225 ☼ Five goals for a grounded, ambitious year
New projects in Ukraine, Amsterdam, and beyond
Dear friends,
Happy New Year! I’m so glad to be back with you. I hope you’ve started 2026 inspired, in good health, and surrounded by people you care about.
This week, I’m sharing my creative goals for the year: what I want to make, who I hope to collaborate with, and where I plan to show up with more intention.
Speaking of goals, I’ve loved hearing from those who downloaded Process Workbook Volume 4. Like this note from reader A:
“Just wanted to say both my wife and I have run through the annual review and goal planning workbook, and found it extremely helpful for deciding what to say YES and NO to in 2026. Thanks again for writing and sharing it!!”
More about my personal system for setting goals in Process 224. Note that the start date doesn’t have to be January 1st. Start in March, or July, it doesn’t matter. It’s a useful system for looking back and planning with intention for what’s next.
Also in this issue: snowy pictures from this past week in Amsterdam, plus more snow shots I pulled from my archives using Excire, from past snowstorms.
Internship Positions Open
A big thank you to Simon and Lydia, who recently completed their internships with me. Their enthusiasm and creativity were invaluable, and I wish them all the best.
I’m now accepting applications for the next round of six-month, one-day-per-week internships. For Amsterdam-based folks passionate about photography and want to learn by doing. Starting in early February, the focus will be on making a new photo book, community documentary projects, filming short films, and client shoots.
Interested? Send a brief letter of motivation to hello@wesley.co by January 21st. Include your experience level and what you hope to get out of the internship.
Here’s what past intern Guido had to say:
“During my internship I helped with archiving negatives, research, preparing shoots, and assisting on set. I learned a lot from Wesley’s interactions with subjects and his ability to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable in front of the camera. The weekly feedback on my own projects was invaluable, especially during the sequencing of my first photo book. Wesley’s curation and storytelling skills helped me reflect on my own work and get clearer on where I want to take it.”
Five goals for a grounded, ambitious year
I learned so much in the past year that I took along into my year review and used to help me be more focused and intentional in setting my creative and work goals for 2026. I am excited to share some of these goals with you in this issue. Here’s where I’m putting my energy in 2026:
1. A new Community Documentary Project
My career started with a community documentary project called One of Many, for which I documented 600+ creative small business owners across 12 American cities. Last year, I spent a lot of time and attention on developing a model for projects like this and released the first one of its kind with The Best Medicine. This one focused on a highly specific community: English-language comedians in Amsterdam.
This coming week, I have booked the studio for the next one. I’m teaming up with my friends Robert and Sanne to photograph and listen to 100 startup founders based in the Netherlands. Our goal is to create an honest, ground-level view of what it’s like to build something in this moment and turn those insights into policy recommendations for the incoming Dutch government. Yes this is big and ambitious and therefor a bit terrifying but also very exciting. More soon.
2. Launching Creatives In/AMS after four years of slow-cooking
Another community documentary project! This one I’ve been working on for the past five years, much of it assisted by Taylor, as we’ve been photographing the creative community of Amsterdam. Sort of a One of Many sequel, but with a much expanded focus that also includes the creatives’ work spaces, their tools, and more.
We have recently been joined by my friend and wonderful writer Josephine Jongbloed, and we plan to publish one photo essay each week, for one straight year. Yup, that is 52 photo essays, each one spotlighting a different Amsterdam-based creative, from designers to dancers, poets to painters, we want to honor the breadth and depth of creative life in this city. Launching in spring. We’ve been dreaming this up for years.
3. Starting work on my next photo book — made in Ukraine
Last summer, I spent time documenting in Ukraine. The focus of my photos was not the destruction or violence. I have the utmost respect for conflict photographers who document these incredibly important images. I chose to focus on family and home: cooking dinner, growing food, spending time together, looking at old photos. I want this book to reflect the everyday acts of resilience that persist even in wartime. The small routines that defiantly say, “We’re still here.”
4. Two new Process Workbooks (Volumes 5 + 6)
Volume 4 was freshly released a few weeks ago with it’s focus on goal setting. This spring, Volume 5 will walk through how to make your own photo book or zine. Step by step, based on my own decade long experience working on books and exhibitions.
5. A new home for the Process Photo Club
I have been building a custom site for the members of the Process Photo Club for a while now, of course it’s taken longer than I anticipated, but I am getting close and excited about it. It will be a nice little private place where all the perks will live with a much better overview. The Workbooks will live there, the discount codes for books and mentor sessions, and various templates and tools I use and want to share with you.
If you’re not a member yet, I hope you consider joining. It’s great and it’s gonna get even better.
Here are some more favorite snow pictures from my archives.
Aside from this week’s Amsterdam snow shots, the images in this issue were pulled from my archives using search terms like "snow storm" in Excire, a kind sponsor of Process and a part of my daily workflow as a photographer. Excire analyzes your photos using AI locally on your own hard drive. No subscription, no uploading to the cloud, and no one gets access to your photos to train on. It makes searching and managing my 400,000 image archive easy, and also has other features like smart culling and duplicate detection. It's saved me a ton of time. I use the standalone software, but there's also a Lightroom plugin. You can check it out here and get 15% off with code PROCESS at checkout.
Your Turn - Giveaway
Leave a comment with a creative goal of your own and let me know one thing you're excited to make in 2026. I’ll randomly pick one reply to receive a random photo book from my collection + some other goodies from my studio and some rare expired film.
Thank you for reading and being here. We’re back to our weekly schedule now so I will see you next Sunday!
Talk soon,
Wesley
P.S.
A 5-second favor: if Process has been useful to you, I’d love for you to share it with a friend. It’s the best way to help keep this thing going, and I’d really appreciate it.
This Week’s Camera + Tools
Camera: The Amsterdam images from this week were shot on my Canon EOS R5 + a lovely Canon FD 28mm lens from my father’s old set up.
Lab: Developed with love by Carmencita Film Lab. They’re the best and put so much care into getting it right. Use code “PROCESS“ for a free upgrade.
Process is supported by MPB.com, my personal go-to for buying, selling, or trading used gear. Everything comes with a 12-month warranty.
My creative goal for 2026 is create my first photobook. I am a Statistics Professor from Brazil who spent 2025 as a Visiting Scholar in Mendoza, Argentina. I took my time there to take pictures from the people, the city and the mountains and I plan to organize them together and print a limited edition book during this and next years.
Looking forward to Volume 5🙌🏻! Coincidentally, my goal for this year is to finalise my first zine, so a little guidance will definitely come in handy ;)!