Southern Composition

Ok, I know my timing is waaay off on this one but I had priorities in Jan. and bigger fish to fry than improving my photography. I was reminded by DPS that we are now halfway through the year, and I have STILL not set any photography goals for myself!
SEE Blog Post: How are you doing with your goals?
So I decided to take a min. to set some goals for myself, keeping in mind how busy I can be sometimes with the store and work....

One goal was set a few months back, and it was a small one but still a step in the right direction:

1) Participate in DPS weekly Assignments at least twice a month!!
          <<How am I doing? Well, I entered quite a few (Still Life & Fences in May; Dutch Angle & Low Angle in June; and MidDay Portraits so far in July), haven't won any yet but have noticed that my thought process is improving with each session. How to setup, things to try, lighting, subjects, and overall my level of comfort & confidence.>>

So I need to set a few more that I can meet by the end of the year:

2) Challenge myself with Flash Lighting (& purchase an exterior flash)
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3) Learn about Long Exposure & Challenge it's usages
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4) Plan a monthly calendar for next year & Give away monthly desktop calendar's
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5) Follow a top Pro Photographers Blog
     <Scott Kelby's Blog but it is more geared toward post-processing with Photoshop, but I don't even have Photoshop so most of it isn't too helpful. I have also been following a semi-local pro landscape photographers blog, Jeff Sullivan. His blog is more what I am looking for however I would love to find someone with portraits, macro's, and landscapes which is what interests me the most.>>