection with the team has opened doors for me, and I intend to keep those doors open not only for my creative purposes, but also for anything I can come up with to help the organization.
Launch more promo packages: For this holiday season, I launched a promotional package. Although I only got two bookings (two is better than none), I was happy to do it, and I believe there is a possibility for me to do more. At least for special occasions, holidays and celebrations. I believe such action will actually enable me to land more gigs.
Keep on traveling and exploring: Although I did not host an actual CT Photo Adventure in 2025, I did take small trips with some visiting friends. It is my goal to get to know as much of the state as I can, and taking trips is something that will definitely bring photo opportunities. One of my goals is to visit as much of Connecticut as I can, and to know the state like the palm of my hand. That includes photographing those places.
Work on Su/gar: Shadows of the Revolution as much as I can: I started the project early in 2025, and by the time I reached August, I had already added the word “Su/gar” for the main title. Although over 200 photos have been selected already, I am still some time away from getting through all of my folders, making a selection (hopefully aided by at least two extra pairs of eyes), editing, captioning and writing the chapters. Fortunately, writing never comes as a problem to me, and that part is going to be the easiest.
Try to grow on platforms like iStock by Getty Images and SIPA: I made my first SIPA contributions after the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hartford and also kept on uploading work to iStock. Yet, it is my intention to grow in both and be more involved in editorial and documentary photography whether I get paid for it or not. The first experience with SIPA was good, but I need to make it better.
Get more creative: Lately, I have been exploring the idea of doing more creative photography. With a few concepts in mind, I intend to pursue some more planned shoots this year, always hoping to grow and expand my niche.
Keep the Newsletter running: I started the Newsletter as an experiment, and it has proven to be a very effective tool to keep my audience, especially my subscribers, engaged with my publications, It has become a way to spread news that do not require or are enough for a post, while also bringing the most recent posts to their inboxes.
Keep projects alive: The CT Hispanic Watch and Cuban Lenses United will continue to be important projects that I need to keep alive this year. The former is my own creation nd I can keep it up on my own. The latter is a collective idea that will need external support, but that will also involve some of my own effort. I am currently working alongside one of its founders to start working on a new idea derived from it.
Get involved with more projects: Last year I had the pleasure of working the Connecticut SLAM, the ConnectiCon and the Fashion Week. I intend to participate in some other projects, including joining studio workshops that pop up every now and then in the state for photographers and models to work on different concepts.
Host a class/workshop/presentation: That was one of my unfulfilled missions from last year. So, instead of focusing only on the presentation part, I have added the options of a class or workshop, thus expanding the possibility. Of course, that will not include any workshops I do at my school, as it is something I do every year.
Embrace the seasons: Although I did a whole fall project last year, I have been reluctant to embrace winter in the past. Both spring and summer also offer great possibilities, but I intend to welcome and enjoy winter this time. There is always interesting wildlife out there, and trying to photograph as much of it as I can is one of my plans.
Keep pushing for Canon, Magnum and National Geographic: Last year, I held my end of the bargain by trying to make contact with all three organizations. Prompted by some of my students, I pushed for it, and I am happy I did. However, no answer has emerged in any way, shape or form. This, instead of discouraging me, has made me even more determined. Those who give up at the first sight of defeat have very little chance to succeed in life.
Print more: I recently started printing my photos with my own printer. Even though it is not the highest grade, I can asure that the quality surpasses that of places like Walmart, Walgreens or CVS. Some of those pictures have been used as gifts for friends and students, making it a more personalized present. The idea is also to print the selection for Sugar… in order to see how they look on print before I start organizing the selected photos in the book template.
Change systems: No, I am not moving out of Canon. In fact, I never will. Yet, it has become necessary to migrate to the RF lenses system. I still use EF lenses with an adapter, and even though the quality of the image remains sharp and beautiful, it is a reality that for someone who loves shooting baseball as much as I do, the focusing speed and the burst rate can become a problem. So, I have put up my EF lenses for sale (the two Tamrons, and the Sigma, which I sold recently). Due to the hefty price of the RF lenses, I cannot afford to spend that money in them without selling the ones I currently have, mainly when my photography-derived income is not too high.
Final Thoughts
Some of these resolutions seem pretty ambitious whereas others are already underway. Of course, I will not make this a mandatory to-do list, but instead a group of goals that I intend to either accomplish or at least pursue.
Even though I did not get many of last year’s goals done, I ended up pretty satisfied with them. I intend to do the same this year.
