Why I am Very Excited About 2025, and the Future of Photography
We may be on the cusp of something big
… or not.
Look, I got no crystal ball or nothin’…
Hi, and welcome to my little Substack corner. I write about photography, art, design, and the craft of living creatively. I am glad you are here. Consider subscribing to keep up with what I am doing. I promise not to bore you. If you would like to support my efforts, that would be amazing and so appreciated. Either way, I am super happy you are here.
But I am looking around, seeing what is emerging, what seems to be bubbling up to the top. And what I am seeing and feeling leads me to great optimism.
In October, the NYT ran this article, and I believe it is one to read.
Galleries are turning toward photography in a hard right. More photography galleries are popping up, and even some of the hardcore painting-only galleries have recently introduced photography into their collections.
As A.I. Becomes Harder to Detect, Photography Is Having a Renaissance
(LINK)
One of my favorite photographers, Jake Stengle, posted this to his Instagram:
A quick look at Jake’s work shows he is a photo purist. Not a lot of P-shopping in his work. It is authentic, real, captivating, and engaging.
Photography will not be going away in 2025. In fact, I do believe it will be a resurgence art, full of vigor and inspirational for us all.
I also believe that this little Renaissance of sorts is going to be heavily influenced by authentic photography.
What do I mean?
Photography that tells a story.
Images that look photographic.
Images that bring the nostalgia of old photographs to the fore.
A soft, yet powerful photograph that captures emotion and engages the viewer.
I have always held to this theory: Every light I add to a photograph diminishes it’s emotional impact.
Notice I did not say it was wrong, only that it made the image less emotionally engaging.
More lights generally create a non-natural effect. Often these effects are amazing, wonderful, and exciting to view. I own 14 different lighting tools, so understand where I am coming from is not a criticism but an observation.
AI may have all the bells and whistles at its disposal, but it doesn’t have emotional engagement as part of its tool set.
We do.
Each and every one of you has a device to engage others with what you see. From a phone to a big, cumbersome camera, we can engage with the world. And help others engage with what we see.
The cold fact is that AI cannot create engagement, only momentary distractions.
On a side note.
Shoot film. One roll a month. 12-24 photos. Make each count.
This analog legacy may be the difference between your image and the millions of digital captures… and every little bit counts when you are setting yourself apart.
Here are some things I am excited about going into 2025. Some are new, some are old-timers, but in combination, they make me more creative.
My tribe. Scattered all across the globe, my followers and patrons here on Substack, the wonderful readers on Medium, and of course my Project 52 alumni who have been collaborating and working with me for over 15 years. A big shout out to all of you, and a promise that this year will not disappoint. We all move upward.
Music. I have been composing again after a multi-decade self-imposed absence. I am learning all I can about digital audio creation, but for now I am working with basic compositional tools; notes, staves, notation. It is therapy for me.
Patient Impatience. That means we must be patient as we diligently work through the learning and growing, but impatient enough to work extra hours, into the night, and be slightly, if not clinically, obsessed with what we are doing.
Travel. I am becoming obsessed with getting out and seeing the world close and far away. Trips planned for this year:
Winter:
Death Valley. Motorcycle.
Moab: Car
Chaco Canyon: Car
Sand Dunes and CO River: Motorcycle
Spring:
Chiricahuas: Car
Big Bend, TX: Motorcycle
Summer:
Wyoming: Motorcycle
Montana: Car
Fall:
Southern Utah: Motorcycle
Capitol Reef: Car (or motorcycle depending on circumstances)
Anza Borrego Desert: Motorcycle
Will I do all of these?
I hope so. I am planning for it, but then, things can get busy around here pretty fast.
Gotta learn to hold on to life by letting go of distractions.
This week I am busy planning for the first two quarters of 2025. I am still teaching, and will continue to do so. We just finished a wonderful class on building a food portfolio and most of the attendees did, in fact, create a food portfolio. Still a bit more work to do, but they got a heck of a lot of it done and now they can fill in the blanks and get to work.
Classes for Q1 and Q2:
Product and Tabletop Class. 8 Weeks. Includes a business component to help get your product portfolio in shape, as well as identifying possible clients in order to get going fast.
Build a Marketing System. 8-Weeks. From promo materials, to a solid newsletter design, we are going to put it all together with a framework that will get you noticed.
I have been spending a lot of time trying to keep up with AI - not the image generation stuff - and will be sharing what I am working on with you all each month. There are some terrific tools that can help not only with marketing, but with everyday things like keywords, tags, descriptions, writing emails, cold calling… in other words, these things can make the stuff most of us don’t like easier and more intuitive.
2024 goes out the door this midnight.
For my part, it is good riddance. It will go down in my book as one of my not-so-fondly remembered years. Still waiting for the county to issue a flood plain permit, which they have said they will, but just haven’t gotten around to it. SERIOUSLY!
But a new year brings a new attitude. And attitude can be the difference between what you perceive and what is real.
So farewell, dear readers. I won’t see you all until early next year.
Heh.
Have a wonderful and safe new years.
When you are ready, here is how I can help you succeed.
Group Mentorship: a small group of photographers who meet to show images, work on their portfolio, and build their businesses with help from a wonderful group. Lifetime membership for one fee.
One-on-one Mentorship: You and me - working together in an intense 6-month push to get you on the way to over $30K in additional revenue. The work we lay down will help you increase and scale your business for years ahead.
Coming in 2025, a One-on-One, 6-week plan to get your marketing system in place. You will see results immediately, and by results, I mean assigned work that pays you. More coming.
Seen and Noted
Pre-order pricing is available. Limited Edition, signed and numbered, matted print included.