Classic Resolutions For The New Year

Four days into the new year, I'd rather not think of how obvious the following resolutions are. I'd prefer to think of them as classics, like this fine looking El Camino parked on the shores of Dallas' White Rock Lake yesterday. (Part of a New Year's idea to bring along my camera, Eli Reed/Kaplan-style, whenever I go out. No, I don't expect that one to last long at all.)

From the beginning of its design, this site was an experiment in combining platforms for writing and photography, since my goal here is a freelance career doing both. It's not clear yet how successful this setup is, but there's no way to tell until I get more of each actually published on the site.

I was able to get the site built in 2008, and took reporting trips around China, and across the U.S. for my civilian contractors project, but have so far done a lousy job getting those online here.

The goal for 2009, then, is more photography online -- more of last year's work, to begin with, and hopefully a new photo project from here in Dallas. When I do travel (less this year, probably, than in the past, as long as I can hold onto the new day job), I'll be more diligent about photographing and more willing to stop and shoot. I'll edit photos for this site with my own style in mind, and work on developing just what that means (As eloquently put by Tim Gruber, a great Dallas-based photographer I've been glad to meet here: the goal is to rise above the place where "any douche with a camera" can operate.) I think this is also the year I make the move from Nikon to Canon, and move more seriously into video, with a 5D Mark II.

It's tough to get the site design right without plenty of photos up here to work with. In the coming months, with more visual content on here, I want this site to be a constant work in progress, with new features and improved design each week.

I'll post portraits and profiles from my injured civilian contractor project, now that all the Master's degree work is done. My goal is a new profile every week or two, with continued reporting as I see the story develop. Ultimately, I'd like to pull the whole thing together into a book or a series of published pieces—but it may not need to end up in print at all.

So those are the goals for this site in 2009: More of my photos, improved site design, and finished pieces from my contractors series. Lots to do on this, um, bridge to the next decade. Lousy segue, I know. But here's another shot from yesterday at the lake, of an actual bridge.