Don’t be ambitious.

That may strike you as a bit pessimistic, but we think this whole New Year’s Resolutions thing has gotten a bit out of hand.

This New Year’s, instead of making difficult resolutions anyone would have trouble keeping, then feeling bad about it when you fail, why not pick something that’ll make you feel good every time you do it?

Here’s a few fun photography resolutions we’re considering this year. Pick one that you think you’ll enjoy and start 2007 with a smile.

Here’s two fallacies we hope to dispel right away about New Year’s Resolutions: 1) They have to last all year and 2) They can’t be fun.

Every idea here will help you have more fun with photography while becoming better at it. Pick what you like, keep it up all year, or not, it’s up to you. Have fun with your photography, leave your stressin’ for other stuff.

RESOLUTION IDEA #1: Take More Photos!
We’ve written about a lot photo projects to inspire you. Here’s some of our favorites.

• Take a photo every single day — Doesn’t matter what it’s of, doesn’t matter if you upload it that day, just take a photo of something. Check out Taylor McKnight’s Project 365 and Noah Kalina’s daily self-portrait project for inspiration and tips. (See also: This simple script for Macs take a photo automatically every time you start up!)

• Photo-document your City — There’s a myriad of ways to create a photo document of your city or town, with or without pals. See Nicole Ramsey’s Get Out and Shoot for three great ideas.

• Take Photos of Strangers — Taking photos of people, especially people you don’t know, is one of the hardest things to do, but it yields some of the most interesting and timeless photographs. See Roark Johnson’s Stranger a Day or Youngna Park’s Impromptu Street Portrait Project How-to for inspiration.

RESOLUTION IDEA #2: Experiment with Your Photographic Style!
Try doing things a bit differently to inject variety into your photography!

• If you’ve been shooting primarily digital, resolve to go back to film for a month and see how it changes what you capture. Or resolve to give digital a shot if you’ve been sticking to film.

• If almost all your shots are horizontal, resolve to take more verticals and see how it changes how you frame your shots.

• Been shooting in full automatic? Flip into manual for a week and learn how your metering mistakes can make for more interesting photos! If you’ve been shooting in full or partial manual, go to full automatic and don’t sweat the details for a week. You may find yourself with moments and expressions you’d otherwise miss!

RESOLUTION IDEA #3: I’ve been meaning to do __________
Some photo housekeeping you’ve been putting off. Just make sure to make it fun!

• Organize your images into folders, albums, or sets. Upload more of your photos, or tag the more extensively.

• Read you camera manual. You’ll be surprised by all the things it can do that you never even knew!

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