Projects that you choose for yourself are very important in photography. When you are first learning any subject, including photography, the teacher will give you different assignments to practice for each particular lesson. It’s a normal part of the learning process. Projects you set for yourself can serve the same function, helping you to continue learning and growing as a photographer, even decades later.

      You will never know everything there is to know about photography, so you will always be able to learn something new. If you want to learn a new technique, you can set yourself a project. For example, if you’ve seen photographs of silky waterfalls but have never been able to do that yourself, you can start a project. The project would involve research to learn how to do long exposure photography, then going out to shoot waterfalls, babbling brooks, and crashing waves until you’ve grown experienced with that particular technique.

I took this photo as part of a project to learn long-exposure photography. I had several filters to help me get different exposure times so I could figure out how best to get these ribbons of water for the exact look I wanted. White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

      If you’ve recently acquired a new piece of photography equipment, you can set yourself a project to really learn how to best use that item. For example, if you’ve seen really close-up photos of flowers or bugs and decided you wanted to be able to do that too, you might have gone out and bought yourself a new macro lens after doing some research on how to do macro photography. Now, you are ready to start a project. The project would involve finding as many varied subjects as possible and shooting them with the new lens as much as possible. You’d want to experiment with different compositions for each object, different lighting setups, different points of focus, different lens settings, and different camera settings, all until you’ve grown experienced with that lens and learned what works and what doesn’t.

My first experiment into macro photography was back in the film days with filters. When I bought a specialized macro lens, I did a project to learn its particular nuances and capabilities. This photo of a snow-covered bush was a part of that. Kennebunk, Maine

      Another way projects can help you grow is on the creative side. If you are in a rut, photographically speaking, setting yourself a project can help you get out of it. The project could be to challenge yourself to shoot only ‘things that are red’, for example. Or, the project could be to focus on shooting ‘benches wherever you find them’. Either type of project can help you to open your eyes, maybe look at the world in a new light, and try to find a way to make something a little bit different from your typical photos, especially if it’s a project involving the same subject matter.

One project I often work on, especially in an area with man-made structures, involves framing. I force myself to be more creative, trying to find things I can use to frame my subject in a different way. This photo is an example of that; I had to lie down on the ground to shoot through the arch of a culvert to frame the temple remains. Corinth, Greece 

      Projects can also be a great way to satisfy a particular passion you might have. For example, let’s say you are a sports photographer, that that is how you make your living. Your website, online presence, photographic persona all relate to sports photography. But, you really really love flowers. You could set yourself a project that whenever you are traveling or are just out in the world, you would find time to search out and photograph any sort of flower you might find. That would give you an outlet for your creativity and something to look forward to in order to combine your passion for flowers with your passion for photography. And, it has the added bonus of helping to keep photography from becoming just a moneymaker, a job, work, something that has to be done.

I love bridges, so I have an ongoing project to photograph them whenever I'm out and about, no matter what kind of bridge, big or small. Even if the photo won't be a winner, won't be something I can sell, it still brings me great pleasure in making those images. I found this beautiful bridge on a hike behind my b & b in the Scottish highlands. Garve, Scotland, UK

Likewise, I have a similar project involving benches of any shape or size. I'm always so excited when I find a bench; I just love making those images! I stumbled across this one while touring Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

      Projects can also be a great way to learn about a new place and give you a unique theme to your photos and memories from a trip to new locations. Let me give you a personal example. Several years ago, I took a few days and drove up to Prince Edward Island in Canada. I had been there once before for just a few hours on a whim while visiting Nova Scotia. That first time, I had spent the night camping just a few miles from Confederation Bridge in New Brunswick and decided to hop over to PEI the next morning to do the Anne of Green Gables thing. I didn’t really know much else about PEI, so this time, I decided to set myself a project for the trip.

      I love lighthouses and always try to get a photo when traveling somewhere with a lighthouse. This time, I was going to expand on that and make it a full-on project. Knowing very little about the Canadian province but realizing there would be a multitude of lighthouses on the island, I could devote myself to try and photograph as many of them as possible in the time I had. The project gave me direction, a goal for my trip, gave me an excuse to see as much of the island as possible, and allowed me to go out of my way to create images I might otherwise not have gotten. It was fascinating to learn just how many lighthouses there are on that small island and the varied shapes and sizes they come in, as well as locations and purposes. I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and came away with some unique and memorable images, all thanks to that project.

This photo was one of many that resulted from the lighthouse project on PEI. I never would have gotten it otherwise because I had to detour inland specifically to reach this lighthouse. On PEI, there are often a series of lighthouses going inland from the coast; they're called range lights. Victoria, PEI, Canada

      In addition to all of these benefits, projects can also lead to more opportunities. For example, you have finished a project on trains, and you realize you have a great body of work now along with some great stories. You might then be able to write an article for a magazine about your project or telling some of those stories, illustrated with some of your photos from the project. Not only could you get paid for that, it might even lead to something bigger, like a whole book. Or, your project on flowers might lead to a gallery exhibition. Or, your project on a particular insect might lead to the conservation of the insect’s habitat and the protection of all the plants and animals that live there.

      So, you see, the sky is the limit for what a project can do for you. Every photographer, young or old, new or seasoned vet, should take up a project from time to time and see where it may lead them. No matter what the intent, a project and its purpose are important, so get out there and find a project to call your own. I guarantee it will be well worth it.

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Click here to see more photos from my trip to PEI.