There’s a story in my stats for the year, which I wouldn’t know unless Mica had prompted for stats (thanks for that!). The big one is a 162-day gap between shots, from May 1 to early October. The shutter button got pressed 399 times, and 271 of them got through the Geeqie culling meat grinder. Only ten images saw the inside of an editor. Most of the shots I did take were in October and November. The challenge for 2023: less time on the job, more time shooting and editing.
My fave image for the year comes with a story too. Here in Toronto, fog is not a very frequent occurrence. But this fall, we had an abundance of it for some reason, and it was a blast getting out on some early mornings and just embracing the fog. This image is technically way less than awesome, I’m not happy with my edit, and the foreground tree is a scruffy little thing, but for me it captures what it was like to be out in that fog. If I had to name it, I’d call it “Got your back.”
Also this shot is quite nice. Speaks to the changing of seasons, weathering, and has a nice aura with that fog. Composition is nice. Don’t sell yourself short.
When I took this quick snap of these converging verticals, I wasn’t conscious of the fact that the scene is almost entirely monochrome except for the frayed blue rope.
I don’t think I can easily choose a favorite. Besides - a lot of my favorites are really family photos and with that they can be absolutely subjective.
This one is from Hawaii. Sunset at Ala Moana beach.
Well - more than 20k shot in the year so the first 10k produced about 500 keepers. I still have a long way to go to finish the 2022 in pictures.
I’ve played with so many different styles this year (landscapes, portraits, macro, abstract, minimalist…), which makes it very hard to pick a favourite. I probably have about five favourites. But I’m not sure any of them are 5-stars, which I reserve for portfolio-worthy images. I actually haven’t made a portfolio yet, but I expect that when I eventually do, I will have even better photos by then… But who knows?!
I shared some of my recent favourites in another thread (Darktable 4.2 is coming, Simply Thank You), so here’s a different one. Forests are some of my favourite environments to walk through but it’s so hard to capture them through photography. You really need to find a composition that isn’t too chaotic, and that can be a considerable challenge in the forests of BC, Canada. So, even though this is far from being my favourite image of the year, it’s one that reflects a lot of my efforts over the last 12 months and an area in which I’m quite happy with my progress.
And a few stats:
No idea how many photos I actually imported, but I have over 5000 after initial culling (this does include burst shots and panorama source files, so not truly representative of how many are keepers).
Of this 5000:
1439 have 2 stars and are shots I would show as a record of the year (includes snapshots of family and places visited). This is way more than usual, but that’s what happens when you buy a new camera
91 have 3 stars and potentially worthy of hanging on a wall (mostly the toilet wall, but maybe 1 or 2 for the living room).
3 to 5 could be worthy of 4 or 5 stars (portfolio quality), but I’m still assessing if any meet this criteria.
Narrowing down to one with the volume I shoot is hard. These are probably my personal favorite but may not be popular with others. All edits done in darktable and on Fedora Linux.
Lastly, I have been sliding back into studio and portrait work this year but slowly. I think the iPhone has really decimated the market for this stuff unless you get a specific job or work with a place that needs something particular. I picked up a pair of Godox LC-500Rs and have been using the RGB modes for some shots. I haven’t caught anything really spectacular this year on this front as it’s been slow and very prescribed by outside clients but I like the IRL split toning kind of look in this. Fuji X-H1 again.
Edit: this year’s stats for nerds:
I shot 3669 photos that I have kept
302 are five stars (I only use zero or five, it’s either good or it’s not)
Most used camera was the D850 with 975 followed by the X-H1, X-T2, X100f, D7500, D800 and D1X. I don’t have a hoarding problem, don’t judge me.
Most used focal length was 23mm due to the Fujis.
I have to go with the camping shot. The colors are sublime. Very, very painterly. Plus, it’s got it all: Open spaces, trees, hills, clouds, perfectly gentle light… and a cool tent attached to your Tacoma!
Thanks! Except for our first trip to a mountaintop in the same region, we go back to this spot almost every year. Not spectacular, but quintessential Colorado…
My wife found that tent, made for SUVs but the boot fits just fine on the truck. Napier Sportz.
