It’s that time of year here in the northeast part of the states…fall! Living in New England I have always loved the turnover to autumn. September and October being my favorite months of the year—they have the excitement of a new year (well, a new school year anyway) and are also the end of calendar year. Fall marks the best months when the leaves turn gorgeous colors and blanket the ground in their crunchy glory all in one tiny little 60 day window. To have both a beginning and an end in one season is just something truly special. Something that leaves me excited (albeit also very tired from starting a school year) to see what’s next. I love to take the time for a quick fall reset for the photo business. It’s always viewed as a fresh start, a chance to start new. So let’s talk about some fall cleanup for your photography. Below are a few ways to start fresh with your own creativity, with your equipment, and with this amazing career (or hobby) of yours.
Journal
I am a huge fan of journaling in general. I do a pretty regular activity known as a drain dump and try to get all the things out of my head. But I also create lists for my own creative endeavors. I am always working on a new project, a new idea, or trying to figure out a way to visually represent my thoughts and feelings. As I write lists and ideas that come to me it is also a very healthy way to make sure I am not falling victim to the photography comparison trap—which is a terrible place to find yourself. Journaling is healthy in so many ways and helps you to keep a healthy practice for your own creativity.
Fall Reset
In January I wrote a post about what you should be doing to start fresh in the new year in your photography business, and a bunch of those goals can also be useful here during your fall reset for your photo business. There are super easy things like wiping the memory cards and cleaning your equipment that should be done somewhat regularly. But other things can also be useful during in the fall season of reset.
- Wipe Those Memory Cards: Format all of your memory cards and start fresh for the season. Check the cards and throw out anything really old, broken, or if you’re unsure if it works.
- Clean Your Equipment: If you’re a professional, your equipment should be sent in a minimum of once a year. A hobbyist, then every 2-3 years (unless something goes wrong).
- Organize Your Photos: Find a system that works for you. I lightly talk about my system here but I talk in depth about my workflow in this blog post.
- Start A New Lightroom Catalog: If you’ve not paid any attention to your Lightroom catalog (or don’t even know what that is) it’s definitely time to start a new Lr catalog for the 2023 photographing season. You can thank me later.
- Start Journaling for Creativity and Business: Yes this may sound a little woo woo but manifesting your goals both personally and professionally for your photography will really move the marker in your business or art. Try it…it certainly can’t hurt.
Prepare for Fall Photo Shoots
Fall is the most beautiful time of year for photography and is also the busiest season for portrait photographers. If you’re thinking of ways to get some great photos, now is the time to jot some ideas and practice what you might want to photography.
For example, you want to get someone throwing leaves in the air? What do you need to capture that motion? You need a fast shutter speed, so play with someone throwing something and be sure you can capture that on a moments notice when you are out during the shoot. Want to get gorgeous colors? Play around in Adobe Lightroom and explore the color mixer to get more saturated tones. Pssssst, I have a whole blog post about how to increase your colors for fall photo sessions.
With the right preparation and focus, you can reset and revitalize your photography business during the fall season. From journaling ideas for new sessions, doing some light “housekeeping” with your gear, and exploring a few new editing techniques photographers can start the fall season off right and have everything in place to make the most of their photography when we enter into the colder months.
