I'm currently working on a little project with Tony Hewitt. I won't say anything more just at the moment, except that it will be an exhibition. And although we haven't finalised what we're going to exhibit, I have an idea that I want to try.

This has become my current project.

In the photo here, you can see the ideas on my pin board down at the studio. It's only a 1000 pixel file, so you're not going to see much except they are aerials. What I like about the project is the enthusiasm it creates in me. Having a purpose to my photography gives it extra dimension. Perhaps it's my background as a professional photographer that has me looking for purpose. When a client asks you to do a job, there's a deadline and an incentive (payment), whereas when it comes to my personal photography, I'm not so organised. And I haven't always finished. Yet.

I can't begin to count how many projects I have on my computer. I'll spend a couple of weeks or even months working on a series of photographs and then something else happens and my attention is diverted. I don't even realise it until some time later when I'm looking through my folders in Bridge and notice the projects. I must get around to completing them some day.

So, projects are great, but they are probably better with a deadline. For a photo book, it could be to have the book back in time for Christmas or a birthday. Deadlines don't have to be official, they just need to provide a aim point.

Projects also need a way to review your work. As you finish editing a file in Lightroom or Capture One, you can give it a star rating, but perhaps even better is to output it to a separate folder. It's not necessary, but it creates a process and an opportunity for review. And I think this is the key to working on a project - reviewing your work.

I like to make prints to properly assess my work. I can assure when I made each of these prints, I was happy with the file on the screen, but when I looked at them printed on my pin board, none of them made the grade. All of them have things I need to improve. Some won't make the cut. And that's just fine! It's a part of the process.

Sometimes we can look at a book or a portfolio by a famous photographer and marvel at the image quality. I think we should also think about the process required to get to that final cut.

The next issue of Better Photography #119 is currently at the printer and will be available online 1 March. Inside is a potted history of the modern aerial photograph which may be of interest. For more details, check out subscription details for Better Photography here.