Earlier this year, I posted a blog called The number one thing you can do to improve your photography. It was about getting out there to take advantage of every possible opportunity. For the final day of the year, I thought I'd share 366 images I captured in 2024 to represent the opportunity each day provides. 

If you would prefer to peruse the gallery on your own, click here

I thought I'd also share a retrospective on 2024 given I need to take my own advice and prioritize photography if I want to improve. How did you do this year? 

Here are a few key stats:

• Shot 218/366 days (leap year) = 60% of opportunities used, which was an increase of 24% from 2023. 

• A comparison of image counts from 2024 to 2023 showed 42% more images this year than 2023. 
• A breakdown of days invested across Trips, Day Trips, and Near Home revealed the majority of days were spent near home (<30 minutes away) with the least number of images averaged per day. 

• Even though 'Near Home' had the lowest number of photos captured per day invested, they accounted for over 1/3 of all photos chosen in the slideshow above. Since I chose what I felt were the strongest images for the slideshow, shooting close to home had the lowest time/money investment with the highest success rate, meaning it had the best return on investment. Something to think about!

• Subject Breakdown: While I didn't do a count of categories across all images taken in 2024, I felt comfortable using the slideshow images as a sample. I obviously need to get out to capture more wildflowers and fall colors!

• How will this influence my choices in 2025?
  • Trips and Day Trips are still essential for increasing the variety of subjects that can be captured. These will continue. 
  • Shooting near home frequently and consistently is a valuable method for getting familiar with species and conditions that exist in a certain area, increasing success rates. This will definitely continue. 
  • I'll revisit locations where I've enjoyed previous success and consider revisiting locations that did not yield high success if I am near the area or passing through.
  • I'll visit at least 5 locations I have never been to before.
  • I'll capture at least 5 species I have never captured before. 
  • I'll plan in landscape and plant life subjects every month of the year to increase captures. 

This was a somewhat unconventional blog post, but I think it's important to take a moment to reflect on what you have accomplished over the year, what you would have done differently, and how this might affect what you do in the coming year. Certainly, this practice is common in one's professional life, but why not put the same effort into something you do purely because you love doing it? Happy shooting in 2025!