As this year was not a very productive year as it comes to my photography, the pickings were slim when it came to pick my favorites. Only 10 shots made the list. Some of them I have not printed, but all have been on social media. I will list them in alphabetical order because I cannot rank them otherwise.
I shot this at an abandoned Girl Scout camp not far from home. The way the trees are bent over to form arches is what caught my eye in the first place. I have printed and framed this in two different sizes. Originally shot in color, I converted it to black and white for better contrast of the dormant trees and the snow.
I spotted this boat one evening on the way to visit family. I made a mental note to shoot it the next day, which I did. I have printed this in several sizes, as well as made a canvas print. I’ve met a few people who have ate here, as well as a lot of people who have been to other restaurants with the same name. It is an eye catcher for sure. I think it may make a great jigsaw puzzle.
Station wagons may have been just a family car in the past, but they are now gaining recognition as collectible vehicles. The clean lines on this just spoke to me, so I had to capture it with my camera. As much as I like this shot, I have yet to print it.
Although a simple composition, I still like it because of the silver on black. This was not an easy one to process either. This is another that has not graced any photo paper.
At the time I shot this, I had never seen an old door with two key holes before. I thought it odd, so I photographed it. I have since seen other photographers with the same general shot. Mine was shot in color and converted to black and white to bring out the texture of the crumbling paint. I have also given it a custom vignette to highlight a section of the door. I have printed this in several sizes, and even framed one.
If I had to choose my favorite shot of the year, this would be it. It was taken at a forest preserve near Winfield, IL. I shot across a pond using a zoom lens. At first, I was not very smitten with this shot. I did some tight cropping to bring the subject closer. Now my attention was piqued. I converted it to black and white, and it came to live. Some dodging and burning, and a little vignette brought it home for me. I have printed this several times as it is very popular. I even sold a framed edition as part of a themed gallery exhibit.
I have my wife to thank for this one. She wanted a macro shot of her plant after she watered it. I obliged and took several shots of this leaf from different angles. When all was said and done, I chose this one. A lot of processing went into it to get what you see here. Some dodging and burning, a little sharpening, and a custom vignette makes it stand out. The only other thing done was to give it a square crop. I have not printed this yet, but I am thinking about it.
This is another example of some tight cropping in post production to bring the subject in more. It was shot in landscape orientation, which left too much boring bits on the sides. So it got a square crop. I blurred the background a little more than it was, and toned down the colors behind the subject too. The bench and angel was sharpened just a hair. A very light vignette was added to bring the focus on the subject more.
This is looking up from the ground at an old windmill for a well. The vanes are long gone, so this now serves as the drop point for electrical service. Originally shot in color, I converted this to black and white. It was different but lacked some punch. So, I flipped it to make it look like a negative. I have printed this several times and have sold a few copies of this.
This abandoned rail car was sitting on an old unused piece of railroad track a fair bit off the roadway. Even with my telephoto lens, it was not an easy task to get. I ended up taking several shots and stitching them together in post production to get this panorama. If you look closely, you can see Train to Nowhere painted under the windows near the center of the car. I have yet to print this one, but I might if I ever splurge on a larger printer that can do panoramas.
So, that’s it for my picks for this year. I would love to hear what you think of these. If you love any of them as much as I do, and would like to buy a copy, let me know.
In the meantime, keep creating.
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