May is National Photography Month! 

National Photography month was, officially recognized by Congress in 1987. Let’s take this month to celebrate photography as an art form, the history of photography, and learn what and how we can improve our own work.

Here are five ways you can celebrate National Photography Month.

Schedule a regular time to get out and use that camera

It seems like the number one reason most of us are not creating with our cameras is lack of time. You can change that. Make the space in your schedule to take your camera out. It doesn’t have to fill a whole day. You can mark off one hour in your calendar and spend it in your backyard. 

Do this all month. At the end of the month, my guess is that you’ll have created a nice habit, not to mention some great images.

Delve into the history of photography

Here on Photofocus, you can check out the weekly On Photography series by Kevin Ames. It’s a great way to learn a bit about the many photographers, past and present, who have contributed so much to this hobby and profession.

Another Photofocus series that you might find full of information is the History of Photography.

Or find books on your favorite photographers and read more about their own stories. One of my personal favorites is Group f64 by Mary Street Alinder. It’s a great history of how photography came to be accepted as fine art and much more.

Learn something new

Is there a technique, software or piece of gear you’ve been meaning to learn? Commit yourself to take the time to do that this month. Take a class in person or online that you’ve always wanted to take.

We also have two sister sites that host some great tutorials on Lightroom Classic and Luminar.

Get your images organized

It’s overwhelming how many images files we all have these days. Not to mention those of us who have bins and shoe boxes full of prints, negatives and slides. Take this month to go through all of those files and or hard copies. Figure out the best solution for you to help you keep track of those years of vacation photos, scan and preserve your family history.

While you’re at it, don’t forget that part of organizing your images is backing them up. Making sure your memories are safe and won’t get lost is really important. If you need help with figuring out how to do that, here is a great resource to get you started: A guide to safer backup for photographers.

Share for National Photography Month

Without sharing, what good are those files on your hard drive? Or those slides and prints in shoe boxes? Whether you are on social media or not sharing images new and old is one of the best ways to connect and reconnect with people. 

Make friends in photography groups and communities by sharing your passion for photography. Reconnect with family and old friends by sharing those old photos. I love being able to share scans of our old family farms and the people my parents knew in the Facebook group of the little town they grew up in. The reactions are priceless.

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I know most of us don’t need a reason or excuse to do any of these things, sometimes it’s nice to celebrate something we are all so passionate about. Together. Officially. I look forward to seeing the images you’ve created this month! Share them with us in the Photofocus Community.