Looking Forward To 2026

Scorched Earth, Dystopia. (2025)

Setting goals for the New Year can be daunting, especially when the current year hasn’t been seen out yet. For 2026 though I had a new idea - why don’t I set resolutions beyond the normal parameters of the usual stuff, like learning to drive or moving out? These are things I should strive for without the need for the calendar to reset, whereas setting creative objectives to be achieved in a specific timeframe would be a much better use of my time. With this in mind, I have set myself 3 goals for the year ahead.

1. Become More Focused Professionally

By this, I mean that I want to immerse myself back in the commercial world. The last commission I took was in 2024 and it seems like a waste not to continue taking jobs because I’m missing out on experiences. Not every job is going to pay the bills but getting back into the mindset of speaking to people, collaborating and shooting is something that I want to get used to doing again. I see photographers on Instagram who are able to find a great balance between their personal and professional work - Nicholas White being the prime example, shooting for publications such as The Guardian whilst still being able to exhibit at shows like Dartmoor: A Radical Landscape - and I have confidence in my ability to believe that doing something like this could be in my future.

2. Publish Dystopia I

This has been in the back of my mind ever since I completed my Masters in July and I’ve already taken a step towards achieving this. I am booked onto a 4 week course in self-publishing with Robert Darch to see if this is a viable route to take with my work because there are lots of routes to go with publishing that I want to make sure I get it right. I published a photobook in my Bachelors from a custom-site builder but I want this to be professional and presentable rather than something that looks like it was put together for the sake of a deadline. I’ve built up an array of photobooks over the past year that have helped me for inspiration so I already have a good idea on content and size. It is merely production that has become a stepping stone.

3. Solo Exhibition

My final New Year’s Resolution is to test my work in a solo environment. I have been fortunate enough to be exhibited in many group exhibitions over the last 3 years but in order for my project to grow I want to get a verdict on it as a whole rather than a couple of select few images. This means I should think about hiring out a space and presenting the work in a solo format, to see what people think of the overall narrative and if this way of presenting Dystopia is successful. Should I find somewhere on Dartmoor to show my work? Or should it be in an area with potential for higher foot traffic? How big should my prints be? Do I sell my prints at the show? These questions and so many more need to be answered.