January 2023 - Passions to Projects

Discover a new way to boost your photography projects. If you’re looking to engage with your hobbies in a more meaningful way, this article could be the key to unlocking your next steps. To help combat the difficulties that may come with global recession and the encroaching threat of AI, we should embrace putting in the work to see real results. This is where the January Battle comes in, a running event where running crews around the world try to achieve the highest number of kilometers within that month, and it could be just the project you need to supercharge your passion projects.

The author of this article, a sports photographer, picked up running as a way to deal with a stressful schedule. During his time running, he met a lot of people, and eventually was introduced to the January Battle. This sparked an idea for a personal project that would ultimately benefit him in several ways.

The first step was to define the project’s subject, in this case, the participants in the January Battle. The second rule was to create the portraits outdoors, to rediscover locations and add authenticity to the portraits. The third and final rule was to limit the gear, only using two lenses, to pack light and shoot incognito.

The project itself provided several benefits. It allowed the author to expose new people to his work, update his portfolio, and meet potential new clients. Most importantly, he met ultra-motivating people like Sara, who ran more than 400km in January alone. It’s a testament to the power of simply putting in the work and achieving incredible results.

So, whether it’s photography or another hobby, a personal project like the January Battle could be the perfect way to push your passion to the next level. Define your subject, set your own rules, and embrace the challenges that come with it. You never know who you’ll meet or what opportunities might come your way.