From all of us at Photofocus, we wish you a very Happy New Year! To get you started with 2022, be sure to check out some of our New Year-centric pieces:
Last chance to save up to 69% on Luminar Neo! - Luminar Neo is almost here, with the official version coming this winter. You can save big, now through Jan. 5, 2022, and get the Early Access version now! Plus, get extra bonuses and save up to 69% off. We got an early first look at Luminar Neo, and you can see a complete walk-through below. With Luminar Neo, you can adjust lighting conditions with RelightAI, remove power lines and even get rid of dust spots — all in a single click. Get Luminar Neo plus two free extra packs for just $64. Want AI editing tools now? Grab Luminar Neo with LuminarAI — along with two free extra packs — for just $93. Tack on Aurora and you save 63% and get the entire bundle for just $103. Plus, you can save an additional $5 off with the code NEWYEAR5OFF! Already preorder Luminar Neo but can’t wait? Get LuminarAI, Aurora and two free extra packs for just $67 — that’s a 69% discount! See all the deals on Skylum’s website and save today, now through Jan. 5, 2022.
Setting SMART photography goals for 2022 - Success comes in many forms. For the pro photographer, success might mean meeting a specific level of income or doing a certain number of paid shoots. For the enthusiast, it might be learning a specific skill or doing a 365 challenge. No matter what success looks like for you, setting SMART photography goals can help you achieve it. SMART is an acronym that was coined in the 1980s as a formula for business and project management, but it is a useful tool for pushing toward any objective. S: Specific In order to achieve a goal, you need to define what success looks like. M: Measurable In order to show progress and stay motivated toward your goal, you have to have some criteria by which to evaluate how far you’ve come. A: Attainable Make sure it is something you can reasonably accomplish in a specific time frame. R: Relevant Ensure that your goals align with your values and long-term plans. T: Time-based Give yourself a realistic, yet ambitious time frame in which to accomplish your goal. SMART photography goals I’m setting for 2022 The past two years have put a damper on my creativity and I’m keen to rekindle my passion for travel and photography. Taking into account what I know about my schedule for next year, as well as the constantly changing rules and restrictions, I’ve decided on two relatively modest and attainable goals: Go out locally at least once a month just to shoot and be creative. Take a least one out-of-the-area trip in 2022 just for photography. What are your SMART photography goals for 2022? As you make plans for 2022, keep in mind your definition of success, and consider specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based goals to have you achieve your objectives. Once you’ve created your list, share your 2022 SMART photography goals in the comments below. 
10 resolutions for your photography in 2022 - I’m not really one for resolutions, but I do believe in setting intentions (daily/weekly/yearly — whatever you find works for you). As we head into the New Year I’ve started to think about what photography-related resolutions I would like to work on for 2022. Here is a list of 10 resolutions for your photography in 2022. 1. Use your tripod more A lot of us are lazy, can’t be bothered with carrying the tripod with us at all times, and just find it not so easy to use. Let’s change that. Grab your camera, grab your tripod. Period. Make it a habit. I’m really going to work on this one myself. Even if you grab the Platypod or a monopod instead. Doing this one thing will easily help improve your results. 2. Read those photography books on your shelf How many of you buy books and never get around to actually reading them? Guilty! So many books. Books to be inspired by, books to learn a new technique, books to help on the business and marketing side of photography — they are all there, on my shelf. You too? 3. Listen to and work through the courses you’ve purchased Same as with the books, I have several courses that I signed up for, paid for and yet, I’ve never actually completed them. Time to change that. 4. Help other photographers This is one amazing way to learn more and grow your own knowledge. In teaching, we learn. Helping others also makes you feel good about yourself and become more confident in your own abilities. 5. Learn more about the history of photography How did we get to where we are in the industry today? We have incredible pioneers in the photography world, take some time to read about them. Check local museums and galleries and attend an exhibition of photographers who inspire you. 6. Join a photography community This can be local or online or maybe both. Test a few out to see what each community has to offer and if it’s a fit for you and what you’re hoping to get from being part of it. We may be partial here, but the Photofocus Community is a great place to start. 7. Print your work Whether you print images to hang in your own home or print a photo book, seeing your work printed will bring a whole other level of appreciation of your creative work. If you don’t have a printer at home, be sure to check out Fine Art America for custom prints. 8. Learn one new function of your camera There are so many things our cameras can do, pick one and learn it. Focus stacking, multiple exposures, time-lapse and more. Have some fun and learn a new creative way to use your camera. 9. Work on your composition in-camera It’s the simplest way to improve your images (in my opinion). Composition is one of the most important elements of a good image. Practice creating compositions, slow down and take the time to get better at this while you are photographing. Need a little help or inspiration? Check out this presentation in the Photofocus Community. 10. Use the tools you have Instead of buying new and more gear and gadgets, use what you have. How many of us have all sorts of equipment laying around that we never use? Once again, I am guilty of this. Pull out those lights, lightboxes, flashes, diffusers, filters, remote triggers, umbrellas and whatever else you have that takes up space in your drawers and on your shelves and use it! Here’s a bonus 11th resolution that I believe we should keep in mind each and every time we pick up our cameras. 11. Have fun with your photography and the resolutions Sometimes photographers can be a serious lot. Make sure that photography is still fun for you. Pick up a disposable film camera and see what you find with it. Put your camera on Auto and go out and go crazy without worrying about the technicality of it all for a change. Photograph subjects you wouldn’t normally but have always wanted to try. How about you? What are you adding to your list of photography resolutions for next year? Share with us in the comments or head over to the Photofocus Community so we can talk about it.
Are you ready for new cameras in 2022? Here’s what we want to see - You have to wonder just what more could be in store for the world of photography and videography in the coming year. Modern cameras are already powerhouses. Still, there’s always room for improvement. We’re going to take a quick look at the new cameras we’d like to see in 2022 from all of the camera brands. 2021 has been pretty big when it comes to the cameras we have been graced with. The Nikon Z 9 was born. Canon premiered the EOS R3, Fujifilm gave us the GFX 50S II, Sony the a1 and a7 IV and Pentax the K-3 III. So, just what might we see in 2022? Here’s what we think will either be announced or that will come to market. New cameras from Canon will include APS-C models and a Z 9 killer In 2022 we fully expect to see the EOS R3 being dethroned as the company’s current makeshift flagship with the arrival of the EOS R1. Still, whether or not it will be a Z 9 killer remains to be seen. On top of this, I think the Canon EOS M line will be put to rest. I believe we’ll see the first Canon APS-C cameras with an RF mount. This makes sense as the EF-M mount does not provide a clear path to Canon’s other mirrorless cameras. If Canon can give us a mirrorless replacement for the EOS 7D II they’ll make some waves. Build it tough, give it high burst rates, animal focus, and the same AF system found in the EOS R5/R6. It’s guaranteed to be a hit! We’d also love to see an APS-C mirrorless Rebel-Esque camera as well that’s priced low and that can come as a bundle with the RF 50mm f/1.8 or the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1. For fun, Canon, give us a mirrorless Canonet to rival the Fujifilm X100V, the Ricoh GR III and the Nikon Z fc! That would be the cherry on top of your 2022. Fujifilm: Make the X-H2 one of your new cameras for 2022 I’m a little disappointed with the lack of innovation from Fujifilm when it comes to X mount cameras. Fujifilm has been leading the charge in the Medium Format space. However, their APS-C cameras have gone stale. The problem is all of Fujifilm’s APS-C cameras, apart from aesthetics and a few nerfed features, are essentially the same. It’s getting old. A camera that can change all of this for Fujifilm in 2022 would be the X-H2. I think Fujifilm needs to turn the X-H2 into a pro-body camera that goes after the sports and wildlife crowd. A camera like this is sorely missing from Fujifilm’s camera portfolio. Give it an integrated grip, a stacked X-Trans sensor, and a better autofocus system that incorporates AI. Make the jump from SD cards and start using CFexpress. Improve the IBIS, and introduce new batteries that last longer. Just don’t give us more rehashes like you did with the X-T3 Global and the X-T30 II. Those cameras were a slap in the face. Nikon: Trickle down the Z 9’s performance and make a mirrorless D500 In 2022, Nikon needs to focus on bringing the performance of the Z 9 down into their mainstream cameras. I’m sure releasing a Z5 II, Z6 III and a Z7 III would anger many of Nikon’s faithful as their predecessors wouldn’t exactly be old. Still, it’s a move Nikon needs to make. It’s also time for Nikon to bring a classic APS-C DSLR into the mirrorless space. A mirrorless version of the D500 will complement the Z 9 well. Update the 20.9-megapixel sensor and the image processor found in the Z 50 so that it can use the AF system from the Z 9. Give the camera plenty of weather sealing and price it to sell. Wildlife photographers will flock it. OM Digital Solutions: Your WOW cameras need to be special and release a new PEN-F We’d like to see the OM SYSTEM launch a few cameras in 2022. There needs to be an E-M1 IV, an E-M1X II and a new PEN-F. All current generations of these cameras use sensor technology from 2015, low-quality EVFs and autofocus systems that trail the competition. In 2022, OM Digital Solutions needs to release these cameras with new stacked micro four-thirds sensors that offer much-improved autofocus. Enhanced AI that’s better than currently found in the E-M1X is needed. You also need an autofocus system that can rival the best on the market. We’d also like to see their cameras in 2022 using improved EVFs, higher quality LCDs, and offer 8K video modes. It’s a tall order, we know. However, their next cameras must be something special. Another camera that could help OM Digital Solutions would be a new improved PEN-F with weather-sealing. For the love of God don’t release another PEN-F that can’t play in the rain. We will come after you with pitchforks if you do. New cameras from Pentax/Ricoh need to include a weather-sealed GR and a new K-1 Pentax/Ricoh you just need to keep on doing your thing. You’ve shown that you march to the beat of your own drum anyway. Honestly, good on you for doing so. Still, in 2022 we would like to see a GR series camera that finally offers weather sealing and much-improved battery life. Even if you need to make the GR IV a little bit bigger, it will be worth it. A monochrome version would be well received as well. A K-1 III with the new SAFOX 13 autofocus system that’s found in the new K-3 III (read our review), along with a new higher megapixel sensor would be splendid as well. Just keep on being weird, Pentax. It’s what sets you apart. However, don’t rest on your laurels. If this happens, the gap between the rest of the pack will get wider and your userbase will shrink further. Panasonic, launch a flagship micro four-thirds camera and say goodbye to DFD Ah,
Five inspirational quotes about photography for 2022 - We can always use several short inspirational quotes about photography, can’t we? As a bonus, these quotes can inform our lives in positive ways. You’ll be able to see why as someone who does night photography and long exposure, I might gravitate toward some of these. However, all of us can be inspired by them. They can make our holidays more joyful. Perhaps if we embrace them, they can make our lives more joyful and meaningful. “Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” – David Alan Harvey On average, 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook each day. Almost all of these illustrate what a thing, person, place, or cat looks like. We have a glut of these. What we might find beautiful is if more of us photographed how we feel. Whether it’s a mood or passage of time or interpretation, inspiration, insight or emotion, this is what so often connects us to one another. “Nothing is ever the same twice because everything is always gone forever, and yet each moment has infinite photographic possibilities.” – Michael Kenna As a night photographer, this rings so true, as we so often show a distinct passage of time and a light painting performance that will never occur again. But regardless, whether we are capturing a birthday, a wedding, a celebration, a football game, a street scene or anything else, we have a moment frozen in time. But within that moment, there are so many ways to view things. And to interpret them and impart how it felt. “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” – Dorothea Lange I have said so often to people that I appreciate everything around me because of photography. This is its gift to me. As many of you who read this regularly know, I often create night photos of abandoned cars, buildings and more, that which society has discarded. But because of photography, I find the beauty in these castoffs. I also value the looks of trees, stones, skies and more like I never did before. “The painter constructs, the photographer discloses.” – Susan Sontag This beautiful quote from Susan Sontag is cut from the same cloth as the first quote from David Alan Harvey. As humans, we so often are inundated with photos that show how something appears. What we often crave is interpretation, feeling and emotion. We wish to connect. “When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.” – Alfred Eisenstaedt I have a feeling that a few street, event, and travel photographers may be slowly nodding their heads. More than a few of us photographers may be introverts. But for many of us, hand us a camera. We are empowered. This camera gives us a license to approach, interact and connect. But even for those of us who photograph in nature, the camera becomes a reason to interact with the environment. We lose the hours to our creativity, wandering, exploring, admiring, thinking, feeling and creating.
