So Long 2019!
It is almost time so say "Good bye!" to another year. It is the time of year for reflecting on the year that has passed and dream of what the future holds. I have included some of my favorite images from 2019, some you may have seen here and others you have not.
Reflection
I think the single, biggest photography-related event of 2019 was being asked to contribute to a calendar. My friend, Dave Schofield (
Interview with Sports Photographer Dave Schofield) put together a calendar of sunrise/sunset images and asked me to be one of six photographers.
This is the first time I have been asked to do something like this and was thrilled to see that three (3) of my images were selected - May 2020, August 2020 and January 2021. It is a beautiful calendar and 100% of the sale proceeds were donated to Fulfill Food Bank.
Blogging
This past year has been an interesting one for me, both as a photographer and as a photography blogger. In 2019 I wrote and published twenty-eight (28) blog posts - eight (8) more than in 2018, including
two interviews, four "
Improve Your Photography", three "
Parks of Monmouth County" and introduced a couple new series - "
The Jersey Shore" and "
The Appalachian Trail in New Jersey."
I found a new place for sunrise & sunset photography (
Manasquan Reservoir - A Sunrise & Sunset Weekend), reviewed a Kelty backpack (
Product Review: Kelty Redwing 32 Backpack), weighed in on the "does gear matter" (
Does Your Gear Matter? No, It Doesn't! Yes, It Does!) and Photoshop (Is It Real or Is It Photoshop?) debates. I even,
GASP!, went out shooting with another photographer! 😉
Photography
I started 2019 with a "360 Project" that I faithfully executed until mid-February or so. I have always wanted to complete one and tried once before but find that I just don't have the temperament. There were many days when I was frantically looking for an image as the day wound down, often coming up with something I was not proud of. The project began to run me, I was getting frustrated and it was distracting.
My photography went thru a cycle of ups-and-downs that had me taking the summer off almost entirely. I'm not a big fan of summer to begin with but this year it was particularly difficult to get inspired. I had a disastrous outing in March (
Shooting the New York City Skyline) and got so discouraged I packed my camera away for a few months; I had to step away for a while and consider what I was going to do moving forward. The silver lining for that excursion was the post about whether gear matters that I mentioned earlier. I volunteered for the Monmouth County Pancreatic Cancer Walk in June but otherwise didn't touch the camera until September and cooler weather came. Well, I did make a few images for blog posts but only a few.
The end of September found me at Manasquan Reservoir for a sunset on Friday afternoon and sunrise the following morning. I had never witnessed sunrise or sunset there so I stopped on Thursday armed with just my smartphone and did some scouting. I found some great compositions and, for the first time since March, felt excited about getting back out with my camera. I would re-visit the reservoir a few times in the following weeks, including a sunset session with a friend (
A Rare Photo Shoot With a Friend) and some foliage on a rainy afternoon.
There were some competitions entered this year covering a variety of topics, including minimalism and black & white photography. I entered feeling pretty good about my chances but did not finish at the top, nor did I receive any honorable mentions. When I looked at some of the winning images, I was shocked, angry and depressed. There were winning images that I would have immediately deleted from my files as accidents had I taken them. I couldn't understand how some of them were selected above mine. I came to think that maybe I didn't understand the "art" world and maybe never will. This, along with other factors, put me into a depression that caused me to stop pursuing the "prize"; putting my camera away. It really wasn't until Dave asked me to contribute to his calendar that I finally started feeling good about my work again.
Writing for Others
2019 saw me branching out and writing for websites outside of my blog. I was following NJSpots.com on Twitter and saw a tweet offering an opportunity to write for them. I submitted a writing sample and was accepted into their pool of contributors. The writing sample was an excerpt from my post about Deep Cut Gardens - turns out they were considering a story about the gardens so they re-published my post. You can read it here -
Deep Cut Gardens. This was the first of four (4) published in 2019, with more to come in 2020. If you haven't already checked out the site, you should - after finishing this post, of course.
I submitted story ideas to some magazines throughout the year but, so far, haven't been able to sell anything. I did come close to being interviewed, and featured, in
Dek Unu magazine; I understand I was in the Top 3 but ultimately fell a little short. I am waiting to hear from others.
Hello 2020!
Looking Ahead
So.... what does 2020 have in store for me? I have no idea but I do have some plans. I will share some and others will be shared when the time is right.
Interviews
I am hoping to conduct more interviews in 2020 - they are a popular feature and I have a lot of fun with them. I also learn something from each and every person I interview. The first for 2020 will be Rachel Lerch, a landscape photographer and vlogger from Ontario, Canada. I have been following Rachel on YouTube for a while and am looking forward to the interview. I have several requests out that I am waiting to get replies from, a few I have to follow-up with and a whole list of people that I hope to get. If there is a photographer that you would like to see interviewed - please leave a comment below and I will see what I can do. This includes local photographers and those who are just starting out.
Reviews
SunCalc, MoonCalc and ClearOutside are three (3) apps that I have been using quite a bit lately; they have been mentioned in some articles and I will be reviewing them in the next few months. They are free, available for both Android and iOS, and have web-based versions. I hope to be able to do some gear reviews, too. I have been looking to replace my 8 year-old iPad for about a year now and just purchased the Samsung Tab S4 to use for writing and basic photo editing - look for a review from a photography point-of-view in the first half of 2020.
Improve Your Photography
This is such a fun series to write but it is, sometimes, the hardest. I have two that are currently being written, in need of images, and about a half dozen roughed out topics. Check out the index -
Improve Your Photography series - and let me know if there is something you would like covered. Hopefully you found the last one timely and helpful -
Improve Your Photography: Christmas Trees and Outdoor Light Displays.
Other Series
The Monmouth County Park System has twenty-nine (29) parks that I have yet to cover - I am going to attempt to make a dent in that number during the year. Is there one in particular you would like to see me write about? Let me know in the comments below.
The Appalachian Trail and Jersey Shore series will each see at least one more installment but, hopefully, a few more than that. I finally reached the summit of Mount Tammany (
Hiking Mount Tammany (Bucket List - check)) and am excited to explore more of the area, particularly the waterfalls.
Miscellany
There is so much that I want to get done in 2020, knowing that I just don't have the time to do most of it. Most of what I want to accomplish is behind the lens and I have very specific skills that I want to hone, but there are other things that need work, too. My editing is improving but I have a long way to go, and there are topics I have been wanting to cover for a long time.
I am also hoping that 2020 will be the year of positive cash flow and an investment in some of the gear I have had my eye on. Is mirrorless in my future? I've been thinking about it but only if it is a big step up from the gear I am currently using. I like the idea of saving weight - I'm not getting any younger and carrying 30 pounds or more gets tiring.
Thank you!
I'd like to finish up with a big, "THANK YOU!" to everyone reading this post and supported me thru this past year. It's been quite a year and I am looking forward to seeing what 2020 brings. I hope you will come along for the ride with me.
This is the first time I have been asked to do something like this and was thrilled to see that three (3) of my images were selected - May 2020, August 2020 and January 2021. It is a beautiful calendar and 100% of the sale proceeds were donated to Fulfill Food Bank.
I found a new place for sunrise & sunset photography (Manasquan Reservoir - A Sunrise & Sunset Weekend), reviewed a Kelty backpack (Product Review: Kelty Redwing 32 Backpack), weighed in on the "does gear matter" (Does Your Gear Matter? No, It Doesn't! Yes, It Does!) and Photoshop (Is It Real or Is It Photoshop?) debates. I even, GASP!, went out shooting with another photographer! 😉
My photography went thru a cycle of ups-and-downs that had me taking the summer off almost entirely. I'm not a big fan of summer to begin with but this year it was particularly difficult to get inspired. I had a disastrous outing in March (Shooting the New York City Skyline) and got so discouraged I packed my camera away for a few months; I had to step away for a while and consider what I was going to do moving forward. The silver lining for that excursion was the post about whether gear matters that I mentioned earlier. I volunteered for the Monmouth County Pancreatic Cancer Walk in June but otherwise didn't touch the camera until September and cooler weather came. Well, I did make a few images for blog posts but only a few.
The end of September found me at Manasquan Reservoir for a sunset on Friday afternoon and sunrise the following morning. I had never witnessed sunrise or sunset there so I stopped on Thursday armed with just my smartphone and did some scouting. I found some great compositions and, for the first time since March, felt excited about getting back out with my camera. I would re-visit the reservoir a few times in the following weeks, including a sunset session with a friend (A Rare Photo Shoot With a Friend) and some foliage on a rainy afternoon.
There were some competitions entered this year covering a variety of topics, including minimalism and black & white photography. I entered feeling pretty good about my chances but did not finish at the top, nor did I receive any honorable mentions. When I looked at some of the winning images, I was shocked, angry and depressed. There were winning images that I would have immediately deleted from my files as accidents had I taken them. I couldn't understand how some of them were selected above mine. I came to think that maybe I didn't understand the "art" world and maybe never will. This, along with other factors, put me into a depression that caused me to stop pursuing the "prize"; putting my camera away. It really wasn't until Dave asked me to contribute to his calendar that I finally started feeling good about my work again.
SunCalc, MoonCalc and ClearOutside are three (3) apps that I have been using quite a bit lately; they have been mentioned in some articles and I will be reviewing them in the next few months. They are free, available for both Android and iOS, and have web-based versions. I hope to be able to do some gear reviews, too. I have been looking to replace my 8 year-old iPad for about a year now and just purchased the Samsung Tab S4 to use for writing and basic photo editing - look for a review from a photography point-of-view in the first half of 2020.
