Year In Review, 2022

It’s that time of year - betwixtmas - where every YouTuber, blogger, and writer does a year-end review. So here’s mine: in no particular order and by unanimous vote, the top 20 photos I’ve taken this year.

Tacoma

This first one was taken while on a walk in Tacoma. There are many things I do not miss about Tacoma (the breakins, the politics) and many things that I do (the people, the water). I spent many years walking around swaths of the city taking pictures; I’m grateful that I have something to remember those times.

img Rollei 35 SE

Colorado

This next one was taken on the way up to Boreas Pass near Como, Colorado. It’s not the world’s most interesting photo but 1) I got up really early to take it and I’m proud of that, and 2) the colors that day were very good. It’s a little…hotel art?…but I like it.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

This is one of my few honest tries at a self portrait. I don’t really know what to say about it, but I like it. Taken just after the prior photo (on a rando dirt road in Colorado).

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Yellowstone

Moving right along: cows in Idaho. We spent a week or so in Island Park, which is neither an island nor a park. But it is only 30 minutes from the northwest entrance to Yellowstone. It was a very queit experience; lots of farms, 45 minute drives to anything, and gas station grocery stores.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Speaking of Yellowstone, this was taken at the Grand Prismatic Spring in the park. I think I’ve seen this photo before from other people, but I really liked how it came out. Silhouettes are always fun.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Road trip in Oregon

These next four are from a motorcycle trip I did with my father. I had a lot of photos from this trip that I really love; it’s a little nostalgic, but I also think I was just really trying to shoot good photos that week.

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Black and white, on film

I really want to give B&W film a fair shake…I just like color so much! Maybe I need to commit and leave myself no other option. Black and white just does people so well.

img Leica M3, Summilux 50mm f1.4

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

This one is also B&W…and is the only “street” photo I took this year that I like. It’s literally a photo of a street. Is this street photography?

img Leica M6, Summilux 35mm f1.4

And one more in black and white: a landscape. I always shoot HP5+ at 800 and push in development. It isn’t great for landscape photography…but sometimes I like the result. This one was taken looking at the mountain in Dune Park in Tacoma.

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Bye, Fuji

This next one is an outlier: I took it with a Fuji X-Pro 3. I love Fuji cameras and would recommend them to anyone…but there’s something about how the images look from X-Trans sensors that bother me. I’m sure that’s in my head but after years of Fuji (X-T2, X-T4, X-Pro 3, X100V, X-E4) something flipped in my head and now I can’t unsee it. I’m sure I’ll come back around.

img Fujifilm X-Pro 3, XF 23mm f1.4

London, England

This one is from London. I love London. It’s my favorite city. We were there for three days in November…but were sick most of the time and couldn’t enjoy it. This photo is out of our hotel room in Marylebone; I took probably 20 of these, and this one worked out. The walker in the distance, the West London housing, the reflections in the window.

img Ricoh GRIIIx

The Rest

We’re almost to the end! Three more. This photo was a sleeper - at the time I didn’t like it, but now I really like it. I need to try more minimal photography.

img Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f1.4

This one is from the Oregon coast. I miss the Oregon coast. This was shot on a Sony A7IV and the incredible Sony 35mm f1.4 GM. I wish I hadn’t sold it. I’ve shot with the Summilux 35mm FLE and Summicron 35mm and the Sony has them beat. It’s almost as good as the Q2’s Summilux 28mm f1.4.

img Sony A7IV, Sony 35mm f1.4 GM

And finally, a little yellow. This is from the LeMay car museum in Tacoma, shot on an M6 with Portra 800. Yellow on yellow.

img Leica M6, Summilux 50mm f1.4

Finally

This has been a big year. For now, I’ll comment on what I’m thinking as a photographer.

First, I shot less this year than I would have hoped. Especially the last six months of the year. Illness, travel, family, etc. I’m not mad about it but I am a firm believer that practice, practice, practice makes a huge difference and I hope to shoot more in the coming months.

Second, I aim to simplify. I don’t know what my camera collection is going to be next year but it’s definitely going to be much smaller.

Third, focus on what matters. Gear is nice to talk about, photos are what matter. I’ve been asking myself “what allows me to do the best work?” I don’t know yet but I’m working on it and hopefully it leads to improvement.

See y’all next year.