For photographers and videographers alike, the off-season, which is the least hectic time of the year, can be calming yet a little frustrating. Calming because you don’t have to plan your work routine every other day for a new photo or video assignment. And frustrating because you have so much time at your disposal, and you may struggle to find something productive to do. If that’s the case, then you have nothing to worry about. We have just the off-season to-do list for you to work with!
Typically, for photographers and videographers winter is the off-season. Since you have some time, you can follow through on some projects and use the opportunity to re-evaluate your year. If productivity is the goal, then here’s what to put on your to-do list:
1. Rest
One of the first things to put on your to-do list for the off-season is rest. Rest is an important part of your work. Since, most of the year you’re busy with work, it is wise to take some downtime and rest up. This will help you rejuvenate your mind and will, in turn, help with the much-needed creativity for your upcoming projects. Take a few days off to unwind, visit family and friends, or take a trip. Making an effort to break out of your life’s regularities will help you reset the creative aspect of your mind, and will make it much easier to work on other projects. Apart from this, rest is crucial for a healthy mind and body.
2. Year-in-review
After you’re well-rested, take some time to review your work from the past year. “Hindsight is always 20/20,” they say. For you to become better at your work and to bring out the best in every project, you need to have a one-on-one talk with yourself. Take a look at the assignments you undertook and delivered during the year. Go back and check the mistakes you’ve made, the things you could have done differently, and the things you did not have the time to do or try out during your assignments.
Even if an assignment goes well, there’s always room for improvement and something that we missed out on during the time. Make a list of these things, and think about what can be done to avoid the mistakes and to improve your efficiency. The off-season is the perfect time to look through these details because it gives you the cushion to sit back and think about the year in precise detail.
You can use this time to make a list of the things you’d like to improve in the coming year and put down the ideas you have to improve your work. Apart from the things you’d like to improve, make a list of the things you loved about your work. Jot down your achievements and accomplishments, to put things in perspective. Everything you’re proud of in the past year, use those tactics in the upcoming projects.
3. Skill improvement
After the review of the year, you will have a good view of what worked for you and what did not during your assignments. This will give you a clear idea of the skills you have, and which areas you need to improve. Since the off-season is not as busy, you’ll have plenty of time to work with different ideas and hone your skills as a better photographer or videographer.
Using the off-season to practice different shots, angles and working with different light sources will help you understand your skills better, and improve them further. Not only that, during this time you can experiment with your gear’s features to find your sweet spot. Practicing with your camera’s features will help you move away from the features that you’re comfortable with and will give you something new to work with. Knowing your camera will strengthen your skills, and result in better output.
Experiment with different angles, people, objects, think of using different styling methods and backdrops. Make use of the time to practice regularly, switch up your style, try to experiment with the shutter speed, work with moving objects, and experiment with the different settings of your camera. As for how to improve your videography skills, you can choose to work with different angles, experiment with the shot perspectives, and pay attention to the audio and video for your videos. These pointers will help you get started on self-improvement.
4. Passion projects
Another thing to put on your off-season to-do list is your passion project. Passion projects help you stay motivated, focused, and inspired. All artists have a project that they work on the side, apart from the work, and go to extreme lengths to make it perfect. A passion project is amazing for the creative streak in you. You should utilize this time to work on your passion project and keep your ideas fresh.
Another reason to put it on your off-season to-do list is that you will have ample time to work on your project, try new things, and research if required. Furthermore, filling the off-season with action-packed work for your passion project will help you stay in touch with your routine and workflow.
Also, you can use this opportunity to work on your workflow and try different things. This will help you to test out the improvements you’ll make to your workflow and see if they work as expected or not. If you’ve just added some new gear to your work kit, your passion project will help you test that out too!
5. Look for inspiration
Your off-season to-do list will be incomplete without adding some inspiration to it. During your busy days, it is easy to fall into the habit of clicking and shooting in your regular style. But during the off-season, you can sit back and try different things. You can switch up your photography or videography routine to create something new for yourself. Utilize the off-season to seek more inspiration. Consider the type of work you’re interested in, and look for inspiration in those domains.
6. Learn something new
What better way to spend your off-season time than using it to learn something new? You can look at some courses or masterclasses to improve your skill set. You can join a course (or courses!) or use the internet to learn something productive for your work. As a photographer or videographer, you’ll never run out of new things to learn and try. So, use the ease of an off-beat season to improve your skills by learning something new about your craft.
7. Repairs and maintenance
The last thing to put on your off-season to-do list is to use the time to perform some maintenance on your gear. Use the time to check your equipment and gear. Make a list of the equipment that needs to be replaced. Also, check your lenses, if they need maintenance or repairs, put that on the to-do list as well.
When you take your lenses for maintenance, get your cameras checked as well. And if your hard drives, memory sticks, and batteries need replacement, put that on your list, as well. This will help you to get your gear and equipment in a good place before the season starts.
8. Improve your workspace
The workspace should be designed as per your comfort, and to your liking. If you feel that your workspace needs some upgrades, this is the perfect time to add those upgrades! You can use the off-season time to improve your workstation and the area where you store your equipment. Other than this, your workspace will also be crucial for your passion projects. So, make sure that your workspace enables you when you work. If you’re practicing with new angles, try to incorporate different kinds of lights to help you practice better. Also, you can bring in a pinboard to help you keep track of your schedule, assignments, and projects. You can pin your checklists for assignments and passion projects on the pinboard as well.
With that said, remember that the off-season to-do list can be tweaked to fit your requirements. The to-do list additions in our list are mere examples and things you can put on your list. For a productive off-season, all you need to do is remember to get behind the lenses whenever you can. Use the time to do the things that help you become a better photographer and videographer. There are no limits to what can be put on the to-do list and what cannot be. However, while you try to be productive and are trying to amp up your skills, you should get some rest as well during the off-season.
