The end of the year is fast approaching, and (partly inspired by) Jason’s article A few days ago) I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my photography for the year. I decided to look back and choose my five favorite images from that year. When I say favourites, I don’t mean my five best images – only one of the five below would make that list – but rather the ones I look back on most fondly, usually with a story behind them or a reason behind them. Because of the people who were there when I took them.
#1 – Africa
As you may have read in my safari articles (Part – 1 And part 2), I got the opportunity to go to Africa for the first time and it was an incredible experience. It’s hard to select one image from the trip, but this is probably my favorite because of the storytelling components, and the amazing lighting definitely helps too! I loved the way the monkeys were watching the elephants from a distance towards the sunset, just like we were.
#2 – Mexico
I photograph a lot of weddings, but living in a landlocked state (Colorado), I don’t get the chance to go to beach weddings as often as I’d like. An amazing couple invited me to Mexico to document their weekend, and it was a perfect way to start wedding season this year! There were a lot of photos from this wedding that I liked, but I decided to take more abstract photos because I loved the way the light bounced off the bride’s veil.
#3 – Autumn Colors
Okay, so I cheated a little on this one and chose three. These photos were taken during Photography Life’s annual Fall Colors Workshop. Although I love the photos, it was the workshop participants who really make them special to me. A group of people exploring, learning photography together and enjoying the beautiful surroundings made it a great trip!
In particular, I liked the lighting in the first one (backlit with dust), the simplicity and almost abstract nature of the second one, and for the third one we spent a wonderful time with the Milky Way on a lake at night!
#4 – Musician
Photo #2 This year was my first wedding, and it will be my last. The bride and groom are both professional musicians, so being able to capture a unique element of their lives made the day even more memorable.
#5 – Film
It’s not a great photo, but I’ve recently started experimenting with large format film (and will write more about it soon), and this was the first photo I took on film. Mostly, I was really happy that there was an image of it when I took it out of the developing tank! Starting out in large format with night time, long exposures might not have been the safest choice, but this photo will always hold a special place for me because it was the first.
I hope you can take some time and reflect on your pictures of 2024, and I’m looking forward to what 2025 will bring!
