I had just finished a daily photo project, and I was feeling burned out, almost as though photography had been a full-time job. Under other circumstances, that wouldn't have been a bad thing. But I had to come up with a completely different photograph each day, which sometimes left me scrambling.
And so, I put down my camera for a while, although I did have a new project and still had images to capture.
None of those photos made it to my year-end tradition of sharing the photos that gave me the most pleasure in composing, capturing, and processing. And though there were days when I just left my camera at home, there were days when I remembered why photography is a passion of mine.
The following photos are my favourite of the past year. Whether I was snapping around Ottawa, on vacation out east, or in a studio with models, these events are memorable to me for the past year.
By the way, one of the photos—possibly, three—are not safe for work. Maybe, view this post on your own time.
For this post, I'm going to clump photos by theme and not worry about any chronological order.
If you live in Ottawa, you are more than familiar with Parliament Hill and the iconic Peace Tower. This year, for Canada Day, I actually stayed away from the downtown crowds, but I've always taken some time to capture the Hill from all angles.
We have lots of waterways in the Ottawa area: the Ottawa River, the Rideau River, Gatineau River, and the Rideau Canal, including Dow's Lake. From dawn to dusk, I was out there, capturing glimpses of them.
To change things up, I like to take images from uncommon angles. This year, I would often use my wide-angle lens and get low, tilting the camera upwards. From large subjects to small ones, I liked this different point of view.
I've also added a glass orb to my photo toys, and this year, I used it in various settings. My favourite was actually shot with my Android, in an artsy part of Hull.
While most of my photos are taken outdoors, I do make time for indoor photo shoots. I've been a member of the Ottawa Photography Meetup group for several years, and participate in the Model Special Interest group a couple of times a year. We use several different locations, from abandoned farm houses, to modern homes, to studios with simple backdrops. I'm sharing images from my three favourite meets this year.
The first two images are possibly safe for work. The third one, I suspect, is not. You've been cautioned.
The models, in order of appearance, are Sarah Anne Kane, Denisa Strakova, and Jay Ban. What I liked about these photo shoots is that I was able to gain experience capturing the models in natural light, with my camera flash, and with studio lighting. Each situation called for its own challenge.
Besides model shoots, people don't often appear in my photographs: in the past, I have shot candid photos and I did have that project where I photographed complete strangers. But I always try to take my camera to musical events. Two of my favourite photos, this year, include a local band that I heard for the first time and fell in love with, leMeow, and one of my favourite performers of all time, for whom I've waited to see perform live for years: Dave Matthews.
I didn't attend many special events, this year, but I did find myself on Preston Street, during Italian Week, which also coincides with Father's Day. My father, my kids, and I took in a local brewery for some refreshments before we caught the men's cycle event.
I experimented with slower shutter speeds to give the impression of speed and motion with the cyclists. While a few of my images turned out well, only one really stood out for me.
I've already shared a few sunset photos in this post, but one of the greatest evenings in capturing the dying light happened during my summer photo walk, when my group and I approached the Alexandra Bridge and Nepean Point. The sky was a brilliant orange.
This summer, my family and I went out east for our vacation, travelling around Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. For Nova Scotia, two of my favourite spots were Hirtle's Beach, near Lunenburg, and Peggy's Cove, where we arrived before sunrise. Surprisingly, the lighthouse, as beautiful and picturesque as it is, was not my favourite focal point: I preferred the boats in the bay near the famous rocks and lighthouse.
In New Brunswick, you can't beat the Hartwell Rocks.
Finally, there were some random moments around Ottawa that round out my favourite photos.
What will 2019 hold? Let's see...
Have a Happy New Year! Thanks for following The Brown Knowser.
No comments:
Post a Comment