Best Photography Goals for 2026 (Curiosity, Flow & Vitality)

What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante.
Going for a nice little hike here in the woods. Welcome to Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Got the Ricoh GR IIIx and I’m just making some photographs.

Today I’ve been thinking about goals in photography — what goals should we actually set in 2026?

We’re all at different parts of our journey, but what I keep coming back to as the ultimate aim of my photography is curiosity.
And maybe that’s something you should contemplate too.

Curiosity as the Ultimate Goal

For me, the goal is to increase my curiosity by 1% each day.

That looks like waking up with enthusiasm — to catch the sun’s rays, to see another sunrise, to listen to the birds, to walk through my town with a camera in my pocket.

If I’m making new photographs, if I’m becoming more in love with life each day, then I’m fulfilling the goal within the process itself.

This is about reframing goal-setting away from validation, fame, success, money, and toward inner goals:

• Inner curiosity
• Inner joy
• Inner engagement with the process

Decision Fatigue Is the Enemy

One thing that really hinders us as photographers is decision fatigue.

Where should I go?
What should I photograph?
What project should I work on?
What camera?
What lens?

All of these questions slow us down and pull us out of flow.

The Simplest Solution: Always Have a Camera

My solution is simple: use a compact camera.

The Ricoh GR is perfect for this kind of street photography because it fits in your pocket. I always have it with me. No excuses.

On the bus to work — I’m making photos.
On my break — I’m making photos.
Walking home — I’m making photos.

I like using macro mode and exploring different ways to photograph mundane places — whether I’m in the forest or in the city.

The aim is to be in a flow state, clicking the shutter every single day.

By eliminating decisions about gear and destinations, I stay grounded in the moment.

Photography as Affirming Life

The real juice of life is the present moment.

Photography is a way for me to affirm life — to say yes to life.
To say, thank you, Lord, for this day.

Success in photography, to me, looks like:

• Waking up with enthusiasm
• Having curiosity for the day
• Feeling gratitude
• Being immersed in the present moment

Photography brings me closer to the now.
And the closer I get to the now, the deeper I fall into flow.

Vitality Fuels Curiosity

Flow comes from vitality.

We increase curiosity by cultivating vitality:

• Deep sleep
• A stable circadian rhythm
• Nourishing, satiating food
• Caring about physical health

To me, true wealth is having vitality in your legs — the ability to walk, to move, to photograph, to see.

Without vitality, curiosity collapses.

I’m not prescribing a way of life, but I can say with certainty that fasting throughout the day gives me mental clarity. It eliminates fatigue of the mind and body.

With that clarity, intuition kicks in. Curiosity kicks in. Flow follows.

An empty body.
An empty mind.

This is how I’ve photographed for the past three years.

Strong Body → More Walking → More Seeing → More Photos

Goal setting ultimately comes back to cultivating a strong body.

The more you walk, the more you see.
The more you see, the more you photograph.
The more you photograph, the more curious you become.

Vitality is at the forefront of my daily life:

• Daily yoga
• Daily weight training
• Daily meat intake
• Daily fasting
• Daily gratitude
• Daily photography

When everything is integrated, the process becomes effortless.

Effortlessness comes from creating out of physiological power.

My Simple Workflow

I shoot high-contrast black-and-white JPEGs baked into the file.

When I import to my iPad Pro, I just use the Photos app:

• No extra software
• No complexity
• Drag, drop, favorite

I can import hundreds or thousands of photos quickly, back everything up daily, publish immediately, and move on to the next day.

The practice is seamless with my life.

Flow Over Time Reveals Your Style

When you stay in flow long enough, time compounds.

That’s when your authentic expression appears.
That’s when your style reveals itself.

But it requires being in the flow state consistently, over a long period of time.

Final Thoughts

These are my thoughts on goal setting in 2026 — my workflow, my practice, and my philosophy.

I highly recommend contemplating this idea yourself.

If this helped you reframe success in photography, then I’m grateful.

Thank you for watching.
I’ll see you in the next one.
Peace.

My hands are cold.