Charlie Kruschek: New Year, New Goals

Welcome to 2025! Whenever we start another year, one of the first priorities I make is to not only look back on the previous one, but to also carefully plan my creative goals for the future. Speaking from experience, struggles such as burnout, impostor syndrome, or even just general creative anxiety can plague growth and goalsetting. It’s happened to me before, and I know I’m not the only one to have struggled with this either. However, I’m here to share my methods that have helped me not only curb these struggles, but to also turn them into a tool for growth for the next 365 days and beyond.

Looking Back to Look Forward

When it comes to setting goals, the first task I assign myself is to look back on where I started a year ago. I ask myself questions such as, “what were some of my favorite photos last year?” or “what kind of experiences did I find the most enjoyable?” These types of questions help kickstart your mind into what experiences and photos you want to seek out moving forward. I know for myself, one of my favorite experiences of 2024 was exploring the Hoh Rainforest in Washington, USA. I photographed some of the most remarkable tones of green and yellow I’ve ever seen.

There was something so special about being surrounded by rich foliage, patches of light, and gentle sounds of leaves rustling in the wind. As for the photos - it was a dream come true. I challenged myself to try new framing techniques, prioritizing negative space in my frames and letting areas of light reveal the subject. I abandoned the rule of thirds and leading lines, and focused on setting a scene that simply felt impactful to the eye. Going into 2025, these are the techniques that I want to prioritize. Change your frame and let the light find your camera.

The Total Solar Eclipse is an experience that I constantly think back on from 2024. For those who had the opportunity to experience it, you know what I mean when I say that it will never be topped. I’ve chased over 30 tornadoes in my lifetime, yet I would trade all of them in for another eclipse. What stuck out to me from that experience, was the reward of patience.

For the months leading up to the event, I explored Google Maps, practiced photographing the sun, and took notes on timing and settings to make sure my camera never missed a moment during the four minute window of totality. By the time that moment arrived, I managed to score a wide angle shot of a small pond in central Illinois with totality overhead. The months of patience and practice paid off. Moving forward into 2025, I want to respect patience and practice.

Giving Credit to Gear

Now before I get ahead of myself, I do need to give immense credit to the Epoch tripod as well as the UHS-II Rugged Cine Cards I used for this event. In a span of just four minutes during totality, I racked up just over 400 photos. In my experience as a landscape photographer, that is an outlandish accumulation in such a short span of time. With how once-in-a-lifetime this event was, I couldn’t fathom missing a single second of this moment. With my Rugged Cine card, I had no issue holding down my shutter whenever I needed to, letting the card fill up and my camera’s buffer stay empty. I’ll also tip my hat to Epoch for keeping my gear stable and so efficient, because the moment that I needed to attempt a panorama, the four-way head was a game changer in speed and stability.

That brings me to my next piece of advice. Gear has been such a point of emphasis for me over the past two years. I used to be so afraid of upgrading gear. I became comfortable with the products that I found myself using, but I knew that deep down, I was limiting myself to the potential of what tools are out there to help me grow.

Since I began exploring new tools such as L-Brackets, Carbon Fiber Tripods, GaN Chargers, and more, I’ve discovered that these tools can help unlock new opportunities for creativity. Carbon Fiber tripods have helped me pack lighter when hiking. L-Brackets have given me reassurance when balancing my tripod over a river. GaN Chargers have kept all of my equipment fueled up at all times. This year, my mindset towards gear is to unlock new doors with new tools.

Letting Creative Inspiration Find You

So far you might be thinking, “Well that’s all great, but how can I deal with the struggles of creativity?” To that, I want to share a brief story about my journey as a photographer from two years ago.

As 2022 was coming to a close, I was deeply struggling with any sense of direction as an artist. I felt I was no longer shooting with any passion, and I made the decision to sell off my entire camera kit. I felt strongly in my heart that if I wasn’t shooting with a purpose, I shouldn’t be shooting at all. I knew the passion was there, but I didn’t know how to access it. I ended up stepping away from photography for nearly a full year before finding the courage to return to the landscapes that I once loved so much. At that point, I purchased new gear once again, armed with a fresh sense of purpose and a new relationship with passion.

The reason I tell this story is to remind all artists that the art of photography is your journey to take and yours to discover. The passion is permanent, but it’s up to you how you get it involved. If we circle back to the goals I set earlier, we can combine it all into one journey towards the most important goal of all: do what you love.

Change your frame of mind, respect patience, practice, unlock new doors, and most importantly, make passion your best friend.