Week 52 My Favorite Photos of 2019
So I held off posting this last weekend for today because it is my annual look back at my 52 weeks of photos and picking out my favorite one's and finally deciding on my favorite of the year. And this year was really hard because my photography work load spiked. And this year also saw me start a new art medium, but more on that below! So without further ado:
I started 2019 off with a bang. I had this idea of taking a mask off and being who I am, not what others want me to be. It would be life changing in my personal life.
This was an extremely difficult shot to master. I had to figure our where to put the flash and how to secure it without it looking like it was there. But when everything came together, it came. And it was one of my first place shots. The meaning, come from behind the mask and smoke, and be you, no matter what anyone thinks. Life is too short to live on the expectation of others.
In Week 18 I had found a caterpillar that molted into a cocoon. Now this picture won't win awards, but just wait....
So I made a little area in a plastic container where I could keep it, put it in my studio, and waited. In fact it would be a three week wait and I almost thought nothing would happen. One night I came in to see this beautiful and gorgeous moth. I ran into the living room exclaiming, "My Moth hatched!" to which Ginger said, I know I saw it this afternoon. We laugh, to this day, about it, saying "My Moth hatched, and laughing hysterically. The moth itself, with the help of a twig, let me move it around and take pictures of it for an hour after which I let it go in the trees. But not before getting some fantastic pictures:
This last picture won the best of show for my age group at the East Texas State Fair. All because I picked up a caterpillar and thought, what if.....
And then there was the magnolias. We have two magnolia trees out front of our home. On the second floor I get a pretty good view of them when they bloom. So this year I decided that I would move the screen of the window to the side and take some shots.
By far, the last is my favorite and truth be told, one of my favorite shots all time. It was taken after a storm (and those that know me know I love storms). The water drops glistening and it's moodiness just made the shot for me.
And I even tried out some fun with some sparks. Now this was a fun little project:
This is a LOT trickier than it looks. Those sparks are shooting toward you lol. Plus you have to get the right kind of metal to shoot the sparks right. But through some trial and error I was able to get a shot I adored.
Lots of different shots I know but this year saw my portrait work take a more pronounced role. By far two pictures that I DID NOT take but were favorites are:
Both taken in Gatlinburg Tennessee, this is my beautiful bride and one of my biggest supporters!
But I had my share of shots of people as well. I was able to shoot the wedding of one of Ginger's closest friends and this is one of my favorite shots:
These two are such a happy couple and you can tell the love these two have for each other. Two of the most genuine people I know.
I was also able to take shots of one of my closest friends grandchildren. It was a planned shoot but once they forgot I had a camera I was able to get some really good shots. FYI, we got them disposable cameras to shoot as well!
My favorite though:
Photoshopping could have been a little better, but this one was fun.
Speaking of fun pictures, I got to take some pictures of my parents, some really cute and one super funny:
If you are wondering where I get my sense of humor from, look no further.....
Of course there were plenty of Sophie picture, I love this one though....
This year also saw me published, again, except this time it was a full two page article! It was about two subjects I know quite a bit about. Amazingly the lead picture was a self portrait taken at my parents house entitled Serenity:
Which leads to one of the pictures that brings back such emotion and thankfulness. The weekend I got the magazine (digitally) with my article in it, Ginger had two seizures. Caused by a medication she was going down and off of (on again because of the seizures). My world turned upside down, my creativity left for a season and I realized what exactly is important in this world. The picture will win no awards but it was taken a few days after we found out Ginger was going to be okay. It is deeply personal. No makeup, no photoshop, just an air of thankfulness and gratitude. I love this picture.
So even though my creativity took a hit, it came back, slowly with time. And I ventured into a new form of art, acrylic pours:
I have since done many of these and I have done a few commissions. In fact I have two now that are on the books, I just need to get them done. I have tried new techniques and I am learning. It's funny. I taught myself photography, Photoshop, and now I am teaching myself acrylic pours through videos and lots of practice. My favorite, however, so far, is a tile I did:
So that is a LOT of pictures. But what about a favorite. Well as much as I love the pictures above it was right before Christmas that I got the shot that just reminds me of why I love Photography so much. I did a shoot for some very close friends of ours (we do not just let anyone watch Sophie) who had just had a baby. I spent two hours (and 200 shots) and quite a few clothing changes getting different shots for the lovely couple. Some funny one's and serious ones. There were a few that just wowed me, they were very helpful (and his Mom was too!) in getting Audrey to smile, but this one, though not technically "perfect", showed me something. I call it wonder. It's the wonder of Christmas. It's the wonder of new parents and their absolute love of their daughter. You can just see it. It's the look, the happiness, the contentment. It reminds me that this is how we should look at God. With wonder and thankfulness. So this, my family and friends, is my favorite picture of 2019 that I took:
Feel free to tell me yours in the comments or on Facebook! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. This year I plan on learning more advanced Photoshop techniques, continuing my acrylic pours and I am contemplating creating a website as a landing pad for all my art. I have had a lot of interest in my work so it would be nice to have a landing pad to showcase it all. I will keep you all informed. And yes, another 52 week challenge this year. So a picture a week at least and more blogs. Thank you everyone for your love and support! Happy New Year!
Baa
I started 2019 off with a bang. I had this idea of taking a mask off and being who I am, not what others want me to be. It would be life changing in my personal life.
This was an extremely difficult shot to master. I had to figure our where to put the flash and how to secure it without it looking like it was there. But when everything came together, it came. And it was one of my first place shots. The meaning, come from behind the mask and smoke, and be you, no matter what anyone thinks. Life is too short to live on the expectation of others.
In Week 18 I had found a caterpillar that molted into a cocoon. Now this picture won't win awards, but just wait....
So I made a little area in a plastic container where I could keep it, put it in my studio, and waited. In fact it would be a three week wait and I almost thought nothing would happen. One night I came in to see this beautiful and gorgeous moth. I ran into the living room exclaiming, "My Moth hatched!" to which Ginger said, I know I saw it this afternoon. We laugh, to this day, about it, saying "My Moth hatched, and laughing hysterically. The moth itself, with the help of a twig, let me move it around and take pictures of it for an hour after which I let it go in the trees. But not before getting some fantastic pictures:
This last picture won the best of show for my age group at the East Texas State Fair. All because I picked up a caterpillar and thought, what if.....
And then there was the magnolias. We have two magnolia trees out front of our home. On the second floor I get a pretty good view of them when they bloom. So this year I decided that I would move the screen of the window to the side and take some shots.
By far, the last is my favorite and truth be told, one of my favorite shots all time. It was taken after a storm (and those that know me know I love storms). The water drops glistening and it's moodiness just made the shot for me.
And I even tried out some fun with some sparks. Now this was a fun little project:
This is a LOT trickier than it looks. Those sparks are shooting toward you lol. Plus you have to get the right kind of metal to shoot the sparks right. But through some trial and error I was able to get a shot I adored.
Lots of different shots I know but this year saw my portrait work take a more pronounced role. By far two pictures that I DID NOT take but were favorites are:
Both taken in Gatlinburg Tennessee, this is my beautiful bride and one of my biggest supporters!
But I had my share of shots of people as well. I was able to shoot the wedding of one of Ginger's closest friends and this is one of my favorite shots:
These two are such a happy couple and you can tell the love these two have for each other. Two of the most genuine people I know.
I was also able to take shots of one of my closest friends grandchildren. It was a planned shoot but once they forgot I had a camera I was able to get some really good shots. FYI, we got them disposable cameras to shoot as well!
My favorite though:
Photoshopping could have been a little better, but this one was fun.
Speaking of fun pictures, I got to take some pictures of my parents, some really cute and one super funny:
If you are wondering where I get my sense of humor from, look no further.....
Of course there were plenty of Sophie picture, I love this one though....
This year also saw me published, again, except this time it was a full two page article! It was about two subjects I know quite a bit about. Amazingly the lead picture was a self portrait taken at my parents house entitled Serenity:
Which leads to one of the pictures that brings back such emotion and thankfulness. The weekend I got the magazine (digitally) with my article in it, Ginger had two seizures. Caused by a medication she was going down and off of (on again because of the seizures). My world turned upside down, my creativity left for a season and I realized what exactly is important in this world. The picture will win no awards but it was taken a few days after we found out Ginger was going to be okay. It is deeply personal. No makeup, no photoshop, just an air of thankfulness and gratitude. I love this picture.
So even though my creativity took a hit, it came back, slowly with time. And I ventured into a new form of art, acrylic pours:
I have since done many of these and I have done a few commissions. In fact I have two now that are on the books, I just need to get them done. I have tried new techniques and I am learning. It's funny. I taught myself photography, Photoshop, and now I am teaching myself acrylic pours through videos and lots of practice. My favorite, however, so far, is a tile I did:
So that is a LOT of pictures. But what about a favorite. Well as much as I love the pictures above it was right before Christmas that I got the shot that just reminds me of why I love Photography so much. I did a shoot for some very close friends of ours (we do not just let anyone watch Sophie) who had just had a baby. I spent two hours (and 200 shots) and quite a few clothing changes getting different shots for the lovely couple. Some funny one's and serious ones. There were a few that just wowed me, they were very helpful (and his Mom was too!) in getting Audrey to smile, but this one, though not technically "perfect", showed me something. I call it wonder. It's the wonder of Christmas. It's the wonder of new parents and their absolute love of their daughter. You can just see it. It's the look, the happiness, the contentment. It reminds me that this is how we should look at God. With wonder and thankfulness. So this, my family and friends, is my favorite picture of 2019 that I took:
Feel free to tell me yours in the comments or on Facebook! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. This year I plan on learning more advanced Photoshop techniques, continuing my acrylic pours and I am contemplating creating a website as a landing pad for all my art. I have had a lot of interest in my work so it would be nice to have a landing pad to showcase it all. I will keep you all informed. And yes, another 52 week challenge this year. So a picture a week at least and more blogs. Thank you everyone for your love and support! Happy New Year!
Baa
Comments
Post a Comment