Happy New Year by Kenny Liu

It’s the time of year when we make resolutions, setting our sights on lofty new achievements and skills that we have yet to master. Over the past couple of days, we’ve asked the 500px community to share their resolutions on the 500px ISO Group, so that we might take a minute today and inspire one another.

So, whether you’ve not decided on a resolution, or you’re simply looking for some motivation from fellow photographers, scroll down to see our 10 favorite New Year’s Resolutions from the community.

Each of our favorites is accompanied by an image captured by the photographer who shared this particular resolution with the group.

1. Composition, check. Technical expertise, check. This year I’m going for imagination and emotion tied together in images that call to viewers’ hearts.

2. This coming year I resolve to: i) worry less about what others think of my work and ii) mentor my kids in the art of photography.

3. I live in a country where there is a beautiful scene somewhere awaiting to be captured! I live in Tanzania! I started a micro campaign on two other social networks to encourage people to shoot and share the beauty of our country… the response was awesome… but it has just given me a new desire to work with my own hands now!

I resolve to get my gear (and my jeep) and cut across the terrain, from the white sands beach on the Indian Ocean to the Primates Jungles reaching the shores of Lake Tanganyika! I resolve to Capture this beauty for all to see!

4. I want to move beyond the basics to the more creative aspects of photography. My New Year’s photography resolution is to learn, experiment, and grow as an artist.

5. My goal is to complete the diploma in photography which I started a few months ago, and at the same time to give space to my creativity and imagination for better photos. (all this while working full time and studying for a part-time MA, but hey…surely 24 hours in a day are enough? 😉

6. I resolve to not wait around for the perfect weather, lighting etc. and just go shoot!

7. To Combine my Soul with photography and continue my trip with sharing love and happiness by photography

8. I will let go of my fears to click the crowded world 🙂 I have clicked the same surroundings for these two years: the same model, the same house, the same plants, only a very few different places. I’m going to explore more with my Nokia N8… This world has so many wonders to offer!

9. To work on business and networking to help get my photography noticed by the right people and make photography more than a hobby. To enjoy it, for myself, next for others. To bring people into another world of adventure with stunning images.

10. A very good question with a very simple answer for myself! I started my photography journey in March of 2014 with the purchased of my first DSLR. I scraped and pinched for a little over a year prior to the journey to afford a few lenses, tripod, filters and camera in one shot (no pun intended). In that year, I studied every article I came across in relation to photography. I tried to learn what I could while using my point and shoot.

I tried a few other photo sharing sites, but none could hold a candle to 500px in my opinion. I sometimes feel a little out of my league on occasion almost like a goldfish in a shark tank. It’s that feeling though that keeps me swimming with the current. I am personally pleased with the growth I have experienced so far, and know there a long road still ahead of me. It’s the passion that keeps me walking on this path in this continuing journey.

So I am going to answer this question very simply: My 2015 resolution in photography is… To continue to grow!

A few themes came out in the 40+ comments submitted to the discussion, and it was truly inspirational to see how our users consistently looked at the big picture.

500px users chose, not to gain a specific skill, but to conquer fear; They chose, not to buy a specific camera, but to imbue their photography with the kind of heart and soul that touches viewers deeply; they chose not to listen to the voices inside that said they’re not good enough, and instead turned up the volume on the voice that said they have something special to offer this community and the world at large.

Obviously these 10 resolutions are just the tip of the iceberg. Share yours in the comments down below, and if you need more inspiration, check out the Best of 2014 Top 10 lists we’ve been posting over the past couple of weeks!