2011 - A review

With our Christmas-time jaunt to Tennessee due up Friday morning and the chances of posting regularly between now and the new year sparse at best, I thought today would be a good day to review this past year with you.

It's been a pretty dynamic photographic year for me with implementation of a new workflow, the startup of a new business, new gear, new interests and the attendance of my first real photography workshop. I've learned a great deal, with still so much more to absorb, made some new friends and got meet a few social networking friends in person - great treats for me.

I want to give a special thanks to Jacob Lucas, Scott Wyden and Justin Balog for yielding their blog spotlights so that more folks might get to know me and what makes me tick. Really appreciate that fellas! Also want to thank my fellow villains of the HDR Collaboration Group for not only including me in the group, but for pushing my creativity further than I could on my own. Thanks to Mark Garbowski, Rob Hanson, Jacques Gude, Bob Lussier, Scott Frederick, Mike 'Theaterwiz' Criswell, and Mark 'Silent G' Gvazdinskas - you guys rock!

The one constant in my life is my family, with my lovely wife Laura and wonderful boy Sammy providing much needed support and inspiration. Growth in this passion of mine would not be possible without either of you and I love you very much!

With all of that said, I'd like to share a few of my favorite images from this year. No particular order here, just as they come to me. I hope each and everyone of you have a Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year.

Cowboy Tools

Took this pic in a bar-b-cue joint in Brenham, TX. I loved the angle of the light how it produced great details and shadows here. Good food there too!

Mama's Eyes

Couldn't have a best of list without a shot of the boy and this one was my favorite for the year - he even posed for it, which was a miracle in itself. His eyes are so expressive, and they're all Laura's!

Grey Cloud Sunrise

This spot on the Grey Cloud Island bridge has turned into one of my go-to spots because of shots like this one. The Mississippi River feeds back into this bay and becomes as smooth as silk on calm days, giving way to beautiful reflections and moody shots!

Utility

My favorite shot from a series looking at an abandoned house that I termed 'Chicken John's' as it was owned back in the 50's by a fella named John who raised chickens and supplied eggs to folks in the Grey Cloud community. He used newspaper as wall insulation to help keep the house warm during the harsh Minnesota winters. My wife did some digging based on some of the info listed in the paper and determined that it was at least as old as 1958.

Fort Worth Water Garden

Had the enormous pleasure back in May to hang out with two incredible Texas based photographers, James Brandon and Cliff Baise. These guys were awesome hosts, and good guys ta boot! We first explored the Fort Worth Stockyards, but after some great Texas barbecue, moved on to the Water Gardens, which i had never seen before. It was an incredible experience walking down into this place with water moving all around you. Can't thank these gents enough for taking care of me that night!

My Bride

Seldom does the opportunity arise for me to take a photograph of my wife, mainly because she does not like having her picture taken. After taking this picture of her, she has definitely been more accomodating. Such a wonderful, natural feel to this image and it shows off her beautiful smile. Good news for me is that as beautiful as she is outside, her inner beauty far surpasses it. What a wonderful woman - I don't deserve her.

Ozone

Tried my first long exposure pictures, with this one being my favorite. It's a sailboat parked in the Hudson, WI, marina and a beauty summer morning. The clouds were moving quite nicely overhead and the sunrise colors were complimentary as well.

Last Cast

Father's Day in MN was one of the prettiest days all year, but not the best day for sunset pictures at Grey Cloud Island due to the large number of fishermen out trying to take advantage. Instead of trying to work around them, I worked with them and caught this cool image of one the guys casting his line out just before the sun was down. I'm not kidding, this cast or the next brought in a large Northern that he was very proud of. It was very cool!

Cougar Sailing

My first trip to Charleston, SC, took place in 2011 and it was quite enjoyable even though it was like Africa-hot there with heat indexes over 120F every day I was there. This is my favorite image from the trip - it's the College of Charleston Cougars' team sail boats in the Charleston Harbor Marina. Loved the lines and repetition of the masts and numbers.

Watching Bellagio

Another first in 2011 was my trip to Las Vegas. Had never seen that place before and thanks to Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen taking care of my entry into Skip's Summer School 2011, I was able to visit Sin City, see the strip, and get a first rate education on the business of portrait and wedding photography. This was an amazing opportunity for me and I learned a lot! When I wasn't learning, I was taking pics, with this one being my favorite from the lot. Everybody takes pics of the Bellagio Fountains, but I wanted somethign different, so I focused on the folks watching them and used the light from the fountains to produce these cool silhouettes.

SAVE

Made my second trip to the Rubber City Machinery factory in Akron, OH, back at the end of August and these guys were once again terribly generous in letting me explore this historical plant full of equipment and parts. This image was by far the best of the lot, showing off the huge warehouse space in the back of the plant.

Take A Rest

My second trip to Galveston, TX, took place this year, this time I spent quite a bit of time exploring the town, especially the old part of town. It would seem that Galveston has as big a thing for benches as I do, because they were everywhere. Good thing too, with the kind of heat and humidity they see, rest becomes very important!

Harvest Sunrise

Once again, the harvest time here in Minnesota captivated my interest, and my camera, this time with a bit more detail on the harvest itself rather than the equipment used to collect it.

Black Dirt

Another harvest shot, this time with more detail in the dirt, bits and pieces. Even got some feedback from a viewer who explained that the pink/red color of the corn was due to a certain disease that the corn can catch after being in the field for too long (at least I think that's what was said). Love the feedback!

Laugh

And to cap off the list, here's another pic of my boy, this time sporting an amazingly cool laugh. Love his facial expressions and what those expressions can do to my heart. He is my ultimate muse and as I stated in both Scott Wyden's and Jacob Lucas' guest posts, he is the main reason I am now obsessed with photography. It's all his fault...and I am grateful.