My Photography and Hiking Goals for 2025
Explore Landscapes #70
Planning what I want to achieve in the coming year is as important as taking my GPS, map, coffee, and glasses on a hike with me. Here's my plans for 2025.
Firstly, Happy New Year to you, and all the best for 2025. I hope this year brings you peace, happiness, prosperity, and the opportunities to achieve your goals, photographic or otherwise.
Each year on New Year’s Eve, I like to reflect on the past year, but more importantly (I believe), think about the year ahead.
Hiking essentials at Big Bear Summit | © 2019 Jon Norris
I break down the year into quarters and set short-term goals for the first quarter (typically no more than three) that I want to achieve. These tend to be business and personal/health goals. I also write a bucket list of things I want to do, experiences I want to have, places I want to visit, and people I want to catch up with. I then repeat for the next three quarters. Setting quarterly targets is much more motivating and satisfying as they're more timely and likely to happen, and they give the drumbeat for the year.
So, in no particular order, here are the goals (relating to landscape photography, hiking, and a few related topics) that I want to achieve during 2025:
Photography
Launch my free monthly photo critiques for my workshop alumni to engage better, interact with, and support my landscape photography community.
Launch my free monthly webinar series for my Substack subscribers. More info on this will follow.
Launch my podcast, Explore Landscapes. More info on this will follow.
Teaching at the Sequoia National Park Dark Sky Festival | © 2024 Sydney Williams
I plan to add one or two more National parks to my workshop locations. I am reviewing which parks to add and obtaining the required permits.
Post to this blog/newsletter regularly (twice a week).
Plan at least one weekend photography trip each month.
Barry Williams taking a peak at the Milky Way | © 2024 Jon Norris
Plan at least two longer (1 week+) photography trips, and visit two (new to me) National Parks.
Shoot more videos and time-lapses.
Slow down and shoot fewer, better images; get more creative with my compositions.
Read more books.
Some of the books I re-read in 2024 for upcoming book reviews | © 2024 Jon Norris
Hiking/Backpacking
Walk/hike 1,200 miles (100 miles a month), and as part of this summit, one Mojave Desert peak each month.
Enjoying the view at Alta Meadow while backpacking in Sequoia National Park | © 2024 Sydney Williams
For the last few years, I have meant to backpack the California Riding and Hiking Trail in Joshua Tree. I need to make it happen in 2025.
Backpack the Trans Catalina Trail.
Refresh/promote my series of photo hikes on the website.
Other
Continue my volunteering for JTNPA Desert Institute / Joshua Tree National Park.
JTNPA DI Field Sketching class with Aidan Koch | © 2024 Jon Norris
Plan at least two long weekends overlanding with friends.
Lining up at Fonts Point in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park during our last trip | © 2024 Jon Norris
Continue working ‘off-grid’ as often as I can throughout the year.
My preferred desk and office view | © 2024 Jon Norris
I’m excited and looking forward to a great year. It’s going to be busy, but that’s what I enjoy.
